I am so sorry for the wait, A LOT has been happening and I haven't had the time, energy, or will for writing recently. I also don't have very easy access to the internet, cuz I'm not allowed on the internet at all, so I have to wait til my mom is gone long enough.

This chapter is pretty boring, but I'm having trouble writing the next few so I apologize in advance for the wait following this chapter too.

Chapter 13: A Lesson in History

I sat down as he began talking. "That house was here long before the rest of this town even existed. Well, the cellar did at least. It was built about 300 years ago, underground where it couldn't be easily found. Could you believe a large tree used to sit right on top of the opening? You had to crawl beneath a large gap in the roots to find it.

"The original Organization XIII began there. Of course, back then they were just called the Organization, there was only about eight back then. It was a small group of outcasts, they called themselves Nobodies, that banded together to perform missions. We still don't even know what originally happened there, the records were lost in the fire in 1894. But I'll explain that later." he leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs as he continued.

"The Organization wanted to be able to bring their families, so they tore down the tree and built a house large enough for all of the members plus their families. This eventually posed a problem though, as their families grew older and began families of their own. They built smaller houses all around the larger house. Besides the Organization and their slowly growing families, there was immense wilderness around them. Remember than this was before even the pioneers, and even Indians didn't have any settlements within 50 miles of the small settlement. The tradition of the Organization was passed from father to son, symbolized by the handing down of their black cloaks.

"As the area was becoming more populated, the group kept growing larger. As the pioneers started arriving, the population boomed and the town grew larger still, they had to start putting restrictions on the people who could join the Organization. They put a final limit of 50 members, and the business boomed.

"In the late 1800s, a group of rejected Organization members came together and started an opposing clan. They were outraged, and many of them claimed the Organization had been in their family for generations. One night in the winter of 1894, they all went out and set the whole town on fire. Much of it was lost, including the Organization house, only the cellar remained. About 80% of the people in the town died, including most of the revolters. Only thirteen Organization members were left."

The weather was beautiful when we had first arrived on top of the building, but the longer we sat, the hotter it got. My mind started to wander, I began thinking of my mom again. Would I ever see her again? Was she right about the whole thing? I shook my head and continued listening to Axel.

"Everything from the records to their families were lost, but they decided to rebuild everything. The built the mansion out of granite, and earned the town its name, Granite Heights. They vowed to keep the Organization at only thirteen members, only to be passed on to the first born son. This kept it from too many people trying to start a new revolt."

He sighed and leaned back in the chair, and I suddenly became aware that he'd stopped talking and stood up to stretch. I took a few steps out of the half circle.

"I could tell I was boring you, so I just stopped."
"No, honestly I think it's quite interesting. Now I know at least a little bit of the Organization...I just have a lot on my mind right now." As I said this, more thoughts came into my mind.

Once again, the thought of all the crazy things that had happened since I moved here floated through my mind. I had joined a gang I still knew next to nothing about, got in a fight with my mom and jumped out of the window, then moved in with a guy that I had known for less than two months. It just now hit me that he didn't live with his parents, so I asked him about it.

"Not to change the subject, but where are your parents?" I asked, scanning his face to see if he was offended by my question.

He looked surprised at first, then confused. He sighed. "I guess I never did tell you that story."

I walked back to the lawn chairs and pulled one closer to him as I took a seat.

"Well, my dad never was around much, the last time I saw him was when I was five. And my mom...well, she got a job offer in North Dakota a few years ago that she couldn't pass up. I-" he paused for a moment to lift his sleeve, "-was already in the Organization so I couldn't leave. So I got emancipated, and I've been living in that apartment since, with the checks my mom sends me every other month. She visits at Christmas time and I go and see her for a few weeks over summer break."

We both sat in silence for a few minutes. There was something else he wasn't telling me, and I could tell. I sensed that he didn't want to talk about it so I changed the subject again.

"Can we go now? It's getting too hot up here."
He nodded and we walked silently back to the stairway. Once we were in, he locked the door and started down the stairs. I paused at the third floor, thinking we were going back in, because it was surprisingly only halfway through our lunch hour. I shrugged my shoulders and continued down the stairs after him.

I stumbled a few times over my awkward cast. Axel would stop and peek over his shoulder to see me steadying myself, and continue on.

We got to the first floor finally, but Axel continued down. Was there a basement? Where were we going?

Well...that's it for now, sorry it's not much /: Like I said, things are hard for me right now and writing this story is a lot more than I expected it to be, but especially trying to keep it up and I feel bad about not posting for like a month, and not writing for even longer...but please review anyways?