Honestly, Ashley, I don’t know.”Madisonwas deep in thought, and then she blurted out, “Mark, could all this have been a hoax?”Mark blinked. It... had seemed so real. What a question! “Sis, try reaching mom on the phone.”Ashley piped up. “If it were a hoax, it’s not just us being duped. My parents believed in the neutron star yesterday. They wouldn’t lie to me.”“Mine neither,” said Hannah firmly.Mark frowned. “I don’t think it was a hoax. That last image, I’ll remember it forever. I think I could. Poppy was leaningagainst the wall of the Drama department with her arms crossed, waitingfor Ms Moon to arrive. It looked like Poppy hadn't introduced herselfto any of the other students, since all of them were either ignoringher or were too scared to introduce themselves.As I joined Poppy in leaning against the wall, we gave each other aquick hug and traded very quiet and nervous hellos. We found out fromsome of the group discussions going on around us that the door waslocked, so we were going. He winked and mouthed, "Have fun."___________Lexi led me to a room on the second floor. There was a TV on one wall and across from it was a grey couch. Some light weights, a stationary bike, a bean bag, and other various fitness and relaxation tools lined the edge of the room. I shut and locked the door behind us.She reached the center of the room and turned to face me, her slim figure silhouetted by the solitary lamp standing in the corner that cast a soft golden glow over the room."So," she. Shows you what I knew.Emily demanded my assistance in the kitchen whilst she cooked a meal for nine. Stella and her husband would be there later. We were still in the habit of whoever picked the children up from school cooked the evening meal. It had become a tradition by then.Actually I'm not too sure that I was of much assistance to Emily in the kitchen. I think I've said before that my cooking skills are not far short of being lethal, but Emily kept finding me menial tasks to perform. A.