Prologue
A scream broke through the night, pulling everyone form their deep slumber. Who in God’s name would be awake at this ungodly hour of the night. My clock illuminated the late witching hour of midnight. I discarded my bed sheets, and through my sleep haze, waddled my way to the door. My hand wrapped around the door handle, that’s when I felt it. A warmth radiating from the knob, something was wrong? Why would my door handle be this warm? The door flew open, nearly colliding with the masses of children stampeding down the hallway. The entirety of the orphanage was pushing down the hall, knocking into one another.
What the hell?
“Ro!” Marcus grabbed hold of my arm. His once delicate features now nothing but a blank, white canvas covered in sweat.
“You need to run!” He bellowed.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“The building on fire!” What? My stomach plummeted. Who would set the local orphanage ablaze? No child that lives here would do this! This was our home! We needed to get out, find everyone and ensure we are all far away from the fire.
“Where Lyla?”
“Don’t worry about Lyla, she’ll be fine! Just get outside!” He ordered. The sense of loss washed over me once I no longer felt his touch on my arm. I stood in my door frame, frozen from fear, and watched his blond head vanish in the sea of children until he was no longer in sight.
My heart was racing with both adrenaline and fear, my mind was commanding me to run to safety yet my heart led me in the opposite direction. I barely held my balance, fighting against the crowd but I needed to see for my self that Lyla made it outside. Lyla’s room was two hallway’s away from my own. All the door were open but her’s. My knuckles pounded on the door with more force than intended.
“Lyla!” I screamed.
“Aurora?” Her sweet voice answered me from beyond the door.
“Ly, we need to go!” My hand went to the knob, giving a twist but it hardly moved an inch. Oh God, it was stuck!
“The door stuck, Ro! There so much smoke”
“Stand back!” I ordered! I was not a large girl by any means but I did not care, I threw my entire body against the door, no fearing the pain that emulated from my shoulder every time I threw myself at the door. The door hardly moved an inch!
“Ro… I… Can’t… Breath” I needed to get in that room. I kicked, pounded, shoulder swiped but nothing made that door move.
“Stay with me Lyla!”
“Ro… you… need… to…go” Her words were getting shallow, softer.
“Like hell I am!” I kept attacking the door, hoping that it would give way but there was nothing. No force could open this door. I felt the tears roll down my cheek. I kept going until my emotions took hold forcing my knees to buckle and a full on sob took over. “Not without you”
“We..will…meet…again” Her voice was nothing but a whisper.
“Lyla” There was no answer.
“Lyla!” I screamed but still no answer.
I felt my heart shatter in realization. My sobs were uncontrollable due to the fact that the only person I considered family, a sister took her last breath forcing me to go! The world is such a cruel place, taking such a pure, sweet soul. I was alone in the hallway with nothing but the sounds of the flames burning everything in their path.
“We shall meet again,” I whispered my promise against the door.
My legs carried me down the hallway en route to the stairwell, however I was too late. The final stretch of the hallway including the stairwell was on fire. The red, golden flames were etching closer at a rapid pace. Back tracking from the way I came, my steps faltered. The fire has surrounded me from all sides, blocking any attempt to escape. I would go through the window but they were sealed with metal bars and we were on the second story. This will be my end. Not when I was an infant found in the forest, nor bouncing from abusive foster parents but burn to death in the one place I felt safe. I felt the smoke entered my lungs, closing them shut. My entire body covered in sweat from the heat.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to witness my self burn to death. I purely listened to the flames dance along the wooden flooring, etching closer and closer. Yet while I knew my death would be sudden, I only had one thought….
May I find peace in the next life…
