She remembered her mother had the softest hands. Hands that would run through her hair while she napped, and hold her tight when she was afraid. She smiled at the pleasant memories she held of her. But the smiles were quickly replaced with sadness when she remembered why she had to pick through memories to see the face of the beloved woman who had nursed her.
She was so young. Too young to understand what was happening at the time. The tickle of her mother's hands gently pulling her from her bed where she had been fast asleep. The sweet voice of the woman telling her to stay low. The strange smoke that thinned the air and blurred her vision. She could not put it together, the terrible thing that was happening. It wasn't until her mother opened the door that she saw the fires that licked the ceiling and became the walls.
It surrounded them.
Escape was impossible.
She faced her mother and saw her wide eyes and the tears that streaked her face. They moved through the pyre, the violent embers threatening to brand them. Everything became a blur as the air choked her. She heard a melodic I love you before she was thrown. Suddenly the heat was less threatening, the air more breathable. The cold earth beneath her body animated her.
Outside.
She was outside.
She had been thrown through the window by her mother. The flames grew higher, and the terror of her situation began to set in the pit of her stomach. She cried out, desperate to hear an answer. Sirens blared in the distance.
Too far away. Not close enough. No time.
She cried out again, louder. The force moved something inside her.
Her chest pounded.
Her heart ached.
She moved towards the flames, no longer feeling their heat. Her outstretched fingers attracted the flames and they embraced her, sliding up her arm before creating ribbons of fire around her body. The flames danced around her as if welcoming home their Queen who had been lost to them for so long. As the blackened house became visible and the last of the flames dissipated, she crossed the charred porch and entered the rubble. She was relieved to see her mother unbranded by the inferno. But the flames had choked the life out of her and she remained staring straight towards the window where she had thrown her daughter through. Tears streamed down her face at the loss of her beloved mother. The taste of salt and dust stayed on her lips. But a greater purpose awaited her. The flame that started to burn in her soul that day would strengthen her for the sacrifice she would make years later.
She would be prepared to save them next time.
She was ready.