This is my second story while I wait on finishing my Pokemon Ranger fanfic. I hope you all enjoy it and feel free to leave any comments, suggestions or anything. :P If it gets popular enough I'll be sure to update faster! Enjoy
Prologue – The Fire
It seemed like any other night. Crickets chirped happily and wind calmly blew through the fall leaves. I sat on my bed, looking out my window and taking in the view. The stars shone so clearly in the sky above my small town and I felt comforted by their soft light. I remember trying to spot the constellations, seeing shooting stars and softly singing lullabies my mother used to sing to me when I was little. That night, sleep escaped me and I had no idea how to catch it.
Midnight came along and I still wasn't tired. I had my head on my pillow and all I could think about was wanting to fall asleep. As I felt a yawn come I began to smell something light, lingering in the air, the smell of smoke. You think I might have been worried but my dad often attempted cooking late at night and failed. I tried to ignore it but I knew something was wrong when I heard a scream. My head shot up instantly and I began to panic.
"What's happening? Who's screaming?" The questions ran through my head as I jumped out of bed and swung the door open. I was greeted by clouds of dense, suffocating smoke that filled the halls. I called out for my parents several times, choking on every word I spoke.
After a brief moment of hearing no response, I tried to make my way through the smoke, towards my parents' room. Only a few steps away and the doorway collapsed, sending flames through the hall. I called out for them but heard nothing. The crackling of the fire and the heat became unbearable. I soon had to choose, die here or escape.
I began coughing heavily, my vision became blurry and my legs lost their will to move. "I don't have the choice, I am going to die." These thoughts sent my body into panic and I shook violently as the coughing became more intense. As I experienced what I thought was my final bit of consciousness, I felt someone lift me in their arms and whisper, "You're going to be okay. I've got you."
When I woke up I was in bandages, sitting in bed at a nearby doctor's office. "What happened?" I thought to myself, but I guess I didn't think quietly enough because someone sitting next to my bed sighed. "That's a good question..." I turned to see a young woman wearing a white lab coat, sitting cross-legged in a chair next to me. I sat up and she explained the whole situation. The doctor said that a boy had saved me but I didn't remember a thing. She mentioned "trauma induced amnesia". Suddenly I came to the realization that everything was gone, my house, my parents, my life... Even though I didn't remember it, I felt it.
I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my face in them. I could feel tears well up in my eyes but I desperately tried to hold them back. I didn't want to cry. The doctor placed her hand gently on the top of my head, "You don't have to be strong... Not this time..." At her calming words I burst into tears. I shook and sobbed for what felt like hours before I held my head up. There was something that I still didn't know about what happened. It was one detail that the doctor left out.
"Doctor?" I muttered in a low voice, almost fearing the question I was going to ask.
"Yes dear?" She asked as I uncurled myself and swung my feet over the side of the bed. I wiped stray tears that sat on my cheeks and took a deep breath.
"How did the fire start?" I asked simply, looking her in the eyes as the room went silent. It felt as though time had stopped and she sat staring emotionlessly back at me. Her eyes shut and her hands trembled. The story I was about to hear would soon change my life forever... Did I really want to hear it though?