Title: The Burning Dorm

Author: The Perfect Paradox

Genre: Tragedy/Romance

Parings: Annabelle/Kelly (only very slightly in this chapter)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters; they all belong to someone far richer than me.

Summary: The title says it all.

BOOM!

Annabelle Fritton awoke to the sound of screaming and furniture being upturned. Her own mattress was turned over from the energy of the blast. Groggily she rubbed her eyes and peered out from under their red rims. The scene she saw before her bed was horrifying even for the standards set by St Trinian's. There was panic, debris, fire and a multitude of girls swarming the dorms exit.

Annabelle took it all in with wide eyes. Polly running with half the computer equipment in her arms; another geek behind her hauling along a heavy monitor. Chelsea carrying the contents of her wardrobe over one shoulder, on the other dangled a set of lethal stilettos. The chavs were grabbing as much make up as was humanly possibly to fit in their bags and the Goths had already unraveled their dark cloths, dragging them from the small confinements of the dorm. Fear mirrored all of their faces and screams were ripped involuntarily from their mouths.

However terrifying this sight was in Annabelle's eyes, the most horrifying aspect was what lay in the destroyed area once occupied by the first years. The flames were everywhere; they clung to the bed sheets and climbed the walls like dozens of fiery serpents.

'Come on Annabelle move!' shouted Andrea, trying to pull Annabelle from her bed.

The Goths pale make up was dripping down her face due to the heat of the fire, giving her the look of a deranged clown. But Annabelle wouldn't budge, her eyes stood transfixed, the fiery glow reflected in their dark depths. Taylor came running over, supporting a stack of magazines.

'Oi Mortisha, get a move on before the fire starts to spreadin' too much…' she caught sight of Annabelle, 'Wha's wrong with her?'

'I dunno, she won't move.'

Taylor crouched down with difficulty, 'Annabelle!' she snapped her fingers in the girls face, 'Oi Annabelle.'

'I'm tellin' ya she won't move. I'm gunna find Kelly.'

Their conversation was lost on Annabelle's ears, she was hardly aware of their retreating backs. Her mind was kilometers away, at a small cottage now lying in ruins…

At the time Annabelle was five and had awoken in much the same fashion, except there was no explosion, just flames licking her feet beneath the blankets. She was living in a small cottage out in the hills just shy of London with her mother and father. As most tragic tales go, Annabelle's mother had left a candle burning on the window sill and forgotten about it completely, going straight to bed that night alone (Carnaby was out at a party for one of his art exhibitions).

It was only a small breeze that urged the window curtain to blow into the candles path and in only a matter of minutes the whole cottage was ablaze. Not even the ferocious storm outside could quench the burning wood. It was as if the fire had a burning hunger tonight and would not leave until satisfied.

Crying in her room, little Annabelle was found by her mother who picked up the distressed girl and ran for the cottage door. However before she got close enough, with a groan the support structure gave way, leaving four heavy pieces of wood obscuring the doorway. Only a tiny gap remained, Annabelle's mother realized, enough for Annabelle to fit through.

Setting the girl on her feet, Annabelle's mother crouched to her daughter's tiny level so as to see her frightened eyes, 'Listen to me, 'Belle sweetheart.'

Annabelle's crying tuned down to small sobs, as she focused on the charm bracelet strapped to mothers hand. In the harsh firelight, the silver sparkled like the fins of a fish Annabelle had seen in one of her nursery books.

'You have to do something very important for mother, okay? You see that gap? I want you to crawl through it…crawl through and run across the hills to Old Man Miller's house okay? Tell him what's happened. Keep running and don't stop, not even to look back. Do you understand my sweetheart?'

'What about you mother?' asked Annabelle in a tiny voice.

'I'll be right behind you, every step of the way my darling.'

Annabelle nodded, not understanding the tears leaking down her mother's pretty face. When she was pushed forward, Annabelle miraculously made it through the gap, just scraping her knee against the fire. Later she found it rather silly to be running in her night dress, across the hills with thunder rolling in the sky and rain pelting her sourced face. She contemplated looking back, but obeyed her mother's wishes. After all her mother said she was right behind her.

But Annabelle was to soon learn, when she reached Old Man Millers house, that her mother wasn't right behind her. Old Man Miller himself ran down to the cottage, while his wife made Annabelle a soothing cup of hot chocolate and called the firemen. Annabelle drank it half heartedly, not even caring if it scorched her throat…she was still waiting for her mother.

Later when the ruins were investigated, all they found was a silver charm bracelet and the skeleton of a woman who ceased to exist. The latter of course they did not show the girl, but the bracelet they gave to her and she cherished it.

'...what the bloody hell do you think you're doing?'

Kelly's porcelain face bobbed before her blurry vision. They were the last two girls in the dorm. Despite it being almost 3 in the morning, according to one of the Chav's melting clocks, Kelly's vibrant red lipstick was still applied. Annabelle focused on them, before peering into the head girls concerned yet alert eyes.

'I..I-'

'Now isn't the time Fritton. I need you to pull yourself together so we can get ourselves out of here before this whole place comes down around our ears.'

Kelly grabbed Annabelle's upper arm and dragged her to her feet. The wreckage was unbelievable. Mattresses, clothes and sheets were strewn across the floor along with burning debris. It was total and utter chaos. The fire had latched onto a few of the other curtains now and was making its way over to the chavs make up stands, melting the cheap plastic. With Kelly covering Annabelle's body protectively from the flames, the two of them made a beeline toward the exit, stumbling over the mess. As they passed under the doorframe, Annabelle eyed it suspiciously, but it remained steady.

'What happened in there?' she asked, as they made it quickly down the staircase.

Kelly raised a slim dark eyebrow, 'I would've though that was obvious enough.'

'Rogue C4?'

Kelly nodded. As they walked, her dark and assertive eyes sought out and examined the girl for any injuries, but soon her gaze turned away from concern and into something else. The click of Kelly's heels against the floor of the foyer was harsh and in its absence, Annabelle stopped and wheeled about.

'Kelly?'

They stood on opposite ends of the foyer, the air between them holding a silent poise that berated both of their ears. Kelly was the first to break it.

'What were you doing up there Fritton?' she asked, tilting her head to the side as her gaze became more intense, 'When I pulled you out of la-la land, you looked terrified. Am I really that scary?'

Despite the seriousness sharpening Kelly's voice, Annabelle smiled and looked at her shifting feet, 'It was nothing. I-I guess it was just the shock of seeing the fire and…' she trailed off.

'It was a stupid thing to do…'

Annabelle quickly looked up to see Kelly's face as hard as stone, her eyes black pits.

'…you could've died in there, had I not come for you.'

Annabelle felt anger rising in the pit of her stomach. How dare Kelly berate her like she was five? Sure, it was stupid. But could Annabelle control what had happened to her all those years ago? Could Annabelle help it if she had grown up all her life with a fear of fire?

'Had you not come for me?' Annabelle shouted angrily, stunning both her and Kelly, 'What am I, a helpless five year old?'

Kelly quickly recovered her icy glare and almost shouted out the next words as if Annabelle were dumb and deaf, 'Yes! In a room full of fire, the first thing a normal person would do would be to run for the exit.'

Annabelle felt stunned, 'So now I'm not normal? Shall we add anything else to that list…'

'Annabelle' Kelly sighed taking a few steps towards her until they were now face to face, two pairs of dark eyes staring each other down, 'It was foolish. You could have easily-'

'You want to know what I was doing, do you?'

'Well, ye-'

'I was reminiscing'

This answer caught Kelly abruptly; the head girl opened her mouth to say something but no words came out.

'Thank you for your concern' Annabelle's voice was shaking.

She half regretted those words as she turned as fled out the front doors of St Trinian's. The look on Kelly's face moments ago made her stomach turn in disappointment of herself. Kelly had been nothing but kind since Annabelle's arrival (if you counted out the naked hallway incident) and now Annabelle had thrown it all in the head girl's face.

The remainder of the school were huddled together in their nightclothes out in the front driveway, watching the orange glow coming from the top floor of their beloved school. A few such as the posh totties and a few chavs and emo's were crying, letting out their despair on each others shoulders. Miss Fritton was standing at the head of them all, wearing a fluffy pink nightgown and matching slippers.

'Girls, girls are you alright?' she asked as Annabelle and Kelly descended the stairs together.

Annabelle dared not look back at Kelly as they both nodded. All of that was driven from her mind however when the next question was thrown their way.

'Is Tara with you?'

Tania came from out of the cover of Miss Fritton's nightgown, ashen face streaked with tears.

Kelly shared a glance with Miss Fritton, 'No, why?'

A/N: Kinda crap I know, but it was just sitting in my folders so no harm posting right?