Chapter one
Lucie stood rigid; her eyes grew wide with fear. People yelling, screaming, running, what was she supposed to do? She saw men in bright yellow coats sprinting into her home, smoke was billowing out from every angle, a flash of bright orange lashed out at the 5 year old. Lucie couldn't understand what was going on until she hit the ground with a thud and came to her senses. She un-tangled herself from the man on top of her that had saved her from the fire, and pushed her way through the crowd to her home.
"Mommy!" Lucie yelled as she came closer and closer the house.
"Mommy, Daddy!!" She screamed as loud as she could. Her lungs were choked with smoke and she could feel the heat of the flames licking at her tiny body. She ran into the burning house in a frantic search for her parents. She heard a shout from somewhere in the crowd, but kept on going.
"The girl! The girl! Sir, a little girl just ran into the house you have to help her!" a middle aged woman's voice rang in the ears of a fire-fighter. He looked around at his colleagues, then without a fear in the world dashed into the house that was now threatening to collapse.
Lucie couldn't see a thing and she had to struggle for every small breath she took, but her heart moved her onward; she wouldn't let her parents die. She saw a piece of red amongst the smoke, not fire, but a piece of fabric. Her tiny feet thudded against the weak floor as she ran towards it. Lucie knew exactly what is was, her mother's favorite ribbon, she had worn it everywhere, she had been wearing to today…
"MOMMY!!" Lucie screeched at the top of her lungs, she had to be close! She snatched the ribbon off the floor and looked around her, she couldn't tell up from down, left from right, her head was light, she was getting dizzy…
"Girl! Girl! Wake up, wake up! Are you alright!" A large, muscular man that was covered in ash was yelling at Lucie. He sat her upright and smacked is huge hand onto her small back. She coughed, and hacked, and gagged, and took large gasping breaths.
"Where am I?" Lucie whimpered.
"You're at an orphanage sweetie, are you alright?" a pudgy woman said to her kindly.
"Where are mommy and daddy?" Lucie asked them with a hopeful heart, the two adults looked at each other with sad looks in their eyes.
"Where are mommy and daddy!!" Lucie demanded while pounding her fist on the floor.
"Sweetie, I'm afraid they're, well, they're gone." The woman told her.
"Gone? Gone! But… when are they coming back?!" Lucie questioned them with sharp eyes and a tone in her voice.
"Oh honey, they're not coming back, they can't. I'm so sorry" The woman said, laying a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.
"No, No! They said they would always be here, they have to come back!" Lucie yelped, she shoved the hand off of her shoulder and sprinted out the door. She felt two large arms scoop her up off the road and a voice trying to calm her. But she needed to find her parents, Lucie kicked and screamed and struggled, but it was no use. The man carried her back the orphanage and set her down in a big chair, and then the lady approached her with sorrowful eyes.
"I'm sorry about your parents, but what's done is done. You'll have to stay here from now on." The woman said, then took the man and they both left the room. Lucie stared at the ribbon still clutched her tight little fist, and watched as each of the tears streaming down her face managed to miss the ribbon by only a hair.
"Mommy… Daddy…" She whimpered to herself.
Lucie, now 14, stared at the same ribbon wrapped around her wrist, and even now, the single fat tear that fell from her cheek, managed to fall just next to it.