San Francisco, Sunday, April 8, 1906 . . .

"Jesse!" The red-haired girl called desperately. She ducked through the flames and leapt over the broken railings to the floor above. She had thought her brother had gotten out of the house ages ago. Apparently she was mistaken. The girl took a deep breath. Big mistake, she realized too late, as she coughed and her eyes began to water.

She called out for her brother again and again, no response. The girl began to lose hope. Then a bloodcurdling scream came from the third floor, Jesse's room. Found him. Hope flared in her and she began anew the rescue mission with renewed vigor.

"Skye!" she heard him call through the door. The girl threw her shoulder against the door; it shuddered but didn't budge.

"The ceiling fell in against the door and I can't move it!" He said, starting to panic. The ceiling was beginning to collapse; the girl ducked out of the way and went over to a part of the wall that looked significantly weaker than the rest.

"Don't worry. It'll—it'll be okay. I'm gonna get you out of there alright? I will get you out," she told him as reassuring as she could. No response. "Jesse?" she coughed. "Do you trust me?" she asked him softly. After a pause he answered.

"I trust you Skye," he said equally as quietly. Skye breathed a small sigh of relief. "Good, now get away from the wall. I'm going to try and knock a hole in the wall." Skye took a few steps back ward then started running towards the wall, turning her body at the last moment so her shoulder hit the wall. Her plan worked out fabulously - Well, as fabulous as can be when you slam up against an almost solid wall. But, she successfully managed to break through the wall, almost flattening Jesse in the process.

"See," Skye told him, hugging his small body tightly, "I told you I wouldn't leave you here." Her brown eyes reflected the flames above them, conveying hope and a profound determination. She held him at arm's length, assessing his injuries, he only had a small cut on his cheek, his hair was slightly singed and he was covered in soot but otherwise, he looked alright.

They both shrieked as the part of the floor they had just been standing on collapsed. They fell to the floor below, unharmed for the most part.

"Come on," Skye pulled Jesse over to the window and called down to the firefighters below. "Up here! We're up here!" Thankfully they noticed them and quickly brought over an improvised life net. Skye looked over at Jesse. "You first," she told him. He looked scared for a moment, but quickly got over it. He looked over at his sister one last time.

"I'll see you on the ground," he told her, completely convinced that what he said was true.

Then he jumped.

Skye hurried over to the window and looked down. The firefighters were just helping Jesse out of the net. Then one of them pointed to something above her head. She looked up just as the ceiling collapsed.

Time seemed to slow down, Skye looked down at her brother, standing next to their mother and father, "I love you," she mouthed. Tears fell down his face as he tried to push past the firefighters, they held him back.

Her mother was sobbing quietly on her father's shoulder, while he looked up at her with eyes that were on the verge of tears conveying one message, "I'm proud of you."

All this happened in one instant, the next she looked up and the ceiling fell, burying her immediately.

Down below, Jesse fell to his knees, mourning the loss of his sister, best friend and savior, tears slowly dripping down his face.


So, this is my first story I've posted on here. What do you think?

If I get even one person who tells me that they like this, I'll continue (after I've already posted the chapters I already have written)

- battycatty514