Chapter One:
Larissa Cohen awoke to the crackling sound of her wallpaper curling slowly down her walls. She looked around her in fright as the flames lept at her bedposts, and two people remained in her mind.
`` Mom! Dad! `` she screamed at the top of her lungs, frantically searching for a path to lead her into the hallway. Her door had been burned to ashes from the fire, but she saw a clear landing spot about seven feet in front of her.
She forced herself to jump far over them and to her surprise, landed safely, running toward the master bedroom.
`` MOM! DAD! `` she began to cry for them as she desperately tried to bring their door down with a few swift kicks. Finally she did, and she viewed them sitting up in their bed, the flames engulfing them as they shouted to her for help. `` No! `` she yelled as the fire separated them further and further from eachother. Finally she was back out in the hallway, and the flames suddenly disappeared. She ran back to her parents' room to find their ashes sitting on the bed. Everything was still. Larissa wept uncontrollably, scooping up their remains in her hands and sobbing as she did so.
Larissa awoke abruptly and sat straight up in her bed, tears running down her cheeks. She stared at her alarm clock, even though she already knew what time it would be: 3:00am. She'd had the recurring dream for three weeks now. It was always the same one: a fire in their house, her parents screaming for help, and her not being able to save them.
The nightmares had started the day after the death of her parents, Marlene and David. Larissa was at a slumber party to celebrate her best friend Marie's Birthday. Her parents had bid her farewell and went to bed, eager to see their daughter in the morning.
No one knows how the fire started.
There had been no evidence; the flames had demolished the entire house. Larissa had found out the tragic news the morning after, and since she had no known relatives she was now considered an orphan. Marie's family had been generous and agreed to taking her in as their own. Larissa had always dreamed of being part of Marie's family. They always joked about being sisters... but now she wasn't so sure it was what she wanted after all.
She groaned and fumbled for the knob on her bedside lamp. She heard it click, and the room filled itself with light. There was no use in trying to sleep now. She feared that she'd have the same dream as before, and she probably would. She slid out of her bed, her bare feet crossing the carpet to gaze at her reflection in the mirror.
Her face was pale, except for the pink flushed cheeks and deep brown eyes. She began to run a brush through her long brown hair as it had grown out of place during all the tossing and turning she'd been doing that night. She wiped the tearmarks from her face and sighed, placing the brush back down and walking over to the windowsill.
She opened it without much difficulty, hoping she hadn't woken anyone else up, and stared into the night sky up at the full moon. She forced a smile and turned away, picking up the picture of her parents that resided on her desk. It had been taken one month before they died at a local restaraunt with a few of their co-workers.
`` I miss you so much. `` she said to herself.
She placed the photograph back in its place as another tear silently trickled down her cheek.
Larissa Cohen awoke to the crackling sound of her wallpaper curling slowly down her walls. She looked around her in fright as the flames lept at her bedposts, and two people remained in her mind.
`` Mom! Dad! `` she screamed at the top of her lungs, frantically searching for a path to lead her into the hallway. Her door had been burned to ashes from the fire, but she saw a clear landing spot about seven feet in front of her.
She forced herself to jump far over them and to her surprise, landed safely, running toward the master bedroom.
`` MOM! DAD! `` she began to cry for them as she desperately tried to bring their door down with a few swift kicks. Finally she did, and she viewed them sitting up in their bed, the flames engulfing them as they shouted to her for help. `` No! `` she yelled as the fire separated them further and further from eachother. Finally she was back out in the hallway, and the flames suddenly disappeared. She ran back to her parents' room to find their ashes sitting on the bed. Everything was still. Larissa wept uncontrollably, scooping up their remains in her hands and sobbing as she did so.
Larissa awoke abruptly and sat straight up in her bed, tears running down her cheeks. She stared at her alarm clock, even though she already knew what time it would be: 3:00am. She'd had the recurring dream for three weeks now. It was always the same one: a fire in their house, her parents screaming for help, and her not being able to save them.
The nightmares had started the day after the death of her parents, Marlene and David. Larissa was at a slumber party to celebrate her best friend Marie's Birthday. Her parents had bid her farewell and went to bed, eager to see their daughter in the morning.
No one knows how the fire started.
There had been no evidence; the flames had demolished the entire house. Larissa had found out the tragic news the morning after, and since she had no known relatives she was now considered an orphan. Marie's family had been generous and agreed to taking her in as their own. Larissa had always dreamed of being part of Marie's family. They always joked about being sisters... but now she wasn't so sure it was what she wanted after all.
She groaned and fumbled for the knob on her bedside lamp. She heard it click, and the room filled itself with light. There was no use in trying to sleep now. She feared that she'd have the same dream as before, and she probably would. She slid out of her bed, her bare feet crossing the carpet to gaze at her reflection in the mirror.
Her face was pale, except for the pink flushed cheeks and deep brown eyes. She began to run a brush through her long brown hair as it had grown out of place during all the tossing and turning she'd been doing that night. She wiped the tearmarks from her face and sighed, placing the brush back down and walking over to the windowsill.
She opened it without much difficulty, hoping she hadn't woken anyone else up, and stared into the night sky up at the full moon. She forced a smile and turned away, picking up the picture of her parents that resided on her desk. It had been taken one month before they died at a local restaraunt with a few of their co-workers.
`` I miss you so much. `` she said to herself.
She placed the photograph back in its place as another tear silently trickled down her cheek.