Cinder woke up in a hospital. Her skin was burnt everywhere. She couldn't move. What happened? She blinked, looking down at where she thought her arm was. The lower half of it had been amputated. The same with her lower leg. She screamed.
A nurse ran over and called something over her shoulder. Cinder kept screaming until her throat hurt. A doctor was now standing over her. He had a kind, wrinkled face, but it didn't reassure her.
"It's okay…," he looked at the clipboard in the nurse's hand, "...Selene. Your leg and hand were severely burnt in the fire. We couldn't heal them. I'm sorry."
"The… fire?" Cinder asked slowly. Her voice was croaky, partially from screaming, and partially from the fact that her throat had ash inside of it. At least, that's what it felt like.
The doctor and the nurse exchanged a glance. They knew something that Cinder didn't, and they clearly didn't want to tell her. Finally the nurse spoke up, but her voice was quiet.
"There was a fire at your house. The stove was left on. The firemen managed to save you, but your mother and father didn't make it. You were identified as Selene Blackburn. That is you, right?"
Cinder nodded, but she wasn't quite sure. She couldn't remember. "I… am… Cinder. That's… what… everyone… calls… me." There was silence in the room. Cinder could hear the sound of her heart monitor, but she couldn't see it. The doctor nodded.
"That was what we were told, but for formal purposes, we will call you Selene. Do you remember anything about yourself?"
Cinder hesitated. She remembered little things, like what her favorite food was, and what ice cream flavors were the best. She decided not to tell the doctor about that. "No." The doctor looked worried. The nurse scrunched her eyebrows and said, "I think I'll go now." Cinder was left alone with the doctor.
The doctor scribbled something down on the clipboard. The pen scratched against the paper, eventually creating a hole. The doctor cursed under his breath. He plastered on a smile and looked at Cinder.
"So, Selene, we have a prosthetic limb expert coming in to give you your new arm and leg. If all goes well, you should be out of this hospital in a few days. A family has already claimed the rights to adopt you."
"What?! But… I… have… family. My… aunt," Cinder exclaimed. Her comment seemed to make the doctor's smile become real.
"So you do remember something," he said triumphantly. "Yes, you do have an aunt, but she denied the rights to take you in. She was also in that fire, you know. Lost some hair. She miraculously escaped before it got to big. I still don't understand why she didn't try to save you and your parents."
Cinder closed her eyes. She tried to remember what her aunt looked like. Nothing came to mind. She looked at the doctor. "The… fire… what… happened?" She expected the doctor to launch into a long story about the fire, but instead, he paled. He started to sweat.
"As my colleague said before, the burner on the stove was left on. There's nothing else to it."
Cinder frowned. Why wasn't he telling the truth. "No. Tell… me… the… whole… story. All… of… it."
"That's not information you need to know, Selene," he laughed uneasily. "I'll let you sleep now." He stood up, but Cinder grabbed him with her only hand.
"No. The whole story. Tell me." She was shocked that her voice was suddenly strong. It sounded commanding. The doctor sighed.
"Fine, if you insist." He made a clucking noise with his tongue, as if trying to remember. "Let's see… oh, yes, right. You had just come home from school, and your aunt was visiting for the week. She had been there for two days already. You told her that you had to do homework, and you went to your room. Your parents came home shortly afterward, and they went to change out of their work clothes. Your aunt began to cook dinner.
"She had the stove on because she was making a stir fry. Then you called for her assistance with your homework, so she went upstairs to help you. Unfortunately, she forgot to turn the burner off. When your aunt smelled the smoke, she ran back downstairs, but she wasn't able to stop the fire. She said that she was screaming her head off to you and your parents, but you didn't hear her. Then the fire killed your parents, and the firemen came and rescued you."
Cinder thought about the story for a bit. Something about it felt wrong, but she didn't question it. The doctor stood up once again, and this time, Cinder let him leave. His story had sounded complete enough. He must have talked with her aunt… whoever her aunt even was. She kept trying to remember her aunt until she dozed off.