The characters are not mine! This is my first story so if it stinks, please tell me!
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Mary quietly opened the front door of her house early Saturday morning, wincing as it creaked slightly. She yawned as she made her way toward the stairs, wishing she didn't have to wait until 1 in the morning to smoke. But if she went any earlier her parents would hear her going outside and would come to see what she was doing. If they found out that she smoked, they would be furious. They would probably send her to live with her grandparents in Buffalo again. When she had come home a few months ago, she had managed to convince her family that she had changed. Even Mary had believed that she was different. But a few weeks ago she had ran into her old friends at the pool hall and they had invited her over. Hanging out with them reminded her how much fun it was to not be good all the time. Every night since, she had snuck outside after her parents were asleep to smoke a pack of cigarettes.
When Mary reached the top of the steps, she was greeted by the sound of her twin brothers crying in their room. She didn't want them to wake her parents up, so she opened their door and stepped in. She walked over to David's crib and picked up the sobbing toddler, whispering softly to him. Just when he started to quiet down, Mary saw the door knob beginning to turn. Remembering that she was still clutching her lighter, she tried to stuff it into her pants pocket before realizing that her pajamas didn't have pockets. Just as the door opened, Mary did the only thing she could think of; she shoved the lighter under David's pillow. Mary's mother Annie walked into the room and stopped in surprise when she saw Mary.
"I was on my way to the bathroom when I heard the boys crying", Mary explained quickly, "I thought I would come in before they woke you up".
"That was very sweet of you", Annie replied, "But I'm up now and I think I can handle it. Why don't you go back to bed?"
Mary hesitated, knowing that her mother might find the lighter if she left.
"Go on", Annie insisted.
"Um, Ok." Mary replied nervously, not moving from her place beside David's crib.
"Goodnight", her mother replied, waiting for her to leave.
"Oh, right", Mary reluctantly stepped out of the room and headed for the attic room that she shared with her two younger sisters. She tried to convince herself that her mother had no reason to look under David's pillow. I'll just go to my room and wait until I hear mom leave, she told herself. Then I'll go down and get the lighter.
When she got to her room, Mary lie down on her bed and closed her eyes.
"I know what you were doing", her sister Lucy whispered from her own bed. "I know you were smoking. I'm not gonna tell mom and dad, but I wish you would stop."
"I don't know what you're talking about", Mary answered, trying to sound calm. "I was in the bathroom."
"Right", Lucy replied, not sounding convinced. Mary didn't answer. She didn't know what to say. Instead she rolled over, forgetting about the lighter in Sam and David's room. Soon, both she and Lucy had fallen asleep.
Mary was awakened several hours later by a loud ringing. Why doesn't someone answer the phone, she thought sleepily. And why is it ringing so loud? Suddenly she felt someone shaking her hard.
"Wake up, Mary!", her little sister Ruthie was screaming, "The house is on fire!" Mary sat up quickly and saw that Ruthie was not kidding. Thick, black smoke filled the room, making it difficult to breath.
"We have to get out!", Mary gasped grabbing Ruthie's hand, "We can climb out of the window in Matt and Robbie's room. Where's Lucy?"
"She went to see if Simon and the twins were Ok. She said she would find us once everyone was outside.", Ruthie answered, coughing.
"Ok, come on!" , Mary cried. As she and Ruthie entered the hallway, she realized that the fire was coming from Sam and David's room. Oh, God, she thought, they must have found the lighter and somehow turned it on! I'm responsible for the fire! But right now Mary's main worry was getting Ruthie out of the house safely. When she opened the door to Matt and Robbie's room, she saw that Matt was halfway out the window, and Robbie was already outside.
Seeing them come in, Matt cried, "Give me Ruthie! I'll hand her out the window to Robbie!"
"I can get out myself, thank you", Ruthie informed her brother, but he ignored her. He picked her up and held her out the window for Robbie to take her to safety.
After Ruthie was out, Matt called to Mary, "Come on!" She climbed out the window, and slid down the roof. She balanced for a moment on the edge before letting herself fall the rest of the way. She landed hard on her ankle, but she didn't think it was sprained. After she saw Matt land next to her, they ran to the mailbox where they saw their parents standing, each holding a twin.
"Are you all Ok?", Annie asked anxiously, kissing each of the children.
"We're fine", Mary assured her, "What about you?"
"We are all OK too", Annie replied. "Sam and David's room was on fire, but luckily, we got to them before it reached their cribs. Where are Lucy and Simon?"
"I don't know", Matt answered, looking around. "I thought they were coming out behind us" Just then, they all saw the house begin to collapse, and Annie's face went pale.
"What if they are still in there?" she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
What do you think? Should I continue? Like I said, this is my first story, so if you have any suggestions, or if I am doing something wrong please tell me! Please review!