Skies on Fire-Chapter 3

I know most of you have probably given up on me by now. Truthfully I am sorry. This past year has been really rough. Now that things have calmed down a little I am going to try to keep up with this story. In case you are wondering I have decided to redo chapter 3. I ran into some problems and I wanted to make some changes. Hope you enjoy.

At this point in the story Dean is twenty three, Sam is nineteen, and Jamie is ten. She is aware of the fact that she is adopted and of the circumstances that brought her into the Winchester family, although John has been hesitant to tell her about her biological father. Jamie considers John and the boys her real family as do they.

August 2002-Reno, Nevada

Jamie lay in her bed listening. Her father and Sammy were fighting. There was nothing unusual about that. Jamie could hardly remember a time when the two of them hadn't argued.

Sammy hated being a hunter. He despised the fact that their father wanted all his children to become hunters. Jamie didn't care too much since that's all she wanted to be anyway. However, Sammy wanted something else. He wanted to go away to that big scary place called college. He wanted to have a normal life. Jamie didn't get that. She was still too young to understand the choices hunters had to make.

The fighting was getting louder now. Sammy was shouting words at their father that Jamie knew would earn her a spanking.

"You're my son and you will do what I say," their father was shouting back.

"No, Dad," Sammy said, more calm and cool now, "I have a full ride to Stanford and I have money saved up for the bus ticket. You can't stop me. I'm going. You can take this hunting life and shove it up your ass!"

There was a moment of silence and then their father said something that made Jamie's stomach flip over.

"If that's how you feel, maybe you should stay gone,"

"Do you mean that?"Sammy asked coldly.

"Damn right I do! If you walk out that door don't you come back!"

Dean was speaking now. Jamie knew he would sooner or later. He always tried to sooth things over with Sammy and Daddy, but he never did until things got really bad.

"Come on now, Dad. You know you don't mean.."

"Don't tell me what I mean and don't mean," their father shouted, turning his anger on his oldest son. "I'm going out. When I get back maybe you'll have talked some sense into your brother."

Jamie heard the door slam. She heard her father's truck start up. A moment later she could hear the closets and dresser drawers slamming in the room Dean and Sammy shared.

"Look Sammy," Dean was saying, "Dad didn't mean that. Why don't you give him time to cool off and maybe the two of you can work something out."

"What family did you grow up in?" Sammy snapped. "Work something out with John Winchester? Ha! He meant every word of it."

"Maybe you could put off school for a little while longer and maybe Dad will come around eventually."

"Right," Sammy scoffed. Dad will have won and he'll know it. I'll never get to school. He could care less about my education. Just like he didn't care that year I failed in school!"

Jamie remembered that year when they had moved around so much that she failed second grade and Sammy eleventh. Actually, she barely remembered it, but Sammy never let their father forget it.

Dean said something in a low voice that Jamie couldn't understand. She crept out of bed and listened.

"You act more of a kid than Jamie sometimes, you know that?" Dean said sounding mad.

"Really? Dad has you so brainwashed Dean. It's pathetic. He's got Jamie going down the same route. Dad's go the poor kid thinking she's going to be just like the two of you. Poor kid would have been better off with another family."

Jamie felt like a dagger went into her heart. Sammy couldn't really think that. Yet she had heard the horrible words. She crept back into her bed locking her door first. She sobbed into her pillow. Later when Sammy tried to say goodbye and she refused to unlock the door he thought it was because she was mad at him for leaving.

They didn't hear from Sammy again for three years.

October 2005 New Orleans

"But Dad that's not fair," Jamie complained. "Dean gets to go out and I have to stay home. Why can't I go hunting?"

"Because, it's a school night. You know the agreement. You can hunt on the weekends and on school holidays. If I let you cut school or let you stay up so late so you're too tired to go to school people are going to start asking questions. You know we can't attract attention. No. Dean goes on the hunt tonight and you lock and salt the windows and doors. I'm leaving right after dinner for my hunt Dean's job is a small one. He should be back no later than midnight."

"When will you be back, Dad?" Dean asked.

"In about a week or two at most," their father responded in an offhand manner.

Jamie felt herself getting really mad. The two of them were acting as if the discussion was closed.

"Midnight's not that late. I'll go right to bed as soon as we get home. If it's such a quick job I should be able to help."

"Jamie, I said "no"," John said in the tone that let all his children know the discussion was closed. "You are not going. That's an order." After her father left Jamie tried to convince Dean.

"Are you trying to get me into trouble, Kiddo? Dad would rip me a new one if I let you go. I also happen to think he's right."

"You would,"scoffed Jamie. "Just like when I wanted to go hustle pool with you last month. That was on a Saturday. What was the excuse then?"

"The excuse was that neither Dad or I want you in a pool hall. It's a dangerous place for a girl your age to be. Besides I can't watch you and hustle pool at the same time. And I don't like the smart mouth. So cut it. Now!"

Jamie was about to say something else then she remembered something. She decided that she was going to do what she wanted to do tonight. Maybe she couldn't go hunting but there was something else she was going to do.

SoF

"Okay," Jamie was saying over her cell phone, "I should be back by eleven though. Dean's gone out and is supposed to be home by midnight. I'll be at your house in about ten minutes."

After hanging up Jamie got up and grabbed her jean jacket. She salted everything, like she had been told, so she was careful not to mess up the line when she left the apartment. For a moment she hesitated, wandering if she should cancel her plans. The thought of betraying Dean's trust made her a bit uneasy. The two of them were close and there wasn't much she kept from him. Still, if her father and Dean would let her do more stuff that she wanted, she wouldn't be so inclined to do this.

She walked outside and headed up the road. It was early October but the residents were already decorating their homes for Halloween. Sometimes Jamie felt strange to be one of few kids who knew that the ghouls, ghost, and monsters that people dressed up as on this holiday really did exist.

Soon, Jamie came upon a rather expensive looking house. It was about three stories high and had a manicured lawn. It was one of those houses Sammy used to say he wanted to live in. Jamie didn't really think about it that much. Well, maybe sometimes she did, but as her father said what they did was important enough to make the sacrifice. Besides, this house was a little to stuffy for her taste. If they ever did stay in one home, Jamie wanted it to be a beach house. One summer when their father had gone on a hunt, Jamie and her brothers had spent two weeks at a place like that. Even Sammy had liked it and had not complained once. Dean had even found a hotel pool where they had pretended to be guests.

Jamie never had trouble fitting in at most of the schools that she attended. She never had what she would call a best friend because they never stayed long enough. Still, she got along with most of the kids. It was at her school here, in New Orleans, that she met somebody whom she came close to considering a best friend.

At first she was hesitant to be friends with somebody who was seemed so eager to be friends. It had all started in English class when she had lent Lexie a pen. After that Lexie had acted like Jamie had been her best friend for years. Even when Jamie explained that her father was a "salesman" and that they moved a lot, Lexie didn't seem to bothered by it. So Jamie accepted this new friend and so far there were no regrets. Her family had actually stayed longer because her father had found more than one job.

Jamie walked up to the drive way. Mrs Cramer's car was gone and Jamie was glad. From the start she could tell the woman didn't like her. For what reason, she couldn't fathom. When Jamie made friends in the past she never had any trouble with the parents of any of them. Yet, Jackie Cramer was the exception. It wasn't anything that the woman ever said. It was just her manner. Jamie asked Lexie about it once, but Lexie said that it was just how her mother was. Yet, Jamie wondered.

Lexie opened the door and came out on the porch. She was the same age as Jamie although a grade higher, and a bit smaller. As usual, her brown hair was waved back, and her makeup was on heavy. She always wore that blue eye shadow to match her eyes.

"As usual you didn't get dressed up," Lexie commented.

Jamie had on her oldest but most comfortable pair of jeans and an old AC/DC tee shirt that she had inherited from Dean. Her red hair was up in a pony tail, and she had quickly splashed on blush when she had prepared to leave the apartment.

"I believe in comfort more than I do fashion," Jamie laughed.

Lexie shook her head and locked the door. The two girls began to walk up the road. Jamie felt a little quiver in her stomach at the thought of their destination. The oldest neighborhood in New Orleans. The French Quarter.

SoF

Despite the fact that Jamie spent most of her life traveling the country she had never seen quite a place like the Quarter. Lexie, she knew, had snuck out here before, so it was the norm for her, but Jamie was in awe.

"Are you sure that your brother won't call to check up on you?"

"I have my cell phone. If he does we just leave. He's about an hour away from our apartment. We can make it home before him. I can tell him that my phone died or that I had it on low and I went to sleep. What about your mom?"

Lexie waved her hand. "Wednesday and Saturday are her nights out with her co workers. Unless she has a boyfriend of course. Then she's out every night. Anyway she never calls to check on me."

The two girls walked into the large pool hall that Lexie had told Jamie about. Although Jamie was not allowed to hustle, she was good at pool. Once about a year ago when they had been staying in Virginia, Dean had taken her out to a fabulous restaurant called Mitchells. It was one of the best steak and burger restaurants that either of them had ever eaten at. Not only that, it had a kids' section in it with video games and a small pool table. It was there that Dean showed her how to play to pool. To his amazement and her's, Jamie had been excellent at the game. From then on she begged to be taken on the trips where Dean and their father hustled pool. Well, maybe they wouldn't take her to hustle pool, but tonight she was going to play fair and square and win! She had plenty of money to bet with. Over the summer in one of the apartments they had stayed in there had been a lady who needed a morning sitter, because her usual sitter was temporarily ill. Jamie's father had said she could take the job,since they did most of their hunting at night. It turned out to be a month's job and Jamie still had most of the money. She didn't plan to hustle either. She was going to play fair and win.

Within the hour she was doing just that. She and Lexie played five games, and Jamie won three. All evening both girls laughed and had a good time. Jamie thought Lexie must have known the all the people she played against. She knew this about this guy or this about that woman. Finally exhausted, they went to the bar and got sodas.

"I can't believe we did this!" Jamie shouted over the noise.

"You have to do this with me more often," Lexi laughed.

It was then that the boy walked up to them. He was looked about fourteen. Jamie hadn't started dating, but Lexie had no shortage of boys in her life. So Jamie let her do the talking. Seeing how shy Jamie was, he turned his attention to Lexie and spoke to her.

"I saw you playing pool out there. You were good."

"Thanks," Lexi replied.

"I'm Steve."

Lexi introduced herself and Jamie. Steve gave Jamie a curt nod and turned his attention back to Lexie. Jamie noticed he had a class ring on.

"Want to try to beat me in a game?" He asked.

Lexie looked at Jamie, who nodded at her friend. The two of them started to walk to one of the pool tables, Lexie reached out and tried to take him by the hand, but Steve moved ahead before she could touch him.

'That's weird,' thought Jamie. He almost acts like he's afraid of her.

Jamie ordered another soda and watched the activity around her. It was ten thirty now. They would have to leave soon.

Suddenly she heard a shout from Lexie. Jamie rushed over to her friend. Lexie was trembling all over.

"Did he hurt, you?"

"I didn't hurt her," Steve said glaring at both of them. "She reached out and touched my hand and then she started going crazy."

"Lexie, did he hurt you?" Jamie demanded again.

Lexie shook her head. "No, he didn't, but you and I have to get out of here. Now!"

Before Jamie could respond, Lexie had run towards the door. The pool hall had become so crowded that Jamie couldn't keep up. By the time she got outside, Lexie was gone.

Jamie hesitated. The only thing she could think of to do was to go back to Lexie's house and see if her friend was okay. She felt herself begin to tremble as she walked. Her feelings were a mix of regret and rage. She should never have let Lexie walk out with that boy! She felt a rage growing in her that she never felt before, towards him.

What happened next came about so quickly that later Jamie had trouble remembering it all clearly. From a distance there seemed to be a reddish hue. It seemed so bright that it was almost as if the sky had lit up on fire. Then there was a loud cracking sound, as the rain began to pore.

'Crap', thought Jamie as the thunder and lighting crackled and roared as the rain began to fall. She began to run, but she wasn't sure if she was going the right way anymore. Somehow she made it back to the apartment. She never knew how, but she did. Glancing at the clock on her cell phone Jamie saw that it was 11:30. Just enough time to get out of wet clothes and dry her hair before Dean got home. She would hide her wet clothes and sneak them out to the dryer later. She would call Lexie to make sure she got home and just get the whole story in the morning.

Jamie turned her key in the lock and walked in. Suddenly she froze. There was somebody else in the apartment. One of the things her father and Dean had always taught her even before they trained her as a hunter was to always be aware and to be cautious. It wasn't much but a slight noise coming from her room. She debated on running out. No she was a hunter and she would face whatever was in her room, human or otherwise.

Stealthily, she walked towards her room, not thinking about the fact that she had no weapon on her. Then she heard a familiar voice.

"Jamie is that you?"

It was Dean.