Beca was agitated because Lily was nowhere to be found and she could definitely hear screaming coming from the burning shed. The fire was growing and time isn't something she should be wasting. The shed was made of wood and steel, the wood making the fire spread rapidly than she thought. Beca dropped the tray on the grass and ran over to the shed. The smoke was thickening and the fire was growing. If it continues to spread, this is going to be an even bigger problem already.
"Shit!" She shouted because the freaking door wouldn't budge, there was something blocking it from the other side. The shed was bigger than those little sheds where you keep gardening tools. "Lily!" Beca knocked on the shed door as much as she could and kept calling out. She could only hear coughing and screaming. This was what she feared, Lily was inside!
As much as she wanted to panic, this wasn't the right time to let that happen. Lily was in grave danger and she had to think of a way to get that girl out of there, fast! Beca ran over to the side to check if there were any windows present. She was lucky to see one at the opposite side of the door. Although it was high up, Beca banged on the hot glass and boosted herself a to the tippiest of her toes to look inside. To the minimal point that she could see through it, she saw a view of Lily. The girl was crouched down in one corner with her hands on her ears, she was covered in filth and cinder because of the burning wood. Beca quickly looked around and saw a rock big enough to create a fatal hit on the glass. She immediately picked it up and sent the rock flying to shatter the glass.
Bits of glass broke and fell to the ground as Beca cleared the window a bit to get inside. It was difficult climbing up considering her small figure and minimal height, but it's during these times that anything doesn't matter and only one thing is focused on. She ran over to the sandbox to take one of Lily's buckets to use for leverage. Beca gave all her might to lift herself using all her upper body strength. Right now, she didn't care if there were pieces of glass piercing into the skin of her palms or if she got any wounds from the steel of the window.
She boosted herself and placed her feet firm on the window ledge before making her way inside the burning building. The fire was growing and it's really fatal, the roof could fall at any any second as the materials get weak from the intense heat. As Beca's feet were on the ground, she quickly ran over to Lily's spot, skipping objects on the ground and burning wood. This was no time to calm Lily down but she can't be too harsh either because of Lily's condition.
"Lily, let's get out of here. You need to get out of here. I'm here to save you from danger," Beca said behind the roaring of the fire. She coughed because the smoke was getting thicker by the second.
Lily shook her head and shut her eyes really tight, coughing as well.
Beca was starting to panic. This fire isn't going to get any smaller.
"Lily, I told you I'm gonna be your warrior, right? Now I'm going to do my task of saving you from danger," Beca didn't wait for the girl to respond. She'd rather have Lily get mad at her than be responsible of putting Lily's life in further risk with what's happening. Beca pulled the girl by the arm and had her other arm around Lily's shoulders to pull the girl to the window. The roof was crashing down behind them, they were running out of time.
There was a stool a few feet away from them and Beca made it quick to grab it and placed it below the window for Lily to stand on. It would make it easier to get out since the window was high. Beca didn't want Lily to risk any more injuries with this so she gave the girl a boost as well. Helping Lily by the waist after stepping on the stool, she pushed Lily slightly so she could get out. Smoke was getting thicker and the place was crumbling down. The fire had spread and there were minimal spaces left that weren't barricaded by a huge flame.
Beca felt a sigh of relief when Lily finally got out and was in a safe distance away from the building. Now she just had to get herself out of that hellhole. Beca quickly stepped on the stool and placed her hands on the window pane to grip it. Filled with unfortunate events, Beca felt herself losing leverage and feel the floor. The stool broke and her grip on the window wasn't enough to keep her up.
Beca was lying on the floor, feeling the impact of her fall. Her vision was starting to blur and she was having a hard time breathing. She felt her arms weaken and felt warm liquid flowing on her forearm. When she moved to sit, she felt a sharp pain in her right foot. She sprained her ankle with the fall she got and her arm had a long gash running from her elbow and reached the point where it was just an inch from her wrist.
Despite the pain and heaviness she was feeling, she had to get out of this place. She saw nothing more than fire and smoky mist around her. The heat was starting to sting her skin, her sweat mixing with the filth and seeped through her wounds. She winced from the pain traveling through her body.
But will prevails as Beca stands up despite the difficulty of moving quickly due to her sprain. She knows she can survive this. She survived years and years of being mistreated from Luke, she survived years of being part of a broken childhood, she can survive a simple fire and little physical damage. As much as she can bring herself to, Beca looked around to see where the door was, maybe she can access it from inside the way she couldn't from the other side.
Seeing the panel on the wall through the blazing fire and blur caused by the smoke even though it was hurting her eyes, Beca tried to go closer and saw that the way was blocked with multiple debris and big chunks of wood and steel that came crashing down. The fire was also growing in front of her only other way out but she had to try. She was getting exhausted and lost the energy to hoist herself up through that window, she had to get out through the front.
She needed to get through that wall of fire, it would be a huge risk but it was better than burning to death. Beca could no longer breathe properly and smoke was entering her lungs, causing her to cough harder and more frequent. She braced herself and ran towards the wall of fire, ignoring the searing pain coming from her foot. She jumped and covered her face with her forearms, closing her eyes as she goes through the blaze. With the quickness of her movements, Beca felt herself land back on ground as she cut through the wall. She got minor burns from the stunt but successfully made it through.
It wasn't the end of her worries, she had to get all that rubble out of the way. Again, Beca willed herself to push through despite exhaustion dragging her down. She was already feeling lightheaded and felt like she was about to lose consciousness. Her vision started to get even more blurry as the lack of proper oxygen was starting to make an impact on her. Beca pushed herself more, trying her best to lift and remove the remaining obstacles in her way.
Unknowingly, one of the steel bars that was suspended from the ceiling finally lost its hold and came crashing down on top of her. Solid metal hit the back of her head and spine, pinning her to the ground. Beca's vision faded to black and gave into exhaustion.
"How is she?"
"I don't know. So far, she hasn't woken up yet,"
Beca started to hear voices. They seemed muffled, her ears still ringing. The air smelled different, more like medicine and cool air fresheners. She felt her head throbbing, like someone was drumming on her skull. Beca winced and shifted a bit, her eyes having that glimpse of brightness behind her closed lids.
"I think she's waking up now," Beca heard. She couldn't comprehend who it was yet because her head hurt too much to make it think.
"Beca? Beca, can you hear us?" another voice asked, a different one. She still couldn't comprehend who it was, thinking hurts at the moment.
"Call the nurse," she heard again and someone came rushing out to wherever.
Beca's weak hand came to her head, hoping that touching it would reduce the pain she was currently feeling on top. Her eyes blinked open, eyes slowly adjusting to the brightness in the room. At first it looked like she was underwater, having only silhouettes and faded images, but her eyes continued to adjust as the image became clear. Her eyes were still narrowed, squinting at the intense illumination of the area.
"Beca? Can you hear me?" says the person on the right. Beca's eyes followed the voice and saw that Chloe was standing there, gripping the side of the bed, probably scared to touch her knowing she might still be sore.
"Beca, how are you sweetie?" the person on the other side spoke up again. Beca looked to see that it was her dad, having that very worried look on his face. He seems agitated and anxious to know how his daughter was feeling.
Beca forced herself to sit up, carefully shifting and using what strength she had in her arms and upper body to do so. Her companions immediately assisted her up, seeing her wincing in pain with the movement she makes.
"What happened? Where am I?" Beca finally spoke. Her voice was scratchy and her chest felt a little heavy. Her breathing was still adapting to the normal air and she was improving little by little.
"You're in the hospital," Chloe answered.
"Why am I here?" Beca asked as her hand shot again to the back of her head, feeling another intense pain. Her hand made contact with what felt like bandage. Seeing her forearm, they had bruises and were covered in cuts. She shifted and more pain shot through her, coming from her right foot. She looked under the covers to see that her foot was wrapped up in a temporary brace because of a sprain. Her other arm had a long bandage on it, remembering that she cut it from escaping and falling from that stool in that burning shed.
"How long was I out?" Beca added.
"You've been unconscious for two days. They found you unconscious in the burning shed of Lily and Kolio's backyard," Chloe explained.
Lily's name immediately caught her attention and her eyes went wide in concern.
"Where's Lily? How is she?" Beca demanded, panic searing through her.
"Dear, relax. Your friend is fine as from what I've heard. Aside from minimal wounds she's okay. Although she hasn't really responded much since," Mr. Mitchell answered.
Beca felt relief in her body as she let out a deep breath. Lily was safe. Being a bit unresponsive just seemed a bit natural to her. Beca made sure that she would pay Lily a visit once she's safe to get out of here.
"I'm glad she's fine," Beca sighed.
A nurse came into the room to check on her vitals. Her IV was fixed and the nurse asked a few questions. So far, she was still sore but she is now stable. The nurse went back out to take care of other things and to fetch her medicine, saying that she'll be back later to check again.
"Has it really been days?" Beca asked and only earned nods from the two people in the room.
The growing silence was broken as someone knocked on the door and peered through the gap.
"Excuse me? Is she awake now?" a male voice said. Chloe nodded and gestured company over.
Beca looked up to see that it was Kolio. Her guts immediately told her what to do as he approached to stand beside Chloe.
"Oh my god, Kolio, I'm so sorry-" Beca said, stuttering in nervousness and regret for the thought of not guarding Lily properly.
"Beca, it's okay, you don't have to say sorry. There's nothing to be sorry about," he said.
"Is Lily doing okay? Is she well?" Beca rambled, all her concern immediately landing to the girl.
"Lily's fine. She's actually asking for you. Beca, I want to thank you with everything in the world for saving my sister. If it wasn't for you, she would have been stuck there and God knows what else could have happened," Kolio explained.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know what happened. It all happened so fast. One minute I'm inside to get drinks, the next thing I know, your shed is in flames and Lily was nowhere to be seen. I'm really sorry, Kolio," Beca said, her voice still weak and broke with the glimpse of tears forming.
"Beca, you're a hero. Please don't say sorry. I still don't know what happened because Lily won't tell me anything," Kolio replied.
"I seriously have no idea how it all went down," Beca said in defense.
"It's alright, Beca. We can worry about this another time. For now, just get well," he said and Beca nodded. "I'm going home, Lily has been waiting for you to wake. It was great knowing you're finally conscious again, I'll tell her the news," Kolio said as he said goodbye to Beca and the other two people in the room.
Beca's father excused himself as well and said he was just going to call the step monster to tell her about Beca's current status. He said he would grab coffee as well for Chloe.
"Wait, you said I was found unconscious. How did people respond when Lily and I were the only ones there at the time?" Beca questioned her redheaded friend.
"Your knight in shining armor found you," Chloe said, taking the seat beside the bed and moving close to Beca, smirking a bit at her reply.
"My what?" Beca said as Chloe raised the head of her bed so she could lean but still sit a bit upright.
"Jesse found you. He said that when he came back from getting some ice cream, he found Lily in the living room crouched down beside the couch and crying. He asked her what happened and Lily just shook her head. He asked where you are and Lily just cried and pointed to the backdoor. He rushed outside and saw the shed burning. He was scared and his instincts told him that there was something extremely wrong. He broke down the door and saw you unconscious inside. He said that he found a huge metal bar crushing you on the ground and immediately pushed it with all the strength he could. He carried you out of that burning shed," Chloe explained.
"Really?" Beca asked in disbelief as her friend just nodded. She had to understand what she just heard but her head throbbed when she tried.
"How did the fire go out?" Beca asked Chloe.
"Jesse opened the house in the backyard and became a fireman at the scene. He hosed down the fire. Good thing the trees were far away from that shed," Chloe said.
"Where is he? How is he?" Beca stammered. Now she's worried for Jesse.
"Relax, Beca. Jesse's fine, no scratch on him. Do you wanna see him? I heard he just went home for a while to grab some things. You want me to call him?" The ginger asked.
Beca thought about it. Would it be okay to call Jesse over? She wanted to thank him for what he did. Beca slowly nodded.
"Okay. He'll be happy to know you're awake," Chloe said and excused herself to place a call. When she left the room, a nurse came back in. Beca was given medication to lessen the pain in her body.
She felt herself starting to relax as the medicine took its effect. She was back to darkness in minutes.
Beca woke up again with the smell of the hospital hitting her nose. Her eyes didn't have to adjust much to lighting since the room was dimmer than the first time she woke up. The lights were kept to a minimum, it was probably night time.
Beca moved her head and saw someone leaning beside her bed. His head was down and she could hear some light snoring coming from him. She smiled at his company. She carefully placed her hand on the back of his head and caressed it slowly, giving much affection as she currently could. He started to move as she continued her hand movement on his head. He breathed in and lifted his head, eyes squinted as he looked at her with sleepy eyes.
"Hey sleepyhead," Beca almost whispered.
"Oh my god, you're awake," Jesse exclaimed, losing all the sleep he had in his body, "they say you already woke up hours ago but was put back to sleep by your medicine," he said as he took hold of the hand that was on his head. He held it in his hand and gripped it softly, making sure it didn't hurt her.
"Another thing why I hate medicine. Those things suck"" Beca retorted.
"Those things are going to help you get better. So you better be friendly with them, don't want them to kill you," Jesse said with a cheeky smile.
Despite her slight discomfort at her current state, her heart melted and her stomach was fluttering at his contact. That smile on his face was always so annoying but this time it helped her feel better. His presence was already helping her feel better than the medicines she was given earlier.
"Why are you here? Isn't there a specific time for visitors?" she asked.
"One guardian is allowed to stay. I can't stand the idea of having you here and me not knowing how you're doing," he said.
Beca breathed in at what he said. She felt a certain part of her get the chills with his words.
"Jesse, I don't know how much I could thank you. This isn't the first time you saved my life. I don't know how many more times you're going to keep being there for me when I need you. I owe you a lot," Beca said, her voice breaking. Her gaze falling on her lap as the sight of him stung a bit. He has done so much for her, done so much to make sure she was okay, done so much to save her life and protect her well-being.
"Beca, you don't owe me anything. I told you I would always be there for you, right? I told you I would protect you to any extent. I care about you, Beca, so much to do nothing. I like you, Beca, so much to ignore it," his other hand came in contact with the one on her hand as he was now holding her hand in between both of his.
Beca's heart ached. Her heart ached because he was so much than she deserves. Her heart ached because the thought of him picking her out of anyone else is overwhelming. Her heart ached because she couldn't feel any luckier to have someone like Jesse to have in her life. Her heart ached because she knew that she liked him too. He was so much more than anyone she met, much more than Luke ever was, than any guy ever was.
Understanding it now, as she gazed into his brown orbs, Beca could understand how happy she was now. Having Jesse in her life was more than anything she could have ever thought of happening after she moved back from L.A. All the time she spent with him, he managed to worm himself into her life and into her heart. She was falling for this boy, no, she has already fallen for this boy.
"Jesse," Beca's other hand goes top of his, "in the duration of weeks of me being here, you have been there the whole time. Ever since I met you that first night at the party, we hit it off immediately, being my best friend. You rubbed all your nerdiness off on me with all your movies and gestures. How did you do it? How do you continue to do it? You're so cheeky, you know that?" Beca said as she pinched Jesse's cheek, she kind of hoped it was enough as an idea for him to catch about how she really felt.
"Ow. That hurt, okay?" He said as he rubbed on his cheek.
Beca chuckled and smiled. He was adorable, the sweetest, protective, caring, what more of Jesse's qualities could she mention? He was an amazing person overall, very much different than Luke. She knows now that she already has deep feelings for Jesse, more than she probably could understand. But she knows that something was keeping her from admitting it. Now she knows, she was scared. With what happened with Luke, Beca was already terrified of what could happen. She knows Jesse was nothing like Luke, he was too much of a gentleman and a great person. Could she bring herself to admit it to him? Was she ready to let her guard down? Knowing what he felt for her as well, can she do it right?
"Where's Chloe and my dad?" Beca asked instead, taking the matters off first.
"Chloe went home for the night after I volunteered to stay here, it was kind of hard to make her leave though, I think she might replace me as your best friend already. Please, don't let that happen," Jesse said the latter sarcastically, "Your dad said he had to attend some business and take care of your step-mom so he had to leave but says he's going to come back tomorrow," Jesse explained.
"Jesse, is there any chance that you have food? I'm kind of starving," Beca said as she held her grumbling stomach.
"I'll make a midnight run to the diner down the street if you want. They're always open. Is there anything you're particularly craving for?" Jesse asked as he stood up, not letting go of her hand yet.
She actually missed his cooking, but she really didn't want him to be gone by her side for so long. She can have a taste of his mastery when she feels better. For now, anything would do as long as he's there beside her. She needed him by her.
"Anything will do. Just don't get anything too greasy, I might vomit it out," Beca said, looking up at him.
Jesse nodded and smiled. "I'll just be quick, okay? Just call me if you need anything else," he assured Beca. She nodded in reply as he let go of her hand to grab his jacket. He approached her again as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead before he left to run his errand.
Beca sighed, she can't go back to sleep yet until she ate. Besides, she didn't want to fall asleep alone, knowing no one was there with her. The pain in her head already lessened. Her body was also feeling less sore thanks to the medication as well. Her wounds were still fresh and she knows that any bruises she had were still dark on her pale skin. Beca's mind shifted back to the event that brought her here. All the fire around her, everything there was burning, she got a glimpse of what hell looked like based on the context.
She remembered playing with Lily and her dolls before all that unexplained things happened. And then, something clicked in Beca's head.
The fire, the dolls, the image of the those things connected and she remembered the package she received one particular day. She remembered the message and the phrases on the back of the dolls. She knew Lily's dolls looked familiar. If you placed the head on the body of what she received, they could be mistaken to be the same dolls, just completely different in their appearance due to the tweaking and paint.
If you play with fire, you're gonna get burned...
A bigger fire than you would think...
The words rang in her head. Could it be that whatever happened at Lily's house had something to do with the message in that package? Is this sick joke for real?
Beca's phone beeped, signaling a text. It was placed on the bedside table with a flower vase. Beca took it and opened the text, the number was blocked and had no identification.
How was the first glimpse of your game? I already gave you a clue with that gift. You should pay more attention to the things I give you, you know. As I've heard, you're currently in the hospital. Tsktsk. You should work harder next time so those trips would be prevented. Wait for my next gift, this game has just started. Let's see if you could do better. More fun is coming your way, so stay tuned. ;)
Again, just like the package and the note, it had no name. It was an unknown number and it was blocked, showing no possibility of who it might have come from. Her fears were confirmed as that text came to her. The package really had something to do with that fire. Why was this happening and and what kind of sick bastard would do this?
She can't risk anyone getting hurt again. Once she gets out of here, she has to stop anything else that could happen. She had no idea what else would come across but she had to be ready. The game was just starting. With this, another nightmare has begun and entered Beca's life. Whatever the reason this was happening to her, she had to find out and put an end to it.
A/N: Update! Update! Update! Can't believe I worked on this in one night. I'm kinda sweated out. This is more of a filler but I hope you guys enjoy this because there is a lot more to come. More games for Beca and more about her and Jesse's current relationship with each other coming your way. Stay tuned, guys!
Thank you for the reviews and I do hope they keep coming. Please, if you have questions, do not hesitate to ask. Any comments are welcome. Let me know what you feel and what you guys think. Please do, it's great hearing from you guys! Send me a review, please, please, please, and thank you! Till next update!