Chapter 2:
A Home Shattered with Pain
A huge wave of nausea overtook me. My knees buckled and I started to fall when Kevin caught me. I took a few deep breaths and controlled my strength.
I started to run again but Kevin caught my arm. "Let go! That's my family!"
"Yeah? And these are cloaks," he said, undoing the clasp at the front of mine.
"Whatever. Just hurry!" I was scared and on the verge of tears.
A rumble and an echo of sirens came from behind me. I turned and saw a fire truck driving toward my burning house. My heart thundered in my ribs. Kevin had just pulled his cloak off and I tore down the street. I was just a few feet from our house and I started running for the backyard.
"Miss! You can't go back there!" someone yelled attempting to catch me. I ignored him and threw open my gate. I was standing in our beautiful courtyard. Mazes of gardens that my mom had worked on so diligently were surrounding a fountain that had a little path leading to a patio. I had no idea why I was back here until I heard a yell.
"Let me go!" came Kevin's voice and moments later he too came tearing into the courtyard cursing loudly about the firemen. "Why did you come back here?" he asked, bewildered.
"I really don't know," I said feeling faint.
"Sohalia!" came a distant cry.
"Oh dear god," I muttered. "Aysel!" I yelled looking up. Our house was two stories up with an attic. The first story was our living room, den, kitchen and dining room plus our game room. The second floor was where the rooms were. And the attic is what Aysel had chosen as her room. And now my worst fears had been confirmed. Aysel was leaning on her window frame in her attic room.
"Aysel, can you get to the second floor safely?" I yelled as loud as I could. She disappeared for a moment then came back, also yelling as loud as her 10 year old voice would let her. "The ladder is clear but halfway down the hall is a fallen beam. I could get to the stairs though and down but not much further." Black smoke filled her room and seeped out the window. Between her coughs she yelled, "Or-I-could-jump."
"No! Aysel go as far down stairs as you can! And get Mom!"
She nodded and disappeared. I looked through our glass doors leading to the house and saw that the fire was here and there about the house. I saw Aysel come down to the ground floor. Then I heard her scream. I knew she couldn't get out from where she was.
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" I cursed. Then I ran onto the patio and threw open one of the doors. For a moment I hesitated before walking back over to Kevin.
"My wand." I said at his quizzical look on his face as I dug through my robes. I once again approached the house and entered.
"No!" Kevin yelled. "Don't go in!!"
I looked back at him and walked in. He was on the patio now and pleading with me.
I turned and said, "No! My mom and sister are in there!!"
"Sohalia..." Aysel sobbed. There was no way I could get to Aysel without getting burnt.
You're underage, the voice in my mind taunted. But I could care less.
"Aquaria!" I said and water feebly spouted from my wand. I shone it at the fire and cleared a way to my sister, diminishing the flames in my path.
"Aysel, jump on my back! Hurry!" But she was frozen to the spot, looking by the front door, eyes spilling tears. I looked in her direction.
I made another path toward the door and bent next to the limp figure of my mom. "Mom, come on! Mom!! Come on!" I said shaking her.
Something crashed upstairs. "Aysel, help me!" She came to my side and we both hoisted her onto our shoulders supporting her between us. We made our way outside and laid her down by the fountain.
"Kevin, check her pulse. Aysel, stay with Kevin. I'll be right back," I ordered, going back into the house.
"Where are you?" I muttered, looking where my mother had lain. I didn't have more time to look. The door to the front had been broken in and I scurried back out as the firemen came in looking for survivors.
"It's gone." I said, making it final. "How's Mom?"
Kevin looked up at me and gravely shook his head.
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A/N: The stars around the words represent memories. Well, more eventually.
A Home Shattered with Pain
A huge wave of nausea overtook me. My knees buckled and I started to fall when Kevin caught me. I took a few deep breaths and controlled my strength.
I started to run again but Kevin caught my arm. "Let go! That's my family!"
"Yeah? And these are cloaks," he said, undoing the clasp at the front of mine.
"Whatever. Just hurry!" I was scared and on the verge of tears.
A rumble and an echo of sirens came from behind me. I turned and saw a fire truck driving toward my burning house. My heart thundered in my ribs. Kevin had just pulled his cloak off and I tore down the street. I was just a few feet from our house and I started running for the backyard.
"Miss! You can't go back there!" someone yelled attempting to catch me. I ignored him and threw open my gate. I was standing in our beautiful courtyard. Mazes of gardens that my mom had worked on so diligently were surrounding a fountain that had a little path leading to a patio. I had no idea why I was back here until I heard a yell.
"Let me go!" came Kevin's voice and moments later he too came tearing into the courtyard cursing loudly about the firemen. "Why did you come back here?" he asked, bewildered.
"I really don't know," I said feeling faint.
"Sohalia!" came a distant cry.
"Oh dear god," I muttered. "Aysel!" I yelled looking up. Our house was two stories up with an attic. The first story was our living room, den, kitchen and dining room plus our game room. The second floor was where the rooms were. And the attic is what Aysel had chosen as her room. And now my worst fears had been confirmed. Aysel was leaning on her window frame in her attic room.
"Aysel, can you get to the second floor safely?" I yelled as loud as I could. She disappeared for a moment then came back, also yelling as loud as her 10 year old voice would let her. "The ladder is clear but halfway down the hall is a fallen beam. I could get to the stairs though and down but not much further." Black smoke filled her room and seeped out the window. Between her coughs she yelled, "Or-I-could-jump."
"No! Aysel go as far down stairs as you can! And get Mom!"
She nodded and disappeared. I looked through our glass doors leading to the house and saw that the fire was here and there about the house. I saw Aysel come down to the ground floor. Then I heard her scream. I knew she couldn't get out from where she was.
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" I cursed. Then I ran onto the patio and threw open one of the doors. For a moment I hesitated before walking back over to Kevin.
"My wand." I said at his quizzical look on his face as I dug through my robes. I once again approached the house and entered.
"No!" Kevin yelled. "Don't go in!!"
I looked back at him and walked in. He was on the patio now and pleading with me.
I turned and said, "No! My mom and sister are in there!!"
"Sohalia..." Aysel sobbed. There was no way I could get to Aysel without getting burnt.
You're underage, the voice in my mind taunted. But I could care less.
"Aquaria!" I said and water feebly spouted from my wand. I shone it at the fire and cleared a way to my sister, diminishing the flames in my path.
"Aysel, jump on my back! Hurry!" But she was frozen to the spot, looking by the front door, eyes spilling tears. I looked in her direction.
I made another path toward the door and bent next to the limp figure of my mom. "Mom, come on! Mom!! Come on!" I said shaking her.
Something crashed upstairs. "Aysel, help me!" She came to my side and we both hoisted her onto our shoulders supporting her between us. We made our way outside and laid her down by the fountain.
"Kevin, check her pulse. Aysel, stay with Kevin. I'll be right back," I ordered, going back into the house.
"Where are you?" I muttered, looking where my mother had lain. I didn't have more time to look. The door to the front had been broken in and I scurried back out as the firemen came in looking for survivors.
"It's gone." I said, making it final. "How's Mom?"
Kevin looked up at me and gravely shook his head.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: The stars around the words represent memories. Well, more eventually.