The sunlight poured down on us. It was a hot day. I laid on my back,
staring at the sky, Kai sleeping next to me. Maybe I should move... the
ground was really starting to heat up. I sat up and looked around. I was
really hot now, and I smelt something faint. Not sure what, though... I
looked down to Kai. He hadn't moved an inch. I reached out a hand to
shake him awake.
"What the...?"
My hand went right through him. He disappeared in a swirl of smoke. Suddenly, I started shaking. I frowned. There was a definite smell in the air as well. I took a deep breath and ended up coughing. The smell... it was burning...
"Oliver!"
My eyes opened and I continued coughing. Wafting the air in front of my face, I managed to clear away some smoke.
"K..Kai!? What's going on!?"
"There's been an explosion! We gotta get out, now!"
Explosion...? I pushed myself out of bed and coughed. There was so much smoke in our room. Kai grabbed my hand.
"The window!"
Yeah... the branch outside our window. We could use it to get out. I got Kai to go first. Whilst he sidled down the wood, I turned and shouted with whatever air I had left clear in my lungs.
"TALA!!! MAX!!! FIRE!!!"
"Oliver!!"
I turned. Kai was holding onto the main trunk of the tree, calling out to me to get a move on. I held back. Where were Max and Tala?
"Oliver!! Don't make me go back and get you!"
Reluctantly, I lifted one foot out of the window and slid onto the branch. At one time, I might not have been so cautious about this.... Without too much trouble, Kai and I touched solid ground. We ran a safe distance away from the house. I turned and faced the house. The ground floor, where the front room was, flames licked the windows. They finally cracked and shattered at the heat. The inferno seemed to gather strength with the new influx of oxygen. Smoke now billowed like a fog out of our bedroom window.
"Kai! Oliver!"
I sighed with relief when I turned. Tala and Max were there, not in their pyjamas. They ran to us, worried.
"What happened!? How did the fire start?"
"I have no idea!" I said. "We've got to call the fire station!"
"I already did." Tala said, showing me his mobile phone. "Anyone else still in the building?"
"Non... at least, I don't think so. There shouldn't be."
The wail of a siren reached our ears. Finally, the fire brigade!!! I couldn't help but feel a little jolt when the flashing lights and the bright red engines screeched into our drive. I watched as firemen jumped out and started setting up. In no time, they had started hosing the fire. The fire chief came towards us to ask us the routine questions.
The ambulance crew came, just as a back up. The paramedics checked us for smoke inhalation. When we managed to convince them we were fine, they wrapped me and Kai in blankets, to save us freezing in our nightwear... Not that I minded seeing Kai's biceps under his rather tight fitting tee- shirt... Ack! Not a time to think about that, Oliver...!
I allowed my eyes to wander from my Adonis, unable to watch the battle with the flames. I paused, a cold pellet the size of Brittany sliding through my gut. A poster on a nearby fire engine caught my attention. The bright yellow words on the flame background seemed sinister to me at this moment in time...
VOTRE ALARME INCENDIE VOUS AVERTIT?
Will your fire alarm warn you...
******
It was lucky that Enrique was in Paris at the time. One quick phone call and he came in his rented car (chauffeured, of course). The four guys plus Enrique were soon settled and scattered on the chairs in Enrique's hotel room, sipping hot chocolate.
"It was lucky you guys got out. You could have been fricasseed..."
"What did I tell you about using cookery terms around me, Enrique?"
"Aw... I got it wrong?"
"Oui..."
"How about sautéed?"
"Non."
"I suppose I should stick to fried..."
"Can we quit the cookery talk?" Tala interrupted.
Oliver smiled apologetically. He sat back into the chair. "Well, thanks for putting us up, Enrique."
"Hey, no problemo! Anything for a friend. So... any idea as to what started the fire?"
Oliver paused, thinking. "No... nothing obvious comes to mind.... Tala, Max?"
"No. Didn't see anything." Tala said.
"Me neither." Max added.
"Whilst we're on the subject, where did you two go? You obviously weren't in bed." Kai asked.
Max blushed at Kai's wording. "Well, er, we were just taking a walk."
Tala didn't meet Oliver's sniggering eyes, a rare slow crawling red tingeing his face. Enrique shook his head and grinned. "I'm so glad I booked two separate rooms for you guys. I don't think I'd cope with two sets of love birds in this room with me until your house is re made."
Enrique stood and picked up two keycards off his bedside table and threw one each to Oliver and Kai and Tala and Max.
"Now scat. I need my beauty sleep. Tomorrow I'm letting the chicks of Paris know the Cassanova's in town."
"Yeah. Tell us another one, Enrique. And thanks a lot."
"Hey, no problem! Just glad I could help an old friend."
******
I stretched and turned over, facing Kai. He was fast asleep; I learnt how to tell after six months together. He looks so peaceful now. I remember when he used to sleep, his face looked like he was expecting someone to grab him and beat him up. I, on the other hand, couldn't seem to drop off. The thoughts of the fire were still fresh in my mind. The flames; the smoke; the heat... I wonder how much of the fire had been successfully put out... How the fire had started...
Why didn't the fire alarms or sprinklers go off?
That was the most troubling thought, closely followed by how the fire started. If Kai hadn't woken up when he did, we would have been burnt crispier than Tala's last attempt to make us beef burgers for lunch. I sighed, watching the hair falling on Kai's face ruffle with the rush of air. It certainly was strange... I knew I would never fall asleep without having at least a vague plan of action in my mind. Alright... hopefully, the fire would have been put out tomorrow. If the police weren't there, I'd get some from the crime lab in to investigate. That way, I'll know for certain if the fire was an accident and why the fire system didn't go off...
There. With that in mind, I snuggled deeper into the hotel bed duvet, closer to Kai. With another sigh, I allowed my eyes to droop. Finally, I could get some sleep.
******
"Mon Dieu... what a mess..."
And a mess it was. The fire had started in the kitchen and had spread to the front room, destroying most things in its way. Black soot covered the walls and odd shapes resembling furniture were still steaming in the centre of the room. I covered my mouth with my hand. It was all too much. The four of us faced the police officer who gave us the all clear to wander around the charred remains of our house.
"What started the fire?" Kai asked.
"Forensics traced the primary source to the kitchen. Seems that there was a gas leak in there and a naked flame in this room that ignited the gas. I'm just surprised the explosion was just isolated to those two rooms."
"Well, we've always been lucky so far..." Tala commented, shifting something with his foot and wrinkling his nose.
So far... I couldn't help highlighting.
===================================================
Anime: Oooooooo.... okay, we'll be getting to the good stuff soon... poor guys...
Duo: What is it with you and putting those four in danger?
Anime: Tala and Oliver are former assassins; they're obviously going to attract danger.
Quatre: But they're so young....
Anime: Ahem... how old were you guys when you started training to pilot your Gundams?
"What the...?"
My hand went right through him. He disappeared in a swirl of smoke. Suddenly, I started shaking. I frowned. There was a definite smell in the air as well. I took a deep breath and ended up coughing. The smell... it was burning...
"Oliver!"
My eyes opened and I continued coughing. Wafting the air in front of my face, I managed to clear away some smoke.
"K..Kai!? What's going on!?"
"There's been an explosion! We gotta get out, now!"
Explosion...? I pushed myself out of bed and coughed. There was so much smoke in our room. Kai grabbed my hand.
"The window!"
Yeah... the branch outside our window. We could use it to get out. I got Kai to go first. Whilst he sidled down the wood, I turned and shouted with whatever air I had left clear in my lungs.
"TALA!!! MAX!!! FIRE!!!"
"Oliver!!"
I turned. Kai was holding onto the main trunk of the tree, calling out to me to get a move on. I held back. Where were Max and Tala?
"Oliver!! Don't make me go back and get you!"
Reluctantly, I lifted one foot out of the window and slid onto the branch. At one time, I might not have been so cautious about this.... Without too much trouble, Kai and I touched solid ground. We ran a safe distance away from the house. I turned and faced the house. The ground floor, where the front room was, flames licked the windows. They finally cracked and shattered at the heat. The inferno seemed to gather strength with the new influx of oxygen. Smoke now billowed like a fog out of our bedroom window.
"Kai! Oliver!"
I sighed with relief when I turned. Tala and Max were there, not in their pyjamas. They ran to us, worried.
"What happened!? How did the fire start?"
"I have no idea!" I said. "We've got to call the fire station!"
"I already did." Tala said, showing me his mobile phone. "Anyone else still in the building?"
"Non... at least, I don't think so. There shouldn't be."
The wail of a siren reached our ears. Finally, the fire brigade!!! I couldn't help but feel a little jolt when the flashing lights and the bright red engines screeched into our drive. I watched as firemen jumped out and started setting up. In no time, they had started hosing the fire. The fire chief came towards us to ask us the routine questions.
The ambulance crew came, just as a back up. The paramedics checked us for smoke inhalation. When we managed to convince them we were fine, they wrapped me and Kai in blankets, to save us freezing in our nightwear... Not that I minded seeing Kai's biceps under his rather tight fitting tee- shirt... Ack! Not a time to think about that, Oliver...!
I allowed my eyes to wander from my Adonis, unable to watch the battle with the flames. I paused, a cold pellet the size of Brittany sliding through my gut. A poster on a nearby fire engine caught my attention. The bright yellow words on the flame background seemed sinister to me at this moment in time...
VOTRE ALARME INCENDIE VOUS AVERTIT?
Will your fire alarm warn you...
******
It was lucky that Enrique was in Paris at the time. One quick phone call and he came in his rented car (chauffeured, of course). The four guys plus Enrique were soon settled and scattered on the chairs in Enrique's hotel room, sipping hot chocolate.
"It was lucky you guys got out. You could have been fricasseed..."
"What did I tell you about using cookery terms around me, Enrique?"
"Aw... I got it wrong?"
"Oui..."
"How about sautéed?"
"Non."
"I suppose I should stick to fried..."
"Can we quit the cookery talk?" Tala interrupted.
Oliver smiled apologetically. He sat back into the chair. "Well, thanks for putting us up, Enrique."
"Hey, no problemo! Anything for a friend. So... any idea as to what started the fire?"
Oliver paused, thinking. "No... nothing obvious comes to mind.... Tala, Max?"
"No. Didn't see anything." Tala said.
"Me neither." Max added.
"Whilst we're on the subject, where did you two go? You obviously weren't in bed." Kai asked.
Max blushed at Kai's wording. "Well, er, we were just taking a walk."
Tala didn't meet Oliver's sniggering eyes, a rare slow crawling red tingeing his face. Enrique shook his head and grinned. "I'm so glad I booked two separate rooms for you guys. I don't think I'd cope with two sets of love birds in this room with me until your house is re made."
Enrique stood and picked up two keycards off his bedside table and threw one each to Oliver and Kai and Tala and Max.
"Now scat. I need my beauty sleep. Tomorrow I'm letting the chicks of Paris know the Cassanova's in town."
"Yeah. Tell us another one, Enrique. And thanks a lot."
"Hey, no problem! Just glad I could help an old friend."
******
I stretched and turned over, facing Kai. He was fast asleep; I learnt how to tell after six months together. He looks so peaceful now. I remember when he used to sleep, his face looked like he was expecting someone to grab him and beat him up. I, on the other hand, couldn't seem to drop off. The thoughts of the fire were still fresh in my mind. The flames; the smoke; the heat... I wonder how much of the fire had been successfully put out... How the fire had started...
Why didn't the fire alarms or sprinklers go off?
That was the most troubling thought, closely followed by how the fire started. If Kai hadn't woken up when he did, we would have been burnt crispier than Tala's last attempt to make us beef burgers for lunch. I sighed, watching the hair falling on Kai's face ruffle with the rush of air. It certainly was strange... I knew I would never fall asleep without having at least a vague plan of action in my mind. Alright... hopefully, the fire would have been put out tomorrow. If the police weren't there, I'd get some from the crime lab in to investigate. That way, I'll know for certain if the fire was an accident and why the fire system didn't go off...
There. With that in mind, I snuggled deeper into the hotel bed duvet, closer to Kai. With another sigh, I allowed my eyes to droop. Finally, I could get some sleep.
******
"Mon Dieu... what a mess..."
And a mess it was. The fire had started in the kitchen and had spread to the front room, destroying most things in its way. Black soot covered the walls and odd shapes resembling furniture were still steaming in the centre of the room. I covered my mouth with my hand. It was all too much. The four of us faced the police officer who gave us the all clear to wander around the charred remains of our house.
"What started the fire?" Kai asked.
"Forensics traced the primary source to the kitchen. Seems that there was a gas leak in there and a naked flame in this room that ignited the gas. I'm just surprised the explosion was just isolated to those two rooms."
"Well, we've always been lucky so far..." Tala commented, shifting something with his foot and wrinkling his nose.
So far... I couldn't help highlighting.
===================================================
Anime: Oooooooo.... okay, we'll be getting to the good stuff soon... poor guys...
Duo: What is it with you and putting those four in danger?
Anime: Tala and Oliver are former assassins; they're obviously going to attract danger.
Quatre: But they're so young....
Anime: Ahem... how old were you guys when you started training to pilot your Gundams?