"No! Dom! Don't leave me!" Charlie was screaming, watching the fire blaze. She saw the people carrying Dom's mutilated body out of the fire. She heard another scream. She saw the fire spreading over to a policeman, his badge melting in the heat. She saw the people dropping Dom where they thought he would be safe. What Charlie saw next transfixed her. The fire raged towards Dom, coming at him quickly. She could run, she could save Dom. If she went right now. But she didn't. She lost her chance.
"Dom!"
Charlie woke up sweating in her bed. She felt at the sheets around her. Cool. Not a single source of heat put under the blanket. It was just a dream. A dream caused by William Parkins. A dream about to open an old wound.
"I could have saved him," She whispered, "I could have saved him. But I didn't. It's my fault he died. My fault,"
"Charlie!" It was Carrie, dressed in a nightgown, who entered her room, "Charlie, are you okay? I heard screaming,"
"Just a dream, sis," Charlie answered, "Just a dream,"
Charlie watched Carrie leave the room, and then spoke, "It's my fault,"
"What's your fault?" Carrie asked.
"Dominic died,"
"It's not your fault, Charlie, that Dominic died,"
"Yes it is," whimpered Charlie, "All my fault. I could have saved him. My fault. It's my fault,"
Charlie bit her lip as Carrie left the room. And as soon as she was sure her sister had gone back to bed, she crept out of her bed and took a look out the window. It was raining.
Rain. It came pouring done, getting rid of the raging flames that had been terrorizing everything a moment before. But it was too late. Not realizing that, Charlie ran towards where she had last seen Dominic. She should have stayed where she was, she knew. But she had to see him. "Dom!" She whispered "Dom!"
The sight of him was horrible. The left side of his face was gone, and burns ran down along his bare chest. His pants were in ashes, coating his legs and his mouth was open in a terrible scream, like he was accusing her.
Then the tears came, just like the rain , landing on Dom's head, rolling down the wax-like flesh.
"It's my fault, Dom," Charlie cried "I'm sorry,"
Coming back to reality, Charlie hurried to put on some jeans and a T-shirt. She hurried outside, oblivious to the wetness and sat on the curb for a while, crying. She did not look up even when a boy walked up to her and looked down at her, his curly black hair wet with the rain.
"Charlie?"
Charlie looked up, somehow not surprised to see the boy in front of her, "Will," She smiled.
"Don't talk," Will shushed her and sat down beside her. He was wearing his usual attire, but had dark rings under his eyes, as if he had been staying up all night, Charlie noticed.
After awhile, a warm feeling came over Charlie, and she noticed that Will had put his arm around her. She smiled, forgetting the time she wanted him out of her life. "…" It was quite like the day that they had first met, him with his car and her in the rain. She leaned her head against his chest, and they sat there for awhile before Charlie turned to him.
"Will?"
"Don't talk, Charlie. Don't talk at all,"
