I grumble drowsily, reaching over to turn off my alarm clock. My family had kept me up half the night and now, sleep deprived, I have to go to school. I scramble out from the comfort of my soft bed, a shiver shooting up my spine as soon as my feet touch the cold floor boards. One leg at a time, I slid into my pants and pull a clean shirt over my head. A freshly cleaned pair of socks sit on my dresser. I pull apart the neat ball and slid them onto my feet before slipping my feet into my shoes. I'm already running late so I don't have time for breakfast. I have to get to school early so I can practice for the big basketball game that I have later tonight, which my new girlfriend Kate has promised to attend.
My family is having a large gathering after the big game. My aunts and uncles and all their children from across the country have all flown in for the gathering. My usual empty manor was now packed with family members. Werewolves and humans together.
I slid down the banister on my way down the stairs, despite my mother's voice echoing in the back of my head from the countless times that she had told me not to be doing this very thing. When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I have to jump to the left side to avoid hitting my younger sister, Cora. There is a window on the left side, just beside the door. My mother had always said that if I wasn't careful, with enough force, I could go right through the window.
"Derek!" Cora squeals, leaping out of the way even though I have already made sure not to hit her. "You know you aren't allowed to do that."
"What Mom doesn't know won't hurt her." I retort, crossing my arms and smirking. Cora tries to fight it but a small smile creeps onto her face. She can never resist my big brother charm.
"What won't hurt me?" I spun around to see my mother standing by the kitchen door. She is holding my youngest cousin, eight month old Miguel, in her arms snuggly. The infant was still sleeping.
"Nothing." I say quickly, shooting Cora a smile. The five year old grins before racing into the living room to find something to occupy her small attention span. My mother had told her that since we had family over, she didn't have to go to school which she had gladly taken advantage of. My older sister, Laura and I have been given the same option but we both declined. Laura has a big chemistry test during the second period and I have my basketball game tonight that I have to practice for. I wait at the foot of the stairs for Laura to be finished so we can walk to school together, as we did every morning.
By now, my cousins are awake and are running rampant in the house. While I loved them all, I was glad that I was getting out of the house. With so many Hale's under one roof, it was going to be chaotic. Even the humans could get a little wild.
"Alright, let's go." Laura says as she slips her book bag's long strap onto her shoulder. I grab my jacket off the hook and slip it on.
"Are you two sure you don't want to stay behind?"Our mother asks us. Laura and I look at each other before taking a look around the house. I can hear my cousins running around and screaming in the other room. Laura can hear them too.
"We're sure." We say in unison before I turn the door handle. We step onto our porch and leap down the three steps to the ground. Beacon Hill High isn't very far away, so it didn't take long for the two of us to get there. When we arrive at the front of the school, Laura and I go our separate ways. I go to the gym where my friends are practicing for our big game.
Which isn't until later tonight, but we want to make sure that we beat Devenford Prep, our school's greatest rivals. We practice until the first bell rang and then we have to go to our first period, Science. After muting out the teacher's useless ramblings about biomes, the bell rings for the next period. Every class seems to pass by really quick and it is soon the end of the day. My plan was to stay at the school until the game, but I had forgotten my basketball shoes in my rush this morning so after the last bell, I met up with Laura and we start walking home.
When we got to the road with our driveway, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Something wasn't right. I found myself walking faster. Laura, despite being two years older than me, was struggling to keep up. We were just a few meters away from our driveway.
"Derek, slow-," Laura stops mid sentence when we got a bit closer. The smell of smoke hung heavily in the air, our werewolf senses picking the scent up quickly. I let go my bag my bag, my jaw dropping. As I got close I could see our home.
Flames have engulfed the right side of our house, but that isn't what I'm looking at. Laura gasps when she sees it as well. A chain is locked around the door handles, locking the doors closed from the outside.
Instantly, Laura and I start sprinting. Our feet pound on the pavement loudly as we dash to the porch. Smoke starts to pour out from underneath the door. We can hear screams coming from inside.
"They're alive." Laura sobs, fumbling with the chains trying to find a way to get them off. They started to get hot from the heat and she can't hold it in her hand.
"Side door." I breathe, leaping off the porch before my sister could stop me.
"Derek, wait!" Laura calls in alarm but I'm already around the side of our house. I had inhaled some of the smoke and it was now hurting my lungs but I didn't let that stop me. My family was trapped.
When I got to the side door, without thinking, I ran towards it and kick it open with all the werewolf force that I can muster. Luckily for me, it's just enough to send the door flying off its hinges. I can hear sirens getting closer, so help is on the way but there is no time to waste. I jump over the door, landing in the laundry room. The smoke hadn't yet reached this side of the house but just to be safe, I breathe into my shirt to prevent myself from inhaling the fumes.
"Hello?" I holler as loud as my voice lets me. Screaming could be heard from all around me. I know that I don't have much time but I don't know where to start. I ran down the hall, trying to find the source of the screams. I got to the corner where the basement door is. Like the front door, the door handles were chained from the outside. I grab the brass lock, as if giving it a tug would break it off but I'm not even close to strong enough. As soon as my fingertips touch it, I pull my arm back, letting out a shriek of pain. The hot metal burned my fingertips, sending shocks of pain through my nerve system. Smoke poured out from the bottom of the door. From the inside, I can hear my family screaming. It hurt my ears.
"Help!" I hear my mother shriek. Jumbles of voices pour from the other side of the door and I can match each one to a face, to a memory. My younger cousins running wildly through the house. My aunts and uncles ridiculously funny humour at various parties and celebrations. My mother's soothing voice as she used to sing me to sleep when I was younger. Tears stream down my face. I'm powerless.
My breathing quickens, and my ears start to ring. I feel like I'm about to hyperventilate, I'm inhaling all the smoke pouring out from the door. I know that I should get away but I can't. My feet are planted into place as if held there by cement. My vision is blurry due to the smoke but I can still see the chains and the brass lock on the door handle. I clench my fist in anger, pounding my fist on the door as if it would do anything. Someone did this. Someone trapped them all down there. Why?
"Derek?" I hear a little squeal from upstairs, breaking me out of my trance. My heart is pounding like a basketball on the gym floor. "Derek is that you?" My hypnotic state had been broken and my mind could now process what was happening again. I leap away from the door, my feet no longer trapped.
"Cora!" I yell back, dashing away from the basement door and towards the stairs. She isn't trapped with the others. She has a chance. The flames hadn't yet reached the stairs but if I didn't get Cora down soon then they would be engulfed by the fire and she would be stuck. I race up the stairs, skipping two steps at a time to go faster. Her bedroom door at the end of the hall is closed. Like the side door, I kick it with as much force as I have. Cora lets out a small scream when I leap over the door. "It's okay, Cora. I'm here now. I'm going to get you out." I slide one arm around her, picking her up effortlessly. She clings to me like a sloth, her tiny fingers gripping onto my clothing tightly as she buries her face into my shoulder. With her in my arms, I ran back out into the hall, covering my mouth with my shirt. My head is dizzy from all the smoke but I force my feet forward. I need to get my sister to safety. By now, the sirens are really loud, indicating that the Fire Department is outside. Good. Help is here.
When I get to the top of the stairs, I groan. The right side of the stairs has caught fire, making the stairs impossible to go down without getting burned. At the bottom of the stairs was the front door that was bolted from the outside. I can hear shouts coming from outside and from the side of the house, where the firemen were most likely to enter from. Beside the door, on the left side, was the window. I could see the flashing lights through it. An idea crept into my mind. I take a deep breath, looking from the window, to the banister, to Cora. I need to get Cora out. This is our only chance.
"Cora, I want you to keep your face hidden, alright? This next part might scare you. You're going to be fine, though okay? I promise." She nods her head slowly, keeping her face buried. I take another deep breath, making sure that I have a good grip on Cora before taking a running start. I hold her as tight as can as we slide down the banister. I try my best to hold her away from the fire and to keep balance so we don't fall. My entire right side burned from the heat but I ignored it, adrenaline rushing through me. I'll heal later.
When we get to the end of the banister, using as much werewolf force as I can, I propel my body forward, turning mid-air so my back collides with the glass. I hold Cora as close to me as I can to prevent her from getting harmed. As soon as I hit the glass, it shatters from the sudden impact, just as my mother had always told me that it could. Cora and I go through the glass and tumble onto the porch. My head smacks the wooden planks hard, causing my ears to ring. Heat radiated outside from the hole that I created. I force myself to turn on to my side, blocking Cora from the heat.
"You know you aren't allowed to do that." Cora coughs, lifting her head and smiling weakly. I force a tired smile onto my face.
I can hear footsteps running towards me and suddenly Cora is ripped from my arms. My vision is blurred from the dark, gray smoke. I'm exhausted now that the adrenaline is gone and sore now that I can feel the burns on my arms and hands. I don't fight back when someone lifts me into their arms and carries me away from the porch. I look up just long enough to see that it's one of the firemen.
"Derek!" Laura screams, racing towards me from where she stands by the Ambulance. The fireman carrying me puts me down, allowing me to walk. I'm surprised when I'm able to stand on my own. "You idiot! You could have been kill-" She stops mid sentence when she sees Cora, bursting into sobs. She forgets about me for a moment and takes the five year old from the Fireman that's holding her. Cora doesn't seem to have any injuries. She's perfectly fine.
I listen carefully, and shudder. The screaming has stopped. My stomach churns. No. This can't be happening. In my struggle to save Cora, I had forgotten the rest of my family locked in the basement. I try to run to the side of the house, but a fireman grabs my arm.
"What you did was stupid and reckless," The fireman scoffs. "But you did good. You got your sister out."
"The rest of our family is still in there." I shout through sobs. I try to break free from his grasp but I'm exhausted and his strength is much greater than mine.
"I know." The fireman sighs, shaking his head. "You did your part. Now let my team do theirs. They're trying their best to get your family out."
"Someone did this." I hiss, collapsing to my knees. I stop fighting and just stare at our family manor, our home. The flames are wildly spewing out from the windows on the top floor and from the window that I had broken beside the door. The flames have spread out on to the porch. "Someone locked them all the basement."
"They got someone out," Laura breathes. A group of firemen come rushing from the other side of the house, a body in their arms. I stand, my knees wobbling, to try and get a better view of who they had brought out.
When they get closer, the smell of burning flesh hangs in the air. I have to cover my mouth and nose with my shirt to keep myself from gagging. They are loading the body into the ambulance. Cora and Laura are too short, but since I'm taller than both of them I can see over the paramedic's shoulder. Much to my disappointment, it isn't my mother lying on the stretcher. It's my uncle Peter, my mother's younger brother.
Peter is burned horrifically, the right side of his face is a charred mess and his clothes are barely more than scraps. They load him into the ambulance and it speeds off once it's doors are closed, rushing him to the hospital. I expect the firemen to rush back into the house, but they don't. Instead they run to their fire trucks to help the other firefighters try to tame the flames.
"What are you doing?" I spit at them angrily. "They're still in there! Our family is still in there trapped in the basement! Why aren't you doing anything to get them out?" My throat burned from inhaling the smoke and the shouting didn't help ease the pain but I pushed past it. The fireman who was talking to me before is in deep conversation with the firefighter who brought Peter out. When they are finished, he walks back over to me. Laura is with the paramedics looking over Cora.
"I'm sorry, kid." He shakes his head sadly. "By the time our team got the basement door opened, it was too late. They were only able to get one person out. Everyone else was already dead."
"No," I shake my head, staggering back a step. I can barely breathe. My heart was pounding so hard that I was sure it would burst out of my chest. "That's not true. They can't be," I tried to take a breath but no air went into my lungs. My vision was blurred and my head felt dizzy. I could barely keep myself standing. My knees were going to collapse on me in any moment.
"Kid, you need to calm down." The fireman tells me, putting his hand on my back as if that would make everything better.
"I can't breathe." I gasp, trying to control myself. "What's happening to me?"
"You're having a panic attack." He tells me. "They're common, especially in situations like this. You just need to breathe." I dug my nails into my palms as I clenched my fists, mostly to avoid shifting in front of everyone. I read somewhere that pain could snap you out of a panic attack. Sure enough, it worked. I took a long, deep breath, letting the oxygen build up in my lungs before letting it all out.
Laura walks over with Cora in her arms. I lock eye contact with my sisters, examining their sad expressions. Our entire family was gone, stolen from us by whoever had trapped them all in there. We were all we had left. Peter is alive for now, but his injuries are severe. Its going to take a long time for him to heal, even at werewolf speeds. Laura pulls me into a hug, Cora sandwiched between us.
"It'll be okay." Laura mutters, trying to suppress her tears. She is the oldest, which means that she's the one responsible for Cora and I now. "We're going to get through this, I promise." She tells us. I'm not really listening to her. I'm watching the flames take hold of our once beautiful home. Whoever did this won't get away with it. I thought as the flames flickered. I'll find out who did this, and they'll be sorry.
