Hey guys! guess what? Two updates in one day! Enjoy!

Maya's POV

I couldn't breathe for much longer. My vision was getting fuzzy, and my lungs wanted to kill me. I was scared, ready to just die. Right then and there. I could have just let go. Given up.

But I'm Maya Hart. Only a Clutterbucket would give up. I'm no Clutterbucket. And besides, I had Riley to take care of. She needed me, almost as much as I needed her. I couldn't just leave her, could I?

I stepped through the debris, every few seconds making sure that my little plant was still behind me. The exit was so close, but so far. I swear I heard a noise, but I assumed I was making it up. I wasn't exactly in a great state of mind.

I stepped on something. Looking down, my stomach did a flip. Under my foot was a hand, and attached to the hand was something I'd hoped never to see. A dead body. I shuddered, and tried to call a warning to Riley, but my voice didn't feel like working. I figured she'd probably not see it, and continued on my way.

The smoke became thicker, obscuring my vision and making it more painful to breathe. Soon, I couldn't see at all. I stumbled around in the direction of the ambulances and fire engines.

Good, I thought upon hearing the sound. Someone called 911. . .

My legs gave out from underneath me and I burst out into a fit of coughing. "Help!" I was able to call out feebly. I could hear voices coming from. . . somewhere. I closed my eyes, hoping beyond hope that the voices were real, and that I wasn't just going crazy from smoke inhalation. "I don't want to die!"

With every word it felt like someone stabbing me in the chest repeatedly. One of the worst feelings in the world.

I could hear footsteps. With every step, the voices were getting closer. I struggled to my feet, glancing around. I couldn't see anyone, not even Riley, who was right behind me. . . right?

The voices became clearer. ". . . have to rescue. . ." a male voice was saying. Suddenly, out of the smoke, a figure loomed over me. A firefighter!

"You're going to be okay, ma'am," he said to me reassuringly, his oxygen mask making him sound funny. He scooped me up in his arms, and carried me away.

"But. . ." I whispered, unable to make my voice louder than a whisper. "What about. . . Riley?"

"We'll find her," the firefighter said. I wasn't too thrilled by that, but I was too weak to do anything. I closed my eyes and prayed that everything would be alright. Maybe this was just a dream!

Ugh. Why is it when something bad happens your first thought is always that it is just a dream? Eh. That was definitely the least of my worries.

I opened my eyes to a blinding light. We were outside. I could finally breathe. The further I got from the flaming building, the more I could feel my strength coming back, until I finally pushed myself out of the man's arms. I landed on the ground, catching myself with my hands before my face could hit the asphalt.

"Whoa, there," the firefighter said. "Take it easy kid. You've inhaled a lot of smoke."

I started to stress out. I glanced around, at people being carried on stretchers not one of them bearing any resemblance to Riley. I stood up on shaky legs, looking up at the fireman.

Behind him, Riley's apartment building was completely engulfed in flames. It looked like it could fall apart at any time. With Riley still in it.

"Sir," I said, panic bubbling up inside of me. "M-my best friend. . . she's still in there." I pointed a shaky finger at the unstable building. "You-you have to find her. . ."

"The others are looking, miss," the fireman said. "You need to relax, you're in shock."

"Relax? Relax?" I couldn't take the stress anymore. "My best friend could be dying and you want me to relax?"

He placed his hands on my shoulders, shaking them roughly. "Ma'am, what's your name and where are you parents?" he said, gently, his voice helping to calm me down. I realized how important this was.

"M-Maya Hart," I said, though I didn't feel like a Hart. I felt like the biggest Clutterbucket in the world. How could I have not realized that Riley wasn't behind me? Her life was in danger, all because of me. "My mom is Katy Hart, and she is at work. . . The Nighthawk Diner."

The fireman cringed. "That's far. We'll try to contact her, though." He told a man passing by to call my mother's diner. "What about your father?"

I looked down. "He left when I was a baby. I never met him." my throat felt dry. "Don't throw me a pity party."

"Are there any other relatives we can notify?"

A lightbulb went off in my brain. "Riley's family. I-I have my phone. Th-they need to know that their home is on fire. . ."

I pulled out the smartphone that Riley's father had given me. I called Mrs. Matthews first, knowing that she would want to be the first to know.

"Maya?" her voice sounded on the other line. I put her on speaker. "Wha- is Riley with you? I'm, at work, do you need."

My heart raced. This was going to be the hardest thing I'd ever done. "Mrs. Matthews. . . your apartment. . . the whole building is. . ."

"Is what?" I could hear the confusion in Mrs. Matthews' voice.

"On fire," I choked out.

"WHAT!" the volume of her voice made me jump. "Are you okay?"

"I am but. . ." with every word, reality seemed to finally be true. "It's Riley. . . she's-she's. . ." tears streamed down my face, and I let out a sob.

"No!" Mrs. Matthews cried.

The fireman took the phone from me. "Ma'am, we are searching for your daughter as we speak. I don't mean to make you lose hope, but there is a chance that she may be gone."

I didn't hear the rest of the conversation. I didn't want to hear it. Riley could be dead and it was all my fault. There was nothing I could do.

I fell to my knees, crying harder than I've ever cried before. I heard a familiar voice.

"Maya! What's wrong? What happened?" I knew that voice. Farkle's voice.

I forced myself to look up. Farkle and Lucas were standing at the police tape, both looking confused and worried.

"Riley," I whispered hoarsely. "She could be hurt, or even. . ." my voice trailed off. I didn't want to say it. But i had to. "...she could be dead."

"What?" the boys cried in unison.

"What happened?" Farkle asked.

"I don't know!" I cried, choking back sobs. Lucas and Farkle hugged me through the police tape. I yelped in pain; they had touched a burn.

"I'm sorry!" Lucas pulled out of the hug. Farkle began jumping up and down, waving his hands wildly.

"Is that her?" he asked, pointing behind me. I turned around.

A girl was being carried on a stretcher towards one of the ambulances. Her wavy brown hair had been singed, her face had horrible scratches and burns on it, at least from what I could see.

I tore away from the boys without a word, only to be stopped by a police officer.

"Ma'am," he said, but I interrupted him.

"That's my best friend right there," I said, sounding more confident then I felt. "And you will let me see her."

The officer paused. He stepped out of the way, letting me through. "Very well, then."

I ran over to the girl, climbing into the ambulance they had just placed her in. No one said anything about my presence their. Now I was able to get a good look at her. She looked sickly and pale, and her face was severely damaged. But it was Riley all right. It had to be.

She wasn't moving, giving no response. They had her hooked up to a machine. My heart stopped for a second when I realized that she wasn't breathing on her own.

"Riley," I whispered. My little plant looked like she'd actually been run over by a bulldozer. "Riley, you have to be alright. . . you-you can't leave me. . ."

A paramedic led me away from her, but not without me putting up a fight. Finally, she took her back to Farkle and Lucas, having seen me with them earlier.

"How is she?" Lucas asked.

I looked down. "She's not breathing-" they both gasped- "On her own." the relaxed.

Another familiar voice came into the picture. The motherly voice that my own mother never used.

"Maya!" it was Mrs. Matthews, her eyes red and puffy, tears streaming down her face. "Are you- where is- I'm so sorry. . ." she stopped to catch her breath.

"They found her, Mrs. M," I said. "It's not good. . ." I buried my face into her chest, her tender, loving embrace somewhat soothing me.

Then she pulled away. "Where is she?"

"The ambulance just left," Lucas said before I could even open my mouth.

"Okay," Mrs. Matthews took a moment to control herself, closing her eyes. "Come on, you three. I'm taking you to the hospital.

We all piled into the car for the short ride to the hospital. Along the way, I stared out the window.

My mind was buzzing with all that had just happened. The fire, losing Riley, seeing her hooked up to that machine, not breathing by herself. What more could go wrong? Riley couldn't die, she just couldn't! I'd be lost. . .

She didn't deserve to die like that. She wasn't going to. She had to live! But why wasn't I so sure of that?