7 years ago

"Sarah!"

"Sarah where are you!"

"Sarah!"

I awoke with smoke clouding my vision. My room that once was painted blue was now engulfed with red hot flames. My lungs were struggling to breath as I jumped down from my bed, running to the door. The hallway was surrounded with flames also, blocking me in my room.

"Mom!" I yelled while coughing. My hands were covered in ash and dust as I scanned the flames for any sign of my mother. I barely heard someone cough in the room across from me before I saw a figure lying on the ground. My mom.

"Get out of here Sarah," she said while coughing. I closed my eyes before running to the room, not looking at the flames around me. I opened them again to see a wooden beam lying on top of my mother. "Go Sarah."

Tears filled my eyes,"I'm going to get your out of here." I ran to the beam, trying to lift it with all of my might. But since I was only ten years old, I couldn't lift it. I jumped back when sparks flew off of the beam, igniting in flames.

"No Sarah," my mother said as her eye lids started to close,"You have to get out of here while you still can."

"I'm not leaving without you," I cried as I knelt down next to my mother. A hot tear ran down my cheek when I noticed blood running from her mouth and nose.

My mother faintly smiled,"Sarah, I'm not going to make it." She motioned toward her stomach, which had a long piece of wood sticking through it. A sob left my throat as she looked up at me, tears in her eyes. "I love you Sarah. Never forget that."

"I love you too," I said before coughing, smoke filling my lungs. My mother looked tired as she lifted her head up, her hand touching my face.

"I don't have much time left and I don't want you to watch me die," she said as tears fell from her eyes. "Promise me one thing."

I nodded my head, my hand touching her hand,"Promise you what?"

She smiled,"Promise me that you will always follow your dreams. Never give up and never back down."

I didn't understand what she meant at the time, but I nodded my head,"I promise."

"Good. Now get out of here," she said while lowering her hand. I sobbed as she smiled up at me before taking her last breath, her eye lids closing forever. I shook her hand, trying to get her to wake up. I heard her mumble something before she stopped breathing.

"Hi no shōjo."

I didn't understand what that meant, but I didn't care at the moment. "Mom," I mumbled before shaking her hand harder,"Mom!"

That was when realization hit me. My mother was dead, and I couldn't do a single thing about it. I stood up, my legs shaking. The room was starting to collapse and I knew I had to get out of here soon or else I'd be dead too. I stumbled out of the room as I made my way down the hallway. My hands were pressed against the wall, directing me which way to go. I couldn't see a single thing with all the smoke in my eyes. I was about to make it out of the house before something made me stop dead in my tracks.

Stephen.

My brother was still in the house somewhere. He might still be alive. I have to find him.

I turned around and made my way to my brothers room, which wasn't that far away. My legs gave out from under me as I entered the room, exhaustion coming over me. My throat was burning from the smoke, along with my eyes. I knew I needed to get out of here soon, and fast.

"Stephen!" I called as I scanned the room. I noticed that he was lying on his bed, either passed out or still asleep. My eyes burned as I walked over to his bed, placing my hands on his shoulders before shaking him back and forth.

"Sarah?" He said while his eyes widened. He looked around us in horror, just now noticing that we were surrounded by fire. "What's going on? Where's mom?"

I didn't say anything for a moment."Mom's...gone."

His face showed a deep sadness that I couldn't explain. "But we need to get out of here. Now."

"No kidding," he said while standing up, grabbing my hand. He started to pull me out of the room before more flames met us at the doorway, blocking us in.

"Now what?" I asked as I looked around the room, searching for a way out. There was nothing in here that could help us. Nothing whatsoever.

"Now..." Stephen started to say before taking my wrist again, shooting me a worried look. "Now we jump."

I screamed as we leaped over the flames, somehow not catching on fire. I coughed again before we landed, and I knew that my lungs were starting to burn out. Stephen dragged me down the hall, my eye lids starting to close. "Stay with me Sarah."

I mumbled something as he pulled me out of the house and onto the front lawn, lying me down in the grass. The moon and stars shone in the night sky along with red and blue lights. Red and blue lights? The police must be here. The house I grew up in burned in front of me as Stephen held my hand, talking to me, but I wasn't listening. My head was too busy thinking about what started the fire and what happened to my mother.

My mother was dead, I was now an orphan, and now I have no where to live. All that I have is Stephen now.

I drifted off into a deep sleep as they put me in an ambulance, racing me off to the hospital.