SHE IS SINKING, HE IS DROWNING, AND TOGETHER, THEY BURN.
Ekaterina Sokolov has always been her older brother's concealed gem. Hidden away from the public eye, her brother always made sure to protect her from the dark and perilous world they lived i...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
1.11 am - California
It's been a year. A year since the last time I saw him.
I have been locked in this cage called home for far too long now. I am tired of living in this half-world that somehow is supposed to protect me. But really, it just feels like I am living with one eye open and one eye closed.
I wake up, startled by the smell of thick fog. Confused, I blink my eyes open and am met with a very heavy sting. One that almost burns my eyes into blindness.
A heavy cough escaped my lungs and I sit up, swaying my legs towards the end of the bed. My toes meet with the cool floor and I stand up, looking around confused.
What the hell is happening?
I could feel beads of sweat rolling down my temples and I look around.
It is hotter than usual.
My room is usually filled with the smell of coconut and vanilla because of the automatic fragrance machine plugged into the wall. But that is not what it smelled like right now. It smelled like gasoline and burned wood.
I cough again, covering my mouth to protect my precious lungs from this toxicity.
I spin around, trying to figure out where this smoke is coming from. But the more I look around, the more I see that it is coming from multiple areas. Through the sides of my door, the window, and even the lower sides of my wall.
I squint my eyes, trying to look for answers. I step closer to my window which has a clear view of the living room and then I see it.
Fire.
Fire ignites and burns my whole house. It was scorching and flaring through the couches, the tables, and everything else.
I raise my eyebrows and my heart starts beating so hard, it sounds like drums in my ears. I look around, trying to spot my parents, but they are nowhere to be found.
I gasp, almost crumbling to my knees out of shock. I can hear screams. People running around. Maids and servants scream in panic as they are trying to save themselves. But I visibly see them losing hope as they look around and realize they are trapped between the flickering walls. Some of them are laying on the ground, visibly getting suffocated by the smoke and others are trying to save those that have already passed.
And I am here. Alone. Seeing this happen in front of my eyes.
Just as I was about to crumble to my knees, I feel something hold me up. I was about to scream out of surprise but then a hand covers my mouth and gently pulls me away from the window.
