Criminal

8

My eyes automatically flooded, but I fought the waterfall in my eyes by blinking repetitively. No one had ever seen them besides the doctor and my parents. They always stayed hidden away underneath faded jeans, or dark leggings. Memories flashed through my head bringing me to calmly stand and began to leave the room.

As I stood Trevor began to speak "you don't have to tell me..." He paused leaning up and turning the bed side lamp on. "I'll sleep in the living room if you want. I didn't mean to bring them up. My mouth just slips things out."

As he spoke I looked down at the ground and wiggled my toes watching my socks move with my feet. I wanted to tell him, there is something about him that lets me have peace. I just didn't want him to judge me? I guess.

I walked over to the side of his bed and sat next to him. "It's okay. I think I'll sleep on the couch." I spoke slow trying to keep my mind focused on anything but my past.

Trevor protested and said he would sleep on the couch; but I argued for a minute or so and of course got my way. As I walked toward the door I began to slowly pull it open.

I walked out, but before I closed the door all the way I whispered loud enough for him to hear me. "It was a fire."

And with that I tailed off into the den and pulled a blanket off the back of the sofa, laid down, and let memories engulf my dreams and turn them into nightmares.

"Mia! Wake up! Mia! Mommy is doing it again!" My brother shook me until I pulled from my slumber. "What's wrong babe?" I rubbed my eyes as I sat up.

At that moment a huge crash echoed through the house being me to my feet as I began to run toward the noise. Before I reached the kitchen I noticed Drake was hot on my heels.

"Honey listen go in your room and lock your door. Only come out if you hear our secret knock. Okay? I love you."

"Okay I love you too." With that Drake took off into his dinosaur covered room and locked the door.

"Mom!" I reached for the knife that she held and she jerked it toward me.

"Mia I seen him again! T-that man!" Her words came out as fragments as she fractionally raced around the kitchen looking for some one who was never there.

I tried telling her he wasn't real but she lunged toward me sending me crashing toward the floor. When she jumped on top of me trying to throw the knife toward my face. I kicked and rolled her off of me sending her flying into the table. The table knocked over and the candles I forgot to blow out earlier fell on the carpet.

"Oh so your plan is to burn the house down?" My mother staggered through the house to the back porch grabbing lighter fluid.

I stomped the flame growing on the carpet out and began to chase after my mother. As I came in contact while taking her to the ground she poured lighter fluid over the hallway and she hissed toward me "If this house goes down, your going with it." With that lighter fluid soaked my jeans and I climbed off of her as fast as I could running away from her.

I began to close my door when I panicked about leaving Drake alone. I opened my door and ran across the hall.

"Drake open the door! Now! Baby boy!" I yelled awhile shaking the knob. "Now!" I cried as my mother threw a match down in the living room and she marched toward me struggling another while throwing it.

My legs engulfed in flames and my mother ran falling out the back door. Drake opened the doors to the sound of my screams and began to cry. I yelled for him to leave as the flames danced up my legs and ate my flesh.

I ripped my jeans from my body, my legs dripped blood but I picked my sobbing baby brother up and began to run through the house. By this time the house was full of flames. I could hear the fire truck from blocks away.

But the sound of the roaring flames breaking my child hood home apart was over barring it. It all happened so fast as I limped past my mother's room it blew.

Heat covered my face bringing me to my knees in pain. Drake began to crawl toward my mother's room. "Mom! Mommy!" He cried as he disappeared into the smoke. I crawled toward him crying his name, but my leg was drug out of the room by a man and the sharp pain inched through every part of my body.

"My brother is still inside!" I kicked a fought the firefighter as he carried me outside. I screamed for my baby brother but reality hit me when the house blew. Wood flew through the air flames devoured my home. The fire danced as my brother died.

"I'm Mia, I'm 12 years old and I watched my little brother die." I admitted in group therapy.

The flash backs of the fire, my mother's meth lab, my brother's funeral, and years of therapy began to fade as I was woken by Groot licking my face.