Glowing Embers

E

"Willow? What are you doing?" Mrs. Thompson inquired stiffly when she noticed Willow Robertson drawing on her hand with her pen. Willow glanced up like an innocent puppy and placed her pen on her school desk.

"Thank you," her teacher tersely replied, "now, back to the lesson." Willow, twirling a finger through her long black hair, gazed across the classroom at her best friend, Whitney Stirling. Whitney grinned back at her and turned her head back to the front board. Of course. Whitney loved math.
"Willow, please come to the board and solve for x." Stunned, Willow looked at Mrs. Thompson and slowly stood up from her desk. "Come," the grey-haired teacher encouraged mockingly. As Willow passed, Whitney flashed two thumbs-up, and the nervous girl rolled her eyes jokingly. The walk to the board seemed perpetual. Willow gulped as she approached it, and rolled her fingers over the black marker. "That's right. Now, all you have to do is solve for x." Willow looked at her impatient math teacher.

"I don't know," she muttered quietly.

"What? Speak up!" Mrs. Thompson responded loudly.

"I don't know the answer," Willow replied stronger, her eyes on the floor.

"Then maybe you should be paying attention instead of writing on your hand. Your grades in this class are miserable," the teacher taunted. "You're a smart girl. You need to try your hardest," she added.
Willow nodded weakly and returned to her seat with her head down. She slid into her seat and tapped her desk with her fingers. She felt eyes burning into her skull. She was tired of being embarrassed everyday in that class. She just wanted something, anything, to never go back to math class again.

RIIIING!

Willow's head perked up as she watched her classmates frantically jump from their seats. The fire bell.
Mrs. Thompson, sighing, gathered her stuff and led the class out the classroom door.

"Let's go. Hopefully it's quick," she huffed angrily. Whitney hung back and walked with Willow.

"I hate math. I hate her," Willow commented flatly.

"It's okay. Maybe the fire drill will take forever. They usually take a while 'cause there's so many people," Whitney prophesied ambitiously.

"I hope so," Willow growled lowly.

"Cheer up mate!" Whitney exclaimed, lightly punching her friend in the shoulder. Willow glared at Whitney, who threw her hands up as if to surrender. The class made their way outside the school and gathered in a large group in the front. Students were whispering loudly and teachers were conferring with each other in a panicked manner. "What do you think's going on?" Whitney asked dubiously.

"I don't know. I hope it's a fire. I hope it burns down the math room," Willow responded with a slight smile.

"See? There's the Willow I know!" Whitney exclaimed.

"I don't understand how you enjoy that class," Willow told her friend honestly. Whitney merely shrugged.

"Perhaps it will benefit my future," she replied sophisticatedly.

"Shut uppp," Willow playfully whined. It was then that the stench of smoke flew up her nose.
"Ew!" she yelled, grasping her nose.

"What?" Whitney curiously asked. She took a deep breath and gasped in awe. "Fire." The two friends gazed at each other, wide-eyed, as they examined their surroundings. Their principal hurriedly rushed over to the group of faculty and students.

"There has been a fire ignited by an unknown cause. We will be evacuating this facility and walking to the town center. Please stand in a line and remain calm," she directed smoothly. All of a sudden, a large portion of the school burst into flames. Willow could feel the heat pouncing onto her skin. Her and Whitney watched as everybody, panicked, ran into a line and began hustling towards the town center.

"Willow. We can't go with them," Whitney whispered, pulling her friend back.

"Why not?" Willow asked confusedly.

"Because of science. Fire will travel with the wind. The wind is pushing toward the town center," Whitney explained impatiently.

"So you're saying?"

"We need to go into the forest," Whitney declared confidently.

"When hell freezes over we are. Fire. Forest. Trees. Wood. More fire. You may be good at math, but I guess I have more logic. There's no time left. We need to go with them," Willow stated. She began to walk, but Whitney pulled her back once more.

"The flames are moving north with the wind. We need to go south. South is into the forest. Willow, please trust me on this."

"I kinda want to save my life. And everybody's going that way," Willow replied fiercely. Flames ripped the school apart. The fire was spreading. Whitney clutched her friend's hand and tugged toward the forest. "Fine. But if I die, it's your fault," Willow proclaimed.

"Got it," Whitney responded as she rushed the pair into the woods. Screams filled the air as the flames engulfed the school. They swallowed, and the building collapsed into an immense, demolished pile of ash.

The two girls ran into the forest and never looked back.