Rosetta & Charlotte *NEW VERSION*

ONE

cover by @GoddessofNostalgia!

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[ washington ]

It takes approximately 0.02 seconds for a match to catch on fire, and in less than 120 seconds, Rosetta would be the cause of a fire overtaking her principal's office.

Just as she had predicted, Mr. Solomon left out the back door at exactly 6:30 to have his last smoke break before heading home. This meant the front entrance would still be left unlocked, leaving the inside vulnerable to anyone who might stumble upon it.

And stumble she did.

The first thing Rosetta set out to accomplish once she let herself into the principal's office was head straight to the back door. Just as planned, she bolted it shut so Mr. Solomon couldn't pop back in and ruin the fun. The only thing that stopped her from doing so was that pristine, silver laptop sitting on the desk which glinted in her peripheral vision. Rosetta stalked towards it, a wolf drooling over its prey.

She tried not to imagine what filthy secrets were stored in there as  she drove the toe of her boot through the screen. She followed the mass as it flew through the air and crushed the remains under her feet, feeling the screen and the keyboard break apart.

"...son of a bitch...fucking cockroach..."

Rosetta spit on the floor and threw a piece that hadn't had enough attention directly at the wall.

"Son of a cockroach."

Had she been too loud?

Once her initial anger was over, she slid the metal lock into place and let out a breath; it wouldn't be long now until he finished his cigarette, so she worked fast.

Rosetta slid the flask out of her waistband and started pouring the contents onto the old wooden floor. It was a shame to waste the thing by filling it with gasoline -- it had been a Christmas gift, after all -- but what can you do?

She crept around the puddles and emptied the rest of the flask onto his desk and chair.

Rosetta pulled out the matches from her pocket and struck one against the package with a satisfying 'thrrip'. For a second, her eyes shifted to the door. What if Mr. Solomon had already tried the door and found it locked? What if someone had seen her walking in?

She couldn't hesitate any longer; the stick grew shorter by the second.

Just as the flame reached her fingertips, Rosetta prayed for her safety, and dropped it onto a pile of papers. She jumped back, the smell of burning hair filling the room, and made her way to the front door. She grabbed the walkie-talkie from her other pocket and clicked the button that would connect her to the others.

"Alright, Ben, you can start evacuating the West Hall."

Rosetta closed the door and spun around, coming face to face with a pair of large brown eyes. The flushed secretary clutched a phone in her hand.

"Yes, she's still here."

Rosetta noticed a figure in the distance past the woman: Ben.

"What the hell? I said no phones, just get everyone--"

"I'm sorry, Rosetta, I didn't think you would actually--I didn't want--"

She shoved past the secretary and walked up to the dark haired boy whose lips were trembling. His walkie-talkie was no where to be seen and, if she hadn't known him for three years, she would have thought he was about to start balling like a little kid.