Undercover Badge; Next Generation

Chapter thirty six

CHAPTER 36

*This chapter, undeniably the most important chapter, was written because of Reckless_03, MadelineJanelsMe, hannahjc27 and Jass5612. Thank you. You are my motivation. And I hope I make you proud with this one. Be prepared. It gets messy.*

I remembered being carried in the arms of someone running.

The jarring motion made my head whip and my hair fly and blurred my already blurred vision and my head hurt. My eyes were stinging and my brain was throbbing and my throat hurt as I kept coughing. My throat was raw and my lungs burned from the smoke because the building was on fire and I could see the flames in the distance. We were running away from them, but I kept reaching back. I wasn't sure why or what the building was, but I'd begun to think and feel it wasn't a mere building. It kind of felt like home. No, actually. That was my home. It was my home on fire.

I was little enough to have to wrap both arms and my legs around James' large frame; he was always so big and tall and I loved it when he carried me. My hair continued to fly in the night's wind and I could see the stars. At least, I could see the ones that weren't hidden by the thick black smoke.

"Get her out!" Kat screamed at the top of her lungs. I turned to stare.

She was tall and thin and beautiful but not so much in this moment, dressed simply in dark jeans and a white t-shirt that was smeared in blood and soot, one side of her face pinked in what looked like a sear mark. She was in the building. Why the hell would Kat run into the building? She had me. James and I were safe.

She caught up to James, took me and held me up with hands covered up to her elbows in drying blood, her fingernails caked with mud and blackened soot and dirt. She pressed me to her chest and I caught a face full of hair that smelled like fierceness and strength but also singe and smoke. It didn't smell comforting anymore. Her shoulders were shaking and her voice was thin and she was sobbing but I couldn't understand why. We were safe, weren't we? What was coming for us? What were we leaving behind?

So I hugged her neck and pressed my face to her collarbone. I was wondering where... where something was.

Why would I wonder where something was? A few images flashed at me. A pale pink blanket being tucked around me. A book with a fairy tail princess and a unicorn on the cover. A soft little plush rabbit with blue fur and red spots handed to me by a pale hand. Was I missing silly toys at a time like this? Well... I was only four years old. What could you expect?

Darkness, and then I woke again in the helicopter. It was so loud, gosh. And it was cold too, the cavern allowing icy but fresh wind to blow in, carrying away the smoke.

"I'm sorry baby, I'm so, so sorry. Oh my God, I'm so sorry baby-" she kept crying the words and James's eyes were midnight blue behind the tears I could see brewing there.

What the hell were they sorry for? What was going on?

"We need to keep her safe." She pulled me to her chest and hugged me so close. Something was wrong. I had to ask; "Where's-" she cut me off.

"It's okay, Baby. Here, okay?" she set me back down and took the emerald necklace out of her collar. She put it on me and it felt ridiculous, the long chain surpassing my navel.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? If they find her-" James started.

"They won't." she cut him off. "They won't ever find her. Not while I'm alive. They won't." she sounded desperate, her face dark. She said; "Everything's gonna be all right baby, we've got you." but my voice was shrill when I demanded; "Where's-"