Burn in Water, Drown in Fire

~5~ Let The Flames Begin

(Zac's POV)

"I think we should study CPR already," Angel said in health class. "Let me just choke out Zac here..."

Her cold hands touched around my throat, but I tensed up and she pulled away in complaint—as if she was the one that just got threatened.

"No, no. It's time for the basics..." Ms. Rye replied, starting the lesson that I couldn't focus on.

"Are you okay?" I heard Angel of all people whisper.

"Why do you care?" I hissed with my eyes closed and leaning on the wall. I felt like my brain was being rearranged.

"Cuz you're hot," she answered. I opened my eyes and looked to her. She started to stammer. "Your temperature."

"Uh huh..." I muttered, placing my back against the wall and wanting to fall asleep. It was like a hangover but worse. My heart raced and my eyes kept burned—but no one noticed my eyes were different colors.

"I'm sorry! I was held up in...science," Devin announced when he arrived in class. My eyes flashed open and immediately connected with his. He gulped and then sat in his seat. I noticed that he kept looking over to me. I was sure that I was swaying back and forth as my head spun, but I would not go to the nurse.

"I need someone to fill up the containers with ice water for the volleyball game. Preferably someone that's been in sports medicine—"

I shot my hand in the air as my chance to escape, but of course Ms. Rye chose Angel. "Are you sure she won't need help?" I asked, the noise pounding in my head.

"I can handle a jug of water," Angel assured before leaving. I already knew that she was gonna take her time. She'd take as much time as she could considering that she despised being anywhere with me or Devin. Although, from my understanding, Devin's never had anything to do with her. But maybe that was the problem.

***

Someone pulled the fire alarm five minutes later. Everyone evacuated, but I didn't know where the fire was. I looked around the front parking lot and saw Lulu at first, then Brian, then Luke. Luke even walked over to me.

"Did you do it?" I asked him quietly.

"Not this time," he commented, distracted by the bellowing smoke going into the air.

"You had the last period with Angel," a voice started. I looked to see Brian. "Where is she?"

"Why would I...?" I stopped myself from falsely disregarding her. A chill ran right up my spine as adrenaline.

She never came back.

Without any hesitation, I started running towards the school, not caring where the fire was. I ran straight across campus after breaking through the barrier of teachers. The headache was forgotten. My hatred for her was forgotten. I didn't care about that anymore.

I made it to the corner of the school—not yet the gym—and saw the flames start to engulf the C building which had the culinary arts room. I continued to sprint and then reached the old gym, which had caught on fire already as well. I still didn't care. I went through the front door and looked as the ceiling started to burn, but I looked to the ice room and saw flames that sparked from the window. I broke down the door because it was jammed and saw Angel on her hands and knees, coughing in the smoky air. Half the ceiling was burned down and the giant freezer had fallen on Angel.

I immediately rushed over to move the heavy freezer off of her leg. She was coughing, but due to the smoke inhalation, the coughs lessened in intensity as she started to pass out. Judging by my condition throughout the day, I was surprised I wasn't passed out alongside her. I managed to move the freezer and then picked up the coughing Angel cradle style. Right when I passed the threshold of the ice room's door, the piece of metal on the top of the doorway started to fall. I expected it to be searing hot, so I arched my back, allowing it to hit me instead of Angel. I only felt the pain of the board, rather than the heat. My grasp slipped on Angel but she grabbed my arm and started to limp out with my aide. The gym was now ablaze, causing me to push through and regain my strength to supported most of her weight as she still coughed and limped along.

"Angel!" I started to hear Brian and Devin's voice call as we both limped over.

"Here here here," I told the paramedics that were at the ready. They seemed to notice my singed shirt and insisted that I take be checked out, although I didn't know why. I felt no pain other than my shoulder maybe being dislocated.

"Wait!" I heard Devin's voice call. He hopped into the ambulance Angel groaned in, now incapacitated and strapped to a gurney and hooked up to oxygen. Devin looked between me and the paramedic as if I would support his statement, but what was I supposed to say that he could? I watched him gulp and finally take ownership of his relationship. "She's my sister."

The paramedic nodded and allowed him to ride. I saw the shocked and worried faces of Lulu and Brian when they shut the doors.

***

It was a miracle—a miracle that the metal strip of the door didn't burn me or leave a scratch. They didn't know I was unscathed. It burned through my shirt easy enough, but didn't leave any mark on my body. I hadn't even inhaled very much smoke enough to drop my O2 stats. They said nothing was wrong with me. Not even my shoulder was messed up.

But everything else was different.

The school buildings were different. Peoples' thoughts were different. Angel was different.

I already knew she had cuts and burns, but I was surprised she got out without more superficial damage. I could bet she had a broken ankle and a mass amount of damage to her vocal cords because of smoke inhalation. But maybe I was wrong. It had been two hours since we arrived at the hospital and I still hadn't seen her. She was sleeping earlier, but I don't know what her update was. I found myself actually caring.

I didn't know what it was. My thoughts towards her changed. I can't say that I'd normally let her or anyone else get caught in a fire, but I had to admit, I wouldn't have acted this fast with an ordinary person. I saved her for various reasons, more so because I wanted her to see that I wasn't a heartless bastard. And...and...she didn't know anything about me. I tried once before to change that, but I see that now was my chance.