The fire

Dusk Falls As I Fall

I sat in the shower, legs pulled up to my chest. My blonde curls were being flattened by the streams of hot water. The tears fell steadily down my cheeks.

Why me?

I felt stuck, like the world was crushing me. My tshirt was restricting how I was thinking. The soft cotton sticking to my skin, my leggings clung to my legs. I couldn't move. I couldn't think. Why was my mind doing this?

"RUN ELIZABETH! RUN FASTER!" Someone grabbed my hand, pulling me hard. My foot caught on a branch, I tumbled down. Rolling and rolling and rolling, watching the green and brown colours spin around me. The grey dusk sky stared down, my breathes were heavy. I had stopped. Her striking blue eyes fell into my vision. "Elle, my baby are you okay?" Her warm arms wrapped around my fragile body, blood trickled down my thigh, a tear rolled down my face.

"Je suis désolé mère." I cried, my cheeks wet from the tears.

She shook her head joining me in crying.
"C'est bien."

I smiled at her French, she always tried for me.

A single gun shot sounded, the smile never wavered as she fell backwards onto the wet leaves.

I let the tears fall harder, she was dead. What kind of sick bastard sends a birthday card pretending to be my dead mother? The lights flickered.

Knock knock

"Hey Em, it's Steve. Are you alright?" His voice came from the other side of the door. I pulled my legs tighter to my chest, my fluffy socks looking like pink drowned rats.

She's gone. She's gone. She's gone.

"Emilia? Are you okay?" He asked again sounding concerned. "Are you decent?" He asked awkwardly from the other side. I couldn't reply, my brain was hooked on the images running through it. Too many memories I didn't even know existed were returning. The images finally connecting with the emotions, torturing my mind. "Emilia answer me, are you alright?" He sounded more worried now. I buried my face in my arms.

Make it stop!

The door slammed open, Steve stood in the entrance. His face softened as he jogged in, reaching up and freeing me from the weight of the water.

"Hey hey, what's the matter?" He pulled me into him, wrapping a towel around my shaking body. "You're freezing." He said quietly, trying to hide the shock in his voice that the girl with fire had, fallen cold.

I buried my head into him. Why was this so hard? Why was my brain doing this? The images of her death replayed in my mind. I pulled onto my hair tightly with my hands.

"Mère! Mother! Mamon!" My voice was hoarse, the blood pooled through her top, a red stain taking over the white. Her ocean eyes shimmered in the newly risen moon light. Her blonde hair was strewn across the mud. Her pale skin was so, so cold to the touch.

I cried more.

"Dr Banner, bit of help here." His chest vibrated as he talked. I clutched on to the material for dear life.

"What happened?" I shivered as my back was greeted with a soft surface. His warmth leaving me.

"She, I dunno she was just crying and kept muttering, it was in French though I didn't quite understand. Actually I think she said Mère? That's mum isn't it?" A blanket was thrown over my cold skin. I screamed loudly replying the gunshot noise and the image which linked to it. Nowhere was safe, I needed to get out. I shoved Banner off me. My legs kicked violently with my flailing arms. A heavy mass pressed down on my thighs. "Shush Em it's fine, we got you. You're safe." I shook my head grabbing his hand.