Set Fire to the Rain

Scorched By The Past

Maya's POV

I was in a void of darkness. Inky, black darkness. Was I dead? Because it seriously seemed like it.

I got up and started to walk-float- around, trying to find something, when I saw a bright light. The light penetrated the nothingness, and faded into a room.

Not just any room. My old room. The one that I shared with my brother before the accident. When Mom was... alive.

There wasn't much in it, but it made the whole place seem homely. The room contained two beds, in two differently decorated sides. One side had red walls with a dragon bedspread and drawings of inventions, dragons, and anything his mind could come up with.

The second side, had purple walls, covered in pictures of landmarks, friends and family. There were also dozens of sketches and magazine clippings thrown into a sort of collage. This bedspread had millions of hearts, varying from red to purple, spread across it like paint splotches. A single stuffed phoenix, propped up on the pillow.

As soon as I had examined everything, the image changed. It was of a medium sized building, that may look like nothing to some people, but to me, it was the world. The building was a machine workshop. Mom's machine workshop.

I saw that it was late at night and a beautiful woman led two brown haired kids outside. She locked the door, but then turned back, seeing as she had forgotten something inside.

The mother told her kids to stay outside while she went to go get something. The children, being eight and six, listened to her.

Not long after, another woman appeared. This one carried an intimidating demeanor, unlike the mother's kindness.

She spoke silent words as she conversed with the young siblings. This lasted for about two minutes, when it happened. A fire started to spread across the building, setting everything quickly aflame. The two children yanked and pulled at the locked door to no avail.

In seconds, the workshop was devoured by the raging flame. The mother was nothing but ashes by now. Both siblings fell to the ground sobbing, as they held each other close. The intimidating woman laughed and disappeared in a blink of an eye, for she had succeeded in killing Esperanza Valdez.

Sirens started screaming in the distance and the eight-year old boy grabbed his six-year old sister's hand, and ran.

This was the day that has haunted me every day. The first of many things to be taken away from me.

Tears welled up in my eyes as the image changed to the siblings, a bit older, being pulled away from each other. The nine-year old sister held onto the eleven year old's hand, determined to not let go.

Somehow, the social worker tore the siblings apart, and threw the girl in the van. The boy was held back by other workers. Both were in tears, unsuccessfully getting back to each other's embrace. The van drove off, and the dream changed yet again.

This time it was just the girl, at age 12 now. She sat alone in her room, located in an orphanage in Philadelphia. The tween looked out the window, into the cloudy skies that hinted of rain.

A car pulled up and another girl was brought out. She looked about her age, but she was crying in fear. It seemed that she had no idea what was going on.

The tween knocked on the window of the one-story building, catching the other one's attention. The girl glanced at her, tears still streaming down her face, as the tween smiled and started making silly faces at her. The girl giggled quietly, before running to catch up with the man.

A while later, the girl was brought to the room that contained the tween, her new roommate.

Unlike the silence of the other images, what was spoken here, was clearly heard.

"Hi. I'm Maya, Maya Valdez." The tween said with a toothy smile.

The girl looked at her for a moment, but responded with, "I-I'm Sam Jackson."

Instead of fading into another flashback like before, it cut through the current one, as violent images of war, blood, and the woman filled her vision. They didn't stop coming, until one of a teenage boy came across. The same teenage boy, she had seen before she fainted.

He was flying on a ship, full speed, into what looked like a giant monster. As he collided with it, there was an explosion.

As the air cleared, the monster was gone, but the boy laid sprawled out. Cuts and burns were scattered everywhere on him, in a bloody mess.

He was dead.

I woke up in what looked to be an infirmary, Sam by my side.

With tears streaming down my face, just as Sam's were in my dream, I whispered out a single word.

"L-Leo."

Sam understood and ran out in search of him. I sat on the bed crying, until he ran in and jumped on the bed.

I instantly put my head on his shoulder and he wrapped me in a hug, holding me close.

We stayed like that. No words were needed as we sat in silence, with only my sobs to fill the air.