Douse This Fire

5

Lexa; Friday, 3:57pm

    “Lexa! We’re gonna paint a mural at school!” Aden burst through the door, Tris close on his heels. He tossed his backpack onto the dining room table and went to the fridge, rummaging around inside it.

    “It’s gonna be based off unity and hope and strength. Clarke wrote it on the board, and then we all went around and said what we thought reminded us of them. I said friends, ‘cause a group of friends is united against all things, and show hope ‘cause they’re so close and strength ‘cause sometimes there’s bullies,” Tris rambled, sitting down at the table and pulling her homework out of her own backpack. “Winn said Superman reminded him of all of them, and I guess that would make sense. Lucy said Clarke reminded her of them, ‘cause she was the one to help us and those others in the basement, and Clarke got really quiet and I think she cried a little, but no one said anything, ‘cause I think everyone kinda got emotional.”

    “Sounds like you two had a very productive day,” Lexa chuckled, leaning against the kitchen counter where she could see both kids. “Clarke is teaching at the school, then?”

    “Kind of,” Aden answered, sitting down with an orange in his hand. “Just on Fridays, like before but more often and at school instead of- instead.” He waved his hand and started to peel his fruit.

    Lexa nodded and pushed off the counter, looking at the time on the stove. “Makes sense. Listen, I have to leave in an hour for a shift. Octavia is going to come and stay until Anya gets off of work, you two better not give her any grief when she sends you to bed.”

    When it came time to leave, she pointed Octavia to the cookie jar she kept on the counter, then left with a smile. She got to the firehouse in time to change and gear up, and her crew was off to a domestic fire uptown.

    They fought the blaze for a good hour before they could subdue it even a little. Luckily no one had been home when the fire started, so the only casualties were the plastic flamingoes that had been too close to the house and melted from the heat. Faulty wiring was the cause, starting in the basement.

    That was only the start of the shift, though. After an hour of rest at the station, another call came in, and they were headed to the opposite side of the city. This time it was an old apartment building, one just down the street, Lexa noticed, from Clarke’s place. The crew managed to keep the fire contained in the apartment it started in (from burning food) and finished putting it out quicker than the last one.

    Her shift lasted until nine the next night, with stolen naps in between calls and a bit of food when they could fit it in. The night and day were busy, filled with three false alarms, two tree rescues, one smoking truck, five more house fires, and one bonfire gone nuts. When Lexa finally left the station, she still had soot on her face from the last fire, and her hair clung to her sweaty head. She decided to put off her shower in favour of going out with Megan, however, when the woman invited her and a few others to go.

    She took a minute to wipe down in the bathroom of the station before they left, then met Megan, Byrne, John, and Ryder out front. They decided to walk to the club nearby, leaving their vehicles parked at the station. As they walked, Lexa told them of the middle school’s newest project. They all made plans to go and see it’s progress after it got started, maybe volunteer some of their free time to help.

    They got to the club, the Dropship, and went in. Drinks were ordered, and they all found a booth near the bar to sit in. It was still quite calm, music playing but not pulsing, and Lexa knew the place would fill up as it got later in the night. She pulled out her phone and texted Anya to let her know where she was and that she’d text if plans changed, then turned the volume down to vibrate and put it in her pocket. She sipped her drink and chatted with her coworkers for awhile, and then got up to get a refill when her glass was empty. There were more people there by then, and the music was louder. She got her drink and sat back down, staring out into the dance floor.