Burn- A Gone Series Fanfiction

Prologue

WHEN ANDREA LAWSON STARTED THE FIRE, she assumed she wouldn't get caught. She'd done it so many times before-- in abandoned buildings, forests, on the side of the road-- and not once had anybody suspected her of being the culprit.

Her friends had their suspicions, of course, and her family knew that when she arrived home late with the excuse of being at Ayla's house, they were missing a huge portion of the truth.

But nobody ever came forward.

To be honest, they were probably too scared of what she would do to them. Andrea was a quiet girl, who was often described as 'sweet' and 'doll-like' in complexion, but those who knew her --really knew her-- would describe her as having a look in her eyes that was far from innocent. Andrea lived most of her life inside her head, daydreaming, as the world passed by around her. As a result, she could be perceived as cold, often appearing emotionless to the troubles that unravelled around her.

'Cold' was the most ironic way to describe an arsonist-- and Andrea loved it.

It was on this day, in the old, abandoned warehouse on the edge of town where nobody ever visited but to spray the walls with crude messages and urinate on the rotten floorboards, that Andrea found herself with a can of gasoline gripped tightly in one hand and a lighter tucked into her back pocket. In the inside pocket of her cargo jacket was an unopened pack of Marlboro cigarettes-- old faithful, as she liked to call them. She'd been here before many-a-time with her friends from school. It was here that she'd first played truth-or-dare, it was here that she'd broken her arm falling down the side of the rickety, rundown stairs. It was also here that she'd shared her first kiss.

There were other memories that followed. Worse ones. Ones she endeavoured to forget.

This was where she'd burn old memories to the ground.

Andrea Lawson's actions were clouded by emotion. Every other time she'd done this, it had simply been for the reason of watching things burn. Today, she needed this place to disappear.

As a result, she hadn't considered the recent deficit of rainfall or the dry shrubbery that surrounded the building. She'd simply doused the building in the liquid she'd come to know so well, surrounding the perimeter of the building and splashing it on the walls and old couches inside. She breathed it in, embracing the burning sensation in her nostrils, smiling to herself, feeling giddy with anticipation.

Tossing the empty canister into the middle of the building, she stepped outside and took one final look at the building in front of her, letting the memories wash over her like a billow of smoke. It made her eyes sting and her throat clench. She hated it.

Taking another step back, Andrea picked the pack of cigarettes from her jacket pocket and opened it up. She selected one on the end, sliding it out of the packaging and holding it between her index finger and thumb, smirking affectionately as she rolled it over, examining it. This was the one.

With her free hand, she pulled the lighter from her back pocket and held out. In one swift motion, she flicked the wheel, igniting the flame on the first go. Meticulously, she brought the dancing flame towards the waiting cigarette, watching it catch and burn a bright crimson. She brought the filter end to her lips and inhaled deeply, taking in this moment of relative calm before the storm.

She pulled the cigarette away and slowly exhaled, smoke diffusing through the world around her-- an omen of what was to come.

"Burn in hell," she muttered.