Dancing with Fire

Chapter Seven

I walk home from Charlotte's house, my bag over my back. I had a really good sleepover with Charlotte last night, and I still can't belive that Mom let me go. I walk up to my house, and pause for a second, squinting. My gate's open, which is weird, because my parents always keep it closed. I walk up the driveway, but something still seems off. My front door's open, and I start to get a little scared. I was only 6.
"Mom? Dad?" I call out. No answer. I walk in through the door, and pause. There's silence throughout the house. I look through the whole first floor, but nobody's downstairs. They might still be sleeping, I mean it's only 9 o'clock I tell myself. I go upstairs, and look around. I don't see Alex or Lexi in their rooms. I come to my parents room, and see the door closed. I knock.
"Mom? Can I come in?" I call out. Once again, there's no answer. I'm pretty scared know, because my parents always answer me. I tell myself that they're sleeping. I push the door open, and scream. My mom is laying on the floor, in a pool of blood. Her face is frozen on a mask of terror, and she's obviously dead.
"Mom?" I whimper. She doesn't answer, and somehow I work up enough strength to get up and look for the others. I round the corner of the bed, and almost faint. Dad, Alex, and Lexi also lay on the floor. They're covered in blood, and the pool from underneath them is spreading. I listen closely for any sound that one of them might still be alive.
"Rach?" I hear a weak voice.
"Lexi?!" I scream. I crawl towards her, and try to hold her in my lap. Her head is the only thing light enough on her 15 year old body that I can pick up. The breath in her rattles hoarsely.
"Rach, you gotta get out of here." She says weakly. I shake my head.
"I'm not leaving you." I say in a small voice. Her breathing stops for a second, during which my heart freezes, and then resumes much more slowly.
"I love you Rach." She says, very softly.
"Lexi, stay here." I beg. She smiles, and her eyes close. She stops breathing.

Later I'm told that the police only found me because my neighbor heard me screaming for a long time. He called the police, who came and saw the pathetic scene in front of them: Mom, Dad, Alex-dead. Me holding my dead sister's head in my lap. Me slumped over, crying. The ambulances came, and my family was loaded into body bags. I was taken to the hospital and treated for shock. A nurse telling me I was lucky because I didn't have to go into foster care, that a family already wanted to adopt me. Me not listening, still numb. Still hearing:

"I love you Rach."