Ashes

          Every night, the same face appeared in my dreams. A small girl. About 11 years old. Covered in ashes. Fire completely surrounded her. The screams of pain replay in my mind every time I think of her. The fire burned bright. I closed my eyes and thought of her. I could always hear a loud, evil laugh in the background. It haunted me. Sent chills down my back. I started to stop sleeping. But it only made it worse. I started to hear voices. The screams got louder, she started to repeat my name. "Liam, Liam, Liam," she spoke, "help me."

          I started to shake, "Leave me alone! Leave me alone!" I cried.

          All the lights immediately turned out as she screamed, "I just want help! Help me! Help me!"

         "What do I do?!" I yelled. The house started to shake.

         "Save me. You'll know how." She spoke softly, everything stopped shaking. The figure turned to ashes on the floor and disappeared. The fire was gone. Everything was gone. Finally. I have peace. But I still had something on my mind. You'll know how? What did she mean. I didn't know how. Maybe I will someday, but right now, I wasn't sure about anything. Her voice was beautiful when she wasn't crying and yelling.

         I was finally able to sleep. No screaming or yelling or shaking. Just peace.

        I woke up the next morning with an urge to go for a walk. So I did... I crossed the park on the way, when the flame covered figure appeared again, nobody else noticing. She pointed at a girl wearing the same outfit as the flames. It was...It was her...The girl. The figure immediately turned to ashes and disappeared once again. I walked over to the girl. She was sitting on a bench, scribbling into a notebook. "Hi, I'm Liam...Can I ask you a question?"

       "I'm Adelyn. Sure." She looked up at me and spoke, brushing her curls behind her shoulders.

       "Fire. What's with the fire?"

      "F-Fire? What? I mean, my parents died in a fire, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

     "That's all I needed to know. Would you like me to walk you home?" I asked, she nodded.

     "Orphanage. I live in an orphanage. Not a home." She said softly, standing up.

     "Oh. I'm sorry, Adelyn." She directed me to her orphanage, and we walked inside together. Everybody turned their heads to us. I didn't mind. I was only making sure she got back safely.

     "Thank you for walking me home, Liam." Adelyn smiled.

     "You're welcome. I should get going." We both said our goodbyes, and I left. I stared at the orphanage for a minute, and that's when I saw it. In the top window of the 3 story building. A small candle. It fell. Immediately starting a fire on the curtains. I ran inside the building. "Adelyn! Everybody! Get out of the building! A fire! There's a fire!" Everybody piled outside, Adelyn gripping onto me tightly. I carried her out of the building. That's when the figure appeared again.

     "You saved me." She spoke up. "This time. You're mine, well, Adelyn's guardian angel. You were chosen. Protect her." The flames started to disappear and she started to turn blue, water dripping from her hair. She spit out water. "Save me once again. I will be forever grateful."

   The fire department showed up, the figure faded, leaving a small puddle behind. The firemen extinguished the fire. Adelyn and I watched as the hot streaks in the window disappeared.