Learning To Love Red

Prologue

The night wind was cool as it hit the young red head in the face. The sounds of sirens were loud and screeched throughout the while city, but it didn't phase her, after all it was New York. Chanel shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her brown leather jacket, as she rounded the corner. She keeps repeating the words that her and her family had shared moments ago. They were harsh words filled with venom and hate, but she didn't mean them, she never did.

She was always losing her temper expecially with her brother. Chanel sighed as she tried to think of an apology that would be worthy of forgiveness. Her brother would forgive her easily, like he always did. Her mother would hug her and tell her how special she was. Her father would tell her to try and keep her temper under control. Her family always found a way to forgive, but this time she knew one would not be as forgiving.

Her older sister would usually shake it off like always, but this time Chanel knew she had went to far. Her sister was the kind who never raised her vocie nor did she ever say a negative word. She could silence you with one look and Chanel wanted nothing more than to be just like her. To have her charm her beauty, her wisdom, she sighed again knowing that would never happen.

Chanel rounded another corner and as she did the sound of sirens started to get louder.

For a moment she didn't think anything about it, but then a thought ran through her head. She was almost two blocks from her house. She began to running, without stopping she rounded next corner and then the next. When she reached her destination she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes unable to process the scene before her.

There were firefighters and police officers surrounding her house. There was a crowd of people gathered to see what was going on, none of them looked familiar to her. She suddenly snapped out of her shocked state and began pushing her way though the crowd to get a closer look. She could hear the whispers.

"It's a tragedy"

"The whole family"

"None of them made it out"

Chanel tried to ignore them the best she could, sending a silent prayer as she reached the what would have been the front of her house. Where her house should have been was nothing but burnt ruble, smoke was still rising and some areas were still glowing red. There was police caution type that blocked her from getting any closer. A lump began to build in her throat and her eyes began to burn as tears threatened to fall.

The whispers from the crowd began to scream in her head 'no their lying' she thought to herself. But she had to know the truth. Before she could think it through she stepped over the bright yellow tape and ran up to the closest policeman.

"Sir what happened?"

Chanel questioned the older looking man.

"Your not supposed to cross the tape darling."

The older looking police officer said with a look of sadness. He gently put a hand on the red heads shoulder, trying to guide her back across the the tape.

"Please sir! I have to know. Did any of them make it?"

She almost screamed, looking up at the old officer with tears streaming down her face. With a sigh he said

"No sweetie none of them made. All 5 of them were trapped inside."

Chanel took a few steps back as every emotion she could think of went through her mind. She let the man's words sweep sink in deeper. 5? There couldn't be have been 5 in there, she wasn't in there. But the cop didn't know that as far as the knew she was dead along with the rest of her family.

Dead. Her family was dead. The world began to spin around her as she tried to grasp what had happened. She couldn't stand there any longer she had to get away form there, as far away as she could.

She ran. She didn't stop until she collapsed in an alley way somewhere. She didn't know where she was at but at the moment she didn't care. She sat on the cold hard pavement and began to sob. Her face completely soaked with tears. Her chest was aching, and she struggled to get air.

She was alone. Her family was gone. Her house. She had nothing and the one thing she wanted the most right now was the one thing she would never get.

Their forgiveness.