Under the Mask

Exposed

Smoke slithered underneath the bedroom door then clawed its way onto the luxurious bed where the blonde boy slept peacefully.

The smoke invaded the young child's nose and mouth, choking the boy awake.

He stumbled off his bed, falling hard onto his knees into a desperate coughing fit to rid his lungs of the invader.

Panic planted roots deep down into his brain.

Rosinate was too young to die.

When a cool cloth was placed on his face, he was sure that he had suffocated and gone onto the afterlife.

He clung to it like it was his last lifeline.

It very well may have been.

Tears swelled the boy's eyes. Warping his vision beyond recognition.

He only knew he was being tugged forward by an unknown figure. The blonde had no choice but to surrender his life to it.

The only thing he could hear was the murderous cackling of the fire.

The young boy's skin sweated from the sweltering heat. All he could see was orange and yellow flames licking up the walls.

However, his savior maneuvered precisely through the burning building with ease.

He knew he was out of the house when the grass blades with cool morning dew ran between his small toes.

Rosinate's body collapsed in a heap onto the ground; the damp cloth tumbled off his face and his tears were dried from the breeze brought by dawn.

"It's okay. Everything is going to be better now."

The young boy knew that voice he looked up toward his older brother with a puzzled expression, "Wa. . . Wa."  The meek words were interrupted by a fit of cough, "What happened?"

The older blonde rubbed his brother's back in mindless circles as he watched the house burn to ash; the raging fire danced in his irises, "I burnt everything that was going to get in the way of us being happy." His brother's voice was sure and steady.

A cold panic shot through the youngest boy's spine, "Where are mom and dad? WHERE ARE THEY?" He stood up abruptly and clumsily sprinted today the house.

A strong hand clutches his shoulder halting him. The boy felt a deep, horrid sinking feeling burn through his gut. When he finally faced his brother, he was met a manic Cheshire Cat simile that seemed too large for his brother's face, "I said I burnt everything that would get in our way."

Rosinate couldn't help but stare into his brother's glowing orange eyes with paralyzing fear.

This boy in front of him was not a human.

He was a demon.

*Ace POV*

The only noise in the room was Lily's small fists thudding against the boxing bag.

My hands rested on the back of the cool black leather to steady the recoil after each punch.

She hadn't spoken a word since we left Punk Hazard. The whole ride back, her eyes stayed plastered to the window and her jaw set tight.

Even when Law demanded to be dropped off at his place, Lily seemed indifferent. She just stared out the window; didn't even flinch when he slammed the door.

She didn't even put up a fight when I took her to the dojo instead of home.

Hitting something really hard always helped me untangle my emotions. I figured it was worth a shot.