The Fire

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Present

"I love you too Soph," I said, offering a smile which I'm sure translated as more of a grimace than what I hoped. She didn't reply; she looked distant and lost, nothing but a cough came out. No. God, no. A knock at the door startled me.

"Millie? Sophie? Are you in there?" The shouts were desperate. This was Sophie's mum, she was here. Somehow, she had found us.

"Yes! Yes! We're in here! Quick, get us out, I don't think Sophie can last much longer." I turned back when I spoke her name. She turned to me. Smiled. And the light faded from her eyes. The emptiness from a few months ago returned. She had died all over again. I swept the hair from her face as the sobs ebbed to the surface and I placed my forehead against hers. "You deserved so much better," I cried. Her features became blurred through the tears as I stroked her cheek.

Light streamed in from behind me as the door opened and I turned to see Sophie's mum. The sudden incoming light burned the back of my eyes: I squinted and turned back; I wanted to shield her from the body I held in my arms; she couldn't see this.

"Is that-" she stopped, I turned back to see shock winning the battle against urgency on her face. She shook her head, ridding the emotions that she would inevitably have to deal with. But now was not the time. She ran in but was quickly held back by two firemen who I couldn't remember seeing behind her. Come to think of it, my vision was blurring, and I hardly noticed being lifted from the staircase and into the light.

***

I became aware of the soft bedding beneath me and the linen sheets that rested on my chest. My eyes flickered open and the smell of a hospital's cleanliness tickled at my nose. And before I knew it, my mother was at my side, hand against my forehead and lips at my cheek.

"Oh, my darling, my darling Millie."

My mind was swarming with thoughts, memories, flashbacks.

Smoke. Fire. Smoke. Fire. Smoke. Fire.

Sophie.

Sophie.

"Sophie," I whispered unintentionally. I became aware of the sadness that had plagued my mother's smiling face above me.

"She-" Mother began.

"I know, Mum. I know."

A silence followed that we both knew was for Sophie which neither of us wanted to break.

"J-Josh and Katie?" I winced; their names felt like poison on my lips.

"They fled, but they were caught," she shook her head in disbelief, "Josh always seemed so...so..."

I nodded, "she corrupted him. Her deranged thoughts and possessiveness fed his desire to please her. I just wished he hadn't fallen for her...for all of it. Maybe then-"

"It is not our place to create conspiracy theories about what could have been. Let's just take life as it comes. For now." She gave me a sad smile. "Now, sleep, you need it. Your Father will be here when you wake up; I'll be at work."

***

A week later, I was discharged. After tons of blood tests and chest x-rays, I was ruled free to leave. They said I would probably suffer from shortness of breath for a short while due to irritation caused by the smoke, but I'd escaped with minimal injury. 'Lucky' I was told. 'Lucky.' Was I? Was this what luck felt like? This certainly did not feel like luck. I had lost all my friends. I had no one but my parents now.

Everything felt out of place without Sophie around. But a part of me felt glad that she was safe – wherever she was. Too much of her life had been spent surrounded and cornered by evil. I had lost Sophie, but I think I lost her a long time ago.