Bring Me Home

Chapter Two: Fire and Regret

I awoke in a soft bed layered with black silk sheets. I knew immediately this was not my bed. This was not even my room. I slid off of the large bed and looked down at myself. I was still dressed in my navy blue gown. The moonlight illuminating from the window showed that I slept in way too late. The pit in my stomach grew. Something was wrong. I had to get home.
I ran from the room and down the stairs to what looked like an undertakers shop. As much as I was curious and wanted to touch everything, I kept running. Somehow, my feet knew where they were going so I followed. I ran to what appeared to be a barn, settled upon a horse, and took off. My instincts must have kicked in because though I had no idea what town I was in at the present moment, nor what time period I was in, and my head was feeling a little fuzzy at the time, I just knew I was heading in the direction I needed to go. The smell of smoke filled my nose as I got closer to my destination. My heart was pounding like a drum in my ears and my eyes began to fill with tears. Somehow, I knew it before I even saw the flames. My tears fell freely down my face like a waterfall as I came upon the true scene.
A large fire was swallowing up the manor before me. I pulled the rains on the horse to stop him and jumped down, running towards the flames. Mother. Father. My brothers. I had to get them. I had to save them. I got to the steps of the manor before two arms engulfed me in a tight embrace and began to pull me back. Silver hair blew behind me in the wind.
“No!” I screamed, cried, and begged. “NO!” I fought his embrace for the first time as he pulled me back from the wild flames before me. “Mother! Father! Ciel-!” Was all I could cry out before his hand went to my mouth to quiet down the screams flowing from my mouth. He turned my body around and pulled me flush against his body, hiding me in his black robes and silver hair. He held me there tightly, collapsing to the ground with me as our world burned apart before us. By the end of the dream, I couldn’t tell who’s tears were who’s.
“NO!” I screamed as I woke up from my nightmare. I put my hands to my face and noticed the tears still flowing from my eyes. The clock read 16:45 and I figured it was a good enough time to wake up and ready myself for another night at the hospital. Putting the dream to the back of my mind, I threw the covers down and got dressed.
The night started off slowly like the night before until we finally got an admission. I didn’t notice how long this process could be until I was finally able to do one on my own. Well, mostly. I did the work while my trainer made sure I did it right. As I began to make my way from the patients room to start on my mountain high charting, my patient called me back in.
“Miss?” His voice crackled a little from the exhaustion of the night, I’m sure.
“Yes?” He looked so familiar. Sort of like the elderly butler I saw for a quick moment in the mansion of my dream. I shook the nightmare from my mind before I started to cry again and smiled as sweetly as I could to the elderly gentleman lying in bed before me.
“She blamed him for that night for so long. I pray that you do not any longer.” I looked at the man questionably.
“I’m sorry?” I asked.
“He was only trying to protect her that night and she blamed him for so long.” The fire came back to my mind again. The dream, so vivid, like a memory playing on repeat.
“Why did she blame him?” I whispered to him.
“Because he knew.” He smiled sadly and laid down, looking out his window as if in thought about a distant memory of time long past. I smiled softly to him.
“Good night.” I walked quietly from his room to begin charting. The night flew by quickly then as the elder gentleman’s words danced in my mind.