In Gray

Ablaze

 Gray doesn't know why she set fire to her parents home. She didn't really want to think about it. That made it difficult. 

Gray liked fall. It gave her excuses. 

It was 7: 39 on October 11th, 2019. Gray was standing outside of her parents' narrow three-story home watching the blaze swallow her childhood home. She stared straight into the heart of the inferno, the copper glow humming over her albino figure. She tuned out the frantic cries of her parents on the phone with the insurance company. Scatters of conversation from the neighborhood kids her age cut through to her head. Some things were too loud to ignore.

"I bet it was Gray. It must of been Gray.."

"Shut up Kyle,"

"I'm not fucking playing. That bitch is a psychopath,"

"I'm pretty sure the word is actually sociopath.."

"Whatever, Cathy"

"Just saying.."

"Can both of you shut the hell up! For all you know she had vampire ears and can hear you talking shit. I would watch your back at night if I were you,"

"Oh so she's a vampire now,"

"Shut up Kyle,"

Gray didn't mind. She thought it was kind of funny. Or as funny as things could really be for her. She turned her head towards them slowly, her white hair draped on the side of her face projecting dark shadows on her cheeks. She shot her eyes up, flashing her unusually silver irises in their direction. She almost smirked inside her head as their faces became pale and they tried to subtly part ways. 

"Holy shit,"

"Holy freaking shit,"

"I knew it-"

"Kyle fucking move!" Delaney said tugging at his cemented limbs. 

"Kyle come on.." Cathy said, an impatient and nervous tone lodged in her voice as she grabbed his other arm. 

Kyle, still staring straight into the eyes of Gray, stumbled backwards, caught in the tether of both girls grasp. He whipped his eyes away from Gray's, and pulled out of his friends' clutch. "Let's get out of here," he said, purposely loud enough for Gray to hear. 

Gray watched as they trailed off down the cracked road, directing her gaze back to her blazing house. A band of sirens grew into the air, the loud shrieks increasing by the second.