Hope

Chapter 1

I've been under the impression for all these years that my life couldn't get more chaotic. That it couldn't get more worse. That everything would be the same as its been for eight years getting up in the morning going through the abuse something here and there but nothing in between.

I was wrong. So wrong.

The scene in front of me surely must be an annihilation. One minute Viktor my caretaker was shouting for not preparing the dinner on time and the next thing I know the entire house was burning. The deafening silence I had once known for so many years was torn apart by my unworthy neighbours screaming and crying from every nook and corner of the street. It was vexing. People trying to blow out the flames enveloping the place, some watching from a distance hoping it wouldn't take their homes with it too.

I never understood how something so beautiful could bring so much destruction and for the first time in my life after so many years I felt immense pleasure while I looked at the Orange flames with a hint of blue and green dancing in front of me in its glory. Fire represents many things in many culture some call it destructive, eye catching. For me right now it was a purifier. Imagine living in a house that only brought you bad memories waking up the next morning sometimes on the kitchen floor or in the basement beaten and broken, staying up till midnight just so you could not face the upcoming wrath of your foster caretaker. That's the kind of memories I had in this house. So it was cleansing of nightmare in a sense hence the colossal satisfaction that I'm feeling right now watching this structure getting first devoured in hot light blue flames, cooling to yellow, then orange, and finally red.

That's what happens when you love art.

You try to find alchemy in everything I guess.

My house was already on the brink of collapsing juts like me. I'm sure for one if I had just pulled out the main piece of furniture from the basement the entire thing would have come crumpling down like the house of cards. Thank god I didn't because this is way better The flames were not only burning my so called house but the heat and warmth it was giving me felt so good. So good that I wanted to walk into the flames and let it take over me. Like its doing to him. My old one-storey house was burning in front of my eyes the house that I had taken refuge in for 14 years of my life. Fourteen years of hiding crying and screaming alone in the night when he would come home drunk beat me to death then leave me to mend my wounds just to break me again. My blood was cold upto now but these beautiful flames were warming me up. From the inside. Its not a symbol of destruction it's a symbol of hope. Hope of escaping. Hope of taking everything down, all the abuse all the wrong things I did today for saving myself all the secrets with me to my grave.

The police sirens blowing from a distance caught my attention, coming closer making half of the neighbourhood running farther. I don't blame them. Gang members tend to not conversate with cops. That's right, this entire rundown street is filled with gang members and all sorts of idiots. From drug dealers to prostitutes you name it you'll find one of each character in here.. So the police coming here, moreover somebody calling them in the first place was a big surprise. I just didn't have it in me to care about other things right now.

I needed an escape but where would I go. I had no one and who would take a girl with bruised body scars running up and down like a kid colouring on a wall. Maybe another one of those abusive men who tend to show emotions by making girls like me their punching bags. But this life had become so normal to me that I didn't fear it I don't feel anything I just feel...numb. And it scared me more than Viktor

A cold hand touched my shoulder and I flinched. On instinct. Turning back I saw a middle-aged man with huge muscles rippling from his uniform, as he stares at me with those piercing black eyes the image of flames dancing in them and in complex of his pearl white pale skin he looked like one of those men, I should stay away from. so I did. I took slow steps backwards but his hands flew over my shoulder making me whimper. I'm pretty sure he could smell my fear from here.