River Pyre

' "BANG!" I snap my eyes open and instinctively jump to my feet. Turning my head in one rapid movement, I am faced with the image of my mother standing ashen in the hallway, her white knuckles plastered on the doorframe. The voices chuckle at the sight of her. She wears dark shadows under her eyes. Her once healthy, glowing skin and sparkling eyes are now an image of the past. Does she know she was meant to be caught in the fire, holding onto her beloved husband and daughters? They were meant to be sitting here, not me.'