Bright Fire (Bright Fire Series Book 1) (2 page)

CHAPTER

3

A loud crash follows my mom’s scream and I hear banging footsteps. Although I’m not sure if those are actually footsteps or my heartbeats. It’s kind of hard to tell at this point. With my ear pressed against the door, I wait. My brain is going a mile a minute, and I can’t slow the flurry of thoughts bouncing around everywhere. What is happening? Who made the crashing noise? Then I hear a rough gravelly voice that instantly set my nerves on edge.

"Where is the girl?" The voice booms and it feels like the house is shaking with it.

"I will not tell you. As Terentia, you know my oath binds me to her." My dad’s speech makes me think of a soldier.

Nothing makes sense right now. Am I the girl they are looking for? And what on earth is Terentia. Too many thoughts are swimming in my head all at once. I feel like I’m in another country trying to understand a new language.

"Hmph" the one with the gravelly voice scoffs. "While that may be true for you, it is not for your wife; mortal isn't she?"

"Touch her and you die, mutt." I never hear my dad talk like this to anyone. He’s an accountant for crying out loud.

There’s another pause, and I feel a maniacal scream inching closer and closer to bubbling over the surface. Now I hear my dad groaning in pain as something heavy hits the floor. “Let's not forget, guardian, I am not bound by the same rules you guardians follow; I can and I will kill you."

Who is this guy? I’m beginning to think my parents set up some sort of Comic-Con style skit as a lame attempt to connect with my inner geek because that guy can’t possibly be serious. I try to push the door open just a crack, but it won’t budge. It makes no sense because I just came through this door a few minutes ago.

I really start to freak out. The fear weighs on my chest and it’s difficult to breath. I consider screaming out to get their attention and tell them to take me instead when the prickly feeling returns; raising the little hairs all over my body. It’s like all my nerve endings are attacking me from the inside out.

"I don't have time for these games, tell me where the girl is, or I will peel the flesh from your precious mortal, inch by inch." I hear my mother scream another heart-stopping shriek, and I know with all my being that this is not going to end well for me or my family.

I hear a different female voice. "Easy there Cerberus, we need her to tell us where the girl is. Keep going that way, and she'll be dead before she can say a word." Her voice is nasally with a high pitch. It reminds me of one of the actresses off Mean Girls.

I can tell the man has no patience for the woman, "Cela; He wants the girl now before it's too late. At midnight, the shield is lifted and by then the prophecy will have started and I don't want to go up to him empty handed. So either find the girl or get out of the way; your choice."

In a low voice, I can hear my mother say, "You already know you're going to kill us, but it won't release the shield any faster. Just get it over with or leave us be."

I know exactly what’s happening before I hear her body hit the floor or my father’s heart-wrenching sobs. I want to go to him, but I can’t open the stupid door. I cover my mouth and bite back a sob. This can’t be happening.

Cela scolds Cerberus, "seriously, did you have to go and kill the mortal? Now we have to kill the guardian, or he'll be hunting us for centuries."

Please, not my dad. Why can’t I scream? It feels like I have cotton balls stuck in my throat as I gasp for air. I wipe away the tears that spill over my cheeks.

Cerberus chuckles. "No big loss there; he and I have a score to settle."

I am pretty sure I’m going into shock because I hear my dad’s voice in my head.
Do not fear; in time, you will understand. This is our destiny, and I am willing to die to protect you. Heed my words and find Alec, he will help you on your journey. I love you Dell.

Another heartbeat passes and I hear another thud, and I know both my parents are dead.

Cela is the first to speak, "Pity, I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I had hoped the mortal would spill it and save us the hassle." My blood boils at her casual tone. As if murder was no big thing. "You search the upstairs, and I’ll start looking down here," barking orders to the man.

My heart is starting to race so fast and hard in my chest it feels like it might pop out. I can’t hear anything, but the whoosh of blood going through my ears. Dell, pull it together, or she is going to find you, I mentally yell at myself. I slowly step backward trying to find the edge of the top stair afraid that I am going to fall. In the distance, I hear something over the pounding in my ears. Is that…?

"Cerberus it’s time to go. Now!" Cela screams up the stairs. By her voice, I can tell she is no more than four feet from the door. How had she gotten so close and I not notice? “We’ll come back and look for her later, but we need to leave before the cops get here. I’d prefer not to have to explain to Him why we now have four dead bodies on our hands." Her footsteps start to fade as she walks away from the basement door, and I slowly start breathing again.

Now I hear nothing but the sirens in the distance, getting closer. I know I have to go through that door, but my legs are not moving.

Chapter

4

I slowly turn the knob and test the door. I’m not surprised to feel it give way. I tiptoe across the hallway leading to the dining room.

I'm not sure what I expect to see when I walk into the room, but the scene before me is horrifying. The first thing I notice is a pungent odor that makes me gag a little. My mother’s body lay on the floor in an awkward position. She has a giant cut all the way down her left cheek. My guess is that is the source of the bone-chilling scream. Hesitantly, I step closer to her and see two puncture marks that are about an inch in diameter, and there is a yellow fluid running down the side of her neck. I turn away and go to my father. He has the same mark. Did they inject them with some kind of poison? I thought that only happens in the movies.

I kneel down and hold his hand for one last time. It’s still warm. What did we do to deserve this? He looks almost peaceful, like he is taking his afternoon nap. I sit here for a moment in stunned silence. I look up, and the clock says it’s 11:59. My birthday. Like a train everything hits me, my parents are gone, and they are never coming back. I can’t help myself, and I start to weep.

~~~~

The
police are trampling all over the house. They ask me all sorts of insane questions like ‘How was your relationship with your parents?’. As if I had anything to do with this. I tell them everything that happened, but even I have a hard time believing it. They are attributing my story to traumatic stress.

Fifteen minutes later, Lyla and her mother pull up to the curb. Lyla’s mother, Lorraine, is furious as she sees the police questioning me. Lorraine is a force to be reckoned with in her floral nightgown. She looks like a crazy person. Never mind the fact that she is a whopping five feet tall. With her attitude, she may as well be ten foot.

The effects of the night are beginning to wear on me, and I just want to leave. I want to run as far away from this place as I can. More than anything I wish I would wake up tomorrow, and this would all be a bad dream.

Mirroring my thoughts as usual, Lyla tells her mom it is time to go.

"Are you ready dear?" Lorraine’s face is full of pity, and I squirm under her gaze.

"Um," I pause. I don't have any of the things I would need like my clothes, backpack, or iPod. "I don't have anything packed." I look at the ground because I don’t want to admit I’m too petrified to go back into the house.

"Oh," is all she says.

Lyla steps in. "I will go in and grab the essentials."

"Lyla, I don't think that's such a good idea. Maybe I should do it." She whispers, even though I can hear her clearly, "you are much too young to see dead bodies."

Lyla’s face pales. "OK. Well, here is what she will need." I zone out as she prattles off a list of essentials.

What am I going to do? Where am I going to live? As far as I know, we don't have any other family. Am I going to become a ward of the state? Am I doomed to spend the next two years in foster homes? My mind keeps replaying the last thing my dad said and I keep stopping at ‘Alec will help you’.

Lorraine interrupts my thoughts. "OK, Dell, I have everything you need for a few nights. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," I mumble.

She leads me to the minivan, and I turn to look at the house. My entire life was spent in this place and in an instant, my entire life ended. A feeling of pure gut-wrenching pain washes over me.

Chapter

5

I wake up in the guest bedroom at Lyla’s house. It takes me a minute to realize what I’m doing here. Memories of the night before start to flood into my brain in vivid detail.

"Good morning." Lyla is lying on the floor. "What are you doing in the floor when you have a perfectly good bed?"

"I didn't want you to be alone. I snuck in, in the middle of the night." I’m overwhelmed with the kindness of the gesture. "Seriously though, I was so scared that I couldn't sleep." She shudders and her eyes are starting to glisten. I can tell she is close to breaking down.

I quickly look at the ceiling. "No tears for you." I try to put on a brave face before looking at her. Lyla may have some faults, but she is soft. If I break down, she will break down, and the cycle will never end.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," I say. Honestly, I don't want to talk about it because I don't want to face it. "I’m still numb and don't want to start feeling it just yet. Yah know?"

She looks at me sympathetically for a second. "Come on. Let's get some food." She grabs my hand and yanks me out of bed. She gets that what I need now more than anything is normalcy. Even if it’s just for a little while.

~~~~

Downstairs
, Lorraine is sitting at the table with the newspaper and a bowl of oatmeal. She looks up and smiles tentatively. "How are you feeling this morning?"

Politely, I answer, "I’m OK, thank you for asking." She knows I’m full of it, but she accepts my response and lets it go for now. Eventually, I will have to deal with things, but I’m not ready yet.

"What do you want to eat?" Lyla walks to the cabinets in the kitchen.

"Whatever you’re having," I respond automatically.

"Alright ladies, I have to go to work. I want you guys to check-in every few hours." Apparently she’s afraid because of last night's events as well.

"OK Mom." Lyla rolls her eyes.

"And no eating junk food all day." She eyes Lyla, who would have Binge Night all day, every day if she could. "I love you." Before she turns to leave, she looks at me with sad eyes.

I know she's hurting. Maybe not as much as I am, but my mother and her became best friends through the years of Lyla and me being inseparable.

~~~~

"
So
, what do you want to do today?" Lyla asks.

Not quite sure how to answer I shrug. There’s a lot weighing on my mind, and I need to talk about it. I'm just not sure how to tell my best friend that I’m pretty sure I heard my dad’s voice in my head. I try to work through it all in my head first.

"Whenever you figure out what it is you need to get off your chest I'll be here to listen. Until then, how about we paint our nails?"

Ugh. The only things we really don't see eye to eye on are the girly things. Lyla is all about the pretty in the world. She spends more time on beauty regimes than an A-list celebrity. I, on the other hand, prefer band t-shirts and Chuck Taylors.

Still, anything to keep my mind busy, is good with me. So for the first time ever I say, "OK."

She instantly brightens and jumps up. She’s so easy to please. Although I’m not sure if it’s because she wants to paint my nails or because she needs to not feel so awkward around me. She comes back with her collection of nail polishes that would make any salon owner jealous.

"I'm thinking either bubblegum pink or outrageous orchid." She holds up the two colors for me to compare.

I scrunch my face. "They're not quite me, let me look." I pull out a deep burgundy color. “Here, this will do."

She grabs the bottle. "If you say so, but this color is so last season." I roll my eyes at her blasé fashionista attitude. "OK, you sit on the couch and I'll sit here. That way I can paint your toes too."

After a couple minutes, I decide to start talking. I know the only way I can make sense of anything, is to talk through it. I take and deep breath. "There’s a lot that happened last night that I didn't tell you about. Mostly because when I told the police they looked like they wanted to stick me in the nut house."

She sits silently; paying full attention. I continue, "Well, it started with my birthday dinner. My mom and I were arguing about the driver's permit and my dad tried mediating. Then he got this strange look on his face. He was telling me that they were hared on me for a reason that someone like me needs to be protected. I thought he was hiding something and then he sent me to the basement to grab jams as a way for them to talk alone. It was all so confusing.

She butts in, "I bet," and waits for me to go on.

I continue to talk for well over an hour I go through the events of last night, and she interjects with a thought here and there. I wait to tell her about the hearing my dad part until the end.

"What is a guardian? And Terentia?" She wonders aloud.

"I’m not sure, but that's not the craziest part. There's one more thing, and I need you to keep an open mind." She looks at me a little worried and nods. "So, there was a moment," I pause to muster up courage, "in the basement when I was listening to everything. I tried to open the door; only it wouldn't open. It was like there was something sitting against it, but there wasn't. And all of a sudden, I thought I heard my dad’s voice in my head saying ‘Do not fear, in time you will understand. This is our destiny, and I am willing to die to protect you. Heed my words you need to find Alec he will help you on your journey. I love you Dell.’ Crazy, huh?"

She doesn’t speak at first, and I can see the little goosebumps raising all over her arms.

"Say something!" I’m worried she’s thinking about committing me herself.

"I’m digesting that, hang on a sec." She holds up a finger. "OK, is it possible that you hearing your dad’s voice was just a way of you processing a traumatic situation?"

"It's possible, but it felt odd. It was like my mind was being invaded." I shiver.

"What was the Alec thing about? Do you know him?"

"Not any more than you do; which is pretty much not at all. Other than him stopping me yesterday, I haven't ever been around him. My mom pulled up before he could say a word, and I bolted."

"Hmm, are you going to talk to him?"

"I’m not sure. Every time I go near him, I get a skin crawling sensation, I don't like and it makes me think he is bad news."

"While I agree he is a freak; I also think you should take what your dad says to heart. Just to see what's going on. What could it hurt?"

"Yeah, maybe." But I’m not convinced talking to him is a good idea.