Inside the Fire Book One in the Warden's Series (2 page)

"Sorry, Daddy." I apologized. I glanced off
towards the mirror on the other side of the room and brushed a
piece of blonde hair behind my ears.

My father is a Dallas County prosecutor; he
is under a large amount of stress day in and day out. So imagine my
surprise when he finally got to the point of this whole
conversation. He almost looked overwhelmed by the whole thing. Let
me emphasize my father was not a weak man, so this moment of
weakness was astonishing.

“Now pay attention Dawn.” He demanded of me
again.

His eyes looked dark and mysterious as he
stood up in front of me. Shrugging off his pin-striped jacket and
rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt. He let out an impatient
sigh. Putting his hands together he rolled them slowly, white
sparks flew from his fingertips and a blue orb appeared, when he
looked at me again his eyes were black. Now here is the thing when
I say they were black I mean there was no whites to his eyes not a
single hint of the dark brown color I inherited. I was frozen
still, both in amazement and fear.

What did this mean for
me
?

“Daddy?” a meek squeak came from my throat
as my pulse increased.

Every child wants to believe magic is in the
world, that a force greater than what they can even imagine is
possible. Unless they learn that magic really exists, and that it
has different levels of power. Finally, the realization hits them
that not standing six feet in front of them their own father is
proving that it exists. Chills crept up my spine as the orb danced
around his palms. The blue flame was mesmerizing, and I had the
urge to touch it. I sat on my fingers hoping to stop the
curiosity.

When he let his hands drop to his sides, his
eyes returned to normal he told me what I was. I wasn’t expecting
the impact of the blow to be so large, but then again I was only
fourteen. My father crouched in front of me placing his hands on
both sides of my hips. His eyes bore into mine and I looked
away.

“Dawn, I have something I need to tell you,
something very important. I need you to listen. Things will become
peculiar for you soon. You will notice changes in your body, and
even in the way you think. Your dreams will become more convincing.
You may even feel that your body has traveled to other places.” He
paused; I was staring at him in awe.

Mona had the conversation with me about
woman changes several years earlier. I had a distinct feeling the
changes he was talking about had to do with my charred bed
sheets.

“Honey, you are a very special child. Some
beings would say otherwise. In your veins run two types of blood,
rival blood. When your mother and I met we were from two different
sides of the spectrum. You are something that should never have
been. Yet here you are.” He sighed. I wasn’t getting it. How can my
blood be rivaling itself? The last I checked the human body didn't
have this issue.

“
Daddy, I don’t
understand.” I was fourteen what did he expect?

He looked me in the eyes.

“
Dawn, your mother comes
from Heaven.” He looked around becoming increasingly
nervous.

I smiled at him.

“
So you’re telling me
Mom’s an angel?” I asked quietly. “So what are you?”

He hesitated for a moment then let it come
out in a rush of words.

“I am from Hell.” His voice was low, but I
still heard the words hissing past his lips.

I looked at him in amazement as the whole
conversation unfolded before me. I suddenly understood everything.
It was as clear as day. The rival blood didn’t mean I had two blood
types it meant that I had to two types of blood.

“
You’re a demon?” I
whispered.

My father nodded his head, and I started to
cry. He pulled me to him and ran his hands down the back of my head
rocking me back and forth. This was an affection I never received
from him before. I liked it, at the same time I was scared to
death.

****

Now just think about it for a moment, I was
fourteen realizing that I was becoming a woman. I noticed boys were
not “gross” I liked summer. My favorite color was pink. I listened
to bubble gum pop and painted my nails girly colors. I even had
sleepovers with my giggly girlfriends.

Within the last year I received my first
kiss from my first crush during a game of spin the bottle at my
best friend’s fourteenth birthday party. I had a normal life for a
girl my age, aside from all the money and the preppy private school
my father me put in.

I had developed a chest, my waist was
curving, and Mona was allowing me to wear more stylish clothes. I
had grown out of the fluffy sleeves and Mary Jane shoes and into
cocktail dresses and ¾ inch heels. I thought that being a teenager
would be the most amazing part of my life. Then my dad comes in
sharing his little secret deflating all my dreams. I would never
have the same life as my friends. I would not grow up, get married,
and have children.

I decided it best to run away. There was no
other choice in my eyes. I couldn't grow up knowing that my father
was a demon. That was just uncalled for. My Daddy was a respectable
man but knowing where he came from scared me.

I decided I would find my mother. She had to
answer some questions for me. If I found that she wasn't able to
answer them. I would keep running until I found someone that
would.

I was angry with my father for telling me I
wasn’t normal, that I would never have a normal family. I realized
that I was dealt an unfair hand, so I’m now destined to fight a
constant internal battle. That is something I just have to accept.
Over time I might, but right at that moment all I wanted to do was
get away from my father and get the answers I deserved.

One Way Ticket

The bus station was bustling by the time I
got there. I had been nowhere in the city without having either my
step-mother or Mitch with me. I admit I was scared to death of what
could happen. At the same time the nagging sensation I would be ok
kept my head high.

I was able to buy my ticket with little
fuss. The lady behind the counter handed me the ticket and raised
her glasses asking if I was over sixteen. I had nodded yes though I
knew it was wrong.

The last known place I knew my mother could
be was El Paso. Her husband had been stationed at Fort Bliss right
before she brought me to Dallas to pawn me off on my father. I was
sitting on a bench waiting for my bus to come watching the people
come and go when a woman sat down next to me.

“
That’s a beautiful
bracelet you have there.” She said pointing at the charm bracelet
that my father had got me for my birthday.

“
Thank you. It was a
gift.” I said uneasily. I knew not to talk to strangers, but I also
knew the only way I would get anywhere was if I did.

“
What do the charms mean?”
She asked me touching the angel lightly and smiling.

“
They are meant for
protection I suppose. I was never told what they mean.” I looked at
the woman and smiled back at her.

She let the angel charm drop back in
place.

“
Where is a young girl
like you going all by yourself?” She asked me.

“
I’m going to see my
mother. She lives in El Paso.” I said.

“
That’s a long trip
darling. Does your father know where you are?” She looked at me and
raised an eyebrow.

“
Of course.” I
lied.

“
Well young one. I myself
am headed in the same direction. I will make sure you get there
safely.” Her smile was warm. All the fear I had of her washed
away.

“I’m Dawn.” I said holding out my hand as I
had seen my father do on countless occasions.

“Bridget.” She said taking my small hand in
hers and shaking it lightly.

“Why are you going to El Paso Bridget?” I
asked making conversation.

“I have family there. I haven’t seen them in
so long.” She smiled wide. “I have a daughter, she would be about
nineteen now.” The woman sighed. She had an unexplainable pain in
her eyes.

“Where is she?” I asked looking around for a
girl close to my age.

“Oh honey, I have never met my daughter. I
was so young when she was born that I gave her up for adoption.
However, there isn't a day that doesn't go by where I don’t think
about her.” Bridget wiped a tear from her eyes.

“
Maybe you can find her?”
I suggested.

“
I would give anything for
that. But the boss man doesn’t like us looking for those that we
have let go. So for now I will just think of her.” Bridget reached
over and took my hand in hers. “Maybe one day you will meet her
Dawn.”

“
How will I meet her? I
won’t know who she is.” I raised an eyebrow and frowned.

Bridget leaned in and whispered in my ear.
“Because she’s just like you.”

What was that supposed to mean?

****

Bridget did not leave my side the entire
trip from Dallas to El Paso. She even waited with me until I was
safe inside the taxi that was to take me to my mother. She left me
with her phone number and strict orders that I was to call her the
moment I got into my mother’s house. I had hugged her warmly and
thanked her for her assistance.

I handed the driver the last letter my
father had received from my mom and paid him in advance for the
drive. It took a while to get there, but when I arrived I had this
overwhelming fear. Was she going to be mad that I was here? Was she
going to understand why I had to leave? Was she going to answer all
my questions I had?

There was only one way to find out. I told
the cab driver to keep the change and got out of the car with my
meager possessions. Traipsing up to the door I noticed that my
hands were shaking, I was afraid. I hesitantly knocked and waited
for an answer.

When the door opened I felt tears in my
eyes. Standing before me was my mother. She didn’t look a day older
than the last time I had seen her, which had been several
years.

“
Dawn?” She asked reaching
out and touching my face.

“
Mother?” I said back to
her as the tears poured down my cheeks.

“
Get in here.” She
demanded pulling me inside and wrapping me in the warmest hug I had
received in the longest time. “Why are you here Dawn?” I could hear
her crying.

“
I had to. Daddy told me.”
I sobbed.

“
Told you want?” She
pressed.

“
Told me what I am.” I
sniffed, and she went silent.

“
Dawn, did you run away?”
She finally asked me.

“
I had to mom. He said I
was never supposed to be.” I felt like my world was
collapsing.

Did she not want me here?

She looked down at me and smiled softly
before letting me go. Crossing the small living room to the phone
table she picked up the phone and dialed a number without even
looking it up.

“
Damien?” She said and my
heart leapt into my chest. She had called my father! “Yes she is
here.” She tapped her finger on the table. “No I don’t mind that
she is.” She looked at me. “What do you want me to do?” She bit her
lip. “Ok.” She said a few more things and then hung up the phone.
Turning around she glanced at the clock.

“
What is it mom?” I asked
my eyes were burning.

“
Looks like you will be
staying with me for a while.” She smiled.

I ran at her and threw my arms around her.
This was the first time I was able to just hold her since I was a
child. The difference now was that we were nearly eye to eye, and I
was older than seven.

“
Mom, may I use the
phone?” I asked quietly.

“
Of course.” She
said.

I pulled the number out of my pocket and
punched it into the phone. Bridget’s voice came in loud and clear
on the other end.

“
You made it did you?” She
said.

“
Yes! Thank you for
everything.” I said and looked at my mother.

“
You are welcome. If you
need me for anything just call.” She said, and the line went dead.
I looked at the phone confused and put it back on the
base.

“
Who was that?” She asked
me as she picked up my bags from the floor and proceeded to walk
down the hallway.

“
It was just a nice lady
that sat with me on the bus on the way here. She told me I had to
call her once I got here.” I said following her to a
bedroom.

“
Does this nice lady have
a name?” She asked flipping a switch in the spare
bedroom.

“
Bridget.” I said coming
to a stop behind her trying to see inside the room.

I could have sworn I saw her shoulders tense
and her head shake. Had I said something wrong?

“This will be your room. We will pick up
some things for you tomorrow. I’m sure you had an amazing room with
your father. This one though, it’s going to be better.” She smiled
at me.

I looked around at the bare walls and the
double bed. It was nothing like what I had with my father but it
would do nicely.

“
Go ahead and unpack I
will go and call your step-father.” She smiled at me and left the
room closing the door behind her.

I meant to lie down only for a second, but
the bed was so comfortable that I wound up falling asleep. When I
woke up I wandered into the kitchen where I heard talking. They
both went silent when I entered the room. My step father’s face
fell when he saw me.