Prologue - Three Cold Facts

I can't breath.

Everywhere I look, there is smoke and fire, and I can't breath.

I know I need to find my parents, but I can't move, there is something hot all around me, and everything is fuzzy; I can't understand what's happening until I hear the scream.

I recognize that voice - my mother.

The scream startles me enough that I get out of bed, almost falling to my knees when I see all the fire around me.

My house is on fire, I realize. I am so shocked that it takes me a moment to understand that I need to run.

But the screams- I can't ignore them, and once again I realize my mother is screaming. There is someone calling my name, and I turn to my right to see my father through the darkness and fire, going towards me. He catches me hurriedly and quickly shields me from the fire, using a heavy blanket that I saw him use once against small flames. "Run, Sage." He shouts firmly over everything, and pushes me towards the door. He makes sure not to lose his grip on me, and we both run towards the outside. When we reach the door, it seems that the fire didn't get there yet, so my father pushes me once again towards the door and lets me go while yelling at me, "Get out, Sage. I'm going to get your mother." I knew he was scared, he always had that intense look on his face when he was worried or scared, and because he asked, and because I want Mother to be safe, I ran out as he told me, leaving him to find Mother and come out.

I run a little farther from the house that seems to be fully burned, and the fear I didn't let myself feel so far hits me in full force. I start shivering and I can't seem to move from my too-close spot to the house. It burns, and I wait.

I wait for my parents and nothing happens.

I wait for my parents and it seems that a crowd has assembled not too far away.

I wait for my parents, sure they'd be out any moment now, and instead I hear people starting to shout and yell and scream.

I wait for my parents while people are running around in fear, clearly trying to either find help or escape the on-going flames.

I wait, and I shiver, cold and shaking, and I'm frozen to the spot, and I wail, but even after the minutes pass, I don't see them. Where are they? Am I being a fool to not go after them? Not to try and help them myself?

Right when the thought hits me, I feel like I can move again. I turn away from the people and the shouts and the shock that hit me, and I take a step forward. And another one. And another one. Quickly I pick up the pace.

I reach dangerously close to the still-burning house when I hear a far away voice a little clearer than the rest. I ignore it.

I try to think where my father would go with my mother to escape, and I suddenly know it would be the back excit. It was closer to my parents room, and surely he would aim there.

That voice from before sounds a little closer this time, and I even think he calls my name, but again, I ignore it and rush to the back of my house.

When I see the back is not quite as burned as the front, I let myself feel the relief for a moment before I make to move inside again. I know it wouldn't be the smartest choice, but I can't leave my parents. What if they need help? What if their door or window wouldn't open and I won't be there to help them? I have to try.

Again that sound, and much closer than before. I can make out someone calling my name, but I don't stop to look because it's not one of my parents' voices, so it's not important.

I reach the door when something heavy runs into me and knocks me to the ground. I yelp in pain when I hit the stone floor and my palms and knees scratch. "No!" The thing on top of me seems to be someone. "No!" he yells again, clearly out of breath.

I recognize my friend's voice - Nox Waylen - he's a year older than me and currently pinning me to the ground and staring at me with a fierce look that I recognize to be his determined look. "What are you doing?!" I struggle to escape his grip, but he holds me too tightly and he's sitting on me so I'm in a disadvantage. "Let me go!"

"No." he says sharply. I still try to get him off of me, but he's pinning my wrists to the rough stone floor and his knees are digging into my stomach. "No, you're not getting in there again."

"Nox! Get off! My parents need me in there! I have to help them get out!" I try to reason with him, but he doesn't even flinch.

"No."

Why is he doing this? I can help them if I'll just get inside. I try to fight harder against his grip, but he just holds me harder.

"Sage," he says and there's something jenteler about his voice. "if your parents haven't come out yet, then they wouldn't. You can't go inside and try to save them, or you wouldn't come out yourself."

"No!" I scream at him. "I have to help them! I have to try!" He doesn't listen to me."Nox, please!" I scream. Tears form in my eyes but I can't let them fall for then it all would be real and I wouldn't still have the hope of this being just a dream.

I never cry in my dreams, I have come to realize I'm incapable of doing that, and it has become a sign for me to understand that everything is not real in a dream. It usually reminds me of the fact that it is just a dream and that I don't need to be afraid, but now the tears form in my eyes and I can't seem to be able to stop them, and the force of all what's happening is so strong that my whole body shakes with it. I know it's hard for Nox to see me cry, so I try to stop before realizing that he's the one who made this happen, so I don't care if he's uncomfortable. I still try to get him off of me, and I think that my tears distract him, so I take advantage of it and push him away as hard as I can. I am a little surprised when he falls to the ground, groaning, and lets go of me finally.

I don't waste time and run to the back door which now the flames have gotten closer to, thanks to Nox delaying me. I try to open it but it doesn't open. It's stuck, and by every second that passes by, I'm getting more and more hysterical. I don't know where my parents are, and Nox's words are starting to affect me. What if they really are unsaveable? What if I'm actually losing them? The stream of tears never stopped, and when even after a few more tries the door still stays sealed, I run to the closest window, followed by Nox's call to stay. I don't listen. It seems that he hurt his leg when he fell off of me, and now it's taking him longer to reach me, which I don't complain about.

I see that the kitchen window is open, and when I reach out my hand I see that I can reach it. I push myself up with everything I've got and when the destroyed kitchen is revealed to me, I see a figure which could also be two near my parents' bedroom. Without thinking, I yell, "Mother! Father! You have to get out!"

From behind me I can hear Nox yelling. "Sage, come down! You can't help them!" I don't understand why he's so cruel to me when it's clearly my last chance to save my parents' life.

"Father!" I shout into the house again. "Mother!"

Nothing. The flames are too close to the window for me to get inside without burning, and all I can do is either stay there and try to encourage them not to give up, or to do so myself. And I don't plan on giving up.

The figure I thought to be my parents is now getting more into view. It's getting closer and closer and it looks to be one man or woman, I can't see because of the flames and heat that makes my eyes water all the time. Or maybe I'm just crying, I can't tell anymore.

Maybe this is one of my parents. "Mother?" I call when I see a flash or dark hair passing by.

"Sage!" Nox has finally reached me and now he's clinging to my ankles and tries to pull me down. "Sage, you'll get hurt!" he calls.

"I don't care." I say too quietly for him to hear. I hold on to the window frame as if it is life itself, but he's stronger than me and he starts pulling me down.

I don't get to see much before I fall to the ground; My house is filled with flames, my Father's books are burning, my Mother's hats - ruined. My beautiful new coat they bought me in ashes on the blackened marble floor. I see all my life burning in front of me and when Nox finally pulls hard enough, I see something that I'd never thought I would see with a life in a simple town.

The figure from before is now in view, it's in my parent's bedroom and the door has just collapsed enough for me to look inside. And what I see changes my life beyond recognition. The person whom I saw earlier walking in my burning house is now hovering over my crouching parents with something shiny in his or her hand. It looks like... It's a knife.

The last time I see my parents is the last moment of their life. When the stranger's hand finally comes down upon my parents, I can't breath again for a moment. Everything slows down until I hear someone scream.

For a moment, I don't realize it's me screaming. My scream seems to have crossed the room and it reached the person I can now identify as a man.

He turns around at the sound of my voice and the last thing I see before I fall from Nox's on-going pulling is the face of my long lost brother.