Chapter One

Chapter One - Don't think

The house was on fire.

How was I supposed to process that? I knew not to paddle my feet on the thin floors when the mistress was having a fit or she'd hear me and come here to release her anger verbally. I knew not to fall sick after almost freezing to death every winter or she'd cut my meals. How am I supposed to react to the house catching on fire?

Am I going to die?

I stood up in haste towards the trapdoor, my head almost touching the ceiling which indicated my growth throughout the years. The ceiling wasn't this low when I first—height wasn't the most important thing right now. Peeking through the thin gap, all I could see was smoke and orange lighting, everything else was blurry and the smoke smelled terrible.

"Hello?!" I wanted to clap in rejoice as I heard my voice, sounding louder. 

I have not raised my voice this high. Who knew it was this high-pitched? When did it become so high-pitched?

"Please, help me! Somebody is stuck here!" My voice cracked in the second sentence.

You've been stuck here for four years. What are more minutes for you?

Time passed and the smoke began to get worse. I backed away from the trapdoor and sought refuge from my window—my comfort buddy ever since. I looked at the planet Venus again, wishing for heavy rain to come. Was the fire big? It couldn't be that big, right? Of course, it was, by how alarmingly warmer the room was becoming every passing minute.

Wasn't it just my birthday yesterday? Or was it two days ago when I received a cupcake? 

Am I going to die? Just like this?

It seemed such a foreign concept to me. Death was. I've accepted this was my fate a long time ago, to die such a boring drawn-out death but learning that death was coming sooner than I initially thought, an eternal sleep seemingly became like a punishment I was never up for.

I almost released a sigh of relief when I heard the soft patters of rain against the roof.

"Rain, rain go away." I started again because maybe everything else would restart too. A lie a fool like me would want to believe.

"Come again another day." My eyes glanced at the droplets racing down on the other side of the windowpane. 

I felt something wet drop on one of my knees. Rationally, I looked up. It wasn't rain that came to save me but salty continuous river of tears. A sign of my frustration. I don't think I've cried after such a long time. I didn't think I was still able to cry.

"Little children want to play." I looked down as I became a sobbing mess.

To wish upon a star. That was something my mother would say to me every time we went stargazing. She'd point to certain directions and told me the names of constellations which I was too young to remember. She was the one the who told me to keep my hair long or be careful with my steps or I might just trip.

The sobs that came out from my chest were uncontrollable which made more smoke enter my lungs that I started coughing. While throwing a coughing fit, something clicked in me as I remembered all the books I've read about disasters.

I have to cover my nose.

I immediately shot up my hands to cover half of my face

My eyes hastily looked around through the smoke to find any cloth. Remembering the glass of water I haven't touched this evening, I ran to grab it from the tray that was sitting by the trapdoor, waiting to be fetched by a maid. I poured the water onto the neckline of my dress, pulling it up after to replace my hands.

My head started becoming hazy as the smoke kept pouring in waves after waves. I didn't have any ideas how to escape. The window was sealed with metal railings and if it weren't, I could've escaped years ago.

What now?

I went back to my usual spot, trying to digest that death is around the corner. After all, this all seemed just like a dream.

If I die now…

If I die now… I'm coming, mama.

I leaned my back against the cold window, my feet on the heated floor. That felt nice. I didn't know that warm floors could feel so nice. I wished it had always been like that especially during the cold winters when I almost freeze.

My breathing became even as if I was just going to sleep. I silently watched the smoke consume the area, slowly consuming me too.

Just when my eyes started to feel droopy another abrupt noise surprised me, making me jump.

That came from the trapdoor. I could see that someone was banging on it. I wanted to scream for them but the moment I uncovered my face, smoke immediately tried to invade my lungs, throwing me into another coughing fit.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for the trapdoor to break. The trapdoor broke into pieces as they flew everywhere, the barrier between my freedom and this cage gone.

I scurried to the opened hole to see a big man climbing up the ladders.

Half of his face was covered with a wet cloth, his eyes widening when he looked up and met mine. His gaze then roamed behind me before reaching out to grab my arm.

I backed away. 

"Hey, it's okay." His voice was soothing.

Was it really, okay? For me to leave? What if the mistress finds out? What sort of punishment would she give me? Maybe this time, she'll finally decide to actually hit me.

I was frozen as the stranger reached out once again, slowly pulling my body forward with one hand before easily carrying me down the ladder, his arms hooked under my shoulders and knees.

I couldn't see where we were going since I was leaning my head on the stranger's shoulders. I wanted to see how the house looked, the only physical thing that my parents had left me. My home that was now claimed by someone else. I recognized the front lawn and it finally dawned upon me.

I was finally out. I was outside, in the cold of the night. My eyes pooled with tears as it hits me once more.

I was free.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay." The stranger's voice tried to comfort my trembling form. I wasn't sure why I was trembling in the first place. Perhaps, it was the cold wind or the thought of freedom or surviving being possibly burned alive or the pounding head I was sporting.

There was a lot of noise, primarily from the sound of sirens echoing through the night, ringing in my ears. I could see different lights from different cars and hear voices mixing creating more headaches.

Thankfully, the guy swerved to the right, away from the gathered crowd, and into the backyard where the forest loomed.

"I found a girl." He announced once we neared the foyers of trees.

I haven't peeked at who he was talking to. It could be the adrenaline wearing off but I was too tired to even lift my head and was somehow short of breath.

"A child?"

I wasn't a child, I wanted to say.

The last thing I saw was a pair of icy blue eyes before going into a deep slumber.