Prologue

The fire fighters weren't here yet. If they didn't come soon, our family, and dog, would be stuck in the house forever. Rebecca and me had gotten out just before the wall crashed down. My family is trapped in there, and I don't know what to do. I could go back in. There is no way in, listen to yourself, you can't even think right. STOP CRYING LILY! It didn't help to yell at myself. It made me cry even more.

 

I couldn't even hear the fire anymore. I was crying to hard. We lived in the forest, there are no firefighters up here. I realized, and started crying harder. The fire will spread. Me and Rebecca have to get out of here. I picked Rebecca up, who was also crying very hard, swung her onto my back, and started jogging. I couldn't run, because of the extra weight, and once we were out of sight from the house, I didn't know where we were. I didn't know how far we were from the fire. Fire. The one that probably has killed my parents, the one that is probably going to kill us. I kept walking, I didn't know where, but I just kept going. Away from the fire. Get away from the fire. Get away from the fire. Get away. Away. Away...

Chapter 1

 I was lost. In the forest, and in my heart. I didn't know where to go in the forest, but in my heart, I didn't know whether to feel lucky to have gotten away, or sad that my parents died. Or lucky that I still have Rebecca, or sad that my house was gone. I guess I was a lot of both. I had forgotten who I was. I mean, of course I knew my name was Lily, but I had forgotten my personality and everything else. With out the rest of my family, I was alone. 

 

It was dark, very dark. And creepy... like one of those movies you watch, and they are creeping through the forest, and then a were wolf jumps out in front of you. Rebbeca was asleep on my back, which was a good thing, because in this nerve-racking forest, she would be even more terrified than me.

 

 My mind was blank. I wasn't thinking about anything, I was just walking. That is all. I wasn't thinking about a single thing. That is why it was weird when the thought popped up in my mind, it was like a balloon after the helium was just put in it. It popped up. Okay, I should probably tell you what the thought was... I needed to find shelter. I doubted I could find a cave, maybe a big tree would do. After all, I was in the forest. There were plenty of trees I could find to sleep under. But then again, I don't know if I would feel secure laying under a tree, but I couldn't think of anything else that would be good shelter. It was probably already one in the morning, but I couldn't go to sleep if I couldn't find shelter. I didn't know what to do.

 

It was dark, very dark. I could sleep in a tree, or under a tree, I could dig a hole and sleep in that, I could...... OH! I could find a house and sleep in that! Great, now I am not thinking right. I sighed. I was getting sleepy. Tired, in fact, I could hardly keep my eyes open. Or I could just fall asleep right here standing up with Rebecca on my back. I stopped walking to look around. I have no idea where I am... I saw a big rock, lots of trees, and dirt with a few weeds popping out of the ground. I also thought that I saw a person in the distance. Creepy, it is probably just a tree, but still. Why does it look like it's getting closer? It is just my imagination Lily, it's just my imagination. Okay, that is not my imagination, that person is definitly getting closer! "Lily? Why is there a man comming towards us?" Rebecca whispered in my ear. "Rebecca, I didn't know you were awake." I responded in a quiet voice. "I just woke up, that's a pretty creepy man Lily, we should leave." Rebbeca told me. "Yeah, he is." I said and started walking away from the silouetted man.

Chapter 2

 The man wasn't leaving, he was getting closer. Rebecca kept looking back at him to see if he was getting closer or farther away. "Lily, I don't think he is planning on going anywhere, I think he is following us."

 

"Oh, don't be silly Rebbeca, he is not following us." I told her, but in my mind I knew she was right. "Okay Rebbeca, you have to be brave, I'm putting you down, and we are going to run." I set Rebbeca down, and she snatched my hand away from my side, holding it as tight as a snake, getting it's prey. I could feel the vibrations of her hand, shaking with fear. "Okay Rebbeca, on three, we run away from the man. One, Two, Three!" We both started running as fast as we could, well I wasn't running as fast as I could, or else I would leave Rebbeca behind in the dust. I glanced back at the man. He was gone, we had made it past. But just to be safe, we kept running for about two more minutes. Rebbeca stopped first. "Lily? Is that a.... house? And are those lights?" I stopped running too. We had reached a town!

 

It was late, so we couldn't really explore. My goal was to find a place to stay. I checked my pockets for my allouence. I almost always keep my allouence money in my pocket. With my left hand, I pulled one pocket out so that it was inside out. No money. I gently placed Rebecca's hand to her side, pulling it away from my hand so that I could use this hand to check my other pocket. I stuffed my hand inside of the warm pocket. And I felt the scratchy textured money. I pulled it out, aimed it at a street light so that I could see it better, and looked at the numbers on each dollar bill. Two tens, one five, and two ones. Twenty seven dollars. I tucked my money back into my right pocket.

 

"Lily, I'm tired." Rebbeca said in a voice that told me she needed a piggy back ride. I kneeled down on the side walk, and even through my thick jeans, I could tell that it was icy cold. Lily climbed on top of my back. I slowly managed to get back up, even with my stiff legs and back, and I continued to walk. Up ahead I saw a hotel with lights brightening the entrance. We would try there, I told Rebbeca, and realized she had drifted off into a deep sleep. Who knew what time it was?

Chapter 3

We reached the hotel, and just in time. Right as we got in, it started raining. I looked back at the now wet street, then turned and walked to the front desk where a women sat. She looked around the age of twenty. She stopped what she was doing, and looked up, and as she did, a suprized, but concerned looked pulled at the womens face. "Hello. What are you guys up too?" She asked in a sympathetic voice. Rebbeca was now awake, and she answered with out me knowing until she started speaking, "Hi. We are tired, and we need a place to stay."

 

"And where are your parents?" She asked, and tears almost came to my eyes, but I held them back. "They are... out of town."

 

"And you don't have a babysitter?"

 

"No." I said in a sturn voice. I sensed that the women could tell something was wrong. "We have twenty six dollars. Will that be enough?" I asked in a hopeful voice.

 

"I'm afraid not. It would take at least eighty dollars." She said, her voice saddening for us. Rebecca hopped into the conversation, "But then we'll have to sleep in the rain!" She jumped off of my back, and  walked over to the front desk, jumping to be seen by the women, "Let me tell you a secret... I don't like sleeping in rain." She whispered softly. The women laughed a little, "Okay, it will cost eighty dollars to sleep here, but I won't give you a cost to sleep at my house. And when was the last time you ate?" Hope fired up in my eyes. "Um, not since yesterday." I told her realizing that I was very hungry. "Oh. Wow, okay... Well, you might have to hang out here at the hotel for a while, until I get off of work." She said. "We get to stay at your house???" Rebecca said.

 

"Yes!" The women said, and me and Rebbeca glowed with hope.

Chapter 4

It was dead silent in the car on the way to the women's house. I guess she noticed and decided to brake it, "So..... Um... I guess I should intruduce myself. I am Nikki. What's your name?" she asked looking back at us. "I am Lily, and this is Rebbeca." I said awkwardly. "Umm.... Should we say our hobbies or something?" 

 

"Yeah, sure." 

 

"Okay, I like to take pictures, so photography, and what do you like to do Rebbeca?" I asked Rebbeca politely. "I like drawing!" Rebbeca said excitedly. We talked about our selves the whole way to her house.

 

"We're here guys!" Nikki sang. We stepped out of the car, and into the dark cold. Rebbeca grabbed my hand, sqeezing it tight. Nikki lead us around the corner of her house, to the front door. Her house was made of brick and the bottom, and then after a quarter of the way up, it was tan wood. Wood. It could start on fire, just like my house did. A shiver came over me as I thought about it. Nikki must have saw my blank face and asked, "Are you okay?" Rebecca looked up to see what I was staring at. I glanced over to Rebecca, her smiled pulled down, and her eyes became wide. "Are you guys okay? Lets go inside." Nikki said, and started walking in. We followed silently.

 

Nikki made us a comfortable bed on the floor, while we ate. I ate four bowls of cereal, and Rebbeca ate three. We were hungry. After that, we got to bed. Rebbeca was out in a minute, but it took me about thirty minutes to fall asleep. I think we can trust Nikki. I think so. She seems nice, and she has been taking good care of us. She hasn't done anything suspicious. Okay, I'll trust her. Hopefully I didn't judge wrong. And with that, I fell asleep.

Chapter 5

 I woke up the next morning to the sound of Rebbeca sneezing several times. Is she getting sick? I wondered, I sure hope not! I got up quietly, trying not to wake Nikki. I noticed she slept in: I had gone to bed late, so I must have slept in; Nikki was still in bed, snoozing, obviously a deep sleeper. I laughed, thinking about how late she slept in. I tip-toed quietly into the kitchen and looked at the clock. Three-o-clock!?!?! I thought it was like, I don't know, noon?!?! Wow. Just wow. I had gotten to bed at, about twelve? Twelve-thirty? And it's only three?? I crept back to my bed and tryed to fall asleep. Nope. It's not happen'n. I sighed. Okay, this is a good time to get some fresh air. I thought, Not that I haven't already had plenty of that. I crawled out of bed, once again, and went outside on the back porch. Sliding open the see-through door, I glanced over the fence that seperated Nikki's house from the neighbors. I froze.

 

There was a man climbing over the fence. By the looks of it, he hadn't seen me yet. He continued to ascend over the fence in his black jacket and dark jeans. It's a robbery. It has to be. No. It's not, he must be a friendly... guy... at three in the morning... climbing over the fence instead of knocking on the door... I told myself trying to be reassured. Okay, fine. He's probably not friendly. He still hadn't seen me by the time he got over the fence. I slammed the screen door. Not a good idea Lily, now he knows you're there. I ran to Nikki, "Nikki! Nikki! Someone's robbing the house!" She sat up and looked around. "Really? Are you sure?" 

"Yes!! I'm positive! Now get up!" Nikki stood up.

"In the backyard!" Nikki started running. I followed her. The adrenaline running through my body was making my vision sharper, and cleaner. The man in dark clothes was scrambling to get back over the fence now. Nikki was shocked! "I was about to be robbed. Thank you Lily. Thank you." She said in a worried voice, even with her messy dirty blonde hair, and her princess pajamas on, she was beautiful, I realized. I looked past the bags under her exhasted brown eyes and saw a sweet girl, who was willing to take in two little girls. With that in my mind, I smiled and said, "Your welcome Nikki."

Chapter 6

 A chill ran down my back from thinking about the previous night as Rebbeca, Nikki and I sat at the table eating breakfast. "Will you guys please tell me what happened while I was asleep?" Rebbeca pleaded with us. "Later." Nikki said, in a voice that meant stop talking about it, we'll tell you after we're done. But apparently Rebbeca didn't get the message, "You guys have been saying 'later' for like, five hours!" It had only really been ten minutes. "I want to know! Why won't you guys just tell mmmm-" I cut her off by covering her mouth, "Later!" I said whispering, but in a stern voice that told her I meant it. "Ugh." Rebbeca mumbled, "Well fine. I guess you just don't love me enough to tell me any of your little secrets, well guess what? I didn't even want to know. So ha, because..." She kept mumbling to herself. Nikkie and I had decided not to tell Rebbeca yet because it would most likely freak her out. But Rebbeca was smart, she had slowly pried us open to the point where she new something strange had gone on last night.

 

I looked at Nikki asking with my eyes, should we? She glanced at me saying, I don't know, you do what you want. She's you sister... At least that's what I imagined she said. I sighed, and started, "Okay Rebbeca. First you tell us what you know, then we'll finish it up." "So what I think happened was a robber came into our backyard and Lily saw it and then the robber went back over the fence." I looked over at Nikki, her mouth was wide open, and I could say the same for mine. "That is exactly right Rebbeca... How did you... what?" I stumbled over my words, confused with Rebbeca's knowlegde. "Oh, I just assumed by you guys talking about it in your room. I'm not death." I looked at her, "You mean deaf." I said.

"Yeah, death."

"No, it's deaffff."

"I know, deathhhh."

"Deaf."

"That's what I said!"

"No, you are saying death. It's pronouced deaf. D-E-A-F."

"Lily stop! I know that it's death!" Rebbeca said sternly. Usually I didn't let her boss me around, but I decided it woul probably be best if we stopped the argument over a word. After I was done thinking, I realized Nikki was trying very hard not to laugh. "What?" I asked. "Oh, um, nothing. I've just never had a sister so I guess it's just funny to watch you-" She couldn't finish because of the explosion of laughing that just came from her whole face. "Sorry, to see... you argue over... such a little thing! HA HA HA!" She said, laughing so hard, her face was tomato red. Rebbeca slapped her forehead, shaking her head, and then started laughing too. I joined in, it was nice to be able to laugh again. The last time I laughed was when... Hmm... I thought, When was the last time I laughed. OH YEAH! It was family game night, we were doing a board game, Joeseph spilled his cup of water on himself! Ha, silly little boy. And before I knew it, I was crying. Crying like a baby. Nikki looked confused, but did a very motherly thing. She pulled me in, sat me on her lap, and embraced me. Which made me think of mom, and I started crying harder. Then Rebbeca started crying too. I was pretty sure she was thinking about the family as well. But the strangest thing was, Nikki was the one crying the hardest, and neither me, or Rebbeca, knew why. But it felt... right. It was just so right to be there with Nikki and Rebbeca, huddling together like penguins on a tiny island of ice. I didn't know why, but the best thing  for me right then, and right there, wasn't to be with my family. It was to be in that exact situation. Crying, and laughing my head off at the same time with people I really enjoyed being with.

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Publication Date: 08-29-2015

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