The Baker's Man

Ashes for Dreams

"Ouch!" Odette cried as she opened her eyes to find a pair of dark brown feline eyes locked on to her.

"You really need to stop that," she grumbled at her mother's Persian cat Lucy who had developed a habit of scratching her whenever her naps ran too long. Lucy stared back at her unfazed by Odette's attitude with her.

"Okay stop staring at me like that, I'll fix your food."

Odette grabbed her cell phone to check in with her mother when she noticed that she had 10 missed calls from Mrs. Ortega the woman who owned the Spanish restaurant across the street from the bakery.

"This can't be good." Odette called the number back and a frantic Mrs. Ortega answered the phone.

"Hi Mrs. Ortega,"

"Dottie you need to come down-"hearing the panic in her voice made Odette jump out of bed causing Lucy to jump off the bed.

"What's wrong?"

"The bakery is on fire!"

Odette barely registered anything else Mrs. Ortega said she rushed out of her apartment with her sneakers half on. She took the subway and ran the rest of the way, she was three blocks away and she could see the smoke, as she grew closer the smoke became thicker making it hard to breath. The block was roped off as firemen attacked the raging fire. The street was filled with police and fire vehicles, the sidewalks crowded with on lookers. Odette pushed her way through the crowd to the front, the air was knocked out of her when she saw the building engulfed in flames.

This can't be real. She shut her eyes as hoping that when she opened them she would be back home sleeping in her bed and all of this was just a terrible dream.

"Dottie," Mrs. Ortega called out and Odette rushed into the woman's outstretched arms.

"What happened?" she asked as she choked back her tears but Mrs. Ortega had no answer for her.

"This can't be real," she cried as Mrs. Ortega held on to her.

                                                                                         ****

Why did I let her talk me in to this? Elijah wondered as Lana, the company's in-house interior designer, talked about the building she had purchased a month ago.

"It has to be gutted out completely." Lana said as she linked their arms together as they walked to her car. "I just love a good fixer-upper."

"It used to be a bakery right?"

"Mmhm, ran by some old lady and it definitely looks like it. You should see the hideous floral wallpaper."

Elijah got into the car as Lana continued to talk his ear off never leaving an inch for him to get a word in during the entire thirty minute ride. Lana had finally stopped talking when she turned onto the block leading towards the bakery and saw the smoke.

"Oh my god that better not be what I think it is." She said as she got out of the car and rushed up the hill forgetting about Elijah and her un-parked car. Elijah parked the car before making his way up the hill and was met with a crowd of spectators.

"Odette don't!" a woman yelled catching Elijah's attention, he saw an older Spanish woman trying to hold on to a young woman but she broke free and ran towards the blazing buildings. Elijah watched her run pass the police who were busy pushing back the crowd of spectators as the fire began to spread. Elijah pushed through the crowd, running to catch up to the girl. When he caught up to her he grabbed her arm and dragged her away, the heat from the fire instantly broke him out into a sweat.