The Fire Within

Chapter 12: Surprise!

I sprinted through my yard, but stopped short when I caught sight of Feroz lying in the grass whimpering in pain. I ran over to him and saw that his leg was caught in something. It had spikes that were digging in his back leg. When he tried to move they dug in even deeper.

“Oh, you poor thing! What happened here?” I tried to pry it apart, but he growled in pain. I sat back and tried to think of a way to get it off. An idea came to me. I could try and melt it off. I rubbed his fur hoping to calm him a bit.

“Okay just hold on.” I placed my hand over the trap and let the heat flow through my palm. Just as I thought it would the metal melted right off his leg. He stood and licked my face as a thank you then turned to lick his wound.

I stood up and ran toward the porch. Something was wrong… again. If it wasn’t strange enough that my dog was caught in a trap in my own yard that feeling was back. This time it was different though. Somehow it was more… intense.

My breathing increased and my muscles tensed in premonition when I found that the door was ajar. It looked as if someone had shot the lock off. Cautiously I pushed open the door. It swung open on its hinges with and ominous screech.

“Abuela?” I called out, but no answer came back. My footsteps echoed throughout the hall with sharp whacks. I called out her name once again as I was about to round the corner into the kitchen. What I found on the kitchen floor changed my life forever.

“Abuela!” I let out a wail of despair and crashed to my knees next to the woman who cared for me all my life. There she was lying in a pool of her own blood, stabbed, and barely breathing; barely holding on to little bit of life left in her.

“Oh abuela, what happened?!” An endless torrent of hot salty tears rushed down my face. I pulled her into my arms and hugged her close. I wailed and screamed my despair. She couldn’t leave me. She was all I had left. I couldn’t see how I was going to move on from this.

“No, No, No, No, Abuela, please don’t die! You can’t die; I love you so much! You just can’t die and leave me here alone! Please abuela!” I screamed and sobbed desperately hoping that my tears would somehow bring her back.

I jumped a little when I felt her shaky hand caress my hair. She was trying to speak. I grabbed her shaky hand and brought it to my lips. Her breath was coming in shallow pants. She was trying to force the words out. I stroked her cheek and waited patiently. 

“Nylah, Mija, I’m… so… so sorry. About your mother and how you never knew about her. I… I swore to protect you sweet girl and you couldn’t know… know about any of it.” She stopped short when a cough took over. She groaned in pain and shifted around. I hushed her.

“Of course abuela I understand. None of that matters now.” She took her hand back and started reaching toward her blood soaked blouse.

“Your… your mother… mother asked me to take care of you. Said you were special. She left this for you. She said not to give it to you until the time was right.”

My eyes widened when she pulled out the most beautiful necklace. At first glance it looked so… ordinary, but there was something in it. It was like the most magnificent fire I had ever seen. Even though it was contained in the tiny decorative sphere it still glowed and danced as if it were free.

“People… people are going to come after you mija. Bad people. You use this, use this to protect yourself.” She pressed it into my hand and settled back into my arms. Her breaths became too shallow. He eyes were glazing over. She was leaving me.