Don't Look Behind You ⇒ Lucaya [DISCONTINUED]

girl meets fire

If I'd been in my right mind, I would have ignored something as tacky as this note, but alas, my mind was far from right. They were right--it was getting extremely hot and with every half-degree added to the current temperature, came whole handful of danger. An anonymous note in the middle of this did not help me. In fact, my condition was quickly worsening. I probably had minutes until the fire devoured me as well.

All the possible escape ways were blocked or broken. And of course, the main gate to freedom, the door, was still completely shut.

Maybe this was what I deserved. For not caring enough. For taking life for granted. But a part of me couldn't help fighting against it. Most of me wanted to succumb to the flames, but the idea seemed...wrong. I couldn't do that.
I wish I could tell you that I'd stripped my shirt off and changed into superhero clothing. I wish I could buff and elaborate on my endurance against the inferno.

No such thing happened. But something did. Little did I know, that something would mean everything to me as time went on.

----

{l u c a s}

In all my life I had never seen a fire as strong as this one. There had been many instances back in Texas such ss this. Normally, anything that reminded me of my old home would make me terribly nostalgic, but how could anyone want for this to happen to them? The flames illuminated the surroundings, spreading uncomprehendibly quickly throughout the building.

I was just glad I wasn't trapped in there. It was hard to imagine, and I didn't especially want to.
Mr Lewis, a usually carefree, happy man, looked tormented and I couldn't blame him. The raging thought that someone could be stuck in that, alone scared me to bits. As he took the roll call, people recorded the sight on their phones or yelled things such as, "we're all going to die!" Principal Yancy had given up on trying for silence eons ago. Now we were just anticipating the arrival of the fire brigade.

Her name came somewhere around the middle of the register: "Maya Hart?"

No answer. My heart skipped a beat.

Again: "Maya Hart?"
"Where is Maya?"

An audible gasp escaped from Riley's mouth. My brain started going into overdrive as I thought about all the possible locations my new friend could be in. Fists against my waist, I remembered: she'd gone to the bathroom and never returned.

I thought of what she would say if she was here. Probably something terribly sarcastic with a hint of worry. I'd gotten good at reading people after leaving, as opposed to my past self (that I didn't feel the need of bringing up. My past self was a whole other sad story). Maya liked to think she was an emotionless, invincible queen and she could be; but emotionless, invincible queens did not have that slight sentimental tone when talking about things. They were stoic and cold.

It had been twenty-four hours of knowing her, but I still wanted her to live. I just wasn't sure how far I would go for anybody but myself.

Then I pictured her stuck in the school somwhere, choking on thick, black smoke. Being devoured by evil flames. And something changed inside of me.

Ignoring pleas to not do what I was about to do, I carelessly leapt through the cafeteria door into the now extremely heated room. It was too late to back away now and I had a friend to save in here.

"Maya?!" I screamed, not caring about the fire inching closer and closer to me. A muffled yell could be heard coming from the bathroom. She was in there.
"I'm coming, just wait a second!"

"I've been waiting ten minutes! Hurry the hell up!"
I ignored that.

Suddenly I was five years old and the floor was pernicious lava, bubbling and sizzling, ready to beseige me and take away my life. I was not about to surrender.
By now, I could sense that door had been locked from the outside by somebody. It would have been stupid of them to leave the key lying around the place, but there had to be another option.

Could I remove the door? No. It wasn't possible even if I had a screwdriver. Break it? Even less of a likelihood.

The air vent. It was round the back of the building, introduced to me specifically by Maya in her hope to show me all of the ways to escape the school. I couldn't break the door, but maybe the vent was a possibility. It could also fit a human inside of it.

"Air vent!" I shouted, hoping she would get the message.

The process was tricky. Somehow, I managed to break off a portion of the blocked part and Maya miraculously found something to break the other part with. She escaped with burning lungs and I did with a burn on my leg.

What mattered was, we were alright. She was there with me. She was okay.

---------------------
turning a two part chapter into one because y not lol
I ain't getting any work done because of BTS and this fanfic i swear i'm throwin a party when i'm done with this