Life with the Coles

   Mylee Samuel was a happy, outgoing, straight A student, but that all changed.  Now she’s sitting in a hospital getting oxygen out in her lungs to help her breathing and a cast put on her wrist.  Silent tears falling down her bright blue eyes making lines in the soot that covered her face. “Darling breath deep breaths,” said a pudgy nurse.  Mylee did as she was told, but it didn’t stop the pain. It felt like someone punched her in the gut, and then purred boiled water down her throat.

   When the nurse was done she told Mylee to lie back and relax for a moment. Relax! Ha! Her parents just died and from what she’s heard her brother did too. The memory wouldn’t leave her, flashes of it danced in her mind.

   Mylee sat on her bed doing her math homework, “I don’t understand any of this,” she said to herself as she chewed on the end her favorite baby blue pen. She got her iPod and put her head phones in, turning them up all the way, she hoped music would help, it didn’t. She pulled her long red hair in a pony tail then tried again. Nothing came to mind. She gave up and took her head phones off.

   All she heard was this loud beeping sound. The fire alarm was going off! This was nothing new, Mylee’s mum always messed up dinner, but she thought to get up and check.

   The heat and smoke hit her hot and fast as she walked down the stairs. Mylee raised her eyebrows and hurried down the stairs. When she got to the living room it was completely engulfed in red hot flames. Turning quickly Mylee ran back up the stairs and into her little brother, Liam’s, room. Smoke now covered every inch of his room and Mylee coughed. “Liam! Liam come here! Li, where are you?!” Mylee scream. No one.

   Maybe he already got out. Maybe he didn’t. Mylee knew her time was limited. She looked in his closet and under his bed, he wasn’t there. Mylee assumed he got out, now she had to.

   She ran back down the stairs and had to run back up quickly. The fire was now at the bottom of the stairs. Mylee now was coughing hard, and she felt lightheaded. She went back to her room and opened the window. She took a well needed deep breath and jumped off the second story window onto a bush. She heard a crack and her wrist exploded into pain. Sirens were going off and fire trucks and ambulances were turning down her street. After that Mylee blacked out and woke up in the hospital.

   She lied there for half an hour until a cop came in with a clip board in his hand. “Ms. Samuel as you well know your parents didn’t make it out, but I am glad to inform you that we found you brother alive and well,” he said in a heavy countryside accent.

   Mylee took a breath and let that sink in, “Were was he?” she asked pulling the bed sheet to her chin.

   “He was found at his friend’s house. Apparently he left right before the fire started to get help on a science problem your parents didn’t know,” he said. “He is now in the waiting room with Officer Gems.”

   “I want to see him now! Bring him in!” Mylee all but scream.

   The cop raised his eyebrow at her, “In a minute, but first we have a few things to disuse, I’m Officer Smith,” he held out his hand and Mylee shook it.

   “Like what?”

   “Your orphans, you and your brother; as I understand you have no other family besides a grandma who is in a nursing home. We have already took a look at the will and you were lucky enough to have parents who update it every five years, so you will be going to live with your God parents if they accept you both,” He said looking at his clipboard.

   God parents? “My parents never said anything about God parents,” Mylee said confused.

   “It says here they’re last name is Cole, Tony and Megan Cole,” said the officer. “Until then do you have any friends you and Liam can stay with after your relsed tomorrow?” he asked.

   Mylee thought for a moment, “Poppy Gates, my best friend. Her mum will take us in, I’m sure. Her mum’s name is Melissa Gates and I’ll write down the number,” Mylee said eager not to end up in some homeless shelter. The cop handed her the clip bored and pen and wrote the number down. “I have to stay here tonight?”

   “For observation, you were lucky you didn’t pass out and die from the smoke, and your arm has a nasty brake," he said looking at Mylee with pity in his eyes.

    Mylee tried not to scream at him for feeling sorry for her, "Can I see Liam now," she said through gridded teeth.

   “Yes ma’am, Gems bring in the kid,” he called out into the hallway. He turned back to Mylee and said, “The doctors said he can stay in here with you for the night. I’ll call Mrs. Gates and get that all sorted out tonight. Sleep well,” he said then left.

   Mylee’s ten-year-old brother came in with tears in his eyes. He looked more like his father with bright green eyes, dark brown hair, he was only a few inches shorter then Mylee, and a splash of freckles on his nose; were as Mylee looked more like her mom with red hair, bright blue eyes, a small built, and a couple of freckles here and there on her face. He still had on SpongeBob Square Pants pajamas.

   “Miles tell me their lying, Mummy and Daddy are okay,” he said in a worn out gruffly voice.

   Mylee broke into tears, she had been pretty good at holding them in but when she saw her brother in tears she broke. Mylee nodded her head slowly and closed her eyes not wanting to see Liam hurt anymore.

   “No, no this can’t be!” Liam scream. Mylee opened her eyes and held out her arms.

   “Please Liam calm down, just take deep breathes,” Mylee said. “Come here, you can sleep in the bed with me.”

   Liam stopped the heart braking noises he was making and slowly made his way to the bed. Mylee held the covers up and Liam slid into bed and Mylee wrapped her arms around him as he cried into her chest. Mylee had silent tears falling down onto her pillow and eventually the two feel asleep.