The Baldwins

Part I

I'm tired of having to do everything for everyone. One day is all I ask. One day where I can be like any other teenager, sleep in, binge watch cheesy romance movie on Netflix, eat an entire carton of coffee ice cream.  Sadly, that's not my reality. I'm not popular or anything like that, I just cram my life with school work and Gavner's drama. 

Luckily, today is Sunday. That means mom will be at church and the house will be mine til noon. Finally, some me time. My eyes dart towards my packed bookshelf and my feet carry me to it before I know what I'm doing.  I've read every book in my huge collection, but what's the harm in re-reading? My fingers wrap around a thick paper back book, with a little tug I've got a grip on it and am heading downstairs. 

The old-as-dirt navy blue couch sits in front of the dimly lit fireplace. I sink into the worn cushions and flip through the pages of my book, only using the fire light. My kind of day! The heat from the orange flickering flame keeps me from needing the hideous purple blanket the my father loved oh so much. Yes loved, past tense. My father died. So did my little sister. 

One night, two years ago, my mother was away on a business trip. My sister and I were sleeping soundly in our one story little house. Dad was knocked out on the couch. I remember covering him up and moving the potato chips bowl out of his reach so he wouldn't make a mess by knocking the bowl over in his sleep. He was always a rough sleeper. A fire formed in a bubble around my twin sized bed somehow and set everything in the room my sister and I shared a blaze. The heat and brightness of it is what woke me up...and the wailing of my seven year old sister. I couldn't do anything to help her. I dropped to the floor to avoid the smoke and tried to talk her through it. The ring of fire around my prevented from getting to her. "Nikki! Is there any openings?" I had screamed over the flames. "No! Cole, I'm scared!" She screamed. I could her the shake of her urgent voice. "Daddy!" we began calling at the same time. No answer. "Okay, Nik, I am going to climb out of my window and see if I can get to you through some other part of the house." I didn't wait for a reply. 

The house was already burning bright when I got outside. I charged through the front door just as the blaring sirens started up somewhere in the distance. No time to waste! I got the key out from underneath the small flowerpot on the front porch. Shakily, I clicked the door unlocked and pushed the door open. There was no clearing. The living room had filled itself with the rapid fire. "No, no, no!" I screamed into my burning childhood home. My sister's screams could no longer be heard. I fell to my knees right there at my burning door step and cried. No. Sobbed. 

The firemen pulled me from my spot and began their work. I knew I had lost my father and Nikki, but part of me just wouldn't believe that. Their was still a sliver of hope in me. Oh how wrong I was. My dad's corpse was blackened when they dragged him out. They didn't even try anything to save him. Next out was an unrecognizable, tiny, shriveled body. Nikki. They put her beside my father and all I could do was stand over them and yell. I was furious that I got out and they didn't. The only part of the house that didn't burn was my part of the bedroom. I had been sleeping with that ugly purple blanket that smelled so much like my father. 

I didn't even notice I was crying until the tear drops hit the page of my book. Oops. It's just a painful memory. I hear my phone begin to ring from upstairs and head up to get it. It's Gavner. "Hey Gav, I really jus-" a voice that doesn't belong to my best friend interrupts me. British. Male. "Baldwin here is a real fighter!" The man laughs and words I can't quite make out come from the background. Gavner is in trouble. "Don't hurt him!" I put my most ferocious voice on. "Oh dear, only you can decide that," another laugh. "The names Bradley, love."