Purified by Fire

Chapter 3: With Smoke (II)

"It's a poem." Steve remarks, nonplussed. Mina nods in agreement, her hands tracing the scribbled words.

"It's also a warning." she says, more absent revelation then a genuine fear. "I've studied these kinds of writings in my second year. I used to hate them. They're filled with hidden clues as to what the author really meant to say. They were used more for communicating to the author's peers rather than act as a true warning." she explains, rubbing her hands together from the cold and pulling her shawl closer to her body, nearly hugging her bag to her chest.

"Intriguing, but what does that mean for us? Can we go in or what?"

"Sure, I told you, they aren't meant as a true warning. Someone probably just thought it sounded nice and decided to put it there." she shrugs, opening the door. It creaks, but there is nearly no dust flying from inside the mansion. In fact there is little clue to tell them how long ago this house had been lived in.

"Huh?" Steve notes. "It looks almost new!" he wastes no time, running inside and stopping in front of the grand staircase. Mina walks after him, letting the door close behind them with a gentle bang. She flinches at the sound, notes that her husband does the same, but her attention is fixed on another thing altogether. Above the stairs sits a painting, seemingly depicting the true size of its focus. Three sets of eyes are gazing down on Mina and her husband, two almost pink irises from the young women in it and a black pair belonging to a man not that much older. She sees that the man has his left hand on the shoulder of the blonde woman in the picture, his ring finger holding a wedding band just as the woman does on her left. The other woman, still a blonde color of hair, but darker somewhat, closer to red, smiles with the other two, but hers is twisted somehow, saddened. Mina wonders why that is.

"There is food in the kitchen!" her husband yells and startles her. How long had she been staring at the paining? "Are you coming? Aren't you eating for two now?" he continues, his voice a laughter. She smiles and turns to leave.

"I'll show you for two!" He answers her threat with another laugh. Mina enters the kitchen with a grin and throws her bag onto the empty counter to her left. Her husband is already picking out ingredients and starting the oven, cluttering the workspace with pans and bowls and a cutting board. Mina resolves herself to sitting down at the table and waiting. It had never been her favorite activity, cooking, but she could make some interesting dishes if she had too, Steve though had it down to a science.

"Steve Mason-Rowley, what ever are you making?" she says, her voice singing with amusement. He swings a towel over his forearm and turns on his heels, letting his smile fade into a serious expression.

"Mrs. Mina Mason-Rowley, I will delight you with a homemade bread tonight and a chicken dish as of yet unnamed." he answers and then returns to his work. She laughs. He might be a better cook, but she is the one with all the recipes. He is better at improvising as well.

"I'm looking forward to it. I'll find us a bed meanwhile, alright?" He nods. The woman stands and makes her way up the stairs meeting a long corridor at the end of them. She stops to choose which room to try opening. The first one is closed shut and they haven't found any keys. She moves on and the next door is a large dining room. She spends little time in it, closing the wooden door behind her and chooses another. Finally a bedroom.

"Wow!" she gasps, her eyes staring at the large king bed, the vanity painted a deep red color. There are intricately patterned drapes covering the windows and a few white silk pillows. She walks toward the head of the bed, takes one and puffs it in her hands, realizing that it's filled with feathers most likely. There are two nightstands on each side, the bedposts have small sculptures depicting an angel on each one with flaming halos and above them is a gas fueled chandelier.

"Mina!" she winces, shivers and leaves the room to meet with her husband and, hopefully, eat.

"I'm here." she says even though he can clearly see her in the doorway. He had set the small table inside the kitchen – one probably used by servants once upon a time she muses – and there is delicious smelling food filling her nostrils as she inhales. She is already shoveling chicken in her mouth and biting into the bread when Steve sits down and begins eating as well.

"Did you find a bedroom?"

"Uh-huh." she nods enthusiastically. "This is soo good!" she adds, smiling brightly at him. "It's upstairs the fifth door on the right." she answers at last, taking a sip of water from the glasses the man had filled earlier.

"Okay. Hey?" Steve begins.

"What?"

"Think we'll make it in time for Thanksgiving to your brother's house? Sam's daughter is turning six next month right?" Mina nods, swallowing her mouthful of food before answering.

"We should. I don't even want to stay here, but did you see the storm outside?"

"Yeah." Steve had noticed droplets of water hitting the window while he cooked and he surely heard the wind picking up speed. By the time he'd finished cooking the chicken, it had been a full blown storm, lightning striking from the sky and thunder booming through the calm night. Now there was a constant hitting of the window with rainwater and the wind was causing the doors and wooden frames around the glass to crackle. "We'll stay here tonight then in the morning will start back out. I saw the road back to town behind the house." the man continues. By the time they finish eating, the storm has grown so powerful Mina fears it will shatter the windows. They retreat upstairs.

Steve takes off his shirt and jeans, leaving him in only a T-shirt and his underwear. Mina had, thankfully, brought her nightgown with her, crumpled inside the handbag so she just changed into it. She was glad for it, without it she would have had to sleep in her underwear and that was uncomfortable.

"Scoot over." she whispers to Steve who shimmies to the other side of the bed. She lies down, her head hitting the pillow and tearing a sigh from her plump lips. The man throws the covers over the both of them, his arm falling to his wife's waist, his fingers splayed over her belly where their child is growing. Mina snuggles closer to him, seeking his warmth and strains her neck to reach his lips. She kisses him on the mouth, tracing his lower lip with her tongue and then she moves lower to his jaw. He whines and complains about being tired. She wants to protest as well, but she is exhausted. They both are. Mina turns on her side; Steve pulls her flush to his front and burrows his nose into her hair.

"Sam doesn't know we're coming, does he?" the man utters. He feels his wife shift, her eyes meeting his soon after. He gazes into those sharp green eyes – so much like a cats' – and realizes he is right.

"I wanted to surprise him. We haven't had the chance to visit since Tori's birthday two years ago. I missed them." Mina explains, tears gathering. Only a couple fall, rolling down her cheek, and the man wipes them off with his thumb. He kisses her forehead.

"We'll see them soon, baby." he whispers against her skin. He barely sees her smile, but knows it must be there. "Good night."

"Sweet dreams. I love you. Both of you." she tells him, squeezing his hand on her belly.

"Love you both too." Steve falls asleep near instantly. Mina is almost sleeping when she thinks she smells smoke. It disappears in a few seconds and she lets herself put her worry to rest. The storm is raging outside the window and the house is creaking, but they fall asleep embraced.