The Truth Behind the Flames

Into the Forest.

The forest enshrouded us as we walked further into its hold.

Letting my body shake with anger and fear, I made no effort to try and conceal my emotions from the boy who had saved my life. I didn't care about what he thought because it didn't matter; everything which had mattered to me had just been consumed by flames. I couldn't stop the crushing feeling in my chest, so I didn't try to.

They were gone, now; they were nothing more than ashes lost in the wind. They were gone, simply now names on a list of the deceased. They were gone and I was alone.

What felt like hours later, the boy's voice cut through my thoughts. We drew to a halt beneath the cover of the trees as I fought against the panic that threatened to consume me.

"We should stop here for a bit," the boy said with such certainty, I didn't dare to protest. Simply nodding as an answer, I loosened my grip on him and slid down the bark of a tree, tucking my knees into my chest in an attempt to feel secure. We were far away from the flames, but the burning inside of me only seemed to hurt more as the moments crept past.

Burying my head in my knees, I felt the wind gently brush over me – offering its condolences in the darkness of the night. Solely focusing on the breeze dancing on my skin, I drew myself back into the realm of reality. It took me a few more minutes to realise that I was shaking. The adrenaline had faded away, leaving me with the shock and the pain that it had been blocking out.

And damn, it hurt.

Placing himself down next to me, the boy reached into a bag that I hadn't noticed he'd been holding and pulled out a steel canister. With a soft smile gracing his lips, he held it out for me as I fought to keep myself from falling apart. I took it from his grasp without a word of acknowledgement. My tears had all but run dry.

As the soothing liquid trickled down the back of my throat, a small sense of normality and reassurance returned to my body. My vision began to clear as I sat back and let the silence wash over me.

After a few minutes, I finally found the energy to speak.

"Thank you," I muttered – the words spilling out almost as a whisper. Not breaking the air of silence which surrounded us, he didn't respond yet I knew that he had heard me. Panic coursed through my veins as my the shock began to subside and my injuries began to scream out.

The absence of sound was comforting but the haunting crackle of flames loomed over me. Even though we were safely away from the fire, it was as if I could still see the flames. They were there, in the corners of my vision – burning away and looming closer and closer. When I looked, there was nothing but darkness, but I could still feel the heat tickling at my skin.

Slowing my breath into a steady rhythm, I matched my movements with those of the boys. With my chest rising and falling, I forced back the panic and focused in on the racing of my heart. The echo pulsed through my body as I sat and listened to the melody of wind and the remnants of the fire.

I could still smell the smoke and feel the air strangling me but I kept myself from breaking – clinging onto the edge of the abyss.

Minutes passed although, in my mind, it felt like hours. At some point, my eyes had slipped closed as the darkness greeted me like an old friend. It was quiet. It was deadly quiet as for the first time, I couldn't hear the explosions. My ears were filled with ringing as silence reigned free over the land.

"So..." he finally began, "What's your name?"

"Helena," I muttered, "Helena Coleman..." My words trailed off into nothing. I refused to let fear seep into my tone but it was still undeniably there; I was cracking, falling apart at the seams but I refused to break. After everything that had just occurred, I had every right to be in the state that I was in. If anything, I was holding myself together better then I should have been.