~5 years ago~
It was a typical day. I had just gotten back from school, Theresa was holding my hand skipping alongside me. She was giggling and telling me all about how much work she did in her class and how much she enjoyed it. Her straight black hair bouncing along with her.
Her hair is straight as a stick whereas mine has some bounce and wave in it. Theresa is in first grade, she was an unplanned pregnancy, but we wouldn't change her for the world.
We enter our small house and she runs through to the kitchen. "Nutella sandwich? Pleasssseee." She begs me as I close the door, I laugh and walk to where shes sitting.
"We haven't even been in the house for 2 minutes Thers..." her eyes go big and she sticks her bottom lip out. "Okay okay, but only if you promise to have a glass of milk."
"But Memee..." she whines. But I grab a glass and pour her a glass of milk. I place it infront of her. She glares at it but when the jar of nutella appears, she downs it like a champ.
"Careful sis. You might want to slow down..." she does sort of slow down and I make her the glorified chocolate sandwich that she desperately wants. I hand it to her and she immediately eats it as if she has not seen food in weeks. I chuckle and make myself a tomato and cheese sandwich.
"Want to watch a movie Memee?" She asks as she wipes, well, smears the chocolate across her face.
I think of all my homework and projects that need to be done. "I don't know... I have a lot of school stuff to do..." she looks at me with big puppy dog eyes. "Fineeee." I surrender to her.
She squeals and runs to the DVD player and puts in her favorite movie. 'Home' I must've already watched this movie a thousand times. I make myself comfortable on the couch, with her sitting up as if she's never seen the movie before.
I just finish my sandwich, which takes me a good half an hour, when my dad comes home. "Daddy!" Theresa exclaims and launches herself towards him. He bends down and picks her up, but I see his eyes... he isn't happy... he forces a smile.
Mom slowly slinks inside behind him and her body language says everything to me. "I'm going to make dinner, how does spaghetti and meatballs sound?" Theresa nods her head frantically and my mom smiles a sad smile. She heads to the kitchen and I get up.
I follow her to the kitchen and look at her. "Mom?" I say softly. She tenses before she turns to me.
"Yes Mia love?" She says softly and calmly back to me.
"What's happening?" She just stares at me. "I'm not stupid mom... I know something's wrong... tell me..." she shakes her head and tries to give me a smile.
"No. Nothing's wrong baby." I frown and walk back to the lounge. Theresa is stretched out on the couch and dad is nowhere to be seen. I sigh and sit down to watch the movie with her. I'm so comfy I doze off.
I jump up and see Theresa is not there next to me but in the kitchen with mom and dad. I walk cautiously to the counter and see dad is making his infamous hot chocolate to drink with our food.
"There you are, sleepy head." Dad says to me and I give him a small smile. "Here you go." He passes me the mug and I take it.
I begin to drink it and I enjoy the chocolatey goodness. We eat and drink in mostly silence, Theresa pipes up about her day but she gets no reaction from mom nor dad, eventually she just stays quiet and eats her meatballs.
"Okay Theresa... time for bed baby." Dad opens his arms and she climbs into them, once we are done eating. He carries her upstairs to her room, leaving just me and mom. I drink my not so hot chocolate and see her looking at me.
"Mia?" She asks and I nod my head as I chew on a marshmallow that sank down to the bottom. "I want you to have this." I frown as she takes the locket off her neck, she places it over my head. "I love you darling..." she says softly and I am even more confused as to why she's giving me her most prized possession and why she's staying 'I love you' as if it's the last time she will be saying it.
"I love you too mama." I say and finish my drink. She looks at me with sad eyes.
"Come it's bedtime..." I follow her up to my room and once there she kisses my head. "I love you." She says again.
"Mom?" I ask softly as I take hold of the locket around my neck. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes baby... sleep now..." she says before she leaves my room and closes the door. I stare at it for a while before looking out my small window, the moon is bright and the stars are gorgeous. I wish I could watch them the whole night but I've got homework and stuff to do.
Instead I get into bed and feel my eyelids get heavy. I sigh and snuggle deeper into my duvet. "Just for a few minutes." I mumble to myself as I drift off quickly.
Next thing I know is I'm sweating, like it's really really hot. I sit up and rub my heavy eyes. I can't comprehend what is happening, I feel sluggish almost like when you're in a dream and trying to make quick moves but you cant. I stand and the world spins. I stumble and lean against my wall for support.
I get to my door and try to open it. But the moment my hands touch the handle the searing burning pain shoots straight through me, making me wake up pretty quickly. I scream out in pain. Then I hear her.
"Memee!" Theresa screams out from her room next to mine. "Mama! Daddy?!" I bite my tongue and try to open my door again. No matter how badly my body wants to jerk my hands away, I keep turning the handle until it opens.
I can smell my burning flesh, but my sister needs me. The fire roars at me and I stumble a bit backwards from the heat. I get up and go to her door, I bang on it.
"Theresa?!" I scream out and begin to cough from the smoke.
"Memee?" She asks through the door.
"Open the door." I say but I hear her whimper. Must be as hot as mine was. I think of wetting a towel and trying to open the door then. I run to the bathroom and open the tap. No water. I scream in frustration and go to my parents bedroom. The door is open.
The flames dance around me, burning my ankles. I walk into their room and what I find will forever be my nightmare. My mom is on the bed reaching for something but there's a hole in her head and her face is filled with terror. I look at dad's side and I find him slumped over with a gun in his hands.
Realizing that my mom and dad are dead, my heart breaks. But I'm even more determined to save my sister.
I run back to her room. "Theresa!" I call out and begin to cough more from the smoke now filling the house. My eyes burn and my lungs scream for fresh air.
There's no reply so I bang on the door "Theresa!" I call out again and there's only silence. I try the handle again and I once again try to ignore the unbearable burning.
I scream out as I finally open the door, I pull my hands from the handle and I see skin and flesh are left behind on the handle. I clench my hands and try to subside the burning. But I only make it worse the still hot flesh peels off even more, I try to relax my hands but I can't my muscles or something must be damaged.
I can't unclench my hands. I ignore it and I wipe my eyes, they are watering and burning so bad. I hear sirens as I search through the room for Theresa.
I see a figure laying on the floor near the door, I get on my hands and knees. "Theresa?" I call out again but her eyes are closed. I look around me for a way out, the hallway I was standing in is now covered in flames, so I can't go that way. I walk to her window, which is atleast bigger than mine.
I look down and see the firetrucks and firemen pour out the truck and my heartbeat slows thinking that we will be okay.
But not long after I thought everything would be okay and my heart slowed, does it speed up again when the carpet inside her room ignites. "No. No. No. No." I chant as I rush back to Theresa. I want to grab her arms and pull her to the window but I can't relax my hands.
I struggle to think of another way, the smoke is getting to me and we don't have much time left.
I push my hands under her armpits and hoist her up, I pull with all my might and I see the fire creeping closer as I pull her to the window.
Finally when I get her to the window I feel like I'm one step closer. Darkness clouds my vision but I force myself to carry on. I lift her onto the windowsill.
I hunch over and try to catch my breath but that's impossible so I lean against the glass. I'm starting to feel faint. My eyes want to close but I refuse to die by the window.
I fiddle with the hatchet and eventually I get it open somehow. I wipe my forehead that is covered in sweat and place my burnt hands that are still clenched on the window.
I push it and it doesn't budge. So I use my last bit of strength and try again. The window flies open and I take deep breaths of the fresh crisp air.
I begin to climb out pulling Theresa with me onto the small roof of the first floor but what I didn't take into account is how the fire would react to the fresh oxygen. I'm still holding Theresa when the fire flashes over, with the force from the flash over, it pushes me forward with my sister in my arms.
I fall face first down the rough roof, and having practically no hands, I can't grab onto anything as I go over the edge with Theresa in my arms. I see the ground rushing towards me and I try to turn mid-air in order to protect Theresa. I don't know if I'm successful because as I hit the ground everything goes black.
When I wake up. I discovered that I had been in an induced coma for several months and had countless surgeries on my hands, including skin grafts and I don't know what else.
I also found out... that I wasn't successful... in saving Theresa... I actually was the cause of her instant death... I landed ontop of her... she wasn't dead when we fell... but she wouldn't have survived the fall even if I could've turned and taken the brunt of the impact... she had inhaled too much smoke and was basically brain dead because of lack of oxygen.
But I still feel responsible...
Because of my circumstances, my aunt, Kathryn, my mother's sister, adopted me. She's a single mom to three other kids and was forced to take me in, if not I would've gone into the foster system.
To support 4 kids is very difficult especially if one is sprung upon you. It's even more difficult if you were barely surviving and supporting the existing 3.
~Present Day~
That's why I took a job. To help. But sadly it's not much. I'm pulled out of my flashback when I hear the door to my safe space open. My heart stops as I stare at the door, waiting to see who is coming.
Now you know... I feel sorry for her honestly and even more sorry for the chapters to come... tehehe.
Who do you think is at the door?