It billowed black against the bright sky, a thick plume rising from the mansion’s roof. And beneath the smoke – flickers, unmistakable, orange and red gnawing at the home we had left sleeping only an hour ago.
My heart dropped, a sickening lurch. I stumbled, tightening my grip on Zach’s legs so I wouldn’t collapse.
“Teo?” He grumbled, waking up. “What’s happening?”
The flames licked higher, the smoke curling into the heavens like some terrible signal.
I couldn’t answer him. All I could do was stare as the only world I knew seemed to split apart in fire.
The smoke thickened with every step I took, bitter and dark against the morning sky. I shifted Rafe off my back, cradling him against my chest like I used to when he was smaller, when he’d fall asleep in the car and I’d carry him inside. His arms clung tight around my neck, but I heldhim firm, my legs breaking into a sprint down the dry-grass slope.
The mansion groaned as if alive, flames snapping from the windows, racing along the white walls like they had been waiting all their lives for this chance. My heart hammered against Rafe’s ribcage where we pressed together.
“Hold on,” I gasped, though he hadn’t let go once.
When the ground leveled, I stopped at the edge of the estate, coughing from the smoke. The gardens looked deserted, the gates wide open, gravel paths glinting in the sun. No shadows moved. No attackers. No one. It was just us, the house, and the fire.
I set Rafe down, my hands shaking as I gripped his shoulders. “Stay here. Do not move, you hear me?”
His eyes were wide, already watering from the smoke. “Teo–”
“Promise me, Rafael!”
He swallowed hard, nodding.
I forced myself to turn from him, toward the mansion.
“¡Mamá!” My voice cracked as I shouted. “¡Papá!”
Nothing answered but the roar of fire and the thunder of collapsing wood. The back door blew open, flames surging outward as if the house were exhaling, desperate to consume the world around it.
Heat pressed against me, searing my skin even from here. I took one deep breath, tasting ash, before I bolted forward in nothing but my soaked swimming trunks, barefoot on the scorching tiles.
Inside, the air was alive with fire. I had barely turned the corner into the hall when something ignited – a blast of heat and sound that ripped me off my feet. For a heartbeat, I felt weightless. Then I was hurled backward, slamming onto the stones outside, the world ringing in my ears.
I lay there, choking, my chest burning, staring up at the reflection of the smoke-choked sky in the tiles. The house roared above me, flames clawing at the heavens. My whole body screamed to move, and somehow, I did – rolling onto my knees, then staggering back up, teeth gritted.
I was ready to go again. Ready to die trying, if it meant reaching them.
I bent my knees, about to leap back into the inferno–
“Teo!” Rafael’s scream cut through everything, sharp and terrified.
I froze, my eyes snapping to him. He stood behind me, small and shaking, his face streaked with tears, his hands outstretched toward me.
And in that instant, I knew.
I couldn’t make him stand there, waiting for me to never return.
The fire raged. Pulling at me.Daring me.
But my baby brother anchored me harder than any chain.
I couldn’t leave him alone on this Earth.
Chapter 5
Present
