“You had one job, Stormi. One! And you can’t even do that right?”
“I’m tired, Jo! Noah wakes up every two hours. I’ve got school, homework, everything!”
“Oh, so now it’s Noah’s fault?” she snapped. “Nobody told you to take all them honors classes, trying to show out like you better than me.”
Her words hit like bricks, but I didn’t have time to argue. The fire was spreading.
“Whatever, Jo. Let’s just go!”
And like some kind of miracle, the door burst open. Firefighters. The room filled with light and shouting. Jo’s anger shifted in an instant. She smirked, brushing her hair back.
“Now that’s the kinda rescuing I need,” she said, eyes locked on one of the men in uniform.
Even as the fire burned down our kitchen, her mind wasn’t on us, it was on them. That night, I made myself a promise. I’d never be her. Never let my worth be measured by a man’s hands or attention.
I’d protect myself, protect what was mine because in my world, no one was coming to save me. I had to be the protector. The provider. The fighter.
“I’m okay, Stormi. You can let me go. I survived so you can live.” The younger version of me said, grabbing my attention from the flashback.
It was as if she felt everything, I was feeling from reliving that moment just now. I tried to fight back the tears, but they started to flow anyways. I could tell in her face it wasn’t her intention to make me cry.
“Tell me… How life’s going?” she quickly asked, wiping away the tear that fell.
“We’re married now. To a man who loves us. Really loves us. Not just says it but shows it. Every single day.”
Her little eyes widened, shiny with disbelief.
“And guess what?” My hand fell to my stomach, and for the first time since I found out, the fear melted into pride. “We’re about to be a mom”
Her gasp was so pure it made my chest ache. “A mommy?”
“Yeah, the kind we wished for soft patient there. The kind who doesn’t run away. Our baby gonna know love like its air.”
She blinked, like she was trying to picture it, and for a second, I saw hope bloom in her face. Hope I never let myself feel back then.
“And Jo?” she asked, her voice small. “Did she… did she get better?”
The question cracked me open. I pulled her close, brushing my lips against her forehead. “She’s working on it; she’s actually trying this time. We’re going to therapy together, learning how to love each other without the poison between us. Our relationship isn’t perfect, but we’re both showing up and she’s clean.”
Tears strung my eyes, hot and fast.
“Noah?” she questioned quickly, before the pain could swallow me whole.
“He’s not little anymore. He’s finding himself, trying to create his own path that I’m not sure I understand, but he’ll be great. Just has to figure himself out.”
“He’ll be okay.” Her smile was slow, but when it came, it lit her whole face up. My face.
“You kept us safe,” I whispered.
“Now it’s your turn,” she said, voice trembling as the silence around us started to buzz, as if the world outside this dream was trying to pull me back.
“I survived long enough for you to get here. And now…. Now you got us. Go be happy. Your family waiting on you.”
Her fingers slipped from mine, her small body fading into light, and I wanted to scream, to beg her to stay. But instead, I heard my own voice echo back at me.
“Keep fighting Stormi. Don’t stop now.”
Then the silence shattered as Seth shouted my name, his voice broken and desperate, and I fought to hold on.
