Ch. 5

She’s on Fire






Two weeks gone from school, and now I have to go back. Well, what if I don’t WANT to go back to school. I can’t believe Mom is making me go back to school! She argued with me for an hour about changing my cloths too. Like I’m going to wear something cheerful to school when something like this happens…yeah right.

When I got out of my Mother’s car, and took that first step onto school grounds, I could feel all the eyes on me. Nobody recognized me, and I could tell that. I bet they thought I was a new kid or something. Only one person has seen me in total and complete black, and that’s David. Hell, David probably won’t recognize me either, come to think of it., I’ve never worn this much eyeliner, or this much makeup.

To the people who did happen to spot me, they were kind and nice, I was cold and hard. “Good God…Kylie?” Page walked up beside my locker. I glanced over at her.

“What.” I slammed my locker door shut, and devoted all my attention to her. My eyes burned into hers, and my fingers tapped against my leg.

She looked stunned, like she was having troubles trying to come up with something to say. “I just came by to say I was sorry for what happened, and that I was here for you…but it looks like you have everything under complete control.” Her voice got icy, and she started to walk away.

“What the hell is that suppose to mean?” I stopped her by holding out my arm. Her eyes flashed up to mine, they dramatically changed within seconds, it’s like she was looking at somebody other than me.

“It doesn’t mean anything other than what it says. You’ve decided to go all black, and give up.” Page gave me a disgusted look, and tried to walk away again, but I wouldn’t let her.

“And so what if I am?” I asked, my tone now matching hers.

Page glared at me. “I told you when we first became friends that I was NOT going to hang out with a Goth. Either you pull yourself together, or I’m gone.” She physically pushed me aside so she could make her way by. I spun around and watched her get away from me as fast as possible.

I walked through the rest of the day with Page’s words pressed in the back of my mind. I was sent to the office almost every hour of the day. They all think I’m still in shock, that I don’t know how to act, but I do. I know exactly what I’m doing. I want to stay as far away from people as I can. I don’t want human contact, I just want to brick myself up in a little room, with nothing other than myself and the four walls that surround me.

The bell rang, and I pushed myself out of my chair. “See you tomorrow.” The lady sitting at the front desk said to me. I took that almost as an offence. What the hell does she mean? I’ll see you tomorrow, like I’m a freaking regular at the damn office. I’M NOT! I mean…okay, TODAY I am…

The halls were no help. People staring, and whispering as I passed them. I mean, HELLO it’s not like I don’t SEE THEM. I bit my tongue all the way too my locker. I could have said something to them… but I didn’t. I don’t know what I would have done to them if I even took more than a two second look at them. In and out, in and out, in and out. I just had to get in and out of this place.

My hand trailed on the chain link fence as I walked my way home by myself. I was almost home, almost home…and then David caught up with me. I was at my driveway, my DRIVEWAY for God’s sake, and this is when he decides to talk to me…AT MY DRIVEWAY. I just want to be inside, so I can cry in peace! “Kylie…” David looked me up and down.

“Yeah, yeah, Page already told me. I’m not allowed to be your guy’s friends because of who I’ve changed into. Well, you know what, if that’s the way you people feel, then I don’t think I really WANT to be you’re friend in the first place.” I started back up my driveway.

“Kylie…no…wait.”

“No, how about YOU wait. I’ve been waiting way too long. I don’t want to do this anymore damnit, I want to just be done with it. You people just don’t understand! Obviously you can’t be my friend, so why are you still here?!” I spun around and dropped my backpack, my mood changing from mad to sad and depressed.

“But Kylie, I still want to be your friend!” David’s eyes were pleading and they sparkled in the glittering sun. I bent down and picked up my abandoned backpack. I looked back up at David again.
“Then try to help me…don’t ditch me.” I shook my head at him, and sprinted my way up the steps and into my house. I slid down the closed door and leaned my head against my knees.

Mom’s not here, she never will be. She’ll be at the hospital, doing God knows what, because she sure as hell isn’t sitting by Candice or Dad. I don’t see why I can’t go see my own family. I know they aren’t awake, but Candice actually has a CHANCE at waking up. I want to be there when she does. She can’t keep me away forever. The sound of the doorbell ringing made me scream and shoot myself forward, away from the door.

My heart was racing, and my hands were shaking. I picked up my backpack and let the person at the door wait. I walked up the stairs to my room, and the doorbell rang through the house again. Whoever it was…could just burn in hell. I flopped on my bed, and closed my eyes. The doorbell ripped through my thoughts and I groaned loudly. “GO AWAY!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. That just made the doorbell ring even more.

I walked over to my window, to see who was trying to make me go freaking insane. It was the reporter…Lara I think. She was at MY door…ringing MY doorbell…invading MY privacy…DIDN’T SHE LEARN HER FUCKING LESSON THE FIRST TIME?!

She noticed me at the window and she waved. “Kylie! Kylie!” She started to run over to underneath my window. I watched her try to make her way across the yard in her shoes, her high heals sinking deep into the rich soil that created our fine grass. “Kylie, rumor has it that Candice has woken up, is it true?” Her voice was so eager to get the news first. I waited until she just got across the yard, waited until she was just close enough to catch the sight of my middle finger disappearing into the curtain I pulled down over my window.



“Kylie, come on, open up!” David’s voice seeped in through the crack under my door.

“NO! LET ME BURN WITH THE HOUSE!” I screamed, the flames encircling my bed. I could hear David screaming at me and banging at the door.

“Kylie! Come on, seriously.” Page’s voice said next. They both thought they could save me, well they were wrong, because they can’t. I don’t want to be saved.

“I’M NOT LISTENING!” I shouted over the roar of the fire. A beam in my room crackled and fell with a boom, and I screamed. The house was really coming down, and I was right in the middle of it. The bright light of the flames blinded me, and I pulled the blanket over my head. I heard David breaking down my door, and him and Page running in my room, coughing.

“KYLIE!” Page screamed at me, but I kept my head under the blanket. A hand shook me hard, and I flung myself out of bed.

I looked around in confusion….is that smoke I smell…..? I looked up to see David holding me. I screamed and backed up. OH MY GOD THE HOUSE WAS ON FIRE! My mind screamed at me. I wasn’t dreaming! Okay…I was dreaming…but what I was dreaming was really happening, so it wasn’t technically a dream, but spiritually it kind of was…but in a technical way. My mind was spinning. My house was on fire, and I was going to just sleep through it.

I started to choke on the smoke and David dragged me through the door and out into the hallway. “No!” I screamed and started to run back towards the bed.

“Kylie! We have to get out!” David yelled, following me back the way we just came. I dodged falling rafters and managed to get my way through burning masses off, what I’m guessing to be, my cloths on the floor. I got to my mattress, and lifted it up. A little black, leather bound, book sat staring back at me. “Good God Kylie! You came back for your damn diary!” David grabbed my arm with force, and started to push me away, I almost didn’t grab the book. The mattress seconds later burst into flame.

Page was standing at the door, fidgeting. I wonder if she was afraid of burning to death, and what if we do burn to death…it’ll be all my fault. David’s hand was on my back, and we just reached the doorway of my room. And suddenly the floor started to spin. I put my hand out to the doorframe, to hold myself up, but it was burning hot.

I pulled my hand back to my body, and then collapsed…all the yellow and orange blazing from the walls around me. How did this happen?….


Jack the Ripper