“No.”
Smoke curls beneath my bedroom door.
I grab my phone from the nightstand and nearly drop it because my fingers are already shaking. The emergency call connects while I scramble out of bed.
“Whispering Pines Emergency Communications. Tessa Nguyen speaking. What’s the address of your emergency?”
I force the words past my tight throat and give her my address.
“Tell me exactly what’s happening.”
“My house is on fire.”
The words come out thin and broken.
“Are you outside?”
“No. I’m upstairs.”
“All right. Tell me your name.”
“Kaia Evans.”
“All right, Kaia. Firefighters are being dispatched now. Where upstairs are you?”
“My bedroom.”
“Is the bedroom door closed?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Keep it closed. Is smoke coming through anywhere?”
I stare at the dark ribbon curling beneath the door.
“Yes. Underneath it.”
“Then do not open that door. The hallway may not be safe. Stay in the bedroom, get low, and move beneath the smoke.”
I drop to my knees.
The room already looks different from down here, the smoke gathering above me while my pulse pounds so hard I can barely hear.
“Tessa, it’s getting worse.”
“I know. Stay with me, Kaia. Can you reach a window?”
“Yes.”
“Go to it. Stay as low as you can.”
I crawl across the floor with the phone clenched in one hand. My eyes sting, and every breath tastes wrong.
Something crashes downstairs.
I flinch so hard my shoulder hits the side of the bed.
“Tessa.”
