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I took off my jacket. “You can hide under here on my back. You won’t see a thing. You’ll be safe. I promise you.”
“You can do it,” Séan said, pushing his friend towards me. “I’ll shout if the fire gets near you.”
Before he could argue, I had already lifted the kid onto my back. His friend helped cover him with my jacket. I held Séan’s hand tight. “Are you ready to run?” I asked him.
He nodded, his eyes tearful now that his friend couldn’t see him. We ran out into the hallway, but in the darkness, he hesitated, so I ended up carrying him, too. He clung onto me like a monkey, but I somehow managed to run down the stairs with both boys in tow. The fire was spreading, but Margo had bought me enough time to make it out before the flames truly lost control.
Outside, in the fresh air, I breathed deeply. I would taste smoke for days. The boys clung to me, still coughing. I carried them across the street to where Margo was lying in her father’s arms, her face snow-white and terrifyingly still.
“Is she okay?” I asked.
“She passed out,” Mr Harding said. “She’s so cold.”
Nathan pulled up in his jeep, immediately checking on Margo. “We need to warm her up.” He lifted her, his expression worried, then carefully laid her in the backseat of his car. Mr Harding climbed in next to her, looking as though he felt completely helpless. Nathan jumped into the front to turn up the heat.
“Stay here,” he told Mr Harding. “All you can do for her now is keep her warm.” He got back out of the jeep and looked me over. “Everyone okay?”
“Yeah. These two heroes helped me get out in time.”
Nathan knelt in front of the boys who were still holding onto me. “Wow,” he said gently. “You must have been really brave. This will be some story to tell the kids in school, right?”
They looked back at him shyly, but their grip on me loosened a little.
“Is that girl dead?” Séan asked.
“Nope,” Nathan said cheerfully. “She’s just tired. She ran a lot to get help.”
“Oh. I’m glad then. Can I text my nan? She’ll be raging if she doesn’t get to see. She’s always talking about firemen.”
“I’m a fireman.”
Séan looked sceptical. “Do you have enough muscles for that?”
I had to try really hard not to laugh.
“How about I call your nan?” Nathan suggested, ignoring my struggles. “We can get in touch with both of your families and let them know you’re okay.”
Once the fire brigade arrived, the boys appeared to forget their fear in their excitement. By the time their families showed up, they were brimming with war stories to boast about. I handed them over to their families, amused by the abrupt change in their demeanours, and finally got a chance to check on Margo.
In the heat of the jeep, she was awake but barely. “Boys okay?” she asked hoarsely.
“They had a shock, but they’re fine now. Thanks to you.” I reached for her hand. The chill of her fingers shocked me. “How are you feeling?”
“I’ll be okay once I warm up.”
The car was already stifling hot. Mr Harding was sweating, even with his jacket off and covering Margo instead. I passed my coat over, but I wasn’t sure it would even do any good.
Nathan returned. He gestured to my throat. “Sure you’re okay?”
“I wasn’t in there long enough to worry. What about the boys?”
“They’re only delighted to get a trip in the ambulance. I think they’ll be fine though. Everything’s under control now. Good timing, Margo.” His voice sounded strained.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“It wasn’t accidental,” he said. “I’d hate to think it was malicious, considering the little boys were upstairs.”
“It looked like it started on a pile of clothes in the kitchen,” I said. “The windows are gone in there, so maybe somebody threw a lit cigarette butt in there or something.”
People could make stupid mistakes. The thought of somebody wanting to hurt two little boys was too much.
I glanced back at Margo. She was still trembling, but she had a determined look on her face. I could probably tell what she was thinking. That using her gift had been worth it, that two innocent boys could have died if her gift hadn’t saved them. There would be no stopping her now. No matter the consequences. Even from the front seat, I could feel the icy chill emanating from her. But worse was the scent in the air. It felt familiar, felt a little too much like death.
