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“Leave! Now!” she screamed as she took a step backwards, even closer to the flames.
Knowing we didn’t have time to stand there and argue any longer, I forcibly dragged Jasmine from the room, down the hallways and toward safety, fearful that the walls would swallow us whole as we ran.
“Mrs. H!” Jasmine shouted even as she coughed from smoke filling the narrow passageways. “We can’t just leave her there.”
“We don’t have a choice,” I answered, still running us to the exit. I could hear the fire expanding over the old wood of the manor. The pop and crackle of destruction took over.
I had to stop the image of Mrs. H burning alive from taking over. Right now needed to be about survival. Our survival. About outrunning the Grim Reaper, even if Mrs. H chose not to.
As we exited the secret hallways, I heard an explosion to my left, the fire only growing in intensity because of it. This old building had no sprinkler system and also no fire extinguishers. There was only one thing to do. Run.
“She’s going to die in there,” Jasmine said, finally stopping. Her eyes glanced behind us where we had just been, but she knew what I did. Going back into the passageways would be a death sentence.
“If we stay here, we die.” I tightened my hold on her hand and continued to pull her toward the exit. We couldn’t allow Mrs. H to take us with her and her guilt.
As Jasmine and I ran from the burning manor, feeling the heat of the flames on our back, I knew something life changing was occurring.
The Devil was reclaiming his property.
Our labored breathing and pounding legs carried us toward safety—ironic since it was the Elders who met us outside, standing, gawking at the blaze at a safe distance, helpless to do anything but watch as their legacy burned.
I looked over my shoulder. The fire was bright, orange and yellow. Its flames fed on the Oleander like a voracious beast. It seemed to hover a few inches off the ground and crawl towards us, beckoning us to return within the manor’s grasp.
Montgomery and Beau rushed toward us, making sure we could run the rest of the way unassisted.
“Was anyone else in there? Do you think everyone got out?” Montgomery asked.
Jasmine shook her head, coughing. “Mrs. H. She’s still in there.”
The smoke from the fire was a dark gray wall that blocked off any hope of returning to the manor before it collapsed in on itself. I didn’t even have to say a word for both Montgomery and Beau to see what I saw. It was no use. What was inside, and who was inside, were no longer savable.
We joined Emmett and Rafe who were standing off to the side, away from the Elders who stood with their tuxedos as if they were dressed up for the special occasion of the burning down of the Oleander.
It was the ultimate Trial. All we needed were silver robes, cocktails, and a naked belle.
We were all together watching the destruction, and yet so very far apart. Not one of the Elders, including my father, came up to see if Jasmine and I were alright. We were the last to leave the manor, and there wasn’t even a bat of an eyelash in our direction.
All the Elders were talking amongst themselves. Discussing, planning, plotting. Not one of them asked about Mrs. H or seemed to even notice that the housemother wasn’t anywhere to be found.
I could hear sirens in the distance, but they’d arrive too late. The Oleander, and years’ worth of highly flammable curtains, oiled wooden floors, furniture, paintings, and priceless antiques were fully engulfed. Our past, our lineage, our history, and our tradition turning into nothing but ash.
Good riddance.
“Is Mrs. H really still in there?” Beau asked, as we all stood before the inferno.
“She wouldn’t leave,” I explained, still in shock. “She was determined to stay.”
“She started the fire,” Jasmine added. “On purpose.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my friends shaking their heads in disbelief, no doubt battling the same internal demons I was. Part of me stood on the grass of the Oleander in relief, and another part of me stood in horror and full of sadness while I watched a part of my childhood, a part of my present, and an even bigger part of what should be my future burn to the ground.
One Elder moved in front of the spectators and boomed, “Allow the Elders to speak with the authorities. Say nothing. We will handle it on our end. We don’t know what started the fire, but we’ll get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, don’t worry. We will rebuild and make the manor even grander than before. This will not hold us back. This is not the end.”
