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ONE
ryth
Flames reachedhigh into the night, consuming the room on the second floor of our house with a roar. The room that had until moments ago been mine. I blinked, trying to dislodge my tears, and shivered.
“Is anyone else in there?”an officer screamed as he raced toward our home and others followed.
But mom didn’t answer. She just stared blankly at what remained of our life as it went up in flames. I coughed and spluttered as I stumbled toward him as he ran to the open front door. I wanted to tell him it was useless…wanted to tell him there was nothing inside to save…not anymore.
Our things were already gone. Our cars, the TV’s, even my laptop with all my assignments for school. All taken, even before the first lick of flames had started.
Taken by the feds for‘evidence’. Evidence of what, I didn’t know.
I looked at the few clothes in my hands, clothes that were all I had left. I hadn’t even grabbed my cell phone that was lying on my dresser charging. They were all I'd had time to grab as I stumbled from the shower, threw on some jeans and a t-shirt, grabbed a handful of clothes off the bed, and raced from the house. Two shirts and a pair of ripped jeans were clutched in my hands, along with one change of panties, but no bra. Tears welled in my eyes.What was I supposed to do with no bra?
Movement drew my gaze to the street behind me. A black sedan with heavily tinted windows rolled past. The red and blue flashing lights from the official vehicles splashed against the gleaming paint. I’d seen cars like that, knew who drove them.
The Rossis…
"Mom?" I stared as the black car cruised past, red brake lights flaring as it drove down our street.
Her wide eyes shone with panic. She hadn't spoken to me, not said a goddamn word, even when the cops had slapped cuffs on dad and taken him away.
“What the hell happened?”
She flinched when I stepped closer and touched her arm. “Did…did the Rossis do this?”
Her breath caught and her eyes closed. That was all the answer I needed.Jesus. I wrapped my arms around my body. First they'd come for him, now they'd taken out our home, leaving us with nothing.
"Elle," a woman’s voice came behind us.
Red and blue lights flashed in the dark, illuminating Stacey Cromwell’s face as she stumbled over the hedge dividing our properties and came closer. She was dressed in her nightie, a satin wrap covering her modesty. A display for the emergency services, no doubt, as she headed toward us with a black plastic bag in her hand, one she held out to my mom. "For your clothes, honey."
"Go away." Mom just stared at our home without turning as it burned to the ground.
But Mrs. Cromwell didn't move, she just stared at my mom until she jerked her gaze toward our neighbor and screamed"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!"
She flinched and stumbled backwards, throwing the garbage bag to the ground before fleeing as fast as she could.
"You didn't need to do that," I said as her cell lit up with a message.
The same first responder who'd run into our house now coughed and spluttered as he stumbled from the door. The piercing wail of sirens filled the air as two more fire trucks pulled up to our house. But the officer just pulled his mask free and shook his head, meeting my mom’s gaze. "There's nothing…nothing we can do. It’s all gone. All—”
Boom!Something inside the house exploded. I flung myself backwards, dropping my clothes and grabbing mom, dragging her with me as the second floor of our house collapsed. But mom didn’t even flinch, just looked at her cell as it lit up with a message.
"What is it?" I picked up the plastic bag and shoved our clothes inside.
God, please don't let it be dad.
"We have to leave," she announced.
"Leave to where?" I straightened and motioned to our burning house as it spewed thick smoke. “We have nowhere to go.”
Headlights splashed against the living room window as it shattered. I glanced behind us to a taxi as it pulled up in our drive and stared as my mom walked toward it.
"Mom, what the hell’s going on?" I followed her, thick tears sliding down my cheeks.
"Just get in the taxi, Ryth." Mom yanked open the back door and climbed in.
