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Chapter One
Fiona watched as LaylaBecker, the local weather reporter, furrowed her brow in deep concentration. It was a sunny day in Popsville, but storm clouds gathered in Layla’s eyes. “Do you see something?” Fiona asked. She had invited her two friends—Layla and Bella—to share a meal with her. Layla was known to have visions of the future, and she had that look on her face.
“Guys,” Layla whispered, her voice barely audible. “I just had a vision of a fire...in one of those old Victorian mansions on Elm Street.”
“What?” Fiona asked, startled by the sudden shift in their casual conversation. It certainly wasn’t the first time she and her friends had gone to try to fix something that wasn’t really any of their business, and she was certain it wouldn’t be the last.
They quickly paid and hurried out of the restaurant, wanting to make sure no lives were lost in the fire. As they rushed toward the mansion, wisps of smoke curled up in the distance, confirming Layla’s vision. The scent of burning wood filled the air, making it difficult for them to breathe.
When they got to the house, Layla pounded on the door, while Fiona called 911. They needed to get the fire department there as quickly as possible.
A man from the house next door, hurried from his home, dressed in fireman garb. “I’m Jake,” he called to the three women standing there feeling as if they were unnecessary. “Stay here,” he instructed Layla, Bella, and Fiona. “It’s too dangerous to go inside.”
Layla looked around her, knowing from previous experience that her vision had been about more than just the fire. There was something she needed to find at the house, and staying put wasn’t going to help her.
So Layla, determined to uncover the truth behind her vision, couldn’t resist the urge to investigate. She stealthily made her way around the side of the burning mansion, disappearing from sight.
“Where’s Layla?” Fiona shouted over the roar of the flames, realizing her friend had vanished. Panic surged through her as she searched frantically amongst the chaos. Thankfully, the firetruck was there, and men were pouring out of it to help. “Jake is in there!” Fiona called to the firemen who had just arrived.
“We’ll make sure we get him out!”
“And our friend,” Fiona said. “She just disappeared. I don’t think she’d have gone into a burning building, but if she thought she needed to help someone, she would have.”
Jake came out of the burning building, bent over with his hands resting on his knees, coughing. His gaze caught Fiona and Bella. “Where’s your friend?” he asked.
“She disappeared right after you did,” Bella told him. “We’re worried about her.”
“Damn it! She must have gone inside!” Jake cursed as he pulled on his breathing apparatus and raced back into the inferno.
Inside the mansion, thick smoke clouded Layla’s vision, making her cough and gasp for air. Her heart pounded in her chest as she stumbled through the fiery labyrinth, desperate to find answers. Why had she seen this? What was she meant to learn?
“Over here!” she heard Jake’s muffled voice call out. She followed the sound, relief flooding her as she spotted him through the haze. But as she went to him, she couldn’t help but know she had to find something. She had no idea what, but it was something.
Layla coughed, tears streaming down her smoke-streaked face. “I had to know... I’m sorry.”
“Let’s just get you out of here,” Jake said, his tone gruff but eyes filled with concern. He hoisted her over his shoulder, shielding her from the flames that licked hungrily at his fire-resistant gear.
As they emerged from the burning mansion, Fiona rushed toward them, relief evident in her tear-filled eyes. “Thank God you’re okay!”
“Next time, listen to me when I say stay put,” Jake scolded Layla gently.
“I saw a vision of this house burning. I know that sounds crazy, but there’s always a reason I see things, and I was hoping that I could figure out what had called me here,” Layla said.
Jake shook his head. “You could have been killed trying to figure out why you were here. Wait for the arson report.”
“This was arson?” Layla asked.
“Best I can tell it was,” Jake told her. “Have you always been a fire chaser?”
“I’m not a fire chaser at all. I’m a weather reporter.”
“That’s where I know you from!” Jake said, shaking his head. “I have to get back in there. Stay here!”
As soon as Jake had disappeared, Bella asked, “Did you discover anything?”
Layla shook her head. “I’m hoping we’ll hear something about the fire and why it started. Then we’ll know what to do from there...”
“Maybe we should start a ghost-hunting team,” Fiona joked, attempting to lighten the mood. “Layla could be our psychic medium!”
