From The Flames


I looked up at my burning house. My little sister, Jamie looked down at me from our shared bedroom window. Jamie slammed on the glass and screamed for help. I looked into Jamie's eyes and saw the fear there, I could hear my little sisters screams and pleas for help even over the sirens and the roar of the fire. my parents were already gone, I knew this because when I'd tried to wake them up and tell them about the fire they wouldn't move. As I thought about this my eyes filled with tears, I wanted to stay with my mommy forever, leaving mommy felt like abandonment but I knew I had to go back for Jamie. Mommy would want me to protect Jamie.

Lilly had run down the hall screaming for Jamie to come to her. She had turned the last corner before the little hall leading to her sisters bedroom and saw that the part of hall way between herself and little Jamie's bedroom was engulfed in flame. Lilly screamed as the fire just about burned her frail arm. She remembered what mommy had said one time about fires. Duck down. Smoke rises. So she did. Lilly knew the only thing she could do was get out and tell the firefighters that she heard outside about her little sister. Lilly knew her sissy was alive, she heard her calling her name.

Lilly ran outside, past the fire and to the first firefighter she could find and screamed that her sissy was inside, that they had to get her. The fighter went in and was taking way too long for Lilly's liking. Lilly had to get away. In all the chaos escape wasn't too hard to do. Lilly just waited for the nurse to tend to someone else and then ran off toward the window where her little sister coughed and gagged from smoke inhalation. The window was partly open but Jamie was only six and very short, she couldn't reach the latch to unlock the window. Lilly was two years older and could reach it but the window wasn't open enough to squeeze her arm through to switch the latch. The metal on the window was hot, it scorched Lilly's arms and left blisters. Lilly's eyes filled again as she looked around. She saw a firefighter axe laying on the ground nearby. She ran over, grabbed it and ran back. Jamie saw the axe and nodded encouragingly, she smiled and stepped back so that when Lilly smashed the window she wouldn't get glass in her eyes or face.

Lilly heaved back the big axe and swung it forward with all her might. The glass shattered and Jamie grabbed her slippers from beside the bed so she wouldn't cut her feet climbing out the window. She pulled her sleeve over the palm of her hand and pulled herself up, balancing on the window sill edge.

“Catch me sissy!” Yelled Jamie.

“Don't worry I've got you!” Lilly screamed back over the booming fire.

Jamie jumped into Lilly's arms and she fell back from the impact, landing on her bum. Lilly saw the firefighters in the window, They gave the two girls a once over and ran back into the hall to exit the building. Lilly grabbed Jamie's jacket and dragged her over to the ambulance. When the nurse realized what Lilly had done she hugged the girls and said Lilly was a hero and such a big girl.

They were safe now.

Lilly and Jamie shared a hospital room. “When can we see mommy and daddy, Lilly?” Jamie asked her sister.

Lilly frowned.


“Jamie, their gone. It's just us now.” Lilly explained. Jamie's eyes filled. “What do you mean sissy? Why are they gone? Where did they go? Why would they leave us now, when things are so scary?” Now Lilly's eyes were wet too. “I don't know Jamie..” Was all she could say.

Four years of foster homes. Four years of hate, Lies and abuse.

Lilly hated foster homes, hated the creepy old men who kept touching her and saying weird things to her. She just wanted a real home, she couldn't even remember what a real home felt like. She deserved this though. She let her mom and dad die. This was her pay back.

Creepy Foster dads -They had nine in the past four years- would touch their thighs and tell them they were good girls. One dad had even tried to pull off Jamie's skirt after sneaking into her room at night. Lilly figured it was because they were pretty girls, all blue eyed, gold curled innocents. Lilly had to get Jamie out of these houses.

One night Lilly sat in bed until two A.M thinking up ways she and her sister could escape from those horrible dads. Once she had a plan she snuck quietly into her sisters room and woke her up.

“Grab your backpack and put anything you'll need in it sissy, I'm getting you out of here.” Lilly said.

Jamie didn't even ask why, just did as she was told and followed her big sister out the door.

Lilly brought her little sister to their old house. People were starting to rebuild it. They hadn't touched the garage yet though, thank god. Lilly remembered what mommy had said a year before the fire.

“Now look Lilly, If anything were to ever happen and mommy and daddy weren't around, mommy has a special bank account for you and your little sister. It's called emergency savings. Okay? But that's what it's for, emergence’s only.” Mommy had said, patting my head. Mommy lead me into the garage, which was a separate building from the main part of the house, and opened a little hatch. When mommy pulled her hand out she had a little card with the RBC sign.

This time though it was Lilly's turn so she copied what mom had done and showed her little sister. Lilly had known mom and dad had a lot of money but twenty thousand dollars? How had mom gotten that?

Finally Lilly took her little sister to her parents old cabin. Lilly had high hopes that the cabin would be empty and it was. Things were going too well. Instead of selling the cabin after their parents death people had just left it dirty and abandoned, this made Lilly sad. She was grateful though. She was sure mom was looking over her and her little sister now.

“We're going to live here now sissy.” Lilly told her sister matter-of-factly.

Jamie looked up at the big cobwebby cabin. “It needs to be cleaned... Are you sure we can survive sissy?”

Lilly hugged her sister “Positive.”

Lilly took care of her sister and kept her promise. No one came looking for them, no one cared. Another four years went by and finally Lilly was old enough to have a job.
The twenty thousand not only lasted but still had about five or six thousand left because since the cabin was abandoned the girls payed no rent and they lived off candle light. Lilly was a good cook and knew how to build a fire since her mom and dad taught her how in this cabin before they died. For water they used the lake and hauled water from there to the cabin in big buckets. Bath time was hard but they managed, heating their water over the fire.

Once Lilly got her job though it only took a year before she made enough money to stop leaning on her parents money except in emergence’s. She got heat and electricity and used her parents money only for backup in case they needed food and only a year after that Jaime had finally come of working age. Between both girls pay cheques they had enough to live without being scared. It had taken years but they finally did it. At only eight-teen and sixteen years old the girls were supporting themselves. Lilly had gotten a boyfriend from work who was very nice, everything you could want in a man, too good to be true but he really was just that amazing. When the man heard of their living arrangements he insisted they move in with him telling Lilly he would support them. Jeremy was twenty three years old and really could help. Five years older than Lilly. Some part of Lilly didn't want to leave her cabin, she felt safe there it was all she had left of her parents. When she told that to Jeremy he only smiled kindly.

“Then I guess I'll just have to move in with you now wont I?” He said

Ten years later and the three of them still lived together happily. In fact, they had put their savings together and upgraded their house, making it bigger with two more rooms. At twenty eight Lilly had her first baby, a little girl she named after her mother, Danielle. Jamie decided to move out and start her own life. Her own family.

Jamie had finally finished packing out all her boxes to her boyfriends truck. She threw the last box into the truck bed and turned to hug and kiss her sister.

“I know I'm only a fifteen minute drive away but it feels like I'm never going to see you again. I”m so nervous sis” Said Jamie.

Lilly kissed Jamie’s cheek. “Don't worry hon” She said. “I got you, I always did didn't I?” Lilly wiped a tear from her sisters cheek.

“Your such a strong girl now. I love you sis, no matter where you go, I'll always be right there to catch you, no matter how hard things get I'll always be there to pull you from the flames.”

Imprint

Text: Hailey Fowler
Editing: Hailey Fowler
Publication Date: 06-11-2012

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
To Danielle who's been there for me through everything.