Let my fires protect you || Kaz Brekker X Reader

Prologue P1

"Mama" I call out to her as I enter our rotten apartment. "Mama" no answer. I run to her room and I find her coughing continously, red blotches on her skin. "Mama, what's wrong? Is it worse?" I say, ensured fear is showed all over my face "No, my little phoenix-" she coughs again "how was your day?" I remind myself of the events that happened that day and tell them to her.

"I was walking around the west stave and this beautiful lady came and talked to me, she offered me a job that would help us, help you. I just need to go to a place called the menagerie"
"Thats wonderful, my little pheo - " she doesn't finish and stops moving...

"Mama," I call to her, she doesn't answer. I shake her and she just rolls lifelessly. No. No. No. Tears start falling from my face, it can't have taken her, not now. "SOMEONE HELP PLEASE!" no one answers, my mother's dead, I am utterly alone. I feel cold and helpless and my mother's corpse does nothing to help me. I clench my fists and I take notice of the wood against my knuckles and think of how warm it would be if it just lit up. I flatten my hands and the world lights on fire.

It was beautiful and hot and was like nothing I felt before, I watch the smoke and the flames devour everything including my mother, the smoke gets into my lungs and the world goes black.

~

I wake up in ash and dust. What happened? Where's my -? Everything comes back to me in flashes of memory. I have a million questions Who caused that fire? Was it me? What am I if so?

I need to find help. I need someone. I don't like being alone. I remember the beautiful lady and run to where she wanted me to go.

I run from the barrel all the way to the west stave, keeping out of the watchful eyes of the stadwatch. And remember the interaction with the lady.

I was running from stadwatch again after stealing bread from a vendor. I turn down an alley and enter a beautiful place. This was west stave. It was nothing like the barrel. The barrel stunk of piss and shit where as this still smelled like it but it atleast looked nice. I got the bread and was disgusted with what I saw. It was moldy and probably writhe with disease. 'I wouldn't eat that If I were you' a beautiful woman called to me 'I know, but I have nothing else' my nostrils flare with the putrid smell of the bread. She walks to me and I notice her necklace. It must have cost a small fortune, I swear it was diamond. 'You could work for me and you would want for nothing' just by her words I feel elated 'really?' I ask my eyes wide with glee, 'yes, sweet one and I could keep you safe...'

The sirens ring and stadwatch flood the place ushering people into there homes. 'I must go, if you want the job come to the menagerie' I smile and I run like hell.

~

I look for a sign for the menagerie and find it. I go the large doors and am stopped by 2 guards. "What are you doing here girl? There is a plague going round no one needs your infection" He spits at me. "I'm not infected, I promise, I was offered a job by a beautiful woman, my mother's dead, I have no where to go, please this is all I have left."

They contemplate for moments before opening the doors, shoving me inside, then barring the door shut again. I stood there in awe of the menagerie. It looked stunning, like a beautiful cage, there were girls in revealing beautiful bird outfits who kept apart from everyone and everything, I assumed due to the plague, but the air felt so clean unlike the barrel, and outside. The guards force me into a room which seemed to be the office of the beautiful woman. 'Hello' I say to her, 'My goodness, so you've accepted" she says to me, "m - my mother's dead I have no where to go but here" I couldve sworn I saw a twisted smile on her face, but she contorts it into a pained expression 'my dear one, I can not fathom how you must feel, but fear not I will take you in and you can help me here, you are safe now' she stalks her way to me and she hugs me, stroking my tangled (h/c) hair.