"Take this sweetheart," Mom says, passing a bowl of warm stew to Elizabeth, and I sit on the stool beside the bed, silently waiting to see if Mom or Lizzy needs anything. The unknown disease that is spreading throughout the world has now reached Denver, and my sister was one of its hosts.
Hospitals are becoming overwhelmed with the number of patients that have flooded them, and Lizzy knew this, so as soon as she got sick, she said with a straight face: "Don't take me to the hospital, please. If it's the last thing I ask of you, please let it be this. I can't stand the thought of me taking a bed in the hospital that someone else might have needed more."
It broke my family's heart to not get her somewhere where we can be certain she will be cared for, and with businesses shutting down like dominoes, Mom and Dad are struggling to keep the electricity on.
Lizzy sits up from her bed, taking the bowl of soup, and the blankets fall onto her lap, letting me see the faint black vanes that stretch from her wrist and up her arm.
I see Mom from the corner of my eye stifle a cry. Instead, she bounces her leg up and down, sitting on the edge of the bed, brushing Lizzy's long, black hair with her hand.
"Please don't be sad Mom," Lizzy says with a smile, and my heart swells. She's only two years older than me and yet she acts like a warrior. A fragile body with a brave soul.
Mom leans down and places her forehead against Lizzy's, and they sit there for a few minutes. I take the time to memorize the moment, from the way Mom's hair falls to the way Lizzy's hand squeezes Mom's.
I wake with a jolt, and I notice my cheeks are wet, likely from crying.
My family.
The bed creaks as I move, slowly making my way to the edge of the bed, and I sit there, looking back on my dream.
That memory happened about a month ago, but now the disease that spread like wildfire has seeped into other countries. Luckily, Lizzy has since looked like she is improving, but I'm not sure how Lizzy and everyone else are going to get food and such, since I totaled the one vehicle we had. They trusted me to be safe and drive through the heavy weather while they deep cleaned the house, ridding it of all germs to make sure no one else got sick.
I'm a failure. I've only gone and caused my family more trouble.
The thought brings a few tears to my eyes, and in the privacy of my room, I don't bother stopping them, letting myself cry to sleep until my head is pounding.
~~~
A loud knock wakes me up, and I jump from my bed.
"Who is it?" I ask, gathering the courage to approach the door, and I do my best to make the quivering of my voice stop, putting my feelings in a small box deep inside me, making sure it's not to show itself again.
"It's Ally. I'm going to be your maid for as long as you stay here, or as long as you wish me to be," she says, her voice drowned from the door.
I open the dark, wooden door, and see a lady not older than thirty-five standing there, a smile on her face as she stands with a pair of clothes in hand.
Her hair is dark blonde, which is neatly braided into a Dutch braid on both sides, and her apron is white, but on the bottom left corner, there is a symbol. A crown.
I bring my attention back to her face and gasp, my hands flying to my mouth. Her ears are pointed, and they remind me of the fae pictures I have seen before. I stare, the sight leaving me in awe.
Right as I open my mouth, she starts speaking, and I halt, listening as she explains.
"I'm a faerie, summoned to aid you in whatever I can," she says, and my eyebrows raise.
YOU ARE READING
Fire and Ash
Fantasy"You're arrogant," I don't back down, even though my heart is beating twice as fast. "What makes you think that?" His mouth presses into a straight line. "I can see it in you. The way you walk, the way you talk," he doesn't move, and I sigh before c...
