Byzantium

Stage 11

Elise's eyes were wide with bottled fear at the sight of Ivy frightened and in danger. She didn't have much time. Elise gulped then did the one thing she never thought she would have to do, or would do for somebody- she jumped directly into the flames. With her extra abilities, she managed to jump up close to the ceiling, as far away as she could from the fire, and land directly next to Ivy. She grabbed onto Ivy, held the woman tight, and jumped back out of the flaming circle. They landed perfectly safe, though Ivy was blatantly shaking and scared. Elise took Ivy into the kitchen for safety reasons then ran to the backyard for the hose. Hopefully it would reach Ivy's room.

Elise turned the water on high then ran back into the house, not caring that water was getting everywhere. The hose from the backyard was just barely long enough to reach Ivy's room and the flames that were quickly consuming it. Elise went wild and tried to extinguish the fire as fast as she could. It was only when the far end of the room was practically burned did Elise get the fire under control. She kept spraying water everywhere and eventually the flames died down, then completely disappeared. The leftover smoke was burning Elise's throat but she kept spraying water every which way until everything in the room was soggy and the fire was long gone.

Gazing at the mess with sad eyes, Elise dropped her arms. Soot coated everything and what wasn't was soaked. Ivy's room was an ugly sight. Elise felt horrific for the terror she caused. She had been negligent, stupid, and let this fire happen. She walked out of the room with her shoulders slumped, her mind buzzing with reprimands for herself. The hose was still running.

She threw the slick thing into the backyard and turned it off before returning to the kitchen to see if Ivy was okay. Ivy was sitting at the kitchen table, her body shaking, wisps of smoke surrounding her, few tears strolling down her cheeks. She looked up abruptly at Elise. "Judah..." she whispered, voice unsteady.

Elise had completely forgot. "Where is he? Ivy, Ivy, where is he?"

Ivy swallowed hard. "Bunker..."

Elise ran back into Ivy's room and opened up Judah's bunker, ignoring the water and wet clothes that slid off the door. Judah poked his head out and frowned. "Is Ivy okay? I heard her screaming. Why is everything a mess? It smells."

Elise laughed, actually laughed. Judah's ignorance and innocence was a relief. "You're lucky you're not twice dead. Come on, I think Ivy needs you." She helped Judah out of the bunker, trying to wave away leftover smoke. She directed Judah to the kitchen then opened Ivy's window to try and help relieve the stuffiness and charred smell.

Ivy's room was more of a wreck than Elise originally thought. Half of the room was burned and soggy, while the other half had smoke damage. The water that was used to extinguish the fire was already starting to travel to the other side of the room, some of it dripping down into Judah's bunker now. Elise sighed and wondered how to clean the mess.

An annoying beeping sounded throughout the house and Elise scowled. The damned useless fire alarms were finally blaring warnings. She shut them off to save her ears, almost smashing them, then peeked into the kitchen to see how Judah and Ivy were faring. Judah was sitting next to Ivy, who was still crying in her seat. They were both silent.

"Ivy?" Elise cautiously inched into the kitchen. "Are you okay?"

Ivy looked up, her eyes puffy and red. "H-how...?"

"It was that old woman who gives those rolled up notes. I told her we weren't going to do her bidding anymore and she... well..." Elise at least knew that she should be ashamed or embarrassed, so she was both. Her cheeks burned hot and she wasn't sure how to make Ivy feel better.