The Fire Girl

Chapter 1

Firefly

Myths were typical story past times in the Kalama household. Whether they came from Greece, Israel, or China, all myths and legends were welcomed by the Kalama children. Every night, since before the twins, Adeen and Jack, could even walk, they were read a story. And their love for culture and legends sparked.

Adeen's favorite ones were those with monsters, ones she constantly used to frighten her twin before bedtime.

"Addy, if you jump out and scare me, I'm telling mother!" Five-year-old Jack threatened as he crept into their shared room. He flicked the light on quickly before pressing himself to the wall. His eyes did a rapid take-in of the room before throwing himself onto his bed, yanking the covers over his head to protect himself from the monsters.

"I'm safe, Adeen! You can't get me now," Jack announced and a loud giggle was heard from under his bed. The child peeked out and frowned when he saw the familiar brunette smirking up at him.

"Get out from under there, the monsters will get you!"

"But me and the monsters are friends... Boo!"

"MOTHER!" Jack screamed and Adeen ducked back under the bed. She heard the threatening footsteps of her mom and hid her face in her arms.

"Adeen..."

"No."

"Firefly, get out from under the bed. It's time for sleep. Tomorrow we're going to grandma's house and I do not want you to be cranky," Mrs. Kalama said as she yanked on Adeen's legs. The young child slid out with a squeal before her mum picked her up and threw her onto the bed.

"No more playing with monsters, Adeen," her mother cooed. Adeen frowned but quickly kissed her mother's cheek before snuggling into her blanket. After doing the same to the other twin, the mother said one last goodnight before shutting the door.

Only a mere hour had passed when Adeen grunted as shrugged to get comfortable on her small bed. She had woken up to a sweaty face and damp sheets. She didn't remember experiencing a nightmare as those didn't occur to her often. So after calling out to her mother and father once, she decided to hop out of bed on her own in search of a glass of water.

She flinched with every step she took, the cold radiating off the marble floors seemed to burn her bare feet. She hurried to the kitchen where she took a moment to rub her hot feet. She was surprised as to why her feet were warm even though the floor was freezing.

Adeen served herself a cold cup of water and greedily chugged it down. She whimpered and drank more. But the more she drank, the more her stomach continued to burn. A sudden shot of pain eradicated from her belly up to her neck. She dropped the glass and it shattered on contact. Adeen would normally panic that she would be scolded by her mother for breaking a glass but the pain that she was experiencing was too much. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, whimpering at the pain that spread through her small body.

"Mother! MOTHER, help!"

In a flash, Adeen felt as if her entire body was consumed by fire. And though she thought it was her imagination, flames erupted from her body unwillingly. She screamed as the pain continued to increase, the fire surrounding her burned everything in its path.

"Adeen! Firefly, get out from there!" She heard her father's voice plead from somewhere. Little Adeen couldn't tell where his panicked voice was coming from, but she wanted to desperately be in her father's arms.

"Dada, help! I can't move!"

More shouts were heard but Adeen's body was paralyzed, and in seconds she blacked out from the pain.