Spare Me

Prologue

  7 years earlier

My lungs filled with smoke, they craved fresh air. My shoulder burned with pain. I could hear sirens wailing. I wanted out, my lungs wanted air.....

"Walk darling, hurry!" Grandma huffed in my ear. I pressed my tiny hands on the wall. I pushed myself onto the wall, my legs wobbled. I slowly inched to the door. 5 steps.....4 steps......3 steps...

I collapsed onto the grass in the front yard. I couldn't hold on the consciousness for much longer, my shoulder hurt so much and I just wanted it to stop, I just wanted all of it to stop. the pain, the smoke, the flames, the sirens blaring.

The air was sweet like cold fresh water, I gulped it down when I finally got outside. I looked over to grandma, then to the door. All I saw was the man from the basement. Wheres, mom? she was behind me.....My eyes fluttered. No! I need to stay awake! The sirens blared in my ears. Big hands shook my shoulder.

"Sweetie! Come on! I need oxygen over here!" she yelled. "Don't close your eyes, were going to help. You're going to be fine." she hushed. I gave a slight nod. I let my head roll to the side on the cold damp grass. I heard the girl give a sigh of relief as a man tilted my head straight again and press something to my mouth. They lifted me and put me on an uncomfortable bed. They slide something over my mouth and I could breathe better, no more smoke. My eyes wondered to grandma. She was on a similar bed like mine and they wheeled her to an ambulance. She was looking at the door. The girl smoothed my hair.

"You're going you be fine."

Yet that seemed like a lie. I let my eyes shut and accepted sleep.

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I shot up terrified. Smoke, it surrounded me. I looked around, I was in a hospital room. When did I get here?

"Ohh onyx,"

My head snapped to the side, dad was sitting there, my little brother-Ash- was in his arms wrapped in a blanket. He Was such a cute baby. He was born three weeks ago. They went out for the day to buy me a present for my tenth birthday. lucky them.

"Thank god you're ok," he breathed.

"Where's mom?" my voice rasped. Dad looked down and sadness captured his face. tears welled behind his eyes. but from redness around them, they were the first he shed.

"Sweetie um she didn't make it out,"

Tears hide in my eyes and my body froze.

"No, no, I'm no," my voice cracked and hot tears rolled down my cheeks.

"I know sweet I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry," he cried.

I curled my legs into my chest and let the tears pour from my cheeks to my knees.

"Good news you can leave tomorrow morning. I'm getting us a new house and was living in a hotel right now but not for much longer. And your grandma's fine, the doctors want to put her in a home and were all going to be fine." he rushed the words so fast it was hard to understand. I just nodded my head and went back to bed. I didn't want to talk to anyone I just wanted to keep telling myself that everything was going to be fine, even if it wasn't true.

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I tugged the hair brush through my long raven black hair. I winced as the brush grazed the badges on my shoulder. Three long cuts ran down my shoulder and I don't remember what caused them, just that it hurt. Doctors said that they would permanently scar. constant reminders of the day my mother dies.

"Onyx are you ready?" Dad called from the other side of the bathroom door.

"I'll be right out," I called and picked up my stuff and opened the door. I put the stuff in the new backpack Dad got me and slung it on my shoulders. Dad leads me to the car and got Ash settled in the back, next to me.

The hotel got real boring real fast. But luckily a man visited me to keep me company while Dad went to work and Ash slept.

"Onyx, would you like to come with me? See where I live?" The man-Jack- asked one morning after Dad left for work.

"Can Ash come?" I asked, sitting down on the bed next to him.

"No Ash can't come. I can't teach you with ash there,"

"But I can't leave Ash," I grunted as I worked the knife against the wood. Today Jack was teaching me how to make a stake, it was fun. but it was hard and took a long time.

"How about we take a break and play with matches again, huh?" Jack said taking the wood from my hand. I nodded excitedly to see the flames again. Jack pulled out the matched and stroked one to life, he waved it around and I watched it. He smiled evilly and dropped it onto ash and disappeared.

"No! No! Ash!" I yelled and I ran over to Ash and grabbed the towel next to him and swatted at the fire. Ash cried and so did i. Big hands lifted me up.

"No! No! I have to help him!" I screamed and salty tears entered my mouth.

"Onyx! Stop fighting!" Dad commanded. He sat me down on the other side of the room. "He's fine!" he huffed. I looked at Ash. He was fine flames gone, and he had stopped crying. Dad looked at me, anger and confusion took his face.

"What happened?" he snapped

"Jack! He-he threw a match on Ash!" I cried

"Who's Jack?"

"The man who visits me," I whispered knowing that I was in trouble.

"What?"

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"What's wrong with her?" dad whispered in the Doctor's office. They had me sit in the hall but I could still hear them.

"She's sick Bill, nothing I can't fix. But something that's not going away,"

"She says he's everywhere! When she's awake, in her dreams, teaching her horrifying things!" Dad cried.

"I know, these prescriptions should help. Most of it is probably all mental scarring of the fire." Linda explained. "This one should help for the sleeping, it's still being tested but it's worth a shot,"

I heard them say their goodbyes and dad met me in the hall. He looked scared, not of me but for me. He took my hand and walked me to the car and to the new house. But pills can only help so much.