Flame Bound✔

Chapter One

I drive along the road that seems to stretch for miles, turning up the song playing through the speakers, I stare absently at the trees blending as they speed past me. It seems like just yesterday I was settled at my old high school, hanging out with my friends without a care in the world. Hell, the only concern I had was what outfit I was going to wear to school every day.

Now all that seems so mundane, losing everyone you loved in the world would do that to you. Yup, I'm all alone and moving halfway across the country. New life, new school, new me. I had to, it was the only way I could survive.

I blink my eyes as they brim with tears, remembering so clearly the day that my life turned upside down.

*3 weeks earlier*

I jumped out of my SUV and reached over the middle console to grab my purse from the passenger seat as I looked up through the windshield I saw the front door to my house ajar.
"Okay, that's not weird" I whispered sarcastically.
I had a feeling in my gut something was wrong. I dropped my purse back on the seat and stood and closed the car door. As I walked closer to the door, my heart raced in my chest and my eyes darted around looking for anything that would jump out at me.

"mom? Dad?" I whispered. I reached for the door and hesitantly pushed it open. What I saw will forever be engraved in my memory.

Sitting on two chairs tied together back to back were my parents. Rope wrapped around them, holding them to the chairs, their feet were tied to the legs of the chair and their head slumped forward.
There wasn't an inch of them not covered in blood, I hardly recognized them, their skin looked almost burnt, my mom faced the door, terror frozen in her eyes staring right at me.
I hardly recognized the shrill scream coming from my mouth as I dropped to my knees. I faintly heard the sound of the windows shattering around me as I fell to the ground letting darkness consume me.

I slowly opened my eyes, squinting as bright light flooded my vision. Hearing slow beeping coming from somewhere, I groaned. My head hurt and I just wanted five more minutes before I had to get ready for school. I reached up to rub my eyes and felt something in my arm, I looked down seeing an IV, looking around I see the hospital room for the first time.

Memories flood back to me, making me sit up fast with a gasp. I wince and grab my head as it pounds and dots cloud my vision from the sudden movement.

"No, no, no. please no". I cried as tears slipped down my face.

The door opened and a nurse walked in, "hi Alexis, you're awake. How are you feeling?" she asked calmly.

I just looked at her as tears ran down my face. She checked me over then said she would get the doctor before the door closed behind her.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed before an older man in a doctor's coat came in holding a clipboard followed by another man in a police uniform.

I barely registered the doctor's voice as he addressed me, asking me questions. I looked up, my vision blurred with tears and whispered "my parents".

I'll spare you the gory details as the cop begin to explain to me that I would never see my parents again. They were murdered, well that's an understatement, they were tortured and destroyed. I relived with the cop what I saw when I walked through the door only a few hours earlier.

"honey, do you know anyone who would want to hurt your parents?"

I just looked at him dumbfounded, my parents were the most normal people you would ever meet. My dad was an accountant and my mom stayed home.
We weren't rich but we were doing well, I searched my brain for a reason this could happen. It was like I was stuck in a bad tv show.

I shook my head as I turned over, brought my knees up to my chest and numbly stared at the wall. This couldn't be happening.
The next few days were a blur, leaving the hospital, talking with my social worker and the police constantly. I was being moved to a group home a few hours from my town. I had no family other than my parents, my mom and dad were only children like me and my grandparents had died before I was born.

My whole life changed in a day. I felt numb as I sat on my bed in my bedroom looking at a picture of my mom and I. I looked around the packed room, as I waited on my social worker to come and pick me up and take me to the home.

Sighing I got up and walked to my parent's bedroom and opened the closet. I grabbed my mom's shirt and inhaled the scent of her perfume as tears welled in my eyes.

Turning to walk out of the room something caught my eye, one of the floorboards was sticking out a bit. Honestly, I'm surprised I even saw it. I kneeled to inspect it further, using my nail to pry the board up. I pulled it up and set it behind me, inspecting the contents I whispered, "holy crap".

Inside was a duffel bag filled with cash, I wasn't sure how much but it had to be a million at least. Passports and IDs with my parents and my face but different names and a giant book with strange creatures on the front and two words... "The Flame".

"what the hell," I said to myself as I stared at the items in disbelief. My social worker is going to be here in 30 mins to take me to my new life.
I cant do it, I thought as I sat here on the cold floor looking over the bizarre items.

I ran my hand over the cover of the book, feeling the raised ridges of the golden flames etched into the cover.

"Screw it."

I jumped up, gathered the items, and ran to my bedroom. I grabbed a box and a few essentials and put them in there and took everything to my car.
I jumped in and just drove off, unsure of what would happen I just drove and drove until nightfall.
As I got tired I pulled into a motel and used some of the cash to pay for a room. I brought the duffel bag filled with the cash and IDs and poured it out on the bed.
I spent the next hour counting the money. Exactly 2 million dollars sat in front of me in $100 bills.

I exhaled a big breath as I looked at everything. What had my parents been into? I didn't know them, not really. Was everything I knew a lie? Sighing I gathered everything up and laid down.

At least I have an opportunity to start over, I can change my identity, use the cash, and go somewhere and just start over. I reached into the nightstand beside the bed for the map I saw earlier and unfolded it. I closed my eyes and pointed to a spot on the map and opened my eyes.

Ember, Colorado, okay then. Shutting out the light, I turned over and went to sleep.