I'm new and this is my first post so please, please ,please review. These parts were originally chapters but i think it would be better to just separate them with ~~~ these things. I apologize for the shortness of chapters this is only half of the story i will post more soon. Enjoy !
~peanut~
Curvilinear smoke swirled around her, making it harder and harder to breathe, the thick smoke clogging her lungs. As she looked around the black room, her vision blurred, she saw that the living room door was smashed in. Through the door she could see straight into the kitchen. She noticed with a shock that a blazing fire was raging near the side door.
Then the paranoia hit. Lacie had no idea what to do. Her father was on a case, therefore, he was nowhere to be found. Lacie let out a blood-curdling scream the precarious reaction allowed more black smoke to enter her already damaged lungs. Unaware of what was happening she fell back onto the couch, and silently prayed for her safety.
She heard voices yelling from the other side of the wall. She could hear Spencer’s voice over all the rest calling her name. Lacie fought back a panicked scream as she noticed the ceiling in the kitchen groaning from the intensity of the fire below it. She knew that if the ceiling did cave-in the fire would spread even more. It was already seeping under the mangled door frame. Lacie was trapped.
Suddenly there was a catastrophic crash in the kitchen ceiling collapsed. The last thing Lacie saw was her father’s terrified face as he fell from her second story bedroom. Then all was black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shrill beeping filled the room around Lacie as she regained consciousness. As she looked around she took a deep breath. Fresh oxygen filled her lungs as a hushed whisper reached her ears.
Caroline spoke from the corner her voice cracking, “ Lacie, it was horrible,” she said her lips trembling the last word cracking like thin ice. Lacie waited for her to continue, the oxygen mask covering her mouth enabling her to speak. “ Lacie, he’s gone, they’re both gone. It was the fire it killed them. It was terrible.” Caroline sobbed tears rolled down her cheeks.
Lacie turned away from Caroline hiding the tears in her eyes that threatened to fall. As she lay there she thought about the fire, the cave-in, and the look on her father’s horror-stricken face. It was almost as if he knew that he was destined to fall and sacrifice his life for her’s. The dissolution of her small family was almost too much for Lacie to endure.
That afternoon when the nurse came to check on Lacie, she was pleased to find that she was awake. The nurse took off Lacie’s oxygen mask and pushed her toward another room.
The nurse silently pushed the gurney out of the room. The only sounds Lacie could hear were the squeak of the gurney’s wheels on the waxy floor and the occasional huffing of the nurse. When they pulled up in front of the door the nurse stopped, catching her breath before sliding the rolling bed through the narrow doorway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Caroline trembled as the car drove toward the orphanage. Her father’s funeral had been planned to be right after she got settled in. Before they pulled into the huge front gate the bright sun slid behind a cloud casting a dark shadow over the car and everything surrounding it. The sky turned gray, just for a moment, portraying Caroline’s gloominess.
A loud thud rocked the car as the driver slammed his door impatiently. Caroline hesitated then opened her door, the sun sliding out from behind the dark clouds. It shone on the orphanage’s door. As Caroline stared at the door it opened and between the crafted doorframes stood a young woman. She stood welcoming Caroline inside.
The trunk door shut and the driver handed Caroline her bags, shoving her forward closer to the open door. She walked up the front steps and through the wooden door, the woman closing it behind her as she entered.
In front of her loomed the front hall of the orphanage. It looked like a skilled artisan crafted it. The high ceiling was painted with beautiful murals. Caroline stopped staring at the paintings above her.
“Come on,” the woman said sounding annoyed, she stood at the foot of a massive staircase, beside her stood a girl with blonde hair. She looked about thirteen or fourteen years old. She stood smiling at Caroline, her green eyes sparkling in the bright light.
” Caroline, this is Elizabeth. She’s going to show you the room you’ll be sharing with her.” The woman said looking down at Caroline then looking at Elizabeth.
The girl started to walk up the steps, looking back occasionally to make sure Caroline was following. Caroline looked around absorbing every detail of her new home. As they reached the top of the stairs the girls turned right. At the end of the long corridor Elizabeth opened the last door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“ Spencer, let me stay with you! Please, I’m begging.” Lacie said sitting up in her bed.
“No. Lacie, how many times do I have to tell you? I’m going to college in the fall and you’re still in school.” Her cousin argued.
Lacie huffed thinking about the implausible idea, crossing her arms over her chest with so much force that she almost pulled the I.V. out of her hand.
They sat in silence for a long time, Lacie sulking in the darkness.
“Lacie,” Spencer said breaking the silence,” In two days you’ll be out of this place. You will be going to live with Caroline at the orphanage.” Lacie didn’t reply.
“ I’m sorry, it wasn’t my decision.” Spencer mumbled under his breath as he walked out of the room.
The next morning the nurse came in, checking Lacie’s blood pressure and putting a clear liquid into her I.V. A comforting sensation trickled through her veins. The nurse pushed Lacie through the door and down the hall. As they rolled down the long corridor Lacie started to fidget.
“Honey, this will only take a second.” The nurse said as she parked the bed in front of the administrative office. Minutes later the nurse came back. She had an orange clipboard in her hand with oversized letters that spelled X-ray on the back. The nurse sat it down at the end of Lacie’s bed. Lacie leaned forward to read the papers it held but the farthest she got was the middle of the page, one because the nurse had turned back to face her and two because the bottom of the page had been curtailed.
“ Now, sweetie, all we’re going to do is get a chest x-ray so we can be sure you’re well enough to leave tomorrow.” The nurse explained as she started to roll Lacie back down the hallway.
The steel doors opened automatically as the got closer to the x-ray room. The nurse finally came to a stop in front of the door and pushed it open. They stopped beside the long table and Lacie sat up, using the bed rails to support herself she got onto the ice-cold table. “ Okay, now all you have to do is lay still and hold your breath.” a gravelly voice said from behind the tinted glass window on the other side of the room. Lacie did as she was told, and closed her eyes. Dull spurts of light invaded the darkness behind her eyelids as the x-rays were taken.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
