Playing with Fire [Solo]

“You can’t catch me!” The girl looked over her shoulder with a huge grin as she took a sharp left and darted down a narrow alleyway; the fresh loaf of bread that she and her friends had barely managed to earn off a local baker in her right hand. “Tri! Wait up! You know we can’t keep up with you!” She could hear the younger kids in their group behind her. Taking a sharp right turn into another narrow alleyway, the girl sped up, knowing exactly where she was taking them. Shoving the loaf into the satchel hanging over her shoulder to free her hands, she tightened the strap around her shoulder as she prepared for the climb. The last part of this route was a 10-foot fence made of wooden planks. The alley was narrow enough that with enough skill a person could easily make it over the fence in as little as 30-seconds, but most of the kids had problems with it. They could spend hours on trying to quicken their method on getting over, but only a few could do it without a problem and until all of them could Loki would tutor them on different ways to get out of this kind of situation.

This little game of tag was one of Loki’s methods on giving the kids he took in a chance to live. He came up with the quickest routes to get to all the important places in town and would have Triela run a different one every few days when they had enough money for a treat. They had run this route many times before and almost all of them knew this area of their district like the back of their hands. The ones that didn’t would know it soon enough. They made money by doing odd jobs and errands around the district, but the adults that surrounded them were poor… Most of them not having the will to continue living the life they were given.

Coming up the fence, the girl jumped on a trashcan before she ricocheted from wall to wall, her hands catching onto the top of the fence, using it to pull herself up. Looking back for a moment, she watched as her group of friends entered the alleyway before lowering herself down onto the other side and slowly backing away. “If you don’t hurry up there won’t be any left!” The girl’s voice was loaded with sarcasm as she listened to her friends struggle to scale the fence. Loki, their self-proclaimed leader had stayed with the younger ones today to give them tips when they had trouble on the course. It was Loki who had originally started taking in the kids that had nowhere else to go and it was he that found Triela sitting in an alleyway all those years ago… Almost dead. There were five of them back then; Triela included. That original group was the closest she had ever come to a family in this new life of hers. Loki was the closest to her age, a couple older than him and then one that was only six. But as the years passed, their group dwindled… They lost people… And gained more… Just to lose people again.

Loki:

It was a vicious cycle and if she took a moment to think about it, she was sick of it. She had been sick of it for awhile, but she couldn’t take Loki away from the kids and she wasn’t going to go off on her own. She had duties to them. She was one of their strongest members. She was one of the ones that brought in most of the money during the week… They needed her. But I need them just as much as they need me. They’re my family. Laughing as their youngest finally made it over the fence, the girl took a few steps forward and bent down beside her. “I did it Tri! I finally got over the fence all by myself!” The girl’s name was Marianne, but everyone in the group called her Ria. She looked to be about seven, and was extremely bright. “Good job Ria! I always knew you could do it.” Holding up her hand for a high-five Triela tackled the girl to ground, tickling her, as they waited for the others. Straddling the girl, Triela’s hands reached down as she tickled the poor child, finding joy in the girl’s laughter. After a moment or two, the older girl sat down by the younger one, letting her catch her breath.

Ria:

Of all the kids in their group Ria was the one she wanted to protect the most. So young and innocent. So full of life. Looking over at the young girl, the smile that had been plastered onto her face disappeared. The child looked terrified, but there was no one around them. “Ria? Talk to me.” There were no signs of danger… The only sound they were able to hear were their friends a couple blocks away still taking turns at the fence. “Smoke.” The word that left the girl’s mouth was filled with terror as she pointed up at the sky, her eyes never leaving the thick black cloud. “Smoke.” Triela had never seen the girl act like this before. Sure she was fairly new to the group, but she didn’t seem to be afraid of anything. Looking up to where the girl was pointing, Triela saw the dark cloud of smoke that had the small child shaking. Another building. It always seemed like her district was being hit by accidents like this. With the close proximity most of the buildings were built in, it wouldn’t take long for one fire to destroy a good part of the city.

“Ria… I need you to take this satchel back to Loki. Stay with him and the others… I’ll be right back.” Leaning down towards the girl, Triela pulled the little one up to her feet and put the satchel over her shoulders. Turning to look at the smoke, she knew it had to be one of the outer buildings that were burning. People needed help and she had to do something… Anything. Turning around, she felt small hands grasping her arm. “Don’t go! I don’t want to lose you! I don’t want you to get hurt!” Tears were streaming down the child’s face, but Triela couldn’t stay with her. “Ria… I have to do this… I have to help.” She tried to reassure the little girl as quickly as possible. “No… You don’t… You have to stay with me.” The words came out between violent sobs. Planting a kiss on the little girl’s forehead, she smiled at her. If she didn’t leave quickly, Loki would know something was up and she couldn’t risk that. “I’ll be back. Go back to Loki and the group.” She said as she turned the little girl around. “I’ll come back.” She said as she turned away and began running in the direction of the smoke.

Loki would never approve of what she was doing, but she was faster than him and she would do anything she could to help.

Her heart was pounding as she ran through her district’s empty streets. She knew the paths through the alleys, but had no way of knowing which building was on fire. As she neared the smoke, the amount of people seemed to grow by the second, but with such a small frame she easily weaved through them. Once or twice she thought she heard someone calling her name, but ignored it. It had to be her imagination… Loki would never abandon that group of kids to chase her. He had a rational mind and she had never let him down before. Turning down one more street, the girl sprinted her way through the people, a rough image of the building in front of her.

Skidding to a stop, the girl nearly fell back as she looked at the building in front of her. She had seen it before, but had never taken the time to actually look at it. With how many people they had going in and out of their group they would never have enough money to splurge on a place like it. The architecture was beautiful reminding her of an old mansion. One that had a ridiculously large amount of rooms and enough space for everyone to be comfortable. The windows on the main floor were large and majestic and completely out of place in the shithole of a district it resided in. A remnant of a past that no one bothered to try and remember, bar the owners. But while the building had it’s own majesties, there was one thing that made it stand out from the entire city right now… It was engulfed in flames. If the building was anything like the others in her district then it probably wouldn’t have taken more than 20 minutes for the flames to become this bad. But then it was one of the very few Bed and Breakfast buildings in the area… It had an immense amount of room around it and the fire had no chance to spread… A small blessing.

Catching her breath, the girl stared at the building. If there was no chance the fire would spread, then she had no business being here. The district didn’t have the resources available to put out a single flame to one building; even one as expensive as this. Turning around, she pushed her way through the people in an attempt to get back to her group, but the sound of a man's voice stopped her.

“Leerin! Leerin! Someone save my little girl! Leerin!” The strangled sobs were barely understandable, but it had caught her attention  and the girl’s eyes darted in the direction it came from. It was a boy not too much older than herself. He had short blue-ish black hair and a lanky build. The people around him were holding him back from darting into the flames before letting him fall to his knees. He wouldn’t survive two seconds in that building; not in his condition. He’d barely be able to see past the tears. The man was obviously from a district that was in much better condition than hers. But when you hailed from the 63rd district in West Rukongai; the bar wasn’t set really high. This district was constantly taking hits from everywhere. The weather made the buildings dry and brittle, bandits were constantly causing chaos, and the living conditions were horrible.

Wealthy Man:

Darting around the amazed onlookers, the girl made her way to the man‘s side, her hand resting on his shoulder in a hope that she didn‘t startle him. “Which room?” Triela didn’t bother looking down at the man as she asked the question, her eyes focused on the building in front of her. The ledges of the windows were about three millimeters thick. If the man entered that building, they’d be wasting a life. He wasn't built like a person who could survive. He wasn't petite enough to maneuver through small spaces and not large enough to barrel through walls. If he entered that building… He would die. The girl knew she was smaller and faster than most of the people she met… If she knew where the girl was then she’d be able to save her. She had a level head and wouldn’t be stumbling around blind. “Tell me which room she’s in!” Desperation could be heard in her voice. Why wasn‘t he answering her? Was he stupid? Did he not hear her?

Looking down at the man, her blue eyes narrowed in disgust. He was weak, pampered, spoiled, and had obviously never been this close to losing someone he really cared about. Ever since Triela had entered this world, it seemed as though she had lost many friends due to it’s rather sick sense of humor. “302--” Once the number was out of the man’s mouth the girl sprinted toward the building not waiting for him to say anything else. This building was not going to survive and the idiot had already wasted enough of her time. “--She’s in room 302 with her mother.” The man sputtered out before his words became nothing more than dribble, but by then the girl was already too far from him to hear.

“Triela!!!” The girl could hear the faint sound of Loki calling out to her as she sprinted into the burning building. Idiot. Go back to the others Loki. She knew he wouldn’t agree to what she was doing. He never agreed with anything that could risk them losing another friend, but she didn’t have time to argue with him on this scenario; she had already wasted enough time between calming Ria down and dealing with the man. This was a child’s life they were talking about and she would rather die then sit back and not try and do anything to give it a chance to live. What if she’s already dead? The thought was only a flicker in the back of the girl’s mind as she pulled the cloth from her golden hair and covered her nose and mouth with it. Quickly ducking into the building her eyes scanned the room for a way up; she had to make it to the third floor and she had to do it quickly.

Staying low to the ground, the girl’s eyes were frantic as she looked around the room she was in. She could feel the heat on her skin and see the orange flames as she ran through the rooms. Taking a swift left she spotted a staircase near the back of what looked to be a type of sitting room. Running towards the stairs, the girl jumped over a few chairs that were knocked over and smashed into the wall. Coughing a bit, Triela leaned down as she tried to get oxygen into her lungs.

“Oh god.” Closing her eyes a few times, the girl contemplated turning back, but how could she continue living when she gave up on someone’s life so easily? How could she face her friends knowing that she didn’t give everything trying to save a little girl? Turning towards the stairs, the girl bounded up, coming to a long hallway with doors on each side. Reading the signs, the followed the hallway to the left and came to another set of stairs. 302. Find the girl. Get out. Her mind was set as she bound up the second set of stairs. The air up here was clearer than the first and second stories, but she doubted that would last very long.

Coming to the top of the second set, Triela followed the signs and went to the left, stopping right in front of Room 302. Reaching for the handle, the girl didn’t think at all as she entered the room. Taking the cloth away from her face for a moment, Triela closed the wooden door behind her as she looked around the room. It looked like an average sized hotel room; a decent sized bed, a few windows, and a small conjoined bathroom. Peaking her head into the bathroom, the girl looked for any sign of life. “Leerin?” Looking all around, Triela found herself back into the main part of the room. “Leerin?” She tried again, stopping all movements in an attempt to locate her target.

Leerin:

“Mommy? Mommy is that you?” Triela’s eyes darted to the opposite side of the room when she heard the girl respond. Mommy? Are you kidding me? He didn’t tell me about the mother. The girl could feel a bit of anger welling up inside of her as she thought about it, but as she stepped into the child’s view a gentle smile crossed her features. The child seemed to be unhurt, though extremely scared. “Who are you?” She could hear the quiver in the girl’s voice as she asked the question. Kneeling in front of the girl Triela offered her hand to the child as she smiled in an attempt to reassure her that she was a friend. “I’m Triela. Are you hurt? Can you move?” The questions seemed to be an automatic response for the girl. This was the first rescue she had ever attempted. Most of the time there were stronger men on the scene to search the burning building, but from what she saw outside no one except her even attempted to enter this place. “I’m fine. I want my Mommy.” Looking over the girl, Triela nodded as she ignored her request. What kind of mother would leave her child in a burning building? Looking at the child again, Triela looked around the room for a moment to find something for the girl to cover her mouth with. Running over to the dresser, she pulled out the drawers as she rummaged through them until she came across a small dark blue shirt.

Walking back over the girl, Triela offered her hand to the girl again and while it was obvious that the girl was still scared, she took it. Pulling the child to her feet, Triela handed her the shirt as she began leading her to the door. Stopping in front of the door, Triela turned around and knelt beside the girl. “I’m going to get you out of this building, but I need you to hold this shirt to your face. Cover your nose and mouth and stay close to me.” Putting the back of her hand against the wooden door of the room, Triela could feel a little heat, but not so much that would indicate a flame directly on the other side. “Stay low. There’s gonna be a lot of smoke.” Watching the little girl nod, she opened the door and peaked out into the hallway. Keeping close to the floor, the two girls ran towards the stairs that Triela had come from… Clear. Running back down the hall of the second story, she could feel the heat of the building rising, her hand holding a bit tighter to the little girl. Coming up to the second set of stairs, she skidded to a stop as she looked at the scene in front of her. Where a clear path had once been, she could see nothing but flames on the lower level. Taking a cautious step forward, all of the girl’s senses were on high alert, but with all the smoke in the air she was not nearly at her best. “Watch out!” Feeling the little girl pull her back, Triela pushed the little girl back at a quicker pace a beam fell from overhead. They were moving slower and slower by the second and if they stayed in there any longer the likelihood of either of them surviving was slim to none.

“We gotta go back! Please let me go back!” At the sound of the little girl’s cry’s she could only picture the tears that were streaming down Ria’s face as she left. “We can’t. I’m sorry, but we can‘t. I know I can get you out of here, but I need you to trust me. Do you trust me?” Looking at the girl she could see the fear on her face. “Okay... I trust you.” Hearing the word leave the girl’s lips, Triela pulled her back away from the stairs and to the furthest room on the second story. All of these rooms have to have a window. It was stupid of me to think that we could go back that way. Putting the back of her hand to the door, the girl felt cool wood. Putting that same hand to the doorknob, the girl twisted in an attempt to open it. “Damnit!” Stepping back, Triela kicked the door, but it didn’t budge. Being as small as she was, she had to kick the door a few more times before managing to open it. Pushing the little girl inside, she followed her into the room and closed the door as best she could behind them.

Looking around the room they had entered, the girl felt like acid had been poured in her eyes. Her lungs felt like they were filled with lava, and while the room was clearer than the hall they had just been in, it was still polluted and they were trapped. Leaning on the back of the door for a moment, Triela slid down to her knees as she gasped for air. How had she let herself drag the child into this situation? The path was supposed to be clear. They were supposed to live, but now because of her inadequacy… A child’s life had to end. I’m so sorry.Feeling the warmth of the fire on the door behind her, the girl pushed herself onto her hands and knees as she crawled to the little girl, laying on the floor beside her.

She had failed. She wasn’t able to save the child. She wasn’t able to get back to Ria.

“We’re gonna die… Aren’t we?” The child looked delirious. Her eyes were puffy. Her voice raspy. If Triela was being honest with herself… The little girl was probably onto something. Hadn’t she just been pitying the little girl for not being able to live her life? “It’s okay. I had a good life. My parents loved me. My family loved me.” Turning her head towards the little girl, Triela could see that she was in an immense amount of pain, but even as they laid there waiting for death to take them… The child had a smile on her face. She’s accepted her death. That young and already willing to accept a life that’s torn away from her. If she had any tears to cry, they would’ve been streaming down her cheeks. She couldn’t accept this. She wouldn’t accept this.

Lifting her arm, Triela grabbed the child’s hand; giving it a tight squeeze. “You’re going to be fine.” Giving the little girl’s hand another squeeze, Triela forced herself onto her hands and knees before pulling the little girl to hers as well. “The window.” The words barely left the girl’s mouth before she turned away from the child, her lungs disagreeing with all the poison she was inhaling.

The distance between the door and window felt like an eternity and she constantly had to look back at the girl to make sure she was still conscious. As they finally approached the window, Triela set her hands on the ledge as she used it to lift herself up. Like most buildings of this one’s style, the windows were held closed at the top by a metal latch. That latch functioned as a lock, and right now the window wasn‘t going to open. Lifting herself to her feet, Triela grabbed the lock and ignored the pain that came from the heated metal. If she couldn’t get the window to open then they both were dead. Pushing on the lock with all the strength she could manage, the girl heard a click as the lock slid out of place.

Kneeling back down, the girl used her weight to push the window up as a gust of wind blew through the opening. Her lungs gladly taking in the small amount of oxygen. Climbing out onto the rooftop, the girl reached back in and pulled the little girl into her arms. The building was burning quicker than before and they needed to get off. Looking over the yard, the girl saw that a couple of the trees had caught fire, but there was still enough room for them to drop. Looking at the child for a moment, it seemed as though she was barely there. Even if they made it off this building, the child could still die from inhalation. They both could. We’re not going to die. Not today. With her eyes narrowing a bit, Triela looked over the scenery in the backyard. “Okay. I’m going to jump down and then you need to jump to me.” Looking at the girl, she watched her nod in acknowledgement of the plan, but couldn't tell if she really understood what she meant. "You need to jump to me." She said as she gave the child a small hug. "You're going to have a long life." She said before letting go.

Taking her hands off the child’s shoulder, Triela scooted to the edge of the building. Her world was spinning, she could barely see straight, but she’d be damned if this building still claimed their lives. Standing up, she could hear the old wood complaining beneath her. The drop wasn’t giant, maybe about 15 feet, but with how disoriented she was, it looked absolutely menacing. Jumping was dangerous, but what choice did she have? They couldn’t scale the building and they couldn’t stay. People were probably already trying to comfort the family of the child she had been trying to save... The child she was going to save. Glancing back at the girl one last time, she slowly made her way to the very edge. Smiling for a moment in an attempt at reassurance, Triela looked at the ground and let herself drop feet first, her knees bending in anticipation of the impact.

Two seconds. That’s how long the drop from the second story of a building would take. Two seconds that felt like a lifetime. As the impact of the ground connected with Triela’s body, she felt a sharp pain in her left ankle as she let herself fall into a roll. Her body making contact with the soft grass as she looked up at the smoking building and the little girl that still sat on the roof. Taking a few deep breaths, she lifted herself to her knees before slowly lifting herself to her feet. They were going to live… Both of them. Lifting her arms up to the child, she waited for the impact of the child’s body, but it never came.

The child was frozen, whether that was by fear or shear exhaustion was unknown, but she needed her to find the will to live. “Leerin! Jump to me!” Her voice was still weak, but she hoped the little girl could hear her over the flames. If she’s not willing to jump… I’ve failed. She wanted to cry as the child sat there staring at her. How could she not want to jump? How could she not want to live? “I promise I’ll catch you.” The child had so much to live for. She had obviously come from a decent family and had her entire life ahead of her. If Triela had known she was going to freeze up, she would’ve come up with another plan, but the girl had been so courageous in the building. Had even gone as far as saving Triela’s life from that falling beam.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Triela lifted the back of her right hand to her eyes as she tried to take some of the sting away from them. “Triela.” Hearing the child’s voice the girl’s eyes shifted up in an instant as she saw the child starting to move. Watching the little girl scoot her way to the edge of the roof, Triela felt a smile spread across her face. Her ankle was killing her… Her head felt like it was about to explode, but they were alive. The child wanted to live. “I‘ll catch you.” Lifting her arms up again, she watched as the little girl closed her eyes and jumped off the roof into her waiting arms. Falling back from the weight of the little girl, Triela smiled as she lay there fore a moment before slowing standing up and backing away from the burning building that had almost taken both of their lives. Holding the little girl’s hand, she limped around the building, a small smile barely lighting her face as she saw her friends and the girl’s father come into view. Letting go of her hand, she watched as the father ran forward to scoop up the dazed child, his face relieved as he held his little girl in his arms.

Smiling a bit at their reunion, her eyes turned to Loki. He looked hurt. Like by going in that building she had killed a small piece of him. “I’m sorry Loki.” She breathed as she fell into his arms. Her lungs felt heavy. Her eyes felt dry. Feeling Loki touch her cheek, she looked up at him and could see the tears in his eyes, the physical manifestation of what she had put him through, but there was something else there. “Are you mad at me?” She asked as she leaned into his chest. He had every right to be angry with her, but he didn’t have any right over the decisions she made. “You’re an idiot Tri.” She heard his voice as he wrapped his arms around her and slowly sat down. “The bravest, luckiest, dumbest, idiot I know.” Laughing a bit, Triela heaved out a few dry coughs that left her feeling even more lightheaded than before. Her chest throbbed... Her head throbbed... Her ankle throbbed... But she was safe.

“I know.” Closing her eyes, the girl slowly drifted off into a nightmarish sleep.

Continued In - Waking Up [Solo]