Chapter Eight: Aflame

I dipped the small plastic paintrbrush into the Ronald McDonald cup on the coffee table to my right and examined my work.

The tiny wooden aeroplane gleamed a deep blue, red circles trimmed with white on the top of each wing, like never blinking blood shot eyes.

I stood up from my possition on the floor and raced to the very short hallway that led to the front door. I paused in front of that door and turned right to reveal a second door, only this one wasn't as grand. Not at all polished and no light shining through a crystaline diamond shaped window.

Just a lot of dirt, scuffs and darkness on the other side. I opened it.

"Dad?"

Nothing.

I stepped into the darkness and descended an old staircase.

"Dad?"

The sound of something ripping. "Yes, son?"

"Can you come up and see my plane?" I asked tentatively, afraid he'd snap and say he was busy.

"Not now."

I kept going farther down the staircase until I reached the end. A bright light fumed into view, momentarily blinding me. I smelt smoke and choked, coughing.

"Go play outside, Angelo."

I saw white things turning brown and black in the flames. Paper. . . And something else. Something glowing. I ran upstairs, unable to stop coughing and grabbed the phone. I held in the one button just like mom had shown me and listened to it ring.

"Angelo, you know not to call unless it's an emergancy." She sounded iritated.
"Daddy set the house on fire!!!" I blurted. I dropped the phone and ran to the coffee table where I got the cup of water and raced back down the stairs to the basement. A piece of paper blew out of the flames as if it had recognized me and landed by my feet in a haze of smoke and embers. I threw the water on it, paintbrush and all and it sizzled gratefully back into a soggy piece of paper with odd words on it.

~*~

I woke with a jolt and realized I was sitting at my desk in history class. The teacher, Mrs. Gerrith, babbled on excitedly about the ancient Egyptians and their myths. I rested my hand in my chin and looked out the window with a soft sigh. I had been ten then when my dad first started showing signs and burned the house down.

Mom had always said he was eccentric before then. Now she pretended he didn't exist. As if we'd always been on our own. She'd had to quit her job back then and we'd had to start over while dad got settled into the ward. When I was thirteen my dad had to be transfered so we'd moved to this town and that's when I met Mollei.

The best and only friend I'd ever had.

Now I was sixteen and Mollei was dead.

Something darted by about twenty feet away from the window. I looked harder through the shrubbery of the half dead bushes that clung to the wall and the rain and saw a figure standing underneath a tree.

Arvieron. I hadn't seen him since he'd saved me from Yamada and Johnny over a week ago. Who, I noticed with great satisfaction, weren't at school today. I raised my hand.

"Yeees! Mr. Micheals?" The usual hyper Mrs. Gerrith called as if I couldn't hear her from only three rows back.

"I feel sick. May I be excused?" The other studants either didn't look at me, or glared at me like I was a disease or I was faking.

"Certainly! Go on ahead, Mr. Michaels!" Mrs. Gerrith chirped.

Since I'd never done this unless I was really sick, she wasn't suspicious. I stood, taking my backpack and hightailed it out of class. Instead of the nurses office, I raced out into the rain.

Since that day I'd heard the footsteps in the hall, it felt like someone was watching me. It was such a relief to get outside that I didn't even notice the buckets of rain trying to pelt me into the dust.

"What's the rush, you eager to die?"

A voice to my left. It wasn't Dr. Arvieron's.

Author's Note

The diary of Angelo Michaels

Reviews

[Benita-Staebell M - Kin..]

I love it you pull
me in more and
more and I am
more intrigued.

You keep out doing your self again
and again awesome write.


Ok now this one is more Mysterious
then Creepy
but in some weird way I like it
Nice work.


Mystery and Spence I love it
You've brought this piece
here to life as if it is real like
a real Horror still Horror with that creepy
voice but also Mysterious puts you on the edge
of your seat
I don't watch Horrors
but yours are like Anime's so that's
why they intrigue me.

Thank you for sharing. Blessings. kindred poet

[Bluefire]

Why, thank you muchly!
I'm glad you enjoyed it. ^^

[Benita-Staebell M - KindredPoet]

you're very welcome. My pleasure. Blessings. kindred poet