But did she rise from the ashes…
Your hands have held onto mine, and you've soothed my tears away. Your heart has brought me joy and my heart will never forget you.
He sat there, motionless to what was happening around him. This couldn't be her. She couldn't be here…like this. He had seen her lying there on the ground, unable to move. He saw her face; her closed eyes, her tattered hair, her burned cheeks. No this couldn't be her.
His mind was racing, trying to piece together the events that happened nearly two years before. He had blocked the memories out but now they were seeping back into his brain and he wanted out. He never wanted to relive those events, never.
"It can't…It just can't be you." He tried to get out. Those were the only words to escape his mouth.
She noticed the way his body tensed up and she wanted to relieve his pain. "It's me. I'm the girl from the fire. You're him, right? The boy who kept my…my father safe." She felt the tears surfacing and willed them away.
His own tears were evident but he brushed them aside for now. "But I…I don't understand…what happened…I mean…you're…" He couldn't say it. He couldn't bring his lips to form the word much less speak it.
"You can say it…I'm blind." She squeezed his hand a little harder to reassure him that she was okay. "Do you remember the second blast?" He shook his head but she spoke again. "I can't see you, you have to say 'yes' or 'no'."
He could feel his temperature rise at that comment. "I am so sorry. I…"
She held a hand up and found his face. She lightly brushed her fingers over his lips. "Don't be. It's okay to be upset. I was when I first found out."
He couldn't have wished to see any other person but her. The smile she was giving him made his heart warm immediately. Just like before, her comforting words and soothing voice calmed him. "Yes, I do remember that blast. Is that when it happened?" He said, finally answering her question and referring to her sudden sight loss.
Her face returned to the sea as if she felt more at ease facing the darkness. "Yeah."
He thought that was all she was going to say but she soon continued. "I don't remember everything about that night. All I know is I was walking back over to my father after speaking to you…"
He tightened his hold on her hand and that made her smile. "I had just seen your face. You looked so afraid and sad for me. I don't think I will ever lose that image. Anyway, I saw the tears in my father's eyes as her knelt over my dead brother. The fire claiming his life first…"
He shuddered. He knew what she was going to say next by the way she said the word 'first'. He prepared himself for what came from her lips.
"Then I heard a loud noise and saw the spark. Something flew straight at my father and hit him in the head…" The young man was remembering that night as well. He saw the same object plunged in her father's skull. He felt sick to his stomach and wanted to throw up.
"I remember screaming and turning around just in time to see you laying on the ground. I rushed over to you and tried to get you out of the way of the sailing debris, since I knew my father was already dead. Your body was too heavy for me to carry so I threw myself on top of you to shield you from the flying objects."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was she saying that she saved his life?
"I could tell you were hurt badly and needed medical attention but there was just too much debris still floating through the night's sky to try to move you, so I laid there, hearing the cries and screams from those around us. Women clung to their children. Men held their sons. Friends lay lifeless beside one another. I didn't know what to do, then it hit me."
"You had an idea?" He asked, knowing it was the stupidest thing he had said in a while.
She shook her head and a slight chuckle was heard through the breeze of the ocean. "No, I didn't have an idea, I was hit by a metal pole. The doctors said that if it had only hit my head an inch or two to the right, then maybe I would be able to see, but unfortunately, it hit me square on and left me blind."
That feeling of throwing up had returned. He couldn't believe that she did that for him. He was a total stranger to her. He had only argued with her father, not helped him in any way, and then she risked her own life for his. He felt lower than the scum on the bottom of a shoe. In a way, because of him, she lost her sight. How would he live with that fact?
"Abby, I am so…"
"Please don't okay? I don't want to hear you apologize to me. You didn't do anything wrong. I chose to help you. I chose to go back into the building for my brother. I chose to be there at the park that night. I chose to continue my life without my family. I did. No one pushed me into any of this."
She let go of his hand and moved her hands around until they found his waist. She slid them through both sides and brought him closer to her. "And I am alive because of those choices."
He heard her words but he couldn't comprehend them. Never before had he met someone like her. She sacrificed her life for her brother, risked it again to save his own, lost her sight in the process and her family, held no ill-will toward him or anyone, and was here, smiling and rejoicing in the fact that she was alive. The fact that she wasn't whole or complete didn't bother her. To her, she was normal.
He wrapped his arms around her body and rested his head on top of hers. He felt the tears stream down his face as he savored the moment they were sharing. She was his guardian angel sent from heaven to protect him that night so he could be who he was today. Everything he had done since that day with his family, friends and even the guys in the group, was because of her. He owed her so much.
"Abby…" He pulled away and looked into her eyes. He had never seen a blind person without their glasses on and at first, he was frightened. Her eyes would not fix on his own due to her not being able to see him, but he didn't care. He saw the crystal blue orbs shining in the moonlight and wiped her own tears that had shed.
"Thank you."
He saw a smile come to her face and then felt her arms encircle him again. "No, thank you. I would not be here today if it weren't for you. If I would have stayed with my father and brother, I would have been hit by the same pole as my father and would be dead. I owe you my life."
This girl couldn't be for real. He wanted to argue with her. Tell her she was delusional if she thought it was he that saved her but he kept his mouth shut. The way she spoke to him made him realize that she truly believed he was her savior and he couldn't fault her for that.
"I may not agree with you but you're welcome."
The night was again silent as the two held each other. Two souls meeting after all this time, reliving one of the worst times they shared as strangers and now maybe as friends. The flames connected them and they both knew it. Wherever they would go, whatever they would do, they knew the other was out there for them.
Their bond was sealed that night as the wind blew gently over their bodies. A bond that nothing could break.
They decided that night to keep their budding friendship a secret for now from his friends. He had not spoken of the fire since it happened and didn't want to rehash all those feelings in front of the guys again. Abby would be there to help him if he needed it. She was staying another week in Florida with her cousin and aunt.
Unfortunately, he had to return to Orlando to record and do some promotional stuff with the group before he could have a real vacation. He vowed that when he had time off, he would go to her home and visit. Before then, they would call each other constantly to keep in touch. He wished he could do more for her but wasn't sure what.
They stayed up talking into the wee hours of the morning. Just as the sun was poking its head above the horizon, Abby's stomach began to growl. "I guess that's a sign that I better get going. Belle will be up any time now and will probably be worried about me."
She reached behind her and found Betsy's leash and wrapped it around her hand. She tugged a little and the dog immediately stood up. The force of this caused Abby to lunge backwards but she didn't fall.
She heard his soft voice speak to her as he held her body off the sand. "Maybe this is a sign you should stay?"
His face was all smiles but quickly faded when he noticed she didn't smile back. He had forgotten her blindness over the past few hours. She just seemed 'normal' to him. "Um…I'm just kidding."
This got a smile from her when she heard his light chuckle. She knew he was still nervous about her not being able to see him but he was making an effort to understand it.
"I knew that. I was just thinking, that's all." She said as she pushed herself away from the man.
His face turned down when she did this. She had been so responsive to him only minutes ago and now she was turning away. "Abby, what's wrong? Did I do something…"
His sentence was interrupted when he felt her hand touch his face. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm just tired and was thinking about this night."
He wondered where this was leading to so he asked her to explain. "I was thinking about how I have been praying for this day for the past two years. I was so worried you didn't make it through the fire and here you are. I still can't believe you are a famous celebrity. Who would have figured that?"
He saw a smile cross her lips and heard a chuckle escape her mouth. "Hey, I wouldn't laugh if I were you…you haven't even heard me sing before. I am…"
Again she interrupted him. "Yes I have."
"What?"
"I said I have heard you sing. I am a fan of yours if that isn't funny enough. I just got your new CD a couple of weeks ago. My and Belle were trying to attend a concert but you guys never came near out little town."
He laughed at loud at that. "You're a fan? I can't believe it. Well, sorry we didn't get around to you, we are going back out on the road in a couple of months so maybe we will be near enough to you so…"
He stopped. His mind was working overtime and he had come up with a great idea. "Hey, do you think your aunt would let you and Belle come into Orlando with us maybe in a day or two?"
She sat there thinking of the proposition before her. "Why would you want us to…"
"So you could see us…I mean…hear us live. We have several days scheduled in the studio and I would love you to be there. What do you say?" He hoped she would accept his invitation. He wanted her around for as long as possible.
"What about not telling the others about me?"
He had forgot about their deal. "Oh that…well…we could just tell them we're friends. That wouldn't be a lie, because we are."
She smiled at that. She liked the idea of being his friend. She reached over towards him and felt around until her hand met his. She encircled it with hers and laughed. "So when do we leave?"
He jumped up and dragged her with him. He immediately apologized when he saw her stumble. He had forgotten yet again that she couldn't see her surroundings.
"Quite apologizing to me. I just lost my balance for a second…see, I'm all better now." She grabbed the leash of her dog and started to walk back towards the rented beach house. "I'll see ya later." She called as her figure went up the stairs.
He stood there not knowing what to say. What finally came out sounded even dumber than it had in his head. "But I thought you couldn't…"
"It's just an expression, sheesh." Her laughter could be heard until the door to the back porch closed behind her.
"Good going, insult a blind girl." He said under his breath before retreating to his own home for some much needed rest.
Later that day, he had explained to his friends that Abby and Belle would be joining them in Orlando in a couple of days. The others knew something was up with him but didn't push the subject. They all knew she was blind and for some reason, their friend felt something for her. They were unsure what exactly but knew he'd tell them when the time was right.
"Look, man, just be careful. A girl like that could be easily…" One of them started.
"I know, okay. She's my friend that's all. She mentioned that her and Belle were fans of ours so I suggested she come hear us at the studio. She'll be returning here later in the week. It's okay, guys, really."
They knew there was no talking him out of this. Besides, they all seemed to like Abby and wanted to get to know her better. At least they knew she didn't want to be with them because of the way they looked, right?
"Okay, I guess that would be fine with us. Call her up and see if she can meet us in town on Wednesday, that'll be the first short day of recording and we can go out after that if she wants."
He walked up to his friend and patted him on the back. "Thanks man, I owe you one."
"No you owe me more than one, but I'll let you off for this one. She seems cool and it might be nice to have someone around that's not looking to get something from us."
They overheard a round of 'yeas' from the others in the group.
The young man walked over to the phone to call Abby and arrange the meeting in a few days.
"Yeah, that sounds great. Uh huh…yeah…oh don't worry, she knows. Yeah…she won't say anything…okay…yes…OKAY…got it…yeah, bye." Abby hung up the phone and Belle quickly grabbed it to place it back on its box.
She turned to her cousin who was sitting on a stool in the kitchen, laughing to herself. "So, are you going to tell me what he said?"
Abby caught her breath before beginning. "First off, he is TOO funny. He kept asking me if I understood the directions he gave me. I told him yes but he kept asking how a blind person could see where to go? I told him I wasn't driving and he just got tongued-tied. He forgot about you."
"Hey I resent that. If you're not careful, I'll just not take you into town." Belle said as she walked into the kitchen to fix herself a sandwich.
"Oh come on, he was just kidding. He is so nervous to be near me. He said he hadn't been around blind people much and completely forgot I couldn't see. He told me he thought of me a just 'normal'."
Belle turned around when she heard that. "Well, you are normal and the sooner he realizes that, the better. I don't want him or his friends, no matter how famous they are, treating you any different just because you can't see. That wouldn't be fair to you…and besides…I might have to break out my Karate Kid moves on them if they do and you know what a weapon these hands of mine are?"
Abby busted out laughing. Belle was quite a character, always keeping her on her toes. "Yeah, I'm sure you'll really scare them with those stubby little fingers of yours."
"Why you…" Belle approached her cousin and began tickling her. "That's what you get for insulting the Kung-fu master."
This only mad Abby crack up laughing even more. The sound of the two girls brought Belle's mother into the room. "Girls, really, can't you act your age at least once today?" She said as she rolled her eyes at the two.
Although they were both 18, when they were around each other, which was all the time, they acted like 12 year olds. They lived together, Abby's father and brother being killed in the fire and her mother running out on them when she was 8. She loved her cousin to death. Her and Belle would stay up most nights and just gossip about boys or clothes or whatever crossed their minds. Belle never acted like anything was different about Abby.
Sure she knew and understood that there were some things Abby couldn't do but she never brought them up. To her, her cousin was just a typical teenager full of everyday problems, only her problems were easily shown on the outside.
Also, Abby never hid her feelings about anything. She would tell her opinion to anyone who would listen and to some that cared not hear it. She was never cold or mean in her words and would pick the right ones to get her point across in a non-threatening way.
Belle would bring to their relationship humor and insight as to what was going on around them. She filled Abby in on all the latest gossip about this boy or that girl. Since Abby lost her sight at 16, she still remembered vaguely what her friends looked like and that helped her understand what Belle was talking about.
As far as Abby was concerned, she brought a different perspective to their world. She made all those around her stop and 'smell the roses' as they say. She pushed herself to learn Braille so she could continue to read poetry, which she loved. It was very hard for her to do but she eventually mastered it.
For birthdays and holidays, Abby would receive books galore from Belle. She knew her love of the written word meant so much to Abby and it also helped her retain a part of her that wasn't lost to the fire.
One of the things Belle loved best about Abby was the way she would quote famous lines from poems or songs to make her point to people. They would be too dumbfounded by her knowledge that whatever they were talking about, was out the door. She truly astonished those around her and Belle felt lucky to call her a friend.
"We hear you mom but come on, we're teenagers and teenagers act this way." Belle tried to reason with her.
Her mom kept at them until Abby stepped in. "May your dreams sail high and wide, and the child in your heart remain forever. Don't let your mom stop you from being any way you want. Only you will change when you are ready, okay?" She whispered to her cousin.
Belle smiled and hugged her friend. "That's why I love you so much, you know that? You always know the right thing to say to me."
Abby returned the hug and the two stopped tickling each other. Belle's mom watched the pair with humble eyes. They were a match made in heaven that was definitely for sure. "Come on girls, let's forget about this and get something to eat. Also, I want to hear more about this trip to Orlando you want to take."
The rest of the afternoon and night was spent talking over the plans for Wednesday when Abby and Belle would drive to Orlando and stay in a hotel the guy's got for them.