The One Chapter 8
Star woke up, coughing. She smelled smoke, but she didn't know where it was coming from. She stumbled out of bed, got on her hands and knees, and crawled out of her room, only to be met by a great wall of fire.
"Oh, shit!" she yelled. "Mom? Dad? Where are you?"
"Star, get out of the house now!" her father yelled from somewhere in the house.
"But-"
"No buts! Get outside now! Your mother and I will be fine."
"But-"
"GO!"
Star kept crawling and heard a loud snapping sound and her mother's moan behind her.
"Star! Keep going! Get outside!" her father kept yelling behind her.
Star kept crawling. "Get outside!" he yelled again.
SNAP!
A beam from the ceiling dropped with a sickening thud. She heard her father's cry behind her. "Get out, Star!" he said for the final time.
She crawled on and finally got outside. She collasped on the grass, exhausted.
She woke up in an ambulance some time later. "Where are my parents?" she croaked.
The EMT looked at her with sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry. Your parents died in the fire."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Star! Wake up! Come on, Star!"
She opened her eyes only to find AJ sitting on the bed. "Are you okay?" he asked.
She sat up and pushed the hair out of her eyes. "Yeah, I'm okay. It was just a dream."
"Star, you were screaming in your sleep! To me, that's not a dream- it's a nightmare," he said calmly.
She looked at him and started crying. "It's been a year since they died, and these nightmares still haunt me!"
"It's okay, Star," he said, pulling her into his arms. "Talk to me. What was the nightmare about?"
She wiped the tears from her face. "It was about the fire and my parents dying."
"You're still having those nightmares?"
"I haven't had one since Robert broke up with me."
"Since the wedding," he said as he pulled her to her feet. "Let's get something warm to drink. Maybe that will calm you down enough so you can sleep."
She shook her head sadly. "It doesn't help anymore."
"Then what does?"
"Sometimes, it helps to talk, but I'm so sick of talking about it."
He nodded. "You have me to talk to if you ever need someone to talk to. Remember that," he said as he got up.
"AJ, please. Please stay with me. Just for tonight."
He stopped and sat back down on the bed. "Of course I will, Starry."
He stroked her hair and suddenly kissed her gently on the lips. He pulled away and laid down beside her. He put his arm around her waist. "I'm always here if you need me," he whispered.
Star never heard him. She had already fallen asleep.
Chapter 9
The One
Queen Li's Stories
Main
