The day had been pretty mellow, a small stream of customers had been trickling in throughout the day. Most days were like this. With a town this size there were never big rushes of people. That wasn’t a problem though. It was nice to have people you know come in and out of your shop. It made if feel more special than if I was in the city. Not that there’s anything wrong with cities, but I just have some not so pleasant memories associated with them. I was so delighted to have found a small place for my new start when I had first arrived, I had almost run out of the house without covering my face. 

     Looking around the kitchen now, I just saw the mess I had to clean up. With an internal groan, I got to work, scrubbing pans and counters, putting ingredients away, and sweeping the floors.

     After about two hours, I stepped back to admire my handiwork. The sparkling kitchen satisfied me, and I began to close shop. Closing was always my job, because Shae had to take care of Amelia, but I didn’t mind it. 

     Stepping out into the cold air, I breathed out to see the white cloud erupt from my mask. The sight made me silently giggle. The cold had always been present in my life, but this was one thing that I welcomed. There were so many things that went along with the cold that I loved. When it was cold there were so many different hot drinks and treats to have. To settle down with your loved ones by a nice roaring fire. 

     I had always loved to sit my a nice warm fire with my family on cold nights. Well, I used to. It's funny how something we enjoyed doing so much would be the demise to them all. All but me. I was the only survivor. I was the only one who had made it out alive. 

    A surge of panic rose up from deep in my stomach. Why now? Of all times. The images began to flash in front of my eyes. The screaming. The horrible screaming of those people who were lost that night. Seeing their bodies being consumed by the greedy flames, my body began to shake, my breathing became fast. The world started to spin around me. Then a sudden rush of fatigue caused me to sink to my knees while I helplessly tried to call out for help, but to no surprise, nothing came out. The last thing I saw before blacking out was the bright lights of the starry night sky.