1.3 F is for Fire
"Oh my god Taylor." Dad buried his face in his hands as the local news talked about the disappearing act the Boat Graveyard did.
"The city could totally pay for the ferry service now at least." I tried.
"That's not what I'm worried about. Everyone knows it's a cape that did it. People are going to start looking for you!" He exclaimed, full of worry. We both fell silent until a burning smell came out of the kitchen. We both looked at each other in alarm and dashed towards the kitchen. Jake was grilling a cheese sandwich, quite badly with the amount of oil in it, and Dad grabbed Jake by the shoulder, startling him badly and making him flip the oil sandwich confection onto the burning hot stove ring. It burst into flames and the fire spread rapidly across the stove in unnatural speed. As Dad ran towards the cabinet with the fire extinguisher, Jake started yelling in his nonsense language while running in a panic which did not help at all.
"Jake go panic out in the living room!" I yelled at him. To my surprise, he listened to me and ran out in the living room, yelling wildly. I was trying to think if water was a good idea in this situation or not. I couldn't remember, so I just took steps back as Dad readied the fire extinguisher.
Only a dismal sputter came out. Dad looked at it mildly for a moment.
" ... Oh yeah I got this when I got married to your mother." He said, sighing. "And we're out of flour too."
"Are you kidding me Dad!?" I yelled at him as I had to run out of the kitchen from the fire spreading even further.
"I'm sorry Taylor, but replacing the fire extinguisher hadn't seem like an important thing to do at the time until your boyfriend came into existence!!" He yelled back as he opened the front door.
"He's not my boyfriend!" I yelled back, dragging Jake outside who was staring terrified at the blaze behind us. The tutorial question mark said 'Yes, he's your brother!'. "He's my brother-, wait what!"
"Yes, what?!" Dad yelled back, annoyed. I shushed my dad, which annoyed him even more, but he just ran to a neighbor's house to call 911, if they hadn't already from the smoke and yelling.
"What do you mean he's my brother?" I said angrily to the tutorial.
---
The fire fighter put the blaze out in a hurry, but in the ten minutes it took for them to get here, the fire had consumed most of the house while I sat on the sidewalk with Jake. I don't remember when I started crying, but I did. The paramedics were really nice but were perturbed by my silent 'friend' who seemed awfully cheery for having their friend's house burn down in front of them. I had told Jake not to speak to anyone, lest they grow suspicious of his gibberish.
'You can rebuild houses after fires! Give it a go!' The tutorial said to me. I blinked at it and stared at my house. It was so tempting ... but I was surrounded by neighbors and officials. There was no way they wouldn't notice a house rebuilding itself. I resigned myself to staying incognito as I sat on Mrs. Henderson's couch.
"Well kiddo, I called Kurt and Lacey and they'll take us in while we figure out what to do next." Dad said with a sigh. I frowned and looked at Jake pointedly.
"Ah ... him ..." He scratched the back of his head. Half jokingly, he said, "You think he'd be fine in a hotel room by himself?"
"Dad!!" I shouted angrily.
"Look I'm just not sure how to explain to Kurt and Lacey why we're not just letting a kid go to his family's house." He whispered, kneeling down.
"But he was literally just born today!" I whispered back gesturing to him admiring an ugly vase that Mrs. Henderson had.
"Then what are we going to tell them?" Dad asked back calmly.
"I'll ... just tell them then." I said lamely. I didn't want to, not at all, but I didn't want Jake to be out on the street. He was my responsibility, whether I liked it or not. "He's my brother now."
Dad just sighed, but he ruffled my hair too.
(This is the second time I've had the Hebert house burn down. I think I have a problem.)
"The city could totally pay for the ferry service now at least." I tried.
"That's not what I'm worried about. Everyone knows it's a cape that did it. People are going to start looking for you!" He exclaimed, full of worry. We both fell silent until a burning smell came out of the kitchen. We both looked at each other in alarm and dashed towards the kitchen. Jake was grilling a cheese sandwich, quite badly with the amount of oil in it, and Dad grabbed Jake by the shoulder, startling him badly and making him flip the oil sandwich confection onto the burning hot stove ring. It burst into flames and the fire spread rapidly across the stove in unnatural speed. As Dad ran towards the cabinet with the fire extinguisher, Jake started yelling in his nonsense language while running in a panic which did not help at all.
"Jake go panic out in the living room!" I yelled at him. To my surprise, he listened to me and ran out in the living room, yelling wildly. I was trying to think if water was a good idea in this situation or not. I couldn't remember, so I just took steps back as Dad readied the fire extinguisher.
Only a dismal sputter came out. Dad looked at it mildly for a moment.
" ... Oh yeah I got this when I got married to your mother." He said, sighing. "And we're out of flour too."
"Are you kidding me Dad!?" I yelled at him as I had to run out of the kitchen from the fire spreading even further.
"I'm sorry Taylor, but replacing the fire extinguisher hadn't seem like an important thing to do at the time until your boyfriend came into existence!!" He yelled back as he opened the front door.
"He's not my boyfriend!" I yelled back, dragging Jake outside who was staring terrified at the blaze behind us. The tutorial question mark said 'Yes, he's your brother!'. "He's my brother-, wait what!"
"Yes, what?!" Dad yelled back, annoyed. I shushed my dad, which annoyed him even more, but he just ran to a neighbor's house to call 911, if they hadn't already from the smoke and yelling.
"What do you mean he's my brother?" I said angrily to the tutorial.
---
The fire fighter put the blaze out in a hurry, but in the ten minutes it took for them to get here, the fire had consumed most of the house while I sat on the sidewalk with Jake. I don't remember when I started crying, but I did. The paramedics were really nice but were perturbed by my silent 'friend' who seemed awfully cheery for having their friend's house burn down in front of them. I had told Jake not to speak to anyone, lest they grow suspicious of his gibberish.
'You can rebuild houses after fires! Give it a go!' The tutorial said to me. I blinked at it and stared at my house. It was so tempting ... but I was surrounded by neighbors and officials. There was no way they wouldn't notice a house rebuilding itself. I resigned myself to staying incognito as I sat on Mrs. Henderson's couch.
"Well kiddo, I called Kurt and Lacey and they'll take us in while we figure out what to do next." Dad said with a sigh. I frowned and looked at Jake pointedly.
"Ah ... him ..." He scratched the back of his head. Half jokingly, he said, "You think he'd be fine in a hotel room by himself?"
"Dad!!" I shouted angrily.
"Look I'm just not sure how to explain to Kurt and Lacey why we're not just letting a kid go to his family's house." He whispered, kneeling down.
"But he was literally just born today!" I whispered back gesturing to him admiring an ugly vase that Mrs. Henderson had.
"Then what are we going to tell them?" Dad asked back calmly.
"I'll ... just tell them then." I said lamely. I didn't want to, not at all, but I didn't want Jake to be out on the street. He was my responsibility, whether I liked it or not. "He's my brother now."
Dad just sighed, but he ruffled my hair too.
(This is the second time I've had the Hebert house burn down. I think I have a problem.)
