Walking through the Fire

Chapter One

Delilah’s room was still dark, though streaks of weak sunlight were trying their best to cut through the flimsy fabric that covered her windows. Delilah was wide awake, though she was desperately trying to chase the dream that was still hanging in the corners of her memory. It had been a strange dream, she couldn’t quite remember the specifics of it, try as she might. But there was an odd, faceless, figure in it, reaching out to her, and for some reason, she was eager to reach back. But before she could, her alarm started to go off on her phone. Delilah sighed as she rolled over to turn it off, and now here she was, lying in her bed trying to remember who the figure was.

A sudden bang on her door startled her,

“Lilah! You better be awake!” Came the sound of her shrill mother’s voice through her wooden door,

“Do not make me late for work again!”

“I’m up, I’m up!” Delilah said back, with a raised voice. Delilah swung her legs over the edge of her bed and sat up, yawning loudly while stretching her arms above her head. Picking up her phone she checked to see any notifications she had - a couple of messages from her best friend Charlie:

11:30pm - Hey Woods, don’t forget we have swim practice tomorrow after school!

11:45pm - And don’t forget to pick me up before school tomorrow. Love you Woods xx

Delilah chuckled to herself and quickly responded to Charlie, letting her know she would pick her up on the corner outside her house in about 35 minutes.

Delilah made her way to the bathroom, quickly showered, brushed her teeth and pulled her long, brown hair into a messy ponytail which would just have to do. Going back to her room, she quickly changed into some dark jeans, a light pink long sleeved top, and grabbed her pink bomber. Chucking on her white shoes, she grabbed her school bag and made her way downstairs.

“Lilah, come on, grab some breakfast and lunch and let’s go.” Said her mother, who hadn’t even turned around from the kitchen sink where she was doing dishes.

“Actually mum, can I maybe take the car to school today? Please?” Delilah asked, making her way from the stairs into the bustling kitchen - where her younger twin brothers Joey and Lucas were simultaneously eating their soggy cornflakes, while wrestling over the remote that controlled the TV that was blaring in the living room. Delilah picked up an apple from the fruit bowl in the center of the bench, and took a huge bite, trying her best not to chew too loudly (she hated the sound of chewing, even her own!).

Her mother turned, and looked at Delilah, weighing up the pros and cons of Delilah taking her own car and driving herself. Her mother sighed,

“All right, I guess you do have swim practice after school so it would save me or dad coming to get you. But, be responsible, and pay attention to the road miss!” Her mother said, smiling slightly, then sighing loudly she said, “Boys! Stop fighting over that bloody remote and eat your breakfast. We need to go in five minutes!”

“Thanks mum!” Delilah said, grabbing some more fruit and stuffing it into her bag, alongside a container from the fridge that had last night's leftovers in it - lasagna, one of her favorites. Delilah went to her mother, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, and made her way to the other side of the living room where she had dumped her swim gear bag the night before, knowing that she would be in a rush this morning. Delilah turned, and quickly appreciated her family - her younger brothers, who were now quickly slurping up the milk in their bowls, and then rushing to put on their shoes. Her mother - who had her own long, brown hair up in a messy bun, and was wearing a black dress that hugged her figure. Samara Woods always looked very well put together, and Delilah looked like a mini version of her mother, minus the professionalism and good looks that Samara ensued.

“Bye mum!” Delilah called out, moving towards the front door and grabbing the keys to her small VW Beetle that her parents had bought her for her birthday last year, though Delilah had not had much opportunity to drive it.

“Love you honey, have a good day!” Her mother called back, as Delilah closed the door and hurried down to her blue car, which she affectionately called “Bluey”. Finishing her apple, Delilah chucked the core into the outdoor bin, unlocked Bluey, and jumped in. Now the sunlight seemed stronger than it was when she was in her bedroom, but as Delilah breathed out she could see her breath like small clouds. Delilah cranked the heat up, hoping that her windscreen would clear quickly, and turned on the radio. She knew that most of her friends would listen to their own playlists, carefully curated with the hits of the day, but Delilah preferred the conversation of the radio DJs, with songs played here and there. Putting her car in reverse, Delilah (carefully!) made her way out of the driveway, and headed towards Charlie’s home. Charlie had been her best and closest friend since primary school - where they had bonded over barbie dolls, swimming, and a love of cartoons (which then evolved into a love for horror films). Charlie had always been incredibly blunt, which Delilah loved about her, since Delilah avoided confrontation like the plague. Where Delilah had brown hair and was more petite, Charlie was built like an athlete, with shimmering red hair that seemed to always cascade so perfectly down her back. Delilah saw how people responded to Charlie; not just their peers but adults too. People were either in awe of Charlie's looks, or brains, or just sheer personality, but Delilah never felt envious of this. If Charlie were the sun, Delilah was simply happy to bask in that glorious sunlight, and enjoy the fact that she could say, that's my best friend. Delilah slowed down as she approached a red light, and stopped, waiting for the light to turn green again. She was feeling quite warm at this point, and turned the heat down slightly. Humming along to the song that was playing, the light turned green, and Delilah stepped down on the acceleration. Suddenly, Delilah felt a spike of fear shoot down her spine and she took her foot off the pedal and the car jolted to a stop. The car behind her beeped, but Delilah could not bring herself to move the car forward. What was going on? Delilah felt sick to her stomach, and all this pressure in the surrounding air to: Not. Move. The. Car. Forward. Shaking her head, she breathed deep and went to accelerate, as the car behind her beeped again - only two seconds or three had passed since the light had turned green - when all of a sudden, a logging truck came barrelling through the intersection, running the red light it would have had, and narrowly missing the front of Delilah’s car. The tingles of fear subsidized in Delilah immediately, as the truck cleared the intersection, and all of a sudden, the pressure in the air dissipated. Delilah breathed out heavily, not realizing that she was holding it, while her heart was hammering away in her chest. Suddenly there was a light tap on her window, and glancing to the side, she made direct eye contact with Jasper Mace.

Could this day get any weirder? Delilah thought to herself.