Page 6 of The Phyre that Burns

“If I’m ugly, so are you. We’re basically twins,” my brother, TJ, said.

He was only ten months older than me, and we looked a lot alike. When we were growing up, people often thought we were twins.

“But we ain’t, and I look better. What are y’all up to?”

“You might have the looks, but you clearly don’t have the brains. You don’t see us eating dinner.”

My parents laughed before my father said, Theodore Sr., said, “That was a good one, Son. You left the door wide open, baby girl.”

“Whatever. I see y’all are eating. I meant in general. Not at this exact moment.”

“Do you want me to make you a plate?” Ma offered.

“I’ll make one before I leave to take home. I just left Devyn’s, and she made pot roast, mashed potatoes, and cornbread.”

My mother had made baked salmon, asparagus, and cheddar garlic biscuits, which I was positive were from scratch. If I weren’t stuffed, I’d eat again, but it would be just as good tomorrow.

Both of my parents were retired nurses, which was how I became interested in the field. They’d picked up various hobbies since retiring and traveled internationally a few times each year. My brother was in his second year as a high school principal in the south suburbs of Chicago.

“We were actually talking about doing a family trip for the holidays. It’s been years since we’ve traveled together,” Ma said.

“Oh, really? That sounds fun. Do you have any locations in mind?” I asked.

“Somewhere warm, obviously,” TJ said. “I don’t want to leave Chicago in the winter to go somewhere that’s just as cold.”

“We can definitely agree on that, although I’ll be traveling from a warmer climate,” I said.

“What are you talking about, baby girl?” my father asked.

“I was just offered a six-month assignment in Black Elm.”

“California?” the three of them chimed.

“Yeah.”

“Did you accept it?” my mother asked.

“Not yet, but I’m ninety percent sure I will.”

“Baby girl, are you sure? You don’t have the fondest memories of that place,” my father said.

My entire family was aware of my heartbreak. I wouldn’t have been able to hide it if I’d tried. I needed them to help me off the ledge because I couldn’t count the number of times I thought about ending Phyre’s life. My family had to remind me of who I was. Luckily, everything happened at the end of the semester, and once it was officially over, I transferred schools and didn’t look back.

“If you think about it, you’ll remember how much I loved Black Elm before everything went down. I would’ve stayed there if it weren’t for what happened.”

“I remember how much you loved it, but still,” TJ offered.

“It’s been a long time.”

“And you haven’t dated anyone seriously since,” Ma said.

“Who has time to date seriously when I’m out of town for weeks or months at a time?”

“True,” TJ said before stuffing a garlic biscuit in his mouth.

“You think you can handle seeing him?” Daddy asked.

“Like I told Devyn, Black Elm is small, but not that small. I doubt I’ll run into him. I honestly don’t know if he’s still there.”