Imperfect

I fell asleep to dreams of Aven, but I woke up to fire. Vicky was standing over me, shaking my arm. She was covered in soot, eyes wide with fear. “Belle! Wake up!” I sat up so quickly our heads almost knocked together.
“What!” “Fire!” she yelled over the growing roar of flames. I got out of bed and she took my hand, tugging me outside. It appeared that everyone was out there-shaking, scared, coughing from smoke or smudged with ash.
A good number of patients were having panic attacks. I turned to the asylum. It was being quickly consumed by fire, hot enough that I could feel the heat where I stood. Vicky was frozen next to me. Tears glittered in her eyes. I knew she was older than me, and my caretaker, but I felt bad for her. The asylum must have been her home.
I nudged her gently. “Uh, Vicky?” She glanced over, giving me a strained smile. “Y-Yeah?” I carefully put an arm around her, unsure if she would accept touch. She leaned into me, so I relaxed. “I’m, uh, really sorry about the asylum.” She nodded and wiped tears away.
We stood there for a while as I craned my neck, anxiously looking for my friends. I could see Crystal and Jamie, shoulder to shoulder with their palms touching. Part of Jamie’s shirt was burned away, exposing soot-blackened skin. Otherwise, they appeared unharmed.
I spotted Walt, Bryan, and Laine. She was sandwiched between them, head leaning on Bryan’s shoulder. Walt’s hair stood on end, spiked in random directions. As I watched Laine started shivering, and he shrugged his jacket off to hang it over her shoulders. She smiled thankfully up at him.

I saw Raz and Ms. Triss. Raz stood alone, her tall, slim figure striking against the flames. Her arms were crossed over her chest, mouth set in a hard line. She oversaw the controlled chaos of the patients. Far off, I could hear sirens.
I couldn’t see Thayer, or Aven. I felt my stomach drop. Aven. I stood on tip toe to look for him. “Vick-Vicky, I can’t see Aven,” I stammered, breath catching in my throat. “Fuck,” she swore, pulling away from me to search for help. Fire trucks pulled up to the building, loud and blaring. I wasn’t focused on them, though, only my fear as I descended into panic.
On my knees as I gasped for air, my panic attack unnoticed among the chaos. “Fuck...F-Fuck,” I gasped, throat burning as I sucked in icy air. Then there were arms around me, hands gripping mine, warmth at my back. “Sh....sh, Belle, it’s okay, don’t panic, it’s okay,” he murmured. Aven.

I spun around and embraced him, smelling smoke when I bumped my nose against his chest. I let out a shuddering breath. “Aven.” He chuckled and held me tight as my breathing calmed. I pulled back and thumped his chest. “I thought you were dead, you bastard!” He kissed my forehead, long hair tickling my face. “I’m alive, clearly.”
I kept my hands clenched in his shirt, unwilling to let him go anywhere. At that moment I needed Aven like I need air to breathe. We stood like that as the fire raged, embracing in the shadows. It seemed to be minutes later when Vicky came back, relief crossing her face when she saw Aven. She muttered something into a walkie-talkie.

Aven let go of me, keeping his fingers at the small of my back, warm fingers dipping slightly under my shirt. All I wanted was him, but I forced myself to look at Vicky. “Alright, we’ve called your parents, Belle. They’ll be here soon, and we can arrange from-home care for you at a later date.”
I grit my teeth and nodded sharply, noting absently that Thayer was with Crystal now. He whispered anxiously in her ear as she nodded seriously, fingers entwined with his, still palm to palm with Jamie. I wondered if Thayer had set the fire, than shook my head, feeling unkind.

Aven kissed my cheek as he was led away, keeping our hands together as long as possible. Something in his eyes was desperately sad. I watched him until he disappeared into the crowd.

I walked over to Walt, who was holding a piece of paper. He held it out to me, along with a pen. “Here. Write down your number.” He bit his lip, smiling nervously. “Uh, if you want to. I’m having a lot of people do it, so we can stay in contact...” I nodded and wrote down my number. I felt closed down and empty at the thought of returning home.
Walt bear-hugged me and walked away. I curled up and wrapped my arms around myself, beginning to feel the cold. A blanket was draped around my shoulders. I looked up to see Mr. James. He settled next to me, ignoring the dirt ruining his elegant clothes.

The lines on his face deepened as he stared into the flames. “This was the first place I ever thought of as home,” he said softly. “I’m sorry.” He smiled over at me, shrugging his shoulders. “I’ll help them rebuild it. I have more than enough money, after all. The offer of work still stands, by the way.” I nodded happily. “I know.” “Good.” He left as quickly as he’d arrived. My family came soon after.

A large figure came through the smoke and kneeled next to me, laying a heavy hand on my shoulder. It was Jean-Paul. I hadn’t seen his face in over a month. He smiled hopefully at me. “Hi.” I shrugged out from under his touch, feeling a little mean when his face fell. “Where’s the car?” I snapped.

He motioned to the parking lot. “Over there.” He looked pretty pathetic. He was still in his pajamas, a white t-shirt and sweats with tiny footballs on them. “Let’s go then.” I said goodbye to Vicky and left.

My whole family was there. Annalise embraced me as soon as I got into the backseat. “Belle, oh my God, I’ve missed you so much, I’m so sorry!” I wrestled myself away from her and hissed, “Get the fuck off of me.” She froze and let go of me, huddling into her seat. I ignored the pang of horror I felt at how mean I’d just been to my sister. The car ride home was silent