SOPHIA

I had just drifted off to sleep when the scent of smoke overwhelmed me. I opened my eyes, on alert, and sat up in bed.

Under the door, black smoke emerged. Then I heard the crackle of flames. And screams.

I hurried to the door, but the moment I put my hands on the handle, I yanked it back. The iron was hot. I felt the door with flattened palms, and it was the same.

The fire was right outside my door. Going in to the hallway to escape would be impossible. The smoke rose, choking me. I coughed, my lungs burned. I dropped to the floor and crawled toward the window.

Unfortunately, it was not the kind of window with a latch. It wasn’t meant to open. Plus, it was eight panes of glass held in a wooden framework.

If I didn’t find a way to dismantle it, I would either die from the smoke filling the room, or eventually, the fire that was roaring like a wounded creature behind the door.

The small table with its two chairs were about a foot away. I scooted over, grabbed one of the chairs and stood. Smoke stung my eyes. Crawled down my throat. Suffocated my lungs.

It was hard to take a breath.

Still, I managed to the lift the chair.

I slammed it against the window.

Nothing. My arms hurt from the impact, but not a single pane of glass shattered.

I tried again.

The second blow was even weaker than the first.

I looked around the room, trying to find a different object in the haze of smoke. My gaze landed on the basin and water pitcher sitting on the nearby dresser. I grabbed the pitcher and slammed against the window.

The pitcher shattered.

And so did two of the panes.

I tore a piece of cloth from the thin blanket on the bed, wrapped my hand with it, and then slammed the side of my fist against the cracked panes.

After the third try, one pane broke.

And then another.

It was as if those two panes somehow held the window together.

The rest of the panes broke.

And that weakened the wood frame holding them in place.

At this point, I had inhaled a lot of smoke I felt dizzy, and my lungs hurt. But I kept pushing on the broken window until there a big enough space for me to get through. Fresh air rushed through, giving me better air to breathe, though my throat and chest still hurt.

I considered my only option. With jagged glass poking out from the sides, I knew I would probably get cut.

But what was a few flesh wounds if it meant staying alive?

Our room was on the back side of the inn. A small field of grass was between the inn and the dark forest that covered this side of Velvetleaf. No one was in the back of the building. I assumed everyone was in the front watching the inn burn. Maybe people were trying to help, but it seemed an impossible task to me.

I climbed on to the dresser and looked down.

There wasn’t a single place that would give me a soft landing. Jumping out of the window probably meant a few broken bones. I only had the cold, hard ground below to catch me. Jumping out of the window probably meant injuring my bones.

But what choice did I have? Jump and risk a broken foot. Or wait for the fire to kill me. At least jumping gave me a chance to live.

I wrapped my other hand up so that I could hold on to the sharp sides of the window. My feet were bare, but covered by my dress.

"Okay," I told myself. "You can do this."

I leaned forward, made the mistake of looking down, which seemed really, really far, and stopped.

"Nope." I sucked in a breath. "If you want to die, go into the fiery hallway. If you want to live, jump."

My pep talk wasn’t all that helpful. Once again, I readied myself to jump. Maybe if I just leaned forward until gravity took over...

"Ugh!" I reared back, hands pressing on the frame. Glass bit into my makeshift cloth mittens. I could feel warm blood welling where the sharp pieces had cut me.

I decided the only way to make the leap would be to close my eyes and go for it. Maybe if I didn’t see the ground rushing up at me, I might survive this with minimal damage.

"One," I whispered.

Get ready.

"Two."

Lean forward.

"Three."

Let go.

The moment my body left the window, I heard Nathan’s voice scream my name. He had rounded the corner of the building, presumably to try and find me. But it was too late.

I had already made the decision.

I couldn’t take it back.

So I was falling...

falling...

falling.

And he was running...

running...

running.

I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the impact.

***|***|***

NATHAN

My soul nearly left my body as I saw Sophia launch herself from the window. I ran the fastest I ever had in my life.

Watched her fall.

Limbs flailing.

Screams.

I skidded the last two feet on my knees. Arms lifted. Heart in my throat.

Whump!

I caught her.

The impact of her body sent me sprawling, but I managed to land on my back, clutching her on top of me.

We both were breathing hard, clinging to each other.

"Am I alive?" asked Sophia.

"Yes," I said, stroking her hair. "Are you okay? Where are you hurt?"

"I ... I think I’m fine." She lifted her hand and touched my brow. "Are you all right? Did I break anything?"

"My heart," I said. "I nearly died when I saw you jump out of the window."

"I didn’t have a choice, Nathan. The smoke was awful, and the fire was starting to eat through the wooden door."

"You did well, butterfly." I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her so tight, I couldn’t breathe.

"My throat hurts," she complained. "And my chest."

"Smoke inhalation," I said. "Let’s get you to the doctor."