***BLAKE***

I was standing in front of my house. Not the ruined one. Not the burned shell that lived in my memories. The real one. Whole. Quiet. The stones were still stacked the way my father liked them. The door was shut. The windows dark, but warm. Safe. For one breath, I let myself believe that meant something.

The air didn’t hurt to breathe. I lowered my shoulders.

I blinked, and the next thing I saw made my heart froze.

Fire erupted.

Fierce flames, ripping through the ground and ...