Fighting Smoke

By Kavi Elwyn

Rule number one: don't look.

Rule number two: don't panic.

Rule number three: don't scream.

Gracie broke rule number one, and now the memories of her family's brutal murder haunt her dreams. Determined to lay her monsters to rest, Grace plunges headfirst into the cold reality of life on the fringes of a fast-moving society. Utilizing friends in low, and high places, and a lifetime of lived experience, she gathers clues to her fire-scorched past. TW: Assault/abuse.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kavi Elwyn
• Release date: Nov 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223922926

Book preview

Prologue

Rule number one: don’t look.

Rule number two: don’t panic.

Rule number three: don’t scream.

Rex didn’t seem to care about the rules, his dark brown eyes stared unblinkingly back into mine. Mom said we had the same eyes, but Rex’s were prettier, deeper, and browner. His eyes were watching me with trust now, and I had one hand clamped around his muzzle. His paws scraped the skin off my arm as he moved, and I pulled him closer. Everything’s going to be fine Rex. My whispers seemed to calm him; he stopped moving his head every which way. His body was just as tense as mine was, every muscle posed and taunt.

We were in a cupboard, a small cupboard, surrounded by pots and pans and glass serving bowls. Rex was eight weeks old; I was eight years old, and we had been celebrating our birthday that night.

Outside the final shot sounded and the screaming stopped. Rex began to whimper, or maybe it was me. Glass exploded somewhere out in the kitchen, silverware spilled onto the floor, something heavy hit the outside of the cupboard.

Where the hell is the kid? The harsh sound of his voice cut through the cupboard’s thin door. I held Rex tighter, squeezing him to me.

She’s not here, we’ve checked every room. Maybe she ran out the back, or she’s hiding.

There was a grunt and then more glass exploded, I want this whole family gone do you hear me? Douse everything, if that kid’s here, she’ll go up in smoke with her mother.

I had stopped processing a long time ago- when I realized my parents were dead. Now I listened to that harsh, gravely voice, waiting for the emotions to come. Rex was trying to lick my face, his jaw worked up and down, but I didn’t take my hand off. Outside there was silence, then the sharp smell of gas cut through the cupboard door. I knew about gas, I had tried to boil eggs once, without lighting the pilot light. Mom had flipped out; the smell had lasted for days.

The gas was accompanied by a splashing sound, and suddenly I was surrounded by it. My finger trailed over the splinter of light from the door. It came away wet; it smelt like gas; I was in trouble.

Rex didn’t like the smell; he was fighting my hand now, and growling. I rubbed his head soothingly, he couldn’t growl, he couldn’t make a sound. Outside, there were more shattering sounds, more of our precious memories being spilled. I thought about the three-layered birthday cake out on the dining room table. It was supposed to be chocolate, it had a little girl, and a little dog, right on the top, it said ‘Happy birthday Gracie and Rex.’ It was the coolest cake ever.

The heat started to come a few minutes later, harsh, choking heat that made me want to throw up. Finally, I let Rex go and pushed open the cupboard door. The glass on the floor cut into my knees and hands as I inched across the linoleum. Every emotion was shut down; only the most basic need for survival was still active. I wanted to get out, away from the gas, the glass, and the ever-growing heat.

I saw my mother at the same time I saw the fire. Her body was twisted in a very unnatural way. I reached her at the same time Rex did, he started to sniff her toe. I pushed back her white, blond hair and studied her face. There was so much blood, so much messy blood on my mother. She hated messes, she hated dirt, she hated that the dog was in the house with us. Yet she had accepted dirt, and messes, and Rex, all for me.

I tugged at the ring she wore on her pointer finger. A plain silver ring, so much at odds with her million-dollar diamond necklace, the 24 carrot earrings, and the whale of a diamond dad had given her. I needed that ring; I needed a piece of my mother to hold onto. Around me the fire licked up the gasoline and grew into a hot monster. I knew all about monsters, when monsters come, its best to hide, and hope they don’t see you, or smell you, or find you.

The flames tickled my bare feet, and Rex came darting over when I screamed. I held onto Rex, I held onto my mother, I held on for dear life and hoped the monster wouldn’t take me away.

Chapter 1

The door slammed shut behind me, cutting me off from even the tiniest bit of hope. I hitched the burlap bag higher on my shoulder; I was on my own now. Quick strides took me away from the building that had become my curse. That was it, I was eighteen, and the foster system had bid me a final farewell. Nine years had passed, and seventeen different homes, getting harder to place as I got older.

I got moved for a variety of reasons, tempers, mine and others. Neglect, abuse, personality, a new baby coming, financial difficulties, social difficulties, criminal charges; and sometimes, because they just didn’t want me.

I knew exactly where I was going, towards the bus station, towards Chicago. Hours later, when sleep had fled, I watched the streetlights whiz past, counting them as they blurred into each other. I was still awake when the bus parked in front of the station and we started to unload.

The stares I drew when I stopped at the payphone didn’t slow me down; I’d dealt with that demon years ago. He answered on the sixth ring, just when I was about to hang up. Come see me immediately, I’ll explain the fine print. Oh, and Gracie? Use the back door.

The click in my ear made me smile; he was eager, very eager. He was assuming that the girl he had dealt with nine years ago was still around. His assumption amused me; I hung up the phone and picked up my bag. The check I had from Uncle Sam was small, but it disappeared after I added my signature to the back and handed it to a cabbie.

The law offices of Templeton, Ashford, and Peck were in the higher crust of town. Their gold-plated nameplate caught the morning sun and shot it off in wild ecstasy, blinding the few brave enough to look up.

Ashford had said use the back door, but since the front looked so inviting, I ignored his advice. The security guard picked me up immediately, these guys were no slouches. He was on me the moment I pushed the button for the elevator. Not that I blame him, when you look the way I look, you get pulled over a lot. I dropped the bag to the floor gently, keeping my hands level. He looked at my ID, nosed through the bag a little, gave me a once over, and then asked me to follow him to the security desk.

Since it’s always best to cooperate with security personnel, I kicked my bag backward, stepped into the elevator, and hit the button for the door. He was three steps in the wrong direction before he heard the ding, but I heard his curses two flights up.

When the elevator opened the receptionist eyed me warily, Do you have an appointment miss?

I pushed back my baseball cap, Yes, I do. Please tell Mr. Ashford that Grace is here to see him?

As I settled onto one of the plush chairs, I heard her mumbling busily into the phone. Ashford was quick, the door to his inner office opened the moment the receptionist hung up.

Gracie! Won’t you come in? He ushered me in quickly, and I didn’t miss the worried glance he gave to the waiting room. I guess he’d just hate it if another client saw me.

Mr. Ashford.

Gracie I am so glad to see you, out at last so it would seem! he motioned me to a big, overstuffed leather chair.  

You might want to call down to the security desk and inform them I am your guest, I told him quietly, my eyes roving over his expensively decorated office.

With an almost parental sigh, he reached for the phone, and in a few moments, the whole matter was cleared. I made a note to wave at the security guard on the way out.

Well Gracie, I am so very glad you’ve come, we have a lot to discuss. He reached into his filing cabinet and selected a thick, overflowing file. He then plucked one piece