Welcome to Hell

Hot, can't breathe, need to... breathe...

"Child?"

Need to get out! The air! It burns!

"Child!"

Fire - my throat is on fire!

A hand shook Mikel back to reality. Or rather, a pale imitation of what reality should have been. He looked around the dank, dark room and found his chest tightening. He coughed.

"It is alright, child." A homely-looking woman held Mikel by the shoulder. "You are safe now."

Mikel nodded, wary of the stranger. His eyes stung and he could feel his entire body itching.

The woman sighed. "Patience is truly a godly attribute." She sat behind her desk. "I know you children suffer before coming here. However... Child, that distrust you hold in your eyes." She pointed. "That is most unkind and unpolite. Especially when directed towards the people who saved your life."

Mikel did not understand the woman's meaning - so he nodded. He wanted her to keep talking, however. The heat was closing in and he needed a distraction.

"Look how pale you are, child." She continued. "and that cough you have. It is apparent that you weren't taken care of. Wherever you were." She smiled. "Try to understand, that will change here." She scowled. "Show some respect."

The door opened, presenting another boy around Mikel's age. With brown hair and a cheerful demeanor, the boy saluted as if he were a soldier. "'This him, Mom?"

"Yes, Jehan. He is ready," The woman turned to Mikel. "All the children here call me Mom." Another smile appeared on her face. "You will too." A wink. "Now go."

Mikel followed the boy Jehan through several hallways. "What happened to you?" Mikel did not answer, he could not answer. The last thing he wanted to do was evoke the flames. "It's ok, most of us didn't speak either. When I first got here I was just like you." Mikel coughed which the boy seemed to take as a sign of agreement. "Yeah. You'll get the hang of it, don't worry."

Jehan brought Mikel to a nice, big open room with lots of beds. Tall windows lined the walls letting in lots of sunlight, and air. Merciful, sweet air. Mikel liked this spacious room already.

"Like the windows, eh?" Jehan asked. "Yeah. They're pretty cool." He moved to a bed. "This is you. And that is me!" Jehan jumped, pointing at a bed placed against a window. "The last kid who had your bed ran away last week. But Mom has kept it nice and tidy."

Mikel scratched his shoulder, coughed, then touched the mattress - it felt hard. He wanted to be against the tall windows, closer to the fresh air outside. Jehan observed him intently as Mikel inspected the outside, coughing all the while.

Jehan then enthusiastically described the location of the bathroom, changing room, and playroom. Afterward, Mikel followed him to the dining area. It was lunchtime.

The dining area had so many children yelling over each other, worse, it was small and cramped. Mikel could feel his chest compressing. The tray of food he got consisted of barley bread, a thin slice of sausage, and some vegetables. It was the smallest meal Mikel had ever received.

The two sat down with their trays. "Whose the new rat, Jehan?" A big boy with a big grin asked from the far side of the table.

Jehan nudged MIkel. Was he supposed to speak? Mikel opened his mouth -

The inferno. Rushing in. His throat. Tightening. So.. hot...

"What's the matter? He can't speak for himself or -"

Mikel fell to the floor, scratching and coughing. He couldn't stop. Vaguely he noticed a commotion around him, voices rising and kids laughing and crying.

"Another broken one joins the ranks!"

"What is he doing?"

"Help him! Someone call Mom!"

The voices soon faded, leaving nothing but silence. Silence, and flame, and darkness.

When Mikel opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a bed, back in the dank, dark room with the homely-looking woman.

"Not even half a day's passed and you're already causing trouble." The woman, Mom, said from behind her desk. "You realize that you spilled three of my boys' trays in your little stunt?" She clicked her tongue. "Not to mention you made several of them cry."

Mikel sat up. His throat was burning, and he could feel his skin itching. He went to -

"Stop that!" Mom stood up. "You are already so pale! Look at yourself, boy!"

Mikel looked down to see the scratch marks all over his arms. Did he do that? The streaks of red across his white skin seemed like rivers of blood through a desert. He very deliberately put his arms to the side.

"Good." Mom sighed, "It is too late for this. And I have other charges to care for. Jehan!"

The door opened and Jehan stepped through. "Yeah, Mom?"

"Take our new guest to his bed, please."

On their way back, Jehan spoke softly. "I'm sorry for nudging you earlier. If I answered for you it would've been worse. I didn't know you would do that." He tried a reassuring smile. "Sorry. I feel like it's my fault."

Mikel grabbed Jehan's arm and shook his head. Whatever it was, it wasn't Jehan's fault. Jehan seemed to understand and returned the gesture.

"What's your name?" Jehan asked.

Hot, scorching -

Mikel shook his head more vigorously.

"I understand. No worries. Let's go to sleep. Everything is always better in the morning."

In his bed, Mikel tossed and turned. He tried sleeping, but all he got were flashes of a manor burning down around him. The sound of screams becoming overpowered by sheer calamity. He, standing still, unable to move in fright. Father and mother, father and mother they... his eyes wide in shock and disbelief. Screams, screams, screams! The flames suffocating -

"Psst, hey!" Jehan whispered beside him. "You're shuffling is making the other stay awake. You're not gonna fall to the ground again are you?"

Mikel shook his head.

"Want me to call Mom?"

No! Mikel shook his head again.

Jehan pierced his lips. "Come." He led Mikel to his bed beside the tall window. "Take my bed." A small, fresh breeze from the ajar window caressed the boys' faces.

Mikel climbed the bed then squeezed Jehan's hand. Jehan smiled in return and went to lie on Mikel's old bed instead.

Lying in his new bed, Mikel gazed at the night sky and felt... free. Calm. He forgot how much he loved the stars. He forgot that he used to draw them back when... back when...

He closed his eyes and let the tears fall as sleep took him.