Forest Fire |Evan Buckley|

Chapter one

° Winter of 1996, Austin Texas°

Nora Joe ran through the expansive field, Judd chased after her laughing as he tried to tag her.

"You can't catch me! You gotta run faster than that Judd!" She screamed with mirth. Her mirth was soon turned to horror as she realized where she was standing, she thought the pound had been frozen all the way through. The ice began to crack under her feet as a fifteen year old Judd Ryder stopped in his tracks.

"Nora don't move." Judd said with wide eyes as he tried to think of a solution.

"Judd I'm scared, I want mama." Nora said as she shivered. It was colder out her on the pond than it was by the corral. She was scared. She didn't feel like playing anymore.

"I know you are Nora but you have to be brave okay? Don't move and I'll come get you." Judd said wide eyed.

      Nora nodded her head and just prayed to God to save her before here daddy found out about them on the pond. He had told them not to go out there. Nora wished she had listened.     

     The ice gave way before Judd's eyes, sinking Nora into the cold water. Judd grabbed the axe his dad used for firewood  and Began to break up the ice, desperately trying to reach Nora. Without a second thought he jumped into the pond and dragged a comatose girl to the bank.

He then preformed CPR, hoping and praying his baby sister would stay with him. She gasped as Judd rolled her to her side so she could cough up the water.

"Nora, Nora Joe are you alright?" Judd asked rolling her own her back. She didn't answer but held her hand over her left ear, blood seeped through her fingers. She screamed and cried as he picked her up and ran in the house toward his mother. He thought it was his fault.

His old man beat the snot out of him after that. The next day he could barely walk, his lip was cut up and he had a huge cut above his eyebrow when he went to visit Nora in the hospital.

°Summer of 2009, Austin Texas°

A young Nora Joe hobbled towards her brother's door, it's been a long time since he's seen or heard from her. Her fiance had forbidden her to communicate with Judd just to have control over her life. She had had enough that night, he robbed her of something so precious and she would never forgive him. It was a day before her eighteenth birthday when she basically crawled to his door step.

She knocked with all of her remaining strength and didn't remember Judd carrying her inside and laying her in the guest bed, or Grace cleaning her cuts. They were like her mom and dad, when her own parents treated her like a figment of their imagination. She knew it wasn't fair to Judd, he had his own life to live after all. Him and his wife were trying to have a baby. They didn't need Nora tagging along to put a strain on their marriage.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know where else to go." Nora croaked as she signed to Judd. Tears falling from her bruised eyes.

"Hey, don't apologize. None of that I'd rather you come to me than anywhere else Nora." Judd said hugging her and rubbing small circles on her back. She hated to admit it but Judd would always be her favorite person. Even if at times he was a bit suffocating.

°Summer of 2018, Austin Texas°

"Congratulations Nora Ryder, and welcome to the 126!" Captain Owen strand said patting her on the back as he handed her a plaque. She smiled at her older brother, easily finding him out in the crowd seated by a very proud looking Grace Ryder.

As the people filed out of the firehouse she heard a voice that made her freeze in her tracks. She hadn't heard it in so long, but just as if he had beat her near death yesterday she looked up at the cold blue eyes of her ex fiance.

"Congratulations Nora Joe." He said patting her on the back a little too hard. This made Nora take steps backwards as her heart hammered in her chest.

"W-what are you doing here David?" She gasped as he took another step forwards. Nora took another step back.

"Thought I'd come Support my one and only." David said in a threatening way. Nora shook her head.

"I don't need you here." She said as she spotted T.K talking with Carlos. They spotted her and came to her rescue. T.K wrapped an arm around Nora and glared at Stuart as Carlos went to go get Judd.

"Can I help you sir?" T. K. Asked as Nora seemed to visibly calm down. Braver now she squared her shoulders. She glared at David as she spoke.

"Get out of my fire house. You don't deserve to be here." Nora said glaring harder at the man when he scoffed.

"I don't deserve to be here? What about you Nora? You can't hear all that well without those aids can you? And who's fault was that?" David said pointing past Nora and T.K at Judd who was as mad as a banded bull.

But before he could get close enough to the old man Nora tackled David, punching him in the face over and over again.

"You don't get to point your disgusting finger at him! It wasn't his fault!" Nora shouted.

"You are just as worthless as you were two years ago. You never made it easy for me to love you!" David countered.

"I GAVE YOU THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE YOU SORRY BASTARD! BUT I WAS NEVER GOOD ENOUGH! YOU USED TO BEAT THE DOG SHIT OUT OF ME FOR NO FUCKING REASON EVEN WHEN I WAS CARRYING YOUR BABY!" Nora yelled loud enough for the rest of the firehouse to hear her as Judd pulled her off the bloody mess that had been her fiance. Tears burned her eyes and blurrd her vision as Judd held her, rubbing circles in her back just like he used to when they were kids.

"You are the same stupid bitch you've always been!" David said as he was taken out of the firehouse by paramedic Captain Vega, Nora was taken from the scene by Judd and T.K and on her way to the Captain's office she passed Mateo, Marjan, Paul and Nancy. They all gave her sad looks as she passed. She hated pitty parties so she held her chin up high, as she waited for Owen Strand to chew her out.

"I know what you're gonna say Cap. I know I fucked up big time." Nora said. "If you fire me I understand." She said.

"Actually they're going to call us to a meeting and decide what will happen to you there. Since this is your first slip up." Owen said. Nora paled at the idea of the punishment coming her way.

"Just tell me when it is Owen." Nora hung her head.

°June seventh, 2019°

Nora Joe dressed to the nines for her meeting with the fire chief. She wore a blue blouse with black stars on it that were barely noticeable, a gold necklace hung around her neck and a pencil skirt hugged her hips.

She let Owen do most of the talking and let out a breath when she heard she wasn't going to be fired.

"Pack your bags miss Ryder, you going to be transfered to Los Angeles."

Nora's mouth hung open in shock. As she looked back and forth between Owen and the Cheif. This was the epitome of a kind gesture.

"Thank you sir."