As always, Silesia and her best friend, Ferrum, hated parties. And as usual, Silesia's parents made her go anyway. Parties were about fancy dress, polite conversation, and respecting hosts who really didn't deserve any respect. Parties were tough, and for a growing thirteen-year-old, they were unbearable, especially after what happened to Silesia and Ferrum a few months ago.
This party was at the Zeeka Estate, a pretty vineyard in the heart of Napa. It had a beautiful house with a three-acre vineyard and woods surrounding the house. It was said to be picturesque, perfect. But the owner was unbearable. Silesia hated her. But this party was no ordinary party, and this location was no ordinary location.
Settled deep in the basement of the Zeeka Estate, some said there to be an old Xbox 360, one with the first gen Kinect. The grandchildren who once played with the ancient gaming system had long ditched their insufferable grandmother, but Silesia had done some research.
But when she arrived at the large, old single family home, however, what she saw came as a shock. First of all, they weren't in the city of Napa. Technically, they were in Santa Rosa, a neighboring, less prestigious city. Silesia's parents had taught her the power of prestige, and obviously, Louisa had reported a Napa address for the prestige. But prestige only worked if it was true, but this obviously was not.
Second, the house looked decayed, slightly, as if the owner only replaced things when they were completely broken, something that the rich never did. But this was the right place, no matter what it looked like.
As soon as Silesia greeted the owner, drank two glasses of expensive red wine, and escaped the attention of a group of fancy jazz players, Silesia descended into the musty basement.
A long hallway with "happy" pictures of the family lining the walls led to the staircase to the no longer used basement. The stairs led into a large room with a sixty-six-inch plasma TV on one wall. To the left of the staircase was a dusty pool table with a large hourglass sitting on top. But the real prize would be the Xbox on the wine shelf.
Silently, Silesia crept into the TV room. From what one of the granddaughters had told her, the Xbox had been stowed away on the wine shelf after they'd stopped coming.
Silesia searched every box, rifling through bottle after bottle of musty wine. None of them looked like an Xbox 360, which was odd. Her sources, though quite shady, were quite sure about the Xbox. Finally, though, she came across a black painted box labeled "JK." Silesia was unsure what that meant, but she pulled down the different-looking wooden box anyway.
It wasn't actually an Xbox as the rumors had said. There was a can labeled "acetone" and a jug of a clear liquid. Silesia opened it and caught a whiff of gasoline. A handful of lighters clattered at the bottom of the box, ready.
The plan was true. The grandchildren had plotted against their grandmother. It was real, unlike every other fact about the place. It was possible.
Suddenly, Silesia wasn't so sure anymore. It was fun to research and plan to burn down the Zeeka Ranch, but now that she was there, at an untended house, in the middle of Santa Rosa instead of Napa as everyone had claimed. The beautiful country château was no more than a custom-built house with land.
For a moment, Silesia felt bad about wanting to burn down Louisa's house.
Ferrum sneaked down the stairs. Silesia's friend's parents were always late, so it wasn't a surprise that he took so long to appear.
"Hey Sia," Ferrum whispered.
"I found it," Silesia whispered back, tossing him a rusty lighter. It clattered to the ground.
"Why didn't you light it up yet?" Ferrum asked, peaking into the black box.
"Well, so much isn't true…" Silesia said.
"Sia, look at this," Ferrum said, showing Silesia his bruises. "These are real." Bloody and blue marks ran down his neck and chest where Louisa had struck him. Nobody had been there to see it, but everyone knew. The whole incident was put on wraps very quickly with the help of Louisa's money.
"I know, Ferrum, but look at this place," Silesia said. "Most of her ego is completely made-up. Lies. Can't you see that?"
Ferrum frowned. "Please Silesia. For me."
Silesia sighed, picking up the lighter at Ferrum's feet. "Okay."
She doused the entire basement in gasoline and then poured acetone on the stairs. Backing into the small kitchen beyond the pool table, she clicked the lighter.
"Are you sure, Ferrum?"
Ferrum nodded. "Light it up, Sia."
Silesia tossed the lighter at a pool of gasoline on the pool table. It caught fire immediately. Silesia stared, enchanted by the way the fire flickered and spread. The heat bathed her skin painfully.
"Go!" Ferrum scream-whispered. "Go! Get out of here!"
The flames shot through Ferrum's body, but he didn't waver.
"Ferrum," Silesia cried, tears streaming down her face. "Ferrum, don't go. Ferrum, don't leave me."
Flames curled on the walls, spreading upwards. Orange licked the walls, turning them black. Thick smoke curled in the air, threating to suffocate Silesia.
"The entire house is burning down!" Ferrum screamed with volume over the crackling of the gasoline fuel fire. "Get out of here!"
"Why did I leave you?" Silesia cried. "Why did I let her do this to you?"
"Go! Go!" Ferrum screamed as a part of the ceiling rained down on him.
"I'm sorry," Silesia said, taking a step towards him. "I’m sorry I can't spend freshman year with you."
"No!" Ferrum screamed, running through the fire towards Silesia. "I'm gone. I'm done! But you aren't! Get out and live, Silesia Roberts!"
Silesia stopped, jolted. She blinked a few times in confusion, suddenly noticing how Ferrum's body shimmered and danced in the light. "Ferrum… I'm so sorry."
And she turned around and ran out the kitchen's glass door that led to the backyard. She let it all burn, the six-bedroom, five-bath estate home.
Ferrum's ghost stood at the opened basement door and stared at Silesia's running figure. He smiled and dissipated, fulfilling his last promise.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
