Hi all, back from vacation and trying to get rid of the jetlag. Just a short little flashback here before we get back into depressing land. If you haven't already seen, I re-edited chapters 6-9 and now they feel so much better to me and allow the story to flow a lot better.

Please enjoy a little insight into the past of our favorite fire gal!

~Deepika

Flashback - Blaze

.:.

Bethany Louise Malcolm, more commonly known as Blaze to her friends, had always been a spirited and lively girl. There were many things that riled her up but there weren't many that left her as a flickering flame. So imagine her surprise when eleven year old Blaze came home to find her normally civil parents yelling up a storm.

"Julia, she's my mother! There's no amount of money I wouldn't spend to try to cure her of whatever damned disease she has!"

"And I'm telling you Victor," her mother spat. "That there is no point because we don't even know what disease she has. If we did, then one of the hundred doctors we've seen would have diagnosed her!"

These types of spats weren't atypical in her household. When Blaze was ten, Edith Malcom, Grams, had fallen ill with an unknown disease. When Grams had recovered, the entire Malcolm family thought they had made it out of the woods until the unknown disease had made a reappearance. Ever since that day, her parents had been in a nonstop war, battle after battle, only pausing when Blaze was around. However, today must have been an especially terrible argument as neither parent stopped yelling even as she walked into the room.

Sighing, the dark brown haired girl muttered a greeting that her parents never bothered to acknowledge and she made her way up to Grams' wing. Having Grams in a separate wing was the only way that her father could convince her mother to allow Grams to stay in the house and not in a house or cushy retirement home. For that, Blaze was thankful. Being the only child and having insanely busy parents meant that Blaze literally had no one but her grandmother to keep her company.

The mere sight of the elderly Malcolm woman was enough to cast any dark feelings out of Blaze's mind. A source of strength and stability, Grams always put things into perspective, even when she wasn't saying anything. The elder Malcolm woman smiled when she caught sight of her granddaughter, beckoning her to come in. With a bright smile, Blaze walked in to see Grams situating herself, only mildly struggling to get herself into a seated position. Patting the space next to her, Blaze excitedly hurled herself onto the bed and beamed a smile at her grandmother while observing her.

Although approaching the age of seventy-five, Edith Malcolm didn't look a day over sixty. Her slightly wrinkled face was offset by youthful looking eyes, although they seemed duller due to her illness. Her head that had once housed luscious brunette locks of hair had long since grayed. Her porcelain skin, though riddled with age, was immaculate as ever, giving her an air of dignity and distinguishability even though she spent her days bed ridden.

Blaze found herself tenderly leaning into her grandmother's side, allowing some of the tears to flow as she recalled her parents' nasty exchange with one another. She tried to be strong, every day, she really did; but sometimes it was too much. "Are you alright, my dear?" Grams asked softly and Blaze sniffled and quickly sat up straight, moving to wipe away her tears. Embarrassment flooded her at the thought of ruining Grams' night gown.

"Yes Grams, I'm alright," Blaze sniffled unconvincingly. Grams let out a short laugh that was quickly cut off by a nasty cough.

"Bethany Louise, when will you learn that you can't get anything past this old coop?" Grams laughed and laughed once more after seeing Blaze turn tomato red. Grams was the only person who was still allowed to call her Bethany Louise. That name was long forgotten out of this room. Although she loved her grandmother, her hatred for the Malcolm ancestors and what they stood for angered her enough that the two Malcolm women she had been named after didn't deserve the recognition after they were long gone.

Feeling like she had nothing to say, Blaze looked down and replied, "You're not an old coop." After a moment of silence, Blaze looked back up with tears forming in her eyes again. "Mother and Father are fighting again," she finally admitted. "I don't know why they can never be on the same page, for literally anything." Grams sighed and squeezed her a little closer.

"Bethany, you shouldn't have to be worrying about things like that at your age," she murmured.

"Don't worry Grams, I'm strong, I can handle it," Blaze replied. Grams chortled.

"I know dear, you're one of the strongest women I know."