Southern Secrets (Southern 7)

"Okay, let’s get this closed off and see what else we can do," Jacob says and turns to hand Ethan a roll of tape.

"I’ll go with Ethan," I say, and Jacob looks up at me and nods.

"We are going to close off the right side of the driveway," Ethan tells his father as he points in that direction. I hear Beau and Mayson talk about taking the other side, but I just put my head down and walk away with Ethan.

The heat hits my back right away. "We’ll get it all back," Ethan says, and I look over at him, then back down at the green grass. "Whatever you lost in there, my family will make sure that you get it all back."

I stop walking and turn to look back, thinking that maybe it looks worse than it is, but then one side of the barn falls, and the dust and black smoke fill the air. "Whatever I had in there wasn’t anything that I can’t replace." He holds out the tape for me. "Let’s just make sure no one gets hurt." It’s Ethan’s turn to nod. I walk toward a tree while he holds the tape, my eyes going to the barn as I see the flames still going. I wrap the yellow caution tape around the tree, then make my way over to one of the gate posts. The heat from the fire hits me right away.

We secure the one spot, making sure anyone coming by can see the tape and not enter.

The air smells of burned wood. Anyone who didn’t know would think we were having a bonfire. With the help of all the guys, we secure and make sure all entries to the barn are blocked off. The sweat drips from me as we get closer and closer to the burning barn, trying to close off as close as we can to make sure everyone stays safe.

The sound of the firemen yelling makes us look back over at the barn. We see the firemen running away from the barn, and the sound of crackling fills the silence as the rest of the barn falls to the ground. The rush of heat we feel has us holding up our arms to block our face.

We stand here in stunned silence. In a matter of hours, what is left is a pile of debris with the flames still going.

The sun goes down, and the only things that light up the barn are the lights from the two fire trucks. Jacob has us all bring our vehicles to the barn and shine our headlights in order to help.

"There is food over there. You guys should eat something," Jacob says, coming to Ethan and me with two water bottles in his hands.

"Thank you." I open the bottle and gulp down the cold water.

"The fire chief came to talk to me," Jacob says, his voice going lower so he’s not overheard.

I stop drinking when I see him look at me, and then his eyes go down. Something about his look makes the water I just drank work its way back up. "What is it?" The fear that this fire was my fault has been playing in my head over and over again. How the fuck was I going to pay to replace the whole barn? How the fuck would I be able to look into anyone’s eyes, knowing I destroyed their barn? How the fuck would I be able to forgive myself? The shock and numbness take over now, and I feel hollow inside.

“He can’t confirm it for sure,” Jacob says, my head falling as I wait for him to accuse me. But instead, the words that come out of his mouth shock me even more. “But he did say that it looks like arson.”

Chapter 4

Amelia

Looking out the window, I see the black smoke starting to thin out. "You okay?" I hear from beside me and look over at Chelsea.

"Not really," I say honestly as she pushes me over with her hip to wash her hands. We’ve been at my grandmother's house ever since we walked away from the fire. "How are you doing?" I ask, and she looks down at her hands.

"I thought cooking and baking would make me feel better." She turns the water off and grabs a dish cloth to dry her hands. She looks out the same window I was just looking out. "It’s not."

"Has anyone texted you?" I ask, and she grabs the phone from her pocket as she checks it. "No, nothing." I look around the kitchen at my grandmother, who hasn’t stopped cooking since this happened even though my mother and aunt have been trying to force her to sit down.

I look back outside. "I need some air," I say, and she takes a step to follow me. "Go sit down. You haven’t eaten anything today.”