Yume sat rigidly in her chair, nodding slightly. She pulled her knees back up under her chin again, and buried her face in them.
"Goodnight, mommy...."
A little girl lay in her bed, smiling up at the tall woman sitting by her side. The woman leaned forward and pushed a piece of dark hair away from the girl's amber eyes.
"Goodnight, dear. Sleep well....We'll see you in the morning." She turned off the lamp on the table, then stood up and left the room. The girl turned over under her blankets and was soon asleep, dreaming gently to herself....
BANG.
A loud explosion rent the sleepy silence. The little girl jerked awake, sitting bolt upright. She whimpered loudly and jumped out of bed, tearing down the hall to her parents' room. The door was wreathed in flame, and two dark shapes were stricken on the bed, holding each other. The girl darted across the room and began to shake them.
"Mommy....Daddy, wake up! Please...." Tears began to drip down her cheeks. The woman stirred slightly, coughing.
"Y-Yume...."
The girl began to cry openly, staring down at her mother. The woman opened and closed her mouth a few times, her eyes wide.
"Yume....get out of here....They...they...." She sighed gently, closing her eyes, her head falling limply to one side. The little girl walked backward out of the room, then fled from the house, into the night.
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