Meant to Marry Me

The band decided to stop at a restaurant and get a late-dinner/early-breakfast on their way back to the hotel. Bree devoured a huge stack of pancakes. She was so hungry from all the drama, she could've eaten even more. The bandmates laughed and enjoyed each other's company for the first time in as long as she could remember. She hadn't noticed before how much drama surrounded Cat whenever she was with them, but now that she was out of the picture, everyone else seemed to breathe easier. It was like an invisible weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

By the time they got back to the hotel, it was past two o'clock in the morning. Bree and Trent took a shower together, and then collapsed side by side in bed, intertwined in each other's arms. The smile on Bree's face was genuine. She felt as if she was on the top of the world. Everything was coming together again, and she couldn't wait to see what her band could do with Shawna playing alongside them instead of Cat.

She'd been asleep for an hour or so when the strong stench of smoke awoke her, followed closely by the blaring noise of a smoke alarm.

Bree opened her eyes, confused as to where she was and what all of the noise was about. Trent was awake, too. "Bree! Throw on some clothes!" he shouted, getting dressed himself. "The hotel is on fire."

She could hardly believe what she was hearing, but her body reacted without her mind fully registering, throwing on shorts and a T-shirt that were near her bed. She slid her feet into some shoes as well. After only a few seconds, it seemed like the room was filling with smoke.

Trent went over to the window. It was the kind that wouldn't open. "Son of a bitch," he said. "We're going to have to go out the door, Bree."

The blare of sirens from the streets outside let Bree know that help was on the way, but her eyes were stinging, and her lungs were burning. She didn't think they'd have time to wait for the emergency vehicles and firefighters to arrive. The fire had to be nearby.

Trent ran into the bathroom and wet some towels. He handed one to Bree. "Put this over your face. I'm going to see how hot the door is." He wrapped another wet towel around his hand and placed it on the door handle. Trent pulled his hand back immediately. "It's blazing hot," he said. "The fire seems to be right outside our door."

"What do we do?" Bree asked, before she started coughing.

"Bree!" she heard her name from the hallway, along with what sounded like a fire extinguisher.

"It's Zach," she said to Trent.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

"Hurry! I can't keep it back long!" Zach shouted.

"We have to go now," Trent told her.

Bree nodded, her eyes filled with tears, either from the smoke or fear--or both. Trent reached for the door handle again, pulling it open, and Bree looked out into a wall of flames, Zach standing there, shooting foam into the area around their door. Behind him, the hall was mostly clear, but they'd have to get through a wall of flames first.

Before she realized what was happening, Trent picked her up and ran through the fire. Bree screamed, afraid they'd both ignite. The fire licked at her bare skin, her legs, arms, and hands feeling as if they were already ablaze. Zach emptied the extinguisher as they crossed out of the curtain of fire, and then hurried down the hallway to the stairs. Bree wanted Trent to put her down, but she knew he was operating on adrenaline now. They burst through the stairs that ultimately led down to the ground level, joining in with the crowd of people in their bathrobes and pajamas. Already, the pain from her burns was so intense, she had no idea how Trent was continuing to move if he had been burned half as badly. Smoke began to pour in through the door where they'd entered the stairwell as the fire threatened to chase them down the stairs. Trent and Zach kept running, longing for fresh air and relief from their burns. All Bree could do was pray they all made it out alive.