“You have to let me go,” I say, and it’s so inadequate as an explanation, but pain flares in his eyes, as if he understands everything I’m trying to say.

He’s rough as he shoves me next to Paige on the ground. “Wait with her.”

“Beau,” I shout, but he’s already halfway there.

“Do your fucking job.”

It doesn’t matter if I want to argue with him more. By the time I stand up in the mud he’s inside the house. It groans and quivers, the flames eating at the structural integrity.

“Come on,” I say to Paige, breathless with fear. “Let’s go back.”

She fights me. “We have to save Kitten.”

“Uncle Beau is going to save her,” I say, swallowing hard. It feels like swallowing knives. I don’t know whether he will be able to or not, but there will be more than enough time for crying later if it turns out he can’t. “Come on, we have to move back.”

I pull her along, more rough than I would be at another time, made clumsy with urgency. Once we reach the tree line, I can breathe again. We look a mess. We’re both covered in soot and mud. It streaks across our pale nightgowns. I’m shaking. Maybe because I’m afraid, but part of me also knows it’s cold out. It has to be under forty degrees, and we’re wearing light cotton that ends at our knees. I wish I’d thought to bring a jacket for Paige. She’s going to freeze to death before we get to safety. Or my phone to call for help.

Or the kitten, while we’re sending up useless prayers.

“Wait here,” I say, dashing to the old shed. It’s a little close to the house for safety, but I move quickly. There’s a tarp inside. When I get back to her, I wrap it around her body like a blanket. Not exactly comfortable, but it should keep more body heat inside and protect her from the wind.

A faint siren reaches me on the wind, and I look down across the water to the beachfront village. Red and white lights bounce off trees. I hope that’s coming for us. They can definitely see the flames from here. At least there’s help on the way, but it’s got to be fifteen minutes out to make it over the bridge and up the mountain.

There’s a crash from inside the house, and I flinch. Beau is inside there.