CHAPTER 2 - The Promise

Anastasia's POV

The fire was brimming and scorching around the ceilings and walls, and debris was falling down on me. I was crammed into the corner where my grand piano was situated. As I ingested too many plumes of smoke, my nostrils flared up, almost suffocating me. I started to feel as if my landscapes were wobbling around me, and I felt a lightweight on my head, as if I was just about to enter a deep consciousness at any minute. I was crying and screaming while desperately hoping that I wouldn't be burnt down or smashed by the falling or flying objects.

"Mommy!" I broke down in tears as my gaze searched the area, but she was nowhere to be found. I was the only one left in this burning apartment.

Hence, I honestly believed it was the final moment. I'd die right here, and nobody would ever see me because I'd eventually be pulverized and turn into ash.

I buried my face in my hands, trembling in fear and weeping helplessly as I suddenly realized no one was coming to save me.

"Baby!" Someone shouted in the distance, which I overheard. I jerked back from my position, searching for the familiar voice that could be heard from the vantage point.

"Baby! Come here!" The same familiar voice kept yelling, and I was pretty much taken aback to distinguish who was aggressively waving her arms and calling at me to get my attention. It was my mother.  She came back! She came back to save me!

A spike of hope surged through my chest as I realized that I would make it out alive and be rescued. There is still hope for the three of us to be together.

"Mommy!" I responded with a shout and waved back to let her know I had already seen her.

"Come here, baby! Bring yourself closer to Mommy!" She responded by stretching her arms towards me and motioning for me to take a step closer to her.

"No way, Mommy! I'm scared!" I hesitated as I felt my body shudder with fear.

"There's really nothing to worry about, baby. Mommy has returned. Just snatch my hands!" She hollered at me as she stretched out even more and took a small step forward towards me.

When I glanced around the raging area of flames, I noticed that the ceiling was being ripped off and that the debris-covered in embers was starting to crumble down. "I can't, Mommy! The fire will devour me!"

Then I watched as my mother scampered through me, trying to dodge all the burning flames and falling objects.

"Mommy!" I squealed with delight as I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. She returned my hug and kissed me on the cheeks, a relieved expression on her face. I shut my eyes and savored the moment I initially thought I would never get to experience it again.

"I love you, baby," she said, and I couldn't help but notice a tear streaming down her cheek as she glanced at me lovingly.

"I love you, mommy!" I answered back by kissing her back while my arms were wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

"We have to get going, baby. Can you get up?" Her eyes were filled with concern as she asked me.

I couldn't stop nodding. "Of course, mommy!" I reacted strongly.

She smiled sweetly and supported me in standing. We had our fingers deeply entwined, and were just about to run when the dividers from behind collapsed suddenly and without warning. The grand piano where I was hiding earlier has now tumbled, causing my mother to writhe and scream in agony as it trapped one of my mother's legs as she shielded me and braced for the impact.

When I saw her right leg was stuck by the heavily loaded piano, I tried with all my resilience as a child to move it. My mother also helped me in moving it, but it didn't even budge.

As she glanced around the apartment, my mother's eyes were frozen with anxiety, worry, and concern. Then she intensified her grip on my arms and compelled me to keep my focus solely on her. When I looked at her, I noticed a burning fire twirling in the reflection of her eyes.

She smiled at me, but I could see sadness and remorse in her striking eyes. But there was something melancholy about the way she looked at me as if she was trying to memorize my face for some reason. Instead of saying anything, she drew me into a warm and loving embrace that was so firm it made it more difficult to breathe. Then she pulled away, planting soft kisses all over my face as tears started to flow down her cheeks. I just stood there, mystified and perplexed, staring at her.

"Baby, you've got to go," she said.

My eyes widened in great shock as my brain processed what she had just said.

"No way, Mommy! I'm not going to leave you here!" I desperately clung to her arms with my tiny little hands.

"Please, baby. You certainly need to," she went on.

"NO!!!" I protested as I broke down crying.

"Baby, daddy is waiting for you out there. You could actually attempt —"

"Mommy, Daddy is waiting for us! I can't just leave you here! You just saved me, and now I'm going to save you! Please, Mommy, don't do this to me!" I cut her off with a deranged cry.

As she started crying alongside me, her shoulders began to shake violently. She tried to wipe my tears away and kissed me on the cheek as she fixed her gaze deep into my eyes.

"Baby, I love you. But you should go," she said this as she began tugging my hands away from her arms.

"Mommy, no!" I yelled as I snagged her clothes instead.

She didn't say anything, but I was taken by surprise when she forcibly removed my hands away from her clothes and shoved me forward. I was only a few inches away from her now, and I was just about to run back to her when a smoldering item from the ceiling dropped to the ground, isolating us permanently.

"MOMMY!!!" I broke down sobbing as I reached out my hand, as if trying to reach her.

I've seen my mother crying through my tear-streaked and blurry vision.

"You just have to make it out alive, baby. I'll be right there with you. Okay?" she said reassuringly.

Her response made me feel slightly better.

"Will you promise, Mommy?" While my face was smeared with tears, I screamed back.

She rigidly closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes, baby. I promise. I'll be right behind you, and we'll be home safely together," She made a promise.

Moreover, I decided to make a pinky swear gesture on the air, and she did the same. It had become our symbolic act whenever we needed to make a commitment to each other. And no matter what happens, we always make it come true.

"Okay, mommy. I'm heading to see Daddy right now. I'll be outside waiting for you. Okay, mommy, I love you!" I declared.

"I absolutely love you, even more, baby! And please tell daddy how much I love him!" She shouted back, her face buried in despair and sorrow.

I ended up giving her one last look before making the decision to step forward, trying to imitate my mother's earlier effort to thwart the crackling fumes and falling objects.

I was already at the entrance of the apartment when I decided to look back to where I'd left my mother, expecting her to be right behind me. But I was absolutely petrified when I started to realize she was still in the corner, gazing longingly at me from a distance.

That's when the reality of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks.

"MOMMY!!!" I screeched at the top of my lungs as I saw a smoldering chandelier fall directly on her. My eyes were bloodshot from the sheer terror of what I had just witnessed.

I jerked awake from my sleep, having awakened from the same nightmare that I had been experiencing for over two years. As I gasped for air to catch my breath, my clothes were drenched in sweat and my face was smeared with tears.  And I can hear my heart literally hammering in my chest.

My gaze was drawn to the portrait beside my drawer. It was a sweet photo of my mother cuddling me in the park. We were both grinning at the camera, and I couldn't help but notice the striking physical resemblance. I reached out and buried the portrait deep into my chest.

"I miss you, mommy," I murmured as another silent tear streamed down my cheeks.