Amanda yawned and slipped under her covers. She was still smiling, thinking about the same thing she thought of for the last few nights. The night Amanda had fallen asleep listening to Dunc’s heartbeat. She had slept more comfortably than she had in months. She thought about how nice it had been to be in his arms. It wasn’t planned. She hadn’t even intended to touch him.
Amanda stared at the sword in deep thought. She wasn’t sure if Dunc was into her or was being nice at this point. Did it matter? He had made it clear he only wanted to be friends. He was a good neighbor, and she shouldn’t read into it. But was he giving someone a sword? Dunc was so weird. It was sweet.
***
Amanda woke up groggily to the sound of sirens. Red and blue lights were flashing off her walls from the side window, and there was a strong smell of smoke. She heard crashing sounds coming from downstairs. Then there were heavy footsteps on the stairs. The next thing she knew, Dunc was in her room.
“Fire! Please don’t punch me!” Amanda was still trying to blink away the dream where Dunc was in her room when he grabbed her. Dunc lifted her out of bed then carried her through the door and down the stairs sideways. He was outside and across the street in only a couple of minutes, joining Dew, Sallie, and his mother.
“Are you okay, Amanda?” Sallie tried to get Amanda’s attention.
“What is going on?” Amanda squinted at all the activity going on across the street in front of their houses. There were two fire trucks parked in front of their homes. It looked like the entire front and side of the McCormick’s home was on fire.
“Don’t know.” Dunc was breathing fast, staring from his house to Amanda’s. “I got up because I smelled smoke. I got Mom out, then had to get to you three because it’s all over the place.”
“One of the neighbors called it in while we were getting out.” Dunc’s mother stated, her eyes fixed on the fire that was resisting the fire hoses. The dancing flames eventually engulfed the big tree in their front yard before spreading over to the majestic oaks in Amanda’s yard.
“You are a hefty sleeper.” Dunc stared at his house. He was still holding Amanda since she was barefoot and in a nightshirt. He clutched her tightly, unaware of how close he was holding her to himself.
“So, they tell me.” Amanda sighed and leaned her head on Dunc’s shoulder. She had her arms looped around his neck. She could feel him shaking as he watched what was going on. “Are you okay, Dunc?”
“Yes.” He glanced down at his bare feet. “Stepped on something sharp. I’ll survive.” The fire was going out, but the smoke and the darkness made it difficult to see exactly what was burning.
***
It was an hour before the firemen allowed Amanda to return to her home. She invited the McCormicks in to join them. The front side of the house smelled like smoke, so they retreated to the den to wait for news about the McCormick’s home. Amanda had only lost a tree.
Dunc sat in silence by his mother while she tried to carry on a cheerful conversation. It was an impossible mission when surrounded by a group of stressed, tired young people.
Everything was going to be okay. Dunc’s mother had good advice. It was always a prudent policy not to attach too much value to things that could be easily destroyed. Life and family were the only things worthy of holding onto. Any damage to property, on the other hand, would be covered by insurance.
Dunc twisted his hands and fingers, his face lined with worry. Amanda brought coffee, tea, and anything else to drink she could find. She set them out on the coffee table with cups.
Then without asking, Amanda squeezed between Dunc and the side of the couch. He started to get up to move to another chair when she grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. Dunc scooted closer to his mother, unsure of what she was doing.
Amanda folded her arms around his right arm and leaned against him, whispering. “Just sit here. It’s okay.” Then she slid her arm behind him and started gently rubbing his back, trying to make him relax. Dunc tensed up for a moment giving Amanda an odd look. His face was already flushed, but now it deepened. He felt like he was the center of everyone’s attention and hated it.
“Someone set that fire. Why would anyone do that?” Dunc sighed. He did not add that he knew exactly who had done it. He had smelled him when he left the house with his mother. It was a faint scent, almost masked by the smell of gas and smoke. Joseph had set that fire, and Dunc couldn’t say anything about it without proof.
Dunc had been frantic about getting to Amanda because he had smelled Joseph. He had become overcome with a need to know she was safe. Yes. She could take care of herself, but that did not mean that Dunc would take any chances with her life. Joseph was dangerous. It might be best for Amanda to go ahead and leave. The thought made him sad, but it would be selfish of him to encourage her to stay. What he needed to do was get her to go.
“I know.” Amanda dragged her short nails down the middle of Dunc’s back. He shivered. It felt so good. Why was she doing that? “Let’s go look at the videos and see if there’s anything in them that we can give
