I WAS BURNT ALIVE

CHAPTER 1

"Argh! What have we done?" Queen Jonah's voice shook as she stared at the lifeless body sprawled on the floor. She stepped back, her heels clicking against the hard sofa as a wave of panic crept into her chest. "Parkston will never forgive us."

Juliet stood by the door, froze in place. "I didn't do this, Queen", she whispered, her voice trembling. "This is all on you".

"Don't just stand there spitting rubbish", Queen Jonah snapped at her cousin. "She started the fight. I was only defending myself!" Her voice cracked as she gestured wildly at the body. "How was I supposed to know she'd collapse like that?"

Juliet, standing by the door, looked at the body, then back at Queen Jonah, her face pale. "I'm not getting my hands dirty. I wasn't part of this and I'm not getting involved, plus I'm not about to ruin my life because of you".

Queen Jonah's lips curled into a snarl. "You think you can just walk away from this?" Her voice was sharp. "If this comes back to me, it comes back to us. You'll go down with me, Juliet".

Juliet hesitated, her hands on the door handle, her eyes flicking nervously to the body. With a sigh, she moved toward her cousin, reluctantly helping to move the woman. As they did, a small card slipped from the deceased's pocket and fell to the floor.

Queen Jonah bent down quickly, snatching the card and stuffing it into her jeans.

"Queen , what are you doing? Juliet's voice cracked. "That's evidence. If anyone finds that".

"I'm taking care of it", Queen snapped. "We're not leaving anything behind".

Juliet's voice trembled as she pointed at the body. "I just saw her fingers moved, she's still alive. Jonah, she's not dead!"

Queen Jonah froze for a moment, her face hardening. "Don't be ridiculous. Even if she is alive, what do you expect us to do? Take her to the hospital? That would raise too many questions from her poor wretched family which I'm not actually bothered about, but Parkston. You know what Parkston would do to us if this gets out. He'd ruin us both!" Her voice rose, filled with anger and desperation. "All because of her. This wretched girl. I don't even know what he saw in her!" She continues, "I know what I did was terrible, but I've always hated her, Parkston have always loved her more than he loved me".

"So what do we do?" Juliet's voice shook, her fear growing.

Queen Jonah's eyes were cold, unwavering. "We get rid of her. We'll throw her into the furnace."

Juliet recoiled, her breath catching. "Burn her?Alive?". Her voice wavered in disbelief. "That's… too much."

"Too much?" Queen Jonah sneered. "Who cares about her? She's nobody. No one will notice she's gone. We need to protect ourselves."

Juliet's stomach churned as she looked down at the body. "You're really going to do this? You're going to just throw her away like trash?"

Queen Jonah's lips curled into a cold smile. "She's a problem we can't afford to have."

The two women struggled to drag the body to the furnace. The heat from the flames licked at their faces as they pushed the body closer. Juliet's mind raced, her thoughts jumbled. She was panicked, but also numb to what was happening. "Are we really just going to let her burn alive?" Again she asked.

Queen Jonah's tone grew sharp. "You ask too many questions. Just shut up and let me think."

They stood in silence for a moment as the flames licked the air. The heat was overwhelming, but Juliet couldn't look away. She swallowed hard, her stomach turning.

"This is insane", she whispered. "I can't stand this. I'm leaving".

Queen Jonah's eyes narrowed. "if you walk away from this, Juliet, you'll be as guilty as I am. You'll die with me. No one can know about this, no one."

Juliet's heart pounded in her chest. She wanted to run, to scream, but just couldn't. She followed Queen Jonah as they made their way out of the room, both women silent with their own thoughts.

As they reached the car, Juliet suddenly stopped, her hand flying to her purse. She'd forgotten something back inside. She turned on her heel and rushed back into the apartment, her breath quickening. The heat from the furnace should have been unbearable but the air was cool.

The fire. It was gone.

The flames that had been engulfing the body were completely extinguished. The room was eerily quiet. No smoke, no heat. Just the remnants of the furnace.

She ran through the apartment, searching frantically, but found nothing—no one. The body was gone. "No.. no, this isn't possible"She whispered, her voice barely audible.

She quickly turned on her heels and sprinted back outside, her mind in a panic.

She threw open the car door. "Drive. Drive now," she gasped, her voice tight with fear.

Queen Jonah stared at her, confused. "What's wrong? Why do you look so terrified?"

"No questions," Juliet snapped, her voice shaking. "Just drive. I'll explain when we're out of this district."

Queen Jonah hesitated but started the car, her brow furrowed. "Explain what? What's going on?"

Juliet's words tumbled out in a rush. "The fire. It's gone. I went back inside, and there was no one there. The body was gone. How is that possible?"

Queen Jonah's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "The fire was out? But… there was no one else in the room. That doesn't make sense."

"I don't know," Juliet whispered, her voice breaking. "But if she wasn't in that fire… someone else must've been there. Someone who's clearly alive. We need to leave. Now."

Queen Jonah pressed the accelerator, the car speeding through the streets. Searching through her thoughts, if anyone was with them.

They arrived at the mansion in a blur, both of them shaking with adrenaline. Queen Jonah wasted no time. She marched straight to her father's office.

"I need you to make arrangements for us to leave the town immediately, Dad," she said, her voice cold and decisive. "No questions asked."

Her father, used to obeying his only child's every demand, didn't hesitate. "Of course, Queen. I'll have a private jet ready for you right away."

After a few minutes, Queen Jonah and Juliet grabbed their passports, throwing them into their bags. No time for anything else.

As they made their way to the car, Juliet's voice was quiet. "Where are we going?"

Queen Jonah didn't answer. She was already behind the wheel, her face set in stone. "I also don't know, but we are leaving tonight".

While they headed for the airport Queen felt a pang of regret and just wished the situation didn't turn out this way. Her thoughts turned to Parkston. He's smart. Too smart, He'll find us….if whoever was there doesn't find us first.