Sudden House Fire Claims Lives
of Parents, Two Children Orphaned

“There’s a fire in the ocean.”

Charlotte Lesage, a troubled child, was born to Gustave and Camille Lesage in the vibrant city of Montréal in Canada. Unfortunately, with her birth came many problems. Charlotte was always different from those around her; she was prone to violent outbursts, lacked empathy and never felt the need to apologize for her actions, loved to manipulate and lie to those around her and was extremely reckless to the point of where she often got hurt.

There was one thing, or rather one person, that made sure she was always alright afterwards though.

Even at birth, Charlotte was never truly alone, as she had a twin sister. Genevieve Lesage, a child just like her, both in appearance and mannerisms. They were both so similar and they would protect each other as if they were one.

Having to take care of two instead of one was something their parents would never have expected. It was too much. Too much chaos, too much money that needed to be spent on things other than alcohol, too much responsibility.

Perhaps that is why they did what they did?

“Ever burning, it stands tall against the ocean’s calm.”

Gustave and Camille were horrible parents. No matter what happened, they would always yell at their children and threaten them. Most of the time, those threats became reality, especially when the twins refused to relent or give in.

It wasn't uncommon for Charlotte to bleed or have bruises and she didn't care most of the time. To her, it was completely normal. Of course she knew that it shouldn't be, but that was simply the reality she was living in.

What did bother her though is when her sister was the one that got hurt.

“It calls for destruction, chaos to disrupt the serenity it was forced into.”

It all escalated one night, when the family had a particularly bad argument. There was so much chaos, so much screaming, so much blood. Genevieve had ended up on the floor, bleeding, shards of a broken bottle of beer next to her. The other half of the bottle was in their father's hand. Their mother didn't help either; all she did was throw insults at Genevieve and tell her how useless she was.

Seeing her sister get abused like this quickly became too much for Charlotte. This was not the first time something like that happened, but it would be the last. Enough was enough. This torture had to end.

It all only took a couple of moments. A plan brewed in Charlotte's mind as she ran away from the commotion; one that was sinister, yet necessary. One that would free her sister from these demons that were their parents.

Charlotte has always had a fascination with fire. It was chaos, it was order. It was destruction, it was ever cleansing. Fire would save her and her sister. It would save all. All she needed was some fuel.. and luckily her parents had enough of that strewn about the house. Their alcoholism that hurt her so much would now help her.

It all happened so fast. From one moment to the next, everything changed. Flames consumed the house, distracting the twins' parents. Charlotte ran to Genevieve, pulling her away and out of the house, as it quickly started to collapse, trapping their parents inside.

They watched it happen with a smile. Their parents’ screams filled their ears and Charlotte felt no regret. All she could feel was this cathartic sensation.

It was finally over.

The twins were only twelve years old.

“The deeper it is forced into the great depths, the brighter it burns.”

It didn't take long for the two of them to be taken to an orphanage and to be put up for adoption. Charlotte's crime was written off as a regular housefire, a simple tragedy, and so it was especially easy for the two siblings to continue living their lives without much trouble. Because of the so-called “tragedy”, many couples that came to adopt a child took pity on the siblings and considered adopting them.

It was Charlotte's and Genevieve’s 13th birthday when they received the news that they would be getting adopted by a couple by the name of “Tremblay”. Roy and Élodie Tremblay were the complete opposite of the twins’ biological parents; they were friendly and welcoming, fair and sincere, and so trustworthy to the point that it didn't take long for Charlotte to start confiding in them. Finally she had others to rely on, others that weren't her sister. As much as she loved her sister, she wasn't grown and an adult's perspective was always appreciated. An adult's knowledge of life was far greater than the knowledge either of them had after all. Despite all the trust, the twins chose to keep their old last name. Maybe there was still some attachment to it or their biological parents left or maybe they just wanted to keep it out of spite? Neither of them ever truly mentioned why.

“Its flames will soon consume all.”

Élodie and Roy taught the twins about the importance of respect towards other people and the meaning of selflessness. Roy was a high-ranking member of the CAF and Élodie was a nurse, so once they were old enough, the twins were encouraged to find jobs that were in similar branches, though the choice was ultimately up to them.

While Genevieve decided to follow in their adoptive father's footsteps, Charlotte decided that she would pursue the path of a firefighter.

Charlotte's obsession with fire never wavered, instead it increased so much that she sometimes felt like she had to start small fires to unleash her urges. Her love for fire became the true reason for why she chose to train to be a firefighter.

Being near fire.. it gave her the same cathartic feeling she felt when she saw her parents burn. It was a high she would always try to chase.

Even though she hated putting out the many fires that she saw, being so close to them was enough to satisfy her for the moment. The people that needed saving were an added bonus; Charlotte loved feeling like she had total control over these people's lives. After all, she could simply let them lie and die there in the fire, while she pretended to have been too late to save them.

Her job became a way to satisfy a craving no regular person should ever have; a craving for destruction, a craving for purity, a craving for death.. something to satisfy her ever bored mind.

“Though even fire requires another. Alone, it is nothing but an ember.”

Then age 20 came.. A horrible time for Charlotte. Genevieve, her pillar, had to leave her to be stationed near Miami, Florida, as part of her work in the CAF.

As much as she wanted to, Charlotte couldn't deny it; she felt betrayed by her sister, the one that was supposed to stay by her side forever. They had promised to each other that they would always be there for one another and Genevieve leaving now, right in the middle of Charlotte's training.. well, it felt like the ultimate betrayal.

Charlotte couldn't truly blame her sister though; it was just a part of her work, and it wasn't like she'd be gone forever.

Even so, after some time, her mind conjured up the idea of simply coming with her or rather moving to her once she had gained enough experience as a firefighter to start her work there. In Miami, close to her sister.

Two more years, she promised herself, two more years until she would see her sister again.

“However, should it be reunited with its other part, it is sure to burn the strongest it ever could have.”

Charlotte would keep her promise, preparing her move to Florida just two years later. She had gained enough experience with her job that she was able to apply for a position in Miami. They gladly took her in and so she was finally able to be reunited with her sister.

Their reunion was an emotional one. Two years of separation left many things unsaid, but they caught up with each other. Talked to each other until they couldn't anymore, hugged each other until they couldn't breathe anymore. Genevieve had joined a band, Charlotte took up fishing and they both worked incredibly hard at their respective jobs. In Charlotte's case however, that hard work was accompanied by her intense love for all the fire she was required to fight. Her love was so intense that it almost rivaled the love she felt for her sister. She truly was a pyromaniac at heart.

Charlotte, once she had arrived in Miami, immediately moved in with her sister. There was no need for discussion, the two of them knew right away that that was the correct choice to make.

During their time together, they made plenty of plans. A vacation to Petersburg for example, though that would prove to be far more difficult than either of them would have ever expected.

“And nothing will be able to stand against it.”

The road trip to Petersburg was very eventful. Their car broke down, the mechanic that was supposed to fix it was useless, taking three whole days only to break it even further, and the rental car they had received was not up to Charlotte's standards at all. Not to mention, they even had to spend Christmas in his little garage. It really was awful.

When they had finally made it to Peachy Living, the worst news of all came: An infection was spreading throughout the United States, likely Malaria. There was no way out now. They were trapped in a foreign state and on their own.

Over time and with the help of their previous training, the two twins learned to fend for themselves and care for each other. It was especially important when Charlotte fell ill, luckily no signs of Malaria, just a case of the common cold. Genevieve made sure to take great care of her and soon after, Charlotte was healthy again.

No matter what, they always kept going. No matter what, they would not succumb to this infection labeled as “Malaria”. No matter what, they would survive. Together.

“There’s a fire in the ocean.”