At two o’clock in the morning, Cassidy stood in her driveway and watched the only home she ever knew burn to the ground. She clutched a thin blanket around her, attempting to keep the cold January winds out, even though she was close enough to feel the heat of the flames. Close enough to smell burning siding, and hear the crackling of a wooden porch turn into ash. Close enough that when the windows shattered, Cassidy could have been hit by sharp bits of glass. She would have had a firefighter not grabbed her arm and dragged her away. He took her to an ambulance, where a medic checked for injuries, noting two small bruises on her upper right arm. The medic reported that she was fine and more likely in shock. They gave her a heavier blanket and a cup of water; she sipped it, her eyes glued to the burning building.

Then a policeman, in full uniform, came over to her. Light from the fire and nearby streetlamp illuminated his gray hair, round, wrinkled face, and muffin top stomach. He reminded her of her grandpa. “Are you Cassidy Rogers?”

Cassidy looked away, not denying it. She ran a hand through her messy, ash-covered, black hair and nodded. “I am.”

The officer put a large, warm hand on her shoulder.  “I know you may not feel like it but- “

“Officer,” Cassidy interrupted him, “I am not a child. I am eighteen years old. I know how this goes. My dad is- was a cop.” She took a deep, shaky breath. “You want to take me to the  station and ask me a few questions.”

The old cop gestured to the street. A police car sat next to other cars and emergency vehicles sitting there. Bright lights from the cars and emergency vehicles cast long shadows onto the blacktop road. Her neighbors stood on the sidewalks, watching with concerned faces. No doubt, they had been asleep in their neat cul-de-sac homes and were awoken by the loud noises of fire trucks. “You can sit up front if you like.”

Despite the fire, despite the many emotions raging inside her, Cassidy felt it in her to make a snide remark. “What, would you cuff me if I offered to sit in the back, Officer Horse?”

The cop looked unamused. His face was devoid of any emotion. Cassidy wondered if his mouth had been set in a permanent hard line.  Did he know how to smile? “It’s Hurst. Please, come with me.”

Cassidy did- her thoughts were telling her this wouldn’t end well.

And they were right because the next day they sent her out of the city in handcuffs.