Chapter Two
MADDIE
As soon as I finish practicing alone in the school studio, I make my way across campus to my apartment. After I’m inside, I sit to take off my shoes, and moments later, I hear the smoke detector blaring next door. It wouldn’t surprise me if my neighbors were burning popcorn again since it’s happened at least half a dozen times already. I don’t think much of it until the emergency sprinklers in my apartment turn on. Panic courses through me, and the first thing I do is pack as much of my s**t as I can into a duffel bag, then loop my backpack over my shoulder. I look around, trying to remember if I’ve forgotten anything important like pictures, books, clothes. The faint smell of smoke fills my apartment. When someone knocks, I rush toward the sound, but the heat from the
