Chapter 1

The heat burned my face but I chose to ignore it. It didn't truly bother me when I thought about actually sitting in the sun on that hot, late summer day. I furrowed my brows and closed my eyes, blocking out the invading text on the page below me. I tried to remember what I had just been reading but dismayed to find I had not been paying attention again.

I sighed and opened my run of the mill brown eyes. I looked across the vast yellow field to the eucalyptus and long needled pine that stood next to each other, their branches and leaves fluttering and swaying in the wind I was not able to feel in my alcove. My eyes focused on them for a long time before the dark storm clouds behind them caught my attention. I didn't think I was going to be fortunate enough to get the rain and energy that darkened the desert storm but I still dreamed of the icy cool drops and the tremble inducing thunder and lighting.

Forgetting of the longing and focusing on the foreground, was my back yard. The sun gave off a tainted orange glow and I frowned. I instinctively smelled the air. Living for nearly sixteen years in the eastern regions of southern California, I was always afraid of fires; like the fire that tore my house apart six years ago and destroyed a very close family friend. I had good reason to be afraid of fire, as I was also almost a victim in that tragedy.

I was glad that the dreaded and ever familiar acidic smell of a wild fire did not come to my nose, but just the musty smell of dead grass and overly dry dirt. I sighed in relief and went back to my book. Once again, the text started to roll as my eyes roved the yellow page.

A flash of light distracted me and I looked up languidly. Only a few seconds, a peal of thunder shook the air around me and I felt my pulse quicken. I marked my page and stood from the lawn chair. Walking over to the barrier wall of the porch, I leaned out. A second flash of lighting streaked the sky and a resounded roll thunder followed. A small smile had been working its way onto my face but by the time the third peal echoed through the air, a full blown crazy-grin had spread to nearly split my face. I shook so bad I had to use the rail for support and my heart seemed to be doing a dance in my chest.

I darted into the house and to my room. I was at my best playing status when I was like this and some missions in Jak II I had to be like this to beat. Besides, Jak II was the only way to get down from my high. It only took me a moment to start the game and soon I was deep into the game play. Every time thunder echoed in through my window, I laughed maniacally, despite how or what I was doing in the game.

I was making my way into the nest, and apparently I was lost. There was a ledge in front of me. I wasn't sure what was directly below me but I did see metal plates sticking out of the ground and a rigged dino-head slowly walking the expanse. I frowned but it was soon turned into a grin as another peal of thunder echoed through the room.

"Meh, I'll take a leap of faith, that I will…"

I smiled and threw poor Jak over the ledge. I cursed only seconds later as I discovered that there was nothing but Dark Eco below me. Though, to my immense surprise and annoyance, Jak never reached the eco, for the screen froze and my Playstation started making a strange clicking noise.

I looked down at it. "Oh, come on, you stupid machine." In response, it seemed, it gave a choking sounded and started vibrating violently. "I didn't mean it! Please don't break!"

But the Playstation did not give a chance to answer as my room seemed to fill with an energy I never had felt before. I stood from the corner of the bed I had been sitting on as a bright light came streaking through my window and arching through my room. For a brief moment, I thought that it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, but then my entire body was engulfed in a fire like pain.

As quickly as it had begun, though, it ended, but the light did not fade. Faintly, some part of my brain told me I was dead.

XXX

A/N: So, what do you think? A self-insert. Never done one of these. It was kinda fun. I wanted to do one because, I seen these everywhere and wanted to join my own admission to the ever growing list.

Two things: You don't know her name for a reason. She's talking about the Cedar Fire.

Broken Wolf/D.R.M.