Beneath The Embers.

The smell of smoke had suck to Helena Gray's cothes, even when the fire was out, a strong sharp and unpleasant smell, making it difficult for her to breathe as she stood before the charred remains of the Bennett house. The fire had done its work well, blackened beams stretched skyward like skeletal fingers, and ash coated the ground in a thin, gray film.

Earlier after 9 years, another fire. Another family barely escaping with their lives.

Helena tightened her grip on the notepad in her gloved hand, flipping through her notes. The blaze had started in the living room, the fire chief had told her. Rapid. Intense. Controlled. Just like the others.

Just like hers.

She took a step forward, her boots crunching over shards of broken glass. Heat still radiated from the wreckage, though the flames had been doused hours ago. A fireplace remained mostly intact, its bricks blackened with soot. The family had been lucky. Two parents, two young daughters had woken in time to escape. But the pattern was too familiar, too precise to be luck.

She crouched near the living room's scorched foundation, brushing her fingers through the soot. Then she saw it.

A red string symbol, half-buried beneath the ash.

Her heart jumped. It was faint, nearly erased by the fire's destruction, but she recognized the marking. It wasn't random, it was deliberate, so deliberate.

Memories slammed into her, remembering everything that happened. The thick smoke choking her lungs, the unbearable heat searing her skin, her parents' desperate voices calling for her. The fire had come for them, swallowing their building. It had taken everything.

And now, years later, it was happening again.

"Hey, you can't be in there!" a voice shouted behind her.

Helena barely flinched. She was used to the reprimands, the warnings to stay away. But she wasn't going anywhere.

The firefighter storming toward her was a heavyset man in a soot-streaked uniform. "This is an active investigation,"

He barked. "You need to".

Helena ignored him, pulling her phone from her pocket and snapping a picture of the symbol before the authorities could take it away.

"This wasn't an accident, it's an attack" she muttered, rising to her feet.

Marco, Still pushing your theories?

The new voice was smooth, edged with something almost amused.

Helena shoulders stiffened. She turned slowly, already knowing who she'd see.

Marco Leo stood just beyond the wreckage, hands in his coat pockets, his sharp blue eyes scanning the scene. He looked maddeningly unaffected, as always. His dark wool coat was pristine despite the chaos around him, his black shirt, shoes out of place on the soot covered ground. Marco never belonged at these scenes, and yet, somehow, he always ended up at them.

Helena folded her arms. I could ask you the same thing, Marco. You always seem to show up right after the flames die down. Why?

He smiled. "Maybe I just enjoy the show."

Her jaw clenched. Marco had been a thorn in her flesh for months. An architect with a suspicious connection to multiple fire sites, he was either incredibly unlucky or hiding something dangerous.

I suspect you have a hand in this, you don't even look innocent after all, she said, stepping closer

Marco folded his arm, considering her. And yet, here I am, walking free. Strange, isn't it?

She hated how calm he always was. How he never startled, never wavered, not even a bit.

"The red string symbol," she said, gesturing toward the marking in the soot. "It was here."

Something flickered in Marco's expression, but it was gone in an instant. So?

So, it's the same one found at two other fire sites, she said. And it means something.

His lips curved into a funny, knowing smile. "Or maybe you just see what you want to see."

Helena stepped closer, lowering her voice. I don't think it's a coincidence that every fire I investigate leads back to you.

You're always on my way, you have to stop or I stop you.

Marco didn't blink. He held her gaze, unwavering. "Then prove it," He smiled.

Why are you always smiling,do you think this is funny, she said.

It's not funny, but I kinda like the way you speaks like you're the boss here. He smiled again, this time he got Helena pissed up.

The challenge hung between them, as the smoke still lingering in the air.

Before she could respond, another firefighter approached, tossing Marco an irritated glance before focusing on Helena "We need the area cleared. Now."

Helena exhaled sharply. She wasn't going to get anything else tonight.

"This isn't over," she muttered to Marco before turning on her way.

Marco chuckled, a low, infuriating sound. "I never said it was."

As Helena walked away, the weight of the fire clung to her, pressing against her ribs. Another home burned. Another family affected.

And the embers of her past were still glowing beneath it all.

She made it to her car, parked just close to the garage, sat on the driver's seat. Her hands shocked as she gripped the wheel. She took a long breath, trying to get over the images from her mind, the heat, the screaming, the red thread smoldering in the ashes.

She'd told herself she was done chasing ghosts. But now, those ghosts were setting fires again.

She pulled out her phone, opening a folder saved ember Files. Dozens of photos, maps, and notes filled the screen, all connected by lines and questions and a symbol that had haunted her since she was 18 years old.

This wasn't a coincidence.

This was a message.

And Helena Gray was finally ready to find it.

Helena got home with so much worries, fell to the bed looking up, "hey sis" are you okay, her younger sister 'Anita' said.

Yes I am, but, never mind, I will pass. Are you sure, yes I'm, can't you see, I'm okay dear, Helena answered with a smile.

Anita, okay she smiled.