The girls exchanged a curious glance, both wondering the same thing. Even though they’d spoken once, Alicia and her father still weren’t on the best of terms. Hannah hoped his presence at the zoo was a good thing, perhaps another step toward repairing their relationship.
Her work kept Hannah busy for the rest of the day. The number of visitors was surprisingly high so she was keen to see if they were voting during their visit too. Before she left, she went by the food court.
Visitors were asked to vote by placing a rock from a pile into the container by the enclosure they wanted to vote for. It looked like the elephants were coming third. The monkeys were winning. She was going to have to convince more visitors to vote for her.
She left the zoo disheartened. Of course people would vote for the monkey diagram, it was the most colorful and interesting. There were plenty of toys and climbing equipment you could build for monkeys. Elephants weren’t as playful, they needed other things like large trees and water to play in.
Coco listened to all her complaints when she arrived home. Billy gave her a cuddle, jumping up onto her lap and letting her pet him to relieve her stress. It did make her feel marginally better.
Hannah changed and left again, heading toward a cozy café in the middle of town. Veronica was already there, having snared a table for their dinner date.
They hugged and sat. “Miss Scarlett said she’s going to miss me when I leave next week,” Veronica said after their usual small talk. “I’m going to miss her too.”
“Maybe she’ll give you a job after college,” Hannah suggested.
Veronica shook her head fervently. “No way, I’m not coming back to Mapleton. It’s Paris or New York for me, somewhere exotic. I’m going to design for the biggest fashion houses in the world.”
“Fair enough. Dream big and all, I guess.”
“Dream big or go home. I’m destined for the big time. Don’t you feel the same?”
Hannah had to think about it for a few moments. For her, she would be happy wherever the animals needed her. If that meant Mapleton, then so be it. However, if her career took her to prestigious zoos or animal reserves, then she wouldn’t mind that either. “I just want to help animals, wherever that is.”
“You can travel to catch up with me then. I’ll make sure you see the world.” They shared a grin, imagining all the wonderful things they were going to do with their lives. Lots of travel was only one of the exciting aspects. “So tell me how your date went with Harry the Hottie.”
All the optimism Hannah had felt swell in her belly suddenly died. For a few minutes she had forgotten about the drama with Harry and it was blissful. “He just wants to be friends.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“What an idiot. I mean, you are fantastic, there is no way a guy should want to be just friends with you. I can’t believe I actually liked him.”
Hannah knew her best friend was just trying to cheer her up and she appreciated it. Maybe there was a little bit of truth there too. “I keep trying not to think about it but it’s all I can think of. Every time I see him I don’t know how to act or what to say.”
“Say nothing and ignore him. He deserves it.”
“But I still love him. I want to talk to him and see him. It’s hard not being nice to him.”
Veronica understood, she’d been in a similar situation herself. What she wanted more than anything was to make her friend happy again. She clearly wasn’t herself. “You’ve only got just over a week, right?” Hannah nodded. “Just get through it with a smile on your face. Then we’ll be off to college and you’ll have your pick of boys. You’ll have to turn some of them away because you’ll have so many offers.”
“That sounds good.”
“One more week and then you never need to think about him again.”
Even though Veronica sounded so confident about it, Hannah didn’t share her belief. Harry was under her skin, he had been ever since that first meeting. To forget about him now was impossible.
And truth be told, she didn’t want anyone else. Sure, the college boys were good looking and they were probably nice in their own right, but they weren’t Harry. She wouldn’t feel the same connection to anyone like she did with Harry.
They made plans for their pre-college shopping trip and enjoyed dinner together. The move was getting dangerously close and everything would soon change. It made enjoying the last week and a half at the zoo even more important.
The next day, Hannah went to work determined to have a good time. She was going to focus on the animals and really immerse herself in the zoo. It may be the last time she saw them for a very long time. There was no guarantee she would see any of the interns again either, and she had made several good friends amongst them.
Her first assignment was to care for an injured possum in the clinic. She relieved another intern who had been sitting with the animal throughout the night. The little furry possum had undergone surgery the day before and needed to be watched around the clock.
“Did he have a good night?” Hannah asked.
Bianca nodded. “He slept right through with no problems. Dr. Johnson checked on him earlier and was satisfied with his progress. It looks like the little guy will pull through.”
“Fingers crossed.”
She was left with the possum and checked his heartbeat, recording the reading. His body was so little and fragile, but he was a fighter. He would be okay and return to his friends soon.
Hannah knew she was going to miss the zoo terribly. College was exciting, and she was looking forward to it, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t miss what she was leaving behind. It was a terrifying and exhilarating time of her life, at least she knew she was alive.
Staying with the possum all morning, talking and caring for him the whole time, Hannah was relieved of her duty shortly before lunchtime. She stretched as she stepped out into the sun, noticing the birds were squawking more than usual.
About two seconds later, the fire alarms started blaring around the zoo. As Hannah looked up, she saw the sky was full of smoke. Something big was burning close by.
CHAPTER 7
Hannah ran toward the smoke, hoping and praying it wasn’t an animal enclosure that was burning. They had no way of escaping and the possibility of being trapped was very likely. That would be more than tragic.
She sprinted down the pathway, dodging confused visitors along the way. Humans could look after themselves and find an exit if necessary, the animals couldn’t. She had to get to them and help in every way possible.
The smoke grew thicker and infiltrated her mouth, stinging her eyes, and making her throat feel raw. She traced the trail all the way to the food court. The whole area was chaotic as she found the source of the smoke.
The entire food court area was in flames, from the stores to the tables. Hot orange tendrils licked at the large roof, making the whole area in danger of collapsing.
Hannah tried to find someone in charge so she knew how best she could help. Everyone seemed to be running around with something to do, and stopping them to ask questions didn’t seem very helpful. So she followed the next one that crossed her path.
Needing to run to keep up, Hannah puffed out, “What needs to be done?”
The woman, one of the senior staff, didn’t slow down while she answered. “We need to move all the animals in the surrounding areas into their safe zones. The smoke can be fatal to their delicate lungs. You can help me for now.”
Hannah nodded and shadowed her as they moved to the monkeys. Their safe zones were the portions of their enclosures that were indoors and off limits to the public. They were areas where the staff could keep the animals calm and safe in a secure and controlled environment. They could also seal the zone so the smoke couldn’t get inside.
The monkeys were upset and scared, knowing there was a fire close by. The animals were intelligent and knew a lot of smoke was not good news for them. What they didn’t realize was that th
e staff of the zoo would rather hurt themselves than see harm come to them. They were in good hands.
Handling the monkeys and convincing them to go into the safe zone was much trickier than usual due to their agitated state. Hannah and Carey worked together, trying to coax them in with bananas and other food they had on hand.
Slowly, one by one, the animals moved inside and the enclosure was emptied. It was only the start of the work required in the emergency situation. “Go to the snakes and help them. I’m sure they’ll need more hands on deck,” Carey said.
Hannah obeyed the instruction and ran to the snakes. They would have terrified her once but now all she could think about was saving them.
Thankfully, the animal clinic was at the back of the park and away from the food court. Moving the injured animals would have caused them extra stress and would not have been good. Hannah gave a passing thanks for small mercies.
The snake enclosure was already full of smoke as it clung to the air and hung heavy in the roofed space. Hannah found Harry in one of the glass displays, a green snake wrapped around his arms and neck.
“Do you need a hand?” Hannah asked.
“It looks that way,” Harry replied, his joke not easing the tension in his voice.
Hannah stepped behind the glass and held a cloth sack open to receive the snake. They would collect a few snakes before taking them to their safe zone at the side of the zoo and well away from the fire.
It was starting to get very hot inside the snake area. In the distance, sirens from the fire engines were still hollering their warning. Fire alarms within the zoo were screaming, making sure to reach every ear in the vicinity.
They were all going to roast to death if they didn’t finish soon. Unfortunately, the snakes were agitated and were not making their job any easier. They needed to be careful when handling each of them, otherwise they were going to get bitten.
More staff joined them, trying to help with the effort. The snakes were the most at risk of being caught up in the blaze so they had to be moved as quickly as possible.
Harry and Hannah worked together, moving methodically around the snakes until they had moved all of them to the safe zone with the others.
By the time they could take a breath, it seemed the fire brigade had the blaze under control and all the animals in danger had been moved. They would stay in their safe zones until the buildings were cleared and the air was free of acrid smoke.
Hannah found Alicia on the pathway, her face smeared with ash. “We got them all to safety,” she said while staring at the smoldering food court.
“We sure did,” Hannah said.
“I heard Carey say the fire brigade think it might have been a grease fire in the café that started it all. They’ll have to do a full investigation before they can say it officially.”
It was more information than Hannah had and it made sense to her. Fires didn’t just start out of nowhere and the kitchens seemed like the most likely culprit.
Alicia suddenly started laughing. “Everything’s gone. It’s going to take months to rebuild all the eateries.”
“What’s so funny about that?”
“Our mock-enclosures were in there.”
Hannah started laughing too. It wasn’t really funny, but it was a way to release all the fear and tension they’d just experienced. It felt good to let it out, especially because none of the animals had been hurt and no humans had been injured. It seemed the biggest casualty was the projects.
“It looks like nobody is going to get a recommendation,” Hannah said, trying to catch her breath. The recommendation seemed so trivial after the danger they’d just experienced.
Truth be told, it was a relief that the enclosure projects had been burnt to a crisp. If they didn’t exist, nobody could vote for them. The competition was off, they no longer had to compete with one another. They could just enjoy the last week at the zoo.
“I can’t believe this happened,” Alicia said as she calmed down. The smoking structure seemed like a grotesque monster, all sharp angles and threatening to fall over.
“Neither can I. There’s a big hole in the zoo now.”
Alicia’s hand found Hannah’s and she squeezed it. “I’m really going to miss you after summer ends.”
Hannah squeezed her back. “I’m going to miss you too. But it’s not going to be a goodbye. We’ll still see each other and stay in touch. We can chat all the time.”
“I know. But it’s not going to be the same.”
“No, it won’t be.” They stood in silence for a few minutes. “Your dad visited you yesterday.”
“He did.”
“Is everything okay?”
Alicia took a deep breath. “He wanted to see what I did, why I want to do it for the rest of my life. I showed him around for about an hour before he left.”
“And?” Hannah prompted when it seemed she wasn’t going to continue. She needed to know her friend was all right, otherwise she couldn’t leave in a week’s time.
“And he’s agreed to support me in my decision to go to college.” Alicia beamed with the news. “He’s still not totally convinced it’s the right thing to do, racking up so much debt and all. But at least we’re talking now and we can repair our relationship.”
Hannah pulled her in for a hug and they embraced. “I’m really happy to hear that, Al. I really am. You deserve it.”
“I can go to college knowing he’s behind me. That makes a difference.”
Hannah had to agree. She couldn’t imagine taking such a big step without her mother behind her. Knowing there was always someone in your corner, no matter what happened, was more valuable than gold.
They were given new tasks and the area was cordoned off. A lot of the visitors were confused so they needed to be shown to exits so they could leave. It was decided to close the zoo for the day, the animals and staff had enough to deal with.
Everyone worked until the normal closing time anyway, calming down animals and cleaning up where needed. Police took statements from anyone in the food court at the time the fire began but the general belief was that it was a deep fryer that caused the blaze.
The main lesson Hannah learned from the whole day’s experience was that life was precious. Anything could change in an instant and it was important to live as much as possible. She didn’t want anything to happen to her and still hold regrets.
Hannah decided while driving home that she needed to do something about Harry or she would regret it. She couldn’t go away to college without telling him exactly how she felt about him. Even if he still wanted to remain friends, at least she had got it off her chest.
What she needed was a plan, a way to be able to look Harry in the eyes and tell him she loved him. It was a scary thought, and even scarier to do, but she needed to. Regrets were horrible things, they festered and acted like poison. If she was going to start afresh in college, she needed to say her piece now.
For the rest of the night, she thought about it long and hard. While Alicia and Coco watched the latest reality show and talked about all the contestants, Hannah’s mind was reeling.
When Harry told her he loved her, he had joined a circus for the day and performed a spectacular routine. Not only was there no circus currently in Mapleton, but Hannah knew she wasn’t the type that could perform in front of people. For Harry, she might consider it, but there was no time.
She had to find another way to declare her love for him. Where there was a will, there was a way. And Hannah’s will was enormous. It never left her mind all night, ensuring she tossed and turned in bed.
As she started her shift the next day, an idea started to finally seed in her mind. All she had to do was be creative and start working on it now. Maybe then she would be able to declare her love for Harry before the end of summer.
Hannah went to the locker room which was unusually crowded. Those ending their shift were lingering and those starting were hanging around to see what the fuss was about.
; Finally, Sophie, one of the interns, stood on a chair to get everyone’s attention. “All our enclosure projects were burnt to a crisp yesterday. Has anyone heard what is happening with the recommendation?”
A boy by the door spoke up. “I asked Dr. Johnson and he told me I should be focused on the animals and not something so self-serving. He wouldn’t give me an answer.”
“Anyone else?” Sophie asked as she looked around the room, waiting to see more hands go up. They all stayed down, nobody having any more information. “What are we going to do? Someone needs to get the recommendation. He can’t decide not to give out any.”
“I suggest you all get back to work.” The voice came from the back of the room, belonging to Carey. It startled everyone as they felt like chastised children. “Dr. Johnson will address the issue in good time, I’m sure.”
“It’s our future, it’s important,” Sophie replied. She was speaking the words everyone else was thinking.
“As I’m sure Dr. Johnson is aware,” Carey said.
There was little more they could do and no answers were going to come from the meeting. All the interns disbursed to either go home or start their daily tasks.
Hannah checked her list of chores and got straight to work. Harry was rostered on too but his tasks took him to the other side of the zoo. She wouldn’t have to suffer the awkwardness for a little while yet.
Walking past the charred remains of the food court made her feel sick to the stomach. If the fire brigade hadn’t arrived as quickly as they did, the whole zoo might have burned to the ground. They were lucky nobody was hurt.
The animals that were moved were being returned to their enclosures once they were checked and deemed secure. It had been traumatic for the animals too, hopefully they would forget about the ordeal quickly.
The day, and the next week, all passed by too fast. Hannah worked hard every day, counting down the time until summer was over. The closer it got, the more panicked she felt.
Finally, it was the last day she would spend at the zoo, and time had run out.
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