Grateful, terrified, smoke and water saturated people poured out of the chapel. They passed us, coughing and gagging as they headed into the courtyard.
Firemen, like salmon swimming upriver, streamed passed us. They yelled at Nick and me to get out of the building.
I stared at Nick. He handled himself like a hero, but covered in soot and carrying an ax, he looked more like a killer. He wielded that ax like a pro. It only took him three precise swings to remove the handle.
“Come on. Stop staring and get moving,” he ordered and dragged me along beside him. He carried the ax protectively, I assumed, to keep anyone from getting hurt. “Stay close,” he said and loosened his death grip on me. We joined the mass of terrified teens that hurried outside to the courtyard at the front of the chapel. Our bodies pushed and knocked against each other as we made our way into the frigid night air. During the mass exodus, Nick and I got separated.
Police officers descended upon us. Their flashlights cut a path in the smoky darkness away from the burning building. Sirens, shouts, and groans belched from the building and made hearing nearly impossible. Locating anyone in this chaos was just another dimension in this nightmare. I looked around frantically for Reese, my friends, and now Nick.
As I hunted through the crowd, I saw a face that stopped me in my tracks. I froze, like a rabbit who thinks she won’t be seen if she doesn’t move.
The man in the hooded sweatshirt stood a few feet away. His hood was down, and his brown eyes stared into mine. A wicked smile spread across his face, raising his pink scar. The frigid air felt warm in comparison to the blood thickening in my veins as his evil presence turned my blood to ice. Why is he here?
“Kate! Kate!” a voice repeatedly screamed.
I turned and saw Lauren make her way through the crowd towards me. I quickly looked back to see my attacker, but he was gone.
“Lauren!” I ran over to her and wrapped my arms around her.
“Kate,” she sobbed and tucked her head into my hair. “I was so scared.” Water and smoke saturated every part of her hair and clothing. “I thought I was going to die!”
“I know. I can’t imagine.” I fought back the tears as Matt walked up. “Have you seen Reese?”
“No, but you should go look for him.” Lauren wiped her eyes and tried to compose herself. “I’ve got Matt here.”
“Kate,” Matt coughed and tried to clear his throat. “I’m so glad you and Nick showed up. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t.”
“Don’t say that. Mr. Parker was working on the other door, and the firemen were almost here.” I shivered and wrapped my arms around my body. Even though the night was bitterly cold, it was the thought of not being there for my friends that sent chills down my spine. “I have to find Reese. I need to make sure he’s okay.”
Matt placed his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. He’s here somewhere.”
“Yeah, I know.” I nodded and took off on my search for Reese. I looked around hoping to spot Nick, but I didn’t see him. I also kept my eyes peeled for the man in the hooded sweatshirt. How did he disappear so quickly? Where could he be?
Fire trucks surrounded the building, and firemen worked diligently to extinguish the fire. They attacked the fiery beast at every point of entry.
Police officers cordoned off the area around the building with giant rolls of crime scene tape. No one was allowed to leave. Goose bumps ran down my flesh as I made the connection — this whole area was a crime scene, not an accident. Did my attacker start the fire? Why would he do that? What was going on? Should I say something about him?
Ambulances arrived on the scene. Their flashing lights swirled through the smoke. The paramedics set up a triage area in the parking lot, and the chaperones divided injured people into groups based on priority of need. The paramedics treated the seriously injured first and provided oxygen to those who needed it. The chaperones helped those with minor injuries.
Swarms of people from the surrounding neighborhoods gathered behind the crime scene tape. They brought blankets from home for the chaperones to pass out to us. A gray-haired woman with kind eyes, chubby cheeks, and navy sweat pants walked up to me. “Would you like a blanket?” she asked, clutching a plaid wool blanket to her dark gray parka.
I didn’t recognize her as a chaperone, so I assumed she’d slipped around the crime scene tape. “No, thank you. I’m sure there’s someone else who needs it more than I do.” I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself to fend off the cold.
“Honey, if my children were in your situation, I’d want someone to help them,” she cooed and held out the blanket.
“That sounds like something my mom would say.” Right now I wanted my mom or dad. I wanted to feel safe again. I wanted to be held and draw on their strength.
The woman leaned over and wrapped the blanket around my shoulders. “Take it. You’re shivering.”
The large wool blanket hung down in back and shielded my legs from the wind. I clutched it tightly with both hands. “Thanks. I guess I do feel kinda like a popsicle,” I joked, trying to use humor to handle the stress.
“Well, you haven’t transitioned yet.”
“What?”
“You aren’t used to the environment. It was warm inside, and it’s cold out here. You’re adjusting,” she soothed and ran her hand down my back.
“This blanket should really help. Thanks.” I wanted to get away from her. She was beginning to freak me out. “I need to find my brother.” I turned and walked away from her.
“Of course,” she replied. “You’ll be all right, Kate.”
I froze. I never told this woman my name. I turned to look at her, to ask her how she knew my name, but she was gone.
I retraced my steps, but I couldn’t find her in the crowd. The gray-haired woman was nowhere to be seen. The only faces that surrounded me were teens and the familiar chaperones I’d known for years. I clutched the wool blanket even tighter. I knew she was real. The blanket was proof, but where did she go?
Frustrated, I refocused my efforts on finding Reese. I had to know that he was safe.
After I searched the courtyard and didn’t find Reese, I realized that he must have exited on the garden side of the building. I made my way across the courtyard towards the vestibule that divided the long hallway between the two buildings. Since firemen were still working, I knew they would never allow me to go into the vestibule. I would have to sneak through when they weren’t looking.
Mrs. Edgerton and a fireman were talking with their backs to the vestibule. This might be my best chance to slip through to the other side. I circled wide around them, came up along the building, close to the bushes, and darted into the building. All the confusion and the darkness of night helped conceal me. I quickly continued across the vestibule and out the other side into the garden area between the two buildings.
Countless people mingled in the garden. Another triage center was set up and sub-divided into levels of need. I glanced around the garden, When I didn’t see Reese anywhere. I walked towards the triage and looked for him there.
A girl sat at the back of an ambulance with an oxygen mask on her face. A middle-aged paramedic was taking her blood pressure. Other teens held oxygen masks to their faces. Reese wasn’t here, so I kept walking.
The next group was for minor injuries. I raced up to Meghan and Ravi when I saw them. “How are you?” I asked. Meghan’s blanket was cool to the touch and cold wet splotches pressed into my hand as I hugged her.
“We’re a lot better now that we’re out of there,” Ravi said as he held a 4” x 4” gauze on his arm.
“I’m so glad we made it out.” Meghan shivered and readjusted the blanket around her shoulders. “It was so hard to see and breathe. We could barely find our way out.”
“Ravi, how did you do that to your arm?” I asked.
“When Mr. Parker opened the door, everyone panicked and rushed through. I got shoved to the floor. I cut my arm on some br
oken glass from the window. I guess I’m lucky I didn’t get stomped to death.”
“Death by stampede. That’s an awful way to go. I’m glad you’re okay,” I said. “Have you seen Reese?”
“Yes, he’s fine,” Meghan said. “He and Rylee were here with us, but they left to make room for others.”
“They went towards the fountain.” Ravi tilted his head in that direction. “You should find them over there.
“Great. I’ll catch up with you later.” The icy wind blew against my face as I headed towards the fountain. Cold air stung my cheeks and froze my nose. With each inhalation the mucus on the tiny hairs in my nose froze and caused a burning sensation. My wet hair blew around and clung to my face, leaving frozen rivers plastered to my skin. When I lifted these frozen rivers off my face, they stayed whole, frozen together by the frigid temperatures, but I soldiered on.
The fountain was in the center of the garden. Its classic Renaissance design featured curling edges and flower petals etched into each of the three tiers. Above the third tier was an unopened bloom awaiting maturity. Fresh water usually trickled down the tiers into the bottom basin and then recycled back up into the top tier to repeat the process. The fountains babbling water added beauty and tranquility to the garden. Tonight, however, ice had frozen the water and robbed us of its peaceful lullaby.
In order to allow people to fully enjoy the fountain, a large stone-paver pathway with four wrought iron benches at each of the four points of the compass surrounded the fountain. Right now, teens huddled on the benches, shared blankets, and tried to keep warm. Reese stood beside the bench farthest from me.
I ran across the pavers, careful to dodge the other teens, and came to him on the other side of the fountain. “There you are!” I nearly knocked him over as I crashed into him. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“It’s good to see you too.” He squeezed me tightly. “I couldn’t find you over here so I figured you were on the other side with Nick.”
“Yeah, we went out the other door.” I looked at Rylee. “How are you?” She sat on the bench with a blanket wrapped around her.
“I’m glad to be out of there!” She looked at the building as black smoke and ash billowed from the roof and windows. “It was terrible. Everyone was panicking. The door wouldn’t open, and the smoke was so thick.” She stopped to bury her face in her blanket and cough.
“Did the paramedics look at you?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied, “They said I would continue to cough. I’m supposed to see my doctor tomorrow.”
“They’ll tell all of us to do that,” Reese chimed in.
“Yeah, I bet they will,” I agreed and rewrapped my blanket around myself. Another strong gust of icy wind blew against us, whipping up our hair and cutting through our soaked clothes. “It’s freezing,” I said. I shivered and clutched the blanket closer. “I wish they’d let us go into one of the other buildings.”
“They will,” Reese said. “I can’t believe they haven’t moved us already. I’m sure they have regulations and procedures for this type of situation.”
“You mean the type of situation when someone tries to burn our church down with us in it?” I asked.
“Where have you been?” an angry shout bellowed my direction. Nick was headed my way. “I have been looking all over for you! Didn’t I tell you not to leave my side?” His face was now inches from mine. The pungent smell of smoke emanated from him.
“What is your problem?” I shouted back. All the emotions from the night were too much. His anger was uncalled for, and I couldn’t take it. “We got separated in the mob, or did you happen to miss the riot that broke out when everyone ran to safety?”
My response startled him. He took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled it while he stepped away from me. “You’re right. There was a lot of confusion.” He rested his hands on his hips and looked me over. “Are you okay?”
I stared at him, still processing tonight’s events. “Yes, I’m fine. But I need to talk to you. Alone.” I grabbed his arm. “We’ll be right back,” I said, looking over my shoulder at Reese and Rylee.
We made our way to a secluded spot in the garden. He stopped me and said, “This is far enough. You need to tell me something, so say it.”
“Okay.” I exhaled loudly and looked down at the ground. “Right after we got separated, I saw him.” My eyes met Nick’s. “The man in the hooded sweatshirt.”
“Did he see you?” Nick didn’t even flinch.
“Yes.” My stomach churned and acid made its way into my mouth. “He smiled at me.”
“I also saw him.” Nick wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly. “That’s why I was so upset when I couldn’t find you.”
“Why is he here?” I nuzzled my head into his wet chest.
“There’s no telling.” He kissed the top of my head. “We should get back to Reese and Rylee.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. We interlocked fingers as we walked back to the fountain. Feeling Nick’s presence gave me courage and strength. It was like I could face any danger and trial with him.
We rejoined Reese and Rylee again at the fountain. “I didn’t ask you earlier, are you two okay?” Nick asked. He looked alternately between Reese and Rylee.
“Yeah,” they replied, huffing out swirls of warm air that condensed in the cold night air.
Reese studied Nick, sizing up one of his rescuers. “Thanks for helping us escape. That was very brave of you.”
“You’re welcome,” Nick said. “Actually, it was Kate who refused to leave without knowing where you were. She’s the true hero.” Nick looked at me and rubbed my back. “She’s very brave.”
“I’m surprised you two got separated,” Reese said. “How did that happen?”
Nick took in a deep breath and replied, “There was mass chaos as everyone left the building. A few police officers noticed me with the fire ax and approached me. They questioned me. I explained the situation to them. Now they have the ax. I guess they don’t want teenagers walking around with dangerous weapons.” He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “Also, most importantly, someone set two fires and tried to murder hundreds of people here tonight. So the police don’t know who the victims or perpetrators are.” He looked around the garden, as if on the hunt. “I guess I looked a little suspicious walking around with an ax.”
“What? Do you think the person could still be here?” Rylee looked around. “Wouldn’t they just leave so they wouldn’t get caught?”
I looked around the garden for the man in the hooded sweatshirt.
“Perhaps, and it may be more than one,” Nick said. “Someone had to set the fires in the chapel and the game room, plus attach the chains on two doorways in different areas of the church without being noticed in a short amount of time.”
I hadn’t seen the man with any accomplices, but Nick had valid points.
“Wow,” Rylee whispered. She clutched her blanket even tighter. “My mind is still reeling from all of this. It’s all so surreal.” She stared at the ground and her eyes glazed over as she took in this information. “Why would someone do this to us?”
“I know it’s a lot to process,” Nick said. “Just being in a fire is traumatic. Then realizing that someone purposely put you in that situation is overwhelming. I’m sorry this happened to you.” Nick knelt down and placed his hand on Rylee’s knees. “You’re safe now, and you weren’t the target. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Reese glared at Nick and then rolled his eyes. “What?” I mouthed, disgusted by Reese’s attitude. Nick was only trying to comfort Rylee and let her know that she was safe. I was too afraid to contemplate who the intended target was. This wasn’t the first time I’d seen the man in the hooded sweatshirt.
“Hey, do any of you have your phones on you?” I asked. “We should call home.”
“I already did. Mom and Dad received a call from someone telling them there was a fire. They tried your cell, but yo
u didn’t answer. You’re in big trouble.” Reese smiled. “I told them you were fine and with Nick. I found it interesting that they tried to get in touch with you before they tried to contact me.”
“Really? That’s what you’re concerned about.” I looked around at the crowd of injured and terrified people. “It just shows that they think you can take care of yourself and I can’t. Anyway, my phone is in my coat. I didn’t think I’d need it.”
“That will teach you.” Reese turned to Nick. “They said they’d call your dad and let him know that you’re all right.”
“He’ll appreciate their call,” Nick replied.
“Come here, Nick. I’ll share my blanket with you,” I said, coaxing him under my blanket. “You must be freezing.”
“I guess with my adrenaline pumping and the excitement of the situation, I hadn’t noticed,” Nick said. “Where did you get the blanket?”
I told them about the strange lady giving me the blanket, her mentioning my “transition”, and her knowing my name without me telling her.
“Really?” Nick looked around the garden. “Do you still see her?”
“No, she gave me the blanket when I was in the courtyard. When I turned to ask her how she knew my name, she was gone. She’d just disappeared. I looked for her, but couldn’t find her,” I said between shivers. “I don’t know what happened to her.”
“Maybe she was a ghost.” Rylee laughed and brought her blanket closer to her face.
“Well, I’m just glad she gave me such a large blanket.”
“What did she say to you?” Nick knelt in front of me.
I tilted my head, looked into the smoke filled sky, and let out a wispy breath. “Well, she said, ‘You’ll be all right, Kate’,” I said, trying to imitate her voice. My eyes met his. “We didn’t talk long.”
“Was that all?” Nick asked. “Did she give you any warnings?” He looked intently into my eyes.
“No, she didn’t warn me not to play with fire or get too close to fire axes.” I giggled self-consciously, trying to lighten the tense mood that pulsated from him.
Scintillate (Scintillate Series Book 1) Page 21