What The Heart Knows

17.0

It was hard to fall asleep last night, and when I finally did I was awoken by the ringing of my alarm. I had set up an alarm to get up before Lindon, and leave before we could get a chance to see each other. I couldn't get myself to face him after yesterday.

I put on a white shirt and black blazer, with blue jeans, then tied back my hair in a quick pony tail. On my way out of my room, I stood in front of my bed stand for a moment, staring down at the box which contained the locket Lindon had given me.

I don't know why, but for some reason I felt like wearing it. I did say I would keep it close to me, and what better way could I do that than wear it around my neck?

Without spending another minute thinking over my decision I put on the locket. Maybe if Lindon saw it, he would know I didn't want things between us getting awkward after yesterday.

I had gotten Terry to provide me with the place we were headed for today and all that we would be doing, so I could already be there before Lindon arrived.

On my way down the stairs, I stopped by Lindon's room, slowly turning the door knob, and hoping he was still asleep. I only wanted to see him once before I left.

And surely he was asleep, his blanket down to his feet, with him tossing and turning every few seconds. Seeing that he was slightly shivering, I placed his blanket over him, watching him hug it closer to him, as he laid sideways.

I wrote him a short note, letting him know where I was going, then walked out the door before he woke up.

Sometimes it's easier to walk away before the other person does.

•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•

"And how many people were injured?" I asked Tariq Armani, the manager of the company, squinting my eyes under the sun's burning glare.

"Not many," he answered. "Only about two to five were injured. The others who have suffered from loss are the ones living around this place. As you can see the whole area has been ruined due to the forest fire. Fortunately no one was working when the fire had reached the industry."

Lindon didn't mention anything about the fire reaching his industry.

I glanced around the place, staring at the ashes left behind due to the fire. A ruined place. There was not many around, only a few construction workers, sorting out the damage that had been done.

"Where are the workers?"

"They're on a leave for a while, until we get all this in control. King Lindon didn't think it would be safe for them to work around here. He said he was going to come check how everything was going himself. May I ask where is he?"

I pursed my lips into a thin line, unsure of the answer myself.

It was well past one o'clock now, and there was still no sign of him. I had been here for two hours now, yet he was still missing.

"He will be here soon," I assured the manager, though I wasn't sure myself. "I want to go see the workers, and make sure they are all coping well. It's important that they have all the money they need and necessities provided to them until they can work again."

I eyed the somewhat burnt building, realizing it hadn't been as damaged as the other places at a further distance. It reminded me of the carnival. When I had turned back to tell the firefighters Serenity was still in there somewhere, in need of their help. The way the fire had been spreading throughout the place, capturing anything in its reach.