The Secret (Watty Award Winner) | ✔️

Sixteen - Sarah

Ch16 - Sarah

When the bus stopped in Montana the following day, Sarah grabbed a newspaper and scoured through it for information about the fire. Finally, hidden on page ten, there was a tiny blurb in the regional news section.

Seattle, Washington - A Washington woman is missing and presumed dead following a house fire Wednesday morning in a Seattle suburb. Fire crews responded to the four alarm blaze around six am and reported the inferno quickly spread to a neighboring home. Residents of that house made it out safely. An hour after crews arrived, the second floor of the home collapsed. The owner of the property at 4211 Nottingham Terrace told fire chief Mark Bell about a recent electrical issue. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

'Thank heavens,' Sarah sighed in relief. Not only did her neighbors make it to safety, but she was presumed dead! So far, her plan was turning out just as she had hoped. 'Please...let it continue to work,' she silently prayed.

Her mind wondered cautiously to Steven. How was he fairing in the wake of the tragedy? Did he even look at her "passing" as a misfortune? She did wonder, but not enough to find out. She intended on staying far away from Washington State, as far as the continental US would allow. She knew she would never again set foot in Seattle - she had no reason to. Steven had been her only family.

Sarah reflected on the home she had known for the past three years. It was unfortunate to think of it now lying in a pile of burned rubble. It really had been beautiful - all 4,500 square feet of it. She would miss it's beauty and spaciousness, and the comfortable way the fireplace had soothed her during the lonely nights when she was unable to sleep.

Sighing heavily - she went to the bus counter and bought another one way ticket - this time to Lincoln, Nebraska. Settling in for the long ride, she realized she was able to feel a little more comfortable during this trip - not only because the bus seats were better cushioned - but because she felt a huge burden lifted from her shoulders knowing that her neighbors were safe. She wouldn't have been able to forgive herself otherwise. Never in a million years did she think that the fire would have spread. Had the thought entered her mind, she may never have gone through with her plan.

Sarah looked out the window at the passing grain fields, cattle ranches and rolling mountains. She had vacationed with her parents in Montana once, a very long time ago, and remembered it fondly. Passing through now, she couldn't help but wonder what life would be like for her in Florida - her final destination. Where would she live? Where would she work? She had so many questions. Goose bumps crawled up her arms at the anticipation of the unknown.

It was true - she had no idea what kind of new beginning Florida would bring, but she knew it had to be better than where she had been.

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