Trust Me // George Weasley

Chapter 14: The Explosion

Today she was overseeing the re-organization of room 59 and room 60 in the museum. She was feeling more excited than words could describe. This morning she had woken up with the biggest smile on her face and it had not left for a single second. The plans she had been working on for weeks were finally going to be made a reality.
Last week, the walls of room 59 had been painted a dusty red shade and the paintings that they exchanged with another museum were ready to be put up. In the afternoon she would oversee the re-organization of room 60, of which the walls were now a dark orange, rusty shade.
It excited her because she had been working on this for a few weeks now and everything was finally ready, they just had to be put up. Together with Nico and Yuni, she would put the paintings on the right spot along with the newly printed labels.
They were already working hard and she stood in front of a wall, deep in her thoughts. Something seemed off but she had trouble placing her finger on it.
"Nico, come here for a moment?" she questioned and waved him over. "What we exchange this one with that one?" she questioned, pointing from one painting to the other. He looked at it for a moment and then nodded.
"I think that would be better, yes," he agreed. "Yuni, hold on! We're changing it up again."
"Or perhaps we just put the Michelangelo in between them? That would work even better-" she never got to finish her sentence because a rather loud explosion caused Nico to grab onto Anna and duck to the floor. Pieces of debris and dust from another room flew into the room where they remained. Nico held onto her tightly, covering her head in a protective manner.
Her ears were ringing and her heart was beating in her throat. She could not even properly process what was happening before another loud explosion filled their ears once more. She let out an anguished shriek and closed her eyes for a moment.
"Shh, shh be quiet," Nico whispered, pulling her into a corner and trying to make them as small as possible. A few tears slipped down her cheeks. Every single muscle in her body was tightened and she was breathing fast. She was absolutely terrified.
Another explosion followed and she covered her mouth, trying not to scream again. The explosion sounded a bit more muffled, which implied that it was most likely a bit further away. That did not make her any less scared because the offices were on the other side of the building and that was where her uncle was right now.
The music stopped sounding through the speakers and got replaced by a blaring alarm which only intensified her anxiety. The lights went off, causing the only bit of light in the room to come from the windows in the rooms surrounding this one. She could still see an outline of Yuni, who was sitting in another corner, calling someone on her mobile phone but she could not hear her speak.
Her stomach was twisted in a knot and though she had not been hurt, she was still in pain. The fourth explosion was much louder and closer again. She was shaking in Nico's embrace who was holding onto her ever so tightly. Tears streamed down both of their faces, unsure about what would happen next.
The fear that she was feeling was indescribable. Never had she been this terrified. She tried not to make any noise but it was hard to hold back sobs. Everything was happening so fast yet it felt like it was lasting for an entirety already.
Yuni peered around the corner before sprinting over to the other side of the room and joining their embrace. The three of them were holding onto each other as if it was the last thing they would do, which might as well have been.
"Authorities are on their way," she whispered to them. Yuni's words did not exactly calm her down. The big chandelier on the ceiling was shaking and crashed onto the floor as a fifth explosion in the room next to them was set off. Glass shattered onto them and she felt several sharp pieces cut into her legs and arms. Nico's grip around her tightened slightly and she cried into her hands. More debris flew into the room, damaging the paintings and the floors even more.
She was sure that whoever was doing this would come into their room next, which made her think that she was going to die. She closed her eyes and held onto her coworkers a little tighter. Every memory she had ever made, every single thing she had ever done, flashed through her mind.
Going to the theatre with her mother. Visiting this very museum with her uncle. Going to the zoo with her father. Visiting the beach in Brighton with Noah. Her very first painting. Meeting Alisa and so making the best friend she had ever known. Graduating. Going to University. Going on a holiday to France with Alisa. Working at the museum. Meeting George and finding out about magic.
All her future goals and dreams. Having her art exhibited. Going to MoMA in New York. Selling an artwork. Working on a big art project with artists from all over the world. Falling in love again. Making a road trip with Alisa. Getting married. Travelling the world.
 A thousand thoughts at once seemed to be going through her mind while she was preparing for what was coming next.