The Fire Inside

Amoret

This chapter's a bit long, so enjoy!

...

 At midnight, most people are already in bed. But not Camille.

Fifteen years prior, she had taken up midnight prayer, taking mass at such a late hour to be the first thing God hears every day. She hoped and prayed for the same thing every time. She prayed for twenty minutes every day at the same time for all these years.

This was the only time she was ever interrupted.

"Your Majesty, deepest apologies."

She stood up from her bench. "What is it that is so important to bother me while I am in prayer?"

"An urgent message from the hospital. I tried to tell them, but they wouldn't wait."

Camille sighed. "Lead the way."

She arrived in her husband's office swiftly, following the rushed feet of the servant. Finnick handed the phone off to her. "The nurse insisted she speak with you specifically, Cam."

She took the phone and pressed it to her ear. "Queen speaking."

"Your Majesty." The voice wavered. "My deepest apologies, but it cannot wait." Camille began to worry as the voice took a deep breath. "Your Majesty, we found her."

Camille's heart stopped. She knew exactly who the nurse was talking about and the phone slipped from her grasp. She stood there in a daze, tears springing into her eyes. Finnick caught the phone before it hit the ground. He pressed it to his ear. "King speaking, what is the matter?"

Finnick listened a bit more before looking at Camille, who stared at the phone in his hand. "She's at the hospital? She's with the group?" His hands were shaking and his voice wavered, tears streaming down his and his wife's cheeks. "We'll be there in ten minutes."

"Cam," Finnick directed his attention to her. "Let's go."

His voice snapped her out of her daze. "They found her."

He nodded then turned his head to the servant standing by the door. "Fetch our coats and tell Prince Damien that we will be back in the morning." Then the pair ran towards the door.

The servant met them by the door leading to the garage, coats in hand. "Here, Your Majesties."

Camille shrugged on her coat whilst running out the door and into the awaiting car. Finnick followed and the door closed. "Take us to Mirabel Leading Hospital and step on it."

...

A nurse ran into the wing and hurried to Elise, whispering something in her ear to not let the kids wake up. Elise sprung into action, jumping up and hurrying to Mor's bed. She shook her shoulder lightly and the girl opened her eyes blearily. "Amoret," she whispered. "Amoret, you need to wake up."

Mor sat up and looked at the rest of the room, noticing the lack of natural light from the window. "What time is it, Miss Elise?"

"It's midnight, Amoret. It's incredibly important that you get up and follow me, please honey." She helped Mor out of the bed and Maggie woke up from the shift, getting down to follow. "Good girl, Maggie." She wrapped Mor in her knot blanket, leading her towards the front door of the wing. "Come on now, honey. Everything's alright."

Mor realized that none of the other children had risen, or even been disturbed from her sleep. Elise closed the door as they passed into the antechamber. "What's going on?"

Elise led her out of the wing and into a conference room on the side of the hallway. She nodded to a male nurse who was there, who then went to the wing where the rest of the children were staying to watch over the other sixteen. Two other women nurses were in the room, frantically looking over files. Elise turned back to Mor. "Amoret, I promise everything's okay." She saw the fear in her eyes and continued. "No one's going to hurt you, nothing is wrong." She looked at the door before looking back at Mor. "I-uh...Someone's just coming to talk to you for a little bit, okay?'