Seraph

12

They traveled for a good week since they cared for a group of children's needs along the way. From what she learned from speaking to the women, there were many more children ranging from infants to late teens when their town was first taken over. But the older teens decided to try to run with some of the older children a couple of days into their imprisonment against the adults' wishes. From the screams, they knew it didn't end well. The group of nearly 30 children was now down to their group of twelve. The oldest children in their group now being two boys aged ten. Serafina felt horrible at the thought. Perhaps if she'd been faster? She shook her head at the thought. It wasn't her fault. It was because of Benny. She decided to burn more of his treasures later to vent her anger.

She hadn't been gone long but there was a lot that had changed she noticed when returning to her town. Serafina was impressed by the sight of a large gazebo built more toward the town center with some seats inside. She noticed it was built just to the right of the entrance to the grove of trees that led to her home. There was also now a beautiful white fence that blocked her grove. It was all new. She knew they had built the gazebo to give her a shaded area to sit in during the day. She supposed they noticed how she avoided the sunlight in their presence and wanted to give her a spot just for herself. She loved it. The orphanage she asked to be built wasn't too far away from the gazebo either. She never realized how talented some of the townsfolk were. Her gazebo was beautiful; they had even incorporated her designs from the gold coins into it, along with different flowers. She noticed the designs in other places as well around town and especially on the orphanage. It seemed the townsfolk prioritized completing the orphanage and gazebo for the town while she was away.

She told the women to meet at the gazebo more towards the orphanage. As soon as the carts entered the town, many children ran screaming and cheering from playing nearby. The children in the carts were excited and wanted to get down immediately but were told to wait. The women were surprised. It looked like a normal town. But it was very beautiful and busy. Of course, it wasn't as big as their old home but the natural beauty of the grove, farmland and the intricate designs on the buildings were impressive. They didn't know what the flame, wings, or heart stood for, but it was pretty. They acknowledged that. When they pulled up to the gazebo, they weren't surprised to see the monster waiting for them. But they were shocked to see the children running to meet her and hug her. They heard shouts of "la Doña is back" from many of the people who also showed up with smiles.

La Doña? They heard many villagers call her that. She had a small smile and thanked them while taking a seat in the gazebo. They reported to her as though she were in charge of the town. They announced the completion of the orphanage. They also told her that several older widowed women and spinsters had agreed to run it together, but the townsfolk all agreed to do their best to provide for them. But they would also have the children help with minor jobs in the shops doing non-physical work. Once they were older, they would allow them to help in the fields or do more labor-intensive work in shops, depending on their skills.

Serafina was okay with how they worked things out. She honestly didn't care. As long as the children had food and shelter and were safe from any harm, she was fine with it. She complimented the gazebo's designs. Unable to conceal the pleasure she got from seeing her design built into it marking it as her own. The townspeople pushed forward a young man. They gave him credit for the work. When she got a better look, she recognized him as the young would-be thief she had set straight. He was nervous with her eyes on him. He shuffled a bit and shrank himself. The people complimented his work and kept pushing him forward.