You Wish

Chapter 13: Revelations

Rhiannon burst into the cafeteria, her heart pounding.

She looked around frantically for the one figure she could recognise anywhere. Her eyes scanned the crowd again and again but she couldn't spot her. There was no sign of her.

Nothing.

Everything slowed down, as panicked nurses grabbed patients and led them away from the damage. Nurses tried to push her in the other direction but she was in a weird trance, blindly walking towards the source of panic. She was numb to the noise. There was nothing but her heartbeat and the smell of smoke and brimstone wafting in the air.

Embers flew through the air, thick soot dancing through the air. Rhiannon took no notice as people pushed past her.

Here eyes flew to the huge gash in the wall, smoking heavily. It looked as if the wall had been melted, steel leaked down like candle wax. Her heart clenched tightly.

It was grotesque.

Charred bodies lay in impossible positions on the floor. The smell of burning flesh growing stronger as she got closer. It took Rhiannon a while to process what had happened, her mind worked slowly. Her head spun, and her knees could no longer support her.

Her breathe caught in her throat.

She felt strong arms embrace her, as she collapsed into them. She couldn’t bear thinking, her chest grew tight and she could barely breathe. She couldn't take it. She breathed in the strong aroma of coffee and heat. It brought her back to her senses.

Maybe gran had gotten out before – What happened here? Where could she be? Was she dead?

Rhiannon knew her grandmother was not amongst the people who had escaped, she would’ve seen her. Her grandmother would’ve searched her out in the chaos. Rhiannon would've known if she was safe. She felt tears threaten to escape as the heat of the room continued to weigh her down.

“You’re safe. It’s alright. Please, please don’t cry. I promise you will always be safe with me.” Kian whispered into her hair, cradling her to his chest. She felt the warmth of his skin through his shirt, she wanted to get closer to him. He kissed her hair softly, murmuring against her hair. She could feel that weird bubblegum sensation sticking to her mind. Rhiannon relaxed and let it take over her mind.

She hadn’t noticed that tears had escaped from her eyes, she wiped them away hurriedly with the back of her hand. She turned away from him, trying to gather herself together.

Rhiannon pulled away.

"Thank you." She said.

She had felt safe in his arms, she felt like she fitted there perfectly. She should trust him. She could trust him. She shook those thoughts out of her mind, as she slowly gathered the courage to glance around again. She ignored Kian’s smouldering blue eyes as they stayed on her.

The room was empty now, except for Devlin, Kian and herself. Devlin was studiously ignoring their moment. He examined the scorch marks, sliding his hand over the molten steel and attempting to smell the thing that might have done this. It was as if an inferno had invaded the hospital. Rhiannon shuddered at the thought.

“Devlin, what do you see?” Rhiannon asked, desperate for a sign. Some kind of clue. She needed to know who was responsible.

“It’s better, if you come and look.” Devlin called back, hand extended for her to come along.

Rhiannon saw it and she gasped.

She couldn’t help it. 

It was a note, burnt into the wall. Who could’ve done this? It would’ve have taken longer than the few seconds - She stopped herself. This was a world with genies and any number of other magical creatures for all she knew.