The Unforeseen Spark

A Broken Promise

There, consumed by fire and smoke, was the orphanage. The structure was barely standing and it was clear that it would soon collapse. Luckily, the children were all pulled to safety and remained waiting off to the right, far from the dangerous building.
Even though they were no longer in danger from the fire itself, the shock of it all was getting to them. Tears streamed down their ash-covered faces, leaving visible trails through the grime. Some of them didn't manage to get out in time and sported burns on their arms and legs. Gasps of pain and fear filled the air and their whimpers squeezed Roetta's heart painfully.
Taking slow steps toward the children, she began to count their heads to check if all of them were there. She tried not to focus on one child for too long for she knew that if she did, the image of their burned skin and clothing would be forever scorched into her mind. As she got closer, though, she knew that things were only going to get worse. Only twelve out of the thirteen kids residing in the orphanage were pulled into the safe huddle where they were currently located. One was still inside.
Steeling her resolve and pushing her fear to the back of her mind, Roetta quickly turned from the group and ran into the orphanage, ignoring the cries from Celso, who just managed to catch up to her. He could do nothing but watch though, as her glistening, blonde hair disappeared from sight into the flames. Taking a deep breath, he settled for caring for the injured kids outside as she risked her life inside.
After entering, Roetta, for the first time, was thankful for the fact that the building only had two rooms. That meant that the search for the missing child wouldn't take too long. The drifting embers from the fire stung her eyes and the smoke filled her lungs, threatening to take away her consciousness, but she resisted. She needed to save whoever was still inside. Knowing that the person was a child, she took a risk and decided to enter the kids' bedroom from the entry-hallway first.
Beams of wood that were burned away from their usual positions were blocking parts of the path, but she did the best that she could to skirt around it. Upon reaching the room, it was difficult to see if there was anyone inside because of the pitch-black smoke. About to turn around to search the kitchen, Roetta stopped in her tracks after she heard a cough coming from the right side of the room.
Taking cautious steps forward, she stuck out her hands to feel in front of her. Roetta could see nothing as she stumbled over the forgotten items left on the floor. She knew that she was getting closer to her target though, when the sound of coughing became clearer.
"Is anyone there? It's Roetta, I'm here to get you out!"
The coughing again got louder as she could feel the presence of another person in front of her. Relief flooded her veins as she felt the person grab at her arm and then rush to hug her middle. Letting out a worried huff, she patted the child's head and explained the situation.
"The building is close to falling in on itself. We need to get out of here quickly, get on my back."
Kneeling down, Roetta guided the child to her back and let the kid climb on. Using the boost from her bent knees, she straightened up and started running back the way she cane. The fire provided a break-through from the smoke and allowed her to find the doorway to the hallway again.
The hallway's heat was intense and she could feel her skin burning with each step closer to it. Once inside, her eyes burned even more than in the children's room. The bright light was a stark contrast to the smoke and it caused her eyes to water so badly that tears slipped out. The door out of there seemed so far away, but she knew that she had to keep going for the person gripping tightly to her neck, desperately hanging on to survive. She once swore that the children of the orphanage would never feel that desperation, that struggle to survive, but she had failed in her promise.
Anyone who gazed at her in that moment would feel an overwhelming aura of bloodlust. Her eyes were hardened and in the light of the flames, they looked as if they were ready to consume anyone in their way. Her rare cherry-blossom-colored eyes were a sight to be seen and her strong will was put on display.
It was a shock for Celso to see when Roetta finally exited the building with the child. He noticed before, from his spot inside, that the hallway was blocked in multiple places with burning debris and the amount kept growing the longer she spent inside. She would of had to manually move it to get past. He was about to get her back out himself when she had appeared again.
The physical strain from rescuing the child and moving the debris was obviously getting to her, and she didn't make it ten feet from the orphanage before she collapsed.
The only thought she had, as she finally accepted the exhaustion weighing over her, was of the mistakes she had made.
I failed all of you. I'm so, so sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
And it will never happen again.