180 MORTAL DANGER

ARIEL'S POV I was still standing here, looking worried, right in the crowd. Jack wouldn't let me go inside, since he said Luke was there. So I hoped Luke wouldn't let me down. I could hear the murmur of the crowd. I didn't know what they were talking about, but I didn't like it. I was never a fan of gossip, so if these people were talking shit, that was their own cup of tea. Everything was just revolving in my head like a goddamn movie—the piercing wail of sirens cut through the air, blending with the roar of flames consuming the building. And I stood right here, with intense fear in my heart, hoping that the little ones would get through this chaos. My heart is a turbulent sea of fear and despair. My children, my precious ones, are trapped inside that inferno, wonderful fragile souls surrounded by merciless fire. I wasn't close to that building, but each lapping tongue of flame felt like a lash against my heart, tearing at my very being. Memories flashed before my eyes—the first ti