Chapter 275 - Don't Cry

Neil looked back at the shophouse. It was as if he was watching all his hopes and dreams burning up into ashes. A distant memory he had buried deep within himself threatened to resurface. 

The voices of his loved ones who had departed in a fire echoed in his mind. Neil remembered the anger he felt. He remembered the helplessness he felt. Just like then, all hope was lost. 

"What is going on here?!" a familiar voice shot through the crowd. 

The crowd parted way. Neil knew who it was. It was Laina. As she made her way to the front, Neil watched for her expression. Her eyebrows were furrowed. She was looking straight at him. 

Neil could see it. Laina would never forgive him for what had happened. She was going to be the same as the other adults. 

After all, who would trust the words of a child?

"Miss Laina, I'm so-" Neil never had a chance to finish his apology. 

All he could feel was a warm embrace. 

"I'm so sorry Neil! I should not have left you and the other children!" Laina exclaimed with worry. 

She cupped Neil's face, wiping the soot off his cheek as she checked him for injuries. 

"Are you hurt? Did any of you get hurt?  Is everyone accounted for?" Laina asked as she looked around. 

The other children came running up to Laina too. Neil fell to the ground. Laina caught him just in time. 

"Neil! Neil! Are you alright? Talk to me!" she yelled, uncertain of what was happening. 

For the first time in a long while, Neil began to cry. He was sobbing dry heaving. Laina embraced him tightly as she gently rubbed his back. She did not know why she did it either, but she just knew it was the right thing to do. 

"It's alright Neil, it's alright. Let it all out," she reassured him soothingly. 

None of the children had ever seen Neil like this. All of them came over to hug him too. 

"Neil... don't cry!" 

"Yeah, Neil!"

"Why are you crying, brother Neil?"

The bystanders fell silent. None of them knew what to say. Since they came to see what had happened, they blamed the fire on the children. No one bothered to wonder if they were alright. 

It was at this moment, that the fire brigade finally showed up. The entire shophouse was up in flames, completely engulfed. The firefighters immediately got to work. First, they dowsed the surrounding shophouses with water in hopes of preventing the fire from spreading. 

Then, they attempted to quell the blaze. At this time, Neil finally calmed down a little. He relayed what happened to Laina immediately. 

"You did well, Neil," she praised him with a smile as she helped him wipe away his tears. 

"Everyone is safe and sound because of you. You should be proud of yourself," she added.

"But the shophouse... everything is..." Neil could not bring himself to say it. 

"Neil, look at me," Laina said as she tried to get his attention. 

"Look at me, Neil."

For some time, the boy could not look her in the eye. He promised her, Margaret, and Marius that they would take good care of the place. Yet in a matter of days, everything came crashing down. 

Perhaps what those people in the past said about him was right. He was cursed. 

"I'm cursed, Laina. It's because of me that all of this happened," Neil blurted. 

Laina clenched her jaw. She forced the boy to look her in the eye. It was at this moment, that Neil realized Laina did not harbor any ill feelings towards him. 

Despite what had happened. She did not blame him for any of it. 

"Neil, this is not your fault," Laina reassured him, "And you are most certainly not cursed."

"But everything... we lost everything."

Laina sighed, "We might have lost everything physical. But we still have one another, do we not?"

Laina and Neil turned to look at the other children. Everyone was safe and sound, without major injuries. Even Rosie, who was unconscious had just come to. She was happy to see Laina had returned. 

"Whatever we have lost, we can get it back. We're not going to let a fire destroy our spirit."

Laina looked at the shophouse. She could not help but sigh. All their hard work when up in flames in the blink of an eye. She got up on her feet as she watched the firefighters. As time went on, it was becoming painfully clear they were unable to control the fire.

She was getting annoyed. The fire should have been put out by now. Apart from the smell of smoke, Laina could smell kerosene in the air. It was clear that the fire was not a result of an accident. Someone deliberately set her shophouse on fire. 

Laina got up on her feet and walked towards the burning shophouse. The fire was so hot, everyone had retreated further back. Even the firefighters were unable to get too close. 

"Miss Laina, it's too dangerous!" Rosie warned. 

Even they could feel the lick of the heat from where they were. Laina turned back with a smile. 

"Don't worry," she reassured them, "I can take it."

With that, Laina continued walking towards the fire. Some of the by-standers warned her against doing so too but none was brave enough to physically stop her. At this time, Marius, Margaret, Kol, and Florin arrived at the scene. 

Their keen senses and the lit night sky filled them with worry so they rushed down to see what was going on. In fact, more of the townsfolk had gathered on the streets. Such a fire was rare in the town of Luzernia. 

Laina walked past the firefighters. She could feel the scalding heat of the flames on her skin. But it did not burn her. 

"Miss! You should-" 

Laina turned to all of the firefighters and gave a clear order, "Step back."

"Miss, you're not the boss of us!" one fo the firefighters yelled as he attempted to confront her. 

Laina did not move. Now, she was glaring straight at the firefighter who was yelling. He was coming towards her. He could see the light reflecting in her eyes as he got closer. 

"It is clear to me that there is nothing else you can do to stop the fire," Laina declared, "So ask your men to step back and let me handle this."