“Move… Everyone, move out of my way!”

The crowd grew thicker by the dim of the smoke. The building was surrounded by both civilians and Police personnel.

“What’s going on? Where’s my brother? Where’s my father?”

Tora’s hand trembled as she got closer to the Research lab. Wren had warned her that something had happened just moments ago, ‘but it’s just a fire,’ he said, what could have possibly gone wrong? She bit her lip and tightened her fingers around her shirt. A dreadful thought shook her already unsettled nerves. She inhaled only a shallow breath, struggling for another.

As survivors continue to pour from the building, the anticipation started eating her away.

–Sora? –

Images of his face started to swell her insides.

–Sora, where are you?

Tora’s face bathed with tears as the tension bred thicker.

“Where is he? Where is my brother?” She cried.

Her voice cracked and her noodled legs slowly fell to the ground. A headache was now the least of her worries. Her stomach churned, and her chest ached from an indescribable pain. As Bill walked up to her; she buried herself in tears and mud headfirst in the ground.

“No! This can’t be happening!”

“Tora… I’m… I’m sorry” he reached out.

“No! Where is my brother?”She began to fight, throwing a fist at those who refused her entry into the building.“Where is he?”

As the protruding veins on her forehead made long strides across her face, bystanders, fellow family friends, all rush to Tora’s aid. Buried and screeching for words, she gasped for air widened between long pauses.

“Sora, he… he didn’t make it.”With pained eyes and slummed shoulder, he unloaded the bad news unto her.

Bill took a moment for composure “But your father… he’s in extensive care. He’s in pretty bad shape, but he’s alive.”

Running to her without hesitation, Wren fell to the dirt and lifted Tora from the ground to tightly embrace her. Gripping both her hair and neck, he kissed her forehead gently with eyes ready to overflow.

“It’s gonna be alright” He comforted her.

________________________________________________

Tora laid there for hours starring far into the abyss. The abysmal air swept the room that filled with grief, confusion, and anger.

Her mind died along with him she thought, so did her reason to live. She wanted nothing more than to die right then and there. She had been lying still for more than 12 hours now, contemplating ways to take her own life, when something dawns on her.

Tora dashed downstairs,

“Wren..?”

She called. Her Rosie pink Robe cape behind her as she made her way down.

Last night, Tora went home with Wren and his father. He lost his mother to the AG’s disease just a year ago and his sister’s room was fairly free for some time now. They really could use the company, and Tora could use a friend.

“Wren, we must get to my Dad! Something’s not right.”

“Tora, wait… calm down,” He urged.

He was coming from the kitchen when he heard Tora’s cry for help.

“Wren, both my Mother and Brother died of an office explosion. My mom died five years ago and now Sora.”

“Tora, I don’t mean to sound… heartless. But what are you getting at? I can’t follow you.”

“Maybe these things happen, but in a day and age where technology is at its finest and our city is so safe that less than 2% percent of the annual death toll is caused by a reason besides the AG’s disease, one time is a coincidence… twice is a pattern.”

Wren skewed his face unwillingly as he was, more or less, lost for words. “Tora, that’s quite a big leap in assumption, don’t you think?”

“Both of them were working on the same project at the time of their death- and they magically happened to be caught in an office explosion nearing a breakthrough or discovery?” She reiterated. “Don’t you think that’s a bit suspicious?”

“Nearing…” He questioned, “or after…?

Wren and Sora gasped.

“I’ll drive…” He stated