chapter 9

Valen Pulling up at the Mountainview Hotel, I see fire trucks lining the front of the hotel with police, ambulances, people running everywhere, everything is all flashing lights and shouting; it’s a total fiasco. I can see Everly’s truck and my father parks beside it, getting Valarian out of the car while Macey stands beside it. My father is quick to get Valarian, then waves Zoe over; she rushes over with Casey and thanks him. Yet, I can’t see Everly anywhere. The entire building is on fire, flames spewing out the windows, bursting from the extreme heat that can be felt even from where I’m parked behind my father on the main road. I glance around, waving to Zoe as I jog over to her and Marcus. Marcus has a tablet in his hand and people are lining the path, standing at the evacuation point as he finishes checking names off. “Everyone is accounted for. The fire started in the kitchen; thankfully the alarms still triggered because of the backup batteries, so no loss of life,” Marcus tells