#CHAPTERS 163: Poppy Smoke

Sarah POV I woke up to the strangest smell, thickly pungent and raw. It was night, and I had been sleeping deeply, but now I was instantly alert. My first thought as I threw off the covers was that the villa was on fire. But there were no smells of wood burning or that horrible, acrid stench of paint or plastic on fire. I went almost instinctively to the nearest window and when I pulled the curtain aside, I saw an orange-yellow glow of fire not too far away, though it was far too close. I shoved myself into socks and jeans, then my bra, a shirt, and shoes. I didn’t bother to check whether they matched. When I got into the hall, I saw Hans in his bathrobe. “Make sure the children stay in the house. Has someone called the fire department?” I demanded. “I did.” “Good.” I ran down the hallway and out the front door before I followed a familiar path to Mavis’s beloved poppy garden, which I could see now was completely engulfed in flames. And there, just as I thought she woul