Heartstrings on Fire (Agnes and Jared) novel Chapter 917

Her name was Yara.

When the earth shook and roared its terrible roar, she had been at preschool, coloring pictures of suns and houses. It was a miracle, they said, that the rescue efforts were so prompt, so efficient. She had escaped the worst. But her parents were buried under the building.

Her dad had been found early on, but it was too late. The life had already left him.

Her mom, to this day, lay somewhere beneath the broken concrete and twisted metal.

Now, Yara was under the care of volunteers.

No one dared to guess what the future held for the little girl.

To everyone's surprise, she hadn't shed a tear, hadn't thrown a tantrum, hadn't even asked for her mom and dad.

They thought maybe she was too young to grasp the gravity of it all. But now, as Agnes watched Yara dash towards the perilous remains of her shattered home, it became clear.

Yara wasn't oblivious. She just hadn't come to terms with the reality that her parents were gone, that her world had fundamentally changed. She was convinced, stubbornly so, that they were still there, waiting for her in the remnants of their second-floor apartment, Unit C, the one closest to the north end.

Without a second thought, Agnes gave chase, her heart pounding against her chest.

Yara was small, but quick, darting through the debris with a terrifying agility for her age. She vanished into the skeleton of the once-standing building before Agnes could catch her breath.

"Yara! Yara!!!" Agnes called her name, her voice echoing through the hollowed-out structure, but there was no answer.

The building groaned, threatening to collapse entirely, as chunks of concrete rained down intermittently.

As the world around them crumbled, Agnes was acutely aware of the specter of death lingering close by. Her thoughts drifted to Nocturne, her own son, miles away from her, beyond the reach of this chaos.

"I'm sorry, Nocturne," she thought, a tear making its way down her cheek. "Mom can't be there to watch you grow, to live out her days with you."

Seeing Yara had reminded her of Nocturne. Despite knowing the danger, she couldn't stand idly by.

The building continued its violent dance. The cacophony of destruction was deafening. Agnes closed her eyes, holding Yara tighter, surrendering to whatever fate had in store for them.

Yara's cries had ceased; she clung to Agnes, burying her face in the safety of her embrace.

Time lost all meaning for Agnes, stretching and compressing in those moments of uncertainty. Was it minutes? Hours? It didn't matter. For Agnes, time had come to a standstill.