*Bang bang bang

“Miss Charlotte, hurry up! We need to leave asap!”

“Ugh… Wha…t?”

Opening her eyes, she felt her body was heavy and her muscles ached a lot. She looked around herself, everything seemed to be fine.

She then closed her eyes, preparing to continue in her sweet slumber.

*Banb bang bang bang!

She then heard a much louder smack on the door.

“Miss Charlotte! There’s a fire in the building! We need to evacuate as fast as we can!”

“U-uh? What?!”

Being jolted awake be the news, she jumped from her bed and ran to the door. Opening the door, she saw the boy, Lorris.

“Is that true?!”

“Y-yes! We’re just called by the administration! There’s a fire on the first three floors! We need to evacuate!”

Being surprised at her opening the door, the boy stuttered before telling her what his mother had told him to do.

“O-ok, I’ll be out in a second, you can go now, don't worry about me.”

Closing the door, she ran to retrieve her important things. There wasn’t much to begin with. She took her trusted satchel and put inside some clothes to spare, her cash and a notebook where she wrote her ideas and achievements. She then wore some pants, put on some shoes and a hoodie she hadn’t used lately because of the heat. Finally, she stored the Crystal Core in her panties.

“Better be sorry than losing it. You stay there.”

She didn’t have time to put on bras, so she was just grateful of just having it packed.

She then went out of her room and out of the house. Before going down the stairs, she first went to the window and looked down. On the lower floors was an orange glow with a lot of smoke going out. Turning around, she started to descend the stairs.

“Really! When everything was starting to go smoothly…!”

Strangely, she wasn’t feeling as tired as she believed she was, she wasn’t even feeling the adrenaline going through her. She just felt wronged.

“Of all times, why did it have to be today!?”

When she arrived at the fifth floor, she started to feel the heat.

“It’s a big fire…”

Arriving on the fourth one, she saw the fire starting to eat everything.

“… I hope I can make it.”

Descending one more floor, everything was aflame. She was now sweating profusely. Looking downstairs, she saw that fire was blocking the exit. Holding her breath, she started to run as fast as she could, skipping three to four stairs a time. She made it to the first floor and went to the exit.

Her clothes and satchel were burning on some parts when she reached the outside. She instantly started to roll on the floor to put them down.

“Ahhh! Help meee!!”

Shouting while rolling on the floor, the surrounding people only kept looking at her with pity in their eyes. They were looking at her like she was some kind of lost animal!

“What are you lot looking at! Shy away! You hypocrite lot…”

She was really angry at them. She could see some of them even holding bottles of water, there was one who even had a bucket!

Yes, there is a fire, but why did you even bring a bucket if you won't use it when it matters the most!

After the fire was put out of her clothes, she was feeling anger crawling in her skin…! No, it was not anger, looking at her arms, she felt a tingling sensation. She had some burned skin!

Looking carefully, she saw three spots on her arms, two on the right and one on the left. Continuing to feel her body, she realized she also had some burns on her legs and one on her back.

Damn… I hope it won’t leave a scar…

Sighing and trying to calm herself, she heard the sirens of the firefighters.

“Finally here…”

People started moving to leave enough space for them to do their job. Charlotte stayed in her spot, though.

Getting ready to extinguish the fire, one of the firefighters approached her.

“Lady, please stay away, we’re going to put the fire out and it could be dangerous if you’re too close.”

“I got burns, where do I need to go?”

Rolling her eyes before answering, Charlotte showed him her arms. The man frowned at it.

“They’re some light burns, just put it in water and bandage it. Go to the fire truck and ask for the bandage.”

“Thanks. Good luck.”

“Thanks, be careful.”

Turning away from her, the man started walking to the fire with a hose at the ready.

Charlotte did as she was told. She approached the truck and asked someone who was there with a uniform the things she needed. After inspecting her arms and feet, she was given sufficient bandages to put on herself and a change for the next day.

The man applied ointment before bandaging her arms and feet. Finished with her, the man told her to be careful and started to go back to his post.

“Uhm, sir, there’s one more…”

“Oh? Sorry, I didn’t see it.”

Turning back to her. He motioned for her to show him.

Giving him her back, she took off her hoodie she had put on before after getting out of the fire and lifted her shirt, showing him her bare skin.

Frowning at the burn, he squatted and looked at it closely with a lighter in his hand.

“This’s a little more serious… You should go to a hospital to get examined as fast as possible, I’m going to apply this on you and bandage it, wait a moment.”

Charlotte nodded and waited for him. The man took out the ointment, rubbing it on her back. She frowned at the pain she was feeling.

“Shhhh!”

Sucking air so as to not to scream, she waited until the man was done with it. Then she felt him bandaging her carefully. After a minute or so. She had bandage all over her abdomen and lower back, as well as some on her arms and feet.

“That’s it, now, go to a hospital as fast as possible.”

“Thank you, sir. Please, be careful.”

She said with true sincerity in her words, he was the second person who has showed her goodwill today. The first being the boy, Lorris. Though she had not seen him after he had woken her up.

She started to walk, away from the fire and the firefighters.

“I look as if I had a really serious accident… He-he…”

She said as she looked at herself. She needed a cab to go to the hospital.

Getting on a lucky one, she told him:

“Take me to the nearest hospit…" Thinking better of the situation, she changed plans. "No, wait, just drive uhm, this way.”

She signaled with her hand, telling the taxi where to turn directly. She changed her plans of going to the hospital for two reasons: she didn’t have her papers and she could be found at any moment, given what James had told her a week prior.

Getting near her destination, she told the taxi to stop besides a public phone booth. She paid him an extra bit for being so hard with the direction. She didn’t know the exact direction so she had to guide the taxi with her memory alone!

Entering the booth, she took out her notebook and looked for the phone number she recently got.

She had to call to it three times before someone answered.

“’ello?”

It was such a low voice she felt as if she was going to be murdered, it was the lowest voice she had ever heard of him!

“Ehm, Jean? It’s me, Charlotte.”

“… Do you know what time is it?”

She truly felt it was wrong to call him, but she had no choice. She didn’t have any of her other friends' numbers and going to her parent’s house was tantamount to trouble.

“No… I’ve no checked the time, but, I need your help!”

“… What’s it? Fast, I got work tomorrow.”

“Yes! Look, my building, where I live, burned down. I don’t know where else to go so I just came here without thinking much!”

“Your what did what? Wait a second, where are you now?”

“I’m in the booth near your place, just arrived here, I, I need somewhere to sleep! I promise I’ll be gone tomorrow!”

“Okay okay, wait a sec, I’m going to pick you up.”

“Thank you!”

As she said that, she realized there was no sound coming from the other side.

He must have hanged up immediately… Such a sweetheart…

Crouching on the spot, she felt her heart ease a lot. She didn’t realize she was so tense!

Waiting for him to come, she looked down and started to consider her options.

Right now I got no ID, nor anything for the matter… I’ve this cash with me, that’s something, and some other cash in the bank. At least I finished this baby before everything burned down.

Remembering the Crystal Core, she put her hands inside her panties, looking for it. After fidgeting for a moment, she sighed as she put out the Crystal Core. When she couldn't find it immediately, she had started to panic.

“Really, don’t scare me like that…”

*Knock knock

Looking up, she saw Jean looking at her, he had a mixture of astonishment and concern on his face.

“Jean! What took you so long!”

Jumping to her feet, she hugged him impulsively.

“U-uh, there are three booths around here, I went to the closest to my place first. This’s the second. C’mon, let’s go.”

Getting on her feet, she started to walk beside him. She was tightly holding on the crystal.

Once they were inside his house, she looked around.

“It hasn’t changed at all… Hehe.”

Going to the nearest couch, she plopped herself then and there, not caring at all about appearances.

*Sigh

Jean sighed after seeing she was behaving as if nothing wrong had happened. From what he could see, she looked too haggard.

“Really, you… You look like a stray cat.”

“Hm? Oh, yes. I’m a stray cat alright.”

She gestured to him, not caring in the least. She was almost burned to death tonight! Being a little carefree was fine with her.

Noticing something in her arm, Jean approached her and took her hand.

“U-uh? What?”

Sliding up the hoodie’s sleeve, he opened his eyes wide.

“What happened to you?”

“Oh! Right! It was awful, you know! Hump, fucking hypocrites! They almost saw me burn! All while in front of them! What were they expecting?! What were they going to say if I really burned to death?! ‘OH, I just saw this girl burn in front of me, I could have fucking saved her and did shit to it!’”

“C-calm down, Charly, your face is getting red.”

Having all her frustrations come alive again, she couldn’t help but lash out.

*Fuuu, fuuu

Breathing and getting herself composed, she then recounted what happened since being waked up by Lorris.

“Really, he’s such a sweetty, if not for him, I’d probably not be here… I have to thank him properly next time.”

“You really owe him big, huh.” Jean admitted, hoping the best for the boy.

“Yep! We’ve talked some times, it’s always a wonder ahaha.”

“Oh? You fell for him? That’s a record.”

“Oh, shut it. I just keep teasing him, his reactions are too funny to pass on.”

Charlotte said as she smirked devilishly.

“You’re still the same little one. Such bad taste…”

“Oh, you loved it anyway… I’m not planning on changing, you know? Heh.”

“Sigh… Really. So, what’re you planning on doing?”

“Dunno, I’ll think about it tomorrow. I’m in no mood to think now.”

“Yeah… I can see that. Hey, show me the burns.”

“Hmm? Why?”

“You know my mother was a doctor, I know one or two things about it. I also have some medicines in case anything happens.”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot.” She showed her tongue, making a silly face.

“You never even tried to remember, anyway, show it to me.”

“Aye, sir!”

Saluting as if she was a soldier and him her captain, she got up in her feet. Taking her hoodie slowly, she tried to do it as seductively as she could. But her back hurt and her arms didn’t allow her to continue doing it.

Chuckling at her shenanigans, Jean shook his head.

“Hehehe, please, don’t start now, you’re in no state to do anything like that.”

“… I know…” Pouting a little, she finished taking off her hoodie.

She was then going to take off her shirt when she remembered:

I’m no wearing any bra!

“Look away.”

“Uh, what?”

“Just look away for a moment!”

She threw her hoodie at him and started searching for a bra in her satchel. One thing was to seduce him to make him frustrated, another was being shameless and showing herself without anything!

“Really, you…”

Turning around, he waited patiently until she said it was fine.

Taking out her bra, she took the shirt off and put it on as fast as she possibly could. She flinched silently in the process, though.

“Okay, it’s fine to turn around.”

She had also put some shorts she found, she didn’t know when she put them inside her satchel.

He started undoing the bandages, she flinched a little even though he was being as careful as possible.

“Hmm, they’re okay, I think, they applied some kind of ointment that helps with first degree burns, but I’m not sure about the one on your back… As for scars, after sometime I believe there won’t be any, at least not on your arms or feet.”

“Fuu, it’s good to know, what’ll we do about the one on the back, then?”

“The best option is to go to the hospital… But you don’t have your ID so, only if it’s threatening your health, it’s better not to.”

“Uhu.” Nodding at his judgement, she agreed completely. Even if it was for different reasons.

“Wait a sec, I’ll see if I have something for this.”

Going to the back of the house, he searched for ointment and some pills that would help with regenerating burned skin.

“Here, swallow this and let me apply this one, I believe it’s better than the one it was applied before.”

Jean handed her a pill with water to make it easier to swallow, and crouched behind her. She didn’t say anything, and after swallowing the pill she took a deep breath.

“Go on ahead.”

…!!

IT FUCK’NG HURTS!!!

He didn’t try to clean the previous ointment, he only applied the new one on top of it. Moving a burned skin without the one beneath being fully recovered was foolish. It would only cause more pain, and would even make matters worse if one didn’t have the required equipment.

*Fuu

Once he was finished, Charlotte breathed out the air she was holding.

“I believe it’s better to leave it open. It can be ventilated that way and would get healthier faster.”

“… Thanks.”

She said while grimacing, she just wanted to shout as loud as possible. It was hellish trying to just keep her voice down.

“You can use my bed, I’ll sleep here tonight.”

“… Thanks, really. I’ll make sure to compensate you.”

“No worries, have a nice sleep, you need it way more than me.”

He said looking at her burned back. Though it wasn’t as big as all her back, it was still some centimeters big, around ten wide and five high.

“Goodnight…”

She said as she got closer to him, she then hugged him as hard as she could without hurting herself and gave him a peck besides his lips.

She then ran as if escaping from her family’s enemies to his room while chuckling.

Once inside, he could imagine her cringing at this stunt she just made.

“It’s only going to hurt you more if you move like that…”

He then went to the couch and prepared to sleep.