Chapter 355

[Cordelia]

Instinctually, as any mother would, I reach forward to comfort the child. Her eyes light up with hope as my hands touch her fevered brow. She is so delicate, so frail, with hair so white it is almost transparent and eyes the color of dark coals.

"How did you get here, Sweetie?" I ask as I gently pat her hair down on either side of her face. She can't be more than 7 or 8. Seeing her like this makes me think of my own children and how vulnerable they are.

Atlas thought he was sending us to safety. Instead we are right in the middle of the flames.

The monitors attached to the girl show her heart rate is steady, and the IV in her arm is keeping her hydrated. But why is she in pain, what is the source?

"She is in the final stages of leukemia," a voice announces through an intercom speaker placed somewhere overhead. "Her parents denied traditional medical care and decided to try alternative methods. That is where you come in."

"How?" I shout at the unseen person. "I don't know