Arianna’s POV
“I will leave you to rest. The day is almost over,” Agostino said as we got to the mansion.
“Thank you so much, Agostino,” I said as I stood by the door.
“Oh it’s nothing,” he waved. “Always remember to enjoy every moment life throws at you and remember I am only a call away. If my Angelo becomes too much, ring me my dear and I will be there to give him a good beating!” He said flashing me his white pearly teeth.
I smiled too and he gave me a salute before he went into his car and his men drove out of the mansion.
I let out a sigh as I turned and faced the house. We had only been gone for a couple of days and it felt like forever had gone by.
“Arianna!” Sofie screamed as she set her eyes on me.
She ran towards me and I welcome her into a hug.
“Oh, my God! I have missed you so much!” She exclaimed happily.
“I missed you too. I think next time I will make sure to drag you out with me,” I said and she smiled sweetly. “So, tell me, what did I miss?”
I passed my arm around her neck and we walked further into the house.
“Oh nothing major,” she said in her usual small voice.
We reached the courtyard that separated the east side from the west side, I saw Nadia and Eleana sitting on the external chairs relaxing.
Nadia smiled when she saw me approach but Eleana had a darkened face. I could tell the energy from her was never going to get better.
Ever since I got very close to Gabriele, she had silently sworn to hate me for eternity.
It wasn’t physical like Sara but it was there. I knew better than to go over to them for a chitchat.
“One of these days I think Eleana will bite you off with just her stare,” Sofie whispered and I only smiled.
“I will really like to see her try…” I wasn’t scared of Eleana.
If she wanted a physical fight, I wasn’t one of those spoilt brats. My grandparents made sure I had my own voice. I would shake some sense into her.
Sofie only snickered at my comment and then I remembered what she had said earlier.
“You say nothing major happened, it means something minor happened. Come on tell me, what was it?” I asked Sofie completely ignoring the pair of eyes that glared at me as we went into our building.
“Nadia and one of the guards seem to be having a thing!” She whispered as we got in and I paused.
“Really?” If this was true, then it was a good thing. I could convince Gabriele -no scratch that, I could convince Agostino to somehow find a way to let them be together.
“Yes, I heard about it from the kitchen maids the first night you traveled and I then saw it myself!”
“No way!” I exclaimed as excitement bubbled in my eyes.
“I mean it, Arianna!” Sofie said with a smile.
We continued catching up on what had happened till my body was too tired. I went in for a quick shower and Sofie brought me something to eat.
When I finished eating, I went straight to bed. I was still not happy with Gabriele but I made up my mind to enjoy everything around me as much as I could -just as Agostino had advised.
I got woken up two hours later by the choking smell of smoke. I coughed hard as I sat up on the bed and tried to make sense of what was happening.
The room was dimmed and hazy. I could barely see past my hand despite the light I turned on. I tried to picture where the door was and realized more of the choking fog was coming into the room.
My heart started racing as the tempo increased. What was happening?
I got up from the bed and tried to move, and that was when I noticed the dancing red light coming from outside the window.
Then the smell clicked in my head -something was burning!
I jumped off the bed and ran to the door at once. As I tried the door the smearing heat kissed my palms and I let go in shock.
“Damn it!” I cussed.
The fire must have started somewhere in the house because my doorknob was melting.
My heart was racing as panic started pumping into my veins. But I had to find a way to save myself.
I dragged the bedsheet and wrapped it around my hand and pulled the doorknob again, this time it melted inwards.
My eyes almost fell out as I realized I was stuck in here if nobody found me.
The heat increased and the red light outside my window was now bigger.
My hands started shaking as sweat dripped down my spine. I was going to burn.
It was becoming difficult to breathe and the smoke was starting to cloud my nostrils and chest.
I ran to the bathroom and soaked my towel in the tub. Then I wrapped it around my head.
“I have survived this long! I won’t die today!” I told myself as I marched back to the room.
The cackles of burning wood were now louder and I knew the fire had taken up the upper floors -or at least my room.
“Hello!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.
I slapped the door with the bedsheet but the heat made me jump away, dropping the sheet.
Tears were already springing from my eyes as I realized there was no way out for me.
“No!” I muttered as my eyes fell to the window.
There had to be a way.
I have jumped out of the window before, I could do it again.
I picked up the bedside table and threw it across the window. The shattering sound echoed through the night air.
I popped my head outside and my hopes shattered. The bottom half of the house was on fire. If I tried using the bedsheets to jump down like I did the last time, I would be throwing myself to death.
I would not make it.
I could see people running from the distance. And then I realized that they were probably looking for survivors.
“Hello! Somebody help me! Help!” I screamed but my voice got swallowed as a rattling explosion covered the entire house shaking it from the foundation.
I held the walls for dear life, fearing the entire place would just give in as another followed right after.
“Sofia!” I called out again as the orange light became even larger.
The towel around my neck had turned hot and I peeled it off. I wanted to return to the bathroom to wet it again when I noticed the bedsheet I had dropped at the door had also caught fire.
The worst part was, it was starting to spread fast. The carpet was already burning.
My chest was filled with smoke and I struggled to breathe right. I was going to die…
“Niko! Help! Sofia!” I cried out once more hoping that somebody down there could hear me but no one did.
The noises outside got louder as more and more explosions threatened to take up the house to the ground.
My skin was heated. My room became an oven and it was going to swallow me alive if I didn’t do something.
The window was not an option. The only thing I had hoped for was the door.
My eyes moved to pass the burning carpet to the bathroom door and back to the exit door. I would have to risk it.
I picked up the large towel once again and ran to the bathroom.
I soaked up the towel in the water and turned on the shower as well. I soaked my body as well and made sure I was dripping wet.
Then I pulled out the towel as fast as I could and wrapped it around my body.
Then I returned to the room. It was so hot that I could feel my wet skin begin to dry up like a loaf of bread in an oven.
The door was melted, it shouldn’t be that hard to kick down.
I knew that the moment I stepped out, there was going to be no turning back.
I took a deep breath and started running.
With all of my weight, I fell on the door. It creaked but stood.
The only thing I could feel at that moment was the heat and it crowded my brain. I had to survive.
I took another step back unto the burning carpet and slammed unto the door.
It crashed and fell flat unto the floor with me on it.
I got up at once and started running into the burning flames with only one thing on my mind -I had to survive.