I wish she were here now.
Blink thought back to a few short hours before, when he had kissed Mairead. He hadn't planned to do so, but it just happened - it was like an unseen hand pushed him in her direction. Taking off his hat, he ran a trembling hand through his hair. The kiss had seemed surreal, like he had only dreamed it and awakened to believe that it had really happened. Did I really kiss her? he thought, knowing the answer. I can't remember anything that I said or did afterwards...it's all blurry. I don't even remember how I got here...
The young man was suddenly jerked out of his blissful haze by the greeting of a young newsy by the nickname of Tooth (because he was missing one of his front teeth). "Heya Kid."
The haze cleared. "Hey, Tooth. What ya up to?"
The red-headed boy's gray eyes lit up with excitement. "I seen a fire. Just now, a couple blocks from here."
"Fire?" Blink asked, a strange knot forming in the pit of his stomach.
He tried to shake it off, but the boy's next words sent him spinning.
"It's that old Watson Mill. Burnin' to the ground," he said proudly, a glow of importance in his eyes.
Blink's stomach lurched. "The workers - were they out?"
"Nope, that's just the problem," Tooth said, as if excited to be the bearer of tragic news. "They's locked in."