Emanuele doesn't know how long she stayed inside that unending hell.All the girl knew was that no matter how hard she tried to escape, no matter how hard she tried to run from that terrible reality, she could not.She could hear the people around her, as well as see what was happening. But her mind was far away, watching in a confused and reticent way. Johnny's hands were on her face, and beside him, Joshua was talking restlessly to the twins and Andrew.The more the truth was told, the more terrible the story became; the more she wanted to sink into a dark pit and scream louder and louder.Emanuele never knew what motherly love was. All the affection she was getting in a natural way, not only from Joshua and Johnny, but also from her friends who were doing everything to help her, was very strange to her, although welcome.Even though she knew that all that was reported corresponded to reality, and not to a perfect and at the same time miraculous justification, Emanuele felt anger.A

The first thing Johhny realizes, stunned by the noise and the shaking, is that perhaps he and Emanuele are witnessing an earthquake; and a bad one at that. Then, next, the smell of smoke takes over the boy's nostrils. A fire... no, an explosion.While Johhny's mind tries at all costs to restore itself and reason quickly, Emanuele coughs. The bedroom window was open, and it was there that the girl decided to see what was happening.The scene downstairs was one of chaos. From that angle, it was obvious that something terrible was happening on the first floor, for that was where the black clouds laden with a toxic stench were coming from. Some people who were passing by at the moment were running, others were using their cell phones to call the fire department.The incidence of crime in that place was minimal; much less high crime. Could the explosion have been caused by an electrical failure? Some problem in the gas distribution?Johhny opened the drawer beside the bed and took out two

Emanuele knew she was dying.Her body was the first to show signs, and at an alarming rate to say the least: lungs that could no longer draw in air, nostrils burning from the intoxicating amount of smoke, legs increasingly shaky, hands shaky and powerless, eyes blurred and watery, and last but not least, her heart beating ever more weakly and slowly.She was lying right in front of Joshua's door. At some point between punching the wooden structure and stopping to take a breath, her body simply collapsed. Emanuele tried to get up. Once, twice, three times. After all, all that was stopping her from saving Joshua was that damned infernal barrier. If it were a man, he would probably slam his shoulder into that door, loosening them from their hinges, and enter the house. An unusual lethargy, like the forced sleep of an anesthesia or the slow unconsciousness of fainting, takes over his mind.The sound of sirens, screams, and other panicky sounds become more and more distant. Memories com

The nurse argues with Joshua once again:"Please, sir, you can't get out of bed yet. We need to run more tests and you are not stable!""I am perfectly fine, miss. And I told you that the one who really needs all this help is the-""Yes, the girl you saved. Understand, sir, that we all found your participation in that rescue commendable, but it was too risky!"The man gets to his feet and buttons up his shirt scorched by flames-or what's left of it."I don't care if it was risky. Where is she? What room did you guys leave her in?"All that stewardship on the part of the nurse was not helping at all. Alexandra's brother's anxiety would only come to an end when he was in the same environment as her. No; his anxiety would only end when he could touch Emanuele's face, feel on his own that she was whole.Was the girl whole? Apart from the dirt and unconsciousness, when Joshua finally made it through the curtain of smoke and fire, she looked whole, with all her limbs in place."She's in the

The coroner and forensic expert never really enjoyed being face to face with the criminals she could find. Christina, in fact, had chosen to pursue a career out of the spotlight precisely for this reason, so that she could stay behind the scenes and not have to deal with the eyes full of insanity, hatred, and evil of the many bloodthirsty people out there.That afternoon, however, she made an exception. Not because she wanted to, but because the deputy, with his unquestionable authority and slightly dubious friendship, insisted that the woman witness the little interrogation that was about to take place.Of course, she would not be present inside the glass room, as the sterile little room where the accused were interrogated was called. Since it was the girl's fingerprints that were found on both the body and the murder weapon, it was obvious that her statement should be documented and recorded.The accused's sister, Emanuele, could not be present yet. Christina hadn't understood the d