Alle Kapitel von Petals Shed in the Night: Kapitel 11 – Kapitel 20

It had been two days, but Neil hadn't heard a peep from Anna since.When Josie showed up, he'd just respond half-heartedly.As he became even quieter while the air around him turned more menacing, his other assistant stayed well away.Just as the inexplicable anxiety and emptiness threatened to erupt, his eyes jerked up as he looked at his desk calendar in the corner.Tomorrow was a date marked with a red circle, and it caught his eye just then—it was his own wedding day, when he would marry Anna.He didn't feel a thing when he first set the date, as he was just going through the motions.If anything, he found it troublesome having to set aside time and socializing with guests.Still, it made up for the indebtedness he felt to her when she almost died trying to save his life.Marriage was just adding a legal layer to their relationship—life wouldn't be any different.But now… Looking at that glaring red circle, Neil's heart skipped a beat.Tomorrow… He would be able to see

The afternoon sun was blazing, when Anna's flight landed, the rays blindingly bright even through the windows.Anna stepped out of the airport with her modest luggage, feeling the dry, dusty wind on her cheeks as she squinted against it, and pulled up the collar of her windbreaker.She got on a bus, watching as the scenery outside the window rushed past.The horizon seemed so far away, with yellow-brown dunes and low buildings lining it.It was a place of quiet desolation, a far cry from the hustle and bustle of Jormund.The research center in Wixon Desert was situated on the edge of town, a few drab gray buildings with bleached walls standing in the middle of nowhere—a stark contrast to the modern glass-walled buildings of Central.She was greeted by the chief, a friendly-looking middle-aged woman named Millie Long."Ms. Stark, was it? It must have been a long trip!" She said, and enthusiastically led her to the staff quarters, down the hallway of the second floor. "Sorry, bu

The bus ride was bumpy along the dunes of the Wixon Desert.Still, Anna leaned against the window, intending to spend the weekend learning more about her new environment. The town she went to was small and only had a couple of shops down the main street.The door chimes rang as she opened the glass door of the bookstore.It was quiet inside, with the owner speaking softly with a middle-aged woman in glasses at the counter. "Ms. Dawes had to stay at the hospital, and the kids were simply left unattended at the grade school. The kids really have it tough…""Well, there are no subs available in town…"Anna's fingers were just reaching for a book as she paused, and she could hear her own heart pound."Excuse me…"She turned, and both the owner and the other teacher were staring at her right then, not recognizing her face.Her throat felt dry, but she asked, "Do you need a sub for a grade school lesson?"Both women paused in surprise. The middle-aged woman then adjusted her g

The news spread on Monday morning, with notices sent throughout the research center intranet.Josie York, had dismissed from central for gross academic misconduct, and head researcher Neil Irons had been warned for negligence in supervision.It was a boulder launched into a placid pool—even the branch in the northwest was affected.Anna just arrived at the mess hall for breakfast when she heard the younger researchers talking about it at the next table. "I heard that it was disputed data in that thesis before. The audacity to claim it was clean!""Mr. Irons was punished too… A warning and a blemish on his record? What a bummer.""But whose data was it? There was no name listed.""Who else can it be? She just transferred here and is sitting right there…"Though they kept their voices down and peeked innocently at Anna as she ate beside the window, Anna kept sipping her juice like she had heard nothing.-Anna then spent the day outside.The Wixon Desert was windy and sunny.

In the afternoon, Carl took Anna out on a ride, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel while playing country songs on the radio."Over there," he pointed outside the window. "Doesn't that look like the back of a whale? Wind and rain are truly Nature's best sculptors. And despite that look now, it was the bottom of a lake millions of years ago—a reminder that everything changes."Ann turned to look at the earthen mounds and gullies, eroded by wind and rain into red rocky formations. As they stopped by a slope, Carl briskly took out his toolbox and water bottles, leading her uphill and pointing at the rocky surface, picking up and handing her a helix fossil. "Each layer of stone has a tale. That's why the Earth itself is a record of the changing of climates. Our feelings are basically fleeting in the passage of time… So however terrible you may feel now, just come out to the wild. You'll feel a lot better."Anna was quiet as she held the fossil, but she could feel her stiff shoul