Chapter 284: Chapter 284: Mind is Made Up
Incredible!
A general’s position was leagues above a governor’s, and to top it off, Holly Fleur’s mother was a Quincy—a descendant of the Quincy Clan.
Phoebe Lockwood couldn’t wait to see her try and slack off now!
Claire Sinclair, experiencing the wonderful feeling of being free from official duties, felt like she was walking on air. A burst of inspiration hit, and she wrote three articles in a single day. After Holly Fleur reviewed them, nearly all were approved on the first pass.
With some rare downtime, Claire Sinclair finally had time to focus on the floods in Noval.
Unfortunately, while there were plenty of reports about the floods online, news related to Garlan Town was scarce and almost impossible to find. Meanwhile, Teacher Hartwell had been gone for three days without sending a single word back to the paper.
All the flood news the Astoria Daily had published over the past few days were just generic dispatches from their regional bureaus.
Claire Sinclair had a nagging bad feeling. ’Why is there absolutely no news from Garlan Town?’
’I really want to go to Garlan Town and see for myself...’
Suddenly, an idea struck her.
She quickly grabbed her phone and found her chat with the volunteer, Julian Holt.
Julian Holt was a passionate volunteer she had interviewed a while back. Having lost his parents in an earthquake as a child, he had grown up to become a volunteer to give back to society. The man was practically radiating positive energy.
’Maybe Julian Holt knows how to volunteer at Mount Garlan?’
Claire Sinclair tried sending him a message.
Claire: Holloway, is your organization sending any volunteers to the disaster area in Noval?
Julian Holt: We are. A team of university students just went yesterday, and another team is going tomorrow.
Claire: I want to help the victims, too. Is there any way I can join?
Julian Holt: We’d love to have you, but we’re heading to Garlan Town tomorrow. The situation is worst there, and so far, no news has gotten out. We plan to go in with the rescue team. It’s an early start. Can you be up by six o’clock?
Claire: I can make it!
Julian Holt: Great. Get your things ready tonight. And remember not to bring too much stuff. This is disaster relief, not a vacation. You have to travel light.
Claire: Got it. See you tomorrow.
Putting down her phone, Claire Sinclair took a deep breath.
She made up her mind. She wouldn’t ask for time off. She’d just skip work tomorrow morning—it was better to act first and ask for forgiveness later.
...
When she got home that day, Claire Sinclair packed two simple sets of light clothes, grabbed a handful of underwear and socks, and stuffed them into her backpack.
She considered bringing her laptop, but in a place with no water or electricity, it would be useless. She decided against it, figuring her phone and a charger would be enough.
She scanned the room, feeling like she’d forgotten something...
That’s it!
Suddenly remembering, Claire Sinclair turned and walked into the adjacent bedroom. She went to the closet and pulled out a few pairs of men’s socks, some men’s underwear, and a set of white, short-sleeved loungewear.
She hadn’t wanted to grab something white, but all his clothes were white. There was simply no other choice.
’The disaster is severe over there,’ she thought. ’He probably didn’t bring any clothes besides his uniform. After so many days, they must be filthy. He’ll probably be happy if I bring him a change of clothes, right?’
That should be about it.
Claire Sinclair’s backpack didn’t have enough room, so she took out her face wash and shampoo to make space for his clothes. She stuffed them in until the bag was packed so tight the zipper barely closed.
The next morning at five o’clock sharp, Claire Sinclair got up, opened her laptop, and hacked her home security system.
Then, she snuck out of the house and hailed a cab to the relief station.
