Beth had been near the tent when Bella approached the entrance. While she rarely attended, she liked to hover nearby so she could hear the music proceeding the services. There had been none that day and the redhead's late arrival explained why. She had lifted her hand, intending to get the attention of the other woman with a wave, but refrained, noting the resolution in her step. Her brow furrowed, growing concerned. Something was wrong. She had quickly followed behind the woman, slipping into the tent unnoticed.
A couple minutes later the fire started. It was chaos. The flames moved quickly and the crowd of parishioners converged on the exit, pushing Beth back further into the tent. Others had been forced back as well and she moved to help. She was lifting an injured young man from the floor when she saw Paul enter a second time.