Top Stories

Chapter Six

Kate sank down into her sofa as her mind raced. She took deep, measured breaths, the kind she coached her patients through when the world closed in and panic clawed at their chests.

"Okay, okay," she whispered to herself, forcing calm into her voice. "It's just a fluke, right? Apps don't predict the future."

Yet, there it was, unfolding in real-time before her eyes—a scene she had scoffed at minutes ago. A laugh bubbled up from her throat, a defense mechanism against the surrealism of the moment. It was the same kind of incredulous chuckle she'd heard from her patients when confronted with implausible recoveries—those moments that defied logic and danced on the edge of miracles.

With another glance at the TV, Kate knew denial was no longer an option. That strange, otherworldly woman who sold her the phone might have passed her more than just a piece of technology. She might have handed Kate the key to a door she hadn't known existed—one that opened to a path strewn with impossible truths and the weighty responsibility of foresight.

"Careful what you wish for," she muttered, Bingo's comforting presence at her bare feet grounding her to reality. "You just might get it."

**

The world outside the window was a canvas of grays, the forest behind her home a stark contrast against the muted dawn. Kate's chest tightened as her Top Stories app dinged again, its tone seeming far too cheery for the gravity it carried. She swiped the screen with a trembling finger, and there it was, a prediction that chilled her to the bone: an underwater earthquake in four days, setting off a tsunami headed straight for Bayview Harbour on Christmas Day.

"Damn it," she muttered, eyes fixed on the town that had no idea of the looming disaster. "Christmas is in four days! Why? Why me?" Her voice was barely audible, lost amidst the hum of her electric fireplace and Bingo's soft whining.

She imagined Jason there, his hand warm on her shoulder, the ghost of his laughter filling the hollows of the room. He wouldn't have been fazed by magic phones or impossible tasks. He would've rolled up his sleeves, ready to tackle whatever came their way. With every fiber of her being, she felt his unspoken encouragement. You've got this. You're strong enough and wise enough to do this. Believe in yourself.

But this kind of bravery wasn't in the job description, Jase, she thought, a wry smile lifting the corners of her mouth despite the dread pooling in her stomach.

"Go sleep, Bingo," Kate commanded, shaking off the paralyzing fear. The golden retriever cocked his head, sensing the urgency in her voice, before trotting obediently to his bed in front of the fireplace. She watched him go, finding strength in his trust and companionship. Then she turned back to her small desk, where her laptop sat closed, waiting.

"Mommy's got to save Christmas," she murmured to herself, half in jest, half as a mantra to keep the gnawing anxiety at bay.

**

Kate's fingers danced over the laptop keys with a swift, unsteady rhythm, the kind that accompanied every adrenaline-fueled decision she'd ever made. The digital clock on her laptop flickered 10:42 AM—a silent reminder that every second squandered was a second closer to potential disaster. She had never imagined that being a nurse might one day involve saving not just individual lives, but an entire island.

The screen before her glowed with sprawling diagrams and cryptic data—weather patterns that looked like abstract art and seismic charts that seemed to pulse with urgency.

Alright, what the hell are you planning, Mother Nature? she thought, though the gravity of the situation pressed down on her like the weight of the ocean itself. She combed through the information with the meticulous care of threading a needle, pinpointing anomalies in temperature shifts and tidal ebbs that didn't belong in the serene Pacific Northwest.