Into Tornado Alley

Chapter 6 "Everything's Different"

"Honey, we have to go." she picked me up as if I wasn't capable of walking; I realized I was too sleepy to walk myself.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"The storm shelter." my heart and brain flooded with fear, this was no average storm, it was a tornado. The screen door opened and was slammed shut by the wind. Across the dark lawn were two old wooden doors that opened into the cold, moldy, damp, storm cellar. It was dark until my mom lit a candle. On the rotten shelves were cans of non-perishable food, the cans were dusty. A howling noise was growing louder and louder. Mom looked towards the window and above us was a swirling cloud of dust and debris. The doors began to shake and were on the verge of breaking off there hinges.

The glass shattered and was hurled all over the place. My hands covered my head in protection. Something fast and hard was moving by my ear with a whiz. Quickly I glanced up and a rock had been thrown straight into my mother's head. She was dumbstruck and blood began to drip as she pulled the wedged rock out of her skull and was terrified, her eyes were as white as her face.

"Mom! Mom!" I was screaming, but she couldn't hear me over the noise the tornado was producing. I kept screaming her name and I knew my face was red from screaming so hard. Why wasn't she listening? It couldn't be happening, the tornado was lasting forever, by the time it ended she'd be dead and gone, the rest of my family, gone.

I bolted straight up, there was no more sun and you could hear the night's traffic through the windows. My palms were sweaty and so was my whole body. I let my eyes adjust to the darkness; my suitcase was sitting at the edge of the bed. In the bed next to mine I could make out Madison's figure as her chest rose up and down. My head fell between my knees and I cried. That dream had felt so real, like it had happened, like I had just watched my mother's death. Really I couldn't sort anything out; my mind was boggled as I was trying to collect myself without thinking about what was happening, it would make me cry more. Now I really just broke my vow.

I rubbed my eyes against my shoulder and finally stopped. Madison was stirring and I was hoping she wouldn't wake up; I got embarrassed when I cried, because my face would get all red and blotchy.

"What have I become?" I mumbled. This season was nothing like I had expected it to be, first Olivia almost dies, and we recruited a new storm chaser that I don't know if she's really cut for it, and now Max and I have admitted our love to each other. This was the weirdest, most unexpected three or four days of my life.

Something creaked outside and I peered towards the door. A shadow of foots blocked the hallway lights and a slip of paper was slipped under the door. Quietly I slipped the covers off and stuck my feet into my slippers. Weird, I don't remember unpacking them, maybe Madison did. As I crept over to the door the floor board creaked as loud as humanly possible. Madison rolled over as I froze in place. I shuffled my feet from then on until finally I made it. I picked up the crumbled old sheet of paper. It was really hard to make out the words in scripted on the scrap of paper.

Meet me outside

~Max

I suppressed a grin and slipped on my robe and tied it tightly around myself. My hands grabbed the knob and cracked the door wide enough for me to slip through. The lights were bright enough and my eyes were squinting. When they adjusted I made my way down the hallway, instead of taking the elevator and waking everybody up I persuaded myself to the stairs.

The stairwell was dingy and there were rusty red pipes going all along the plain white walls. There was no more carpet, just metal stairs. I bolted down the stairs as fast as I could. When I rushed through the door Natalie gave me a look. Right, she still had a crush on Max and both of us coming down here in the middle of the night, may have set a little thought.

I swiftly walked by her and ignored her glare above her magazine. The night was dark and cool. Everything wasn't its natural bright colors; it was more evil and dark. Green, was a dark, evil green, blue, was midnight navy blue. In front of the "Texas28" I could see Max's silhouette and his breath in the cold air.

"Obviously a girl can't drown in her own nightmare before receiving at invitation at two a.m." I implied. My whole body was shivering, I quickly wrapped my arms and my hands clung to my shoulders as I tried to produce warmth. He laughed a little.

"Well....what can I say?" he replied and slung one arm around my shoulder and squeezed me against him. His body was warm, surprisingly, but he obviously hadn't been standing out here long. A couple minutes had passed and he still hadn't told me why he needed to meet me out here.

"Max?" I asked in a low whisper.

"Bethany?" he responded.

"I'm sorry, it's just I can't do this, not with all the weight on my shoulders and...." he pressed his lips against mine. I suddenly lost my train of thought and I slid my arms around his neck and he pulled me closer. They felt warm and soft. For years I had heard and seen him talk, but I never knew what they felt like, and now I do. Of course I've had kisses before, but they hadn't been like this. When he pulled away I was looking up into those hazel eyes that were always filled with joy or sadness, whatever mine were filled with his would do the same. He brushed some of my hair out of my face.

"You know I'm very lucky to have you."

"Your so cheesy." I stated. My arms released from around his neck and we walked through the lobby hand in hand and I could see Natalie getting tense, like she ever had a chance. We made our way up the dingy stairwell in silence. As we tip toed down the hallway I couldn't help but just rethink my dream. I shivered a little.

"Bethany, is there something wrong?" Max asked with a twinge of concern in his voice. I shook my head as an answer, right now I just couldn't recap my dream with anyone, even Max.

When we stopped in front of my door he gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

"No one knows about tonight." I stated.

"Fine." Max consented.

"Night." Max unlocked his door a disappeared behind it. I grabbed the door knob. The door wouldn't budge, only then did I realize I didn't bring a key.

"Gosh darn it." I muttered. I knocked quietly, but loud enough for Madison to probably hear. There was silence and the knob turned and I slipped in.

"Thanks." I whispered.

"Whatever." She responded and fell into her bed and went back to snoring. I stifled a laugh and climbed into my own sheets. My thoughts were every confusing and it was driving me crazy. On one side I was as happy as good be with Max and I, on the other hand I was terrified of my dream, if I was true or not. Somehow in my thoughts I drifted to sleep, was I that boring?