The Way the Wind Blows (Third Entry)

Preparing for What's to Come

ID: Carnes, Jacob

Status: Alive, Neutral

Date and Time: September 8th, 2022 (2:18 am)

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Jacob sat alone on the roof, drowning himself in his thoughts and letting his long, straight hair flow in the wind. It had been a while since he could get some "me time" since the events of Chicago happened. For the first time, Jacob felt almost...at peace. As much as he could be, at least.

He was supposed to be on watch duty because of the incident at the lake, but it was so quiet that you could hear a branch snap from a mile away. It was hard to worry about intruders sneaking up on them.

Jacob thought about his family, who he hadn't seen in the two years he'd been with Noah and the girls. He was a huge part of the family since his dad died, and his stepdad never cared enough to even say hello now and then. His mother was coming of age, and his sisters were still relatively young. Jacob could only hope that they were doing a good job holding their own at home.

What did he tell his mother about this entire situation? Jacob said that Noah had a family emergency, and he needed to go with him to help.

"For how long?" she had asked.

How was he supposed to answer that? A week? A year? A decade? There was no telling if he'd even make it out of the game, much less Chicago. So as soon as those plane tickets showed up at the front door, you couldn't blame him for being as excited as he was. If you hadn't seen your family in over two years, you'd also be stressing over the situation.

Fortunately, he's been able to contact his mother now and then. The only reason why Jacob doesn't talk to her as much as he'd like is that her work schedule is unpredictable at times. Sometimes she'd work only in the mornings, other times at night, and she often worked all day. Being a head nurse has its sacrifices.

He sighed at the thought of his mother having to work as much as she does simply to provide for their family. Jacob had a well-paying job lined up when he graduated, but obviously, that never became a reality. He wanted to eventually get to a point in his life where his mother could retire comfortably, and he could become the man of the house and take care of his family.

To you, it might seem like a bad way to go about life. Sure, he'd be busy almost every single day, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make if it meant his family could be happy. His sisters could do whatever they wanted as long as they were happy.

Savannah, his eldest sister, was the kind that liked to have fun in life, often a bit too much for Jacob's comfort. He was becoming scared that she'd turn into the spitting image of their father. She'd tell him that she was old enough to make her own decisions and that she knew what she was doing, but that didn't reassure him much due to the times she would come home wasted, just like their father.

McKenzie, the youngest of the trio, was beginning to take up after her sister. She was a bit more laid back, but still often liked to have fun with her friends. Both of the sisters often invited Jacob to their parties, but he knew the risks it would bring. Jacob never liked to drink anyway, especially after seeing his stepfather.

Jacob leaned his head against the wooden frame and looked toward the sky. There were a few clouds, but many stars were visible. He sighed.

"I don't know if you can hear me or not, but..." he started, then shook his head, thinking that there was no way his father could hear him.

Jacob chose to talk regardless of his thoughts. "I need you to make sure that they're okay. I don't even care if I make it through this. Just make sure that my sisters are helping my mom take care of the house."