Master of the Lights

Chapter Three - Part 2

                               Dekka

  After making acquaintances with the Cappello family and sandwiches for lunch, I wander into their backyard with Matrix beside me.  She sniffs everything.  And I mean everything.  Bushes and trees, the ground and the air.  She sniffs the stone fire pit and then hammock beside it.  She chased a squirrel across the massive fenced in yard.  While Matrix is having the time of her doggy life, running and smelling and splashing in puddles by the fence, I am left to worry and wonder what happens next.

  I sit on the grass, its rich green colour fading with the fall.  The wind smells fresh and clean, cool.  It sends chills down my spine, but the sun is warm.  Closing my eyes, I lie back.

  *  *  *  *  *

  I must have fallen asleep, because when I open my eyes, a leather jacket is laying over my arms and everyone else is sitting on logs by the unlit fire pit.  Grayson is holding a guitar, looking slightly embarrassed.  Asa and Amity are absentmindedly rubbing Matrix.  Amelia is sitting with Griffin and Silas (her husband) on either side of her.  I get up to walk over and sit by Asa.

  "You're going to break string if you keep playing it like that ya know,"  I comment as I pass Grayson.

  "No I won't, I always play like this," he says. 

  I sit down between Amity and Asa, Matrix directly in front of me.
  "Thanks,"  I say, offering Amity her jacket.
  "No problem, but you can keep it for now.  I took yours,"  she says with her easy smile.  We both laugh.
  "So how long was I out?"  I ask her.
  "About two hours.  You didn't miss too much though, just putting some clothes away, Asa explaining what happened to our house, Grayson and Griffin doing a duet of Bohemian Rhapsody, oh!  And Iggy discovering Griffin's kitten Felix, which by the way was the cutest thing ever."  She smiles again.
  "Seriously?  I missed that?"  I say.  Amity nods.  I roll my eyes and laugh, but I'm still secretly a bit disappointed I didn't get to see Iggy with another cat.

  To our left, Grayson has started playing his guitar again.  He's good.  That is, until a string suddenly pops, making Amity jump next to me.  I give Grayson an "I told you so" look.  He puts his hands up in defense.  As everyone laughs, my phone starts to ring.  Asa watches me as I pull it out of my back pocket.  The screen displays my best friend's name, Anya Pierson, as well as a picture of Anya, Amity and I together at a festival we went to last year.  Answering my phone, I step away from the group.

  "Hey Anya, you guys okay?"

  "Yeah, we're all fine.  My cousins are here so we were kind of cramped in the basement-- but that doesn't matter right now.  I saw you at the info center this morning, but I'm volunteering today and it was so busy I didn't get a chance to see if you were okay."  Anya is talking so fast I can barely decipher one word from another.

  "Oh I'm as cheeky as ever!"  I say with mock cheerfulness.

  "Great!  I don't have time to catch up though, I have a billion other things to do so let me to my point.  Your dad called the center to see if you guys were alright.  He said he tried calling your home phone but it wouldn't go through."

  "I'm not surprised,"  I mumble.

  "What?  Never mind.  He said him and your mom are stuck at the supply store on Harper Island, which is seven miles out from the main dock on our side and all transportation other than cars are temporarily shut down until we get the all clear.  Thery are a-ok though,"  she says.

  "Thanks Anya, I'll ring them now."

  "No problem.  You guys stay safe."

  Asa walks up behind me as I hang up.  "Who was that?"

  "Anya.  She found out where mom and dad are.  They're okay, but I'm going to call them real quick."

  He nods.  I'm dialing dad's phone number when Matrix comes and jumps up on Asa, putting her muddy paws on his chest.  With him on his back now, knocked over by the force, Matrix starts licking Asa's face.  I burst out in laughter a few seconds before dad answers.  The first thing I hear from him in weeks is a sigh of relief.