Mayor Dickinson went up to the stage to make the same speech he'd been making for the last hundred years, give or take, flanked by the town's VIP usual characters. And Blake.
He'd just gotten started when Claire tugged at Alex's sleeve. She noticed how pale her niece was.
"What is it, kiddo? You don't look well at all."
"I don't know, Al. It feels physical, but it's not. Not quite," Claire replied, rubbing her belly. "Since we got here at noon, I've seen Lila a dozen times. And every time, I feel this painful urge to run after her."
"Please, Claire, let me take you home!"
"No use. It wouldn't stop. Maybe here I can figure out what the hell is going on."
"What d'you need me to do?"
"Stay sharp."
Alex nodded, seeing the girl grasp her belly as she scanned the faces around.
Dickinson was done talking and everybody cheered, knowing the fireworks came next. The first explosion echoed all over the park, and three flowers of color fire bloomed above the crowd. Alex felt Claire's hand grabbing her arm. She looked down to find the girl struggling not to bend over, eyes wide open, gasping for air. She held Claire up and the girl met her eyes, pale and shaking.
"She's here!" Claire gasped. "I'm hearing her call!"
"What!?"
"It's like the first time, when I heard her giggling in my head. But a thousand times stronger!"
Somebody brushed past them toward Main Street. Claire suffocated a groan. Tom stepped back without disturbing his son, sitting on his shoulders, and traded a look with Alex. Mike the mechanic came between them, pushing his way toward Main Street, blurry eyes not seeing them. Claire managed to speak.
"I gotta go, Al! Something inside me is gonna kill me if I try to fight back!"
"Go where!" asked Alex, grabbing the girl's arms.
"I don't know! But I gotta go!"
A woman pushed Alex out of her way to Main Street. Above their heads, the fireworks were far from over. Ollie joined them, looking around.
"What the hell? Why're people leaving?" He looked down at Claire and forgot about people. "Baby! What's wrong?"
The girl shook her head, clenched teeth, and rested against his side, letting him hold her up. Alex faced him, dead serious.
"D'you have your gun with you?"
"In my truck, why?"
"Then go with Claire. Take'er wherever she wants and keep me up. I'll catch up with you."
"But what—"
"Go!"
Claire met Alex's eyes, knowing how hard it was for her aunt, letting her go like that. Two more men brushed past them toward Main Street. Claire gave the Hilux keys to Alex and tugged at Ollie's sleeve.
"Let's go, please," she mumbled.
Alex turned to Tom. He'd followed the conversation as he observed men and women around them. They turned around and walked away with blurry eyes fixed ahead, not even blinking.
"Get'em outta here, Tom," Alex whispered, nodding at Samuel. "Kat's place's safe."
Tom didn't waste time in questions. Still carrying Samuel on his shoulders, he pressed Kat's arm with firm hand.
"We need to go," he said, meeting her eyes without a hint of a smile.
Kat looked past him, saw Alex's serious not and nodded too.
Bass saw them move and frowned. "What the—?"
"Go with'em, Bass," said Alex. "Keep'em safe."
"What's going on, Al?"
"Don't know yet, but nothing good. Go now. I'll call you as soon as I can."
When Bass hurried after Kat and Tom, Alex pressed on to the police station, at the other side of the park, to get the Hilux. The fireworks still exploded under the clouds coming from Mount Baker, while more people strayed away into the night.