Force of Nature (3 page)

His hands had
just ghosted beneath my blouse when the sound of muffled voices could be heard
coming from behind the door.

“Laura? Laura,
are you in there?”

My heart was now
racing for an entirely different reason, and it had nothing to do with the guy
whose hand was under my shirt.

“Yeah, Dad,
we’re in here!”

Aiden’s eyes
widened as he jumped to his feet. I couldn’t help but laugh at the expression
on his face. It was terrible timing, for sure, but I couldn’t be mad. This
would be so much more comfortable in my apartment. Or his apartment. I didn’t
care, as long as a bed was involved.

“You’re okay?”
Dad sounded so panicked and tired, and it made my heart hurt.

“We’re okay!”

“Just hang in
there. We’re gonna get you out!”

More voices,
mixed with a lot of cursing as they moved whatever was blocking our exit. It
didn’t take long, and suddenly, the door flew open, and there was my dad,
looking exhausted and relieved . . . and a little pissed when he saw my
companion. His eyes darted rapidly between the two of us, and then onto the
blankets on the floor.

Oops.

Two medics made
their way inside, and despite our assurance that we were fine, they insisted on
checking us out anyway.

“Your pulse rate
is up a little,” the EMT told Aiden.

No kidding.

After checking
our vitals and deeming us healthy, Dad offered us flashlights.

“We have two,” I
told him. “But aren’t the emergency lights working upstairs?”

A brief look
passed between the paramedics and my dad.

“Laura, there
are no emergency lights upstairs. Not anymore.”

A sliver of fear
trickled down my spine. I felt Aiden touch my shoulder before sliding his hand
into mine.

 “Promise
me when the door opens, and we step out into whatever destruction we find, that
your hand will be in mine.”

I gave his hand
a gentle squeeze as we stepped out our bubble and up the stairs leading to the
library.

“Are you ready?”
Dad’s voice was somber.

I had no answer.
Was I?

Aiden squeezed
my hand again, and I nodded.

The medics
opened the double doors, and in an instant, I understood why there were no
emergency lights in the library.

We didn’t need
them.

We had stars.

Millions of
them, twinkling and beautiful above, and such a stark contrast to the
destruction surrounding us.

Dirt and debris.

Bricks and
stones.

The library
wasn’t just in ruins.

It was gone.

* * *

The next
morning, I sat on the concrete slab where the multimedia room used to be, my
tired eyes wet with tears as I appraised the damage.

It looked even
worse in the daylight.

From this
vantage point, I could see most of campus. There were no walls to obstruct my
view; no roof to shelter me from the sky.

Numb. Cold.
Exhausted.

And the guilt.
God, the guilt was overwhelming.

While I’d been safe
in the basement, making out with the sweetest guy I’d ever known, parts of my
town had been leveled. My father had spent hours searching frantically for me.
Aiden’s parents had notified the police to report him missing. Once we were
rescued, both sets of parents had insisted we go home with them, which was a
good thing, considering our apartment building was nothing but rubble.

What if we’d
been home during the storm? The building had no basement, and if it had a storm
shelter, it was probably a small one.

I used my sleeve
to wipe my tears before looking to my right. While I sat in the middle of
complete destruction, the adjacent building—the practice gym for the basketball
team—stood proud and unscathed.

It was just
another reminder that life wasn’t fair.

“Miss, I’m going
to have to ask you to leave. It isn’t safe for you to be here.”

I looked up to
find a campus police officer standing by my side. He hadn’t been the first
person to ask me to leave the area this morning. My dad had been the
first—right before he sat down on the concrete next to me and told me that
Chloe hadn’t made it to the dorms last night.

“What could
possibly happen to me?” Even to my own ears, I sounded so tired. “There is
nothing here that can hurt me. It’s all gone. All of it. Scattered around
campus and floating in the air like leaves. So, if you don’t mind, I’m going to
sit here for a while.”

The cop was
about to argue when a white SUV appeared, coming to a stop right next to the
wreckage. Aiden climbed out of the vehicle. Despite my sadness, my heart did a
little dance when I saw him.

“Is there a
problem, officer?” Aiden asked as he stepped over the caution tape that
surrounded what was left of the library.

The policeman
sighed and fumbled with his hat. “I was just telling this young lady that it
isn’t safe here. It isn’t safe for you, either. Maybe the two of you can talk
some sense into each other. I’ll be back in half an hour to check.”

The officer
walked back to his motorcycle and rode away.

With a heavy
sigh, Aiden sat down next to me. He took my hand and pulled me close, wrapping
his arm around my shoulder. I closed my eyes when he pressed a gentle kiss to
my temple.

“Nice ride.”

“Thanks,” he
said. “It’s my dad’s.”

“Where’s your
truck?”

“Not sure.”

I snuggled
closer.

“Did you sleep?”
he asked.

“No.”

“Neither did I.”

I tried to
swallow, but my throat was too dry. It felt as if something was lodged there,
but that was impossible. I hadn’t eaten since around noon yesterday.

“Chloe’s
missing.”

“I know. Your dad
told me.” Aiden nuzzled my hair with his nose. “It’s not your fault, Laura.”

“She always said
I didn’t take the warnings seriously,” I said, my voice flat and detached
despite the overwhelming emotion that bubbled within me.

“Just because
she’s missing doesn’t mean . . .” his voice trailed off as he pulled me closer.
“It doesn’t mean anything. Cell service is spotty at best and campus internet
has been off since last night. She could be anywhere. Don’t assume the worst
just because there’s no news.”

He was just
trying to console me, and I appreciated it, but how could he look at the rubble
of the library and not assume the very worst?

“Tornadoes are
powerful beasts,” Aiden murmured against my temple. “Just look at our campus.
Two buildings on the other side of the quad look just like this one. The rest
are untouched. There’s no rhyme or reason. No pattern. No logic.”

Once again, I
wiped my nose with my dirty sleeve. Would I ever stop crying?

“My mom has
always been terrified of storms,” I said. “There was some big outbreak of
tornadoes when I was a baby. One minute, my mom was sitting on the couch
watching television. There was a roar, and the next thing she knew, the walls
were gone, and she was sitting on the couch with the remote still in her hand.
I was found under my crib.”

Aiden’s eyes
were wide. “Were you hurt?”

“Not a scratch.”

His face
softened as he gently smoothed my hair away from my face. I was sure I looked
like an absolute mess. I was in desperate need of a shower and a nap, but I
couldn’t bring myself to move from this spot.

“That explains
why your mom was so afraid of storms.”

I nodded. “I
don’t remember that, of course, and I’ve never seen anything like this.” I
kicked at the debris. The dust was beginning to make my eyes water. “Those sirens
. . . in the summer, it’s a rare occurrence if we don’t hear them several times
a week, maybe even several times a day. It makes you complacent. You eventually
just tune them out completely until  . . .”

I bowed my head
and began to cry. I was so overwhelmed with everything—exhaustion, hunger,
grief—and it was finally catching up with me.

“Let me take you
home, Laura,” Aiden offered quietly. “Get you showered, some food, some fresh
clothes. And then a very long nap.”

“You won’t
leave?”

“I won’t leave.”

Nodding numbly,
I let him lift me into his arms. I entwined my arms around his neck and laid my
head against his chest as he carried me to the vehicle.

* * *

I had no idea
how long I’d slept, but when I opened my eyes, I could see stars outside my
bedroom window. Glancing at the clock, I blinked as I tried to make sense of
the neon numbers.

It was after
midnight.

Stiff from lying
too long, I pulled myself up, letting my legs dangle off the side of the bed.
Everything was a blur. I could vaguely remember the drive home and my dad’s
welcoming hug before he forced a sandwich into my mouth.

But I clearly
remembered Aiden, carrying me up the stairs to my old bedroom and holding me
close as I cried myself to sleep.

“Hey.”

His voice echoed
in my room. My eyes squinted against the darkness until they finally found him.

I switched on my
bedside lamp. Blinking against the harshness of the light, I found him sitting
in the rocking chair next to my window.

“You’re still
here.”

“I promised you
I wouldn’t leave.”

I smiled. I
remembered that, too.

“Your dad was
glad I stayed, too. He was called out not long after you fell asleep.”

I wasn’t
surprised. My dad would be called out a lot over the next few days.

“Your mom
called. Her flight out of Dallas was delayed, but she’ll be home tomorrow.
Today. Whatever.”

“Good. Did you
sleep?”

“Nah, I’m okay.”

“You should have
slept with me.”

He chuckled. “I
had specific instructions to
keep my ass in that chair
.”

I grinned. “Not a
bad imitation of my dad’s voice.”

“His tone is
much scarier.”

I laughed
softly. Then I felt guilty for being momentarily happy.

“Has anyone
heard from Chloe?”

“No,” he
replied, “but her roommate at the dorm said there’s no word from her boyfriend
either. Brandon something?”

“Brandon Yates.
He’s on the soccer team.”

“So maybe
they’re together.”

“Maybe.
Hopefully.”

A chill ran
through my body, making me reach for my blanket. Aiden stood up from the rocker
and walked toward my door, reaching for the knob and locking it.

“You’re a brave
man,” I said when he joined me on the bed.

He smiled. “Are
you hungry?”

“Just thirsty, I
think.”

Aiden offered to
get a bottle of water from the kitchen while I slowly made my way to the
bathroom. The shower was calling my name, so I quickly stripped and adjusted
the water until it was nearly scalding against my skin. The spray felt good
against my tired muscles. Bowing my head, I let the water cleanse me—hoping it
would wash away my misery and guilt, and despair.

It didn’t, but
it did lessen the tension in my shoulders.

After drying my
hair with a towel, I wrapped another towel around my body and made my way back
to my bedroom. I assumed we were past any awkwardness now, but I still blushed
when I saw Aiden’s eyes widen.

“Sorry,” I
muttered as I walked toward the drawer. “I just wanted a shower.”

“It’s okay.” I
heard his nervous sigh as he quickly turned around, giving me some privacy. I
couldn’t help but laugh a little as I found some old sweats to wear.

Such a
gentleman.

“I’m decent.”

I slid my
fingers through my damp hair before climbing back into bed. Aiden joined me
there and handed me a bottle of water, which I sipped gratefully.

“I called my mom
while you were in the shower,” he said quietly. “The news is saying that ten
people are dead. Most were on the freeway at the time.”

Tears filled my
eyes. Even with all the warnings, ten residents lost their lives.

Maybe they
ignored them, too.

I took another
long drink from my water bottle before placing it on my nightstand and turning
off the light. Crawling under the covers, I laid my head against the pillow.
Aiden laid back, settling his head close to mine. His hand found mine beneath
the blanket.

“You’re taking
very good care of me.”

“I like taking
care of you.”

I smiled as he
pressed a soft kiss to my nose.