Chapter 4

“The National Weather Service has issued a severe hurricane warning. Residents are advised to prepare and stock up on supplies…”

I woke up to the sound of a weather broadcast.

I was lying on the couch in our living room, a blanket draped over me.

The sensation of rainwater filling my lungs still felt so vivid, like a nightmare I couldn’t shake.

But I knew this wasn’t just a dream.

It had all happened.

The television displayed the date: three days before the hurricane would hit.

Just as I was piecing everything together, my phone rang.

I answered, and my mom’s sharp, angry voice immediately came through.

“Wendy, you ungrateful brat! The hurricane is coming, and you’re out there fooling around instead of helping your father and me? Why don’t you just die out there?”

That was how every conversation with my mom ended.

Before, I’d always thought she didn’t mean it. But now, I knew better.

For the first time in my life, I talked back.

“You’ve always said Emily’s enough for you. Let her help you, then.”

And I hung up without waiting for her reply.