Package Deal by Kate Vale Page B

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    “I n e v e r dr e am e d w e ’d hav e storms lik e this h e r e , ” she gasped, running up the stairs, her heart pounding, even as a crash shook the house and Cecelia screamed again .
    “C e c e , where are you? Are you okay? ”
    H e r daught e r stood in her bedroom doorway, her eyes immense, her face pale. “ Uh- huh , but a big branch came into my room. It fell right on my b e d . I’m scar e d .” Cece ran to her and h e ld h e r tight ly .
    Amanda leaned around the doorway and peered into the room. “Oh , gosh .” Rain was whipping through a gapin g hole where the window had been. A thick branch from her next-door neighbor’s tr ee had shatt e r e d th e window and was now r e sting on C e c e lia’s b e d . “H e lp m e put som e tow e l s down to mop up th e rain . B e car e ful of th e brok e n glass. We’ll have to call the landlord. ”
    C e c e lia hand e d tow e ls to Amanda, who tri e d to cov e r th e brok e n window with th e tow e ling. Th e wind whipp e d th e first tow e l out of h e r hands and s e nt it flying across th e str ee t . It resembled a tattered flag, caught in th e branch e s of th e tr ee that rested across the roof of th e oth e r hous e .
    Minutes later, b anging on th e front door caught h e r att e ntion while she was leaving a message for the landlord .
    “ Is anyone hom e ?” a familiar male voice called out.
    A manda look e d at C e c e lia and they both h e ad e d for th e front door.
    It op e n e d to r e v e al Marcus, his hair mussed and w e t . “ You two , com e with m e . Your str ee t is starting to flood. W ith the wir e s coming down, it’s too dang e rous to stay h e r e .” H e r e ach e d for C e c e lia . “ Climb on my back , kid . T he puddles here are really deep.” He turned around .
    Cece lia put her arms around his neck as he supported her leg s. S he looked back at Amanda and grinned.
    Amanda followed them down the porch stairs . “What’s happ e ning?”
    “Don’t know. This is th e worst storm I’ve e v e r s ee n and th e wind’s g e tting strong e r —I heard it’s funneling down through the valley , doing the most damage in this part of town . Th e y ’v e got cots set up at th e old a rmory. But, I have room at my hous e farther out of town , and wh e r e I l iv e , th e wind isn’t so bad. You’ll hav e mor e privacy th e r e .”
    “L e t m e g e t our coats.” Amanda rac e d back into th e hous e , grabb e d two coats and, at th e last minut e , Cecelia’s favorite stuffed animal, Eeyore . By the time she’d shut th e front door, Marcus had d e posit e d her daughter in th e back s e at of his car. H e grabb e d Amanda’s arm and h e lp e d h e r stay upright against th e winds that gust e d down th e str ee t and churn e d th e wat e rs in th e b ay to a continuous s e ri e s of high wav e s batt e ring th e shor e .
    “Marcus, w e shouldn’t tak e up spac e at your hous e .”
    He started the car and they headed down the hill, weaving between downed trees. “Why not? It g e ts you out of dang e r. And y ou can’t stay here . Whoa—look at that!”
    A hug e tr ee toppl e d int o th e road, spraying branch e s and l e av e s in every dir e ction .H e sw e rv e d to avoid a larg e branch that brok e off and skidd e d on the wet pavement in th e dir e ction of th e car .
    “That was fun!” C e c e lia giggl e d in th e backs e at.
    “Do e s it often blow lik e this?” Amanda asked .
    Marcus hit th e brak e s wh e n anoth e r tr ee crash e d in front of th e m. “Hold on!” H e drov e off th e road and th e y bounc e d ov e r th e top branch e s of th e tr ee , th e und e rcarriag e scraping across th e m. H e br e ath e d d ee ply b e for e r e sponding. “ No. I’v e n e v e r s ee n a storm lik e this. Almost f ee ls lik e a hurrican e . Before I lost power, I heard that a couple of big TV towers in Seattle came down. Radio reception ’ s been bad, too spotty to hear what the w e ath e rm e n ar e