Storm Rescue by Laurie Halse Anderson Page B

howl.
    â€œWhew!” David says when he can speak again. “Felix doesn’t know when to let up.”
    â€œYeah,” Brenna says. “For a minute there, Stormy sounded like Sherlock.”
    Maggie nods. “I’m glad Sherlock is safe and sound at home,” she says. “Or I would be . . . ” Her voice trails off, and she looks at me. “Oh,” she says. “You know, Sunita, you’re right. If it was one of our pets in trouble, we’d do everything we could to help. Why should it be any different for Lucy? Gran never turns her back on an animal in trouble.”
    â€œYeah,” Brenna agrees slowly, glancing down the block toward Mrs. Clark’s house. “And neither can we.”
    â€œOkay, I guess I’m in, too,” David says with a shrug. I wonder if he’s thinking about that terrified horse. “So what’s our plan?”
    I smile with relief. I couldn’t have tried this alone. Daddy always says there’s safety in numbers. “I guess we should go closer and see how it looks. Maybe we’ll think of something then.”
    â€œI’ll take Stormy back to the clinic,” Brenna speaks up. “He’ll just be in the way.”
    I’m glad she volunteered. I don’t think I could stand to go back to the clinic without knowing whether Lucy was safe.
    Brenna tugs on Stormy’s leash. The big dog’s tail is still between his legs, but he’s not whining anymore. In fact, he looks a little braver now that he’s away from his kennel and the standing water.
    â€œGood luck,” Brenna says. “I’ll tell Dr. Mac what’s going on if she’s back. Maybe she can send help.” With a quick wave, she hurries off toward the clinic, chattering cheerfully to Stormy as she goes.
    â€œNow what?” Maggie asks, glancing at me.
    I realize that she and David are counting on me to come up with a plan. I stare at the flooded street, trying to figure out what to do now. How do we get to Mrs. Clark’s house? The road slopes down so steeply that most of it is totally underwater. The lower half of the block where Mrs. Clark’s house is looks like the street on Oakwood that we saw on TV—just roofs.
    â€œThe river and the creeks must have overflowed their banks and mixed with the rain,” Maggie says. “This street is probably the lowest point in town.”
    David shakes his head. “That area over by the park is lower than this.”
    â€œMaybe,” Maggie agrees. “I forgot about that.”
    I can’t believe they’re standing around debating where the flooding is worse. The only important thing is what we’re going to do about it. “You guys—Lucy!” I remind them. “We have to rescue her!”
    Maggie glances at the half-submerged houses. “Um, okay,” she says slowly. “But I’m still not sure how. Mrs. Clark’s house is probably in seven to eight feet of water.”
    â€œCan we swim over?” David suggests.
    I gulp. I can feel my face start to turn red.
    Before I can speak, Maggie shakes her head. “It’s not safe,” she says. “It’s pretty far—and there’s no telling what kind of stuff is in the water. You could swim right into a mailbox without even knowing it’s there.”
    I can’t help feeling relieved. “Maybe if we go around the back . . . ” I begin.
    â€œUh-uh.” David shakes his head. “I’ve been back there behind those houses. There’s sort of a canyon—it’ll be even deeper back there.”
    I bite my lip. We have to act fast. It’s pouring again, and the waters are rising quickly. If we don’t rescue Lucy soon, the whole house will be underwater. There’s no way she can save herself. “There has to be a way,” I say, feeling a little desperate.
    Maggie sighs, staring out across the water. “Maybe we should go