Eye of the Sh*t Storm by Jackson Ford (most romantic novels .txt) 📕

– we are running real short on time. But I don’t have a choice. It’s all there, and at this point, it’s coming out no matter what I do.

“All I ever wanted was to cook.” Tears prick at the corner of my eyes, but my voice stays steady. “I just wanted to work in a kitchen and go home at the end of the night knowing I made people happy. I had to give that up, because everybody acted like it was this stupid, childish fantasy. And I thought they were right, and I did what they asked me to, made the adult choices, and Nic? Guess what? It wasn’t enough for people. You, Reggie, Annie, everybody. I’m still just a little girl, I don’t take responsibility, I’m too reckless. It’s never gonna be enough, no matter what I do, no matter how grown-up I act.”

“I don’t get why you think that—”

“If you say that word one more time I’m going to take your car keys out of pocket and jam them up your nose. I am thinking. I’m looking around me, and I’m seeing people that are going to die if I don’t do something, and I’m doing it. Don’t tell me I’m not thinking, and don’t tell me I’m not acting like an adult here.”

“I never said that!”

True, he didn’t, but there’s no chance of stopping me now. “Everybody wants me to use my power to save lives? OK. I’m gonna save lives. Maybe giving up chef school was the right thing to do, but that doesn’t mean I have to give up everything else. Adulting means making your own decisions, and I’m making this one. I’ve thought about it, and I’ve made a call. This is happening.”

He’s slowly shaking his head. I can’t read the look on his face; it’s as if awe and disbelief had a baby, and that little baby expression was then adopted by exasperation and raised to be pissed at just about everything.

“I don’t want you to do this,” he says, after a long moment.

“I know. But I have to.”

He looks away then, eyes shining. Fixed on the middle distance. As if he’s trying to process what he’s feeling, and can’t quite do it.

Annie is still there, twenty feet from us. Arms folded, impatient, not looking at me. I want to call out to her, but I have no idea what to say. Maybe I can convince Nic – maybe – but there’s no chance with her.

“What if the water gets here and you’re still helping people?” Leo says. I’d almost forgotten he was still there. He hasn’t said a word.

I force a smile onto my face. “I can fly, little man.”

“You can fly?”

“Well, sort of. I can make other stuff fly, and then just stand on top of it.” I turn to Nic. “If the flood gets here and I’m still around, I’ll levitate myself up onto the freeway. Promise.”

“What about Reggie? What are we going to do if—?”

“You got this.” I can’t help but glance at Leo, still kind of amazed that he’s okay with everything. “There’s still time before the meet. Between you and Annie, you can figure something out.”

“What if we can’t?” His voice is a croak.

There’s no answer to that. Nothing any of us can say, or do.

After a long moment, Nic steps forward. He wraps his arms around me, and pulls me close.

“If the flood gets here, and you’re still around, you get the fuck out,” he says. “I don’t care how many people are left. I want that date, Frost,” he says.

I smile into his shoulder. “Wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

“I’m serious. First date. You and me, good-ass food. No earthquakes or electricity powers, or saving the world. You better not miss it, you hear me?”

A sound comes out of me, and I don’t know if it’s a laugh, or a sob.

We stand there for a few seconds, clutching each other tightly. When I finally let go, I get an immediate urge to go back in, just hug him and hug him until the whole world burns.

Instead, I crouch down, and wrap my arms around Leo.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. And this time, there’s no mistaking the tears rolling down my face. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“It’s OK.”

“We’ll… we’ll figure out a way to keep you safe. From the Zigzag Man, I mean. Nic and Annie, they’ll…”

The look in his eyes feels as if it should be coming from someone much older. “I know.”

Annie still hasn’t moved. She’s just standing there, twenty feet away. A still form in the middle of the chaos.

Is she just going to walk away? Without saying anything?

After all we’ve been through, I hoped…

I don’t know what I hoped.

Leo takes Nic’s hand, and Nic looks back at me, one last time.

Then they’re gone.

I close my eyes, just for a second. Centre myself as best I can – which is hilarious, since I’ve never been very good at that. But I’ve got a lot of work to do, and not a lot of time to do it, so I’d best figure this shit out fast.

Best thing to do would be to create an exit, a way out under the freeway on either side. But I’m not sure I could do it without completely revealing my ability – or at least, without scaring the hell out of people. Then again, who gives a fuck? I need to get these people out now.

Problem is, if I start moving things around – even if nobody knows it’s me – it might start a panic. Just because I create an exit doesn’t mean anybody is going to go near it. And looking around now, I’m already seeing ways I can help – confused people I can assist. If I can get a critical mass of them moving, then the rest might follow. Just start small. Help one person, then another. Then another.

Heavy footsteps, coming up behind me. I whirl, just in time for Annie Cruz to put her hands