Gracie

Tuesday Night, August 28

'What am I thinking? Of course I want to live! I can't leave my brother here to try and survive alone.'

I walked out the door to look for Keegan.

"I'm sorry, Keegan. I'm just worried. And scared."

He gave me a sad look.

"I know, Ariana. We both are. But we have to stick together in order to make it through this. And you have to have hope. We both do."

He gave me a reassuring look, and we walked back to our house.

"Okay, let's look for any supplies we could use for this storm. I think our best bet is to go to the restaurant down that way," Keegan said as he pointed to the left of our house.

"We'll find everything we think we can use and then we'll head down there. They have offices above the restaurant, and we need to get somewhere high above the ground."

"I agree. Let's start looking."

We looked around the house for thirty minutes before deciding we had everything we could possibly use. We started our trek, bags full of supplies on our backs, and headed towards the restaurant.

When we reached the building, it was completely empty. We looked around outside to see if we could find anything lying on the ground that someone might have left when they were in a hurry to get out of town, but found nothing.

We entered the building in search of a place to go. The restaurant was completely deserted. I had never seen it so empty, but of course no one would be there. We took the still-working elevator up to the third floor, the top of the building, and went to the office that was in the middle of the building.

This was our first hurricane experience, and we were alone, so to say that we were unprepared was an understatement.

"So, I guess now we just wait, huh?"

"Yeah I guess so. Look, Ariana, I know this is terrifying for you. It is for me too. But I'm glad that we're in this together because I would not make it through this without you."

I smiled at Keegan and said, "Me too, Keegan. I don't know what I would do without you. Thanks for always being there for me."

We decided that we would move the desk in the office to one side of the room, close to the door, and then we would set up the sleeping bags we had brought from home. As if we would be able to sleep through that.

When we finished setting everything up, it was time to wait. We had a weather radio and a regular radio we found in the garage at our house. We also took Matt's iPad, just in case we could get service and access the internet or weather apps from it.

'Okay, here we go. I can do this. We can do this. We'll make it through this,' I thought to myself.

"What time is it supposed to come? Do you know?"

"Hang on, I'll check," he paused as he tried to get service on the iPad, but failed. He turned the knob on the weather radio so we could hear what was going on in hopes of figuring out what time the hurricane would hit.

All we could hear was static, so we decided to listen to the normal radio. In a way, the music was calming because it made us forget somewhat about what was coming. We sat, listening to any station that would connect, for about an hour before we heard anything.

As Keegan flipped through the channels, we heard several different stations. We finally decided to stick with "Smooth Jazz Hits" in hopes that it would help calm our nerves.

It surprisingly helped. They played covers of songs like "I Will Always Love You" and "Don't Stop Believin'", which made Keegan and I laugh as we sung along. It reminded us of when our older brother, Mark, would sing for us. I still remember it like it was yesterday. Mark would gather us all up in the living room and would give Mom, Dad, and Matt panels to judge him with, like a singing show. He would get all of the other kids to do something too and would make it all into a talent show.

Mark would sing my favorite songs to make me laugh, and would then sing Keegan's favorite songs because he would always get mad if he couldn't listen to his favorites'. We were six, Keegan and I, and Mark was ten.

Mark would always start the show, and after him would be Sophie. Sophie was only a year older than Mark, so she would tell jokes, teasing him about being younger, and when the judges would tell her to "get on with it", she would perform the dance she had learned from ballet class that week. After Sophie, David would go. He was always more quiet and reserved, so David would go up and would try to dance, but eventually found out that he could juggle, so started juggling. It was awesome.

Jack was after David, and he and Keegan would always tag team on a talent and would perform a song. David would play on his keyboard, and Keegan would play Dad's guitar. Up next, it was me. I would always go up there, feeling excited and as talented as a superstar. I would make up stories and tell them to the judges, and I even won once. After I would go, Mark would finish the show with "We Are the Champions" because it was his favorite song. Hearing these songs reminded me of my family, making me miss them even more.

My thoughts were interrupted by a low buzz from the weather radio. Buzz, buzz, buzz, followed by a high pitched hum. An alert.

A hurricane warning remains in effect for the southern Louisiana coast. Hurricane Isaac, a major and extremely deadly hurricane is expected to hit the coast at 8:52 pm tonight.

I looked at Keegan with fear in my eyes, then at my watch. 8:00. We had 52 minutes to prepare.

Evacuation orders are currently in effect for the following parishes: Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, Saint Bernard, Saint Charles, Terrebonne...

The voice continued for what seemed like forever until he was finally finished reading off the parishes.

If you live in the listed areas and have not done so, evacuate now.

Keegan and I looked at each other, both terrified for what was to come.

Even though we were in the center of the building, I could hear the wind start to pick up. I stood up and walked out of the room.

"Ariana, where are you going?"

Keegan followed after me quickly and grabbed my arm before I could go any further.

"I'm going to check what it looks like outside. I'll be careful."

"No, you're going to stay here. We both are. You heard what the radio said. And since we can't evacuate, we need to stay away from the windows."

He let go of my arm and we started to walk back inside the room, but I quickly got away. The curiosity had gotten to me, but also the need to know what was going on. Keegan ran after me, but I was already watching what was happening.

Wind hit the windows with a great force I had never seen before. We were in for a tough ride. Keegan and I walked back to the room and sat down on our sleeping bags.

I didn't know what to do anymore. I felt hopeless. I started to cry as I faced the wall, and Keegan came up behind me and hugged me.

"I know, Ariana. I'm scared too. But you're not alone. I'm here with you."

I held onto him as the tears started flowing like rivers down my face. I couldn't stop them and I didn't know why. I was strong. I always had been. I never cried, so why was I losing my cool now? 

Because there was a storm coming. And I was terrified. Because I was separated from my family, and my twin brother and I had to keep each other safe.

Suddenly, I stopped crying. I remembered what Mom had told me when I was younger. I had gone to the store with her and was lost. I was crying my eyes out and people were gathering around me to help. When I found her, just a few aisles down, I hugged her as if I hadn't seen her in years.

When we were in the car going home, she told me, 'Ariana, I don't want you to be scared if you get lost, okay? You just find someone and they'll help you get to me. Even if you and I are worlds apart, I will always be with you in there,' she pointed to my heart,' and in here,' she pointed to my head, 'telling you my words of advice, even if you don't want to hear them.' She gave me a wink and looked back at the road.

Although that moment was somewhat cheesy, it stuck with me for forever. And I would never forget that she was always with me.

"Keegan, I know what we have to do."

He looked up at me, a confused look on his face.

"What do you mean? We're sitting here and waiting the storm out."

I gave him an evil grin and started to stand up.

"No, we need to move. Let's get out of here! Let's go try and find Mom and Dad! We can find a car and try and drive it to them."

"Ariana, what? We can't do that! We have to stay put so we can stay safe! What are you on today?"

I sat down, defeated. He was right. I guess my thoughts of Mom made me want to be a hero.

I checked my watch. 8:30. Already?

I got inside my sleeping bag and closed my eyes. I couldn't sleep with the lights on, but I was going to try.

I squeezed my eyes shut for what felt like an eternity, but turned out to be 10 minutes. I opened my eyes to the sound of Keegan saying, "Oh!"

The lights had shut off. The power was out. Well, I guess that helped my sleeping situation. I turned over to face Keegan, who was lying down now.

"I love you, Ariana, and I'm glad that we're facing this storm together. I'm lucky to have a built-in best friend."

"I love you too, Keegan."

We sat there smiling and soon both closed our eyes, only to open them minutes later to the sound of sirens. I looked at my watch. 8:51. I guess the storm was coming early.

•

Tuesday Afternoon, August 28

"Oh no! Keegan, what do we do? Where do we go?"

"Ariana, calm down. Do you have your phone?"

My eyes widened. 'My phone! How could I be so stupid?'

"No! Do you have yours?"

"No, I left it in the car. It's okay though. We'll just go to the neighbors."

"Okay, I guess you're right."

We slowly walked to our neighbor's house. We had to fight the wind in order to walk a few yards that would normally take us a few seconds. Although it took us longer than usual to get there, it seemed to us that we made it in record time under the current circumstances. When we reached the big red front door of their two-story house, we rang the doorbell several times.

We waited for a few seconds and when no one answered, I walked up closer and started rapidly knocking on the hardwood door. There was still no answer. I started to bang my fists on the door, desperate to seek help. I yelled at the door to let us in, but still, there was no answer.

Keegan had to pull me from the door to get me to stop, and I sat there on the steps while Keegan held my shaking body.

"Ariana, listen to me. We are going to be okay. You have to believe me. I'm here with you. You aren't alone, I promise. I will never leave you alone."

I looked at him, and his sincere eyes made me feel better. It gave me a feeling of home and family, and I appreciated him for that.

I stood up and walked back up to the door. I turned the doorknob in haste, and to our surprise, the door opened. I slowly pushed it open and walked inside.

The house was much bigger on the inside and reminded me of a castle. There was a huge chandelier hanging above my head, and a huge stairwell spiraling down the middle of the room, like the one in Cinderella's home. It was a classy and elegant house that I wished I lived in. Our house was always messy and we couldn't have anything breakable around for several obvious reasons.

I started towards the stairs to look around but stopped. Why would I look in here if they weren't here? For the luxury of imagining our lives in this house?

"Let's go. They're obviously not here."

"We could try the other neighbors."

"Keegan, there's no point. They're all gone anyway. Let's just die somewhere familiar and friendly. Let's go home."

I turned around to leave, but Keegan stepped in front of me.

Looking me straight in the eye he said, "I don't ever want to hear you say anything like that again. Do you understand?"

"What, that we're going to die? Come on, you know there's no way we'll survive this."

"Ariana! Don't you ever talk like that! Not to me, not to anyone, but if you do ever feel that way again, I want to know. I can't lose you. Not now, not ever. Now, come on!"

"But what if I do want to die?"

Keegan looked at me and tried to find the words to say, but couldn't come up with anything.

"It's okay. Nothing you say will help me now."

Keegan looked at me with the saddest eyes I had ever seen him wear. He shook his head and walked out of the house.

Tuesday Morning, August 28

Mom, Dad, and I all sat in the family room. I started noticing the clouds around 9 o'clock the night before. The rain was heavy, and the wind was violent. You could hear the trees moving around outside.

The next morning was like the night before. Windy.

"Kids, we need to start packing up to leave. This hurricane is going to get bad, I can tell," said Dad.

"He's right. Go get your siblings, Ariana. Tell them to pack clothes for three nights and bring tennis shoes. Mike, I need you to pack some clothes for both of us! Three days, and don't forget the tennis shoes! I'll gather some food for the trip."

"Okay, Mom."

I ran upstairs and told everyone what Mom said. They all quickly got ready, except for Penny. She slowly approached me, fear in her eyes.

"Ari, I'm scared. What's happening?"

"Pen it's okay. We're just going on a little trip, that's all. Do you want me to help you pack?"

"Yes," she said, smiling.

*

"Okay Mom, we're all ready. Are you?"

"Almost. Will you help me pack some food into the car? And don't forget the water bottles!"

"Okay," I said as I walked into the garage. I picked up a huge case of water bottles and started walking back to the car. I swear the thing weighed 30 lbs.

I staggered over to the car and set the water in the trunk with a thud. I sighed and sat down on the back of the car. 'I can't believe this is happening,' I thought. I stood up, snapping out of my mood, and walked inside to help the others.

I helped Penny, Lucy, and Toby lift their bags into the car, with some help from Keegan, my twin brother. As my younger siblings walked into the house, I turned to Keegan.

"You ready for this Keeg?"

"I don't know. Where are we even going? Why are we suddenly just packing up our stuff and leaving for three days? Where did this even come from?"

"You don't know why we're leaving?"

He shook his head, sensing the fear in my eyes. I closed my eyes. 'Did this mean that none of them know why we were leaving? I thought they had heard the radio the night before!'

"There were hurricane warnings! I'm so worried that we won't leave in time."

At first, he had a worried look in his eyes, but it soon disappeared.

He put a hand on my shoulder. "Ari, don't worry, you'll be fine. We'll all be fine. We'll find somewhere safe in no time and you won't have to worry anymore. I promise."

'I hope you're right. I really do.'

*

"Alright! Roll call! Since Mom and Dad are still loading up, I'll be calling roll! Line up, youngest to, well, me," yelled Matt who was the oldest.

We scrambled to get in line, and did so quickly.

"Okay. Penny?"

"HERE!"

"Lucy?"

"Here."

"Toby?"

"Here!!"

"Ariana?"

"I'm here."

"Keegan?"

"Present!" he said with a wink.

Matt rolled his eyes and moved on.

"Jack?"

"Here."

"Mark?"

"Here."

"Sophie?"

"Here!" she said with a smile.

"David?"

"Here."

"Matt? Here," he said with a laugh.

Keegan giggled and rolled his eyes. I smiled. I could always count on Matt to lighten the mood.

"Okay, guys now lets load up. Oh, and remember, I love you guys and this crazy family."

God I love Matt. He was always the one to make you feel better when you were sad.

After our family roll call, I walked inside to check on Mom and Dad. As I entered the house, Dad passed me and gave me a hug and a kiss and said, "We'll see you guys at the hotel. We're going to head out."

"Okay Dad, just don't forget to call roll!" I joked with him.

He gave me a goofy grin. "I won't, Ariana. Don't worry."

I smiled and walked in to help Mom. "Alright. Are you ready?"

"Yes, let's go. Thanks for all of your help, Ari; not just today, but every day. You are my bright little girl and I love you," she said as she pulled me in for a hug.

"Thanks for being good parents, Mom. It was all you guys. I love you too."

I smiled as we left the house and got in the car. I handed Mom the roll sheet that Matt had made and she called everyone's name.

'Wait!' I thought, 'my journal!'

"I'll be back!"

I ran out of the car to go get my journal, Keegan following quickly behind me.

"Ariana, what are you doing?"

"Keegan! Why did you follow me? Go get in the car! I'm just going to grab my journal before we leave."

"I'm coming with you. I just want to make sure you get out safely."

"Fine, but we need to hurry."

I ran up the stairs with him following, and I grabbed my journal, an eraser, a few pencils, and a sharpener, and threw them all into a small bag.

"Alright, let's go."

We hustled down the stairs and ran out the door. The wind started blowing my hair all around, like when you're sitting in the car with the windows down, but your long hair blinds you, and it blew over my eyes. I hurried to move it so I wouldn't trip but ran into Keegan on the way to the car.

"What are you doing?" I tried to yell over the wind, "Go to the car!"

He took my arm and pulled me into the house. As I was about to say something, he cut me off, "There is no car. They're gone."

____________________

Monday, August 27

My mom and I made grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon for the family. I pulled out the cheddar cheese and sliced it up to put on the sandwiches. While I sliced cheese, Mom cooked bacon and put butter onto the bread.

"Mom, I'm going to see what everyone wants to drink."

"Alright dear. I'll be here!"

I grabbed my notepad and walked outside into the garden where the rest of the family was.

"Okay guys," I yelled. "What does everyone want to drink? Mom and I are making bacon gooey!"

"Yes! My favorite!" yells Mark. "I'll have ice tea," he turned to Matt and Sophie and started talking to them. He turned back to me, "They'll have the same as me."

"Okay, thanks, Matt."

I looked at my notes and wrote down their orders as if I were a waiter. When I was younger, I loved helping my mom cook. My favorite part was always getting everyone's orders. It always excited me to see what everyone else would get. Weird, I know, but in this moment, it was the only thing keeping me sane.

"David, Jack, what do you guys want?"

"I think I'll have water," said Jack.

"Me too."

"Okay, thanks, guys."

I wrote it down and headed back inside.

"Are you done yet?"

"Almost Mom, I just have to ask the others. Oh, what did you and dad want?"

"We'll just have water. Thanks, Ari."

"No problem."

I ran up the stairs, smiling. I may have a big family, but they're all wonderful. I got everyone's drink orders, including mine, and ran downstairs.

"Alright."

I look down at my list, reading all the orders.

Ice tea- Mark, Matt, Sophie

Water- David, Jack, Mom, Dad

Soda- Lucy, Toby, Penny

Lemonade- Keegan, Me

*

"Time to eat!" I yelled.

Everyone came running in and quickly sat at the table. I brought over 30 sandwiches and set them on the table.

"Wow, Ariana, Mom, you guys have really outdone yourselves," gasped Toby.

I smiled and said thanks. After everyone sat down, we ate.

The first five minutes were silent, everyone was so indulged in their sandwiches. I smiled and laughed at the sight of Matt stuffing his face. Could it have been any more perfect? Yes.

"I'll be right back," Mom said, as she pushed back her chair and stood up.

She disappeared for a minute, then came back with a wrapped rectangle.

"Who's that for?" I wondered.

"It's for you!" she said.

"Really? Wow," I say, taking the gift. "What's this for?"

"Well, you've been helping us all a lot, so I thought you deserved this."

"Aw Mom, you shouldn't have!" I smiled and took the paper off. My eyes widened as soon as I saw the gift inside. It was a journal. Simple, but sweet. It was the journal I had always wanted. I loved to write, and Mom knew that.

"Thank you so much, Mom," I leaned up and hugged her.

As soon as I sat back down, the weather radio went off. I got up to check what it was, thinking it was a tornado warning the weather service had told us about.

I pressed a button and the announcer started talking.

Hurricane warning for New Orleans and surrounding cities. Hurricane set to come in on August 28. Keep watch for any more warnings.

He kept going on, but I stopped listening, panic taking over my body. I slowly turned around, and everyone was staring at me.

"I've never been through a hurricane before," I whispered.

"Don't worry Ariana, it'll be fine," Mom said.

'I hope,' I thought.

__________

Warning: Contains mature language and violence such as abuse

-

I walked into the classroom slowly, looking around. Everything seemed to be normal as it always was; Maddy was in the center of the room, surrounded by her minions. Jackson, my best friend since we were born, was sitting to the left. He looked up at me and smiled when he saw me come in. I made my way to my seat, making sure to avoid Maddy in every way possible.

"Isn't it gorgeous! My mom bought it for me," Maddy said, admiring her new bracelet.

"Oh, Maddy! That's sure going to get you all the boys," yelled one of her minions.

I rolled my eyes. Maddy, Victoria, and Lexie. The it-girls of Bellview High. Maddy was the prettiest and most popular girl at school. It surprised me how many guys swooned over her, considering how much of a bitch she was to everyone. And then there were Victoria and Lexie, who were her followers who worshipped her every move, or what I like to call them, her minions.

"Hey Callie, has your mom ever bought you something this pretty?" Maddy said as she gave me a look. Victoria and Lexie laughed at me, calling me a loser and a nobody.

"No. My mom doesn't have to buy my happiness," I said in a tone that set her off. She narrowed her eyes and stood up. "I'll be right back girls," she said in a sweet voice. She walked over to me and put her hand on my shoulder. I flinched as she did and she gave me a weird look. She bent over and looked me right in the eyes.

"I don't know what game you're playing, but knock it off. You are never going to be like the rest of us, so stop trying to fit in." She laughed and straightened her back. "No one even likes you!"

"Excuse me, but I do." We both looked up to see Jackson standing next to Maddy. She laughed and narrowed her eyes before bending over to whisper in my ear, "I'm watching you." She straightened her back and sauntered away with a sly smirk on her face making it clear to everyone that she had once again won.

Jackson sat down next to me. "It's okay, don't listen to her," he said, comforting me.

"Don't worry, I don't," I said as I rolled my eyes.

I looked over at Maddy and saw her whispering to her friends. They looked over at me and I gave them a little smile and a wave. They rolled their eyes and started whispering again. I turned and looked down at my desk and started tracing my finger along the marks from the wood.

"Excuse me, Callie, can I see you for a moment?"

I turned around and faced the voice.

My teacher, Ms. Matthews was standing behind me. She had a look on her face that made me nervous. I followed her out of the room into the hallway. Uh oh.

"Where is your locket? You know you could get suspended for not having it on. It's a rule in the commun-"

"I know Ms. Matthews. I'm sorry."

"Well, where is it?"

"I...uh," I murmured. I looked down at my feet. I hate when I do this.

"You what? Spit it out!"

"I left it at home."

She scolded me and shook her head.

"You know how important it is to wear them! If one of the authorities were to catch you without it..." she trailed off without finishing her sentence after seeing the look on my face.

"Just be careful, Callie. Don't forget it again. Now, take your seat."

~

"Mom, I'm home. Mom?" I walked inside the house and stood under the huge chandelier in the entrance hall. "Never mind then," I muttered.

I went to the kitchen looking at all of the cookies and chips we had. I yearned for it, but I knew it would be bad if I ate some, so I grabbed an apple and gently sat on the couch. I picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

Just as I was making myself comfortable, the doorbell rang.

'Uh oh,' I thought to myself.1

I opened the door to see my parents standing with groceries in their hands.

"Well? Move!" yelled my dad.

I moved out of the way so they could come inside.

"Hello sweetie," my mom said quietly. She leaned down and gave me a kiss.

"Get me my drink," slurred my dad. I ran and got his drink and handed it to him. He grabbed it out of my hand, spilling some on the floor.

"Clean that up. Now."

I ran and grabbed a towel and floor cleaner. I walked over to the stain on the carpet and started rubbing it with cleaner. I sighed. This is how my life is. I go to school, I get bullied; I come home, I get yelled at. What a life.

As I finished up cleaning the alcohol from the floor, I heard a crash. Seconds later I heard a loud smack followed by a shrill scream.

I jumped up and ran to the sound to see my mom on the floor with blood running down her cheek. I slowly looked up at my dad, a tear falling down my face.

I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to slap him across the face and shove him out the door. Out of my life. I wanted to hurt him the way he had hurt my mom so many times before. But I couldn't. That's what hurt the most about seeing my father; knowing that I can't do anything about everything he does to us.

I took my mom's hand and hurried her to the bathroom to clean up her wound. I apologized for letting this happen but she put a finger on my lips.

"Callie, don't blame yourself for any of this. I'm to blame," she said as she looked away from me.

"No mom, you're not. He's to blame," I said as I pointed my finger out the door to my 'dad'.

After I cleaned her up, I walked out into the room. I quietly passed my dad trying to make no sound, but of course, I had to bump into something.

"Callie!"

I winced at his voice.

"Yes?"

"Come over here right now!"

I silently walked towards the evil man, my head watching the ground. "Yes?"

"Why did I come home to the floor not vacuumed? I thought I told you to vacuum it!"

"But I did vacuum it! I promise!"

"Bullshit!"

He stood up and approached me. The house was dead silent, nothing moving. "Never disobey me again! I thought you learned your lesson, but I guess not."

He raised his hand, and brought it down to my face, shattering the silence.

-

Story Summary: Callie has a secret. Everyone is born with a locket that is unique to them. The locket represents the love and power they will receive in life, and matches the locket of the person they will marry. Callie, however, was born without a locket, and the only person who knows this is her mother. She must keep it to herself, or else she will be killed; but everything happens for a reason, right?