Firestorm

by Ronnie Dauber

  Firestorm

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  FIRESTORM

  "The Misadventures of Sarah Davies"

  by

  Ronnie Dauber

  FIRESTORM

  "The Misadventures of Sarah Davies"

  by Ronnie Dauber

  Copyright 2011 Ronnie Dauber

  Smashwords Edition

  Discover other titles by Ronnie Dauber at Smashwords.com.

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  Fire Storm

  Chapter 1

  Above Suspicion

  Hot tears slowly trickled down my face as I tried to hide from an unknown predator that had me trapped in a panic of fear. I punched at the blanket of heaviness that hovered over me and kicked at the hidden substance that threatened to paralyse my legs. I heard Meagan call my name and then suddenly something grabbed my arm and shook me forcefully. I screamed and jerked forward as her voice penetrated my ears.

  “Sarah? Sarah, wake up. You’re dreaming.”

  I opened my eyes and stared into the worried face of my cousin as she continued to ask me if I was all right. The room was darkened by heavy pink drapes that covered the large bedroom window and allowed only select waves of morning air to filter through it. Meagan rubbed my arm gently and pulled away the long brown strands of hair that were wrapped around my face.

  “Yeah, I was dreaming that something was chasing me and it was smothering me. There was a voice telling me how to escape but I couldn’t understand it. Really scary.”

  “Well, what was chasing you?”

  “I don’t know and now I can’t remember much except that it was smothering me. Thanks for waking me up and getting me away from it.”

  Meagan leaned back on the single bed that was right beside mine and grabbed her big green hairbrush from the adjoining night table. She listened to me as she pinned her long, curly auburn hair up on top of head and then smirked as she stood up and stretched.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re awake and not screaming any more. You were scaring me, too.”

  “Sorry. This was one of those dreams that seemed really real, you know? Anyway, the details are fading away fast and I’m glad I didn’t get Nana and Grandpa up here.”

  “I don’t think they heard you, Sarah. I mean, who can hear anything through that horrible country whining they’re listening to downstairs. We really have to work on getting them some better music when they move back home with us.”

  Meagan laughed as she opened the drapes and leaned against the windowsill.

  “It’s so beautiful here, Sarah, so peaceful and serene. I’m going to miss coming here for our summer holidays, but on the other hand, it’s going to be great having them live so close to us again.”

  I massaged my face slowly and wiped the sleep from my eyes as I sauntered over to the window.

  “I know. Their yard is so beautiful, so many colors and kinds of flowers and weird shaped bushes. This has been Nana’s pride and joy for years and their new yard is so small compared to this. But I’m sure it won’t be long until they’ve turned it into a little paradise, as well.”

  Meagan sighed heavily as she watched several bright red cardinals feeding on the large tiffany bird feeder below.

  “Yeah, well I just hope they don’t try to change our yards. They’re going to be living right across from both of us and my mom’s really happy, but she was telling my dad that they better not try to change her front garden. You know how stubborn Nana is and how her way is always the only way.”

  We laughed and got dressed as we reminisced about our visits here over the years. It had always been the highlight of our summers to come to British Columbia and visit our grandparents, but this would be the last visit here. They were moving back home to Bearsfield, Idaho with us in a few weeks and we were heading into the next phase of our own lives.

  “Meg, I can hardly believe that we’re starting college next month and that this will be our last holiday here, not that this has really been a holiday so far. All we’ve done is pack and clean. But then there is tonight and that will change everything.”

  Meagan stretched out her left arm and a wiggled her fingers to show off her small, purple amethyst ring.

  “I know. The guys will be here tonight and it’s going to be great. Gees, a whole week without seeing or hearing from Ali and I miss him so much. You know, I really wish Nana and Grandpa had some form of communication here besides a phone that’s out of order because the little town transmitter is being repaired. How do they live like this?”

  “They have each other, Meg, and they like the solitude – well, Grandpa does, anyway. Besides, they have friends from the church in town that they visit on Sundays and that’s all the company they really want. I know my dad is glad they’re moving back.”

  Meagan picked up a brochure and giggled.

  “Yeah, mine, too. Meanwhile, I can’t wait to get to Prembroke to go mountain gliding tomorrow. It’s going to be great.”

  My insides tingled as she talked, not only because I loved mountain gliding, but because Brad was going to come and join us.

  “Who’d have guessed that Brad and I would ever be together? Well, okay, he liked me all last year but it took me so long to realize that he was such a great guy. I really like him, you know, and I really like being with him.”

  Meagan smiled as she threw the heavy pink comforter over her bed.

  “I know. And you have no idea how glad I am that you finally stopped chasing football heroes and saw this guy who’s been madly in love with you all through high school. Okay, bed is done and I’m ready to have another fattening country breakfast and then get those boxes packed today. Can’t wait until we’re done.”

  When I opened the bedroom door, we were greeted by the smell of fried bacon that filtered through the room and almost overpowered us as we stepped carefully down the narrow stairwell that led to the kitchen. We ambled passed the wooden door just as Nana was pouring Grandpa a cup of coffee and his face burst into a wide grin through his heavy grey beard.

  “There’s my girls. Nana has our breakfast all ready for us and my friend, Don, will be here any second to join us.”

  Meagan and I looked at each other inquisitively as we pulled out the heavy colonial chairs and sat at the round oak table. She smiled at Grandpa as she filled her glass with orange juice.

  “Who’s Don, Grandpa?”

  “He’s my friend who lives about a mile up the way. We go fishing together every Saturday morning in the summer and today’s no different. We bring our catch home and clean them, and then I cook them on the barbeque outside. All these years and Nana has never come with us so it’s just always been a guy’s day out.”

  Nana slapped the bacon onto Grandpa’s plate and growled at him under her breath.

  “He’s a grumpy old man and he doesn’t like anyone. What do you s
ee in that old geezer anyway?”

  Grandpa smiled at us as he looked up at Nana.

  “Now Martha, you know you like Don. Tell the girls the truth, it’s the boat you really don’t like.”

  Nana glared at Grandpa and raised her voice, almost as if she was angry with him.

  “I’m not going to miss that people hater when we move, not one bit. And you shouldn’t be listening to him and using that boat, either. It’s not safe and you know it. I don’t know why you’d rather listen to him than to me.”

  Grandpa poured ketchup onto his plate as he winked at us.

  “Boat’s fine, Martha. It has a little hole and we plugged it. Works fine. Heck, we’re leaving here in a couple of weeks and fixing it now would just be a waste of good money. Besides, I told Don he could have it so let him fix it.”

  “Just like the old truck that sits rotting outside, Lucas. You said all it needs is a new battery and you’re too lazy and too cheap to put in a new one, so now we don’t even have a vehicle to get around in.”

  “We’re moving, Martha, and I’m giving that to Don too, so he can fix the truck when he fixes the boat. Anyway, you don’t even know how to drive so what do you care?”

  Nana huffed at Grandpa as she brought the frying pan over to Meagan’s plate.

  “I’ve never had an interest in driving and I’m too old to learn now. Anyway, when we’re back in the city I’ll get a taxi when I want to go out.”

  Grandpa looked over his shoulder to the kitchen window and waved his hand.

  “I never liked that truck anyway, but my boat, well that’s a different thing.”

  “That boat is going to be the death of you yet, Lucas Davies. It’s not safe and it makes me nervous when you go out in it.”

  Grandpa shook his head as he bit into his fresh toast. I guess the worry on my face must have shown more than I realized and he stopped eating and leaned forward.

  “It’s safe, girls. It’s got a tiny hole, nothing to worry about. I misjudged the rocks and one of them punctured it a bit, and I’ve used it a dozen times since then and it floats just the same as always.”

  Meagan licked the bacon grease from her fingers and looked up at Grandpa.

  “Why do you need a boat when the lake is right at the back of your property and you’ve got a dock? Can’t you just fish there? We used to when we were kids.”

  “Nah, there aren’t any real fish this close. You have to go down stream a couple of miles to where they are. We don’t have a motor on our boat, so it’s a nice quiet trip, and me and Don have this really great spot set in a ways where we do well. It’s kind of out of the way and hidden so some of the other fishing neighbors don’t bother us there.”

  While we were still talking, a thin, elderly gentleman tapped on the back door and peeked his head through as he greeted us with a big smile.

  “Morning Davies family!”

  “Hey, Don. Come on in and meet my girls from the big city.”

  Don seemed like a friendly gentleman at first, but after a few minutes I could see how Nana thought he was not nice, just from his gestures and remarks.

  “Well, I hope you girls aren’t like those other unmannered know-it-all young people that have an answer for everything. But then you’re from the city so I suspect you do things the same as everyone else there.”

  Meagan and I smiled at each other and for Nana’s sake, neither of us responded to his remarks. We weren’t planning on spending any time with this man so it wasn’t worth the effort of starting an argument with him.

  We continued eating our breakfast and listening to Grandpa and Don talk about their big catches from other Saturday expeditions. We could see the excitement in Grandpa’s face and we knew he was enjoying his time fishing with Don. When breakfast was over, Meagan and I helped Nana clean up the kitchen, and then we brought in a pile of folded boxes from the back porch so we could get them ready to pack.

  Don looked at us as he stuffed some of Nana’s sandwiches in Grandpa’s duffle bag.

  “I’m taking these ‘cause your grandma makes the best tuna sandwiches in the world. Besides, I live alone and I don’t make food as good as I get here.”

  Nana forced a smile at Don and then gave Grandpa a long hug.

  “When will you be home today?”

  “I don’t know, Martha, same as usual, around four. You’re not going to miss me with all the help you have here so there’s no point in me cutting my fishing time short.”

  “But Lucas, it’s so hot and dry out there. Maybe you should come back early.”

  Grandpa growled as he pulled on his boots.

  “Gees Martha, you worry too much. We’re in a drought on land here but it’s not that dry where we’re going. Last time I looked, the river was still wet. I wouldn’t recommend anyone hiking in this weather, but fishing is no problem. The dry heat doesn’t bother us at all.”

  Meagan and I took turns giving Grandpa a hug, but the second he touched me icy chills shot up my back and curled the hairs on the nape of my neck. For a split second I felt as if this was our final goodbye, but I shook it off as me just reacting like Nana and worrying about the hole in the boat. She tapped his shoulder and the feeling left me.

  “Have you got the walkie-talkie, Lucas? You need to take it just in case.”

  Grandpa huffed as he snatched one of the handsets from the kitchen counter.

  “Yes, Martha. I’ll take it just to make you happy. Now stop worrying and have fun with our girls. I’ll see you at supper.”

  Meagan and I walked with Grandpa and Don down to the lake where the small wooden boat was tied onto the dock. When I saw it I understood why Nana was worried, and so Meagan and I helped them bale out about six inches of water from the bottom before they could get in.

  “Gees, Grandpa. This isn’t just a tiny hole. Are you sure you want to go out in this? I mean, do you really feel that safe in it?”

  “Sarah, we do this all the time. And don’t forget I’m a good swimmer and so is Don so even if it did have problems, we can swim to land. Now, you two go back and help Nana finish packing up those last closets. And when I get back, I’ll meet those two knights in shining armour that you both keep talking about.”

  We returned to the house and spent the next several hours packing up some closets that were filled with linens and boxes of Christmas decorations. By one o’clock a large grey van from the storage company arrived and it took the many boxes that we had packed over the last week.

  Meagan collapsed onto a kitchen chair and drank a small bottle of water.

  “Nana, I don’t understand why you’re sending all this to the storage unit. The moving van is coming here to get your furniture anyway.”

  “I don’t know why either. Grandpa thinks it’s foolish but we have a lot of things we saved over the years and I don’t want to lose them. Besides, we’re having a big open house next weekend to sell most of the furniture because I want all new when we move.”

  Just then the front door bell rang and both Meagan and I jumped up and shouted at the same time.

  “It’s the guys!”

  I raced her to the front door and when we opened it she dove into Ali’s arms and he turned in circles on the front doorstep as he held her tight. Brad stood there with a big smile on his face as he opened his arms to me. I wasn’t quite as free as Meagan and our relationship was still in development, but I knew I didn’t want to miss this moment. I stepped up to Brad and put my arms around him and the alluring fragrance of amber and musk filled my nostrils as a warm, loving sensation flooded my body.

  I knew Brad was the love of my life, and I loved being with him. It’s just that he still made me nervous because we’d only been together since the last hike at Snake River. I had a mad crush all year on our school’s football icon while Brad had spent the entire year trying to get my attention. It wasn’t until he helped me through the horrors of that hike that I realized what a wonderful and caring guy he really is. We spent a lot of time together in the
weeks that followed, right up until last week when Meagan and I came here. And that’s when I really knew how much I cared for him.

  We introduced the guys to Nana and then sat around the kitchen table telling her all about the horrific experience with the mudslide. It was a wonderful hour that we shared with Nana and she made the guys feel very welcomed. But when the clock struck four o’clock she became edgy that Grandpa wasn’t back yet.

  “Well, I’m sure he’ll be along shortly. He’s probably just taking his time today because he knows you’re here to keep me company.”

  Then around 4:30 there was a loud crackling from the walkie-talkie on the kitchen counter. Nana grabbed it right away.

  “Lucas? Lucas, is that you?”

  There was more crackling and then a few seconds later his voice came through but it was breaking up and hard to understand. Nana shoved the handset into my hand.

  “What’s he saying? Sarah, you talk to him.”

  A second later we heard Grandpa again.

  “Ole… boat… king…elf bite…leeding.”

  Nana gasped loudly as she put her hand over her mouth.

  “Oh no, something about the hole in the boat.”

  A second later there was more crackling and then it went dead.

  “Grandpa? Grandpa?”

  My insides became jittery as I turned to Meagan.

  “What do you think he means?”

  “I’m not sure. Let’s go outside.”

  She opened the back door and we ran down the back yard towards the lake, while Ali caught up with us and Brad walked with Nana. When we got to the water, everything was so quiet. No birds chirped. Nothing moved.

  Then suddenly, I jumped as a loud shrill from hundreds of birds broke the silence and burst through the forest in the skies above, and flew off into the unknown behind us. Squirrels were jumping from the trees and running frantically past the house in the same direction as the birds. The grass path was flooded with big and little ground critters and they ran frantically in mixed groups towards the front of the house.