Storm Watcher

by Maria V. Snyder

  On Saturday morning, Luke and Dad connected their homemade instruments onto Willajean’s tower. Lance, Lightning, and Hurricane had trotted after them. They played in the snow, while Luke and Dad worked.

  After they finished, Dad watched the pups. Lance looked out of place with his darker coat and long legs.

  “They’re cute little fuzz balls,” Dad said.

  Luke quickly added, “And smart, too.” He called them over and told them to sit, go down, and roll over. All three obeyed.

  Dad’s gaze returned to the weather tower.

  Nothing special about those tricks. Time for some fun. Luke pointed to his nose. The dogs stared at him with their undivided attention.

  “Tag,” he said. “Lance is it.”

  Lance surged to his feet and chased the other two. When he butted Hurricane with his nose, Luke called, “Hurricane’s it.”

  Hurricane spun and took off after Lightning. The dogs played tagged with Luke’s help. Lightning was never it for long. She could even catch Lance. Luke beamed at her. When he stopped the exercise, Luke had Dad’s interest.

  “Impressive. Did Willajean train them?”

  “No. Megan and I have been working with them. We’re going to teach them hide-and-go-seek next.”

  “Clever names. They match the kennel.”

  “Thanks,” Luke said.

  Dad glanced at him, waiting.

  “Willajean let me name them.” He drew in a deep breath and took a big risk. “Lightning’s my dog,” he blurted.

  Luke braced for his dad’s anger, but Dad’s expression didn’t change.

  “It’s getting cold, we’d better head back. Make sure you get out here as much as possible. The more data you record, the better your results will be.”

  Annoyed that Did didn’t acknowledge his comment about Lightning, Luke said gruffly, “I know. Willajean and Megan offered to record data, too.”

  “Good.” Dad ignored Luke’s attitude.

  Luke tapped his chest. Lightning jumped into his arms, and he carried her. The dog’s warmth soaked right through his winter coat.

  When they returned the dogs, Dad talked to Willajean and toured the kennel. Luke joined Megan in the kitchen.

  “What did he say about Lightning?” Megan asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “Ah, too bad.”

  “I’m not so sure. My dad’s hard to read.” Luke played with the zipper on his coat. “Maybe if he sees me with Lightning and sees how smart she is, he’ll come around.”

  “As long as he doesn’t see you with her at your house.”

  “I guess.” He remembered the night he almost got caught. Did Dad already suspect Lightning came home with him at night?

  Dad’s voice sounded around the corner. “You have a nice place here, and Luke’s learned a lot about training dogs.”

  “He’s easy to teach, the kid’s a sponge,” Willajean said.

  Luke puffed up his chest, smirking at Megan.

  Megan snorted. “You’re more like a barnacle.”

  Willajean and Dad entered the kennel kitchen, and Dad glanced around in surprise. He admired the full-sized freezer. “I’ve always wanted one of these.”

  A door slammed, and they all peered out the window. Mr. Duncan strode toward the kennel. Megan groaned, and Willajean frowned at her.

  Dad checked his watch. “I’d better go, or I’ll be late for training.”

  “Can I come with you?” Megan asked in a rush. “Since I’ll be training Lance for SAR, it’ll be good for me to observe. And it’ll help with my science fair project too.”

  Luke held his breath. Dad didn’t let Scott and Jacob go along until they were fifteen.

  “If it’s okay with your mom.” Dad pulled out his keys.

  “What about your chores?” Willajean asked her.

  “Luke can finish them for me. Right, Luke?”

  Still surprised by Dad’s response, Luke blinked. Megan’s gaze pleaded with him.

  “Sure.”

  “All right, but remember your manners and don’t be a pest, asking a million questions,” Willajean said.

  The kitchen door swung open. Dad and Megan dashed out, leaving Luke and Willajean without saying good-bye.

  “Hey, where are you going?” Mr. Duncan called after them.

  No answer. They were too busy escaping.

  For the science fair, Luke collected four weeks of wind data to compare to Willajean’s instruments. He made a colorful poster display using pictures of the tower and the instruments in various stages of completion. Setting up his project in the cafeteria, he mounted his airplane sensor on a wooden stand between the poster and a bar graph of the results. His wind sensor had performed well. Not perfect, but within a compass point for the wind direction, and within five miles per hour for the wind speed. Not bad for spare parts.

  Megan set up across from him, but he avoided talking to her. Angry about not being able to bring Lance to school, she complained about it to everyone who stopped by her station.

  When it was time to declare the winners of the science fair, Luke’s stomach turned inside out. Dad stood next to him. His father hadn’t attended any school programs since Mom died almost a year ago.

  The loud speaker whined and popped as the principal’s voice boomed over the cafeteria. Luke barely heard the standard congratulations to all who had participated...blah, blah, blah. Nervous energy tingled on his skin, and if the principal didn’t hurry up, he’d explode.

  “And now to announce the winners...”

  CHAPTER 14

  One in a Million

  Luke stopped breathing.

  Principal Weaver cleared his throat. “Third place goes to…Emily Greenly for her in-depth analysis of stink bugs.”

  Applause filled the room. When the noise died down, the principal said, “Congratulations Emily, I’m sure we’ll all be using that information to get rid of those stinky devils in the fall.”

  Laughter. Luke’s heart banged against his rib cage. Come on.

  “Second place goes to...” A pause as the sound of rustling papers echoed from the speakers.

  “Luke Riley for his wind analysis and weather instruments.”

  Luke was so shocked, all his breath whooshed out in one gasp. More applause sounded, his brothers whooped, and Dad pulled Luke into a bear hug. The rest of the announcements garbled together. Later, he learned Megan earned an honorable mention, and Grant Brubaker won first place with his mini-bot.

  Megan scowled.

  “Honorable mention is great,” Luke said. “You beat out Ben Good’s flea circus. He’s been bragging about that sketchy project for weeks.”

  “Yeah, it’s okay,” she said, but her gaze was on her father. “What’s he doing here? He never comes to these things.”

  Luke didn’t answer. Another honorable mention ribbon caught his eye. Ethan held it up, smiling for a picture. His mom snapped a bunch. Luke remembered she’d always taken pictures of everything. Their house was covered with photos. He waited for the sharp stab of jealousy and throat-closing misery, but only an ache of sadness throbbed. Maybe it wasn’t too late. Maybe Ethan had been waiting for him to make the first move.

  Making a sudden decision, Luke strode over to Ethan. “Hey, congrats on the honorable mention.”

  “Uh, thanks. You too.” Ethan gestured to Luke’s red ribbon.

  “Thanks. Um…my brothers bought a whole box of old video games at a garage sale, and some of them are pretty cool. Want to come over on Saturday and check them out?” Luke tried to sound casual like it would be no big deal if Ethan said no.

  “Uh…” Ethan glanced at his mom. “Can I?”

  She checked her phone. “You have a dentist appointment
in the morning. How about in the afternoon?”

  “That’s fine. See you.” Luke hustled back to Dad and his brothers.

  After the fair, they celebrated Luke’s second place with ice cream. Banana splits for the whole family.

  Mom’s favorite.

  Ethan’s mom dropped him at Luke’s house on Saturday afternoon. Luke opened the door.

  “Text me when you’re ready to come home,” his mom called through the car window.

  “Okay.”

  “Do you have your phone?”

  “Yes.” Ethan waved her away, then stepped inside.

  For an awkward moment, they both stood there not sure what to say or do. The last time they’d hung out, Luke had yelled at Ethan, calling him a jerk. And now he couldn’t even remember why they’d gotten into the fight.

  Luke closed the door. “You got a phone?”

  Ethan pulled a smart phone from his pocket and handed it to him. “Yep, for my thirteenth.”

  “Sweet.” Luke scrolled through the apps. “Too bad we don’t have wi-fi.”

  “Seriously? Dude, you need to get into the twenty-first century.”

  “Tell that to my dad. I don’t have a phone yet either.”

  “Isn’t that considered neglect? Even sixth graders have phones.”

  Oh, great. Luke handed the phone back.

  “You could ask for one for your birthday.” Ethan glanced around as if remembering something. “Weren’t you supposed to get a pup for your thirteenth?”

  “I did.”

  “Where is he? In the Palace with the other mutts?”

  Luke smiled. His brothers would pound Ethan if they’d heard that. “No. She’s at Storm Watcher Kennel.”

  “Where? Why?”

  Luke headed into the living room. “It’s messed up.”

  “Couldn’t be worse than living in four different houses like Becker. That’s seriously messed up. The kid can’t remember where he is when he wakes up every morning.”

  “I guess mine’s not that bad.”

  “So spill.” Ethan plopped onto the couch just like old times.

  As Luke sorted through the video games on the coffee table, he told Ethan about Lightning.

  “That’s not so bad,” Ethan said. “Your dad’ll come around. Are you and Megan a thing now?”

  “No!”

  Ethan shrugged. “You hang out with her a lot.”

  “We work together that’s all. Besides she’s new to the area.”

  “Well, the kids at school think you’re going out.”

  “We’re not.”

  Ethan acted like he didn’t believe him. “Could be to your advantage. I hear Grace is jealous.”

  “Grace? She hates me.”

  “Exactly.”

  Luke threw a pillow at him.

  Ethan ducked. “Hey, look it’s Frogger™. Come on, let’s squish some frogs.”

  “You’re supposed to not get squished.” Luke plugged the game in.

  “Really? Where’s the fun it that?”

  Turns out fun could be had with getting a frog safely across a busy street. If he’d played the game alone, Luke doubted he have this much fun. Good thing Ethan didn’t hold a grudge, and they were friends again.

  Luke clutched his guidance counselor’s summons as he walked through the school’s hallways. What did I do wrong? He couldn’t think of anything.

  Principal Weaver left the guidance office before Luke reached it. His heart thumped in double time. Must be in big trouble. Did they think I cheated with my science fair project? But that had been two weeks ago. They would have said something then. Right?

  Mrs. Miller must have seen the panic on Luke’s face. “Relax, Luke, you’re not in trouble. Sit down.”

  Luke sat on the edge of his seat, hugging his backpack to his chest.

  “The reason I called you in here is because you’ve been absent fifteen days this year,” Mrs. Miller said.

  “But my father—” Luke started.

  “Yes, I know your father calls. And you’re never out more than two days at a time, so you don’t need a doctor’s note. But I’m concerned.”

  Oh no, that doesn’t sound good. He dug his fingers into his pack.

  “My grades—” Luke tried again.

  “Are fine, I know. Are you having any problems at home?”

  “No. No problems.” Except for the dog issue. In fact, he and Dad talked a lot more since they’d worked on his science fair project together.

  “I see.” Mrs. Miller glanced at her computer. “Luke, I’ve reviewed your history, including the circumstances surrounding your mother’s death.”

  Luke slid back in his chair, bracing for the sympathy he didn’t need nor want.

  “I noticed that all your absences this year were on days when the weather was bad. So I’ve done some research and discovered a phobia called Severe Weather Phobia or SWP for short.”

  Luke opened his mouth to protest, to tell her he didn’t have this SWP thing. But deep down he hated being so scared of the weather all the time. “Other people have it?” Hope fluttered in his chest.

  “Yes,” Mrs. Miller said. “They’re afraid to go outside during stormy weather, and they’re glued to the Weather Channel. One mother was so terrified that she refused to pick her daughter up from soccer practice during a rainstorm.”

  “Oh,” Luke said. Maybe he wasn’t such a scaredy-cat after all.

  “Your mother died during a thunderstorm. Do you think that’s why you’re afraid, Luke?”

  “No. I’ve always been afraid. My mom…” He swallowed. “My mom just proved I’m right to be scared.”

  “But the odds—”

  “I know them all by heart, Mrs. Miller. It doesn’t matter, there is always that one person. The one in a million. No one ever thinks about that poor guy.”

  “True. However, what are the odds that it will happen to two people from the same family?”

  Even slimmer, but… “My mom wasn’t supposed to be out in the storm. I called her to pick me up early because I was scared. You see? It’s my fault she died.” He clamped his hand over his big mouth. Why did he just say that? Thinking the words and saying the words were two different things.

  Her expression changed to a softer, sadder look. “No one believes it’s your fault.” She held up her hand, stopping him. “However, you do, so we need to address that as well as your fear of the weather. Unfortunately I’m not trained for either issue. I’d like to call your father to discuss different options.”

  “Different options?”

  “There are other people who are qualified to help you.”

  “Oh.” Luke mulled it over. Dad believed it was Luke’s fault, and he had ignored Luke’s fears as well. Luke couldn’t talk to Dad about it, but maybe if Mrs. Miller called, Dad would let him talk to someone who could help. Dad might say no, but at least he’d tried.

  “Okay.”

  Biking home from Willajean’s, Luke was surprised when Dad drove past him, then parked ahead. Ranger poked his head out of the back window. Luke slowed down. Balancing with his hands off the handlebars, he quickly pushed Lightning down into his pack and zipped it shut, leaving only a one-inch opening for the dog to breathe.

  He stopped beside the car. His father rolled down the passenger side window.

  “What’s up?” Luke asked as he silently prayed Lightning would keep quiet.

  His father popped the trunk and got out of the car.

  “Put your bike in the trunk.”

  “What for?” Did Dad spot Lightning? Luke gripped the handlebars hard.

  “We need to talk.”

  Fear flared in Luke’s gut as he put his bike in the car. He t
urned his back to the car for a moment. He opened his backpack, gave Lightning the quiet signal, and zipped it again. Not knowing what to do with it, he placed the backpack behind the passenger seat. Lightning’s black nose pressed against the opening. Ranger pawed and whined at the bag.

  “What’s the matter, boy?” Dad asked the dog.

  “I’ve got some cookies in the pocket of my pack,” Luke explained. True, except they were Willajean’s special dog treats.

  They drove for awhile, and then Dad said, “I got a call from your school today.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Dinosaur Hunting

  It had been a week since Luke had talked to the guidance counselor. She acted fast. Too worried to look at Dad, Luke peered at the road ahead.

  “Some school shrink phoned. Mrs. Muller?”

  “Miller,” Luke said.

  “Yeah, Miller. She said you missed a lot of school. Three weeks.” He whistled. “I didn’t think it was that much.”

  Luke glanced at him, trying to gauge his mood.

  “Anyway, she spouted some psychobabble about something called storm phobia, and how I need to take you to a professional to help you overcome your fears.”

  Luke waited a moment for his father to go on, but the silence continued.

  “And, what” – Luke cleared his suddenly dry throat – “did you tell her?”

  “Just because you’re afraid, doesn’t mean you have some disorder,” Dad said. “I’m afraid of getting electrocuted. I check the power two, three times before I’ll start a job. My buddies call me paranoid, but I don’t care. And I don’t need to see some shrink.”

  Dad stopped, but he hadn’t answered Luke’s question. Should I ask again?