Sigh ... I wish this were mine, but alas it is not. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
To answer a few questions in the first chapter's reviews ... this story is loosely based on Into the Storm. Granted, I made some changes to the plot, improving it as it were. Adding romance (citrus!) and finding out what happened after the tornado.
There are many myths and misconceptions about tornadoes too. Some believe that areas near rivers, lakes and mountains are safe from tornadoes. But the fact is that tornadoes can occur almost anywhere.
Monday, July 12th, 2021
11:48am
Elmhurst, Illinois
"We're looking forward to having you join our staff, Ms. Swan," said the principal, Dr. Riggs, at York High School. "We needed some fresh blood in our building. I'm sorry that we don't have any administrative openings, but I think you'll fit in nicely with our English department."
"I'm eager to start fresh," Bella said, shaking his hand. "My license is being transferred from Oklahoma and I'm registering with the county."
"Excellent. Have you found some place to live?" Dr. Riggs asked.
"I'm moving into a place off Mitchell Avenue," Bella answered. "My sons and boyfriend are currently unloading a moving truck. Not that we had much ... we lost everything in a tornado. We managed to find a few mementos in the rubble of our destroyed home, but we're starting from scratch."
Dr. Riggs looked down at the paperwork. "Oh, wow. You're from Elgin, Oklahoma. Are you okay?"
"Physically? I'm fine. I had to have minor surgery to deal with a torn rotator cuff. I was caught in the storm and my now boyfriend, Edward, saved me from being blown away by a tornado. He held onto my hand and pulled me back, dislocating my shoulder. He felt awful, but he was my savior that day," Bella breathed. "Mentally, I'm struggling with some PTSD, but I'm seeing someone for it and I'm grateful to be out of tornado alley."
"We get our fair share of storms here in Illinois," Dr. Riggs chuckled.
"Nowhere near as bad as Oklahoma," Bella snickered. "Anyway, this is a new start for me and my children."
"Well, I'm grateful that path led you to us," Dr. Riggs smiled. "If you need anything, please feel free to call me and I'll see you at new teacher orientation."
They shook hands and Bella walked out to her new car, a Toyota Highlander. She grinned widely as she turned it over, driving to her new home.
Since that day, that disastrous day where Elgin, Oklahoma had been erased from the map, so much had changed. Bella had stayed at the Holiday Inn Express for a couple of days to let her arm heal as much as it could. Then, after Memorial Day, Edward drove them back to Elgin to see the devastation of what was left of their home.
Nothing.
There was nothing.
Their home was a pile of rubble.
They had to park a mile away and walk to what was left of the house. There was very little that was salvageable. The boys were obviously heart-broken, but were happy that they had survived with their lives. Bella called her insurance agent and within a few hours, an insurance adjuster was sent out to her property. The house was deemed a total loss. With the money from the insurance and what she'd received from the life insurance policy when her husband died, Bella decided to move her family out of Oklahoma. She also changed her name back to her maiden name. Her husband had cheated on her and she did not want to walk around with that stain on her reputation.
The boys were in agreement. Alec had the most to lose, but he was willing to have his senior year at a new school. He started a relationship with Jane, but that fizzled when she cheated on Alec with Tyler Crowley. So, that further solidified their decision. He encouraged his mother to take that step to move them out of Oklahoma and toward someplace safer, away from Oklahoma.
