Tempest || tyler owens

(1) Twister

A twister was coming.

Moisture clings to my brow as I stare out across the fields of Oklahoma, excitement racing up my spine as my fingers curl tighter around the camera in my hands.

The calm before the storm.

It's always been a beautiful thought to me. One moment, the looming sky is peaceful, stretching across the horizon endlessly. The next, well.... Most people know what happens next.

"Bex!" Cade calls from behind me, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin. I turn to find him staring at me, that big dopey smile painted across his face, "You ready?"

"What kind of question is that?" I tease, looping the camera strap over my head as I begin walking back towards my best friend and partner in crime. Cade's grin only increases I reach him, his brown eyes glowing with warmth as he slings an arm around my shoulder, leading me towards our van, "Are you ready?" I question, looking up at him as I repeat his words.

Giving me a dead pan, Cade rolls his eyes as he answers, "Now what kind of question is that?" He reaches out with his free hand, opening the van door for me. I clamber inside, but just as I'm about halfway in, Cade grabs my left hand, inspecting a very particular ring, "Still doesn't seem real." He mutters, but his words seem more directed towards himself than to me.

Arching my brow at Cade's comment, I give his hand a gentle squeeze, "It better seem real in two weeks when I'm standing on that alter, Cooper." Cade chuckles at my response, along with the use of his last name. He drops my hand, running his fingers through his blonde curls before shutting the door, winking as he does so, "We have a nice one forming North East of us, you better be ready to go soon!" I call through the closed door. He salutes me as he continues to walk off and I chuckle.

"You two make me sick." Javi mutters from the backseat. I crank my neck back to find him sprawled across the car, his long black hair a mess around his tanned freckled skin.

"I think they're cute." Addy pipes up, she's currently under Javi's legs and giving him a very pointed look, "Now get off of me and go do your job."

Groaning, Javi doesn't say another word before he rightens himself, slithering out of the van and closing the door behind him. I watch through the windows as he circles around towards the back, checking up on Cade's project, which is currently hitched to the back of the van.

"Do you think we have enough?" Addy questions, she's currently tracking nearby tornados through a doppler, and thankfully, her screen is full of reds and oranges. I've only known Addy for a few months, meeting her through Cade, but we've been quick friends and quicker best friends.

Nodding, I turn the knob of the AC down, "Of course we do, we wouldn't be out here if we didn't." She's referring to the crates of sodium polyacrylate, which, if Cade's calculations are correct, should be able to tame a tornado. The very thought makes me giddy, along with the reward of at least a thousand dollars when we first turn our findings in. I glance towards the back of the van to find Cade and Javi making their final checks on our V Doppler, Dorothy. After hitting the ancient thing a few times, they seem satisfied and I watch as they do their little handshake before Javi walks back to his truck, waving to me as he goes. I wave back before facing the front just as Cade slides into the driver's seat, Praveen climbing into the back.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Praveen asks, scratching the back of his head before opening his monitor.

"Of course we should be doing this." I can practically hear Addy's eye roll, "Ever since you got struck by lightning you've been no fun."