CHAPTER ONE
A CAVALIER COWBOY
Norman, Oklahoma, June 26th, 2023. 7:45 AM, EST. US Route 77 stretched out in great gray expanse of asphalt, baking under a mid-summer sun. Barreling northbound nearly 80 miles per hour, a Texas-tagged blue and white Ford F150 sped through Cleveland County, George Strait floating out the windows.George's hearty voice throttled out the lyrics to Amarillo by Morning, as the driver, twenty-seven year old Jamie North regarded the blue Oklahoma sky with a wrinkle in her brow. While the view itself was pretty; a painter's platter of azure hues and fluffy white clouds, she wasn't sure anything would compare to simplicity of Texan morning. Still cruising, she signaled right, and veered the pickup into the slower lane. Her exit would be coming up soon, or at least that's what she'd been told by the crisp female voice on her GPS– she couldn't let a few measly clouds ruin her focus.
Oklahoma City, her destination would be upon her in about ten minutes. Gripping the steering wheel with white-knuckles fists, she cast a worried glance at her phone, which she'd mounted to the dash. The little numbers on the map site ticked down the minutes until to her arrival in red– 7:55AM. Perfectly enough time, she told herself, but even the little voice in her head didn't sound convinced. In fact, it was said little voice that forced her to look into the passenger seat, to the old leather suitcase that lay propped on its side. Loose paper flutter from one end, where the lid didn't quite close right– and on the further corner, the initials RN blinked back in rusted metal. Within the hour, this bag would be delivered to the School of Meteorology, an educational department of Oklahoma University– and with it, twenty years of her father's life.
Easing off the gas, Jamie came to regard her surroundings with a scrutinizing gaze. After so much time spent in Texas, and most of the central US, everything began to look the same– large, open field, sun-scorched grass, and rural towns cropped together like rows of corn. Oklahoma was no different– though, she'd spent more time in the Sooner State than she cared to admit. However, that had been two years ago.
Too much had changed since then.
From the dash, the woman's voice on the GPS chimed to life once again, aiding Jamie to take the upcoming turnoff onto Oklahoma 9, a highway due west– one that would push her right into the heart of Oklahoma University. Stilling her mind, Jamie flicked the turn signal up once more... just as the little yellow gas light appeared on her dashboard with a screechy ding! A frustrated groan left Jamie's lips. She did not have time for this.
Instead of taking the wraparound onto OK 9, Jamie begrudgingly pushed the pickup on past, in search of the first gas station in sight. The green and orange billboard of 7-Eleven was the first to catch her eye, tucked away in the first half-mile of Norman past the interstate– and thankfully, not too far out of the way.
Her appointment with Dr. Paloma Mendes– the chairman of the Meteorology Department– was set for 8:30AM, which was still a half-hour away, but between then now fourteen minute drive and having to parking and the correct building, Jamie felt she had every right to be stressed by this little detour.
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Riders in the Sky. Tyler Owens
FanficI have always been a storm. Twisters / Tyler Owens © heyqueens-, 2024 Cover by @potter_spellbook