Chasing Shadows

Chapter 4

The shadows of our pasts often linger longest when we choose to face them.

Jessica gripped the door handle tightly as the truck bounced over the rutted dirt road of the Oklahoma back roads. The sky ahead was a dark, ominous gray. Jessica could feel the nerves starting to set in.

"You okay?" Javi asked as he glanced over at her.

She nodded, though her mind was miles away. "Just thinking."

"What's going on in that head of yours?"

"I just...I can't shake the feeling that Tyler isn't happy about me being here. He nearly stared a hole through me when we first met. Then this morning when I was looking at the clouds, it felt like I was taking a final exam back at school. Every word I said was being examined."

Javi sighed as he gave Jess a reassuring smile. "Tyler...he's been a bit off since we lost Kate."

"Kate? Who's that?"

"She was a friend of mine from college. I worked with her on a project the semester before I met you. I called her in to help us out down here. I knew that you had given up chasing and honestly, I didn't think you'd ever agree to come down. Kate agreed to come help us but only gave us one week." He said as he started to explain. "Believe it or not, me and Tyler's crew didn't always get along. Kate was the one that brought us together. She had this idea that you could disrupt a tornado. It was a hell of a theory, and Tyler and Kate got the project up and running. The one time we've been able to see it work in action is because of her and Tyler."

"But..." Jess said, feeling like there was more to the story.

"When Kate came down from New York she said she was only coming for one week. She and I got caught in an EF5 tornado with some friends about five years ago. Me and her were the only ones who walked away that day. It hit her hard. It hit both of us hard. She left the program and I guess she moved to New York to get a job at NWS. The week she was here she helped us chase and then she and Tyler got her project back up and running. But then the week ended. Honestly, we all thought she'd stay. We all tried like hell to convince her to stay, but she decided to go back to New York. She got a big promotion with the National Weather Service yesterday and she's still helping us...just from out there."

"Were here and Tyler close?"

"Yeah. They spent a couple of days together getting the project up and running. Her leaving affected all of us, but I think it hit Tyler the hardest." Javi said, his eyes not leaving the road.

"Were they like...together?"

"It's kind of complicated. I think they both had feelings for each other, but neither one admitted it. I don't know if they've talked outside of the project since she left." Javi admitted.

Jess turned and looked out the window, mulling over what Javi had just told her.

"Hey...listen, I know he'll come around to you. I think he's just worried about someone coming in and replacing Kate."

"You know I didn't come here to try and fill anyone's shoes. I'm just here for you. Whatever you need me to do, I'll do." Jess said.

Javi glanced over at her and gave her a reassuring smile. "I know you will. And Tyler will see it too. Just show him why you're the best that I know."

They drove in silence for a few more miles, the tension in the air almost as palpable as the storm clouds gathering above.

"So what exactly is the plan once we catch up to this storm?" Jess asked as her eyes scanned the horizon for any signs of developing storm activity.