chapter three: outbreak

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CHAPTER THREE.
OUTBREAK


    When Kit Lainey met Tyler Owens at a gas station in the middle of the night she would never have believed that he would end up being one of the most important people in her life

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    When Kit Lainey met Tyler Owens at a gas station in the middle of the night she would never have believed that he would end up being one of the most important people in her life. Yet 3 years later, that's exactly what he was. The night at the gas station he and the Wranglers had welcomed her into their little family and it pulled her into a whole new world that she never had expected to love.

    What started off as a way out of Oklahoma shifted into a place she felt she could call home. When she was with the team, she could almost forget the guilt she had within her of the fact that she was still alive.

    No one knew about the EF5, except for Boone. The only reason he knew is because 2 days into living in Arkansas he found her sobbing after she had gone chasing for the first time. She'd managed to hold it together while he filmed, but the minute she got back, Kit couldn't keep herself from breaking down.

    To her luck, Boone had promised to keep it a secret. Making her promise that she'd tell the team eventually. It was 6 months later when she told them she was in a tornado and lost people. She didn't give details and they never asked.

    The only thing missing in this new home Kit had found was music. She still couldn't bring herself to even sing a single note. She'd tried once, but she barely made it a single line before she choked up. Lily and Dani heard and came to find her. They didn't push, they just shared their own stories. Eventually Kit found herself willing to share more of her own.

    True to his word, Tyler took the challenge of turning her into a storm chaser and made it a goal. Kit still hated science, but now she could understand it and more than that, she found herself working on it. She'd started as someone who posted on social media for them and by the end of the first year, she'd turned into a full-blown Tornado Wrangler. Loving the feeling of adrenaline that waved through her every time Tyler drove them into a tornado. Despite her fear every time, she loved it. She wished Kate could see her now.

     Kate. Okay, music wasn't the only thing that was missing from her new home. She missed Kate more than she ever knew was possible. At some point, that feeling turned to frustration and abandonment. She knew it wasn't fair to blame her, but Kate had left. They survived and Kate left without even saying goodbye. They survived but she lost Kate anyway.



....



     It was a stormy day in Oklahoma when Kit received a phone call. The number said BLOCKED as it flashed across her screen. Kit squinted. She could have easily let it go to voicemail however in her half-asleep state she picked her phone up and swiped.

     "Hello?" she mumbled rubbing her eyes as she fought back a yawn. She did not want to be up yet.

    "Kit? That you?" it took her 2 seconds to sit up with wide eyes at the sound of the voice on the other end.

    "Javi?" The way she spoke made her voice feel strained. She looked around the motel room she was sharing with Boone, making sure he was still asleep. He was - which meant that Kit could sneak out of the room without him wondering what she was doing. "What the hell? it's been-"

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