Hurricane

Chapter 2, To Prepare

               When Lyla arrived home she let her parents know Mr. McCown was coming over, which made her parents happy and apprehensive all at the same time.  She was baffled as to why, but not enough to dwell on it.

               “Do you know why, sweetheart?”  Her mom was standing in the doorway to her room.

               Lyla sat on the bed, “Something to do with me being eighteen soon.  He said our powers come in to full force, I don’t know,” Lyla shrugged. She sat down on the bed and looked over at her mother still in the doorway.

               “It’s okay isn’t it, him coming over?  You have that look, mom.”

               “What look?”

               “That oh my, gosh we have to move look.”

               Her mother went in and sat down next to her on the bed.  “I just think that maybe we shouldn’t have chosen Lakeland, Florida for your senior year.”

               Lyla sat up, “I like it here.  Please don’t tell me we’re moving again.”

               “We have to be careful Lyla.  Even though John is a good friend, we have some things he doesn’t need to know about us.  It’s been years since we were all together.”

               “Like what?”

               “Things even you don’t need to know.”  She patted Lyla on the knee and stood up.  Lyla grabbed her hand to stop her.

               “Don’t you think it’s time I did know?”

               Her mother removed her hand and walked out, pausing in the doorway.  “We’re doing this to protect you.  You’ll know soon enough.  Let’s get you through this year.”

               Lyla threw herself down on the bed angrily and turned toward the wall, ignoring her mother’s presence in the doorway.  She was so angry she might say something horrible she couldn’t take back.

               Lyla sat in her room that whole late afternoon doing homework.  She didn’t really get how her teachers would grade her papers, the whole set-up at school was confusing.

               Around five-thirty she heard a doorbell.  That must be Mr. M, Lyla thought.  She packed up the last of her work and headed down the stairs.  When Lyla came around the corner in the kitchen, the sight was something she had never seen.  Her parents were laughing.  Lyla stared.  Her mother’s normally creased face of worry was alight and sparkling.  Her father had taken his glasses off to rub his eyes from laughter.

               Frank Bleu looked up, “Oh Lyla, I didn’t hear you come in.”

               “Apparently.”

               Her mother wiped at her eyes and motioned for her to sit.

               Mr. M spoke up, “I haven’t seen your parents in so long.  We were quite the group in college.

               “You went to college with them?”  Lyla, curious now wanted to see a different side of her family.

               “Yep.  It was your mom, dad, me, Daniel, Scott and Harriett.”  A shadow swept across his features.  He looked down into the mug he was drinking out of.  Lyla’s mom patted his hand.