Lukas & The Lion

Chapter 40- Wildfire Season

"There is big fire! We aren't going home, Lukas. We must evacuate! I have your things. We need to go now!" Ari said with a hint of annoyance at my slow reactions to his rush. 

He was still wearing the crisp suit I'd seen him in this morning and he was dodging between traffic on a very congested freeway. Behind us, the air was thick with brown haze, and somewhere in the distance sirens were going off.

"How did you know they would evacuate the high school? The fires came so suddenly," I noted.

 It seemed like a matter of seconds between Ari texting me that he was outside and the high school intercom announcing school was letting out early for a fire that had quickly spread through the hills and close to where the school butted against them.

"I come to get you when father sees on news the fire is close to Glendale. He is pack important house thing and meet us later," Ari said. 

He swerved over into the carpool lane which was inching a little faster than the other lanes.

"It was fine this morning, cold and windy. I went into third period and halfway through...." I trailed off as Ari reached over and squeezed my hand.

"It start this morning in La Crescenta and comes over the hills with the Santa Ana winds. They are bad today. Is no good for your allergy. I hear the scratches in your baby voice." Ari squeezed my hand as the speeds started to pick up. 

I covered his hand with both of mine and leaned over to put my head on his shoulder.

He told me to rest. He turned up the Persian pop he was playing and drove on for what felt like hours until the city turned to suburbs that stretched out into green hills that stacked up into scrubby brown mountains. 

We got off the freeway onto a parkway and drove past big shopping centers. It started to lose lanes until it turned into a two lane highway winding around a neighborhood under construction.

"My uncle live up there. He has large home so we have room." Ari pulled onto a narrow, grey road that crawled up the scrubby hillside dotted with towering pines hiding stately mediterranean compounds surrounded by adobe walls and wooden gates painted and weathered to look like they had survived the Mexican war.

"But I have a test tomorrow and I need my homework book from the house!" I suddenly remembered my projects due this week.

"There is no school tomorrow. We will come home when is safe. You can study while we wait this to pass," Ari assured. He squeezed my hand again.

He pulled up to a gate and spoke in his language to an intercom before the gate slid open to let us in. His car rolled up a driveway that wound between two small grassy hills that opened to show a modern mansion of grey slate and glass.

"Woah! That's where we're staying?" I asked in amazement.

"They can build cheaper out here... far from city," Ari defended as if I thought it was nicer than the Khorasani estate back in Glendale. "If my father sell his home we will build twice this size!"

I nodded at him and decided to keep my awe to myself. 

He pulled the car around the house to where a row of luxury vehicles were parked under a large slate roof supported by criss-crossed steel beams.

"Your uncle lives here? Is he your dad's brother or your mom's?" I asked when he parked.

"Neither. They are Egyptian but he is good friend to my father for long time. They live next to us in Glendale but move here when his wife dies. Was tragic. She was nice to us and friend to mother," Ari said with a little sadness.