“Maybe. Not that I remember. Did you guys team up today?”
“Not on purpose. Landed in the same spot.”
“Nice. It’s a great shot. You really captured something there.”
I stood mute and numb, staring at the photograph of Ozrik, sweating and shivering at the same time.
Dad ruffled my hair and drew me in to kiss the top of my head. “Love you, kiddo. Sleep tight. I’m heading to bed.”
“Good night.”
He shuffled down the hallway to the stairs. The soft creak of wood followed his ascent. The kitchen light flicked off, and the basement was swallowed in darkness. I retreated into my room, clutching the picture, unsure where to put myself.
It was past midnight. Instead of crawling into bed, I dug a backpack from my closet and filled it with clothes and gear. In the morning, I would hit the road and land somewhere else. The truth nipped at my heels, and I feared I would spend a lifetime trying to outrun it.
14
Ozrik
“Iwas fifteen when I chased my first tornado, and I did it on a freaking BMX.”
Noah chuckled, and the camera bounced on his shoulder. “Stop making me laugh, or this shot is going to be wonky.”
“You could use a tripod,” Vern said.
“Who cares. It’s supposed to be real.” I adjusted myself on the couch to ensure my best side was showing.
Noah rolled a hand. “Keep going. I’ll edit this part out.”
“You can’t keep editing shit. They’re going to know.”
“Shut up, Vern. Oz, talk, for fuck’s sake. You’re stealing all the time.”
My best friend looked annoyed at Noah’s reprimand, but I kept going. We were getting behind.
“It was a warm day at the beginning of May. I had an algebra test I didn’t study for. Elk City was under a tornado watch, but it’s such a common occurrence in our neck of the woods that teachers barely make noise. It’s life as usual. Meanwhile,I remember praying the alarms would sound, and we’d have to take shelter. I needed one more day to study.”
“Like that would have helped.” Vern snickered.
I shot him the finger.
Noah made a gesture, indicating I needed to stay on track.
“I paid more attention to the sky out the window than my English teacher blabbing about Shakespeare or some crap. Sorry, Mr. Guthery. If you’re watching, I enjoyedHamlet. Sort of. The parts I understood.
“Anyhow, luck was not on my side. The dark clouds had moved in, the sky was an awful shade of ugly, but the advisory hadn’t changed. Third period loomed ever closer, so I decided it was time to get the fuck gone.”
Noah lowered the camera, a look of exasperation on his face. “You can’t keep swearing.”
“It was one swear. They can censor it. Besides, we swear in all our videos. It’s our thing. Not swearing will be less authentic. We need realism.”
“The show rating is PG.”
“Said who?”
“I don’t know. Never mind. Keep going.” Noah brought the camera up and shouted, “Quiet on set.” We didn’t have a set, and no one was making noise. He earned a few eye rolls.
Noah gave me a signal to continue. He was too serious. This was reality TV. I wasn’t about to play a role.
