02. storm spirits

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↳ chapter two ₊˚

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↳ chapter two ₊˚.༄
[# storm spirits]



     A STORM BREWED OVERHEAD, AND THEY HAD TO LEAVE. SOON. FUNNEL clouds snaked toward the skywalk like tendrils. The wind picked its pace and took a dozen of notebooks, jackets, hats, and backpacks. Thankfully, Iana had buttoned half of her plaid shirt.

She saw Leo losing his balance a few meters away, nearly toppling over the railing, but Jason caught his jacket just in time. Iana rushed over to the pair. 

     "You okay, Leo?" The brunette worried.

Leo nodded in reassurance. "No need to worry, EJ. Thanks, man!" Leo yelled over the wind.

     "Go, go, go!" Coach Hedge rushed them.

     Piper and Dylan were holding the doors open, herding the other kids inside. Piper's snowboarding jacket flapped wildly in the wind, her dark hair tousled all over her face. Contrary to one's belief regarding the situation, she looked calm and collected, confidence radiating from her as she guided students through the doors, providing comfort through words and encouraging them to keep going.

     Iana, Jason, Leo, and Coach Hedge ran toward them, but it was like running through quicksand. The wind seemed to fight them as if the thought of four more bodies through the door would provoke a whirlwind. Each step they took caused them to fall back three more steps. 

     Dylan and Piper pushed one more kid inside right before losing their grip on the doors. It slammed shut, closing off the skywalk, and locking them out. Piper tugged at the handles, each pull disheartening her. Inside, the kids pounded on the glass, but the doors seemed to be stuck.

     "Dylan, help!" Piper shouted, looking over her shoulder desperately.

     Dylan just stood there with a manic grin, his Cowboys jersey rippling in the wind as if the storm was a popular television program. "Sorry, Piper," he said. "I'm done helping."

     With only a flick of his wrist, Piper flew backward and slammed into the doors, sliding away to the skywalk deck.

     "Hey, dipshit!" Iana shouted at Dylan over the harsh winds and tried to surge forward, but the winds kept working against her.

     "Iana, Jason, Leo, stay behind me," the coach ordered. "This is my fight. I should've known that was our monster."

     "What?" Leo demanded. A rogue worksheet slapped him in the face, but he swatted it away. "What monster?"

     The coach's cap blew off, and sticking up above his curly hair were two bumps— like the knots cartoon characters get when they're bonked on the head. Coach Hedge lifted his baseball bat— but it wasn't a regular bat anymore. Somehow it had changed into a crudely shaped tree-branch club, with twigs and leaves still attached.

( ✓ ) Evermore, Piper McLean¹ Where stories live. Discover now