The Eruption- Volume 1

The Eruption- Chapter 13

                                                                                        Chapter 13

"Jake! Jake! Jake! Wake up!" Allison stormed into my room and shook me awake. It was 5:05 AM. "Good God Ally! Why at this hour?!" I groaned. "It's important. Move over!" Allison climbed into the bed next to me with her laptop. I yawned and sat up, trying to wake myself up. "What is it?" I yawned again. "I have something to show you." USGS had posted a multi-media briefing video on their YVO website. Allison opened the video clip and began playing it. "This is the scientist in charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory bringing you a video briefing on the latest activity occurring at the Yellowstone Caldera. As many are aware, seismicity and general unrest at Yellowstone is far exceeding background levels that we have seen for the past one hundred years. The latest activity consisted of a phreatic eruption of gas and solid hot rock from the magma chamber of Yellowstone, situated about five kilometers below the ground. This explosion combined with a strong breeze and produced minor ash deposits around the Yellowstone vicinity. Phreatic explosions often proceed actual volcanic eruptions in other volcanoes. USGS has run some seismic imagery of the park, and we have found a new fracture has opened up from the chamber up to the surface in between Old Faithful and Norris. Magma is entering the fracture at alarming rates. Out latest computer projections are suggesting a small eruption will begin in this area in about three weeks. USGS is now raising the alert status of Yellowstone to Red but remaining at the Watch level, since the forecasted eruption is a little ways off. There is no reason to panic as none of our computer models have suggested this will lead to the super-eruption that has been widely speculated in the media. Hazards are expected to remain mostly within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park." The video ended. "Well there's your answer." I said. "There's got to be more though." Allison said." USGS is not going to be too quick at telling people this is going to be huge." I replied. "Yeah, that's true." "How's the earthquake activity?" "It's sharply dropped off! We only have about 25 quakes this morning. That's kind of expected though since that gas explosion relived a lot of pressure. As a matter of fact, the Norris Geyser Basin has shown as much as forty five feet of uplift in the past month. As of now, it has begun to subside. However, uplift around the new fracture zone is absolutely insane, as insane as 3 inches of rise per hour!" she exclaimed. "An hour?! Has that even been recorded before?!" I exclaimed. "I don't think so!" Allison shut her laptop down. "There's your shocker of the day." She said. I took a peek outside. It was still completely dark. The clock read 5:10 AM. "Good grief it's way too early!" I exclaimed. "You're lucky I didn't come in here earlier!" Allison laughed. "Earlier? How early did you get up?!" "Oh, about 4:30." "You're insane." "Maybe, maybe I am." She giggled. "Ughhh!! I don't want to get up!" I grumbled. "You don't have to get up yet, silly goose! It's barely five o'clock." "Five o'clock Americans each year!" I busted out laughing. "I don't get it." Allison said. "It's an inside joke." Allison ignored it and set her laptop down on the floor and sighed. "What's wrong?" "Oh nothing, just sighing. I'm not sure what to do until 6 AM." She said with a smile on her face. "Well I don't know either sweetie... uhhh... I mean Ally." Allison busted up laughing. I turned really red. "Stop it! I didn't mean it!" "Oh stop being so defenseful Jake! That was cute. Here, I know what to do." Allison laid her head down on my pillow right next to me. I just laid on my back, my heart pounding. I wasn't sure how to react to this. "Jakey, I'm cold!" "Uhhh... I'm sorry? That's what you get for wearing a tank top to bed." I said anxiously. She started laughing at me again. I growled. "What did I do wrong this time?!" "You are so silly! You did nothing wrong. Here, this is what you do when a girl gets cold." Allison grabbed my arm and wrapped it around her, scooting herself close to me, and laying her head on my chest. Now my heart was about ready to pound itself out of my chest! However, I said nothing. "Now this is how you warm up your girl!" Allison grinned. "Uhhh... what? Did you just say... my girl?" I stuttered. Allison giggled. "Jakey, you ask too many questions sometimes!" She scooted as close as she could facing me. We were face to face with one another. "You know... Aly... I never thought a girl would like me this much." I said. "Sometimes life does the unexpected, Jake." She whispered to me, still nose to nose with me. "Well, let's just say that all this is much unexpected for me!" I said. Allison smiled at me and stayed close. There was a long pause, which made me nervous again. "Uhh... shouldn't... shouldn't we get ready for school?" I stuttered. She laughed at me. "Well it's a bit early, but if you insist, Jakey!" Allison climbed out of my bed and left my room. I stayed in bed, somewhat in a daze, until my 6:00 alarm went off. I put on a shirt and headed into Allison's kitchen. Mom was there. "Good morning sleepyhead!" she exclaimed. I stared blankly at her. "In a daze much? Whatcha thinking about?" "Nothing" I replied. Yes, I was in a daze. "Well I'll be darned!" I heard Aaron shout from the living room. Ally and her dad were watching the TV. "Are we still on generator power?" I asked. "Nope, the power came back on around midnight." Aaron said. On the TV, a news reporter was giving off information the USGS released about Yellowstone. "Yellowstone Roars Back to Life: USGS Expects Volcanic Eruption" I read the headline outloud. "Ha! I told you!" Allison shouted. "Yeah yeah yeah, whatever. As long as it doesn't blow our house apart, I'm not worried." Ally went into the kitchen and I followed her. "Hey Jake, do you think we could leave a bit early?" "How come?" "I don't know. I just feel like going to school early. We will get some time together too!" "Oh yeah! That's fine with me." Allison smiled at me and grabbed a lunch box. "Whatcha want to eat for lunch? We can share." "Hmmm... I'm feeling ham and cheese today." "Okay Jakey!" Allison giggled. Mom came into the room. "I'm taking Marvin to his school early this morning. His teacher wants me to come in and talk about his behavior. Oh joy! Wish me luck! I'll see you this evening Jake." "Bye mom." Marvin and mom walked out of the house. "So Jake, are you ready to get going?" Allison asked. "Yeah let's go!" Allison glanced down at me and started laughing hysterically. "Oh okay, so apparently boxers is the new style?" I looked down and saw I had no pants on. "Oh shit!" I shouted, running across the house into my room. How? How in the world do I forget pants?! I slapped on a pair of pants and dashed back into the kitchen. Allison was turning red, still laughing her head off. "Ha ha ha yeah I know I'm hilarious... let's go now!"