Everything Has Changed: Book Two

Chapter Thirteen: Acceptance

The time skip is next chapter and I promise the length of time I'm doing is absolutely necessary and you guys will be pleased

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Chapter Thirteen: Acceptance

I can't help but slow Ocean down as I turn onto the major busy road in Daytona Beach.

Fallen tree limbs rest on the side of the road. Street signs are tipped. Parts of roof rest in parking lots, windows shattered.

"Wow." Danny mutters, looking out the window. "Look at that." He points to something and I slow down even more to see it.

There's a giant oak tree on the side of the road. It's lying on it's side and you can see enormous roots, a large hole in the ground where it used to stand tall and proud.

We drive a few more miles and come to an enormous palm tree blocking the entire road.

"Shit." I mutter.

There's a grass median separating the two roads, so I turn the wheel all the way to the left and drive up onto it. The car tips awkwardly and I give it a little more gas to get Ocean up over the curb, turning around to watch Danny's truck make it over too. Pepper is sitting up in the back, looking out the window.

"A police officer pulls up to the tree too and I'm expecting him to pull me over for what I just did, but when I get off the curb with the truck, he gets on the curb and does the exact thing I did.

I continue down the road until I reach the left turn to Danny's old house.

I take it and drive through his neighborhood. Tree branches rest in the street and Danny has to get out to move them three different times.

I pull into the driveway and see Danny's neighbors house had his oak tree fall into his house and make the roof collapse.

"Holy cow." I mutter, putting Ocean in park.

Twigs and leaves and branches litter Danny's yard, and it's flooded the entire yard. Our vehicles are sitting in a puddle of water.

"I hope the house isn't flooded." He mutters.

We both get out, stepping in about an inch of water. Pepper jumps out when I open the back door.

"Here baby, go check the house."

I take the key from Danny and walk to the front door. Pepper follows me.

We go inside and I shut the door. The floor is dry, so I walk to the sliding glass door.

It's dry there too, but it's the sight outside that makes my jaw drop.

The screen around the pool is in the pool, which is completely overflown. The pool itself has popped up out of the ground probably a good two feet on one end. There's bricks from the patio everywhere. I hear the front door shut and footsteps, and Danny comes to a stop behind me. The palm tree that was in the backyard is lying across the entire ordeal, and the water in the back is so high that it's up against the glass door. If it open it, it'll come flooding the house.

"This is thousands of dollars in repairs." Danny whispers. "They're going to have to bring in a crane to lift the pool out of the hole, re-dig it, probably fix the machines and drains..." he trails off. "We have to find a way to get rid of all of this water before the whole house floods, too. One more rainstorm and we're screwed."

I look at the clear blue sky and turn to my boyfriend.

"Any ideas?"

"We need a water pump." He says.