Caught

Chapter 19 - Thunder and Lightning

The sky is a beautiful blue. So beautiful, in fact, that I can hardly stand to look at it. Tearing my eyes away, I focus instead on the field of flowers surrounding me, each one turned up towards the beaming sun. It's the perfect day.

For once in my life, I feel calm. I can't remember anything except how the wind touches gently against my face. I'm certain there's something I'm supposed to be worrying about, but everything else drifts away when I lie down on the soft grass beneath my feet. It's so peaceful here. I wish I could stay forever.

Bang.

I crane my neck and look off into the distance. The sky seems to be darkening a few miles away. The clouds, which were pure white only a second ago, have transformed into ugly, black splotches.

BANG.

This time I see it. A bolt of lightning flashes across the horizon, with the sound of thunder echoing behind it. Suddenly, the wind grows from a gentle breeze to a violent gust. My hair blows into my face, causing me to lose all vision, until the entire world goes black.

I'm blind.

I stumble through the field, which now seems to be covered in thorns or barbed wire - I can feel thin cuts being scrapped into my legs. I try to think of someone's name to call out, someone who can come and save me, but I just can't remember anything. I can't remember his name.

Bang. Bang. BANG.

I fall out of my bed, crashing to the carpeted floor below me. My legs are tangled inside of my floral comforter. Placing a hand against my forehead, I'm met with skin covered in sweat, and yet cold to the touch.

Bang.

My head snaps upward, and I worry that I haven't woken up from the nightmare after all.

Bang, bang, bang.

No. That's coming from downstairs. Someone's knocking on the door.

I stand up – with great difficulty – and glance at the alarm clock on my bedside table.

Seven-fifty.

Crap. I slept through my alarm. Alex has probably already left for school. So has Addie.

Maybe they even went together.

Quickly shoving my legs into yesterday's jeans, I run downstairs and open the front door.

"How could you!?"

Felix shoves his way inside of my house the moment he sees me. His arm is lifted up, and there's a newspaper dangling from his hand, but I can't read the words because of how much he's shaking.

"Jesus, calm down Felix, what the hell has gotten into you?"

He looks at me then, with the most disgusted glare I've ever seen in another person's eyes. "Don't. Don't you dare do that. Don't act like you don't know. You know everything."

I finally focus on the newspaper in front of me, where I can just make out the large headline at the top of the first page:

INTERMIN ACCOUNTING: RAMPING UP FOR LEGAL TROUBLE?

My heart drops in my chest. "Felix, please. Please. You don't understand, you weren't there, I did everything I could to stop him." I'm speaking at a thousand words a minute, so desperate to explain, to defend myself, that I don't care how clear the thoughts are. "My dad, he- he gave everything to that company. And when he got fired, he just couldn't handle it, and the wh-"