Listen.

    I can see their mouths move. Their hands making gestures. Eyes looking at me. They were trying to get my attention, I knew that much.
     "Are you okay?" my mother's lips mouthed, I had to pay close attention to make out what she said. Slowly I felt my head nod. I could not answer in words, sounds, nothing. All I could do was nod or gesture with my hands.
     This silence has been with me since birth. Sometimes I walked with my mother, grasping tightly at her hand, wondering what everyone might be saying. Would they be talking about their day? Making plans to see a movie? If so, what movie? I wanted to hear them so desperately. I wanted to know how a car engine sounded, how birds sang in the morning, how a stranger whistled as he walked by. What sound did my feet make as they hit the pavement? What about my mother's feet? Would they make the same sound? Would it be louder or lower? I wanted to be able to hear everything around me. Everyone else took advantage of the sounds cruising through their ears. In one ear, out the other. I wanted to make the sounds go through my right ear, close my hand over my left ear and just let it bounce around inside my head. Soak in every moment, every little flaw that sound may have.
   
     "Good job!" Ms. Adams signed to me. I had finally learned to sign. It felt great to use my hands for something other than pointing. I could actually create words in the air, using these very fingers that I once thought were useless. I never thought it would be me finishing sign class. Boy, does it feel great! My mother took lessons too, she did not have to, but she did it for me.
     "Isn't this fantastic?" my mother signed, "Now we can communicate in a completely different way!"
     "Yes, I know. This is wonderful!" I signed back, struggling a little, but the message went across. Ms. Adams told me I was ready to leave the lessons and go off on my own.
     "Thank you." I signed to Ms. Adams, "You have been very kind to me."
     "No, thank you for joining us everyday and never giving up." she signed back. She smiled at me, gave my mother a hug and we said our goodbyes.
     When we reached the front office, my mother reached into her pocketbook and took out the last check, she looked at it for a while, I wonder what she was thinking, then almost reluctantly handed it to the lady. She looked upset about leaving this place.
     I tapped my mother's elbow.
     She turned to me, "Yes?" she signed.
     "Are you okay?" it was my turn to ask her.
     "I'm fine, just got attached to this place. It brought us closer together."
     "You are my mother, we will always be close." and with that being said, I hugged her and the lady gave us a receipt. We walked out the glass doors together, hand in hand.
     When we made it home my mother made sure I was safely inside and I'm guessing the phone rang because she signed "Give me a second." and walked to the kitchen. I followed her in and she had a smile on her face. Her lips were moving too fast for me to read. I had no idea what she was talking about or who was on the other line. I always wondered what it was like to talk to someone through a telephone. Something so small connecting people all over the world and bringing them closer together.
     My mother and I ate dinner and soon it was time for bed. She kissed me goodnight, turned off the lights and left the door ajar. I could not seem to fall asleep, tossing and turning were occupying my bedtime. I turned to the window and stared at the gleaming the stars. Hours passed and I began to doze off.
     Before I knew it, it was time to get up. The sun was up, shining all over the little town we lived in. I lay in bed and stretched when my mother walked in and stood in front of me.
     "Good morning." she signed with her wonderful smile spread across her face.
     "Good morning." I signed back.
     "Let's get you ready to go out, I have a surprise for you!" she signed, almost to excited to finish the sentence. She moved across my room with such grace, it seemed like there was nothing to rush for. I got up off my bed and followed her around trying on the shirts she showed me. She knew by my face if I liked it or not. After a couple minutes I was dressed and she was gathering her pocketbook from the kitchen table.
     We stepped into the elevator, hand in hand. I could feel her pulse, her heart was beating fast. It made me feel warm inside to be able to feel her pulse on my hand. She had not been this excited in a long time. Seemed like when Father left, her happiness was robbed from her. Of course she did not let it show around me. I was not fooled though. One quick glance in her green eyes and I could see her sadness. I loved my mother very much and it hurt to see her this way. I tried so hard everyday to make her feel better, make her feel special. Her smile appeared more everyday, and that made me happy.
     "Where are we going?" I signed.
     "You'll see soon, it's going to be great!" she signed back.
     I stopped asking questions, took hold of her hand again and let her pulse settle into my hand. The elevator reached the lobby and we headed outside. When we walked, we did not say much. She knew I was looking around trying to create sounds. I liked when she knew when to say something. She knew that when we walked, I wanted to pretend I could hear. She knew that when the television was on not to interrupt, I was trying to read the lips of the news broadcasters.
     We came upon a large brick building. It had giant glass doors. You could see inside, they had colorful furniture and games for kids. There were stuffed animals on the walls, stickers on the tables, large chairs for adult, along with small chairs for the children. My mother squeezed my hand and looked down at me with the same giant smile. I smiled back, getting nervous from not knowing what to expect. We walked in and she pointed at the toys. She wanted me to go play while she talked to the receptionist.
     I walked over to the table and began to gather puzzle pieces. Every time one landed on the table I wanted to know how it would sound like.
     A hand landed on my shoulder. It startled me, since I was deep in thought. I turned around and saw my mother.
     "You scared me." I signed to her.
     "I'm sorry, the doctor wants to see you." she signed back.
     "For what?" I asked.
     "You'll see." she took hold of my hand and walked me to the room. It seemed to be a couple minutes before the doctor came in. He wore a name tag, it read "Dr. Montzco."
     "Hello, I'm Dr. Montzco. I'm assuming you are the mother?" he asked as he shook hands with my mother. He seemed to know I was reading his lips as he spoke slowly and clearly. It was a comforting feeling to be able to know what they were saying.
     "Hey there, scout!" he signed to me.
     "Hello, nice to meet you." I signed back.
     "Has your mom let you know why you are here?"
     I shook my head.
     "Oh, so it's going to be a surprise, I see." he said with the same genuine smile my mother wore all day.
     "May you let me know what it is?" I signed feeling sick in the stomach.
     "Of course!" he signed back as he turned to face his small desk by the wall. He seemed to be looking for something.
     I looked at my mother and her smile extended. I was the only one who didn't know what was going on and the suspense was killing me. Even though I knew it was only a couple of seconds, it felt like hours passed before Dr. Montzco turned back around. He was holding something in his left hand.
     "Turn your head for me, please, to the right." he said out loud, my mother heard him. He spoke slowly for me to read his lips again. I did as I was told.
     He opened his hand in front of me, to show me what it was. My mother went around and stood in front of me as Dr. Montzco went towards my left ear.
     "He's going to put that device in your ear. It won't hurt, I promise." my mother signed as she took hold of my hands.
     I felt Dr. Montzco cold hands go to my ear, the chill of the device going inside my ear. I didn't know what  it was, but trusted my mother. Dr. Montzco worked on the device, adjusting it to my ear. It took a couple minutes before I saw his face again.
     "Does that feel okay? It doesn't bother you or anything, right?" he signed.
     "It feels a little strange." I signed back.
     "That's normal, you aren't used to it yet."
     "What is it?"
     "You want to hear things around you, am I right?"
     My eyes opened wide. This could not be real. It was a dream. There was no way this little device could grant me the gift of hearing things.
     "I'll take that look on your face as a 'yes'" he signed with a smile.
     I stared at him, not knowing what to do.
     "Are you ready?" he signed, my mother's hold on my hand tightened and I turned to look at her. Her eyes were watering, but she was smiling like never before.
     I turned back to face Dr. Montzco and nodded my head with a grin on my face.
     "Very well then! I will turn a nob on your device, it's called a hearing-aid. Once I turn the nob, you will be able to hear things. They will be loud to you, as you are not used to the noise. Don't worry, everyone gets afraid at first." he explained and then moved to my ear again. I felt a nudge on my ear and slowly started to hear. . .sounds!
     He wasn't joking when he said most people get afraid. I couldn't believe what was going on around me! It was like a new light flashed before my eyes. Dr. Montzco was smiling and so was my mother, she had a camera in her hand when I looked at her again and snapped a picture. Tears coming down her cheeks, faster this time.
     Dr. Montzco gave me toys that squeaked, a little radio, different types of  toys. Everything making a completely different sound. The music, soothing and touching, it floated through the room. The toys making louder sounds.
     Dr. Montzco and mother had a soft conversation, I stopped playing with the toys as soon as my mother's lips moved and the most beautiful sound came out. She had a soft voice, filled with a mother's care, kindness, and pure love. I jumped off my seat and my feet hit the floor with a "Thud!". I looked down, stomped my feet, the sounds were different with every step I took. I ran to my mother, the sounds were louder. I hugged her so tightly and felt her tears pour onto my shirt. Her sobs were beautiful, just like her.
     "I love you." she spoke. I touched her lips. They were soft, just like her voice. It made me cry, the sound fascinating me.
     "I love you too." I signed. I was so ecstatic with the fact that I could hear my mother's voice that I did not notice Dr. Montzco had left the room. My mother and I just stood there. Looking at each other with tears in our eyes. I hugged her tightly and for the first time ever, I fell asleep in her arms to the sound of her heart.

The Green & Blue City Down In Flames

     "Clack!" the judge's gabble slammed. Everyone got instantly quiet. The young girl, her clear green eyes, filled with tears, they did not dare fall.  

     "My decision is final. Elizabeth Hunter will be placed under foster care. Mrs. Caroline Hunter is declared  incompetent. Elizabeth's father, be it he is not in the picture, will have no custody of her." the judge's voice bombed through the small court room. Caroline Hunter was dismissed from the court room with two big police officers by her side. She was no longer going to see her daughter. Her husband was no where to be found and she had developed an addiction to heroin. The judge had no choice, she was not being a parent. There was no way she could possibly take care of her daughter when she couldn't take care of herself. 

     Elizabeth was oddly silent. Her dark, wavy hair fell to her face as she tried to hide her tears. She was coming back to reality, it finally hit her: she will not see her mother anymore. She knew everything was going was going to fall apart. Her heart instantly shattered into a million pieces. 

     "Miss, Hunter, would you like to say goodbye to your mother?" asked her lawyer in a soothing voice. 

     At this point, Elizabeth couldn't move, her mouth would open to say something but words never came out. It's like everything escaped her and she was just left there like a shell abandoned by a crab. 

     "Elizabeth? Would you like to say goodbye to your mother?" repeated her lawyer.

     Elizabeth still couldn't seem to find her voice. All she could do, and settled for, was nod. Her lawyer took her gently by the arm and lead her out the court room. She was saying things to Elizabeth but Elizabeth had no idea because she was in her own head.  

     They finally reached the room her mom was being kept in. Right behind that silver door sat a mother who was oblivious to everything that was going on because of all the drugs she had consumed. The lawyer turned the nob slowly, giving Elizabeth time to collect herself. The door opened wide, there was a tall doctor in the room, he seemed to be checking Caroline before she was taken away. He turned around, revealing his name tag: Dr. Bleu. 

     "Hello, can I help you?" Dr. Bleu asked with a smile, directing the question towards Elizabeth.

     "This is Mrs. Caroline's daughter." answered her lawyer.

     "Oh, I see. I'm just running some tests on her, making sure she's fit to go. We can talk about this outside." he explained to the lawyer.

     "Absolutely. My name is Stephanie Crawford." 

     "Nice to meet you Miss. Crawford. Right this way please." Dr. Bleu and Stephanie Crawford left the room leaving Elizabeth and her mother alone. There was a mirror like window so the doctors could observe Caroline. 

     Caroline was in the worst condition possible. Her black hair, that was once curly and manageable was now tangled and in knots. It looked like she tried to do her make up but it was no use. She sat in a metal chair, her wrists and ankles strapped. Her head occasionally bobbed from side to side. That was the only movement that came from her. 

     Elizabeth, frozen in place, just looked at her mother. No one said a word, no one made an effort to move. 

     "Mom?" it was barely a whisper. 

     Caroline's head moved a fraction of an inch. Her head was still looking down, her eyes looked up, glared at her daughter. 

     "Why? Why is this happening? What happened to us?" tears started to run down Elizabeth's cheek. With every word she said, pain and sadness oozed out with them. She moved closer to her mom. Her mom looked down, back to the same position she was in. Elizabeth kept coming closer and closer, every time she took a step, her heart sank like the Titanic, into the ocean that was her chest. She wanted to cry, scream, kick, and punch. Her world was spinning out of control right before her eyes. Her mother refused to look at her, talk to her, she even stopped moving her head. 

     "Bye, Elizabeth. . ." it was barely audible but it was loud enough to make Elizabeth stop walking towards her mother. 

     "What?" her breathe caught in tears, the burning building up in her throat. 

     Her mom looked up for the first time since she's been in the room. She was getting ready to say something when the door nob sounded. The door opened and soon followed Dr. Bleu. 

     "I'm sorry, your time is up. We tried to extend your visit, the judge refused. She had be taken to the hospital now." Dr. Bleu saw that it wasn't the right moment to come in, he knew he was interrupting. He apologized once more and began to escort Elizabeth out. 

     Elizabeth turned to see her mother one last time, tried to take in every last detail of her and tattoo it into her brain. No matter what pain and suffering they went through, Caroline was still her mother. Elizabeth will always love her and never forget her. 

     "I love you." she whispered as Dr. Bleu closed the door behind them. 

THREE YEARS LATER

     "Happy birthday, Elizabeth!!" Hally and Stefan cheered with a cake on their hands. They were standing in the room of their newly adopted daughter. Elizabeth lived in the foster home for two years and a half until Hally and Stefan came along and fell in love with her. Elizabeth at first was doubtful that this new found relationship would work out. As the days went by and they got to know each other, she started to let her guard done, just a little. She agreed to live with them and in a couple months they moved to Stockholm, Sweden for a fresh start. Hally already had family in Sweden and knew a little bit of Swedish. Stefan was learning and it was his first time leaving the states. Elizabeth was just trying to go along with everything that was happening to her. 

     Hally and Stefan had been together for seven years. They always wanted to have a child, the miracle never came. They felt like something was missing, a piece of their puzzle they called life. They looked in at adoption, they were nominees five times. When it came down to it, the child that they wanted to adopt had to choose. Sadly, they got attached to another family before them. Hally was a brunette. She was tall and slender, had a gem on her nose and wore long dreads down to her waist. Stefan was average height for a male, he wasn't body builder buff, and he wasn't obese. He had a goatee, a small tattoo on his wrist and was over all a nice guy. They both were ecstatic when Elizabeth agreed to meet them, even more when she agreed to be adopted by them. 

     Elizabeth opened her eyes just slightly to see a candle blazing and two jolly foster parents waiting for her to blow the candle out. The cake was vanilla with a chocolate surrounding, a strawberry smack in the middle where the candle sat patiently. It spelled out "Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!" in blue frosting. The cake would look odd to anyone else but it was just perfect for the three of them. 

     With a giant grin, Elizabeth sat up and blew the candle.

     "What did you wish for?" asked Stefan.

     "If you say your wish, it won't come true." Hally told him elbowing lightly in the ribs. 

     "It's okay, I know she's fine. I wished for my mother to get better. And if it's okay with you, to maybe see her again sometime." Elizabeth replied awkwardly. 

     "Of course, it's completely okay with us if you want to see your mom again." Hally replied reassuringly.

     "Now, it's your birthday, what do you want to do?" asked Stefan.

     "I really want to look around Stockholm. I know you don't want me to walk alone, but I would really enjoy it more if you guys came along."

     "Absolutely!" Hally and Stefan said in unison. 

     Everyone got ready and headed out the door. 

     "Bringgg!" the house phone rang right when the door locked. Stefan took out the keys and unlocked the door. Hally and Elizabeth waited outside.

     "Hello?. . .Yes, she's here. . . We were actually about to head out. . .It has to be quick. . .Okay. .Hang on. Hally!" 

     "Wait here, Liz" Liz was a nickname they decided to give Elizabeth. She patiently waited at the door as Hally took the phone call. Stefan came back outside and started to talk to Elizabeth about school. 

     "Made any friends yet?" asked Stefan.

     "One actually. His name is Raymen." 

     "Is he in your grade?"

     "No, hes actually a senior. Not that much of a difference." 

     "Be careful"

     "I know. He's actually originally from England. He moved here because his parents got divorced. They couldn't decide on who gets to take care of him, even though he's old enough to live on his own, so he was sent here to live with his grandmother. It's actually nice having someone who I can have a full conversation with, you know?" 

     "Yeah, but we still want you to be careful. We just moved here, and we, well, we just want you to be safe."

     "I understand, don't worry." Elizabeth replied with a smile. 

     "What are you guys talking about?" asked Hally as she walked down the stairs. 

     "Liz, here, made a new friend" answered Stefan.

     "Oh that's great!" 

     They walked off into the street talking about everything and nothing. It was nice to be outside. Fall was coming and the air was perfect. Not too hot and not too cold. The trees were turning a bright red and having the ocean there at every turn made it look like a picture. They crossed one of the fifty-seven bridges to get to the park. 

     Stefan walked ahead looking for a great place to take pictures, not like it was needed, but he wanted the space to be special. 

     "So, this Raymen kid. Who is he?" asked Hally sounding like the responsible adult she was supposed to be. 

     "A friend from school. I met him a couple days ago. We have 2 classes together. He takes tenth grade math and he's in my P.E. class."

     "Didn't you say he was a senior?"

     "Yeah, but when he moved here his grades got messed up. So he had to repeat a class."

     "Is he nice to you?"

     "Yeah, he's been here longer so he shows me around school" 

     "Hey, you guys!" shouted Stefan, "I found a spot!" 

     "Race ya!" yelled Elizabeth taking a head start.

     "Cheater!" called out Hally as she tried to catch up. 

     Stefan took the opportunity and started taking pictures of them running. He caught their smiles in a brilliant way. The sun was perfectly behind them, grass greener than ever, trees a bright red, it was a memory stopped in time. 

     Once they made it to the spot Stefan picked out they used up the whole role and enjoyed walking around the rest of the day. As the sun began to set, they decided to go eat. While they were eating at the table, Elizabeth noticed an orangey-red head. Hally saw her starring.

     "Who are you looking at?" Hally asked.

     "I think that's Raymen." answered Elizabeth. The guy turned around and Elizabeth felt her heart start to beat hard. "It is Raymen."

     With that said, Stefan turned around to inspect the guy. Elizabeth noticed and started laughing because she found it funny when Stefan got over protective. He was usually laid back and mellow. His facial expressions would change in seconds and his nose would cringe when he was focused on something. Hally seemed to take notice too because she started laughing. 

     "Raymen!" before Elizabeth could stop herself, she had called out his name. Her eyes grew wide and she immediately regretted her decision. It was too late. Raymen saw her and started walking towards their table. 

     "Hey!" he said as he reached their table. "Oh, excuse me. Hello, I'm Raymen." he said with an apologetic smile on his face for not introducing himself first. 

     "Hally. Nice to meet you." they shook hands, "And this is Stefan." she gestured to her left. 

     "Sup, man." Stefan said as he nodded his head as to say hello. You could tell he was making notes in his head about the guy. 

    It began to get a little awkward until Hally took the hint and made an excuse for her and Stefan to step away from the table. 

     "So. . .what are you doing here?" asked Raymen as he scratched his head out of nervousness. 

     "Oh just eating with Hally and Stefan." Elizabeth answered nonchalantly, obviously trying to impress him in some way.

     "Cool, cool. Heard today's your birthday," he said, "I was kinda heading to your house right now, I wanted to give you your present." 

     "Oh, you didn't have to," Elizabeth's stomach was filling up with butterflies. 

     Raymen reached into his pocket and took out a bracelet. It was simple, brown string wrapping around blue and green beads. In the middle it had her initials, E.H.

     "You really didn't have to, but thank you." Elizabeth's heart was doing cartwheels by the time he took her hand and tied the bracelet around her wrist. He then proceeded to hold her hand, moved it towards his lips and kissed it. 

     "Your welcome," he whispered. 

     Elizabeth could feel her face burning. 

     "Oh and one more thing. . .I kinda wanted to ask you when I met you, but I figured you would say no because we didn't know each other. And besides you were new to the school and maybe you got the wrong idea. . .and. . ."

     "What are you trying to say?" she asked laughing a little at how he was rambling.

     "What I'm trying to say is, would you give me a chance to become more than just your friend?"

     "Absolutely!" she was happy and her own world she didn't notice Hally and Stefan were starring and wondering what was going on. She smiled and waved at them. Raymen gave her a hug, took her hand and walked towards Hally and Stefan to ask for their permission to take her out on a date.

     Stefan was still doing his nose thing but agreed, as long as she was back before ten. Hally on the other hand was happy and acted more like a sister than a mom, she simply said "You kids have fun!" 

     Raymen and Elizabeth said their goodbyes to Hally and Stefan and went the opposite direction. 

     "Look at them, it's like seeing us in the past." sighed Hally.

     Stefan kissed her cheek and they both stood there watching them walk away.

Six Feet Under The Stars

     It was November in the year of 2012. The exact day was unknown because the power was gone. All of the east coast was dark. Dark, cold, and lonely. We were stuck here with no where to go, people struggling for food, gas and clothes. Gasoline stations were shut down. The demand was too high to handle. Everyone was going insane. Trucks passing by day and night, traffic that could get even the most mellow person alive fill up with rage and start to make a scene. No one has seen this kind of disaster in so long.
  
     Let's take this back a little. . .
     November 1st was the last anyone remembers  The weather was decent, chilly but you could live. Heaters, televisions, radios, telephones, cellphones, everything was working perfectly. Children ran in the parks not worried about the cold, they were too busy having fun. Mothers and fathers talked about how they want their children to go to collage and have a bright future. Everyone who was old enough to go to school was in class enjoying their life. No one took the warnings seriously.
      The days were passing by like usual. Everyone was either at home or work. The students were out of school and continuing with their after school activities. We focus in on a particular girl, her name's Lucinda. Lucinda was one of the quiet girls at her high school. She had good grades and always wanted her work to be perfect. She had a few friends but she only saw them in lunch. Sometimes after school, when she wasn't living inside another fantasy-fiction novel. She wasn't ugly and she wasn't shallow. Lucinda stood at 5' 2" and had long brown hair with outstanding pale blue eyes. She got her eyes from her grandmother who was half Irish and Italian. Lucinda went on about her day like always.
"MOM! I'm home!" she calls out as she enters her house.
"O.K. I'm in the kitchen, want anything to eat?" replies Mildred, her mother. Mildred was a slim woman who had short blond hair and brown eyes. She was divorced and lived with her only daughter in a small town on the east coast.
"Yes, thank you. I'm starving!" laughs Lucinda.
"You eat a lot, little lady." jokes her mother.
"When you have to wake up early, go to school, participate in gym class first thing in the morning, run to art club, swimming practice, tennis practice and dance glass you can expect to have a big appetite."
"Well that's great that join all those things, but don't you think it will become too much for you?"
"Not at all! It's great having things to do"
Mildred served her daughter and herself food and they sat and talked in the dining room.
They both said goodnight and went to bed after a few hours. The next morning was strange right from the beginning.
     Lucinda was awoken by her alarm clock at 5:30 in the morning. She got up, took a shower, and did her morning rituals. There was nothing strange there. She went to the kitchen and as she was going to serve herself some cereal she spotted a little yellow sticky note on the kitchen floor. It looked like it had been blown off the table.

    Dear Lucinda,
    I had to leave early this morning. My boss called and said it was urgent that I get to work as soon as possible. I left you some money so you can buy yourself some food if I'm not back in time. I  hope you have a great day at school. Lock the door before you leave and keep your cellphone on. I'll call you if anything else pops up and to check on you.
                                                                                                   Love,
                                                                                                           Mom

     At first it didn't seem like something to worry about. Everyone had those days at work that were "urgent" and Mildred was a nurse, so this should be no shock.
Lucinda shrugged it off and continued her way to school. Her bus was late, this seemed a little odd, but once again thought nothing of it.

(What Lucinda Though)

     When she arrived to school everyone was talking about how this hurricane named Sandy was going to come. Lucinda thought Oh big deal! it's just rain and wind. what can it do? There's been a lot worse before. . .
     And with that, days went by so fast it was a blur. Her mom had returned back home only twice. She had been staying at the hospital tending to the injured. Lucinda went to her room and was watching television when all of a sudden, "BONK"!
     Lucinda ran to the kitchen window and looked outside. It was dark, all the other houses where dark. Then came a flash, it looked like someone was trying to take a picture from the sky down. That's when she noticed, with that little light, a massive tree had fallen in the backyard! Her windows started to shutter as the wind came harder and harder every time. The rain drops sounding like bullets hitting glass, dying to get inside the house.
     She turned around as fast as she could and ran to her room. She grabbed her cellphone and was about to dial her mom's number when her power went out. She checked her phone "No Signal".
     "No, no, no this can't be happening!" she cried into the dark room. It seemed useless. She was alone, her mom was at work, no way to contact each other. . .
     Lucinda, for the first time in years, started crying for her mom. She didn't want to be alone, she had no idea if her mom was okay or not. All she had was a cellphone with no signal. Not even internet to be able to check what was going.
     "BONK!" another tree went down. This time it didn't go down alone. A car alarm started sounding, the tree found a car to cushion its fall.
     "Oh great," sighed Lucinda. She began to calm down and started lookng for candles, flashlights, batteries, lighters, blankets, warm clothes, shoes, socks, pillows, and whatever food she could find. Down to the basement she went.
     She put a candle in every corner by her, flashlight in the middle, with her blankets on the floor forming a bed. She put all her clothes on to keep warm and but a candle between her hands. Slowly her eyes started to get heavy. She tried so hard to stay awake and wait for her mom but her eyes wouldn't let her. She drifted off. . .
     "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Lucinda shot awake as icy cold water touched her skin. She jumped up, soaked as a rag, and began to shiver so hard her whole body couldn't keep still. She was in shock and couldn't move, her feet were glued to the ground. She knew trying to find the flashlight was no use, it was long gone. She tried to think, what could she do? She tried to dry herself up and ran upstairs to get more clothes. The house phone wouldn't work when she attempted to call her mom. It was dark outside, the time was hard to determine, her phone was gone under all that water.
     "HELLO?!" someone called out from the door. "OH MY GOD!" followed right after. It seemed that they stepped on the [now] pond, that was Lucinda's basement floor.
     "MOM?! IS THAT YOU?" yelled Lucinda to the door.
     No answer.
     "MOM?!" she tried again.
     Footsteps were in her hallway.
     Lucinda turned around, grabbed a broom ready to hurt someone, when suddenly,
     "Lucinda! Thank goodness you're okay!" cried her mom.
     Lucinda went to her mom and cried. They stood there hugging each other until reality came back and hit them in the face.
     "I was so scared! There was no way of calling you! The signal's out, trees fell in the backyard, I thought I was never going to see you again!" Lucinda was crying so hard her lungs were aching.
     "It's okay, I got here as soon as I could. You couldn't believe the traffic! I would've been here sooner but there was an accident on the highway and it took them a while to move everyone. All the officials of the town are out trying to see if everyone's okay. I'm so glad you're okay!"
     "The basement's flooded, I tried to sleep there but woke up under water!"
     "We should try to clear it out before it gets worse" Mildred told her as they gave each other one last hug.
     "Mom? Is it still raining? I'm scared to look outside. . ."
     "Yeah, it's raining. A lot of wind too. When I was driving over here, man, you could feel the car trying to tilt ov-" Lucinda looked like she just saw a ghost, terrified and colorless, Mildred realized she was scary the girl and decided to cut herself short. "Let's go clean the basement." she finished saying.
     A couple hours later they were finally done. You could see some light outside, it was cloudy. The time was still unknown. They both decided not to leave the house and looked for a phone that ran on batteries. They called family members and told them they were okay. Mildred's sister offered them to stay in her spare room, they great fully took the offer. They began to pack and got their rain coats. Everything they needed was in their bag and they were ready to go.
     As they where leaving their driveway, the wind started to pick up. Mildred drove slowly and with great caution. Lucinda was drifting off into another deep sleep. Her mom turned on the heater and gave her a blanket. As Mildred hit the highway traffic was getting heavier. It got to the point that they weren't even moving anymore. She started to get sleepy but forced herself awake. Mildred began to look around as a distraction. In here rear view mirror she saw a car coming at great speeds. Every car behind her was trying to get out the way. It was so crowded with cars there was no where to go. . .
     Five, three cars away. Mildred tried to turn the car, away from everyone. . .
     The wheel just budged when, her head smacked straight onto the steering wheel! Lucinda's sleeping body hit the window and glove compartment area with full force. Mildred's head was bleeding horribly, it was like a water fall of blood running out her skull. Lucinda's face was bruised and bleeding. Smoke began to come out the car, witnesses tried to get them out, not caring about the consequences. But it was too late. The car began to throw out smoke even more. The witnesses knew what was going to happen next and started to run. Some made it out, other's were unlucky and it was there time to go. The car blew up into a great explosion. People screamed in agony, babies cried, helicopters appeared, police men tried to get through, fire trucks were coming.
      Everything was a disaster. . .