I am lost in thought for so long that I almost forget that we are running for our lives—until a blast of lightning takes out the speed limit sign we’ve just careened past.
“Take the next exit,” I call to Dax from the backseat.
“What exit?”
“The one coming right up.”
“I don’t see it.”
Is the rain blocking his view that badly?
“Quarter of a mile,” Tobin says. “Right up there.”
“There’s nothing.”
“Trust me, there is.” Tobin leans forward and grabs the steering wheel. He yanks it to the right and we swerve onto the exit ramp just before missing it.
“Where did that come from?” Dax asks.
“Turn left … right now,” I shout.
He follows my instructions even though they seem to bewilder him. “Oh, there’s the road,” he says, as if he can see it only now that we’re on it. “What now?”
“Keep following this road. It will take us through the canyon for a few miles before we get to town.”
We fly up Apollo Canton Road, dodging lightning. At one point, a strike hits the canyon wall beside us, and a tumble of red rocks starts to fall. We barely make it through before it crashes into the road. Lexie isn’t the only one of us who screams.
“Daphne, I don’t know about this!” Dax says. “Where do I go now?”
“Straight ahead,” I say as Ellis starts to come into view. “We’re almost to town.”
“What town?” Garrick says.
Joe groans like all of this is too much for his head.
“The one right in front of us,” I say. I can see buildings and homes through the rain, nestled in the heart of the canyon. Lit up like little lighthouse beacons beyond the storm. My mom’s shop is there. Home is there. The walls of red rock surrounding the town that had once made it feel like a prison, now make it look like a fortress of safety. “You can’t see that?”
“Daphne, we’re heading straight for a giant mountain!” Dax says.
From what I can tell, it isn’t raining over the town. That and the fact that Dax and Garrick can’t see it reassure me that Sarah was right. Safety is only half a mile away.
Lightning crashes right in front of us. Dax yanks on the wheel hard, and we swerve in a circle, spinning donuts in the red mud that covers the road to Ellis Fields.
“Just keep going!” I shout. “We’re almost there.”
The car speeds up. Thunder shakes the car, and a lightning bolt rips a hole in the road right where we would have been if we hadn’t surged forward. Dax clutches the wheel hard and clamps his eyes shut. He’s bracing himself for impact as we pass the WELCOME TO ELLIS FIELDS city limits sign. A second later, he relaxes and looks around, stunned.
“Well, I’ll be harpied.” He whistles under his breath.
“Where the Tartarus did this all come from?” Garrick asks, staring out the windows as we roll into Main Street, Ellis Fields.
I direct Dax to stop the car in front of Paradise Plants. The road here is dusty and dry as always. I get out of the car, followed by Dax and Tobin, and stare in disbelief at the storm we’ve left behind. It’s like a great fence of rain and clouds circles the whole town, but above us the near-evening sky is dusky but clear. Out on the sidewalk, a couple walking their dog stops and stares, pointing at the strange phenomenon. The door to Paradise Plants starts to open. I brace myself, expecting to see my mom or Jonathan for the first time since I left. I don’t know what I am going to tell them.
Can I possibly tell them the truth?
I hear the bells over the door and out walks Indie. She snaps a photo of the wall of rain with her phone. Then she sees me.
“Daphne?” She waves. “What’re you doing here so early? Did you see that crazy storm?”
“Yeah, just drove through it. I decided to come early for winter break,” I say. “Thought I’d bring some friends home for a couple of days to meet my mom.”
“Oh,” Indie says. “Didn’t you know? Your mom isn’t here. She and Jonathan went to Salt Lake City this morning.”
“What?” I ask, taken aback. “What could get my mom to leave Ellis? She wouldn’t even come to see me off to Olympus Hills.”
“I don’t really know. They took off in a big hurry. It has something to do with CeCe; I know that much.”
Dread pulls at my stomach. I listen to the thunder rolling in the sky beyond the outskirts of town. My family is out there somewhere. “What about CeCe?”
“I don’t know exactly. Jonathan called here this morning all in a panic. He said something about how he thought CeCe hadn’t left here on her own. It was like he thought she’d been taken or something.…”