Page 4 of Before Their After

I stuffed the rest of the taco in my mouth, buying myself some time. You would think keeping siblings together would be a first priority to the state. The group of girls passed by, glaring down at my sister. London held her stare, her head following them as they made their exit.

“The hell was that about?”

“Nothing I can’t handle on my own,” she replied, standing up to toss her tray. Her posture had stiffened, though she shrugged off the interaction. “Just some girls from school.”

Pushing to my feet, I slapped a hand across the top of her back. “Wouldn’t doubt it. Italian ice for the road?”

London went back to the bench for our chicharrones, a large grin taking over her worried features. “Obviously. I’ll wait here.” She took a seat, popping open the bag and dropping a chip into her mouth.

Shaking my locs, I bunched them into a band to keep the heat off my neck. The nerves were getting to me. The truth of our situation should have been the first thing I’d started our day with. But I knew my sister. London would have spent every second we had together today trying to find a solution to our problem that wasn’t hers to solve. It was mine. I pivoted on my heels, turning back to tell her our permanent reality. A high-pitched scream sounded to my left. The synchrony of alarms bellowed from the phones of every person around me.

Mass panic ensued. The screams and cries of terror blended together, making it impossible to decipher the source. I fumbled around for my phone, finding it in my front pocket only to see it had died.Shit, London. Thoughts scrambled, I searched for mysister through the sea of bodies. She stood atop the bench we’d eaten at only minutes before. Her deep brown skin was ashen. My sister’s eyes stayed locked on her phone as she did her best to avoid the surrounding stampede.

Shoving through the crowd, I made my way to her and scooped her into my arms. Her phone fell from her hands, a muffled, exhausted sob croaked from her throat.

“London?” I kept pace with the herd. Concern was not an acceptable description to match how I felt. She didn’t answer me, only kept her blank stare down at her hands. I couldn’t carry her this way, not forever.

Taking a quick survey of the world around us, I found a corner absent from chaos and set her down. Her knees buckled, unable to support her weight. “London!” I shook her, desperate for her to snap back to the present.

She turned her head ever so slightly, dread filling her gaze. “It’s over. We’re fucked.”

Peaceful Silence

TOMOE

The peacethat came from utter silence was equivalent to a hand full of gold. Silence in Colorado woods, however, was never good. There were answers in silence. As peaceful as it was, it was unnatural for the world to go mute. If it did, one should listen.

Fresh air was good for the soul but could harm the mind. The stillness and quiet of complete solitude, it played tricks that were dangerous, made you drop your guard. Put you at ease when you should listen to the gentle warning of mother nature and all she has to offer. Silence ironically presented both peace and danger. Though the two could exist at once, I knew we were not the only apex predator in these woods. Lair o’ the Bear Park was full of wildlife—some of which I’d be more delighted to run into than others.

“June,” I said, reaching a hand out to halt my sister at my side.

She looked down at my hand, then up at me with an expecting stare. I motioned for her to remove her earphones, and she rolled her eyes. A heavy sigh preceded her impatientrounds of questions. “Yes, Tomoe? Can I help you? What is the point of a mindful walk if you’re going to stop and interrupt us every few feet?”

“It’s quiet again,” I leveled, peering over my shoulder. “And take your headphones off. Don’t be an idiot.”

“Oh lighten up, it’s ocean sounds. I can still hear. Also, you made the tea too strong.” The dark freckles around her nose bunched in a display of disgust.

I took it from her, downing what was left with a straight face, then handed her back the tumbler. “We should go back.”

“If we turned around every time you got a gut feeling, we would have never made it out of the parking lot.”

June kept walking, her silky bob swishing with the cool breeze. Scanning the dense forests and the swiftly moving creek slithering beside us, I let another moment pass, then jogged up behind her. Still, the skin on the back of my neck prickled with fear. The sound of my sister’s voice trickled around the bend of the trail, followed by the flirtatious laugh she released when she was flustered.

“Just followed you back,” she swooned visibly, passing the phone back to one of the two men up ahead. June toyed with her shorts, changing her stance to make her hip pop out to the side as she ruffled back her hair to add volume.

The tallest of the two chuckled. “I’ll DM you. Nice to meet you, June,” he called over his shoulder.

Both of them nodded at me as they passed, the second one offering me a cocky smirk. “What’s up?”

I rolled my eyes, making my way toward my sister, then thought better of it. Warning them was the least I could do. One human to the next or whatever. “Careful down there. Woods are quiet,” I said, turning around to face them.

The shorter, blond one shook a canister of bear spray above his head, not bothering to glance back. “We’re covered. Thanks. Enjoy the hike!”

June kept her eyes on her prize, peering behind me to take in all of him. I nudged her to keep going. She bit her lip, refusing to move. I couldn’t help myself. I burst into a fit of laughter. The girl was easily distracted by anything that could flash a decent smile, and I loved her for it. Between her and our other sister, Kana, they kept that little light going in my life. Someone had to be the serious one of the bunch though, and I happily fulfilled that role. But the universe demanded balance. It was nice to get a good laugh every now and then.

I reared behind her, pushing her to keep going. “Come on. Let’s go.”

“What?” she said, finally closing her dropped jaw. “He was cute.”

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