Page 68 of To the Moon and Back
But the comment rubbed Brady like sandpaper. Did she really believe that? Trees had no choice but to praise God? He clenched his jaw. The idea was ridiculous. He looked at a grove of oaks up ahead. Calm, Brady. Don’t ruin the moment. He forced himself to relax. “You know what I see when I look at a tree?”
“Tell me.” She tilted her head back.
The wind in her hair was a vision that for a long moment left Brady speechless. He took a deep breath and tried to focus. “I see The Swiss Family Robinson. A mom and dad, a couple imaginative brothers. All of them shipwrecked together, making the most of it.” He paused. “I saw that movie a dozen times when I was in middle school. I had the same foster family for three years. It was their favorite film.”
“I remember it.” Jenna looked up at the highest branches. “I loved how they survived together.”
“Yes.” He caught a few glimpses of her, face lifted toward the sky, understanding how he felt about something as simple as The Swiss Family Robinson. How did she do it? Whatever his heart felt, hers felt, too. Even now. More than a decade later. Still, there was a part she wasn’t connecting with. “Don’t you get it, Jenna?”
“Get what?” She looked at him.
“God didn’t let our families survive together. So how could the trees be praising Him?”
She looked hurt by his remark, but before she could say anything the first clap of thunder hit.
“Come on.” He took a few steps and climbed back on his bike. “Now we really do need to get back.”
Lightning split the clouds as they turned around and set out. Ten minutes later the sky opened up and rain poured hard and intense around them. Brady had to yell to be heard over the sound of it. “There!” He pointed to a picnic shelter twenty yards ahead.
Wind whipped against them as they pedaled the last few feet to cover. They pulled their bikes under and rested them against the wall. Brady was breathing hard, the effort taking its toll. Jenna was out of breath, too.
Both of them were drenched.
Brady leaned against his bike and faced her. He laughed, but it was more out of desperation. His legs shook and he wondered if he might collapse. “I’ve . . . got nothing left.” The storm raged outside, but they didn’t have to yell now.
Worry changed Jenna’s expression. She pointed to a picnic table. “You need to sit down.”
She was right, but he couldn’t move, couldn’t take a step. “It’s . . . okay.”
The handlebars were pressing into his back, and suddenly Jenna seemed to notice. “Here . . . let me help.” She moved the bike so he could rest against the wall.
His breaths were shallow and fast, his body struggling to get oxygen. Relax . . . inhale. She stepped back, watching him, clearly concerned. He followed his own orders and after a minute or so his breathing steadied.
“The wind’s crazy.” She looked suddenly afraid. “It’s not a tornado, right?”
With his remaining energy, he pulled his phone from his pocket. His hands trembled as he checked his weather app. He clicked on the radar and saw the banner across the bottom. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING . He stared at the sky and put his phone away. The clouds were blacker than before. “No tornado. Not yet, anyway.”
Lightning crackled on either side of the shelter. Thunder shook the ground and Jenna jumped. “That was close.” Her teeth chattered, her hair wet against her face. “You think . . . we’re okay here?”
His energy was coming back. Just enough for him to realize what was happening around him. She was scared. If she needed protecting, he was the guy. He found his footing and held out his hands. “Come here.” He willed himself to find the strength to hold her. “I’ve got you, Jenna.”
She slipped her arms around his waist. “I’m afraid.”
“I know.” He ran his hand along her back. “I’m here.”
He could feel her heart beat, her breath against his neck. The storm was getting worse, fierce hail and pounding rain battering the roof and sides of the shelter. It felt like dusk, the clouds were so dark now. Before he could check the radar again, the alert on his phone buzzed. “Hold on.” He took his phone from his pocket again and read the notification. “Tornado warning.”
“Brady!” She was more panicked, more afraid. Her eyes locked onto his. “What do we do?”
“We’ll be okay.” He would keep her safe, whatever he had to do.
In the distance sirens began to sound, their haunting rhythmic cry filling the air, mixing with the whistling wind and hail. Brady still felt shaky. The weakness wanted to consume him, but he fought it. Jenna needed him. His eyes darted around the shelter.
At the same time the wind grew stronger, howling and almost drowning out the wailing sirens. Brady needed a plan. There were four picnic tables under the covering. The table in the back corner was probably the safest. “Come on.” He took her hand and led her to that one. “Get under it.”
They scrambled to the ground and he made sure she was under the table before he took refuge beside her. She was shaking, and Brady realized the temperature had dropped. Twenty, thirty degrees maybe. Classic tornado weather.
A sound like a barreling freight train came next. Brady had to yell to be heard. “Hold on to me!”
