Felix closed her eyes as she listened to the sound of the storm all around her.

    Her nose was filled with the scent of water. Lots of it.

    And urine.

   "Jordan, did you pee yourself?" She whispered to her little sister. Her big brown eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as she stared at her sister. Felix looked down to her once light khaki pants. They were soaked with water and urine, and she couldn't tell which was which. Grabbing the hand of her frightened little sister, she let her know that she wasn't judging her.

   Who could?

    If Felix wasn't so insistent on remaining calm, she too would have soiled her pants both ways by now.

   To show how fearful she was at a time like this would be no use to Jordan; Felix was the last relative she had now.

    Curling up into her side, the smaller girl took quick breaths. She could feel her lungs tightening up, as they had been for the past day. The unbearable heat of the attic and all of its dust and mold had aggravated her asthma, but she was too afraid to tell her sister that the only inhaler she had was floating downstairs in their house, along with the body of their mother who had gone to retrieve it after Jordan's quiet plea.

    A warm hand caressed her cheek, feeling the effects of the blazing sun beating down on the two in the small space.

    "Are you feeling okay? Do you need water?" Felix could feel Jordan's chest rise rapidly, and the slight trembling she did with every breath she took. Pulling her away frantically, she looked into her dazed brown eyes.

    "Are you having an attack?" Quickly reaching into the black sack her mother had brought up with them, she searched for Jordan's lifesaver.

   "You should have said something! Don't you know asthma can kill you?" Frantically, she began dumping out the few contents of the bag, finding her search useless.

   "Where is it? Where's the damn thing?" Turning around on her hands and knees, she looked around the small space they sat in desperate to come upon the inhaler.

   "Jordan?" Looking over her shoulder, her sister's red face jerked violently as she began to gasp through her sobs.

   "Didn't you bring it? Do you know where it is?"

   "Mama....Mama....she went to get it."

   "No, she went to go check the house-"

  "No. She didn't. I'm sorry Felix, I didn't mean to I promise!" Jordan began to wail weakly, as wheezing breaths overtook her body. She felt responsible now for her mother being buried under all of the horrid water that had rushed the house. She was a bad girl. She killed their mother.

   "I killed her! I killed her! Felix I didn't mean to!" She screamed.

    Resting her head on the wooden planks beneath her hands, Felix rocked back and forth on her elbows, mouth wide open as she held in a silent scream. She could feel her resolve disappearing now. Salt from fresh tears leaked into the cracked corners of her lips, stinging them. Felix was surprised her body could produce any more water, she hadn't had more than a sip from their half-filled water bottle she had saved especially for Jordan.

    Nails broke as she scratched them against the floor, with the sound of Jordan's pleas for their mother and the painful reminder of her whearabouts whirled around her head, making her dizzy.

   "Jordan..." She tried to talk through her hollering, tried to get her to calm down.

   "Jordan please..."

 "I didn't mean to! I swear Felix!" If she let her go on like this, the girl would end up inconsolable, and there would be no way she could keep her attack at bay.

   "Jordan! Shut up!" Felix roared.

   The pounding ache in her chest became too much as she watched her sister sit back on her knees, face turned to the roof.

    "Are you mad at me?" She asked quietly. Felix brought her muck covered hands to her face, breathing deeply to keep her calm. Jordan's sharp intakes of air became more audible, bringing back Felix's attention to the issue at hand. Waddling over on her knees, she gripped the side of Jordan's neck.

   "Breath Jordan. In. Out. In. Out."

   " I can't. It hurts." She cried with new tears.

   "Yes you can. In. Out."  Jordan's eyes searched her sister's, hoping that she wouldn't find hate within them. All she could see was the concern Felix always had for her, the love that was always present. She focused on breathing, focused on the sound of her voice and her presence before her.

While she continued coaching her sister through breathing, Felix knew that she had to get her out of here; she needed help as soon as possible.

oOo

    Felix laid Jordan back against their supply bag, as much out of the sun's rays as possible as they beamed their way through the broken window. She had gotten her breathing to a faint wheezing now. It wasn't the best, but something was better than nothing. Tilting her head up, she pressed their plastic water bottle to Jordan's lips, urging her to drink.

   "You need some too."

   "This is for you. I'll be okay."

 "But-"

"Do you trust me?" Felix's eyes softened as she asked the question.

   Shaking her head without any doubt, Jordan told her yes.

   "I'm going to get us out of here." Leaning down, she kissed her sweat covered forehead, just the way their mother always had when she soothed her daughters.

   "Promise?"

   "Promise." Felix smiled, reassuring Jordan that all would be well soon enough.

   Through heavy lids, she watched as Felix retrieved old pipes that had been tossed away as storage. She approached the window, feeling the wood around its frame. Exhaustion slowly conquered her, and all she could see was the strong blows Felix delivered to the window.

   Jordan drifted away to the sound of cracking wood, and the determined grunts of her sister breaking their way to freedom.

oOo

   Felix had managed to make a hole large enough for her to fit through. She rested her hands on her knees as she breathed heavily from exertion. Behind her, Jordan laid fast asleep. She watched her chest intensely making sure that it rose and fell the way it should.

  Weakness enveloped her body, making it hard to resist collapsing right where she was. To steady herself, Felix gripped the ragged edges of the newly renovated roof, and stood up. She was afraid to see what lied before her, and when she took that first step onto the housing, she burst into tears.

    Everything she had known now resembled some post apocalyptical world.

   The roofs of what used to be people's homes peaked out over the black water that filled the streets.

   Her fingers tangled into her massive hair, pulling at the temples in frustration. She screamed bloody murder.

   Jordan woke with a jolt. She didn't see Felix anywhere in the attic, and began to panic as she stumbled to the hole in the roof.

 "Help us! Help! Anybody!" Jordan watched her sister scream at the top of her lungs, veins bulging out of her neck as she seemed to scream to every corner of the world.

   "My sister is sick! My mom is dead! Help me goddamn it!"

   Jordan gasped from her swear. Then she too stepped out to be with her, and was captivated by what she saw.

   "Are we alone? Is anyone else here?" She pulled her fingers in her mouth and bit down on them as she began to whimper.

   Felix didn't answer, something told her that it was all over for them.

     All she could do was cry from her bleak reality.

oOo

      Hugging her knees to her chest, Jordan kept a close watch on her ghost of a sister as she sat at the edge of the roof, feet dangling off as her eyes stared blankly ahead. She had called her name many times, stirring now response from her whatsoever. She was too afraid to step away from the wall of the house to where Felix sat. She was too afraid to tell her that her chest hurt so bad...

    They had been out here for hours now. Through the hottest time of the day. Rather than return to the attic to escape the direct heat, Jordan had stayed waiting on her sister, too worried that if she turned her back, she would disappear into the murky waters.

    Now the light began to disappear slowly, night time falling upon them. There weren't even the sounds of insects out here, the silence left an eerie feeling all around.

    "Felix, it's getting dark."

   The older girl tilted her head to the side.

    "Yeah..."

    "I'm scared. Please can we go back in now."

   "Why. There's nothing in there for us. There's nothing out here for us. I don't care where you go." Her voice was distant, as if she spoke from ten miles away.

  Biting her lip, Jordan slowly began to slide on her hands and feet towards Felix.

   "Stay back there, Jordan. Don't come closer." Felix warned.

   Jordan ignored her, sucking up her fear of heights as she peered out to what lied beneath her.

   She reached for Felix's shoulder, almost beside her when she was suddenly shaken off.

   "I said stay back Jordan!" Felix's stomach dropped as she watched the look of horror on her sister's face as she lost her balance and tumbled forward.

   "Jordan!"

    Felix stared at the dirty white sneaker she now held in her hand. She couldn't catch Jordan before she clipped the edge of the roof, tumbling head first into the flood waters surrounding them. A small squeal left Felix's throat as she assessed the situation. She threw the shoe behind her as she began to moan in horror.

     She wasted no time looking in the water from afar, and without any second thoughts, she thrust herself in after the younger girl, paying no mind to the fact that with each minute, the night time darkness came faster and faster.

    All she could see were faint shadows, her vision slowly disappearing the longer she had her eyes open in the contaminated waters. Throughout this entire ordeal, she had only been above the massive force of nature, but now, she was inside of it, completely unguarded and helpless against its strength.

    She moved her arms around, in search of any part of Jordan's body that she could drag to the surface. Tress limbs passed her by, and what she figured was the neighbor's dog. Terrified she raced to the top to take another breath.

      Scrambling for air, she broke the surface gasping. Wiping the dirt from her eyes she called out one more cry for help and heard nothing but silence. There was no way she could stop the sobbing going on if she wanted to. She couldn't lose her sister this way. If she didn't have her mother or Jordan, then there would be no reason for her to try and survive alone. She refused to be left behind by them. No way.

    Going under once again, Felix swam to make sure that dying wasn't her only option left.

oOo

     Nothing.

     She had nothing.

    Felix's face rested against the hard shingles of her home's roof, her body still half submerged in the water. Her arms were heavy with exhaustion as every muscle ached from swimming.

  "Jordan..." Her voice croaked. Her stomach was filled with swallowed water, making her feel like retching.

    She was tired. So tired.

     Her eyes slowly blinked, too heavy for her to control as her eyelashes rested atop her cheeks. Around her, she could hear the small sounds of the water moving, it licked the sides of the house as her body drifted in it.

    With a ringing in her ears, Felix looked up to the dark sky and the stars scattered everywhere. As a girl, she liked to believe that the stars were where people went when they passed on. She couldn't grasp the concept of heaven being so far away and out of sight. When her grandmother had died, she remembered lying out in their backyard, staring at the sky as she looked for the biggest and brightest star. It had been the first time she had seen a falling star as one raced across the black velvet backdrop.

    Just like that night from long ago, she picked out the best ones for her mother and sister. She wanted them all beside each other, so that they could last forever.

     Lifting her arms, Felix pushed away from the house.

     She wanted to sleep now. If she could just to drift away into death with no pain or thought about where she was headed, she would be alright. She promised not to panic, promised not to cry if that one wish could be granted.

     Water pooled in her ears as she lied her head back, floating across the streets. A whirling noise approached her from the distance, getting louder and louder with each passing second. She didn't bother to open her eyes when she could feel the water move around her as a strong gust of wind hovered above. She only thought this to be God‘s angel coming forth to trouble the waters she was in.

    Felix found delight in that.

    When a light penetrated through her eye lids, she opened them to gaze at it. She didn't want to miss out on this moment. When she got to her family, she wanted to talk about it and all its glory with them.

    Suddenly, her body was being lifted, ascending through the air with ease. She could see the stars getting closer and closer, and a smile broke on her lips as she waited to be among them.

oOo

    In the church, pews were scattered with blankets for refuge. Doctors worked on the sick and injured in their impromptu working spaces. There was chatter among the hundreds there. Babies cried, grown men cried, the place was filled with sadness and relief.

     Sadness overtook Jordan unfortunately.

    She was seated in the back of the church, away from the chaos as one of the men who had found her administered oxygen to her, calming down her breathing.

     Jordan didn't know how she ended up in their small boat, but she was glad they did. She did remember hitting the water, her sister yelling at her and pushing her into the water.

     Felix must have really hated her for what she had done to their mother. The thought made her drop her head to her chest, as she took another deep breath from the plastic mask on her face.

     When the men had come across the little girl after combing the nearby homes for survivors, they had found her unconscious with a mouth full of muck. She had coughed up water held deep within her lungs, and they rushed back to the church to get her treated for contamination. She hadn't said a word to them, not even when they had asked for her name.

      One went to look for a female helper that could possibly get through to her as the other stayed behind.

    "Everything's going to be okay. I promise. You're a very lucky girl." He spoke soothingly.  She still showed no intentions of communicating, but he was glad to see her take in the oxygen mask with earnest.

    He was surprised her small lungs hadn't given out on her. When he had listened to them on the boat, they were in great distress, so much so that he didn't believe they would make it back in time with her alive. His only hope was that if any of her family was alive and rescued, they would have a body to identify and bury.

       But now sitting here with her wrapped up in the throw blanket around her shoulders, he knew that she wasn't just lucky, but was strong as well.

     "Bill..." His teammate called his name as he approached with a social worker who had lived nearby the church and rushed to help once the worst of the storm was over.

     "This nice woman is going to help you. She's going to get you some food, some water, make sure you're taken care of okay?" Suddenly Jordan's head shot up, and her little hand reached out to grasp his forearm, forcing him in his seat as he attempted to stand. He was shocked to say the least that she reacted that way. It was the most he had seen from her all night. The fear in her brown orbs let him know that she didn't want to lose something that was familiar to her.

      "It's going to be okay. I promise." He knelt down before her. He had a daughter around her age, he took the girl for no older than seven or eight. His heart clenched at the thought of his little one being in her place. He was thankful for his family being safe in a hotel in another state, but couldn't help to feel horrible that this child had to sit through the turmoil brought in by the storm. Did she have a family? Was she the only one left? These thoughts had coursed through his mind, and he knew that even he wouldn't be able to deal with the answers to those questions if he was in her position.

        Taking the mask away from her face, Jordan shook her head vigorously as she held on to his jacket sleeve. She wanted him to stay. Wanted him to be there with her to keep her safe.

    The woman came to sit beside the young girl, gingerly touching her shoulder. Jordan yelped, and jumped into the arms of Bill.

    "No!" She screamed. Her arms were linked tightly around his neck, and he could do nothing more than to hold her as he felt her tears soak his shoulder. He began to worry for her sudden attachment. He would have to go back out to search for others, and if she clung to him like this, she would only be devastated when he had to leave for hours at a time.

    "Hey, it's okay. Don't cry." He patted her back, brows drawn together as he felt something within him break. Pulling her away by her waist, he made eye contact with her, smiling like he would his daughter when he was comforting her.

    "Can you stay with this nice woman? I'll be back to see you."

   "No...." Jordan groaned. Tears dripped on the ground as they fell heavy.

    Clearing his throat, he reached into his pocket, withdrawing a handkerchief with his initials on it. He pointed to the red letters.

    "My name is Bill, and this is my favorite handkerchief." Wiping her tears with it, he placed it in her small hands." I'm entrusting you with the responsibility of protecting it for me. I will come back for it to see that you've done your while I do mine by helping other people, okay? Can you handle this task?"

    Jordan gripped the material in her hand. When she looked down, she gasped as her hands dirtied the white cloth. Wiping it off, she looked to him and nodded  her head. As long as she had it, he said he would come back. She would make sure she never let it go to ensure he returned to her.

   Bill stood, and nodded to the woman seated on the pew.

    "Be good for her." He told Jordan.  As he walked away, he couldn't help but look back at the little girl whose eyes never left him. Turning around he was met with a skeptical look on his partner's face.

   "What?"

  "The kid isn't a puppy Bill, you can't go around with her tagging along, you know?"

 "I'm helping, we're all helping here." He gestured to the filled room." That's our job."

    "Yes, it is. Taking home stray kids isn't. I see the look on your face."

    "I'm not taking her home! The kid was just scared. I was comforting her." Bill shook his head, ignoring what his partner was saying to him.

   "Right." The other man said with a laugh.

    Cutting him a glare, Bill walked ahead to find another job to do.

oOo

    "What's your name sweetie?" Jordan looked at the woman next to her. She didn't feel like speaking to anyone, not even the teacher like lady who talked with a smile.

     She gripped the handkerchief in her hand, turning her head away.

  The older woman could tell the girl was using the, if I don't look at you then you don't exist tactic with her, so she tried a different approach.

    "Well let's see." She sat back in the seat, tapping her chin with a finger as she thought.

    "My name is Amy. I love cats. I have two named Stella and Furbs. "

    "I'm allergic to cats." Jordan said softly. She pulled her legs up to her chest, and thought about how if her mother was here, she would slap her legs for putting her feet in the seat. Jordan figured God wouldn't mind just this one time...

  "Oh really? Do they make you sneeze? I'm allergic to dogs and whenever I get around them my nose starts to wiggle, I get an itch and then I can't control myself as I... I... ACHOO!"

   Jordan watched Amy and her theatrics with an amused grin. She giggled just barely as she wiped at her nose.

   "Just the thought of them makes me sneeze!" Amy laughed alongside Jordan as she slowly began to open up. The little girl turned to her with hands raised to her cheeks as she barked like a dog.

   "Oh no! Achoo! Achoo!" Amy turned to Jordan with a determined look.

   "Is that the game you're going to play? Well you better watch out because I feel my claws coming. Meow..." Amy slinked towards Jordan as she shrieked with laughter and back pedaled on the pew. Jordan began to playfully sneeze and bark, attempting to defend herself away from Amy.

    From outside the church doors, there was a loud moaning coming from a new arrival. The woman was brought in on a stretcher, and she cried at the top of her lungs in pain and grief. Jordan's fun was ended as she hurried to sit beside Amy. She gripped the handkerchief in her hand desperately wishing that Bill was there with her.

   Amy wrapped her arm around the frightened girl's shoulders, and was relieved to see that she allowed her to. The sight was gruesome; the woman had blood covered clothes as she was whisked off to a room behind the choir's platform. The room became much more solemn as volunteers and doctors raced to her aid.

    Looking down at the curly haired child, she rubbed her head as she spoke quietly.

   "How about you and I go look for some food. Would you like that?" Amy could tell that she would need all of the energy that she could get her hands on. Jordan's eyes remained on her feet, even as she was led by the hand to find nourishment. Her stomach hurt so bad she didn't think she could eat. Jordan thought of Felix, and how she hadn't eaten or drunken during the days that they were trapped on their roof.

    A small tear formed in her eye as she wondered where her sister was. She was scared, and wanted Felix there to hold her.

oOo

    "Jordan!" Felix shot up with a fright. "Jordan? Where are you? Jordan!" She looked around her flinging her arms to fight through the water. Until she realized, she wasn't in the water anymore.

     She looked down to see blankets covering her lower half and an IV in her hand.  

    Either heaven had free healthcare, or they had been rescued.

    She looked to her left, and she looked to her right hoping to find Jordan lying beside her. Two older adults were there instead, watching the young lady search for family that wasn't there. They had been there when she was brought in two days ago. The poor thing had slept hard the entire time. They knew that she had been brought in alone, but obviously she was the last to know.

     "Have you seen my sister? Her name is Jordan. Curly hair, looks like me..." The older man shook his head no.

    "Have you? She literally looks just like me. She's little. She's seven."

    "Honey..."

    Smacking her teeth, Jordan stood to her feet and took the IV out of her hand.

   "I'll find her myself."

   As she looked around, she recognized just where she was. It was her high school gym. Except today, it was filled with cots and makeshift tents of people rather than screaming students and fans.

    "Jordan!" She called. She made her way in between people's temporary shelter, wobbly on her feet. She saw some bodies that looked as if they were dead, but awoke at the sound of her voice passing by.

     She had to find her sister. She didn't want to leave her alone with so many strange people around. Turning, she called for her again. She walked backwards as she scanned the large room. She knew Jordan wouldn't have gone far. She just had to look carefully.

   Felix felt her back meet another body.

   "Excuse me..." It was a woman who must have been a nurse. She had a special colored vest on, maybe she could help Felix.

   "Yeah, I'm looking for my little sister. We were brought here, but I must have fallen asleep." She laughed. " Have you seen her? Her name is Jordan, has curly hair and these big brown eyes...."

   The nurse recognized the teenager standing before her. She was the first to get to her when she was brought in two nights ago. She had been delirious within the first few hours of arriving, but now she was sure that she was sane. This sister she spoke of didn't exist...

   "Let's go back to your bed. You need to rest."

    "No, I'm fine. I need to find my little sister. Seriously, can you not help me?" Felix became agitated. She didn't need someone to hold her back from looking for Jordan if they had no intentions of helping.

     "I think you need to return to-"

   "No!" Felix twisted her arm out of the woman's hand fiercely. She began to stumble backwards from the sudden motion.  "I need to find Jordan."

   She began to quickly walk away but was stopped once again.

   "Let go of me! I need to find my sister! She's in here somewhere; I just have to get to her. Please!" She begged.

   "Ma'am."

   "Don't talk to me! Don't touch me!" Felix clawed at her fingers to pry them away. "I have to look for her!"

   The nurse held on tight even with the oncoming hits she received as Felix fought to get away from her.

    "Help! Someone help me!" Felix cried. All those around them watched the commotion as male helpers rushed to see what the problem was. When they found Felix flailing around, they quickly rushed in.

   "She won't let me look for my sister. Can you help me? I need to get to her." She was carried back across the room, all the while she sobbed for someone to assist her. When they placed her on the bed, she immediately made to stand up, but was stopped. She stared at the three adults with a tearstained face. They weren't going to help her.

    Taking a deep breath, Felix shouted.

    "Jordan!" Over and over again. Her throat began to ache. The hand that pushed against her shoulders forcing her down met no resistance.

      Felix sat slumped on the bed. Realizing what was happening.

    "She has to be here. I was looking for her; they had to have found her too."

  "I'm sorry." The nurse didn't know what else to say to the distraught girl. She had seemed so sure that her little sister was here, and now seeing her so dejected broke her heart for the thousandth time since the storm hit.

    The men had since left the scene, shaking their heads at the devastation on her face. Not knowing what else to do, the nurse too followed suit. Leaving a dry eyed Felix behind.

   On the third day, they were saved.

    Well, only some.

 Jordan sat in what she deemed her area of the church, playing go fish with Amy.  It had taken awhile to get Jordan to tell her name, but once Amy was able to scrounge up a lollipop, she had gained much more trust than she had during their first meeting.

     As Amy played with Jordan, she consciously had one ear turned to the hallway they sat in front of. She had heard whispering of another county willing to take the storm victims in to a few of their shelters. They were located in the northern part of the state, and had received minimal damage from the storm. It had officially been a weak since the disaster struck, and they had managed to get some order in place to the point that they could support some of the unlucky.

    "Jordan, can you pause the game here? I need to speak with someone about something very important."

    "Are you coming back." Jordan's eyes were guarded as she heard Amy's words.

   "Of course." Rubbing her hair, Amy laid down her cards and stood."No peaking at my hand, you hear?"

    " I can't promise you anything." Jordan teased.

       Pushing through the heavy doors, Amy slowly entered the hallway where some of the rescuers and organizers stood together. Some had smiles on their faces, while others held a stiff unsatisfied posture. She spotted one worker in particular, Bill. He was the man that Jordan had seemed to gravitate towards even more so than Amy.

    His face paled as he listened to whatever he was hearing from representatives from the refuge county.

   Just as she was about to approach the small group, Bill pushed through, knocking people out of the way as he rushed the church doors. Those on the other side saw his panicked state, and slowly concern grew over the crowd. Amy ran back, seeing Bill gather up Jordan and the few things she had with her. He wrapped her in the thin blanket she slept with, and picked up a few of the makeshift paper toys she had crafted out of the old church fans.

       "Bill what's going on?" She asked worriedly.

      "She has to go. They're sending some of these people to shelter." He said to her. Quickly he lowered his voice as survivors began to listen in and draw near.

     "There are only fifty spots available. I need to get her on that damn bus."

    "Fifty? But...there are over a hundred people here." Amy looked over her shoulder as did Bill to the crowd whose volume began to rise from hearing the bits and pieces of news.

   "I know."

     Jordan listened to their exchange, becoming aware of what it all meant.

    She was going somewhere else? She didn't want to leave Bill. She didn't want to go anywhere but home.

     She bounced along with fear as Bill approached a group of more adults who stood in clean clothes. Her small arms tightened around Bill's neck as he began to speak to them.

    "This little girl has severe asthma, we've barely kept it under control and we've run out of an oxygen supply. Please. She needs to go. She needs treatment."

    One balding man with glasses looked at Jordan, making her turn her head away.

   "Does she have any family members? We aren't trying to move young children by themselves Bill."

   "No-No she doesn't. She was brought in alone."

   "I'm sorry but we can't just-"

   "Please! She can't stay here. There isn't any room. She needs treatment for her asthma and proper treatment for any possibly contamination from the flood waters. We could see only so much here with all of our limitations."

    "She will need a guardian, and if she has no other family, then we can't take her. There is no one to sign off for her."

    "Your taking families? Are you sending us somewhere?" The sudden sound of people behind them rushing to gather their things began to bombard the hallway.

    "We're first!"

     "Me and my wife need to go! Please!"

     Chaos overtook the church as a stampede nearly broke out towards the bus doors.

    "Damnit!" The man that Bill spoke to cursed as he tried to get the crowd under control.

    "Back! Everyone get back inside, please!"

   He waved his hands in the air as he began pushing the rowdier of the bunch as they forced their way through. He looked back when he heard the front doors of the church open. Bill ran outside with the young girl, followed by a woman.

     "Hurry! Let's go!" He lost control of the angry and excited group as they all tried to rush the doors.

oOo

   "Bill! Wait!"

    "I can't! She has to be on this bus Amy!" Bill looked back to see others running as well. He was only a few yards from the bus. His legs pumped harder to get Jordan there first. He could hear her soft cries against his chest.

   "You're going to be okay. Do you hear me? They're going to get you to a doctor, he's going to give you medicine to feel better." Jordan coughed roughly against his shirt. That cough was what had begun to worry him the most. He could see through her best attempt to not be sick, that she was certainly suffering.

    "I don't want to go! Don't make me...Please!" She howled as if she had been hit physically. "Don't leave me please!"

    Arriving at the glass doors of the bus, Bill watched as the driver inside was slow to open it. His eyes were wide as he saw the incoming crowd approach. Banging with his fist, he urged the driver to open the door.

    The man with the cap shook his head no as Bill began to kick and pry the door open himself.

   "Open the damn door!" He spat.

   He felt hands push and shove at his back, trying their best to get in front of him but he remained rooted just where he was at. Holding on to Jordan tightly, he pushed back to keep them at a distance.

    "Get out of the way!"

   "I'm getting on that fucking bus!"

   "Hey... Hey!" Bill shouted over the loud noise. Furious hands gripped at his shirt pulling him in one direction, and Jordan in the other.

    "Stop!" He demanded.

       A bullhorn was blown into the air making some people cower from the loud sound.

     "Ladies and gentlemen, we are only transporting those in dire situations. Sick and injured only! "

    "We're all in a dire situation!"

   "Please form a line five yards from the bus as we load passengers. Note that there is limited space, and we will fill to capacity. I repeat. We have a limited amount of space. Please step back and form a line..."

    The man on the megaphone walked to the front where Bill remained situated between the glass door and pushing crowd.

   "Some little stunt you've pulled here." He said into his ear. Bill had no concern for his words at the moment. The crowd was being ushered back  into a compact group, away from the bus. Bill tried his best to remain at the front of the crowd where names were being called out of those who would travel to safety.

    "Addams....Alloy..."

   He watched as happy faces ran to the bus doors. They slowly opened to allow them to board and take their seats. Each person who was called only riled up the group as they waited for their own name, shouting when the letters  began to transition.

     "Get her on!"

     "Stand back Bill!"

    "Get her on that bus!"

    "I said-"

     "I don't give a fuck what you said! Listen to me, and get her on the goddamn bus!"

    The roll call was reaching the second half of the alphabet, and Bill could see the bus become full.

    "I swear to God, you better run. Go." Wasting no time, he rushed to the bus, climbing its steps to find her a seat. There were so many bodies in there that he couldn't move down the aisles freely.

    "What the hell is this? I can't take anymore!" Exclaimed the bus driver.

    Looking to his left, Bill found an elderly lady tugging on his shirt.

    "The baby can ride with me." She offered her seat by patting the open space.

      "Thank you. Thank you so much." He bent down, ready to sit Jordan in the seat, but as he did, her small fingers dug into his shirt pulling him with her. She yelled for mercy.

   "Don't make me go! Don't leave me! I don't want to leave without you..." Her face became enflamed. Her head was thrown back and vision blurred from endless tears.

    "Jordan, I'm not leaving you. I'll be there with you in no time. You're going to get help, remember?"

    "I don't want help!"

   "This is what's best for you."

   "You don't like me, do you? You don't want me around either..."

    Bill sighed, and held her face between his hands, but shook furiously away from him. The only emotions he had seen in her eyes had been fear and sadness. Now he saw rage as she watched him with red eyes.

    "That's not what this is, Jordan. I like you very much. Do you trust me?"

      Jordan's chest rose and fall as she began to wheeze. She clenched her fists as Bill waited for her reply.  She shook her head yes once.

    "Good, you have to trust me. Now listen carefully, my wife will be there with you. Her name is Amanda. I'm going to tell her to be there for when you get dropped off."

    "I don't want to-"

   "She's going to watch over you Jordan until I can get there. She's a nice woman-like Amy. And my little girl Sasha, you two can play together until I come. They'll be good to you, okay?"

    At the mention of Amy's name, Jordan looked out to the window, and saw her standing with her hands in front of her mouth. The wind outside shifted her hair and dress away from her body as she watched Jordan on the inside of the bus.

    "Are you sure you'll come for me?" Jordan spoke softly. She could hear some man yell that it was time for the bus to depart.

    "Do you still have the handkerchief I gave you?" Bill asked. Jordan lifted the square of material, running her fingers over the initials of his name.

   "Then I promise I'll see you again." His words were peaceful as he stood to go. Jordan leapt out of the seat, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face against him as she hugged with all she had.

     He lifted her into a bear hug, squeezing as much as he could before setting her back down.

    "I need to get this bus moving Bill."

   With one last wave, Bill watched from beside Amy as Jordan pressed her hands and face to the window. She had climbed over the older woman who helped to steady her as the bus began to push forward. Jordan watched as Amy waved and waved, until they disappeared from her sight.

   "Come on, honey. Let's sit back." Jordan listened to the elder as she rested against the hard leather seat.

    She felt like a noodle as her body tossed with the bus's every move and bump. She tried to cry, but her eyes must have been broken. There were no tears coming out like they were supposed to. Rubbing at them with her small fists, she sat and gazed out of the window before her eyes, tuning out to all of the noise around her.

oOo

       "I'm going to do it, Amy."

      "Are you certain about this?" She turned to Bill as they began walking back to through the church parking lot.

    "I couldn't live if I didn't. Something tells me that this has to be done...something in my heart."

    For the past two days, Bill had been asking Amy about adoptions and how the procedure went. Amy had caught on to his desire to adopt little Jordan, and she was more than willing to help in any way that she could. She would file, arrange, make whatever needed to be done happen. She had seen more than enough to believe that a person like him could provide her with a spectacular home and life. She could already sense the love he had growing for the child, and was completely on board with helping.

    "I support you with this decision. You talk to your wife, get everything scratched out and I'm here to help you."

    Bill held open the church doors as Amy entered first.

    "Thank you, Amy."

     "Of course." Amy smiled softly, and walked back into the room full of disappointed people who were stuck for another night in the cramped space until their chance to leave came.

oOo

   Present Day

       The continuous blaring sound of Felix's phone alarm rang throughout her bedroom.

      One arm peaked out from beneath her comforter, allowing a little space to draw in the offending sound. She fumbled with the mute button, and turned over the bright screen to see the time read  5:15 am.

    Throwing it to her side table, she stretched out her limbs, moving around on her soaked sheets.

    "God..."

     She had another one of her nightmares.

    Felix had been bound and dropped into a bottomless space of water. She swam and swam, but could never quite reach the top. Just as she would wake up she would feel her lungs give out in the dream, and her body falling back into the depths of the water, totally helpless.

    As she sat on the edge of her bed now, she rubbed her neck ridding it of tension. She hung her head as she continued to sit there, staring into the darkness at her feet. She heard the creak of her bedroom door, and feet walking across the hardwood floors. Weight was added to the opposite side of her bed, and she turned to greet her company.

    "Hey baby, did I wake you?" She cooed. Reaching over, she buried her face into the neck of the warm body beside her.

    "Mmmm...." She sighed. She began to scratch at the soft fur of her husky, getting the spot on her belly that would make her leg kick.

    "You like that Sophie? Good girl..." As the dog thwarted around beneath her master's massage, Felix patted her belly and stood.

    "You ready for a run, girl?"

   The dog quickly turned over. Ears perked and tail thumping against the mattress at the word run. Shee began tossing her massive body around the bed even more.

      Walking to her bathroom, Felix began to get into her exercise wear, ready to run off the stress caused by her nightmares as per usual every morning.

oOo

   "Are you hungry? Hey, get back..." Felix stood in her kitchen, fresh from her morning run. She listened to Sophie lap at her water bowl, and toss around the empty food one. Felix herself rehydrated herself, downing a bottle of water within a few gulps. She pushed away her eager dog who hung around her legs, nudging her towards the pantry where she kept her food.

   "Sit Sophie." The dog complied and left Felix alone to fix her own meal first. From her living room she could hear the morning news recount all of the events of the past week, and the developing news.

       "A major tsunami has struck Thailand this morning, devastating thousands and leaving hundreds stranded as special rescue teams race to help..."

    Blood pooled in Felix's ears as she turned to see the images being shown on the TV. They replayed footage of the massive waves striking down on resorts and towns across the country. Sophie began to bark, startling Felix from her daze. She looked down to see that she had overfilled her bowl of cereal as milk dripped down to her feet.

     "Shit."

    Rolling off paper towels, she tossed them down over the mess.

    "No Sophie, out!" She nudged the dog away before she could get a hold of the spilt milk.

   Reaching above her, she finally pulled out the canister of dog food, dumping out Sophie's morning portion. It was enough to distract her as Felix cleaned up the floor.

    Finally being able to sit in front of the TV with her second bowl of cereal, she reached for the remote, turning up the volume of the news report.

      "Right now Mark, it's hard to say. Reports are telling us that this tsunami is one of the most devastating and terrifying that they have had this season...Homes have been destroyed, people are homeless. From our sources we have learned that there is no official death count as they numbers continue to roll in by the minute."

       Flipping through the channels, Felix couldn't seem to get away from the tsunami reports, and she slowly felt herself becoming overwhelmed with emotion. Quickly she checked her list of recorded shows, and chose Judge Mathis.

     Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she began to eat her now soggy cereal through the tears that fell without her permission.