Tracy looked up into the sky. It was dreary, dark, and threatening to burst any second. “We should’ve brought umbrellas,” she commented, breaking the silence between herself and Hallie. “Or ponchos or something,” she added.
Hallie glanced at her sister. “It’s my fault for not thinking of them. I was too worried about you to pay attention to the weather,” she told her. “Sorry.”
Tracy shrugged. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. Then, she quickly added, “We could even go back right now for them -”
Hallie cut her off. “I think it’s a little late now.” She pointed ahead and added, “We’re almost there.”
Ike walked out of the bathroom, semi-wet hair dark and curly. He headed into the living room and glanced out the window. “It’s gonna be one heck-of-a storm,” he muttered.
“Yeah,” Zac agreed absently from the couch, leafing through a book he’d been meaning to read. “It’s been building since this morning.”
He nodded, taking a seat on the couch next to his brother. “What time is it, anyway?”
Zac looked at his watch. “About seven thirty.”
Isaac gave a small smile. “It looks more like nine thirty out there.”
There were a few minutes of silence then. Neither one of them could think of anything to say. Zac yawned.
Just then, there was a crash from the guys’ bedroom. Zac sat bolt upright and Isaac was on his feet in a second. A moment later, Tay ran into the living room and to the front door.
“Tay, what is it?” Ike demanded as his brother struggled with the door lock.
As if not hearing him, Taylor forced the door open and bolted out into the front yard. Isaac followed him immediately. Zac dropped his book and ran to the door.
Taylor had run to the middle of the yard before cutting sharply to his left and heading around toward the back yard. Isaac yelled after him, but Tay ignored him. He made it all the way to the front of the house again before Ike tackled him to the ground.
“Jordan Taylor Hanson, are you nuts?” he demanded, holding his struggling brother to the ground.
Taylor struggled for a few more moments before staring up at Isaac as if snapped from a trance. “I . . .” he began weakly. Avoiding his older brother’s brown eyes, he said, “I thought I saw somebody outside our window again . . . I thought Missy might’ve come back -”
Lightning flashed and thunder cracked overhead. Isaac stood up and held his hand out to his brother. “Let’s go inside,” he said quietly. Taylor took his hand and he pulled him to his feet.
Zac, who had decided against chasing Taylor around the yard and was still standing on the porch, held the door open as his older brothers walked inside. Just as he shut the door, the storm broke.
