Page 82 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

The sky was a swirling, furious mass of black and gray. There were no stars. No moon. The only light came from the flashes of lightning crashing through the midsummer night at regular intervals.

The closer she came to the field, the more worried Brynleigh became. She had expected to see Sarai on her way here, but there was no sign of her sister. Where was she? Sarai was smart. She would’ve started running home as soon as the storm hit.

The water rose far too quickly to be normal. First, it reached her ankles. Then, her knees.

Thunder bellowed its anger.

In the distance, someone screamed.

Dropping the useless umbrella, Brynleigh cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Sarai! Where are you?”

The wind swallowed her words.

She ran to the fairgrounds, calling for her sister.

The water rose and rose. She half-waded, half-sprinted through the torrential storm. Soon, it was up to her thighs.

The fairgrounds were in sight.

“Sarai!”

Nothing.

Trees bowed in her direction, the wind pulling them nearly in half. Debris floated on top of the water. Branches the size of her arm flew through the air.

She swore, her stomach dropped as she scanned the area. No one was here. Even the stands, usually occupied by at least two or three couples enjoying each other’s company, stood empty.

A chasmic, numbing panic settled in Brynleigh’s stomach. She couldn’t go home without Sarai. Her imagination ran wild as she imagined the look of horror on her parents’ faces if she returned alone. She couldn’t do that to them. Sarai was the youngest member of their family. She was kind and good and never caused any trouble.

Brynleigh had to find her.

The water was up to Brynleigh’s hips when she turned and started back home. She swiped her hands over her eyes, trying to clear her vision. She waded, shivering and rubbing her arms as she searched left and right for Sarai.

The storm still raged. Chavin descended into watery chaos. Trees split. Glass shattered. People screamed. Wood creaked. The rain kept coming.

Brynleigh’s heart pounded as she headed in the direction she thought Sarai would take to go home. Maybe she’d see her on the way. They could laugh about how silly this was as they found refuge inside. They would sit and watch the lightning from the living room, like when they were little girls. Isolde would?—

There!

Sarai was down half a block, standing in hip-deep water at the street corner with her back to Brynleigh.

Hope surged in Brynleigh’s chest, and she pumped her arms and legs as she hurried towards her sister. “Sarai! We need to go!”

Sarai wasn’t moving. She was just… staring off into the distance.

What was she looking at?

“Hey!” Brynleigh screamed. “Turn around! We have to go home. This isn’t safe!”

A boom of thunder that was like a stack of bricks being thrown crashed through the sky.

It felt like it took an eternity of pushing through water to reach Sarai. Brynleigh fought against the current, the water from below nearly as powerful as the storm rushing from above, but she kept moving.

She’d never give up.

Her lungs burned, and her muscles ached as she grabbed Sarai’s arm. “Let’s go!”

Sarai lifted a trembling finger at the horizon. “L-l-look.”

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