Page 97 of Raven

This look is so… wedding-like.

The thought amuses me. I wonder what Raven would say seeing me in this dress.

And the next thought is unexpected. If I were forced to marry a man like Raven…

This is a ridiculous thought. Untimely. Odd. When Dad told me about my future husband, I was mad, gagging at the thought I’d have to bed the guy I didn’t like.

But playing the “what-if” game with Raven in my mind feels different.

And I finish the sentence, I would do it in a heartbeat.

I grab my phone and snap a selfie, old-school—with a sultry look and puffy duck lips.

Without taking the dress off, I lie on my bed, stare at the ceiling for a while, and close my eyes playing with the “what-if” scenarios.

And that’s how I fall asleep. In my white dress. Thinking about Raven.

37

MADDY

My phone, just like everyone else’s in the building, goes off with an emergency notification.

EMERGENCY ALERT.

Severe thunderstorm and hurricane warning in this area until 6 a.m.

Take shelter.

It’s finally here, the hurricane everyone was talking about for months. The one from the coast of South Africa bypassed us two months ago. This one is coming from West Africa and is not supposed to be as strong. But we all received the general memo for checking the generators if we have them, flashlights, and candles. Ayana is a relevantly small place, and the Center has enough space for everyone in case of an extremely bad scenario, as well as water, food supplies, satellite phones, and a bomb shelter. The bungalows on the lower level were evacuated. But Bo said that he talked to Bishop who used to be a military meteorologist, and he’s keeping an eye on the weather trackers and says it shouldn’t be as bad as we thought.

Nevertheless, all the cameras at Ayana are turned on in case of emergency scenarios.

Dr. Hodges tells me to go home early.

I spend the rainy afternoon cleaning my porch. My bodyguard, Ali, helps me close the hurricane shutters and take the flowers from my porch inside. It’s pouring by the time we finish, so I tell him to be safe as he waits outside the door until I lock it and put in the security code.

It’s been raining since yesterday. The winds howl and slash the rain sideways. Yet it still feels much safer than it did on the Eastside for two years.

After what happened in Port Mrei, I am more worried about something happening to Little or Raven.

I haven’t seen Raven in two days. The night the guards were killed at the port, Bo told me that Ayana is now implementing a restricted entrance policy.

“What does that mean?”

“That means we are doing extra security at the entrances, filtering many of the workers who come in, and doing a thorough delivery vehicle search. Judging by the effects, that cuts the Port Mrei employees at Ayana by half.”

“That’s not too bad.”

Bo snorted. “You kidding me? It is for those who pay for cooks, pool cleaners, gardeners, masseuses, and yacht maintenance. I had to deal with the super-smart one who got in my face about the pool guy who didn’t show up to clean her pool the other day. I said, ‘Your safety is more important.’ She said, ‘Not if I die from some infection in that pool.’ I told her to address all complaints to Archer.”

Now we have a hurricane warning. It’s already too dark outside for six o’clock in the evening. I turn on the light in the house. My phone has enough juice and a portable charger ready to go, as well as my iPad.

I’m spending this hurricane by myself for the first time in two years.

I text Kat.

Me: You guys are fine?

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