Page 19 of Carmine

“Here, you both leapt away and never picked up food. I’m aware you have a puzzle in front of you, but you need to eat. If you don’t keep your strength up, you’ll both be useless,” a woman announced, who wore a cut. A quick glance informed me her name was Amberlea. Another lady named Andi stood beside her, holding a plate out.

“Eat, both of you. Would you like coffee, tea, or a soft drink?” Andi asked.

“Coffee,” both Dr Jones-White and I answered together.

“With some vanilla in it?” At our nods, Andi called out to another woman. “Mina, two vanilla lattes, please.”

“Why ask me to work the fancy shit machine?” Mina bitched and scowled at the hot drink dispenser.

“Because Penny isn’t here,” Andi shot back.

“Yeah, I’m not her, doofus,” Mina retorted and punched some buttons.

“We know!” Amberlea teased.

Mina stomped over, carrying two big mugs. “If it ain’t vanilla, don’t blame me. I just press shit.”

“Okay,” I replied, taking a cautious sniff. It smelt fine.

“Can we control the lava flow somehow?” Andi asked.

“It’s too late to attempt now,” Dr Jones-White said.

“Plus, Aurora claims it’s imminent,” Mina chipped in.

“Aurora?” Dr Jones-White questioned.

The women exchanged a look, and I guessed they’d try to protect Aurora.

“Why do you ask if we can channel the lava?” I asked, and Mina sent me a grateful glance for covering her slip-up.

“Mina has a cabin near a route you predicted,” Andi replied.

“Oh no,” I gasped.

“I apologise, but it’s probably too late to divert. If we’d taken this seriously three years ago, a lava channel could have been dug. I am sorry, Mina. But if you can pack now, you should be able to save most of your belongings,” Dr Jones-White said, her eyes sweeping the room. “Ah, Aurora-Victoria. The psychic. Has she seen visions of this?”

My jaw dropped. “You know who she is?”

“Yes, she is rather famous and has made some very true predictions. If she says she’s had one about this, I’d trust her,” Dr Jones-White replied.

“You believe in psychics?” I demanded, dumbstruck.

“Honey, you get to my age, you realise science can’t explain everything. Aurora-Victoria has never been known to be wrong. We only understand a small part of the human brain. Who’s to say she’s not correct?”

“Wow.” That put me in my place!

Chapter Five.

Carmine

I’d prefer being at the command centre at the campground than waiting outside for the seismographs to activate. But here I was. I’d been paired up with a snooty-looking man who kept shoving his glasses up his nose. And worse, I’d hardly seen Molly since yesterday, which really annoyed me. I wasn’t the only single brother left in Rage, and I knew Molly was damn cute, and her cuteness would attract my brothers.

Nope, I’d met Molly first and was staking my claim, but I was stuck here with Mr Doom and Gloom. The asshole had been making fun of Molly’s hypothesis until I asked if he’d read the data. When he admitted he hadn’t, I told him to shut the fuck up until he had, or did he think Dr Jones-White was a gullible fool? He quieted down then.

My mind switched to Molly. She’d been so damn nervous yesterday and yet held her own. Especially against that Dr Flight. No doubt Mr Doom and Gloom was one of his camp. I honestly felt for her and wished I could’ve presented for her, but it had done Molly’s confidence the world of good. Thismorning, the quick glimpse I’d had of Molly showed her with her shoulders back and head high.

“Jesus, this is so boring,” Mr Doom and Gloom whined as he looked out at the water we were watching. Neither pond nor lake, it was too big to be the former and too small to be the latter.

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