Page 1 of Cora

Chapter one

Cora

17 Years Old

Colorado Mountains

If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?

I checked my reflection in the mirror one last time and groaned. I hated my hair and how the blond strands just hung straight like spaghetti. Would it hurt to have a little bit of volume once in a while? Everything needed to be perfect. We hadn’t been down the mountain in six months. That had been a long time not to see any of my friends or another livinghuman besides Daddy. I got to talk to them once in a while on the landline when a storm hadn’t knocked the lines out. Daddy didn’t believe in cell phones, not that it would have mattered if he did; we were so off-grid that cell phone service didn’t reach here. We found that out the one time Daddy agreed to let Kelly stay for the weekend. We were lucky we even had a landline all the way up here.

“Cora! If your butt isn’t in that truck in the next five seconds, I’m leaving you home,” Daddy yelled.

I quickly rushed from the bathroom. “I’m coming, Daddy, but you and I both know you’d never leave me at home.”

“And why is that?” he asked as he opened the truck door for me.

“Because you like my chocolate chip cookies far too much to risk me not making them anymore,” I teased.

“You got me, Buttercup. I wouldn’t have any quality of life without your cookies.” Daddy winked at me as he slammed the truck door shut, went around the hood, and climbed behind the wheel. “What do you say we stop at Granny Sue’s for lunch before we shop?”

“Daddy, you know I made plans with my friends,” I reminded him.

“I know, I know. But it’s tradition to get lunch at your favorite restaurant whenever we visit town. You’re telling me you’re willing to skip out on a slice of coconut cream pie?” Daddy asked. “Have lunch with me, and then go see your friends. I promise to do the shopping extra slowly.”

“Fine,” I huffed. I briefly held my fake annoyance before breaking into a blinding smile, which Daddy returned. Even though he was the only human contact I had daily, I would never pass up the opportunity to get lunch and pie with him. Some might find it weird, but Daddy was my best friend.

After Mom left when I was ten for some corporate stooge, Daddy moved us into the mountains and off-grid. He said the problem with the world these days is that with all of the technological advancements, everyone has forgotten what’s important: family. He said he wouldn’t let me grow up in a world without humanity. It was a tough adjustment for both of us, but six years later, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Sure, I missed my friends, but I woke up with the sun and the birds every morning and had the whole mountain to explore. While my friends had to sit in a stuffy classroom, I was learning Algebra in nature with the sun shining down on me.

The drive down the mountain was uneventful, but I perked up when we reached the river and crossed the big bridge. The town below came into view, and my excitement grew as we got closer. I looked at the arcade as we passed through town, where I’d be meeting my friends later, longingly. Now that we were here, I wanted to hurry up with lunch to get to the arcade. We parked in front of Granny Sue’s and went inside.

“There’s my favorite little mountain girl!” Sue yelled when she saw us. The plump elderly woman with the familiar sunflower apron came bustling from behind the counter to hug me. “I thought I’d be seeing you two soon. You’ve grown like a weed since the last time I saw you. I suppose I will have to start calling you my mountain woman soon.”

“Hi, Susie,” I said, returning her hug. “How have you been?”

“Oh, you know how things are around here,” she replied, guiding me to our favorite booth. “Nothing much changes, so everything is just fine.”

“We’ll have the usual, Sue,” Daddy said as we sat. “And it’s good to see you, too,” he teased.

“Clay, you know I’m just as happy to see you as I am this beautiful child of yours,” Sue replied.

“I’m more than happy to live in Cora’s shadow,” Daddy replied.

“Sit tight; food will be out in ten minutes.” Sue went to place our usual order, and our attention drifted to the TV hanging behind the counter. On the screen, we saw footage of what looked like riots.

Daddy shook his head. “I wonder which country that is this time.”

“Ours, friend,” a man eating at the counter replied. “That’s happening right here in the good ole U.S. of A. It’s starting in all the major cities; I barely made it out of Oklahoma City. I’m headed for the mountains, myself.”

The bright red letters “BREAKING NEWS” flashed across the screen as he spoke. More footage of riots and people who looked like they were running for their lives appeared on the screen. The chilling part was the words at the bottom of the screen: Denver, CO.

I looked at Daddy nervously. That was a lot closer than Oklahoma City.

“Don’t worry, Buttercup,” he assured me, “that’s still a ways away, and we’ll be back on our mountain soon enough.”

“Might be too late now,” the man said. “Probably shouldn’t have come to town today.”

“Mister, do you mind keeping your thoughts to yourself?” Daddy asked sternly. “You’re frightening my daughter.”

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