It happened once a year.
Loud, howling winds, fast merciless rain, and sometimes, if Mother Nature was feeling extra angry, cold, heavy, snow.
Always the same date, always the same month, always the same time. They came without warning, a beautiful, sunny day one minute, and the next, a storm with a temper that refused to be controlled.
No one knows why, no one knows how.
Scientist puzzled over the strange occurrence of the storms, saying it was impossible for a storm to appear the same time, date and month for 19 consecutive years. Meteorologists stated that there was never any warning. While it was supposed to be a sunny day on October 29, the storm came instead. And the priests, and the popes, and the rabbis, and the imam’s insisted that storms were a sign from God himself, sending messages of warning and sin.
But no one ever knew the real answer. While the scientist puzzled, and the Meteorologists studied, and the religious leaders prayed, the people tried to protect themselves. Including Halle Jackson, who had the storm rip her apart from the very core of her being.

“It’s October 27th,” Halle stated one evening to her mother, as she finished her homework. Her mother acknowledged her with a nod, before returning back to her work. Halle sighed and continued, “It’s October 27th, which means in two days it will be the 29th and we haven’t done anything to prepare for the storm.”
Her mother stopped typing on her tablet and turned to look at Halle.

“Sweetie,” she said, false affection dripping from her voice, “The storm comes every year. Has anything ever happened to us? No. I don’t see why you get so worried. We will be fine.”
Halle resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her mother’s denial. Every year was the same. Halle worried and fretted, while her mother went on with her life like nothing was wrong. And it wasn’t like her mother had a reason to be so calm. Last year, a tree had fallen on their neighbor’s house, killing two of the residents. The year before that Halle’s best friend, Lassie, had been on a plane that had gotten stuck in the storm and was forced to make an emergency landing. And of course there was the storm of the century, as people started to call it, which showed its’ fangs eleven years ago. The storm destroyed, it terminated, it ripped apart families at their very core-including Halle’s. Her dad, who had always been there for her, who had kissed her skinned knees and threatened three year old boys when they made her cry, who entertained her with tea parties and taught her how to throw a spiral. Who had played with her like she was a little boy but always knew she was his little girl. The storm took him away. Right from her grasps. And it killed her too. It took her soul and left her body on earth to rot. It made her hate the storms. Hate them with a passion that burned so deep it hurt.
And her mother…
When the storm took her dad, her mom went with him. Gone was the smiling, happy go lucky mommy Halle remembered. Gone were her jokes, her songs, her playfulness. She was just a shell of her old shelf. And that hurt Halle more than her mothers’ harsh words and cold eyes that now embodied her.
But Halle knew, deep down, that although her heart ached for her old mom and the memory of her father, the least her mother could do was give her protection, from the storms and from herself.

“So,” Halle stated, “we’re not going to do anything? We’re not going to tape our windows shut? We’re not going to stalk up on supplies or food? Or get batteries for our flashlights? Mother! Don’t you want me to be safe? Don’t you want to be safe? I’m only 15, I can’t do this alone!”
Halle saw her mother stiffen and open her mouth to reply, but Halle was already up and out of her seat before she could get the words out.

“I’m going to Lassies’. Text me if you need me.”
Halle didn’t go to Lassie’s.
Instead she went down to the pond, which was already stirring with the threat of the storm. She picked a rock up and threw it into the pond, where it landed with a loud PLOP. She sat down onto the moist ground and sighed, cradling her head in her hands. She wanted to scream, yell, sob, anything. Her mother frustrated her so much sometimes. She knew if her dad was still around he would have gotten them rooms in the shelters, whereas her mother had nothing to live for.
Even Halle.
She knew she had to leave, get far away where no one, not even her mother or Lassie, could find her. She stuffed her phone angrily in her pocket and jumped up from the ground, wiping her pants free of any grime. She knew she was in no position to run away, especially with the storm coming. All she had was her phone and her iPod. Not even a hat or pair of gloves to keep her warm. And what was she wearing? Jeans, a sweatshirt, and an old pair of uggs? But she knew what she had to do. She had to save herself. This time it was about her.
The train left everyday at 3pm. No stops or hesitations. She barely made it on time and with only 20 bucks in her pocket she could barely pay. But during the storm people were sympathetic and for that she was grateful.
And so she was on her way. A one-way ticket to Washington D.C, the withstanding capital, in her hand. A place that was usually hit hard by the storm but had more shelters than she could count on two hands. Her train car was filled with families of all shape and sizes, bundled up and preparing for the long journey ahead. Their children, who have now replaced teddy bears and dolls with phones and tablets, playing with their iCubes, the new and improved apple technology that could turn into a tablet, iPod, iPhone or laptop with just a push of a button. From the corner of her eye, Halle noticed a little girl around eight, enveloping herself into her mother’s safe arms. Halle felt her gut twist and turn and warm tears welled up in her eyes. She mourned the broken relationship she and her mother had, what the storm had done to them. She checked her phone, no texts, no missed calls, not even an Openpage, the new social network, notification.
Her mother probably didn’t even notice she was gone.
And that hurt almost more than her harsh words and cold, unloving eyes. At least then, she knew she was there.
The train carried her away like a cloud. Away from the pain, away from the fear, away from the danger. Eventually, she felt her eyelids become heavy and the struggle to stay awake became futile. She welcomed sleep like an old friend and she let her dreams carry her off to a new, unscathed land.
Halle woke up to the sound of the train whistle announcing their arrival in Washington. She piled out of the train along with the rest of the passengers, her eyes scanned for some sign of safety.
She found nothing.
Panic rose in her chest. She needed to find shelter. What was this? Where were the talks of shelter and safety and home…
She couldn’t have come all this way just to find nothing. She was about to buy another ticket home when something caught her eye. A boy, no more than seventeen, running towards a shaft in the alleyway, with bundles of blankets in his arms. She followed him stealthily and opened the shaft door, trying not to draw too much attention to herself. She climbed down the ladder, descending into the unknown. She found herself in a dark room, only illuminated by fading lanterns scattered across the floor, people of all ages huddled up with blankets and pillows. The people were snacking on food and water. The elder read books under the light of the lanterns while the children played games on their iCubes. This is what Halle had been looking for. She had found her shelter.

“Who are you?” a voice said from behind, tapping her on her shoulder. Halle spun around in surprise. It was the boy she had followed. His blond hair sat eschew on his head and his blue eyes shined brightly in the dark room.

“Um, I’m Halle. Halle Jackson. Who are you?”

“Noah Greene. Look, Halle, you need to go. The shelter is only supposed to hold 20 people and we’re already over our limit. I don’t even know how you found this place…” he ran a hand thrown his hair, making it more disheveled than it already was.

“Please Noah, I have no where to go. My mother won’t protect me; my friends don’t know I’m here… I just need to be safe from this storm. Please? What’s one more person?”
Noah looked like he wanted to strangle her for putting him in this position, but he finally slumped his shoulders and sighed, giving in.

“Well, all right. Come with me. I’ll find you some blankets and something to eat.”
Halle smiled and thanked Noah, before following him to a chest filled with blankets and pillows. She got herself situated and sat down in a corner of the shelter and to her surprise Noah sat next to her. She smiled at him, feeling her heart speed up at a rate that couldn’t be healthy. And at the moment, under the lantern light and with Noah sitting next to her, she finally felt safe.
Her phone rang at one in the morning on October 29th. Halle had spent a day in the shelter so far and had discovered two things. The first was that she had a thing for blonds, the second was that one could get really bored of canned fruit and beef jerky very quickly. She lunged for the phone it before she could startle anyone and answered it, expecting it to hear Lassie’s frantic voice on the other line.
Instead she heard her mothers.
“Halle!” her mothers muffled voice said, “Where are you? I’ve been looking everywhere!”
Halle felt a twinge of guilt run through her stomach but she quickly pushed it aside.

“I’m at a shelter,” She said, “In Washington D.C.”

“D.C? How did you get to D.C? Oh, Halle.”
There was a pause before she heard her mothers voice crack slightly, and she heard her whisper,

“Please come home.”
And then the line went dead and all she heard was the wind and the rain.

“Mother?” She yelled into the phone, “Mom? Mom! Please answer…”
Her heart pounded and she felt a panic rise up in her chest. She needed to go home. Why was she here? What was she thinking? The storm wailed all around the shelter, the door to the outside rattling, fighting to keep the wind and rain out. The people of the shelter huddled in the corners, covered with blankets and pillows, trying to keep safe and warm.
But for once, Halle just wanted her mom.
The shelter door rattled again, this time louder. She felt Noah grab her hand and pull her toward the corner with the other people. Halle checked her phone, to find frantic text from her mom.
The wind wailed, the rain pounded and Halle heard what she thought sounded like a flowing river above…
The door rattled. Her mom texted her.
The sound of the river got louder and Halle backed farther into the corner.
The door squeaked, it shook, and finally it wailed with defeat.
It opened.
The river burst through the opening, wrapping around Halle like a blanket. She gasped for air but found nothing. She desperately tried to swim to the top of the shelter but the lack of oxygen made it impossible. Blood pounded in her ears and her head felt light. She pictured Lassie, her bright smile and laugh that seemed to always be there. Her mom, who did protect her, Halle thought, in her own way. And finally her dad. She felt his presence around her. His warmth seemed close now, she could picture him more clearly...almost touch him…
Halle grasped her phone in her hands and with all of the energy she had left looked at the screen to find a new text from her mom. I love you.
Halle let the water wash over her, sweeping her into the dark abyss.
And nothing could make her go back.