Sigh … I wish this were mine, but alas it is not. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
To answer a few questions in the first chapter's reviews … this story is loosely based on Into the Storm. Granted, I made some changes to the plot, improving it as it were. Adding romance (citrus!) and finding out what happened after the tornado.
I'd also like to thank Magda from tumblr for the beautiful banner she created for me! It's gorgeous! To see it, check out my blogs (both on tumblr and blogger). Hugs, girl!
Rotating thunderstorms are the best predictors of tornado activity. They are well defined thunderstorms on radar that may include hail, severe winds, lightning, or flash floods.
Thursday, May 27th, 2021
8:17am
Circle K Convenience Store and Gas Station
Clinton, Oklahoma
"There better be a fucking tornado today. The season is half done and we've got nothing," Jacob Black snarled as he filled up the Titan, the massive vehicle they used to chase tornados. "Cullen, you've really mucked things up. We've been hundreds of miles away from the storms and missed every single tornado so far. You're supposed to be this fucking genius and yet, you're not."
"I'm really feeling motivated to find you a tornado, Jacob," Dr. Edward Cullen sneered under his breath.
His production assistant, Seth, gave him a sympathetic grin from behind the camera. They were doing a documentary about storm chasers and Edward was a last-minute replacement for the leggy blonde meteorologist they'd hired. The original hire, Tanya, got a call from some local news station and she decided that her fake double D's would be better suited to broadcast weather in Duluth, Minnesota than travel across Tornado Alley during storm season with six men.
His reasoning for taking the position with Jacob's team was Edward's funding at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign had run out and he was desperately looking for a job.
His research was trying to figure out a way to accurately predict the path of tornadoes and create a more effective warning system. He'd tested so many hypotheses, but couldn't make an accurate breakthrough. So, when his contract was up at the university, he was let go and he had no job.
No job.
No wife. She'd divorced him when she realized that an adjunct professor's salary was a joke. Not like she was all that wonderful either.
No home …
He was living with his parents so he could have free child care, which was needed since he'd taken this job traveling for the better part of four months.
Yep, Dr. Edward Cullen was a real winner.
The only thing that was going right in his life was five-year-old daughter, Lily. His little Lilybug … she looked up at him like he hung the moon and was her personal superhero. He'd do anything for her, to make her smile.
So, he took this demeaning, awful job with a bunch of adrenaline junkies making a documentary about tornadoes with their asshole producer, Jacob Black.
"You want something to drink, Dr. Cullen?" asked Seth, his PA and personal videographer. "I'm going to grab a Monster."
"Um, some coffee," Edward replied, handing Seth a few bucks. "I'm going to check the radar for any activity." His cell phone rang and he saw his mother's number dance across the screen. "Well, after I talk to Lily."
"Tell her I say hi," Seth grinned, hopping out of the van and walking to the convenience store.
Picking up the phone, Edward slid his finger across the screen. "Hey, Bug," he sang, holding up the phone so he could see his little girl. "You being good for Grandma?"
"I am," she chirped. "Grandma is taking me to the zoo today. Can you come?"
Edward frowned. He was several states away from his little girl. It broke his heart to be away from his daughter, but he needed this paycheck. "No, Bug. Daddy's working. I'll be home in a couple of weeks, Lily. I promise," he said.
"You work all the time, Daddy," Lily growled. "I miss you! I want you home!" She huffed and stomped away, leaving the phone facing the ceiling fan.
"I'm sorry, Edward," said his mother, Esme, as she picked up the cell phone, frowning deeply as she saw her heartbroken son. "She's been hoping that you'd magically appear for the past couple of days. A tense visit from her incubator didn't help matters, either. Can you get away?"
"I wish," Edward sighed. "I'd rather be at home with you then where I'm at currently."
"Oh, Edward," Esme breathed.
"What did Jessica want?" Edward growled.
"She threatened to take Lily away, forcing you to court, but the judge practically handed Lily to you because of Jessica's behavior … the drugs … the partying," Esme sighed. "We've already got Jenks on it."
"I'll pay you back. I swear," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had a running tally of the debts he owed … including the expensive lawyer his parents provided for him when Jessica wanted a divorce, along with months of free room and board, not to mention childcare.
"We're your parents, Edward. You'll do no such thing. Your father and I would do anything for you and for Lily," Esme chided. "Please, be safe, baby. I love you so much."
"I will. I'll call you tonight when I get settled. We're tracking a front and it could be a rocky day if things go the way I'm predicting," he said. "Strong storms with the possibility of tornadoes." There was a loud cough at the rear of the van. "I've got to go. Give Lilybug a hug and a kiss for me, okay? Tell her I love her."
"I will, Edward. Be safe," Esme said, ending the call.
"Can I help you, Jacob?" Edward asked, tossing the phone on the desk in the van. He scowled at his boss.
"I really shouldn't pay you, Cullen. We were guaranteed tornadoes and we've barely seen any this season, thanks to your brilliance," Jacob sneered.
"Each of the fronts you've been adamant on following were unstable and fell apart quickly. I told you that the weather conditions weren't primed for stronger storms or tornadic activity," Edward explained evenly, trying to keep his temper in check. Jacob Black was an amateur when it came to the weather. His college degree was in philosophy with a minor in photography, which he was using for this project.
Nowhere, did he have any intelligence in meteorology. He only decided to go on this tornado treasure hunt because he found the Titan, a storm chasing vehicle, in a junkyard. How he got funding and backers was beyond Edward, but when the job was offered, he jumped at it. He questioned his sanity at this moment.
Was a paycheck that necessary if it meant he had to work with this unorganized idiot?
"CULLEN!" Jacob snapped. "Did you hear what I just said?"
"Sorry," Edward replied sheepishly.
"I'm this close to firing your ass, but our investors are keeping us going because of your reputation," Jacob sighed, scrubbing his face. "We need to have some solid footage by the end of the month or this project is done. What do you have?"
"Are you going to listen to me or go off half-cocked?" Edward asked, arching a brow at Jacob. "You watch those idiots on the television who proclaim to be meteorologists, but aren't, and do not listen to someone who actually studied meteorology. I went to school for eight years and have a doctorate in the subject. If you'd listen to me …"
"I wouldn't have to go off half-cocked if you did your fucking job," Jacob retorted.
"I do my job; you just choose not to listen," Edward said, arching a brow. "Are you going to listen? Because I think we have some strong chances that there will some amazing storms just south of here." He pressed the space bar on the computer, showing the current radar. "Here's a strong front, very organized and it's moving over some hot, humid, unstable air. Plus, there's been storms the past couple of days, priming the air for some intense activity."
"How long of a drive?" Jacob asked.
"An hour, maybe two," Edward said.
Jacob pursed his lips, looking at the computer. "Okay, we'll do it your way, Cullen." He turned, shouting at the team. "Roll out … we're heading south!"
A/N: So, we've met Weatherward … he's got a special place in my heart. A nerdy, hot doctor of the weather? Yes and please! Pictures from this chapter are on my blog. You can access that through a link on my profile. I'm also on Facebook: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation. I'm on twitter, too: tufano79.
See you on the flippity-flip!