Laura smiled back at the grateful woman. She'd just returned the purse that she had managed to rescue from the taxi. "Soin de prise de votre petite fille." The cute little girl waved at her and Laura waved back. "Bye bye."
As she walked away, she had to watch her step, not wanting to trample on any fingers or toes. The main reading room on the upper level of the library had been transformed into a makeshift shelter. People sat on benches or lay down on the floor, some in small groups, others preferring to be alone. Whether they chose to be by themselves or had lost friends or family in the tidal wave, she didn't know. She thought once again of how lucky she was to be alive. If Sam hadn't come for her, she would have been swept away like so many others. It was even more miraculous that Seth and Summer had survived.
When she and Sam had made it to the lobby of the library, she'd thought they were safe. But he had urged her forward, saying they should get higher. They'd followed the crowd, running up more steps but he'd stopped at one point, saying he was going to wait for Seth and Summer to catch up. She'd been surprised, thinking that she had seen them get a head start. Sam had refused to let her stay with him, pushing her towards the next flight of stairs.
And so she'd had no choice but to wait at the top landing, looking down anxiously. When Sam had come into view a minute later, taking the last few steps slowly, she'd instantly read his expression. Their friends hadn't made it. Shocked, horrified, she'd broken down into tears and they'd stood there for a while, holding each other.
Nearly twenty minutes later, Seth and Summer had appeared at the entrance of the room – pale, dishevelled, and a wondrous sight.
Laura approached Summer now, who was resting in a corner of the room that they'd staked out for themselves. "How's the ankle?" she asked, sitting down on the floor beside her.
"Okay. It's just bruised." Summer lifted her leg and rotated her foot, now dressed in Seth's grey socks. "See? Not broken."
"Good." As Laura shifted to find a more comfortable position, she winced, feeling the sting on her calf. She must have scratched it against something.
"Are you okay? I thought I saw you limping a bit."
"I'm fine. It's nothing," she said dismissively. "Where are the boys?"
"They're trying to find Sam's backpack."
"Ah." Laura understood. After spotting her and Summer from the base of the steps outside, the boys had passed their bags to a couple of guys who'd also been making a run for the library. Seth's bag had been returned, so Summer had put on one of his shirts, grateful to be at least half dry. She'd refused his only pair of extra jeans, however, insisting that Seth change into them himself.
They fell silent for a minute, each lost in their own thoughts.
Summer broke the lull. "So how long have you known Sam?"
"Oh, um, about a year."
"Do you like him?"
"Yes, of course I do."
"No, I mean, do you like him?"
Although the question flustered her, Laura searched her feelings. Sam was smart, sweet, and kind. A little stubborn and sometimes a little lazy. But he had a big heart and that was important to her. Only recently had she noticed that his eyes were a lovely shade of deep blue and that he had an infectious laugh. It was a revelation to her but yes, she liked him very much.
"I think I do," she finally responded.
"Good. Because he definitely likes you. You guys would be great together."
It was time to change the subject. "What about you and Seth? Have you been together long?"
Now it was Summer's turn to look uncomfortable. But she answered the question. "No, not long."
"What brought the two of you together?" Laura was genuinely curious, since they often seemed like a mismatched couple.
Summer hesitated, contemplating the question. "I have no idea. He says he's always liked me but I don't know why." She sighed, as if her words weren't coming out the way they should. "I mean, I know why. I've always been popular and everything but I can be pretty bitchy. In case you haven't noticed," she added wryly.
"But there must be something about him too," Laura prodded.
Summer nodded and she spoke more slowly this time. "Yeah. He makes me feel safe. And beautiful. Beautiful on the inside. He's the first boy that's liked me for who I really am. He sees the real me." She paused. "But I still want to strangle him sometimes."
Laura had to laugh at that. Maybe they were a normal couple after all.
-------------------------
Sam's eyes followed Laura across the room, watching as she returned the lady's purse. That girl was just too soft for her own good sometimes. She always thought of herself last.
"You really like her, huh."
Sam noticed that Seth's inflection was a statement, not a question. His first reaction was to deny it but then he gave in, too tired to do otherwise.
"Yeah. That obvious?"
"Kind of. How long has it been?"
He shook his head wearily, disgusted with himself. "You don't wanna know."
"That long." Seth tilted his head a little, as if trying to decide how to continue. "Well, if it's any consolation, I know how you feel."
That got his attention. "Oh yeah?"
"Yup. You, my friend, are looking at the king of unrequited-love-from-a-distance. I've probably set some kind of world record and believe me, you don't want to go there. Just suck it up and tell her how you feel."
Sam honestly didn't know what to say to that, so he remained silent. Getting back to the task at hand, he continued to look around the room for the guy he'd tossed his bag to. He felt a nudge from Seth's elbow. "Hey, isn't that him?"
Sam's gaze followed Seth's pointed arm and it took a few seconds to find him. To be honest, he wasn't a hundred percent positive it was the same guy; he'd only glanced at him for a split second. But that was definitely his backpack that was being rifled through.
He walked over and cleared his throat, waiting for the older man to look up. When he did, Sam extended his hand. "Thanks, I'll take that back now."
At least the guy looked embarrassed to be caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Yeah. Yeah, sure. I was just, uh, making sure nothing was missing."
"Right." Sam then spied a couple of small foil packets in the man's hand, the airline logos peeking out between his fingers. "Drop the peanuts," he ordered. Mission accomplished, Sam returned to where Seth was waiting and they made their way back to the girls.
Looking entirely pleased with himself, Seth held out his lucky find towards Summer. "Here, I found these for you."
She laughed as she regarded the tan coloured, lace-up boots dangling from his hand. "Those are the ugliest things I've ever seen," she scoffed.
Obviously stung and a little hurt, Seth drew back. "Fine, I'll just put them back," he snapped.
Seeming to realize her error, Summer got up from the floor. "No, it's okay. I want them."
"Please, don't do me any favours."
She reached for the boots as he tried to snatch them away. "No, really, I want them," she insisted.
They played tug-of-war with the questionable footwear until Seth finally let go. Summer staggered backwards briefly, but was clearly the winner with boots cradled in her arms. "Where did you get them?"
"The lost and found," he grumbled. "They might be a little big."
"They look fine," she said quickly. Then, as an afterthought she added, "Thank you."
As Summer sat down to try them on, the boys also made themselves as comfortable as possible on the floor. They had managed to snag a couple of blankets from the children's section of the library. There had been some cushions in that area too, but they'd been quickly snatched up.
"So what do you think is happening out there?" Laura asked, throwing out the question to everyone. "I've heard some people saying it's just a freak storm. Some think it's the beginning of the end of the world." She turned eyes to Sam. "Have you thought about calling your father?"
"Yeah," Sam admitted. Though he hadn't parted on the best of terms with his dad, he at least ought to call and let his parents know he was okay. The tidal wave must have been all over the news by now. They would be frantic with worry.
"What would your father know?" Seth asked, looking puzzled.
"He's a climatologist," Sam explained. "That doesn't mean he'll have a definite explanation for all this but if anyone has a clue about what could be happening, it would be him."
Seth rooted around his backpack and withdrew his cell phone, making a face. "Battery's dead. Summer?"
"Phone in purse, which was in carry-on bag, which was dumped in street. Sorry."
Sam already knew that Laura didn't have one and neither did he. But he had an idea. "We need to find a payphone," he said abruptly. "They should still be working." He got to his feet and gazed around in surprise as everyone else did the same. "You don't all have to hold my hand. I can make a phone call by myself."
"We haven't been able to reach anyone at home yet," Seth said, with a glance at Summer. "The news never said anything about the tornados touching down in Newport but...both of my parents go into L.A. a lot on business. And so does Summer's father. We should just make sure they're okay."
Sam didn't waste anymore time. "Then let's go."
-------------------------
They managed to find the payphones. Seth was staring at them right now. However, between him and the phones were several feet of water. The water wasn't stagnant, either. It was flowing. Rising.
"Great," he muttered. "I was just drying off."
"I'll check it out first," Sam said, diving right in. "Ahhh!" he yelped, wading forward nonetheless. "It's freezing!" Seconds later, he called back, "It's working. There's a dial tone."
Almost disappointed, Seth hesitated at the edge of the water. Maybe his parents wouldn't even be home. Was it worth it to immerse himself again when he'd just barely escaped the last time?
"I could go in," Summer offered.
"No, no, I'll do it," he said quickly. "I'm just...waiting for the right moment." Before he could change his mind, he jumped in. A whole string of curses reverberated through his brain but somehow, didn't escape his clenched teeth. Up to his waist in the icy liquid, he made his way to the phone, fumbled in his pocket for the coin and made the call.
It was answered after the first ring.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Dad."
"Seth! Are you all right?"
"Yeah, fine. And Summer too. We're both okay."
"Thank God. Where are you?"
"Manhattan Public Library. We saw the tornados on the news and got worried. Everyone's all right?"
"Yes, everything's fine here. L.A. is devastated but we're okay."
"And Summer's d-dad?"
"He's fine too. He just called us, actually, after he heard about the tidal wave. I'll make sure he knows Summer is okay. Hang on, Seth, your mother wants to talk to you."
"Seth! Honey, I was so worried."
"It's....it's...okay, M-mom." His teeth were chattering so hard now, he thought they might break to pieces in his mouth. He could feel a weird current around his legs, threatening to lift him off his feet. "I...I...hafta g-go." The water was already up to his chest. He had to get out of here.
"But Seth...""S-sorry..."
Seth dropped the phone when his feet went out from under him, dunking his head under water. With a gasp, he came back up for air, finding his footing again. He glanced at Sam, who was clutching the phone unit with one arm and still speaking into the receiver. "Sam, we n-need to go!" he called out. He could hear the girls calling their names, repeating the same sentiment. But Sam kept talking.
Up to his shoulders now. He was starting to feel numb. And tired. So very tired. Turning, he saw Summer crouching down on the step. Her mouth was open and she was yelling something. Funny that he couldn't hear what she was saying, even though he wasn't that far away. He was going to have to swim for it.
The current tugged at his legs again and he went under. Fighting the flow of water, he kicked, swam, desperate and more frightened by the second. He felt himself being dragged away against his will.
Summer...-------------------------
Summer watched as Cohen disappeared for a second time, but she wasn't worried. She was sure that his head would pop back up again.
But it didn't.
The water had risen unbelievably fast in the last thirty seconds. It seemed to be gushing in. Now she couldn't even see Sam.
She barely registered that Laura's fingers were digging into her arm. She just kept watching the water. Waiting.
Finally, a head burst up from the surface. While she was glad, it wasn't the one she'd been waiting for.
"Sam!" Laura cried, dropping Summer's arm so she could help him out of the water. "Sam, you took so long, I thought you...thought you..." She trailed off, as if unable to bear the thought of finishing the sentence.
Sam crawled onto the stairs, shaking, and Laura wrapped her arms around him, holding him close.
"Where is he?" Summer asked. Amazing how her voice sounded so calm.
"I tried to h-help him," Sam stuttered, gazing up at her with wide eyes. She recognized that look. Guilt. "But this c-current came out of nowhere and I...I tried to go after him b-but I ran out of air. I had to come back. I'm sorry."
"Sorry," she repeated tonelessly. "What are you sorry for? He's fine. He's a strong swimmer. You'll see."
"Oh, Summer," Laura whispered. "He's gone."
Summer glared down at her, angry to see the glitter of tears in her eyes. Furious that she had Sam in her arms. "He's not gone."
"Summer..."
"Shut up, Laura! He's not gone!"Summer clamped a hand over her mouth as her scream echoed off the walls. Walls that seemed to be closing in on her, squeezing the air out of her lungs so she couldn't breathe.
She had to find him.
Spinning around, she ran up the stairs and down the hallway, her boots pounding on the stone floor. The stupid, clunky, ugly boots that he had cared enough to find for her. She found a flight of steps leading down and followed them to the edge of rushing water.
"Seth!"Up the stairs she went again, racing further down the corridor. She could picture his soft, curly hair. His gentle, chocolate eyes. Eyes that saw the good in her when no one else did. She was at the end of the hall and the last set of stairs going down. Running, practically flinging herself downward, she stood and stared at the silent water.
"Seth!"Hysteria bubbled through her, twisting her stomach and clawing at her soul. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real.
But it was. It was cold and harsh, but it was real.
Grief as she had never known shattered through her heart, rendering her legs useless. She collapsed on the step, sobbing, arms around her knees and rocking back and forth. How could this have happened? He had come for her, saved her life, and now she had failed him. When she'd seen him go under the second time, she should have jumped in and pulled him to safety. She was a strong swimmer too. She could have done it. Instead, like a fool, she'd done nothing. Now he was dead. And she was alone. Despair wrenched another sob from her throat. "SETH!"
"I'm right here. You don't have to y-yell."
For a moment, she flashed back to the plane ride when she'd shouted in his ear. Was her mind playing tricks on her? Raising her head, she felt a rush of blinding joy. "Seth!
He was struggling to pull himself out of the water. Summer jumped down the remaining steps and grabbed onto him, dragging him up. Concerned about his uncontrolled shivering, she placed a hand on his cheek, almost recoiling from the icy touch. "You're freezing!" she exclaimed. "We have to get you dried off and warm."
"Just...just let me r-rest for a minute," he implored.
She took pity on him, knowing how exhausted he must be. How hard he must have fought. "Just for a minute," she agreed. She sat with her arms around him, supporting his back and letting him rest against her. Another wave of emotion flooded over her and she bent her head down, covering his face with kisses.
"Are you crying?" he asked, sounding incredulous.
"Yes, you idiot. I thought you were dead. Don't you ever do that to me again."
"Well, you almost d-died on me first. I couldn't let you h-have all the fun."
She said nothing, continuing to hold him tight, grateful that they'd been given this second chance. She swore to herself that it wouldn't be wasted.
A/N: Sorry for any inaccuracy in the French language. Translation is courtesy of Babel Fish at AltaVista:
Soin de prise de votre petite fille. Take care of your little girl.
Thanks again for the reviews, or should I say, merci beaucoup. I appreciate each and every one!