We do not own anything..if we did...there would be NO BREAKUP!
Cody just sat there feeling completely helpless. A F-5? Those had been compared to the Finger of God. One of those would destroy anything and everything in their paths. And it looked like this one had chosen a path straight for Kettlecorn...and Bailey.
Without consciously realizing what he was doing, his hand had shot into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. Flipping it open, he opened his contacts and Bailey's cell phone number was still listed first. He pressed send and waited and waited. He was pleading with her to pick up. Finally, it stopped ringing, but Cody didn't get the response he was hoping for.
"We're sorry. The wireless customer you are looking for is currently out of the service area. Please try back later."
Cody sighed. Another idea popped into his mind, and he returned to his contact list and found the first of London's ten cell phone numbers. He tried every single one of them, but got the same message every time that he had gotten when he called Bailey.
Cody tried to collect himself. Bailey had told him long ago that the family had a storm shelter. It made perfect sense now. Everyone was probably down there. Kettlecorn had bad enough cell phone coverage as it was, and being underground probably made it impossible to get a signal. Cody shook his head. He felt pretty silly that his first impulse was to call and warn Bailey and make sure she was alright.
Deciding he was overthinking things once yet again, Cody slid back on the bed and began reading the book he had brought with him. Of course, he wasn't having much success as he kept getting interrupted by a voice coming from inside of him. Cody found it annoying and tried to block it out. But it kept getting louder and louder. And that's when Cody noticed it wasn't his conscious talking to him...it was his heart. And the question it kept asking kept getting louder and louder.
"Are you sure she's okay?"
Cody tried harder to ignore it.
"Cody, are you sure Bailey is okay?"
Finally, Cody shouted out to the empty room. "Yes!"
"Are you positive? What if she's in trouble?"
"Not my problem anymore!"
"Come on, Cody...We both know better than that..."
Cody just sighed and shook his head.
"If she's not in trouble, no harm done...But what if she is?"
That thought wouldn't leave Cody's mind. Ever since Paris, even their friendship had been tenuous at best. And after the incident at the chocolate factory, it had even gone further downhill. But to Cody, that wasn't his fault. Even though he knew better, he had put his heart out there again. And once again, it had been smashed to bits. But...that still didn't mean he wanted any actual harm to come to her. The thought that something could happen to her was one he wouldn't let his mind even entertain.
Cody decided to check the weather channel again. He would take the scientific approach. There had to be more information by now. He would simply turn the TV back on, and it would tell him the tornado had changed paths or had been downgraded. To Cody, that was logical.
Flipping back on the TV again, Cody sat there and watched.
"The F5 we mentioned earlier seems to be on a collision course with the tiny town of Kettlecorn. Everyone in Kettlecorn needs to take shelter immediately at the lowest point of your house or in an interior room with no windows. If you have a storm shelter, go there now!"
Cody felt a lump growing in his throat. So much for logic. That tornado was going right after Bailey! And Cody never felt more helpless in his life knowing there wasn't anything he could do about it. Cody racked his brain trying to think of anything. Then it came to him. There was nothing Cody Martin could do, but Marion Moseby with the backing of Wilfred Tipton just might. Immediately, Cody jumped off the bed and to the door. Flinging it open, he began to run towards Moseby's room. Before he could get there, though, he ran smack into his own twin brother.
"Owww...Where's the fire at?"
Cody had no time to waste. "No fire. Tornado. Follow me!" Cody got up and ran on to Mr. Moseby's room and began pounding on the door. Zack, Maya, Woody and Addison just looked at each other and followed Cody. Finally, Mr. Moseby opened his door.
"Cody? Do you have any idea what time it..."
Cody was still trying to catch his breath. "Bailey...London...Tornado..."
Moseby just looked at him. "What?"
Cody finally caught his breath. "Mr. Moseby, there is a F5 tornado heading straight for Kettlecorn. Bailey and London are there!"
Moseby looked at Cody as if he was crazy. "Cody, did you just wake up from a dream?"
Cody sighed and ran over to Moseby's TV and turned it on to the Weather Channel.
"Look!"
By that time, everyone else had caught up, and they and Moseby walked over to see what Cody was pointing at. And they saw with their own eyes the news about the F5 about to reek havoc on Kettlecorn.
"Oh my word!" Moseby just stared at the TV.
Cody turned to him. "Is there anything Mr. Tipton can do?"
Moseby collected himself. "I'll call him immediately." And with that Moseby goes over to his cell phone and dials.
Zack, Maya, Woody and Addison just stare at the TV.
Addison turned to Woody. "Maybe this is what Madam Lasona was talking about when she said tragedy was going to befall those we are close to?"
Woody nodded. "Yeah. I guess I should have listened to what she was going to tell us..."
Addison rubbed his arm. "You had no way of knowing..."
Woody nodded. "Maybe...But it still doesn't make me feel any better..."
Maya couldn't help but look. "And we were just talking about Hurricane Katrina, and now this..."
Zack nodded. "I know. I hope they're okay..."
"Me too..." She paused. "These things make a bigger impact on you when you actually know someone involved, huh?"
"Yeah...I feel really dumb now for trying to get out of helping now..."
Maya rubbed his arm. "I think there is someone who could really use your help right now..."
Zack looked at her. "Huh?"
Maya nodded over towards Cody who just sat there on Moseby's bed staring at the TV.
"I think your brother needs you right now..."
Zack nodded and went over and sat down next to Cody.
"How are you holding up, Cody?"
Cody continued to just stare at the TV. "I don't know..."
Zack wrapped his arm around Cody's shoulder. "You know, its okay for you to be worried about her..."
Cody turned to Zack. "Of course I'm worried about her! London's been one of our oldest and dearest friends!"
Zack just looked back at his brother. "Codes, I know you are worried about London too. But this is me you're talking to. We both know London isn't the main thing on your mind right now..."
Cody sighed. "Okay, I'm worried about Bailey...Happy now?"
Zack shook his head. "No. Our friends are in danger. I won't be happy until I know they are safe."
Cody nodded. "I know..."
"Cody, I know she still means a lot to you. For a long time, I didn't get that..." He looks at Maya. "...but I do now..."
"Zack...Its not like that anymore..."
Zack just looked at his brother. "I think we both know better than that...Look, I'm here if you need to talk to someone..."
"Thanks..."
Zack gets up and walks back over to Maya, and he wraps his arm around her.
"How's he doing?"
"The woman he loves is in danger, and there's nothing he can do about it..."
"He said that?"
Zack shakes his head. "He didn't have to...Its that obvious."
Cody just continued sitting there staring at the TV. He was asking...no begging...for the meteorologist to say something...anything. He needed to know how Bailey was doing. He would give anything to hear her voice right now...even if it was just her yelling at him for being stupid again. Gladly, he would take that barage. But until then, there was nothing he could do, and that was causing his heart to break all over again.
Finally, Moseby came back towards the TV and the group of five.
"Mr. Tipton is doing what he can from his end, but he wants me to personally go to Kettlecorn to find London and bring her back. I..."
Cody stood up and interrupted him. "I'm going with you!"
