Day 18

Antheia wasn't liking how dark the sky was. The weather was supposed to be bad that day. Thunderstorm bad. Possibly even tornado bad. Her father was terrified of tornadoes, and she noticed that he had been acting a bit stranger than normal when they went out to get much-needed supplies for the ranch's horses.

Troy was usually punctual with getting what he needed. Today, he seemed jittery and anxious. Antheia stayed by him, only leaving his side to help load horse feed into the back of the truck. The dry scratching sound of a long-dead leaf being pushed along the pavement caught her attention. Behind her, the clouds had gotten blacker, and she whispered a prayer that this was just going to be a terrible thunderstorm.

"Antheia? You have that last bag loaded?" Troy asked. The straps of his slouch hat were blowing back in the wind.

"Everything's good to go, Dad," she replied. "You okay?"

"I just want to get out of here," Troy said. "I hope your mother's okay."

"She said she's doing some cleaning around the house today. She's okay," Antheia said.

Troy nodded absently. He suddenly froze, and his face paled. A second later, the gentle whistling of the wind was shattered by the loud whine of a tornado siren.

Antheia covered her ears, feeling goosebumps rise on her arms. "Dad! Shelter! In the shop! Come on!"

Troy wasn't listening. He was frozen in place, covering his head, and Antheia could see his chest rising and falling rapidly. She dashed over to him, trying to take his right arm. "Dad, come on!" Antheia called. When she got closer, she could hear his panicked breathing. His damn tornado phobia's kicked in. He can't focus. Antheia looked toward the direction the wind was blowing from. Rain was beginning to fall, then she heard the clacking and plinking of small hailstones falling. She tried to guide Troy back into the shop. "It's okay, Dad. Dad, you need to breathe." She slowly helped him sit in the space between the clerk's counter and the back wall, even though he was still covering his head and on the verge of hyperventilating.

The siren was still going outside. The wind had picked up, but Antheia couldn't see where the tornado had formed. She went back over to Troy, uncertain of what to do. Would it be better to hug him or give him space? She stayed where she was, especially after the wind had begun to rattle the shop windows. Terror had begun to creep up on her as well. As the wind grew fiercer, she moved closer to where her father was seated, and sat with him.

"No. You get between me and the wall," Troy said.

"Why?" Antheia asked.

"Because I'm not letting you get hit by debris if that thing comes here."

On one hand, Antheia was glad that her father was starting to regain control. He was still pale and riddled with anxiety, but his breathing was beginning to ease up. Antheia moved so she was now in between Troy and the wall, and he was doing his best to shield her with his own body. Antheia admitted that she was more and more scared the longer the siren went on and the louder the wind outside became, but she felt safe with Troy. She remembered holding tightly to him when she was younger, after she had been adopted by him and his wife, Shauna. They had been the first people in so many years that she truly felt safe and comfortable with, and they loved her as though she was their own.

Antheia was hugged tightly against Troy's chest, hearing and feeling his heart beating loudly and rapidly. She took his left hand, and gently squeezed it. "Everything's going to be okay, Dad," she said. She hoped she was right.

Troy didn't respond. He squeezed her hand back, slowly calming down.

Antheia released her father's hand to keep hugging him, feeling as though she was small again. She heard and felt Troy draw in a deep breath, then he touched the back of her head, gently pressing her close to him. He kissed the top of her head before whispering a prayer in Greek.

The wind and the siren gradually came to a stop. Troy had remained somewhat tense, and kept shivering, but that slowed when the shopkeeper and several customers started coming out of the basement. Antheia helped him stand, noticing he was still pale. They left the store, seeing that the wind had tossed around garbage cans and anything not bolted down or incredibly heavy. Leaves and branches were scattered around the road, but there was nothing that couldn't easily be moved by human hands. The tornado itself had missed the town, merely brushing it with its high winds. After going outside to see the damage, Troy and Antheia's first order of business was to make sure Shauna was okay, so they both got in Troy's truck to head home.

Antheia waited until they were on the road before saying anything. "Are you okay, Dad?" she asked.

"Give me a few hours and I'll be okay," Troy replied. "How about you, sweetie?"

"I'm okay. More worried about you."

Troy shook his head. "You don't need to worry about me. I'll be alright."

Antheia reached over to touch his shoulder. "You're the one who's scared of storms like this."

Troy looked like he wanted to say something in response, but instead sighed, and squeezed Antheia's hand. "I know. I'm not sure if it's something I'll ever be able to get over, but it is something that occurs here occasionally. This is home, though, and I'm willing to brave tornadoes in order to stay here. I didn't build my own ranch just to run away from it because of a storm."

They returned to the ranch to find it untouched apart from tree branches strewn everywhere. Shauna came running out to greet them, stopping by the truck just as it parked. "Sam! Antheia! Are you two okay?"

"Yeah, we're alright," Troy said. He got out of the truck to hug and kiss his wife. "We're alright, sweetheart. How are you?"

Shauna took Troy's head to plant a kiss on his lips, holding him there for a few long moments before slowly pulling away. "Understandably worried, don't you think? I heard the sirens go off and I knew you were probably panicking."

"He did panic," Antheia said after getting out of the truck. "I had to help him into the shop to take shelter."

Shauna first looked at Antheia, then back at Troy. "Well, good for her." She pulled Antheia into a tight hug. "Oh, I'm so proud of you, lass."

"Same here." Troy hugged his daughter as well, and kissed her forehead. "You kept your head when I didn't. Thanks."

Antheia hugged both of her parents, grateful for their pride in her, but more happy that they were both okay. She already lost one set of parents. The last thing she wanted was to lose another.