Jessica laughs, shoving Ruka away before he inhales her in a tight hug that she happily returns. Millie gets up, wrapping her arms around both of them. Reina piles on next. My brother spreads an arm out for me to join, and I do, embracing my team.
My friends.
My family.
We always hug before a chase. It’s our tradition. Anything can happen. Any of us could die. We all could. It’s the chance we take to capture the beautiful evil this world creates.
If I die doing something I love, then my life has not gone to waste.
“Ready, Millie?” Jessica begins.
“Ready. Ready, Reina?” Mille echoes.
“Ready. Ruka?”
“Ready as ever. Nari?”
“Ready!”
We unwrap our arms from one another, and I pull my camera from the strap attached to my shoulder. “Everyone knows the drill. We will lead the way.”
Millie hops into the driver’s seat. “We will be right behind you.”
“Don’t forget to flip on the live streams,” I remind them.
Jessica and Ruka spin like a tornado, circling one another like sister funnels would do.
It’s a dig at me.
“I’m not spiraling.” I laugh, watching them fall against the van from being too dizzy. “And that’s what you get.”
“Excuse me? I’m sorry to interrupt you. I was hoping I could get a picture?” A teenage girl asks, her grin showing off her braces. She can’t be more than seventeen. She points over her shoulder. “My parents are over there. This is the first time they have allowed me to see a tornado from a distance. So wherever you go, we are going to follow.” She bounces on her heels as she talks so fast, I can hardly keep up.
I lean in for the selfie, meeting her enthusiasm with a smile. “I love that, but don’t follow too closely. We get too close for a reason, and it isn’t safe for someone who doesn’t have the training, okay? Promise you’ll hang back.”
She nods fast. “Oh, definitely. I have to be careful, or my parents won’t ever allow this to happen again.”
I peek over her shoulder and give them my friendliest wave. They reluctantly wave in return. By the looks on their faces, they do not share the same joy as their daughter.
“We’ve got to go!” Reina shouts from inside the van. “We have a hook echo on the radar!”
The moment I hear those two magic words, adrenaline soars through my veins, my heart rate kicking up a few notches.
“I’ve got to go. It was lovely meeting you. Stay safe. And far behind us! I don’t even want to see you in my rearview, got it?”
Her head bobs in agreement, her eyes round with fear, and the poor girl freezes on the spot.
Ruka jumps into the driver’s seat, smacking the door with his palm. “Come on, Nari. We’ve got to go!”
I grip the girl’s shoulders. “It’s okay. You’re brave. You’ll be safe because you’re going to listen to me and stay far enough away. Or you can stay here. There are plenty of people who like to watch from the live stream.”
“I don’t want to watch a screen. I want to see a tornado.”
I spin her around and give her a slight push towards her parents. “Then what are we waiting for?”
Without waiting for her to reply, I dash to the passenger side of the SUV and harness myself in, two straps over my shoulder and one across my waist.
Glancing in the side mirror, I’m relieved when I see the girl jump into her parents’ car.
