Chasing the storm

Chapter 7: Nightfall and Names

(Sienna's POV)

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I was starving.

Not the I could use a snack kind of hungry. No—this was if I don't eat something in the next five minutes, I'm going to commit homicide kind of hungry.

And the person I'd probably kill first?

Rowan Carter.

Maybe not even out of hunger. Maybe just because he deserved it.

We had barely survived today. Tornadoes, floodwaters, near drownings, and Rowan's reckless ass thinking he's immortal. And now, trapped in this abandoned gas station with a group of strangers, we were all exhausted, freezing, and drenched to the bone.

But at least we had food.

Well, kind of.

"Alright," Oliver said, plopping a few dented cans onto the counter. "We've got… baked beans, canned chili, and something that might be peaches, but also might be expired."

Ava wrinkled her nose. "God, this is worse than summer camp."

Caleb—her older brother—grunted, arms crossed, still in full-on protective mode. The guy hadn't stopped glaring at Rowan since we got here.

"I vote chili." Rowan grabbed a can, twisting off the lid like he hadn't almost drowned an hour ago.

I scoffed. "It's literally canned mystery meat."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." He grinned, grabbing a plastic spoon and digging in without hesitation.

I glared. "You have no standards."

"You already knew that, sweetheart."

I almost threw my spoon at his head.

Instead, I focused on Mia, the girl we had rescued from the flood. She sat on a crate, wrapped in a blanket, her hands trembling slightly as she clutched a can of beans Oliver had given her.

"You okay?" I asked, voice softer.

Mia hesitated, then nodded. "Just… tired."

Her voice was small. Fragile. Like she still hadn't fully processed the fact that she almost died today.

I got that.

Caleb, sitting beside his sister Ava, was still on high alert. His gaze flickered between all of us, but mostly to Rowan—like he didn't trust him.

Tension hung thick in the air.

"You always this reckless?" Caleb finally asked, his voice low.

Rowan barely glanced up from his food. "Usually."

Caleb's jaw clenched. "Then I'm surprised you're still alive."

Rowan grinned. "Me too, honestly."

The way he said it—half-joking, half-not—made something twist in my stomach.

I hated it.

Before Caleb could fire back, Ava cut in. "Sooo, since we're stuck here together, maybe we should actually introduce ourselves?"

Mia nodded. "I mean… if we're gonna survive this, we should at least know each other's names."

Oliver lifted a hand. "I'll go first. Oliver Hayes. Storm chaser, part-time adrenaline junkie, full-time genius."

Rowan scoffed. "Full-time nerd."

Oliver flicked a spoonful of chili at him. "Shut up."

Ava giggled. "I'm Ava Foster. And that grumpy guy over there is my older brother, Caleb."

Caleb grunted. "I can introduce myself."

Ava rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but you're bad at it."

Mia smiled faintly. "I'm Mia Bennett. I was just passing through town when everything went to hell."

Rowan gestured lazily to himself. "Rowan Carter. Professional storm magnet. Future superhero."

I groaned. "You're an idiot."

He winked. "But I'm your idiot."

Caleb frowned. "So you two are… what? Dating?"

I choked.

"God, no," I blurted. "Absolutely not."

Rowan grinned. "Yet."

Caleb gave me a look.

I glared at Rowan. "Shut. Up."

Mia bit back a laugh. "What about you?" she asked me.

I exhaled.

"Sienna Vale," I said finally. "Freelancer, disaster magnet, and unfortunately stuck with these guys."

Rowan nudged me with his knee. "You love us."

"Debatable."

Oliver stretched. "Well, now that we're all best friends, we should probably figure out a plan."

Reality settled over us again.

The storm wasn't over.

The radio had died. The roads were still flooded. And we had no clue if the tornado had wiped out the next town over.

I exhaled, rubbing my temples. "So what's the move?"

Caleb frowned. "Staying here isn't ideal."

"No," Rowan agreed. "But going outside is worse. That second tornado is still out there."

Mia shivered. "How long until it passes?"

Oliver ran a hand through his hair. "Could be hours. Could be till morning."

Silence.

I glanced at Rowan.

His arm was still wrapped in the bandage I had put on him. His fingers absentmindedly traced the edges of the gauze.

He was tired.

For once, the usual cocky spark in his eyes wasn't as bright.

I wasn't sure why that bothered me.

I looked away, focusing on the others. "So we wait?"

Caleb crossed his arms. "Looks like it."

Ava sighed. "Great. Guess we should all get some sleep, then."

Rowan snorted. "Yeah, because that's gonna happen."

But despite his sarcasm, the exhaustion was catching up to all of us.

One by one, people shifted to find spots to rest.

Mia curled up on an old bench. Ava and Caleb found space near the back. Oliver stretched out against the counter, arms crossed.

I hesitated.

Then I sat down next to Rowan, my back against the same counter.

Neither of us spoke for a long moment.

Outside, the wind howled. The rain drummed against the roof.

Rowan sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Hell of a night, huh?"

I glanced at him, my voice softer than usual.

"It's not over yet."

He tilted his head toward me, eyes darker in the dim light. "No. It's not."

For a moment, we just sat there.

The storm raged on.

And neither of us looked away.

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