Road to Clover (The Breanna Raven Series) (3 page)

Just as I cross Daisy Circle
, the cars that busted the gate not too long ago has made it all around the huge loop that circles the cove. Most of the vehicles make it out of the gate only to slam into people and cars that are on Calla Lily Road causing a big pile-up. The last two cars don’t make the last turn. The first one catches air off the curb and crashes directly into the guard shack. The small structure doesn’t have a chance. The second vehicle does not slow down and finishes the destruction the first car started. The entrance is now blocked, and the gate guard isn’t hurt. I’m relieved to see he got out of there when he did. His big brown wide eyes testify to his panicked state, and he takes off running down the road away from the cove with the rest of the masses.

Gas is
now seeping out of the cars. In movies, cars usually blow up at this point, and I’m not sticking around to see if it’ll happen in real life. I dash right by Mrs. Sabeen and I head back to my house. That hill is no match for me now as I sprint full speed.

I can’t believe what I just saw.
It can’t be real. It has to be a nightmare. I have to be sleeping on my sofa, and the cartoons are messing with my dreams. There’s no way the world is coming undone like this. There’s just no way.

When I get back to my house, I slam the door close. I lock the dead bolt and doorknob. I look out the peephole like the b
oogie man is out there. I sink to the floor and grab my legs close to my chest. This is crazy. This is absolutely insane. What is really going on?

What shall I do? There has to be something. I run to the living room, and the television
is off. I try the remote, and it’s not working. Maybe the batteries are dead. Still it doesn’t make sense for the TV to be off. It was on when I first went over to Agni’s house. The world is losing its mind, and I have no idea why. I plant myself on the floor. I’m just at a loss. There has to be answers to the craziness, some kind of simple explanation.

A knock comes from
the front door that scares me out of my senses. Miss Kiki is not barking. She’s still hiding, and that means she’s truly afraid. I rush to the door, and I see Agni. I’m so glad to see him. I open the door and throw my arms around his neck. Before I realize it, I’m bawling and shaking like a baby. He pats me on the back, and I can tell he feels awkward. But I could care less. It’s just so wonderful to see a familiar, friendly face.

“Are you okay,
Breanna?” He asks as he looks me in the eyes.

I can only shake my head.
I can barely see from the tears.

He comes into the house and closes the door. We go into the
great room directly to the left. We sit on the large sofa, and that’s when I realize Agni has CB radios in his hands.

“Did you get
Chloe off the bus?” He asks.

“The bus never showed up. I’m so afraid, Agni. What if she’s hurt?”

“Maybe, she’s still at school.”

“
You think so?”

“
It’s a possibility, Breanna.”

“I hope so, Agni. It’ll be better if she’s there instead of on the bus.”

“The next time I hear from my dad, I’ll ask him to go by the school. He supposed to contact me on this short range radio real soon.”

“Can he check
right now? Can you call him now?”

“He told me to wait. I guess he’s out fighting fires or something.”

I beg with desperation, “Call him, pretty please, Agni. I have to know how my sister is doing. I hate to be pushy, but if you could do this for me, I’d greatly appreciate it.”

Agni
understands, and he switches on the radio. He speaks into it in a loud, clear voice. “Green One, this is Green Two.”

We’re only getting static as a response
. I’m praying for Mr. Green to answer. Agni calls for him again, and suddenly it crackles and Mr. Green is there. I finally start breathing again. I have never been so glad to hear him before.

I snatch the radio from Agni. I have no idea how to speak correctly on
that thing. I press a button and yell, “Mr. Green, can you go by the elementary school and get my sister!”

His voice comes back broken with static. I don’t understand a single word he’s saying. Agni grabs my hand, and he gently takes the radio.

He presses the button and calmly says, “Green Two, we did not get your last transmission. Do you copy? Please, repeat your message.”

Finally, Mr. Green comes in more clearly
, but there is a lot of background noise. “Agni, is everything alright where you are?”

“
Ten-four, Green One. My twenty is Breanna’s house, and her sister hasn’t come home yet. Do you think you can go by the elementary school and see if Chloe’s there?”

I’ve heard of ten-four
, but what did he mean by his twenty? Once again, Agni is confusing me.

“I’m
on the other side of-” Mr. Green’s voice is cut off by static, but his voice sounds off again. “A lot of damage out here. I’ll go by there as-”

I just want to hear a full freakin’
sentence! I plead to Agni, “Please, tell him to repeat what he just said.”

“Green One, we did not
copy your last transmission. Please, repeat. I say again, please repeat.”

Agni sounds so
soldier-like when he’s speaking on the radio, but I notice his dad is less robotic in his words. I wonder why his dad isn’t talking like him.

“
I will go by! I will go by, but I need for you to listen to me good.” The radio cuts off.

For a few excruciating seconds, we hear nothing. I want Agni to call for his dad
again, but he lifts his hand and shakes his head. He evenly states, “Patience, Breanna. Give him a minute.”

Of course,
I have no choice, and when his dad do speaks up again, there’s no background noise at all. Actually it sounds like he’s whispering. “I want you to listen to me good, Agni. Olympus Bridge is completely gone, destroyed. You know what that means. I can’t get home. I will try to find a way as soon as possible. Right now, my help is needed in Titan City. Also, there has been an explosion at the power plant south of the city. There’s no telling when the electricity will be up again. With everything out of control, I need for you to stay put, Agni. No matter what you do or hear, do not leave the island. You’re safer at home.”

How can that be possible?
Olympus Bridge is compared to the size of the Brooklyn Bridge, and it is just as majestic and beautiful. I can’t understand why someone would do that? Who are these people that are responsible for this?

Agni presses the button and says into the radio, “Dad, how did it happen?”
Now he sounds more like a concerned kid than a soldier.

“
I have no idea.” Mr. Green’s somberly answers.

“
Dad, what about Aunt Tillie? Have you been able to contact her?”

There is a distinct sigh coming from the radio
before he answers, “I’ve been so busy, Agni.”

“You know, you’re supposed to take
the meds out to her today after work. She’s running out, and she’ll panic if she doesn’t see you today. You know, Mark won’t think to get her medication.”

“Yeah, I know
, but obviously, I won’t be able to get to her any time soon. She’s good until the end of the week. Don’t worry about her, okay, Agni.”

“
Dad, I think I should go and check on her.”

“
Agni, I don’t want you to leave the cove. Either you can stay at home or stay over at Breanna’s house, but you are not allowed to go to your aunt’s house. It’s too far and too dangerous.”

His stern voice is a little surprising to me. I’ve never heard
Mr. Green bark at Agni like that.

“I can’t explain everything
to you, Agni, but I can tell you there are dangerous people here in Titan City, and I’m not sure about Watermeal Island. I’m sorry, but I want you to stay where you are. I have to go, son. There’s a lot of work I have to do. I want you to reserve the battery power in the radio. There’s no telling how long before the power is up on the island again. Only contact me if something is wrong.”

“Ten-four,” Agni remarks. The soldier lingo
is back again.

“
Breanna, I’ll check on Chloe as soon as I can today, and I’ll make contact again with the both of you at 8:00 p.m. Have you heard from your parents?”

Agni hands me the radio, and I answer, “No, Mr. Green.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll see what I can find out about them, also. It might be a little hard, but I’ll try. Agni, do as I say, and everything will be fine. I’ll contact you guys on this same frequency at 8:00 o’clock. I’m out.”

The radio falls silent, and I hand it back to Agni.
I feel better now. My hope is that Chloe is still in school, and the teachers are taking good care of her. Now comes the hard part: waiting.

Agni
turns off the radio like his dad says, but despite Mr. Green’s advice, I want to keep it on just by chance he goes by the school sooner than planned. I’m worrying myself to death over my sister. I haven’t even thought about my parents until Mr. Green mentioned them, but I know they are self-reliant. They can take care of themselves without a problem. They have money and a means to get around. Chloe is entirely dependent on the adults that she’s with, and I can’t be certain if I trust those people. I don’t even know them. My heart is hurting so much. Not knowing how she’s doing is driving me crazy. At least, my bestie is with me. He doesn’t replace my sister, but he’s as good as family.

I try to think of something to do. Something Agni and I can talk about. I don’t want to mention what I saw outside the cove. That’s a bit much and too scary. Oh, I know.

“Agni, are you hungry?” I ask him as I try to muster a smile. “I have sandwich meat and chips.”

“
That sounds great.” He states as he stands.

We
go to the kitchen. I fix a ham sandwich, and he fixes himself a turkey sandwich. Miss Kiki finally shows face upon smelling the food. Agni breaks off pieces of turkey and feeds her by hand. She’s so happy that her little tail is going a million miles a minute.

After I g
et the chips I left in the living room earlier, we sit down at the kitchen table to enjoy our meal. The radios are on the table, and I can’t take my eyes off of them. I want to turn one of them on and ask Mr. Green if he’s been by the school yet. I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait until 8:00 o’clock.

Miss Kiki sits at Agni’s feet hoping for more crumpets.
He tosses her the crust from his bread, and he asks me did I see the explosion when I was waiting for Chloe. He had to ask.

I take in a deep breath, and
I try not to leave out any details as I tell him everything. The vision is clear in my mind as I explain what I saw. People were running away on foot, and some people drove their cars into the cove trying to find a way off Calla Lily Road. The wreckage they caused to the guard shack and the people getting hit is the most difficult to describe. I almost break down as I rehash those gory details. I also reveal to him what the mothers said they heard from the news.

Agni is considering all the information I gave him. He is putting together what his dad has told him, as well. I want to hear
his conclusions on the situation, but then again, I’m not really sure if I do. What if his thoughts are scarier than anything I’ve ever experienced, and what if his scariest opinions are true statements? I decide not to ask him any questions right now. I want to digest my food and try not to burst out in tears. Looking like a blubbering scaredy cat is not the appearance I want Agni to see, but it’s proving easier than being strong.

We finish our meals and retire to the living room. The house is quiet. There’s no hum of electricity, but there’s the
faraway noise of chaos coming from outside still. Car alarms are going off. There are noises that sounds like explosions, and the houses vibrates as a result. Should we be sitting in the living room? Will we be bombed, too? I hope Agni’s dad is right. I hope this is the safest place to be.

I’m ready to hear from Mr. Green. There isn’t anything else to do but think about Chloe and my parents
. My family is very important to me. They’re all I have. There are no grandparents. I have five uncles on my dad’s side, but they don’t live anywhere near us. They live clear across the country in Oregon, and I never see them. I never talk to them. They’re pretty much strangers.

I need patience. I lean my head on Agni’s shoulder and try to calm my nerves. I will speak to my sister again. I will see
my parents. Don’t let me down, Mr. Green. Please, don’t let me down.

Unable t
o get any rest, Agni and I spend most of our afternoon on the back deck. Heavy bombing in the east kept us awake for most of the day. It started around 3:00 p.m. after the destruction of Olympus Bridge and continued throughout the afternoon. Now, the night sky has trails of blazing rocket exhaust in the east. The resulting explosions are far away, but we can see the evidence of destruction in smoke and flames rising above the distant horizon of trees. No doubt we’ve been hearing the sounds of war.

All I can think about is what
Mr. Green said.
There are dangerous people in Titan City
. I wonder who they really are and where they come from.

My voice
trembles as I ask Agni, “What do you think is happening? Do you think the world is coming to an end?”

He answers with concern,
“I don’t know if the world is coming to an end, but I think it will never be the same.”

“Do you remember hearing anything on the news yesterday or last week?
Anything about threats toward the United States?”

“No,”
Agni answers.

“I wonder if the attacks are just here.”

“It wouldn’t make much sense to just attack Florida, Breanna. I mean the capital of the United States is Washington DC. Our financial center is in New York City. If someone wanted to attack this nation where it hurts, those places would be key places to hit. There isn’t anything important near this place to warrant an attack.”

“
I think we have to find out what’s happening on the main land. We can’t just sit here and wait for something else to happen.”

“
We have no choice but to sit here and wait. What else is there?”

Tha
t is the question of the day or night rather. The next time we speak to Mr. Green I’m going to ask a lot of questions. I’m tired of not knowing and not understanding. The simple truth is that the explosions did not appear out of thin air. Someone set them off on purpose, and they are trying to hurt and kill people.

This waiting game is boring, and I can’t stand it any longer. I pick up the
radio from off the deck floor and turn it on. It’s alive with unknown voices and different languages. None of them sound like Mr. Green. Agni and I crowd in to listen.

A man
is giving orders. He is calm and firm in his speech. “Blue Team Nine is meeting resistance in the Rivera neighborhood. Location is at the corner of 16
th
Street and Puriel Avenue. Send in Blue Team Four now.”

Another voice
remarks, “Blue Team Four estimated time of arrival is ten minutes.”

“Their
ETA better be sooner than that.” The man threatens.

I look at Agni hoping he understands what they’re saying.
He gives no indication that he does. He switches to different frequencies before I can ask him, and we listen to anyone that comes in clearly. Roads are being blocked. Entire buildings are being demolished with bombs and missiles. Bridges and tunnels are being destroyed, and it’s not just in Florida. There’s one place where they’re taking people from their homes, and they’re lives aren’t being spared. We hear about the use of biological agents taking out entire small towns, and people are dying in the streets, at home, and at work. Every channel we turn to indicates war is happening.

“Agni, does
this radio catch signals from around the world?” I ask. “People are speaking English, French, Chinese, and Spanish.”

“
The farthest signal I’ve known for it to get is from Tennessee, and that’s around 600 miles away from here.”

None of it is making sense
.

We finally get back to the channel Mr. Green is supposed to contact us on.
The same man is giving orders. He sounds like he’s madder than ever.

I whisper to Agni, “
It’s after 8:00 p.m. I’m calling your dad.”

“Are you crazy?” His eyes are wide
with fear. He snatches the radio out of my hands. “These people might come after us if we interfere with their transmission, Breanna.”

“I have to know about my sister.”

“I know you’re concerned about Chloe, but you’ve been listening to the radio. We need to remain radio silent until we hear from my dad.”

“We are harmless
to these people. They’re not going to care. We’ll only be talking about a second grader.”

“I think we need to wait. They might be able to track us.
”

“Agni,
they can’t track the radio transmission to where we are.” I have no clue if that’s true or not, but it sounds convincing.

“Yeah, they can.”

“Radios are wireless. That’s impossible.” My aggravation with him is steadily growing. He understood earlier why I was so eager. Simply because other people are on the radio now isn’t enough reason to deviate from our plans.

“
Breanna, it’s not impossible. You know I know these things.”

“
Agni, you’re acting like a chicken.”

“I’m acting smart.”

I try to take the radio from him, but he moves it quickly out of my reach. I grab for it again. This time I’m standing, and our arms are flailing. He’s really ticking me off.

“Hand me the radio, Agni!” I demand.

“No way!”

We’re tussling for
it, and just when I think I have it, that thing flies out of his hand and off the deck onto the ground below. We can’t even see it because it’s so dark. I hit him on the shoulder with a pout, and he rolls his eyes.

He
goes to get the radio, and when he’s halfway down the steps, I suddenly remember he has another one in the kitchen. I nonchalantly go back inside, close the sliding glass door, and lock it. Agni can’t stop me now. I sit down at the kitchen table and turn it on. I can’t wait to find out about my sister.

I press the button and say, “Green One, this is…” Oh sh
oot, what shall I use? Agni uses his last name. So, I’ll call myself by my last name and my sequential appearance in the family. “Green One, this is Raven Three, or Breanna.” I feel so stupid talking into that thing, but desperate times call for doing whatever it takes.

“
Raven Three?” The voice repeats with annoyance. “Who is this? Do we have a Raven Three on the roster?” I guess that guy is talking to whoever is next to him. As I’m about to repeat my transmission, he starts yelling through the radio. “Raven Three, your identity is unknown! State who you are and your purpose for calling!” He sounds like he’s really pissed off. It’s the first person we heard when Agni and I turned on the radio. I’m too terrified to speak.

“Raven Three, I say state your identity and
your purpose for calling.”

I
finally answer, “I’m waiting to hear back from Green One.”

“You are unauthorized to use this channel,
Raven Three. We do not have your call sign on the roster, and I’m sure you are not authorized to contact Green Team Commanding Officer.”

By now Agni is banging on the glass door and trying to pull it open. I want to let him in, but he’ll try and stop me from contacting his dad. I go towards the living room
but I don’t go inside. I can still see Agni as he tries his best to open the door.

The man on the radio is yelling again,
“I say again, state your real name!”

I decide to ignore
him, and I say what pops up in my mind. “Mr. Green, please answer my call! This is Breanna! Are you out there?”

The voices
on the radio are beginning to fade away. I have a feeling that Agni is right about keeping that radio silence, but I can’t help it. I have to give it one more try.

“Mr. Green, please answer. I know you can hear me.”

Agni stops hitting the glass, and he’s looking at the radio in his hands.

The static starts popping
, and the man comes back again, “Raven Three, this is your last warning. State your entire real name and your purpose.”

I decide not to make any more attempts at calling Mr. Green
. It’s obvious he’s not going to answer. I go back to the kitchen and unlock the door for Agni. He doesn’t come in because he’s still staring down at his radio, and his face is moist from his tears.

I feel so bad for him.
I didn’t realize I hurt his feelings like that. I say to him, “I’m sorry, Agni. I wasn’t trying to be mean to you. I really wanted to talk to your dad, that’s all. You understand, right? I’m trying to find out if he’s found my sister.”

The man on the other side of the radio
calls for me again, but another transmission from the Blue Team interrupts him advising they’ve made it to Puriel, and the man goes back to barking orders at them once more.

Agni turns off his radio
. Don’t I feel extra awful now. I go to him and say, “Please, don’t be mad at me.”

“That’s not it,” he remarks
with a sniff. “My dad didn’t answer. He must be dead.”

How
selfish can I be? Here I am thinking that Agni is mad at me because I wouldn’t listen. His dad is just as important to him as my sister is to me, and his pain is no less than mine.

I touch his hand and say,
“Agni, I bet he’s fine. I bet he heard us, and he’s trying to keep us safe by not answering. We’ll try again. We’ll just wait until all of the talking dies down.”

Agni slumps back into the house. I know how he fee
ls. His dad might have been in the heart of all the bombings trying to rescue people and could be hurt.

When I go back inside, I see that the front door is open
. Agni is sitting on the front porch slab, and he’s looking down Rose Court. I bet he’s hoping that his dad is going to turn that corner at any moment in his blue Ford. I bet he’s hoping the world isn’t what he heard on the radio.

I
sit beside him, and we remain there without speaking for what seems like forever. The quietness only makes me think more of our current situation. We have no idea what’s going on with Agni’s dad. I have no idea what’s happened to my sister, and not knowing is unsettling. I don’t know about Agni, but sitting on this porch is not good enough. Chloe is my main concern right now, and not doing anything to find her isn’t going to cut it.

I clear my throat,
hesitating, trying to build up the courage to speak what’s on my mind. I take in a deep breath and finally say, “Agni, I have to get to the elementary school.”

“My dad wants us to stay here, Breanna.” He remarks
in frustration.

Carefully I
state my case. “I know he does, but we don’t know where he is now. Chloe is 8 years old. She’s not with me, and I’m more than positive that she’s not with my parents. I can’t wait here and hope for the best. Not when it comes to her. I have to do something.”

“
You heard what he said. There are dangerous people in Titan City.”

I try to sound brave, but my voice trembles as I speak.
“I’m willing to take that chance.”

“You’re not even sure if she’s at the elementary school, Breanna.
She could have been on the bus on her way home.”

“
There’s nothing you can say that will make me change my mind, Agni. The only way I’m not going is if she shows up at this door. After what we heard this afternoon, I don’t think she will.”

We stare at each other, and Agni sees my determination.

He sighs and remarks, “Fine, well, you’re not going alone. I’m coming with you.”

I’m so relieved he wants to go, but I remark,
“You really don’t have to.”

“
Actually, I do. I want to find my dad, Breanna. It’s obvious he’s in trouble. If he wasn’t, he would have answered your call.”

“Okay, but we must
start with Chloe first.” I add.

Agni remarks with new found hope in his eyes, “We have to plan this right. We can’t just up and leave. We have to pack, and we have to find a way off the island since the bridge is out.”

“
The only way is a boat. Unfortunately, my folks don’t have one. What about your dad?”

“
No, he doesn’t have one, and all of the boats on the island that I know of are docked at people’s houses. Wait a minute, I know one person who has a boat. He might let us borrow it.”

“Who?
” I’m getting all pumped up. We are going to look for our families instead of sitting in this boring old cove. I’m willing and raring to go!

“That’s it,” Agni says
as he stands. “Okay, I’m going home to get flashlights and pack up for the trip. We’ll head out first thing tomorrow morning.”

“You still haven’t told me the plan.”

His eyes are wide as he’s thinking everything through. “You have to pack light. No more than a day or two of clothes to change into. Clothes can be heavy, and pack food that doesn’t spoil.”

I stand up and ask him, “What is the plan, Agni?”