I nodded quickly, like I had just barely escaped a chastising. Time to change the subject. "I'm…so sorry, Susan. I had no idea. I haven't had my period since – well, since before I met The Seven. I'm not sure I can even get pregnant anymore." I dug out a small divot of dirt with the toe of my boot. "I guess that's a good thing."
Susan looked at me, eyes wide. "Oh, yes – I suppose. You know, it happens to a lot of Gaias, very shortly after they start using their powers. Though normally women don't become Gaias until after menopause; you were a rare exception."
I raised one eyebrow at her. "So I've been told."
Time for her to change the subject.
She turned, scanning the woods for Alex. "I suppose I should just tell you, Alex would muck it up anyway."
"Tell me what?"
She picked up a stick and poked at the fire, all of a sudden avoiding my eyes.
"Susan?!"
"Okay, okay." She threw the entire stick into the fire. "Just…try not to get mad. Have you meditated yet this morning?"
I stamped my foot.
Her lips went tight.
I huffed. "Just spit it out before I—"
"There was a tornado in Evansville."
Her interruption rendered me speechless.
She continued, "An F3, they think; wiped out half of the town, including the Chakra Center.
"That…is terrible." Weak response, I knew, but I was preparing myself for what was to follow.
"There are too many incidents for it to be considered coincidence any longer," Susan said.
My eyes flit to the woods around us, seeking Alex and Bee. I stood up, looking harder, my heart skipping a beat.
"Kaitlyn, don't freak out." Susan stood now too. "We need to decide what to—"
Before she finished the sentence, I bolted into the woods. "Bee?" I turned and turned. Still no Alex, still no Bee. "BEE?!"
Out of everyone on the planet, Susan and Alex were the two people I trusted the most. They would do anything to keep Bee safe, including keeping her away from me, if that was what it took.
"Kaitlyn!" I could hear Susan running after me, and I bolted again. She continued to try to reason with me. "What happens when the disasters catch up with you? What happens when you and Bee stay in one place too long?"
Blood pounding in my ears worked to block out Susan's voice. I felt her hand on my shoulder.
"I'll tell you what happens," she started, but didn't finish.
An explosion shook the ground, and knocked us both on our asses. My eyes went wide as I looked at Susan. Was it catching up with us already?
She shook her head. "That came from the river."
A second later, shards of white and red painted wood rained down on us. A piece of the Spirit of Evansville metal railing bounced on the ground a few feet away.
"Oh, God." I got to my feet.
"What was that?" Alex's voice boomed behind us.
I turned; he approached, arms full of wood.
"Mommy!" Bee yelled, running up behind him with two small sticks in her hand.
I dropped to my knees and scooped her up in a bear hug. "Oh, honey. I thought…" I trailed off. It didn't matter what I thought now. She was here, and that was all that mattered.
It was a moment before I realized Susan's arms were around the both of us. I raised my head, looking at her with tears in my eyes. She looked to be on the verge of waterworks herself.
"We would never take her away from you," Susan said. "We will work this out together."
I nodded, and buried my head back in Bee's hair. She trembled.
Alex set his pile of wood down with a clatter. "There could be people hurt. I need to check it out. You guys stay here until I know it is safe."
We nodded, uncoiling ourselves from each other. A half an hour later, without Alex's return, we ventured forward. People were wading into the river collecting anything they could from the disaster; wood, supplies – useable or not – pieces of metal from the ship. People in canoes in the water were doing the same. Whole sections of the Spirit of Evansville were nowhere to be seen.
Captain Carl saw us and stood from scouring the ground. He was in his briefs; nothing else. "Boiler exploded. Ship is now at the bottom of the Platte River." He hung his head. "The captain did not go down with it. Thankfully, it happened after they had quit work for the night. No one was on board except…"
"Except who?" I swallowed hard.
"Except Robert." Captain Carl nodded to a figure hunched over the ground, Bobby Jr., his shoulders shaking with sobs. Margie kneeled next to him, rubbing a hand over his back. Her eyes completely dry.
"What do we do now?" Susan asked.
"Now – we walk," I said.