15. The Breaking Point
1489 Words
15
The Breaking Point
“Claire, put the computer away. You know you’re still grounded,” Emilia said, her voice hinting at a warning. She didn’t need to look over her shoulder to know whose computer keys were clacking away behind her. Emilia went back to her reading.
The ability to align oneself with the cardinal directions is a fundamental skill that is often overlooked.
Click, click, click.
“Put the computer away, Claire. You’re going to get in trouble again if Aunt Iz catches you.”
“I can’t.” Claire’s voice was strange, dull.
Emilia turned.
Tears streamed down Claire’s face. Her lips trembled.
“What’s wrong?” Emilia asked.
Claire stood and tore from the room.
“Claire!” Emilia followed her, ready to run outside and take care of whatever horrible drama had gripped her today. But Claire stood in the living room, eyes fixed on the big TV, the remote hanging forgotten in her hand.
Water raced everywhere. People screamed as a fire blazed in the distance.
“Requests for aid are being sent out all over the country, but the explosion at the Neversink Dam was catastrophic. There are simply not enough first responders. Homes and businesses have already flooded, and the waters continue to rise. Tragically, the force of the water was so intense that those caught unaware had very little chance for survival.
“Emergency crews are currently focusing on evacuating the outlying areas to prevent further casualties. The number of missing is still unknown, and confirmed deaths are already in the hundreds. Authorities have said that, at this point, it is impossible to determine what the death toll may ultimately be.”
The reporter continued with information about evacuation sites and numbers to call for help locating loved ones. A government official warned civilians to stay away. The roads near the dam were too hazardous to risk travel. There was nothing to do but let the emergency crews try to evacuate as many people as possible. At least two towns would be lost before the flood could be stopped.
An arm wrapped around Emilia’s waist.
“What happened, Dex?” she asked.
“It was the Dragons,” Samuel answered from the hall before Dexter could respond. “I just got a call from Larkin. I need to head out.”
“But how do they know?” Connor asked, not looking away from the horrors on the screen.
“They track everything.” Tears streamed down Claire’s face. “Something like this…Spellnet would see it.”
Samuel left without another word.
Dexter threaded his fingers through Emilia’s and led her to the couch. She buried herself in his warmth, wanting to wake up in her bed. Safe, without flooding, without death.
“What’s wrong?” Jacob asked, and Emilia turned toward his voice. He stood in the hall, pink-faced and smiling.
“Jacob.” She scrambled over the back of the couch and threw her arms around him. He was warm from the sun. She breathed in his scent of grass and life.
“There’s been an attack,” Dexter said. He held his hand out to Emilia, drawing her back to the reality of attacks and death. “The Dragons destroyed a dam.”
“How do you know it was the Dragons?” Jacob asked.
The television now showed live footage from a helicopter flying over the water as it raced into another panic-swept town. Emilia couldn’t tear her gaze from the devastation on the screen. Her stomach rolled at the idea that this m******e had been manufactured.
Dexter’s arm closed around her again, and she let him lead her back to the couch. But she held onto Jacob’s hand, pulling him along with her. She couldn’t let go of him. It was too hard to find air. Wizards had done this. Wizards had killed all those people.
“Maybe it was an accident. I blew up a school,” Jacob said.
“This was too deliberate,” Dexter said. “Too perfect. The way the dam cracked, and how many towns the water is going to reach. The Dragons are making a statement to Magickind. They can attack. They can kill en masse, and the humans won’t even know how it happened. They killed those people on purpose.” Dexter stroked Emilia’s hair, tucking it behind her ear. “The game just changed, Em. There’s no point in hiding from it.”
They waited for hours, grouped in the living room, staring at the television in numb horror. Watching helplessly as limp children were carried by hysterical mothers. Students stood on the roof of their school, calling desperately for help. Soaked emergency workers fought to pull just one more survivor from the racing waters. A man in a suit stood on a podium to make the announcement: the dam’s collapse had been deliberate. This was an attack. The entire country had been placed on high alert.
Molly kept pacing to and from the kitchen with tears in her eyes. Iz and Professor Eames had locked themselves in Iz’s study. Finally, Iz came out looking, for the first time in Emilia’s memory, old. The living room group moved to the door to meet her.
“The Council has called an emergency meeting,” Aunt Iz said.
Everyone nodded. This was expected under the circumstances.
“Jacob,” Aunt Iz said, “they have requested your presence.”
“What?” Jacob asked.
Professor Eames stepped forward and looked Jacob in the eye. “In light of this morning’s events, the Council now feels an immediate inquiry into the incident at Fairfield High School is required.” The professor addressed the rest of the family. “Jacob is to present himself to the Council at noon tomorrow. He will be tried by the Council for the destruction of Fairfield High School and questioned about the events at the Neversink Dam.”
“He had nothing to do with this.” Emilia stepped in front of Jacob, protecting him from an unseen danger. “They can’t use him as a scapegoat. He’s been here with us.”
“And we will convince them of that.” The professor held up a hand to halt Emilia’s protests. “He has no choice but to attend the meeting. Now, go and pack your bag, Jacob. You will be leaving for the airport as soon as possible.” The professor turned to Dexter. “Your father is going to the Council meeting, of course, and he would like you to stay with your family in New York. He has sent a helicopter for you, which should be arriving shortly.”
“I’m going to New York, too.” Emilia slipped her hand into Jacob’s. “He’s not going without me.”
“Of course,” Aunt Iz said. “I expected as much.”
“I’ll make arrangements for you two with Molly,” the professor said, patting Claire and Connor on the shoulders before leaving for the kitchen.
“I’ll pack for you.” Claire’s voice shook. “You wouldn’t do it right anyway.” As Claire ran up the stairs, Emilia thought she heard a stifled sob.
“I’ll be right back,” Emilia said before racing to her room to throw things into a suitcase.
Dexter followed without a word.
Emilia closed her eyes and tried to breathe. The panic in her chest didn’t subside.
She pulled her suitcase from under the bed and tried to pack calmly, but her hands refused to stop shaking. Her dresser drawers opened before she could reach them. All her clothes were a mess. Shirts or sweaters? And pants, she needed pants. One sweater seemed determined not to fold. Emilia threw it onto the bed with a frustrated shriek.
Arms slipped around her waist. Emilia sank into the warmth of the body behind her. “Dex, I…” She couldn’t finish explaining why she needed to go to New York.
Dexter turned her around, comforting her with a kiss. He stepped around her and folded the offending sweater.
“Thanks,” Emilia said as he slid the sweater into her suitcase.
“Emilia,” Dexter said, zipping her bag, “I just spoke to my father. The helicopter has an open seat. Come with me.”
“Dex.”
“The ride will be shorter, and you can meet Iz at the house in New York.” Dexter lifted Emilia’s bag.
She placed her hand on top, pressing the case to the bed. “I have to stay with Jacob. Help brief him for the meeting.”
“I’m sure Iz can do that.”
“But I want to help,” Emilia said, hating the look of disappointment in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Dex.” She kissed him lightly. “I’ll call you when we land.”
Emilia took her suitcase from Dexter and headed downstairs. When she got to the living room, everyone had already gathered. Aunt Iz had booked the tickets, and Professor Eames was bringing around the Cadillac since Samuel had already left with the BMW. Molly had prepared bags of traveling snacks, and Claire had packed Jacob’s suitcase, which was larger than Emilia’s.
The family slowly trickled outside, like mourners congregating for a funeral. Connor carried the suitcases to the car before slipping back into the house. Emilia wanted to say goodbye to Dexter, but he was already waiting in the clearing for his father’s helicopter.
“Emilia,” Aunt Iz said from the driver’s seat.
Emilia slipped into the back of the car. Molly clung to Jacob for a moment before bustling back to the kitchen. Jacob climbed in next to Emilia. Claire waved as Professor Eames led her inside.
As Aunt Iz drove away from the Mansion House, Jacob looked back. Emilia prayed he would be with them when they returned.
- Writer
