I picked at the mud on my jeans as my mother talked to the bank teller. Someone scoffed in the line next to me. I peeked over to see a woman shaking her head. Shoving my hands in my pocket, I put my shoe over the little bit of dirt on the floor. A man stood with his arms folded behind us. He looked me up and down before rolling his eyes. Swallowing hard, I scooted forward behind my sister and mom.

“I’m sorry, but your account has been frozen,” said the teller.

“Frozen?” My mother’s eyes grew wide as she peered back at the woman behind the glass. “What do you mean?”

“It’s common practice after a flood. Scammers will try to come in and take money out in the name of the deceased. If you can prove your identity, then I can unfreeze the account.”

“Well, how do I do that?” She rubbed her forehead.

“I need some form of identification.”

“My house is currently under twenty feet of water. I didn’t have time to grab my purse.”

The teller pursed her lips. “Are you a registered citizen?”

“Of course, my husband is a government worker.”

“Name?” the teller replied sharply.

“Nadia Mae Thornton.”

“Just a moment.” The lady started to type. “Place your hand on the scanner.”

She did so and turned to us with a forced smile. “It’ll be just a minute for them to straighten this out.” She brushed her free hand through Erika’s tangled hair.

“What if they don’t?” said my sister.

“We have plenty of units. Your father put some into an emergency fund every month for a reason.”

“Mrs. Thornton,” said the teller.

“Yes?” My mother faced the woman. “See, it’s me. That picture is only a few months old.”

The woman nodded. “Yes, but the name on your account is your husband’s.”

“So?”

“To do an immediate activation of your account, I need him here.”

My mother’s mouth fell open. “We don’t know where he is.”

“He has to be present. It’s part of protocol.”

“We don’t even know if he’s alive!” snapped my mother.

The woman’s face didn’t change.

My mother took in a calming breath. “My children, his children, are cold and dirty. I need that money to rent a room. We’re still waiting to see if he’s even alive.” She shook her head as she started to get choked up. “Our wedding is registered. I am his wife. I have a right to that money.”

“If he’s dead, yes.” She pressed enter on the keyboard. “But at the moment, he has a status of missing. The account will be frozen for the next 90 days. After that time, you can come in and make a formal request as his wife to withdraw the units needed. Until then, there’s nothing I can do for you.” She interlocked her fingers on the desk in front of her. “If your husband is pronounced dead, the money will be transferred over to your name.”

My mother broke down. I put an arm around her shoulders and turned her away from the woman.

“We’re his children. He has a responsibility to take care of us,” I stated.

“I have things I need to do today,” breathed the man behind us.

I glared at him, making it clear I was not in the mood to deal with an asshole. He looked away and clutched his briefcase with both hands in front of him.

“If your mother is unable to take care of you, the state will.” The teller glanced at the phone by her computer. “Is there anything else you need?”

My mother started to sob.

I shook my head. “No.”

We moved out of line and went to sit on a bench by the wall. I rocked my mom side to side as she cried it out. I was struggling to keep it together myself. That had to be the shittest policy ever implemented. We had every right to access the units my father saved for us for this exact moment.

Erika sank lower in her seat. “What are we going to do?”

“We’ll figure it out.” I rubbed my mom’s back.

She wiped her face. “I should’ve put one of the accounts in my name. I just thought your father would always be there. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

“No one blames you. That woman was being a bitch,” said Erika, nodding toward the teller.

“Erika.” My mother sat up straight. “Language, we’re in a public place.”

Shaking her head, my sister gazed off across the room. It was easy to tell who were the regular customers and who were the flood victims. Not just by their clothes but by the looks the people who called Oasis home were giving us.

“Let’s go.” I gave my mother’s hand a squeeze. “It’s getting late.”

“We check out of the Safe House. We have nowhere to go.” She cleared her eyes.

“We’ll find a place. I don’t think the bank is going to let us stay here.” I helped her stand.

Erika led the way to the exit. A tall man with a shaved head and scruffy beard wearing a black suit entered with two others. The aura they were giving off quickly parted the crowd. I stopped and stepped back with my mom, but Erika ran right into him.

“Oh, um sorry,” she said.

He peered down her nose at her and then at his sleeve. It had had a skiff of dirt on it. “Disgusting urchin.” The man brushed it off in the direction of my sister.

Her expression soured. “Fuck you.”

“Erika!” said my mother. She snatched my sister and yanked her back. “What has gotten into you?”

I stepped between them and the three men. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long day.”

He narrowed his eyes at me and then glanced at Erika. We stood there as the tension increased. He kept staring at me, so I nudged my sister.

“Sorry,” said Erika.

The man scoffed and kept going—the two others in suits left with him.

Grabbing my sister’s wrist, I dragged her outside. My mother hurried along behind us.

“Idiot, did you not see there were three of them?”

“I didn’t see anything,” she replied. “If I did, I wouldn’t have ran into him in the first place.”

I swung her around. “We’re not in some stupid small town. This is the capital. You don’t act like that here.”

She pressed her lips together. “How would you know? It’s not like you’ve ever been to the city.”

With a sigh, I released her. “I don’t. I don’t know anything about this place and that scares me even more.” I pointed to the bank. “But for the last few hours, I’ve gotten enough dirty looks to figure out these people do not like us. I know that’s a new concept for you, but it’s not for me.”

Erika shrugged. “Sorry. I’m just tired.” She looked close to crying as she rubbed her face.

I let out a deep breath. We were all turning into a bunch of cry babies.

“Come here.” I pulled her into a hug. “We’re going to be okay. I’ll find a job. We’ll make it through the next ninety days, and then we can come back. Who knows, maybe Dad will show up tomorrow, and we can go from there.”

My mother smiled. “We’ll work through it together.” She scanned the area. “And I think I know just the place where we can stay the night.”