I inhaled sharply and reached to snatch back my phone, but it was too late. Peter was already eagerly scrolling.

“Give that back!” I snapped.

“Peter!” Mama’s voice had that warning tone to it.

Peter quietly slipped my phone back to me, but he had a smirk on his face. Luckily, Mama was too busy trying to get Isaiah to wear his bib, while she and Daddy were immersed in a conversation about whether or not we could afford a new tractor. They hadn’t noticed my little scuffle with Peter.

“You’re texting Aunt Sukie?” Peter asked, his voice so low that they couldn’t hear.

“You say it like I’m texting Satan.”

“Well…” Peter glanced carefully across the table and gave a small nod to our dad. We both knew that he’d lose it if he knew.

“Don’t you dare say a word!” I hissed.

“What’s my silence worth?” Peter asked with a grin.

I gritted my teeth, annoyed, before replying.

“I’ll do your chores for the rest of the week.”

“Rest of the month,” he shot back.

“Two weeks.”

“Three.”

“Dang it, Peter!”

“I’ll take that as a yes?”

“Fine.”

We shook on it.

“What are you two whispering about?” Dad cut in, turning his attention from his conversation with Mama.

“Nothing!” Peter and I chimed in unison.

Dad gave us a suspicious look.

“Where’s Jamie?” I asked cheerily, hoping to divert his attention.

“I saw him on the way in. He just had a couple more things to do. He should be in soon. Now, Aurora, would you like to say grace today?”

I nodded, wondering why nobody else in the family seemed as worried about the impending tornado as I was. I took Mama’s hand to my left and Peter’s to my right and bowed my head, closing my eyes as I said grace.

The words came out of me automatically. How many times had I said grace in my lifetime, I wondered? Thousands, probably. And I was only twenty-one. I’ve said grace thousands of times, and I haven’t had sex once! I couldn’t help thinking as I finished the familiar refrain.

The family unclasped hands, and we dug into the salvaged lunch. Even though the fried chicken was cold, it was still perfectly crispy. I reached for a second drumstick, snatching up the biggest one from the platter right before Peter could grab it. He shot me a dirty look, and I stuck my tongue out at him, and then looked quickly at Mama and Daddy, hoping they hadn’t seen.

Luckily, they were immersed in conversation.

“The Dicksons’ house is just destroyed,” my dad was saying, shaking his head sadly. “The entire roof is gone. It’s going to cost thousands to repair.”

“We’ll have to keep them in our prayers,” Mama replied, shaking her head sadly.

“I’m going to organize a church group to help raise some funds,” Daddy replied with a firm nod. “And we can get some of the men together to help with the rebuilding. First thing is to sort through the damage and carry away all the rubbish. I’m afraid most of their possessions are trashed.”

Mama shook her head and clicked her tongue sadly.

“I’ll send Rora by with some food for them later. No doubt the kitchen is unusable.”

“I’m sure they’d appreciate that.”

I suppressed an eye roll as I listened to them go on. I loved living in the countryside, where I could enjoy the beautiful nature, fresh air, and sunshine. But Sloane, Iowa seemed pretty backward sometimes. It was all just so…traditional. Dad and the men doing the hard labor. Mama in the kitchen. Again, I had that same foreboding feeling as I’d had when I was bathing Isaiah: Is this what my future is going to look like? Is this what I want my future to look like?

Before I could spiral, I felt my cell phone buzz in my jeans pocket. I hurriedly pulled it out to silence it. My dad hated having phones at the table. The caller ID said Aunt Sukie. I silenced the buzzing and shoved my phone away. I couldn’t answer her now.

As I looked up, I saw Peter giving me a knowing look, a smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to say something smart. But before I could, I was cut off by a sound that always sent chills down my spine: the wailing of the tornado siren.