We stayed like that, huddled in the bunker and praying together, for what felt like hours. Finally, the wild world above us went silent; the tornado siren had stopped. The rattling doors and windows quieted, and the pounding of the rain ceased.

Dad cracked the hatch door of the bunker open a few inches before throwing it open all the way.

“You all wait here,” he said as he climbed up the rickety wooden stairs. “I want to check that it’s safe.”

I waited, my heart in my throat, for the news he’d bring. He returned moments later.

“The tornado passed us by.”

Relief washed over me, leaving me weak in the knees. One by one, we filed out of the cellar, Isaiah clinging to Mama and babbling away. I stood in the kitchen, my heart rate slowing down gradually. The house was still standing.

“What about Jamie?” Mama asked fearfully, turning her wide-eyed gaze to Dad.

As if on cue, there was a clatter of noise from the front porch. Footsteps. We rushed to go see—and there was Jamie, standing on the front porch, a grin on his face and not a scratch on him.

We all rushed to him, but Mama was the first to reach him.

“Don’t you ever scare us like that again!” she exclaimed, hugging him fiercely. She still held Isaiah in her arms, and he squirmed in protest as got squashed between Mama’s and Jamie’s bodies.

“When I got back to the house, I figured that you all were locked in the bunker, so I went into the regular basement,” Jamie said as he disentangled from Mama’s grasp.
“You gave us a scare, son,” Daddy said gruffly, clapping him on the shoulder.

“I’m fine, Pops. Sorry I worried you.”

Jamie gave us all reassuring hugs. When it was my turn, I clung to him tightly and silently thanked God. Thank you. I swear I’ll keep my vow. No more impure thoughts. I was sure that my commitment to chastity was what had saved Jamie. God had listened to me. Now, it was on me to keep my promise.

The family dispersed, and I headed upstairs to finally call back Aunt Sukie—but I was stopped by Peter before I had even gone three steps.

“It’s my turn to milk the goats today,” he announced smugly.

I rolled my eyes.

“So? What’s that to me?”

“You’re doing my chores, remember?”

He gave a smirk and nodded to the cell phone in my hand as he spoke. Dang it. I’d promised Peter to do his chores in exchange for not telling our parents that I was in contact with Aunt Sukie.

“Fine.”

I stamped off to the goat shed, annoyed. Once I got there, my annoyance grew. The goat shed was in chaos. The poor critters had gotten spooked by the tornado and all managed to get out of their pens. They were running around the farmyard, skittish and confused, bleating and braying their heads off.

“I’m going to kill Peter,” I muttered to myself grimly.

It took me a good thirty minutes to round up the frantic animals and get them safely into their grazing area. Butterscotch, a young goat, kept weaving back and forth in front of me as I walked, tripping me up every two seconds. Meanwhile, Dexter and Dolly—named after Dolly Parton, Mama’s favorite singer—were butting heads. Every time I managed to get one goat into the fenced-in yard, another one ran out. It was like a game of Whac-A-Mole.

I almost gave up when Butterscotch butted me from behind playfully, sending me flying smack onto my butt. Good thing these jeans are already dirty anyway, I thought to myself with annoyance as I scrambled to my feet.

Finally, I got the rambunctious critters locked away and had a moment of peace. At least I could call Aunt Sukie now. I was finally alone and far enough away from the house, well out of earshot of my parents and prying Peter.

As I dug my phone out of my pocket, I couldn’t help feeling a pang of disappointment to see that there was no missed call or text from Owen. I would have thought he’d check in after the tornado; usually, it was the first thing he did after a tornado, before even checking his family’s farm for damage. He must still be mad, I thought to myself sadly, my heart falling.

I decided to extend an olive branch and text him to check in. But before I could, my phone started buzzing. It was Aunt Sukie again.