“I’ll be fine,” I replied, making a shooing motion with my hands. “I’ll keep an eye on the news. It’ll be a nice break. Like a vacation.”

  “A vacation where you’re all alone and surrounded by fire,” Charlie said, grimacing. “Sounds super fun.”

  “Would you get out of here already?” I said, tossing a throw pillow at her. “I’m serious. I’ll be fine. If I’m not, I’ll drive over to my parents’ house. No big deal.”

  “If you’re sure,” she hedged.

  “I know I haven’t been clear,” I replied sarcastically, “but you can really go.”

  “Fine,” she said, standing up straight. “But if you change your mind, I’m sure the old man would come get you.”

  “I know,” I said with a smile. “I’m your dad’s favorite.”

  “That’s because he thought you kept me out of trouble,” Charlie said with a snicker as she walked away.

  As soon as she was out of sight, my smile dropped. God, I couldn’t believe what was happening. We’d never dealt with wild fires like the ones currently raging through the state. Sure, we’d had fires—we had them every year—but never so close to home. Thankfully, our apartment was pretty close to town and I was sure that whoever was in charge would move heaven and earth to try and keep the damage in town to a minimum.

  My parents’ house was also inside the city limits and probably safe, but a lot of people we knew weren’t so lucky. Charlie’s sisters and parents all had places on the outskirts. So did most of the people in our circle. Hell, even the Aces’ clubhouse and garage where I’d spent half of my childhood were out in the woods.

  Even though the whole situation sucked, I was still going to try and take advantage of the time away from work. Look on the bright side of things, right? I planned to sit my ass on the couch and spend my time reading or sleeping when I wasn’t watching the news.

  Of course, there was always the chance that the fire crews would get the wildfires in our area under control and then I’d be working like usual. I wrinkled my nose. That was really the best-case scenario, but I didn’t see it happening. We’d never dealt with fires like these before. They were fast spreading and scary as hell.

  Climbing off the bed, I moved around the room plugging in my phone, laptop and e-reader. I told myself it was because I was going to take full advantage of the quiet apartment while Charlie was gone and not because I was worried that my electronics would go dead and I’d have no contact with the outside world.

  “Kara!” Charlie yelled gleefully from down the hall.

  “Charles!” I yelled back as I headed toward her room.

  “Dude,” she said, tossing me a face mask as soon as I’d stepped inside the doorway.

  I didn’t catch it in time and it landed on the floor.

  “I warned you,” Charlie said in exasperation.

  “You said, dude,” I argued, leaning down to pick it up. “That’s not a warning.”

  “I will never understand how horrendous your reflexes are.”

  “I’ll never understand how you could catch a marble someone threw you from thirty feet away. It’s not normal.”

  “I’m exceptional,” she replied matter-of-factly. “But look—” she nodded at the mask in my hand. “Mark sent those home with me like a year ago. Wear it if you go outside.”

  I stared at her uncomprehendingly.

  “My brother-in-law is practically a doomsday prepper. He’s prepared for everything,” she said slowly. “That’ll help keep the junk out of your lungs.”

  “Cool?” I replied.

  “Oh my God,” she said, laughing. “Just wear the fucking mask, okay? Seriously. The little infographic on the news said our air is like, red status.”

  “Well, if the air is red,” I joked, nodding.

  “Use the freaking mask,” she ordered, pointing at it.

  “How do I look?” I asked, putting the mask over my mouth and nose.

  “Like a goober,” she replied, with a laugh. “But it should work. Mark knows his shit and he said these ones are the best if you don’t have a gas mask.”

  “Well, I’m glad he sent these because I’m not wearing a goddamn gas mask to the grocery store,” I said, shaking the mask by the little elastic straps.

  “I have one for Rebel, too,” she said. “I wonder if she’d be able to use it?”

  Our other best friend, my cousin Rebel, had some sensory issues. “It wouldn’t hurt to ask,” I said with a shrug. “She’d probably like to match with us.”

  Charlie nodded and imitated the Darth Vader breathing sounds behind her hand. Leaning back into the closet, she started talking. “You know you’re going to have visitors when they find out you’re still here.”

  “Then lie if they ask,” I replied. I knew she was right. I also knew what her reply to my order would be before she said it.

  “Not happening,” she said, as I mouthed the words silently along with her.

  I watched in confusion as she pulled out a pair of riding goggles with a huff of satisfaction. I had no clue what she planned on doing with those when we weren’t even supposed to be outside.

  “I’m not playing into this whole thing you’re doing with Draco,” she said flatly, taking my attention away from the goggles in her hand. “You two can deal with it on your own.”

  “I’m not sure how that’s true, since none of you can seem to keep your noses out of it,” I shot back, meeting her eyes.

  We’d had the conversation a hundred times before, and like a hundred times before, I knew there would be no resolution, no matter how long we went in circles.

  “When you’re making everything awkward as hell in a group that you’ve grown up with,” she snapped, “it’s kind of hard to ignore.”

  “We’re not making anything awkward,” I said, trying hard to keep my voice level. “You guys constantly pushing us together does that!”

  “If you think anyone but Draco is pushing, you’re fucking blind,” she replied. “We’re just all trying to stay out of the blast zone.”

  “So, stay out of it,” I said, throwing up one arm in exasperation. “I don’t need your commentary about whether I’ll have visitors or not, and I don’t need you telling them where I am, even if they ask. I have a dad, I don’t need another.”

  She stared at me. “Don’t think dad is the role Draco wants to play.”

  “I don’t know why it’s ‘they’ anyway,” I continued, ignoring her comment. “Curt didn’t give a flying fuck where I was or what I was doing when Draco was gone, but now, all of a sudden, he cares? What the hell is that about?”

  “You tell me,” she said insinuatingly.

  My mouth dropped open. “Fuck you,” I shot back. “Don’t act like you think there’s something going on with me and Curtis when you know there’s not.”

  Charlie sighed. “You’re right. That was a shitty thing to say.”

  The room was silent for a long moment.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come stay with us?” she asked again, the change of subject swift and easy. We’d been having the Draco argument for a long time—it didn’t change our friendship and we didn’t even get mad about it anymore. “You know Farrah always has the good snacks.”

  “No, thank you, and stop calling your mother Farrah,” I said, shaking my head. “Bring me home some Cheetos, though.”

  “No way,” she said, tossing her snow boots onto the middle of the floor. “You snooze, you loose, bro. And I’ll call her Farrah if I want. I think she actually likes it.”

  I snorted. Charlie’s mom definitely did not want her daughter to call her by her first name. I’d lost count of how many times Farrah had corrected her over the years.

  “I’m going to run to the store and get some supplies so I don’t have to leave later,” I said, already dreading the walk to my car. “Will you be here when I get back?”

  “No, I’m almost done packing,” Charlie said as she got to her feet. “But text me when you get home, okay? People are going to be acting nuts.”

  “Yes, Mom,” I joked as I stepped into the hallway. I fought and lost the urge to poke my head back into her room, knowing I was a complete hypocrite. “Text me when you get to your parents’.”

  “Yes, Mom,” she replied.

  I deserved that one.

  * * *

  The trip to the store was uneventful beyond the fact that people had cleared out some of the shelves in preparation of being stranded. It always made me laugh when I saw what folks considered necessary for survival during a natural disaster. I was no expert, but I was pretty sure that they would’ve survived without cleaning out the toilet paper, individual water bottles, cans of tuna, and bagels, of all things. I shook my head as I carried a couple of two-gallon jugs of water inside. There had been at least a hundred of them, sitting untouched in perfect rows above the empty shelves.

  Water was water and people were dumb.

  Locking the door behind me, I carried the jugs into the kitchen feeling pretty proud of myself. I had food for at least four days, water, and soda. I even had a few beers and a bottle of wine that someone had left in the fridge in case the mood struck. I’d probably feel like crap after eating nothing but junk food, but it was a chance I was willing to take. Besides, the wind could always shift and the fires change direction or something. Maybe things would go back to normal faster than everyone was expecting.

  As I texted Charlie that I was home for the foreseeable future, my phone rang, startling me.

  I answered it formally, “Hello, Father.”

  “Hello, daughter,” he replied, his raspy, deep voice laced with amusement. “How’s my favorite girl?”

  “Better not let Rose hear you say that,” I joked.

  “Rose is all woman, honey,” he replied.

  “Don’t be gross,” I ordered easily. “What’s up?”

  “Just callin’ to check in,” he said. “Been watchin’ the news. They’re worried the fires are headed in our direction. You gonna come over here?”

  “I think I’m just going to wait it out here,” I replied.

  “You’re shittin’ me, right?” he said in disbelief. “Why the hell would you do that?”

  “Because I’m an adult and I have my own place?”

  “Your own place doesn’t have a generator if the power goes out,” he replied. “Charlie with you?”

  “She went to Casper and Farrah’s.”

  “Oh, okay, so one of you is bein’ rational. That’s good,” he grumbled. “Wouldn’t have thought it would be the crazy one, but alright.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll be fine,” I assured him as I started putting groceries away. “I’ve got food and drinks and Charlie even left me a mask in case I have to go outside for some reason. Plus, I can watch the news just as easily here as I could at your house.”

  “You’re gonna make me come out in this bullshit and get you,” he said, ignoring my assurance. “Soon as you get freaked out enough. And I’m gonna have to be out there with the idiots that don’t know where they’re going or what they’re doin’, runnin’ around like chickens with their heads cut off.” He scoffed.

  “I won’t ask you to come get me, I promise,” I replied.

  “Well, hell, don’t say that,” he snapped. “If you need me to come get ya, of course I’ll come get ya.”

  I smiled.

  “Okay, I promise to call you if I need you,” I replied. “But honestly, Dad, I’m just going to lay around and read. We don’t even know if the power is going to go out.”

  “It’s not lookin’ good, princess,” he argued. “The power company is sayin’ they might be shuttin’ shit off just to be safe.”

  “Well, I’ll be fine even if they do. It’s not like I’m going to freeze.”

  “More likely, you’ll pass out from the heat,” he agreed. “Keep checkin’ in, alright?”

  “Of course.”

  “Love you, kiddo.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Not long after we’d gotten off the phone, my anxiety started to grow. As I sat on the couch with my bag of pretzels, I scrolled through the news stations on my phone, trying to find the most recent updates. Fortunately, nothing had changed since I’d checked my phone earlier. The fires were still raging outside of town and our apartment was still on evacuation level one, which meant we were just supposed to have our things ready to go.

  I couldn’t imagine that the fire would make it into town, but I still felt a small twinge of panic when I thought about my conversation with my dad. He hadn’t come across as outwardly worried, but he’d definitely seemed concerned about the situation.

  My dad didn’t generally get concerned.

  Dropping my phone on my chest, I leaned my head back against the edge of the couch and closed my eyes. I had a few free days where I didn’t need to be anywhere and had the apartment to myself. I needed to take advantage of that and I was going to start by taking a nap.

  Opening my eyes, I lifted my phone again to make sure the ringer was turned up—just in case.

  Even though I was worried, I fell asleep within minutes.

  I slept so hard that when I woke up a few hours later, I was disoriented. What was I doing on the couch? What time was it? Where was Charlie? Was I late for work? Thankfully, after less than a minute, I’d gotten my wits back. I checked my phone again to make sure I hadn’t missed any calls and refreshed the local news page.

  The apartment was still at level one, but something seemed different when I looked at the little red, yellow, and green areas of the map. Had the boundaries moved? I couldn’t tell.

  As I pushed myself up off the couch and headed to my room, I called Charlie.

  “What’s up?” she answered. “You coming over?”

  “No,” I said with a laugh. “We’re still at level one, but I think I’m going to take that be ready to heart and pack up some stuff in case I need to bail.”

  “Good call,” she replied. “Don’t worry about my shit, I already grabbed anything I couldn’t live without if our apartment went up in a fiery inferno.”

  “When?” I asked in surprise.

  “When they made us level one.”

  “Why didn’t I notice?”

  “Probably because there isn’t a ton of shit I can’t live without,” Charlie replied. “I got my electronics and important paperwork and some jewelry and shit. The rest was just clothes and toiletries to stay with my parents. No big deal.”

  I looked around my room. What couldn’t I live without?

  “I better get packing,” I mumbled. “I don’t even know where to start.”

  “Birth certificate, EpiPen, and bank shit,” Charlie replied instantly. “Did you need help or something?”

  “No,” I said distractedly. “I was calling to see if I needed to grab anything of yours.”

  “Oh, thanks,” she said, a smile in her voice. “I’m good. If I think of anything I forgot, I’ll let you know.”

  “Alright.”

  “Let me know if you leave the apartment, okay?” she asked. “Just so I know where you are.”

  “Will do. Are you guys okay at your parents’ place?”

  “All good here,” she assured me. “Level two still and the smoke is terrible, but no sign of fire.”

  “Jesus,” I mumbled. “Please leave before you see fire.”

  “I’ll do what I can,” she said with a laugh before hanging up.

  With a sigh, I looked around my room. I wasn’t really sure what to take. There were a thousand little things that I’d prefer not to lose, but what was really important? Following Charlie’s advice, I double checked that I had my EpiPen in my purse, then pulled out my birth certificate, passport, school and bank information and stacked them on my bed. Those would have to go with me, for sure. I also grabbed the little notebook I used to keep track of bills and added it to the pile.

  Setting my hands on my hips, I looked around. Okay, clothes and shoes next. As I picked through the things I may need, I set them on the bed next to my important stuff pile. After a few minutes, the stacks had grown so much that I was grimacing. The idea of having to pick and choose what I wanted to leave behind was harder than I’d thought it would be. After a few minutes of arguing with myself about what I actually needed, I put about half of the clothes back into my dresser and decided I wouldn’t open the drawers again for any reason. Toiletries were easier because I didn’t have much. I used the fancy shampoo, conditioner, face wash and moisturizers that Charlie’s mom, Farrah, recommended, but it was a pretty streamlined system. I hadn’t really cared about that stuff in a long time, and it was nice having someone else just tell me what I should use.

  A little less than an hour after I started gathering my stuff, I had everything packed into a large suitcase, a duffle bag, a small cardboard box, a milk crate, and a backpack that was only halfway filled.

  I sat on the edge of my bed and looked at the top shelf my closet. Did I need anything in there? Would it really matter if I left it all behind? If I took it with me, what would that say?

  The small box at the far left side of the shelf seemed to stand out like a beacon, even though I’d been successful at ignoring it since I’d stashed it there when we’d moved into our apartment.

  “Fuck it,” I mumbled, surging to my feet. I emptied the backpack and carried it over to the closet. The box was light, but I still put it into the bag as fast as I could. Even touching it seemed like a bad idea. Then I put the contents I’d poured out of the backpack back into it, successfully hiding the box.

  After debating for a few minutes, I decided to put my packed belongings by the front door instead of in my car. If I had to leave, it would still be pretty easy to lug them down the stairs, but I didn’t take the chance of all my stuff being stolen if someone noticed it outside.

  “Done,” I said out loud, proud of myself. Then I caught sight of the bottle opener shaped like a penis that my stepmom had given me for my twenty-first birthday. She’d told me, The guys would rather use their teeth than this thing, so you’ll always know where it is. Genius. It was ridiculous and awesome and so Rose, a mix of practical and wild. I’d just throw it in my purse. No big deal.