Alessandra (#1, Omega Beginnings Miniseries) Read Free Page B

and left me a message when
they did.
    Turning on lights as I went, I returned to
the kitchen and climbed on top of a chair so I could reach the
answering machine on the counter. The light was flickering. I
pushed play.
    “Baby …” Mama’s voice was hushed. She almost
sounded sad. “I need you to do two things for me. One, delete this
voicemail when it’s over. Press the button with the red x like I
showed you that one time. Two, you remember the special hiding
place we send you to when bad storms come? Grab your emergency bag
out of the pantry. Take Mrs. Nettle and go hide in the storm center
the moment you receive this message. Don’t come out until Saturday
morning. The storm will be over by then. Call your grandma from the
cell phone in your emergency pack and tell her to come get you.
Okay? Listen to this again until you’re sure you know what to do
and then delete it. We love you, Baby, so much.”
    At first I was worried about the storm, and
then I recalled that tomorrow was my birthday. My parents were
planning something huge for me – and it involved my grandma.
Excited, I listened dutifully until certain I understood exactly
what Mama wanted me to do before I deleted the recording.
    Darting to the pantry, I found the emergency
pack labeled with my name. It was a small backpack I was supposed
to take with me if there was a bad storm, which happened often in
spring. My parents took storms and tornadoes seriously. We
practiced hiding in a safe place once a month.
    We all had emergency packs, and theirs were
present still. I didn’t think twice about it. They had packs in
their cars, if there really was a storm. And if not, if they were
planning a surprise party for me, they wouldn’t need them anyway. I
put the backpack on eagerly.
    Assuming their absence was tied to them
waiting for me to hide so they could plan, I hurried up the stairs
to my room fast enough that I tripped and banged my shin. Ignoring
the pain, I made it to my room.
    “Mrs. Nettles! We have to hide!” I
exclaimed. I picked her up quickly and descended to the main floor
before heading to the basement and the storm shelter. The hidden
underground space was half the size of the ground floor of our
house. It had a small kitchen, a big bed for my parents, a bunk bed
for me, a bathroom, and even a television in the living area. The
entrance was hidden under a tile in the floor.
    I put Mrs. Nettles on the floor. Placing my
hand on the secret panel to open the door, I was barely able to
stand still. Mrs. Nettles pawed at me and pointed towards the
upstairs.
    “Oh! We left Thor out!” I said, recalling
the dragon. “It’s okay. Mama and Daddy can make sure he stays in my
room. I’ll turn him back on Saturday before my parteeeeeeee!” The
last word ended in a squeal.
    Mrs. Nettles lifted her arms so I could
carry her down the ladder into the storm shelter. I reached the
bottom and closed the door. The lights went on automatically, and I
sighed, happy and exited about my party after my bad day.
     

Chapter Four
     
    I went to bed soon after arriving in the
shelter. Mrs. Nettles and I lay down in my parents’ bed to be sure
I woke up if they came down.
    They didn’t.
    During our monthly drills, they sometimes
told me I might be alone for a long time down here but that they’d
always come find me. I was supposed to sit put and watch my
favorite movies and drink tea until they returned.
    It was Friday, my birthday. I was a little
disappointed to wake up and find they weren’t there, and Daddy
hadn’t made me my birthday waffles. The knowledge they were
planning a surprise party soon swept away my concern.
    I spent the morning
watching movies, the American
Oracle premiere again and drinking tea.
Mama had taught me how to microwave food and make sandwiches, so I
did both for Mrs. Nettles and me while we waited for the day to
pass.
    I followed Mama’s instructions and knew they
were planning something for me, but I still felt lonely. I