sister.
Drea and Bunny had gotten out of Bellingwood in plenty of time, due in no small part to Drea's constant nagging. Bunny complained and whined the entire time she packed her bags , until Polly finally went in to help her finish. Henry had finally carried all of her things down to the car so they could leave on time. Polly worried until she got a text from Drea that they were safely on the plane and Bunny lived through it.
It had rained off and on all day, but the skies were becoming more threatening as the afternoon wore on. Polly had almost canceled dinner, but after a second phone call, Sylvie told her to quit worrying. They'd be safer at Sycamore House than anywhere else in town. Thunder rumbled and rain poured out of the sky.
Mark and Sal, Nate and Joss showed up in time to set tables up and re-heat the food. They were just sitting down to eat when her phone rang. She looked at it to see Lydia's smiling face on the screen.
"Hey, Lydia, what's up?"
"You need to get downstairs right now. The sirens are about to go off in town, but the wind is coming and they're worried about a tornado. Get downstairs. Goodbye!"
Polly hung up and everyone looked at her.
"What's wrong?" Henry asked.
"Lydia says we're supposed to go to the basement right now. Something bad is coming at us."
At that moment, the city's sirens began to sound.
Billy turned to Rachel. "You go downstairs, I'll get Billy Jack."
"I'll get those people in the addition," she said. "We'll meet you down there."
"The animals!" Polly cried. She bolted for the back door of the auditorium, just behind Billy, and ran upstairs to their apartment. Obiwan was standing at the top of the steps, wagging his tail.
"Where are the cats?" she asked and ran past him. They were both sitting on the cat tree in Henry's office, their favorite place to be when they weren't snuggled in bed with her. Polly's first thought was that she couldn't manage all three animals and then realized that Henry and Jason had followed her. She thrust Luke into Jason's arms and ran back down the steps, calling for Obiwan to join them. Henry grabbed his leash off a hook and snapped it on the dog's collar.
The kitchen had cleared out, but when she looked outside, the late afternoon light had given way to an eerie greenish glow. As she watched, she heard the distinct sound of hail hitting the windows.
"Go, Polly," Henry commanded and she went.
Jason had already run through the kitchen and was standing at the top of the basement steps, holding the door open for them, the cat tucked under his arm.
"You go on," she said. "Is everyone else downstairs?"
"I think so," he replied and went down the steps ahead of her. Both cats seemed to be too surprised to even wiggle. They were rarely out of the apartment. Obiwan and Henry followed her down and he pulled the door shut behind them.
When they got to the basement, she went into the bedroom she'd set up last summer and found Sylvie sitting beside Rebecca and Sarah on the bed.
"I've never been through a tornado before," Rebecca said. "Is it scary?"
Polly shook her head. "It's nothing to sneeze at, but we're safe down here." She handed Leia to Andrew, who was sitting on the floor in front of them. "Would you mind keeping an eye on her? If she gets away, don't worry, just help me out now."
He nodded and took the cat, then began stroking her back. Jason came into the room with Luke. "Eliseo isn't here," he said. "Mark thinks he went down to the barn."
"No!" Polly cried. "That fool." She called his cell phone.
"Hello, Polly," Eliseo answered. "Don't yell at me. I've been in worse weather and I'm going to make sure everything is okay down here."
"I am yelling at you. What are you thinking?"
"We'll be fine. I promise."
"You're a fool," she said to him.
"Maybe, but this is where I need to be."
He ended the call and she dropped to her knees beside Andrew and put her hand on Leia's head. "Don't let anything happen to him, please," she said
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