Chapter 14

Chapter 14

T he crash of the olive tree breaking through the windows echoes in my ears. I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing myself against the onslaught… but it never comes. When I dare to open one eye, I realize Daichi has tackled me to the floor behind a lobby couch. He’s using his body as a shield to protect me.

“You okay?” He touches my head, my neck, and my shoulders briefly before pulling away.

I manage a jerky nod, my ears still ringing from the deafening impact.

Satisfied that I’m unharmed, Daichi levers himself upright into a crouch, pulling me with him as he peers over the back of the couch to survey the devastation. I follow his gaze, my heart plummeting straight into my stomach.

The entire back half of the Book Club’s main room has been obliterated. What was once our cozy little library and reading nook now lay in ruins — shelves toppled, books and debris strewn everywhere, and the gnarled, leafy corpse of the olive tree jutting through in a tangle of splintered wood and shredded foliage. The sharp tang of charred wood rushes through the club on the wind.

But that’s not the worst part. No, the true devastation is the torrent of wind and rain now lashing through the gaping hole, quickly turning the wreckage into a treacherous bog as the storm rages on unabated outside.

“Oh, no…” The anguished whisper slips past my lips. Scattered amidst the rubble and rapidly being soaked by the deluge are the club’s entire collection of precious, irreplaceable books.

Generations’ worth of stories, teachings, records… all about to be destroyed right before my eyes.

“Winta? Winta!” Gia’s panicked voice cuts through the ringing in my ears as she comes scrambling over, eyes wide with shock. “Oh my god, are you hurt? What the hell just happened?”

“The tree…” I rasp out, still numb with disbelief. “Lightning…” I can barely think, barely breathe.

Gia follows my shell-shocked stare, paling as she takes in the full scope of the destruction. “Shit… oh shit, the books! Winta, we have to —”

I’m already lurching to my feet, Daichi rising with me as his firm hands grip my shoulders. Only my parents, siblings, and a few others remain, their gazes as stricken and dismayed as mine as they take in the unfolding disaster. Because they know, just as I do, what the loss of those books would mean for the Book Club’s legacy.

“We have to save them!” I shout over the howling winds, already sloshing forward into the ankle-deep floodwaters rapidly encroaching from outside. “Everybody, grab what you can and get them to the inner rooms, quickly!”

I don’t wait for any acknowledgment before plunging ahead, scooping up armfuls of sodden books and ferrying them towards the dry section of the lobby and the main office in a desperate triage effort. The deluge is unrelenting, stinging my eyes and weighing down my clothes until I’m soaked through again within minutes.

But I can’t stop, I won’t stop, not while there’s even a single priceless volume left to salvage from this watery ruin. My heart pounds in my ears, panic and despair warring for dominance as I work myself into a frenzy of book-rescuing mania.

Vaguely, I’m aware of the others joining me — Daichi, Gia and Yuriko, Raj and Haru, my parents and siblings all wading into the fray with grim determination. We form a sort of bucket brigade, passing load after load of the books to safety as the waters continue to rise.

At some point, Daichi appears at my side again, chest heaving, shirt plastered to the contours of his chest and arms as he hauls another stack of books out of the flood. Our eyes meet for a brief, electric moment, and something profound passes between us in that heated look.

He’s here. He hasn’t bolted after I shot him down.

Understanding what’s at stake, he gives me a quick nod, silently agreeing. I nod back, and then we both jump into the chaos.

We work until our muscles are screaming, until every centimeter of us is soaked through to the bone and shivering with cold. Until we have ferried away every last book, keeping them safe from the encroaching floodwaters.

Only then do I let myself sit back and study the surrounding mess. The back half of the club is destroyed, with broken pieces and torn memories staring at me.

You should have delayed the open house, Winta.

You knew there was a storm coming, and you chose to ignore it, Winta.

You’re a failure, Winta.

But the books, at least most of them, have been spared. I let out a ragged sob of relief and anguish, shoulders shaking with the force of my emotions as fat tears streak down my cheeks.

So close. We came so close to losing everything tonight.

Daichi squats down next to me and wraps his arms around me, pulling me into the solid warmth of his chest. I lean against him, finding some comfort in his steady presence during this disaster.

I have no idea how long Daichi and I remain there, huddled amidst the ruin, as the storm rages on outside. Long enough for the shivering to set in, our soaked clothes rapidly sapping what little warmth we have left. Long enough for the rest of the rescuers to congregate around us in a bedraggled, shell-shocked cluster.

What the hell even happened? Everything was going so well, and then bam.

It’s the wail of approaching sirens that knocks me out of my thoughts. I lift my head from where it’s been tucked against Daichi’s chest, blinking as a pair of fire trucks come screaming around the corner with lights flashing.

“Oh, thank the stars,” Gia breathes from somewhere nearby, voice thick with relief. “The cavalry has arrived.”

A flurry of firefighters and emergency personnel swarm the club, barking orders and setting up powerful floodlights to illuminate the wreckage. A burly lieutenant in a yellow slicker strides right up to us.

“All right, folks, let’s get you all out of this mess,” he hollers over the howling winds. “We’ll get tarps rigged to cover that hole in the roof and sandbags to divert the flooding, but you’re gonna need to clear out for your own safety. This storm’s just getting started.”

My heart sinks like a stone. Abandon the Book Club to the storm’s fury?

I can’t, I won’t…

“We have animals here,” I blurt out through numb lips. I hope they’re all okay. They probably hid quicker than we stupid humans did.

The firefighter nods. “We’ve got people to help with that.”

Daichi steadies me with those big, warm hands on my shoulders. “You heard the man, Winta,” he rumbles. “We need to get out of here before this gets worse.”

“But the club,” I whisper, turning to look at the wreckage of my favorite place.

Daichi’s expression softens, but his grip remains firm as he turns me away from the wreckage to face him.

“Hey, look at me,” he says, cupping my face in his palms. His warm eyes bore into mine. “I know how badly you want to keep fighting for this place. I get it, I really do. But sometimes the bravest thing we can do is know when to pull back before the situation gets even more dangerous.”

I open my mouth to argue, but he shakes his head and presses on.

“These guys are the experts, and they’re telling us it’s too dangerous to stick around any longer,” he reasons, tone gentle yet insistent. “We’ve done everything possible to save the books and minimize the damage so far. But now it’s time to let the professionals take over and get you somewhere safe and dry before you make yourself sick from hypothermia, okay?”

His words cut through my panic and despair. I look around at everyone — my family, my friends, my coworkers. They know, just like I do, that Daichi is right. We’ve done all we can for tonight.

Swallowing hard, I give Daichi a jerky nod. He returns it with a look of gratitude and… something more I can’t quite put a name to. Something that makes my heart skip a beat despite the exhaustion settling into my bones.

I sit and stare into space while the firefighters coordinate transportation to get everyone home safely. Gia loops her arm through mine, giving me a reassuring squeeze.

“I’m heading back to my place for the night,” she murmurs, dark eyes shining with worry. “Do you want to come with me?”

“I…” I glance around and realize my parents and siblings are already gone. I should have gone home with them. “M-m-my place is too far to walk.” Talking around my chattering teeth is exhausting. I want to lie down and curl up in a ball right here. A tear slips from my eye down my cheek. “I can p-p-probably make it.”

Daichi’s eyes widen. “You’re not going to walk home, Winta. You’ll come home with me.”

I press my lips together and shake my head. Not after everything I said to him.

“You should go with Daichi,” Gia insists. “He lives way closer than you or I do, and you’re going to need to get out of those wet clothes right away before you catch pneumonia or something.”

I blink as I try to respond. I should go home, but Daichi is already nodding in agreement, stepping closer to curl one big hand around my elbow.

“She’s right. The storm is too strong for you to go all the way across town to your apartment tonight. I’ve got plenty of room at my place. It’s just two blocks over. You can get cleaned up and rest there until this whole mess blows over, okay?”

Part of me wants to protest the imposition, to insist I’ll be fine making my way home despite the conditions. But the rest of me — the part of me wrung out and numb — knows full well I’d never make it across town before collapsing from exhaustion.

So I nod again, letting Daichi pull me against his side as we turn to follow the firefighter team, leading the way to the transport vans. Gia shoots me one last reassuring look, mouthing, ‘I’ll check in tomorrow’ before peeling off to join another group.

The walk to the vans is a blur of harsh floodlights, whipping winds, and shouted orders over the roar of the storm. I stay tucked against Daichi, allowing him to direct me. I can’t really do anything else.

He hasn’t fled. Hasn’t given up. Despite the disaster, Daichi is still right here, unshakable in his quiet support.

My free hand finds his, tangling our rain-chilled fingers together in a desperate clutch. Daichi doesn’t react beyond giving my palm a firm, reassuring squeeze, keeping us tethered together even as we’re swept away from the ruined club and into the raging night.