While they are at the pool, the storm warning goes off. Kai makes everyone get out of the pool and tells them to go inside.
Quickly and calmly, he herded everyone inside the main facility. He even got his mother from her office by the pool and took her in the main building.
“I don’t know what you’re so worried about,” Nina grumbled. “It’s just a squall.”
“Squalls come from the ocean. This is from the west. After yesterday at the high school, I’m paranoid. This building is newer and the codes are more stringent now. That pool house, while quaint, isn’t nearly as sturdy.”
The wind picked up right about then. Kai shunted the swimmers into the dressing rooms to dry off and change. The kids from the summer day camp filed into their room, but he encouraged the teachers to take them to the gym. There were too many windows in the other room to suit him.
Cody and Marianna got them all playing duck duck goose, gossip and a variety of other things to occupy them.
Suddenly, it got very quiet. Kai felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He shivered involuntarily. With a mournful howl, the wind surged around the building. The flag rattled on the pole outside. The pennants around the pool tore loose, flailing around like mad serpents on crack. Windows and doors shook like a million space shuttles going up.
With a sickening crash, Kai’s lifeguard tower was uprooted from the bolts holding it on the concrete. It crashed into the slide, ripping a section of it loose. With a hideous shudder, the tower flew through Nina’s office window. Had she been sitting at her desk, it would have killed her. She sat down, fanning herself.
“Oh, dear God! Kai, if you hadn’t…. Oh, my God!” She fanned herself more, trying not to vomit. Kai held his mother, trying to calm her. Paisley and Tempest took over, holding Nina as they huddled together.
The children didn’t know if they should scream or not. Some were close to hysterics, but the teachers distracted them. Everyone was fine until the power went off a few moments later. There was a hush, then the screaming started.
Kai blew his whistle. “Stop immediately!” he bellowed. “Quiet!” He pitched his voice extra low.
The emergency lights came on casting an eerie glow around the room.
“It’s okay. The generator will click on in a minute. Just a storm, and a power outage. We’re cool. No panic.”
“I want my mommy,” one of the girls wailed.
Others joined her and a full fledged whimper fest started. Cody got to his feet and walked over to the children.
“I have a secret,” he said, his hands behind his back. “I can do a special magic trick, that no one else can do.”
“What trick can you do?” Tempest asked. “I wanna see your trick, Cody.”
The children joined her, demanding his trick.
“You have to sit down and stop crying. Then I’ll show you my trick.”
They did as they were told. Taking a wide legged stance, Cody held up his hands. He did the trick where it looked like he was sliding his thumb apart. The children were fascinated. The older ones knew it wasn’t magic, but they wanted to know how he did it.
When he was done, they insisted on something else. Cody started humming circus music. He held up his fists, dancing them around. Tapping them together, he held up one finger on his right hand, another tap, another finger. He did that three more times. Then he tapped them together, holding up one finger on the left, and one less on the right. The performance continued amid laughter and cheering, for several minutes.
The generator cycled on, the lights came on and everyone applauded Cody’s performance. The children gathered around him, hugging and tugging at his clothing. Eventually, he extracted himself, and went to talk to Marianna. She hugged his neck, kissing his cheek. Cody blushed, but put his arms around her.
“Dude, you totally rocked,” Kai told him a few minutes later.
Cody grinned, eyes downcast.
“You saved the day,” Kai continued.
“You would’ve thought of something.”
“No, I’m telling you, I was fresh out. That was classic.”
“I was so nervous,” Marianna said, leaning into the curve of Cody’s body, her arms around his waist. “You totally made me laugh. Can you show me how to do the broken thumb? I never got the hang of it.”
Kai suspected she could probably do it really well, but it made Cody feel important to have her ask. Some of the older kids came up asking him too, so he took them all aside to teach them.
Nina was on the phone with Brad. He’d called to make sure everyone was alright. She did fine until she told him about the lifeguard tower going through the window. She broke down again. Tempest and Paisley took her in the restroom, while Kai talked to Brad.
“I’ll call the insurance guy. This is crazy weather today. More strong winds expected. Is Nina okay?”
“It scared her. Jesus, Brad. If I hadn’t had one of my paranoid moments….”
“But you did, and acted on it. Never underestimate the paranoia factor, Son.”
Kai hung up a few minutes later. Tempy came out of the women’s restroom and tugged on his arm.
“Mom’s totally hysterical. Paisley asked if you have anything in your bag of tricks?”
He thought a moment, shaking his head. He didn’t have any narcotics. “I know where I can get something. She’s that bad?”
© 2019 Dellani Oakes
