Gemma Rhodes arched her back and pointed her toes, stretching her arms over her head. The wooden swing creaked and swayed under her, the slats digging into her butt. It wasn’t the most comfortable place to lie down, but she liked the gentle motion as it danced in the breeze. The leaves overhead rustled, and a few drifted toward the ground, the oranges and reds adding a splash of color to the landscape. October in North Carolina was a beautiful time of year, and one of her favorites. The air was cold and crisp, with a faint hint of sweetness from the dying grass.

“Are you even paying attention?” her friend Emily asked.

She glanced back at the screen of her phone. “Of course.”

Emily snorted. “You weren’t. You were daydreaming again.”

Her book lay across her stomach, her body holding her place. She squinted at the sky as the sun disappeared behind an ominous looking cloud, the first of many as she glanced toward the horizon.

“Maybe a little. Things haven’t been going the way I’d hoped. When I’d thought of senior year, it hadn’t occurred to me both Riley and Jake would be gone. Or that I’d graduate early.”

A sad smile crossed Emily’s face. “I know you miss them, Gemma.”

A year of hopes and dreams, it had been more like a year of disappointments. Her older brother Riley and his best friend—and her longtime crush—Jake Bennet had joined the Marines, leaving Gemma worried, heartbroken, and completely alone. For as long as she remembered, she’d followed Jake and her brother everywhere they went.

When she’d found out they’d enlisted, she’d loaded up on summer classes and had finished the required credits to graduate by the time school started in August. The last two months, she’d been trying to figure out what to do with her life. She could have started college, but she hadn’t known what to study. It had seemed like a waste of time to go when she had no idea who she was, or who she wanted to be. Not to mention, she didn’t know how her father would handle being on his own.

A drop of rain splashed against her cheek, the cool wetness slipping down into her hair.

“Hang on, Em. The raining is coming.”

Shoving her book under her shirt, Gemma sat up, grabbed her phone, and jumped off the swing, sending it crashing into the base of the tree before ricocheting back into her. She winced as it bruised the backs of her knees, and then she ran toward the house. Larger drops splashed down, wetting her hair and clothes. As she leapt onto the porch, a rumble shook the ground and cracked the sky, just moments before the deluge came down.

The steps turned dark as the rain drenched her, the parched wood soaking up any bit of moisture. Another clap of thunder boomed in the sky as lightning raced through the clouds overhead. It was a cleansing of the earth, as well as a cleansing of her mind. Gemma watched as the storm raged around her, the air growing cool and damp.

She turned the camera around on her phone. “You seeing this?”

“Holy crap! Makes me glad we’re in Florida for fall break.”

Gemma changed the phone back so Emily could see her again. “Thanks for the reminder that you’re miles away while I’m stuck here. No Riley, no Jake, and no friends. It sucks.”

“Sorry, Gem. I have to run. Mom is calling. FaceTime me again tomorrow!”

The screen on her phone went dark and she put it away before pulling her book out from under her shirt. Gemma sank onto the porch planks, her back against the clapboard house. Drawing her hoodie tighter around her body, she opened the hardback. The silvery light was just bright enough for her to see the words on the page as she devoured the sentences in front of her.

Gemma had always enjoyed reading, but even more so since she’d gotten the news that Jake was in a war zone. Mrs. Bennet had received the call as she’d been standing in line at the grocery store. Gemma just happened to be in front of her, stocking up on apple juice and her favorite grape soda. The words had nearly shattered her still tender heart, and she’d hurried out of the store before she could break down and cry in front of Jake’s mother.

That was a month ago, and she didn’t know if he was safe or not. If she’d gone to the Bennet house and asked about Jake, she knew they would tell her what they could, but she’d have to admit to her feelings if that happened. It was one thing for Riley to haunt their house asking questions about Jake, and another for Gemma to do it. She may have been their shadow all her life, but she’d always been that cute girl in pigtails following the big boys around. When she’d turned fifteen, all that had changed. She’d become the awkward teen with hearts in her eyes every time she looked Jake’s way, even though he’d been a year older than her.

Gemma looked up at the ominous sky. Where are you Jake? Are you safe? Are you coming home?