29
Darana
“Either stop staring at that screen as if it’s going to reveal the secret to eternal youth, or I’m confiscating your tablet for the sake of my mental health, Bennet!” I snap at Camila without taking my eyes off the road, giving the steering wheel of my Ford Ranger an affectionate slap.
The dashboard vibrates as we descend the winding dirt-and-gravel road that connects Birdsong Hills to downtown Willow Creek.
The engine roars with that familiar sound that always calms me, but today nothing in the world can untie the knot in my stomach.
Not the Ranger’s roar, not the landscape of sun-scorched eucalyptus trees unfolding before me, and not even the presence of the person riding beside me in the cab.
Camila, sitting in the passenger seat, flinches, adjusts her glasses, and sighs with a concentration that borders on obsession. Her long fingers tap the touchscreen again, going over those damn Geoscience Australia graphs for the thousandth time.
“If I don’t check the vein’s conductivity gradients, we run the risk of placing the heat sinks on the wrong roofs and having the entire town act like a giant toaster,” she replies.
In the back seat, Kira reviews her own data on a laptop, muttering figures about atmospheric pressure.
Next to her, Joyce clutches a huge basket filled with thermoses of strong coffee and homemade meat pies as if we were about to head out for a Sunday picnic on the beaches of Sydney rather than face a storm that promises to fry our brains.
The Outback sky doesn’t fool anyone. There’s no trace left of that clean, blinding blue from this morning; now the horizon is draped in a leaden gray blanket—dense and thick—that seems to crush the rocky hills.
The wind begins to pick up, whipping up swirls of reddish dust, stubble, and dry leaves that slam against the windshield.
The entire desert seems to be holding its breath, waiting for the big hit.
I clench my jaw until my teeth ache. Just a week ago, I would have been the first to tell Camila and her tech gadgets to go jump in a lake.
I would have questioned every one of her charts and every one of her nerdy terms. But after what’s happened between us—and above all, after witnessing the magic she holds in her hands—I’m the first to insist that everyone listen to her.
“When we get to the square, let me speak first,” I tell Camila. “The residents of Willow Creek are as stubborn as mules, and they won’t want us to install all this equipment unless we speak clearly.”
I feel Camila’s gaze fixed on my profile. I don’t need to turn to know she’s assessing the tension in my neck, gauging my pulse with those dark eyes that take my breath away.
“I wasn’t planning on stealing the spotlight from you, Calloway. This is your turf.”
As I slow down upon entering town, Camila reaches out and brushes her fingers against mine on the gearshift. I nod to hide my racing heart, and the silence that settles in the cab fills with all the erotic nonsense we still don’t dare say out loud in front of others.
Kira chimes in from the back seat, shattering the romantic moment with her usual pragmatism.
“The latest weather data confirms that the electromagnetic storm will intensify before sunset. If we don’t install the lightning rods at key points throughout the community, the risk of fire is ninety-four percent.”
Willow Creek comes into view, its atmosphere thick with tension.
The dirt roads are unusually crowded, but the mood is hardly festive.
People are milling about in small groups in front of the post office, glancing up at the gray sky so often that it’s clear they sense what’s coming.
I bring the Ranger to a screeching halt in the middle of the main square and jump out, adjusting my hat.
I walk with a firm, determined stride toward the group crowding the doors of City Hall, where the mayor and the council members are arguing heatedly.
Their faces reflect exactly what I feared: skepticism, concern, and a good dose of that pride that those of us who live in the middle of nowhere find so hard to let go of.
“Calloway,” the mayor greets me, crossing his arms over his beer belly and looking at me suspiciously. “We’ve been told you’re here with… instructions for the town. Since when do you tell us what to do?”
I take a deep breath, planting my boots firmly on the ground. This is my moment. I can’t mess this up.
“These aren’t my instructions, Thomas,” I reply. “They’re Dr. Bennet’s. And we’d better listen to them if we don’t want Willow Creek reduced to ashes when the big storm hits.”
I point emphatically at Camila, who steps up beside me, flanked by Kira and Joyce, holding her tablet as if it were Captain America’s shield. A general murmur ripples through the crowd; some look at her with suspicion, others with the typical here-she-comes-to-lecture-us expression.
I step forward, placing myself between the residents and her, fixing my gaze on the mayor.
“Listen to me carefully. If we want to save our homes and this town, we need everyone’s cooperation.
The Institute doesn’t mess around. This isn’t some scientific whim to make the news,” I add, lowering my voice.
“It’s the fucking difference between keeping every corner of this town standing and watching it burn down because of a lightning strike.
I’ve already seen what fire does to this land.
I’m not going to let it catch us with our hands tied. ”
The mayor exchanges a long look with the council members, scratches the back of his neck with resignation, and finally gives in with a huff.
“All right, Calloway. If you’re willing to vouch for the scientist… tell us what needs to be done.”
From that moment on, the square turns into a frenetic, wildly entertaining dance.
The Institute’s trucks begin unloading metal boxes, fluorescent cables, and state-of-the-art tools that contrast ridiculously with our dented trucks and grease-covered shovels.
Camila moves among the town’s rough-and-tumble cowboys with an ease that leaves me speechless; she gives terse orders, hands out diagrams, and explains how the heat sinks work with a passion that silences even the most skeptical among them.
Kira organizes the tools, Ethan shows up carrying more copper mesh, and the local laborers start drilling into roofs without a word of complaint.
I look up and see Camila climbing the wooden ladder to the school roof with incredible agility. I hurry up behind her. As I hand her a wrench, our fingers inevitably brush against each other. We feel a spark so real that I almost drop the tool in surprise.
“Hey!” I protest with a mischievous smile, rubbing my hand. “Are you that happy to have me around, Bennet?”
Camila fixes me with an intense stare.
“Can you hold this anchor in place and stop flirting during work hours, Calloway?” she snaps at me in a fiery whisper. “I need this to stay put, not move even a fraction of an inch, while I secure the copper terminals. Focus, come on.”
I nod through clenched teeth, gripping the metal tightly.
“Darana…” she murmurs suddenly, taking advantage of the fact that Ricky has turned away to get more supplies. “I know it’s not easy for you to put us in charge in front of your neighbors. Thank you for trusting me and standing up for us like that down there.”
“Don’t get used to it, scientist,” I reply, fixing my gaze on her lips with dangerous intensity. “I know what you’re capable of.”
She smiles with a warmth that completely disarms me, and for a second that feels like pure bliss, she covers my hand with hers on the metal bracket.
As I climb down from the roof with my hands black with soot and grease, Joyce has already set up a makeshift canteen on the social club’s porch, handing out hot coffee and sandwiches left and right amid the din of the drills.
And then, to really liven up the party, Maddie shows up.
I see her coming from the other end of the square with her usual determined stride, but today she isn’t wearing one of those tight outfits she uses to tease me in the middle of a workday; she’s wearing a pair of worn, dirt-stained jeans and an old flannel shirt, and she’s clutching a folder full of papers to her chest with a seriousness I’ve never seen in her before.
“All the farms bordering the river have already been evacuated,” she announces bluntly, planting herself in front of us and showing me the official list. “Families, children, and pets are already safe in the designated shelters. I’ve also arranged for the SUVs to pick up the elderly from the outskirts. ”
Camila blinks, completely dumbfounded.
“Impressive… thank you for handling this so well.”
Maddie returns her smile with that hint of smugness that’s so characteristic of her, but without a trace of malice.
“Don’t get too excited—I’m not doing this to earn a medal,” she replies, giving her a cheeky wink. “I’m just trying to keep the town from disappearing off the map. After all, Willow Creek is my home too.”
“Hey, so it turns out that behind that facade, there’s a woman who’s a force to be reckoned with,” I say, giving her a friendly pat on the arm. “Thanks for all your hard work. Really.”
A little while later, while the last group of neighbors secures the main lightning rod at the top of the church bell tower, I step around to the back of my vehicle to organize some toolboxes.
Maddie appears out of nowhere, leaning against the car with her arms crossed and that sly little smile she always wears when she wants to get under my skin.
“Well, boss…” she says calmly, looking me up and down. “You can relax that jaw now—I don’t have the energy to try to steal your precious scientist away from you anymore.”
“I didn’t know Camila had my name written on her forehead, Maddie,” I snap at her, even though my heart is doing a ridiculous somersault in my chest.
“Come on, Darana, you’d have to be blinder than a mole not to realize that woman only has eyes for your damn dimples,” she snorts, letting out a weak laugh. “You should see how she devours you with her eyes. You drive her crazy—just admit it.”
I stare at her for a second, and in the end, I can’t help but burst out laughing.
“Thanks for the tip about the evacuations. Really,” I repeat, changing the subject so I don’t turn as red as a tomato. “I owe you a round of ice-cold beers at the bar once this whole hellish situation is over.”
Maddie nods.
“This place matters to all of us. Including me, even if I’m a pain in the neck sometimes. I just hope that when things get back to normal, the tourists at the ranch will still ask for me as their guide.”
“That’ll depend on how well you do your job from now on. Though I’m sure it’ll be much better than it’s been so far.”
Maddie shakes my hand. With that simple gesture, we bury once and for all the old grudges, the absurd jealousies, and the nonsense of the past.
When we return to the group, the last glow of sunset is already spreading across the sky.
The sun begins to dip below the horizon, tinging the desert with a dark, gloomy orange hue that fails to conceal the black clouds racing toward us.
The wind has completely shifted direction. It smells like ozone.
The impending storm is upon us.
But no matter what happens, I know I’m going to fight tooth and nail. For my land, for my people… and for the woman who drives me completely crazy.