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CHAPTER TWO
hurricane season
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WHEN THE HURRICANE officially hit, Kendra was sat in a beanbag in her room, music playing from her headphones as she read a book, she had already turned off the lights and was using an old oil lamp passed down from her great-great-grandmother. Kendra enjoyed the lamp as she bundled up under the blankets. It was weird.

It was always hot in Florida, her the house was freezing and the temperature outside baffles Kendra. It's normally never this cold. Kendra checked her phone to see if the power was out. If it was, the WiFi would be out, and it wasn't. Kendra held her home button down, activating Siri.

"What's the temperature outside?" Kendra asked.

"It is fifty four degrees outside, but it feels like fifty," Siri responded and Kendra shook her head as she stood up, walking over to the window and pressed her hand to the glass, feeling it cool down her hot hands.

That's when she heard a thud, as if something just slammed into her window, it was loud enough to make her jump back in shock and she grabbed the lamp, holding it close, trying to look between the cracks in the board but she found nothing. Kendra cautiously left the room and walked out to the living room where she found her mother watching a movie.

"You put on Iron Man and didn't tell me?" Kendra asked as she turned off her lamp, frowning, "Okay we're being fake in this house, that's how it is."

Her mom rolled her eyes and made room on the couch for Kendra to join her, it wasn't too far in the movie, Tony was still captured.

"You act like you don't keep this on a loop in your room," Her mom spoke and Kendra felt a heat rise in her cheeks.

"I'm sorry that Robert Downey jr is my father and you're just lying to me about it," Kendra spoke and her mom laughed.

"I wish he was your father," Her mom admitted and Kendra smiled, the two focusing on the movie.

Kendra heard the loud thud outside again and she jumped, her mom doing the same.

"Go outside and make sure no trees are falling," Her mom spoke and Kendra got up, going around the couch to the door and opened it up, turning on the outside light to see an owl staring her down from the window sill.

"What in the ass?" Kendra asked as the owl came down and sat itself at her feet, looking up at her.

Kendra tilted her head as lightning crackled, illuminating everything around them. Her mom joined her side, curiosity filled the woman as she checked to see what her daughter was cursing about.

"That's odd," Her mother spoke and Kendra slowly crouched down, gently getting a hold on if the owl who didn't seem to fight her.

"Can we keep him until the storm passes?" Kendra looked over to her mother, her pleading eyes widened as she worked her for eye magic, "he must be frightened and starving!"

Her mother looking between the two and sighed, nodding.

"I don't want him in my room ever, you got it?" Her mother asked and Kendra lit up, looking to the owl, smiling brightly.

Kendra practically teleported to her room, setting him on her shelf, looking around in the dark to find something for him to properly perch on.

"I wish I still had grandmas old bird stand," she muttered and gasped when she found her keyboard stand. She had it back when she thought she wanted to be a pianist in the sixth grade but never got lessons.

Kendra set up the stand and looked over to see the owl flap over and perch on the bars, making itself comfortable.

"Alright, I'm going to get some old magazines so you don't poop on my floor, I'll be right back, please don't poop on my floor," Kendra pleaded and walked out to her mother's office, looking through the pile of papers and found the old cover girl magazines, smiling, she ran back, turning on the oil lamp as the rain poured down on the roof, calming Kendra as she worried about the surrounding trees crushing her through the roof.

Kendra dipped up the pages and layered them under the stand and smiled at her handiwork. She looked up at her bed, yawning as it got later and later.

She decided to make a first in her room, going to the dining room and grabbing the chairs, walking back to her room as she set it up. Her mom walked into the doorway, a soft smile on her face.

"Want to put your mattress on the ground?" Her mother asked and Kendra nodded, looking up at the loft bed and sighed.

"I don't want to be that close to the roof in this weather," Kendra admitted, glancing over at her mother.

The woman only nodded and helped Kendra get the mattress in between the chairs and walked out, coming back with sheets to drape over the chairs, she put the lamp in the tent next to the mattress, bringing an even softer glow to the room.

Kendra looked up at the owl and she observed the bird, noticing the feathers that peeled up, making the owl look like it had ears. It always seemed to be squinting with a scornful flare, which make Kendra feel judged.

"He is rather scary looking," Her mom spoke up from next to her and Kendra nodding, yawning. This made the older woman yawn and glare at Kendra for the involuntary bodily function.

"Goodnight, kid," Her mom spoke and patted her shoulder, walking out and shutting the door behind her. Kendra pulled the pillows down and fixed her bed up, leaving her to change into her pajamas and climb into the bed, she stretched out, looking over as a series of flaps got louder on her left.

The owl seemed to be waddling over to her. Kendra smiled as it got closer, she thought it trusted her enough to be petted, so when she slowly stuck her hand out and caressed its side, she wasn't expecting it to crane down and bite the muscle of her thumb. Oddly enough, right before it bit, she could've sworn she saw a little crackle of electricity connect her hand and his beak, and as it all went down, a crackle of lighting exploded outside her window, striking the tree that thankfully leaned away from her room and towards the other trees in the backyard.

"Motherfucker!" She yelped, yanking her hand back and looked at the owl, glaring him down. He came closer, rubbing his head against the crown of her head, as if he felt bad for what he just did.

"If you were just hungry, there are nicer ways for asking, you little bitch," she said as she went back to petting him, getting up and taking him to the kitchen, "but I'm not sure there's anything that you'll want in here."

Kendra looked through the pantry and the fridge and sighed, turning her head and faced the owl that perched on her upright arm.

"Just as I thought, all out of mice."