"Zale!"

I opened my eyes. Was I hearing things?

"Zale!"

The blanket was yanked off me, and Erika threw her arms around my neck. "I knew it was you. I knew it."

Let out a shaky breath, I hugged her tightly. My bracelet was flashing green. My mother hurried over and joined us. We sat on the cot clinging to each other.

"I knew you'd get out. I knew it," said Erika.

My mother kissed my cheek. "Thank god, I was so scared. They made us leave. I begged to say until they stopped the search."

"It's okay." I tightened my hold on them. I wasn't alone. Everything was going to be okay. We were going to make it through this.

Parting, my mother cupped my face. "Are you okay? You weren't hurt."

"A few bruises, but nothing major," I said.

She grabbed my hand. "Let's get something to eat. Okay?"

Erika took my other hand, and we left the green area. I had never been so glad to move over to the more crowded section of the dome. After grabbed some food, we found an empty cot by the wall and sat down. Sitting at my mother and sister's feet, I started to peel an orange.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Erika, resting her head on my mother's shoulder.

She shrugged. "We'll go to the bank. Get some money out and find a place to stay until we get word about your father."

I peered up at her. "Did they get out in time?"

"I don't know." My mother shook her head. "Some are saying they did. Others are saying the government buildings were the first to go. We just don't know. We can only hope that he's okay."

I separated the orange into pieces and offered it to them. My mother was trying to be strong for us, but she was worried. I was worried about my father, too. Without him, I didn't know how we were going to make it.

***

I picked at the mud on my jeans as my mother talked to the bank teller. Someone scoffed in the line next to me. I looked over to see a woman shaking her head. Shoving my hands in my pocket, I put my foot over the little bit of dirt on the floor. A man stood with his arms folded behind us. He looked me up and down before rolling his eyes. Swallowing hard, I scooted forward behind my sister and mom.

"I'm sorry, but your account has been frozen," said the teller.

"Frozen?" My mother's eyes grew wide as she peered back at the bank teller behind the glass. "What do you mean?"

"It's common practice after a flood. Scammers will try to come in and take out money in the name of the deceased. If you can prove it's you, then I can unfreeze the account."

"Well, how do I do that?" She rubbed her forehead.

"I need some form of Identification."

"My home is under twenty feet of water. I didn't have time to grab my purse."

The teller pursed her lips. "Are you a registered citizen?"

"Oh, course. My husband is a government worker."

"Name," the teller replied sharply.

"Nadia Mae Thornton."

"Just a moment." The lady started to type. "Place you hand on the scanner."

She did so and turned to us with a forced smile. "It'll just be a minute for them to figure this out." She brushed her other hand through Erika's tangled hair.

"What if they don't?" said my sister.

"We have plenty of money. I put away some in an emergency fund for a reason."

"Mrs. Thornton," said the teller.

"Yes." My mother faced the woman. "See, it's me. That pictures only a few months old."

The woman nodded. "Yes, but the name on your account is your husbands."

"So?"

"To do an immediate unfreeze, I need him here."

My mother's mouth fell open. "We don't know where he is."

"He has to be present. It's part of protocol."

"We don't even know if he's alive!" snapped my mother.

The woman's face didn't change.

My mother took a calming breath. "My children, his children are cold and dirty. I need that money to rent a room. We're waiting to see if he's even still alive." She shook her head as she started to get choked up. "Our wedding is registered. I am his wife. I have a right to that money."

"If he's dead, yes." She pressed entered on the keyboard. "But at the moment, he has a status of missing. The account will be frozen for the next 90 days. After that time, you can come in and make a formal request as his wife to withdraw the money. Until then, there's nothing I can do for you." She interlocked her fingers on the desk in front of her. "If your husband is pronounced dead, the money will be transferred over to your name."

My mother broke down. I put an arm her shoulder and turned her away from the woman.

"We're his children. He has a responsibility to take care of us," I said.

"I have things I need to do today," breathed the man behind us.

I glared at him, making it clear I was not in the mood to deal with an asshole.

He looked away and clutched his briefcase with both hands in front of him.

"If your mother is unable to take care of you, the state will." The teller glanced at the phone. "Is there anything else you need?"

My mother started to sob.

I shook my head. "No."

We moved out of line and went to sit down on a bench by the wall. I rocked from side to side and let her cry it out. I was trying to keep it together myself.

Erika sunk down in her seat. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll figure it out." I rubbed my mom's back.

My mom wiped her face. "I should have put one of the accounts in my name. I just always thought your father would be there. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"No one blames you. That woman was being a bitch," stated Erika, nodding toward the teller.

"Erika." My mother sat up straight. "Language."

Shaking her head, my sister peered off across the bank floor. It was easy to tell who were the normal customers and who were the flood victims. Not just by their clothes, but by the looks the people who called Oasis home were looking at us.

"Let's go." I gave my mother's hand a squeeze. "It's getting late."

"We check out of the Safe House. We have nowhere to go." She cleared her eyes.

"We'll find a place. I don't think the banks going to let us stay here." I helped her to her feet.

Erika led the way to the door. A tall, bald man with a scruffy beard wearing a black suit entered with two others. I stopped and stepped back with my mom, but Erika ran right into him.

He looked down her nose at the girl and then at his sleeve that at a skiff of dirt on it. "Disgusting urchin."

"Fuck you," she stated.

"Erika!" said my mother. She snatched my sister and yanked her back. "What has gotten into you?"

I stepped between them and the man. "I'm sorry. It's been a long day."

He narrowed his eyes at me and then glanced at Erika. We stood there as the tension increased.

"Sorry," said Erika.

The man scoffed at us and kept going. The two other men in suits left with him.

I grabbed my sister's wrist and dragged her outside. My mother hurried along behind us.

"Idiot, did you not see there were three of them?"

"I didn't see anything. If I did, I wouldn't have run into him in the first place."

I swung her around. "We're not in some stupid small town. This is the capital. You don't act like that here."

She pressed her lips together. "How would you know? It's not like you've ever been to the city."

With a sigh, I let go of her. "I don't. I don't know anything about this place and that scares me even more. We sat in that bank for over five hours and I got enough dirty looks to know these people do not like us. I know that's new for you, but it's not for me."

Erika shrugged. "Sorry. I'm just tired." She looked close to crying as she rubbed her face.

I let out a deep breath. We were all turning into cry babies.

"Come here." I pulled her into a hug. "We're going to be okay. I'll find a job. We just have to get through the next 90 days and then we can come back. Who knows dad may show up tomorrow, and we'll go from there."

My mother smiled. "We'll work through it together." She scanned the area. "And I think I know just the place we can stay the night."