Sweat dripped down Maddox’s face as he lay beneath the shrubs. His eyes fixed on the road as heat waves shimmered above the pavement. A fly buzzed near his ear. He couldn’t move, not until Uncle Ben got here. Then, Maddox would take careful aim and drench his uncle with the fully loaded Super Soaker. It would be epic. Uncle Ben would scream and run for the house, but Maddox would keep firing until he used up every drop of…
Carly tossed her phone down. She hated staying with her grandparents. They lived in the middle of nowhere with terrible internet. And worse, they didn’t seem to care about the problem. Where was Ralph? Her brother never brought his phone with him when they came out here. Instead, he turned into a wild hooligan. Well, maybe not a hooligan, but how was she supposed to know when she couldn’t verify what the word meant? She huffed. Outside, she marched toward…
Jane clenched her jaw as fireworks exploded throughout the neighborhood. She slammed the bedroom door and collapsed into herself, squeezing her eyes shut. It didn’t help. The unwanted visions sprang to life, becoming the faces of the men and women she’d served beside — a stark reminder of the ceremony her superior commanded her to attend. The people around her spoke of heroic efforts, lives saved, missions won. She’d sat there, unable to breathe. Mouth dry, vision blurring, she’d flinched…
The sky exploded with a burst of white that glittered as the firework lit up the night. Mandie swatted at a mosquito feasting on her leg and scratched the welt the bite left behind. Uncle Lou passed her the bug spray, and she covered herself in it — again. Another shower of color, this one in blue, looked like a bright chrysanthemum. A bottle rocket screeched to life, its burning end red before it popped. The boys whooped with joy…