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"Hey," Al yelled after him "Be careful!"

I love storrab me but I outmaneuvered him

"Perry," he warned But the twins followed me as well, and Al was more than outnumbered I turned around and saw hih the

The weather was absolutely wild; the gusts were coht at tihted, like it was about to let loose at any round beneath us We waited--spread out on the dark lawn looking toward the ocean--with bated breath for the lightning to show its face A few seconds later (nine Mississippis to be precise) it forked aggressively fro waves on the horizon

It was during the lightening flash that I saw so I had never seen before In the distance was a solitary island, shaped like a sharp anvil On top of that hthouse

Just like the one I hadmy eyes on the spot even as the strike faded and turned my view back to black

As the boys made impressed noises at Mother Nature’s display, I waited for the next strike to happen so I could get a better look It seehthouse out there before and even odder that I was talking about it earlier Perhaps I had seen it before through the fog and just never consciously recognized it Perhaps I read it about it in the history books without realizing it

Thunder shook the air again with even more power than before; its vibrations rattled around inand at five Mississippis, the lightning struck

This time there were several electric branches that forked out, sohthouse that was now clearly illu that it was there

"The Tillahthouse," Dex said I looked besideto my side and I hadn’t even noticed His cheekbones were obsidian shadows against the house’s flickering porch light I couldn’t see his eyes but I could feel the show

"Like that story you o do this Now"

As he said it, another huge gust of forceful wind knocked ain, only closer now It was definitely a sign frohthouse, but Dex had already turned and was running back into the house

"Get some better clothes and shoes on," he yelled over his shoulder, and went into the house Matt and Tony decided to go back in too

"You guys are fucking crazy," Tony said as he walked pastwith theree," he said "Watch yourself"

This was probably the first time I had ever seen my cousins act remotely brotherly towards me I wasn’t sure if now, of all times, was the best tiain, Dex and I were heading up the beach toward the lighthouse But it was already a million times different from the way it was in the afternoon

For one reason, we had half the equip were all left behind Dex had his camera on his shoulder and that was it

For tere surrounded by corave soht we had was fro as itweaker and farther apart Lightning wasn’t exactly the ht to find your way by

For three, ere in the ly violent storh ere spared the brunt of a total downpour thus far The gusts of wind caer and more furious by the minute until it felt like the entire contents of the beach were lodged in my hair Not to mention the nuhtweight

Luckily, the first few ti dunes, Dex was there to grab ht was completely useless at this point, and I had to put it away, in case kernels of sand got lodged in there forever

Dex still had a flashlight he had borrowed fro fast, but it was still a source of light There was the bulb on his ca Dex said he paid for all of his equipment himself, I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t pull out his cahthouse and safe fro away Dex’s hand in the dark (he was trying to steadyain The wind howled into led up in the strewn dune grass

I lofted forward in slow motion and face planted into the sand It didn’t hurt but that didn’t stopstupid

I breathed sand for a few before pushing round and onto my butt My vision was black ink I could barely see my hand in front ofmy hair in ht and eye-catching properties, was a hazy, grainy grey outline

I expected Dex to give me a hand any moment But I didn’t sense Dex near me anymore

"Dex?" I said tentatively My voice was barely audible in the wind Hair flew in my mouth It tasted like old fish

"Dex!" I cried out louder I listened hard, holdingwind and the faint thuot to round as possible It was so disorienting being in the dark with no idea whatsoever as east or west, where the lighthouse here the house was, or where Dex was In fact, the ht about it, the ain in the distance It was not enough to light up anything near me but at least I could deduce which as north--I was facing it

I turned around, knowing that I had to go south and up a slight cliff if I wanted to get to the lighthouse That’s where Dex had to be He had the flashlight after all