In the morning of July 15th, 2024, New York City was alive with loud music and neon lights from the last nights parties. Skyscrapers and buildings flooded with people like river water rushing and rising rapidly onto land. The laughter of children and babies filled the air with bits of joy. Children and their mothers briskly ran to catch buses for school. Drivers impatiently honked their horns at the others while the line of cars and people swerved and swifted quickly down the highway.
         Pedestrians clashed their teeth together, had white knuckles from clenching their fists and faces red from yelling at others. If looks could kill, their eyes would have sliced and diced people into tiny bits. No one was kind in New York City. If you had passion for helping, you might as well move. No one appreciated it.
The large city had been itself until a few minutes passed and suddenly, the bright blue sky transformed into a dark, dreadful grey. The wind blew chills down Sapphire Stone’s spine as if it were winter. Sapphire’s long, light brown luscious locks twisted into a braid, whipped in the wind. Her deep sea blue eyes widened as she saw the sky suddenly change to its new, dark look. It reminded her of an innocent young boy turning into a criminal in a blink of an eye. The athletic, 23 year old ladywas never afraid, but she had the gut wrenching feeling something bad was about to happen.

      Before she could think anymore, a loud, energy draining sound blasted in her ears. It was deafening. Sapphire realized that it was the sirens.
       She could distinctly hear different voices yelling with panic and fear. The wind was blowing hundreds of miles per hour. It was knocking cars off the wheels. Her first instinct was to find her best friend, Marty and her two kids, Carsten and Meghan.  She looked down at her feet making sure she put on her blue tennis shoes that early morning. She half smiled and sprinted to the nearest Panera restaurant. She knew Marty would be there. 
        When she arrived, Marty was at the door waving for her and pointing at the tray of salad and turkey rolls. She was clueless. “Didn’t you hear the sirens?” Sapphira asked as she grabbed Marty by the arm. “The sky is dark and the wind is blowin’ real hard. We gotta find shelter, girl. Let’s take the food, your kids and a few more people, ok? While we’re at it, let’s call our parents, tell them we’re ok and we’re finding shelter.”
        In panic, Marty grabbed her purse and her two children by the hand and sprinted along side Sapphira. They told four other ladies around their age to come with them to the underground shelter. The ladies were part of a running group Sapphira was in. They all had been running and heard the sirens, but didn’t know what to do.

         When Sapphira, Marty, the four ladies and the two kids arrived in the shelter, others were piling in the small doorway from the staircase leading to the shelter. The shelter had a small corner with a water station, the water was slightly dripping from the spout. Pillows, blankets and a few mattresses with medical paper bed sheets covering stains on the materials were scattered across the room. A shelf with guidance books and kid’s magazines and a desk to the right of it stood there as if untouched. Sounds of questions and panic filled the room.
          Sapphiria heard a rumble of thunder, but louder like a stampede of elephants. She looked out the window, all she saw was some green luscious bushes and a bit of grass. Obviously, the shelter was underground and she couldn’t see passed the green. She tried to figure out what to do.  She felt terrible for the small children screaming and the mothers worrying. Sapphira looked to her left and saw Marty panicking. Her hands on her ears and her teeth clenched while she thought about the worse scenarios that could be happening outside at that very moment.  Marty couldn’t breathe right. She would either breathe too slow or too fast. Her breathing couldn’t regulate. There were a few people huddled around her, surrounding her with questions. Sapphire ran to Marty and rubbed her shoulders.

       “Ladies and gentleman, no need to worry, we will take care of her. Please find a group to huddle in and get some blankets, it’s going to be a long night.” Jensen and Meghan ran to their mother and hugged her tight in their arms.
The room began to shake as if it was going to fall apart in 3 flat seconds. Sapphira had gone to look at the window, the grass had turned black. New York city was weird but it was strange to see black grass on any lawn.
          She looked to her left once again, but to see Marty lying on the floor barely breathing. She heard many people whispering and wondering, but no one seemed to care enough to do anything about the situation. Sapphira ran over to Marty to check her pulse.
She dropped to her knees and her eyes widened as tears rolled down her smooth, tan face, but she couldn’t think anything else but “help Marty, help her, gotta help her.” She knew she had to stay strong, for Marty and the children. Meghan’s eyes broke into tears and Carsten went along with her and started to cry, his tired little brown eyes weeping for his mommy. They both cried and knelt down to hug their mother, in no doubt that it was goodbye. 

        “Marty,  no, no, you can’t go it will be ok! Lord, please help Marty, her children need her. I love my best friend, Lord help her!” Sapphira cried out
desperately.
     Her voice cracking while she tried to stay calm and hold back her tears. “Please, everyone pray with me,” The people knelt down and lowered their heads down while a muscular man in the back started to pray.
       Marty started to sit up suddenly and took a deep breath like she had never felt oxygen in her lungs before that moment. She was a bit shaky but Sapphira was relieved she was alive. Meghan and Carsten ran over to their mother and were drying their tears while Marty was hugging them close to her.
       Everyone had backed away and just kept panicking. They had no idea what was going on over the shelter. Marty was feeling better.  She had a headache and needed to rehydrate, so Sapphira walked briskly to the water station. She took off her blue, nerdy, square glasses so she wouldn’t She knew she had to stay strong, for Marty and the children. Meghan’s eyes broke into tears and Carsten went along with her and started to cry, his tired little brown eyes weeping for his mommy. They both cried and knelt down to hug their mother, in no doubt that it was goodbye. 

       “Marty,  no, no, you can’t go it will be ok! Lord, please help Marty, her children need her. I love my best friend, Lord help her!” Sapphira cried out
desperately.
        Her voice cracking while she tried to stay calm and hold back her tears. “Please, everyone pray with me,” The people knelt down and lowered their heads down while a muscular man in the back started to pray.
       Marty started to sit up suddenly and took a deep breath like she had never felt oxygen in her lungs before that moment. She was a bit shaky but Sapphira was relieved she was alive. Meghan and Carsten ran over to their mother and were drying their tears while Marty was hugging them close to her.
           Everyone had backed away and just kept panicking. They had no idea what was going on over the shelter. Marty was feeling better.  She had a headache and needed to rehydrate, so Sapphira walked briskly to the water station. She took off her blue, nerdy, square glasses so she wouldn’t splash water all over them. She set them down on the table and picked up a cup. Pressing the cold water button, she kneeled down to the height of the fountain. She was quite tall, 6’2” in fact. She was the tallest in her senior class  when she graduated a few years ago.

       Sapphira slowly walked to Marty with the cup of water. Meghan and Carsten were running towards Sapphira and they pushed her over. Sapphira’s long legs and arms flailed around and she tumbled to the concrete floor on some sticky blue goo. Her head started to beam with a strange sharp feeling to her ears and temple.
        Suddenly, she heard a shrill ear piercing cry for help. It sounded like a small child in danger. She looked to her right. The book shelf had toppled over and fell on a small child.
Three young men were trying to lift it but it was impossible. She ran over and with no effort she lifted the book case off the child. The lady that seemed to be his mother held him in her arms and sighed deeply. 
       After the bookshelf incident, Sapphira felt stronger, like she gained a super power or an inner strength. She started to sit down to breathe, but her head began to beam and glow with a bright green light. She now knew she  could do anything. She felt like she should stop the storm. Some words came to her brain that might’ve helped her. She ran up the stairs and opened the doors to a hair flipping wind.

     She was ready to face the evil storm that had went over New York City. She breathed in and felt the strength. She knew she could stop the storm.
       She yells the words, ”World that is mine, go back to better time!”
          Knowing that it was going to pass, she knelt on the ground and prayed. She sung the words again and again.
       Her face washed over with a smile as the hope and strength swirled in her mind. She suddenly stopped hearing the wind and the thunder was gone. Everything was suddenly still. that was the way it would stay, at least for now.