SmartGirl Authors

Waves Too Strong

by SG Author Missy

Ellie and her family were caught in a hurricane, forcing her family and others to move to a shelter in the city of a rich town called Shreveport. Without the luxuries of a normal teen girl, Ellie struggles with the change. Along the way she meets a boy named Cheston, who comes from a wealthy family. She finds out not everyone in the city is the same. But her parents don't agree.

Chapter 1

"Mom, is there any bread left?"

It was a usual day in New Orleans, Louisiana. The heat was blaring at 90 degrees. Everything was the same. And yet so much has changed.

A hurricane went through this place, and it hit pretty bad. One of the families that survived was the Dresden family. Nothing was left of their home except for a bunch of wood. They spent a week building a little shelter and surviving on the remnants of food left behind. Now Ellie is with her mom, dad, and little brother Jimmy. Their family was all together, and Ellie was grateful for that. Ellie was a quiet sixteen-year-old, but still loved meeting new people. Jimmy was always hyper and high maintenance. But ever since what happened, he hadn't been the same. They used to live in a small colonial house. It was cozy and welcoming. Now they're surrounded by pieces of wood poorly put together in a tiny area with nothing but a floor, walls and ceiling, and the people living in it. Oh, and a fishing pole. The Dresden family was lucky.

"Sorry, sweetie. The bread is all gone. We're all tired and need sleep. We'll wait for tomorrow to fish down by the river."

Fishing used to be Ellie's favorite thing. When she didn't catch something, she used to laugh and move on. Now her life depended catching fish and the search for food. Plus, instead of the happy neighborhood to surround the river, there were pieces of wood and other things scattered everywhere, and things just couldn't be happy anymore. The only thing keeping her happy was a good book. She always had one. This week's book, which happened to survive the hurricane, was about a group of friends who all got separated.

Ellie closed her eyes and fell into a sleep full of screaming kids, water, and all the friends she'd ever had getting swept away.

"Mom, can you please pass the crème brûlèe?" Cheston said.

At about the same time that the Dresdens were asleep, the Whites were finishing up their daily feast. Tonight it was pasta with garlic bread, chicken, salad, and crème brûlèe for dessert.

The Whites consisted of a mom and dad, and three children: Cheston, Frankie, and Dora. Frankie was a well-mannered boy of seventeen. He was always saying "please" and "thank you" when usually boys his age would just yell and scream. Dora, age 19, was more of the party animal, always out with her friends and boyfriend Steve. She had that natural beauty of blonde hair and blue eyes that made guys fall in love with her. Just like her brother Cheston. He was tall and handsome with a perfect skin. His blonde hair was shaggy and the bangs were just above his eyes.

Down here in Shreveport, not too far from New Orleans, things were, well, rich. Mansions and hotels surrounded most of the area. There were many families just like the Whites, but everybody kept to themselves.

Just as they were enjoying their dinner, the news came on showing the aftermath of the hurricane.

"It really is a horrible thing what happened down there," Cheston said.

"All I hope is that the survivors don't move into those shelters around here. I don't want them interfering with our everyday lives," Mrs.White added.

"Would it really be that bad, Mom?"

"Shut up, Cheston. I don't want filthy people walking around here ruining the happy vibe of this place," Dora said.

"What happy vibe? Everybody is a jerk around here, and they don't even talk to us!"

"My point exactly."