Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4 THAT NIGHT 7:00 P.M. "Sounds way too dangerous," Mom said, adding a dash of pepper to a bubbling pot of chili. "I don't like the idea of Dex heading off with some thrill seeker." Dex, Mom, and Dad were in the kitchen, cooking their usual Saturday night chili dinner. Dad had already spoken to Dr. Gage and he was excited for Dex to go on tomorrow's chase. Now they just had to get Mom to go along with the plan.

"Deb, Norm is a serious scientist," Dad said. Mom eyed him. "What he does is dangerous, David. Norman Gage isn't chasing bunnies. He's chasing tornadoes!" "Now there's a show I'd like to see," Dad said. "Norman Gage, bunny chaser!" That made them all laugh, with Mom's singsong giggle rising up loudest. Good sign, Dex thought. When Mom was really upset, not even Zeke could make her smile. After Jeremy left, it seemed Mom hadn't cracked a smile for a month. Mom stopped laughing. "I'd just feel better if one of us were going along." There was no way she or Dad could miss the graduation ceremony. Dad brushed one of Mom's blond curls off of her forehead. "I trust Norm. He really doesn't take risks," Dad said. "And this is an incredible opportunity for Dex."

"You should see his car, Mom," Dex said. "It can go way faster than any tornado." Mom looked at Dad, and then Dex, flicking her dark eyes back and forth. Dex held his breath. Finally, Mom gave her I surrender sigh and flashed the smile that Dad swore was the prettiest in Joplin. "All right." Victory! After dinner, Mom put the Scrabble board on the table. She looked at Dex hopefully. "Quick game?" Scrabble used to be another Saturday night tradition — Mom and Dad versus Dex and Jeremy. The fierce games would stretch for hours over bowls of popcorn and chocolate ice cream. When Dex and Jeremy won, they'd parade around the house like Super Bowl champs, whooping with joy.

Dex couldn't tell Mom that with Jeremy gone, Scrabble was just a boring game. He kissed her good night. "I need to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow." He said good night to Dad and headed up to his room. He watched a couple episodes of Dr. Gage's show and then got ready for bed. He pulled back his blankets to make a spot for Zeke. He had to yank hard to undo his sheets, which were tucked in extra tight. Jeremy had taught him how to make his bed that way. He had just finished SEAL training in California, the most brutal military training in the world. It was six months of pure misery, Jeremy said, endless days of grueling runs, freezing ocean swims, and impossible obstacle courses. The worst night for Jeremy was when they had to swim for hours in the freezing Pacific Ocean. The surf was so rough he got thrown against some rocks and cut his leg.

"They finally pulled me out of the water," Jeremy had said. "They were afraid my blood would attract the great white sharks that feed in that area." Dex had repeated that story to Dylan and the guys, and they had almost fallen off of their chairs with happiness. Dex also showed them Jeremy's SEAL trident pin, which Jeremy let him bring to school for the

day. The pin was a golden eagle clutching an anchor, a gun, and a three-pronged spear. Dex explained that out of the 118 guys who started in Jeremy's training class, only 23 passed and got their pins. The guys crowded around Dex, staring at the pin in awe, as if it was a dinosaur egg about to hatch. "What was the best thing Jeremy learned in training?" Dylan had asked. Almost without thinking, Dex said, "To make his bed right. It's the first thing a SEAL learns in training. Anyone who does it wrong gets their bed ripped apart by the instructors." "I don't get it," Dylan said, not rudely. Dex had said the same thing to Jeremy, and now Dex repeated his brother's answer almost word for word to the guys. "Because you make your bed right, and you've started your day doing something right. And if you have a hard day, you can come home to a bed you