Earthquake: Part 1

Earthquake: Part 1 is part one of the Earthquake episode of the popular book series, All About Us by author Maryam Wells. This was the most scariest book episode ever written by the author herself. 
==Synopsis==
The earthquake destroyed Silver Hills...  and one of the girls is in for the battle of survival....
Best friends Alicia Alcott, Nikki Merrick, Sierra Jennings, and Kristy Castelli have been ripped apart in the chaos following a devastating earthquake, to make things worse, they are separated. Through the agony, fear, and despair, they must dig through the rubble to find each other again, hoping against hope that they haven't been separated for good.
But as they search, tragedy surrounds them. Alicia, her ex-boyfriend, Ryan Frankel, and his pregnant stepmother, Charlotte are trapped at Ryan's house where Charlotte goes into labor. Sierra risks his life to help her younger sister, Leslie. Most frightening of all, Nikki is injured during the earthquake and Kristy must get her to the hospital, before it's too late. Can the friends survive this hellish event of their lives?
==Excerpt==
The earthquake destroyed Silver Hills...  and things will never be the same....
Life-long best friends Alicia Alcott, Niki Merrick, Sierra Jennings, and Kristy Castelli have been ripped apart in the chaos following a devastating earthquake. Through the agony, fear, and despair, they must dig through the rubble to find each other again, hoping against hope that they haven't been separated for good.
But as they try to make it to the hospital, tragedy surrounds them. Alicia and her little sister, Brittany are trapped in Ryan Frankel’s destroyed house as his new stepmother goes into labor. Her brother, Trent Alcott and his ex-girlfriend, Will Jennings share an intimate moment as they save each other from an aftershock, and worse Niki Merrick is injured in the quake. Can their friends find them before it's too late?
Chapter 1
“This is my favorite color!” sixteen-year-old Niki Merrick showed the Lulu’s Nail Polish bottle to her best friend, Alicia Alcott. They were at Lulu’s, a local boutique at the Silver Hills Mall, shopping for new accessories to go with their new outfits they bought at another boutique from the first floor.
“Barbie Pink?” Alicia asked, as she browsed through the jewelry section at Lulu’s. Jewelry was always Alicia’s eye candy as much as shoes, make-up, accessories, and clothes were Niki’s.
“Al, this color matches my personality.”
“It’s pink. Pink is your personality, Niki!” Alicia joked.
The girls were shopping to help deal with the things they went through in their junior year of high school. Alicia had almost lost her mother, Alice to a brain hemorrhage just a few months before. She had to miss school for two weeks to help take care of her mother. Her older brother, Trent had to leave his four-week trip he took with his friends to be with his family when Alice was in the hospital.
As Alicia and her family helped to take care of Alice, Niki had a few problems of her own.
Her parents had just split up and she was hurt that the people who loved her and loved being the happy Dr. and Mrs. Merrick were going their own separate ways. It had happened a few weeks before Homecoming, where Niki was slated to be Homecoming Princess against her arch-rival Amy Hunter; and a four months before Alicia’s mother got sick.
Fortunately, Alicia and Niki’s best friends Sierra Jennings and Kristy Castelli helped the girls through the tough times of the first half of their junior year.
Niki asked Alicia about Ryan Frankel, her ex-boyfriend. Alicia’s response was that he hadn’t called her nor responded to her text messages. Worse, she left him four messages on his Facebook page. But she hasn’t gotten–in her own words, a goddamn answer.
Just six weeks ago, Alicia had met Derek Gibson, the son of one of her father’s old friends from college. He was an aspiring rapper with a heart of gold.
Alicia was an aspiring musician with a killer rocker-slash-urban style.
She never went anywhere without her faux-leather pyramid studded jacket, unless it was a cold day in Silver Hills, California.
While she was attracted to Derek, Alicia had been dating Ryan for over a year. He had been there for her when her mom got sick and when she was confronted by a stupid student who used his gun key chain to scare Alicia. Sometimes they would also make out after school in the music room when nobody was there.
Then suddenly Alicia started making out with Derek, the worst part was… Ryan came in a few seconds later to give Alicia two presents: an bouquet of flowers and to tell Alicia "I Love You". The moment he saw his girlfriend kissing another guy he didn’t know, the pain of backstabbing took over his body. He couldn’t believe Alicia was kissing another guy, especially since he was about to pour his heartfelt feelings for her.
He had pursued Alicia in the second semester of his sophomore year, much to Niki Merrick’s dismay since she had a crush on him first. But she got over it and moved on to Devon McGreggor, a former senior at school. He wasn’t the charming guy Niki thought he was, he was a violent rapist who tried to date rape Niki at his house.
Niki was traumatized by the whole thing. She started dressing in shapeless clothes and barely had any make-up on her peaches-in-cream face, that had her friends worried about her. She finally revealed what Devon did to her, to Sierra, Kristy, and Alicia.
The girls begged her to report what he did to her to the police, but Niki was hesitant to report the attempted date rape. But after seeing Devon flirt with another girl, she decided to report to the police what Devon did to her and he was arrested, saving other girls from Devon’s violent, horrific wrath.
The girls were there for each other when they went through medical scares; Niki went through a cancer scare and Alicia went through a tuberculosis scare when there was a tuberculosis outbreak at school.
Once the scares subsided, the girls moved on to other stuff.
Niki became the trendsetting fashionista of their school, Silver Hills High, while Alicia was focusing on her music, her post-break up with Ryan, and rebuilding her relationship with her parents. Since Alicia wouldn’t apologize to Ryan for kissing Derek, he refused to talk to her. He was still upset that his chance of telling Alicia that he loves her was blown up in his face. So cruelly.
 “So have you talked to Ryan yet?” Niki asked again. She picked up a bottle of Lulu’s Betty Bright nail polish from the counter.
Alicia explained to Niki that no matter what she did, Ryan wouldn’t talk her and he pretty much avoided her when they had classes together. She acted emotionally towards Niki about how Ryan was behaving towards her.
“He’s still upset that you kissed another guy and you won’t apologize for it.”
"I can't help it if I like another guy," Alicia protested.
Then Niki confesses to her friend that she had an addiction to lust.
"Isn't lust an adult word?"
"Sex, is an adult word. Lust is just... Lust!"
After the girls leave Lulu's, they went to Chelsey's Place, where it had the hottest new clothes on display. Alicia and Niki were checking out the jewelry.
"Didn't your mom tell you not to pay attention to jewelry?" Niki asked.
"Sometimes... I just don't listen to her," Alicia smiled. Niki checked out the three blazers in three different colors: Teal, Black, and Red. She liked the black blazer on the outfit she was wearing and thought that the red blazer would go great with Alicia's edgy outfit, and neither girl wanted the teal blazer. It didn't go with the outfits they were wearing.
Niki was an experienced shopper in Silver Hills. She planned on going shopping with her shopping buddy, Frankie Lewis, but had to go to New York with his family for a private family funeral, so she opted Alicia--who had no plans, to go with her to the mall. Alicia always did things with Ryan on a Saturday, like practicing their music or making out together. But since their split over Alicia's lust with Derek Gibson, all Alicia can do on a Saturday is watch reruns of Sabrina, The Teenage Witch and listen to Kelly Clarkson's Thankful album she bought in the seventh grade after receiving a cd player for Christmas.
Not a good choice to get over a break up. Niki had on a black blouse, houndstooth skirt, black boots, and pink faux fur jacket. She had her wallet, lipsticks, lip glosses, compact, and other stuff in her tiny pink pvc purse. Nikki was the most stylish girl in school and in Silver Hills, California, second best to Alicia. She had her urban-slash-rocker-esque style. They had their own sense of style.
"I bet all this shopping is making you hungry."
"Yeah. I can't splurge on a empty stomach. There's a candy shop on the first floor. Wanna go there?"
"Niki. Candy barely qualifies as lunch."
Chapter 2
Sierra Jennings was setting the dinner table for an important dinner. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew it was serious. The house phone ranged just as Sierra placed the dinner plates down at the table. She walked to the phone and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Jennings!" A boy's voice said.
"Matt?" 
Sierra knew the boy on the phone. It was Matt Wright, the hottest boy at Silver Hills High. He had a twin brother named Josh and they both went out on a double date with Sierra's friends, Niki and Kristy a year before. Niki tried to set up Josh and Kristy so she can date Matt. But, Matt was becoming more and more interested in Sierra in the last couple months. But she was dating Logan Haines, her boyfriend of two and a half years.
"Yep."
"Why the hell are you calling me?" Sierra demanded.
"I just wanted to ask you to Castelli's Pizza Shack."
She explained to Matt, just in case he haven't heard, that she was having dinner with her family and... she had a boyfriend. She told him that Niki was available and suggested that he ask her, before she pressed the end call button on the phone.
Sierra sighed as she hung up the phone. Why would Niki's future boyfriend take an interest in Sierra? She wasn't his type. He was a jock who would take gum out of his mouth and stick it under his desk in class and Sierra was the President of the Silver Hills High's Student Council, also the editor for the school's website. She was also dating Logan. Even though Logan wasn't the most popular guy in school, Sierra loved him. He would often come over to her house all the time for studying and dinner.
The phone ranged again. Sierra groaned in annoyance, what was it going to take for Matt to stop calling her?
Sierra picked up the phone, angrily.
"Matt, I'm not going to Castelli's Pizza Shack and that is final!"
"Huh?" Alicia Alcott asked.
Sierra was surprised to find out that it was Alicia on the phone.
"Oh, sorry, Love. I thought you were Matt. He called me a few seconds ago to ask me to Castelli's Pizza Shack."
"And you told him you have other plans, besides having dinner with your divorced parents and their dates?" Alicia asked.
"That and I already have a boyfriend." 
She questioned Alicia on why was Matt taking an interest in her and not Niki? Since Niki has a crush on him first, and that she was the most popular girl in school, and her wardrobe cost a lot more than her mother's house payment!"
Alicia could relate to the whole Matt-likes-Sierra senario. A year ago, her ex, Ryan Frankel had entered her Geometry A class and began to question why he was taking an interest in her. He made her very nervous and she could barely talk to him.
Sierra mentioned that Matt was a jock and according to her older sister, Will, the Jennings sisters should not date jocks because they were heartbreakers. 
Will Jennings was currently an college student and a Silver Hills High alum. She used to date Alicia's older brother, Trent when they were in high school while Sierra and Alicia were wearing uniforms in middle school. He was also a college student, a Silver Hills High graduate in Will's class, and an official ladies man.
Chapter 3
On a chilly and windy Monday morning, Kristy Castelli took out her dark-green three-ring binder from her locker, along with her History textbook. She had U.S. History for second period with Sierra Jennings, while Alicia and Niki had Earth Science.
Alicia, Niki, and Sierra met up with her in the hallway, five minutes before the first bell rang.
The four talked about their weekend, with Alicia and Niki shopping at the mall and Kristy waiting for Sierra to talk about getting a phone call from Matt Wright over the weekend.
"Alicia is official my shopping buddy," Niki gushed.
"Frankie Lewis is in New York visiting with relatives. Niki was desperate for a shopping partner and I wasn't going to spend my entire weekind watching--"
"Charmed?" Kristy interrupted.
"No. Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. And listening to Kelly Clarkson again."
"And I have a Matt Wright problem to salvage."
"I think he likes you," Kristy teased, giggling.
"I don't know why. I'm not exactly head cheerleader."
"Looks like you won't be borrowing pom-poms when you meet up with Matt," Alicia joked.
Sierra scoffed. She knew Alicia was just joking, but that was what happened when a popular jock takes an interest in a sensible straight-A student like Sierra.
Chapter 10
Trent Alcott stumbled through the darkness of the Jennings' ruined kitchen, coughing and gasping from the smoke and dust that filled the air. He hadn't felt this scared for any girl in two months, when his mother had a health problem. He'd feared then that he'd lost his mother. He lost his older brother, Ricky when he was a kid and had to care for his sisters when his parents were in the hospital. But Mrs. Alcott had recovered from her experience eight weeks later. Will Jennings, Trent's ex-girlfriend and the older sister of one of his kid sisters' best friends, comforted him during his mother's stay at the hospital and he once comforted her when her parents divorced when they were in high school.
"Will!" he hollered. 
"Where are you?"
He and Will were more than just friends, they dated during their high school years, but broke up in their senior year. Trent and Will attended Silver Hills Community College in their town, until they can transfer to the four-year universities of their choices. When Will's boyfriend dumped her for another girl, Trent was there to comfort her. He told Will that her ex was an asshole, for cheating on her. Trent wanted to admit his feelings for Will, but after her breakup, he decided to keep it to himself.
Trent tossed aside a chair and stumbled on broken vase. He grappled with the countertop to keep himself from falling on the shards. 
"Will! Please answer me!" he cried.
He couldn't believe any of this was happening. Ten minutes earlier he had admitted his feelings towards Will, after keeping it to himself for more the two weeks. He left like he and Will should've never broken up. He was falling in love with the girl who's younger sister is BFF's with his kid sister. This happened at Trent's parents' house and Will was seen shocked that Trent revealed that he was in love with her. Will left the Alcott residence in a huff and told Trent that she needed more time. 
Now, as he searched for a glimpse of her, he wondered if he'd she was still alive. He didn't want to find her dead in debris of broken furniture. The electric lights were out, but a few dull orange flames now flickered at the far end of the room, casting eerie shadows over crumbling walls, splintered furniture, and crushed appliances. Nothing else moved.
The most frightening part was that he was all alone. He felt guilty that he let her leave his parents' house. He wished that if he had known about the earthquake, he'd never let her leave and kept her safe. Now he couldn't find her anywhere in her parents' house. He knew that her younger sisters, Sierra and Leslie weren't there because Sierra was out with Logan and Leslie was with her friends at a sleepover. Part of the house had caved in, and the walls that remained standing emitted a constant chorus of creaks and groans that made it hard for Trent to hear anything else, hard for him to concentrate on listening for a cry or a moan from Will.
Underneath the table top, Will woke up, groaning as she tries to get up. She had a scrape on her forehead and her wrist really hurt like hell. 
"Mom!" she called, her voice almost cracked. Her mother's perfectly neat living room looked trashed. Knowing her own mother, Will knew that she would be pissed that her living room was a total train wreck. Will called out for her parents, thinking they were at home and they be coming to her rescue. But they weren't, only Trent. If she could only yell louder, maybe Trent would hear her.
"Help!" She cried out again, only this time, she was crying for help.
Trent heard Will's cries. He raced through the trashed living room to find her.
"Will! Where are you?!" He hollered. Waiting for another response.
"Trent!"
"Where are you, Will?!" He yelled again. He was afraid that an aftershock would hit before he could reach Will.
"I'm underneath the countertop of my mom's living room table!" 
Trent ran and saw Will. He saw that countertop on top of her. He raced through the rubble to get to her. He feared she had sustained serious injuries that might be fatal.
"Hang on, Will. I'll get this off of you," He promised.
Trent lifted the top off of her and carried her out of the trashed living room. Will was okay, although she only injured her wrist. But he was shocked to see the earthquake knocked one tree down at the front door. Trent realized that he and Will are trapped. This wasn't the night he hoped for. He and Will thought they had a slim chance of getting out of the house without being crushed to death by a falling beam or a falling ceiling.
Chapter 11
"Ryan!" Alicia Alcott hollered from the dark, pitch black living room she was standing. She was cold, because the temperature in the living room had dropped. She folded her arms across her chest to keep herself warm. The living room was pitch black with all of the power gone. It looked and felt really scary for Alicia.
She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, thinking about her family and her three best friends. Alicia went through a tragdey before when her older brother, Ricky died from a heart disorder when she was five. She was too young to understand it. She remembered the last time she saw Ricky before he passed. He had on an oxygen mask on his face and she left the office after that. Alicia wished that she didn't lose another family member due to an earthquake. Her History teacher, Mr. Phillips had told her about the history of the Northridge Earthquake from like the early 90's. Alicia was probably a little kid with the Northridge quake happened. Windows shattered, buildings destoryed, over fifty people killed. It was awful.
Alicia had never felt this scared since... ever. She couldn't see a thing nor hear anything.
"Alicia!" a familiar voice called out.
Alicia recogized the voice.
"Ryan?" she hollered out.
She heard Ryan racing downstairs to see if she was okay.
"Alicia!" Ryan spotted a dark shadow in the living room. He lifted his flashlight to see if it was Alicia. The flashlight hits Alicia's eyes.
"Ahh!" She screamed. The light could've blinded her.
"Are you trying to blind me, Frankel?!" she snapped.
"Sorry." He ran to her as she was blinking nonstop. Alicia was wearing her tailored color-block peplum top she bought the other day at Lulu's, strappy heels, and a black beret. Her black cardigan was underneath the rubble of the living room. Ryan was relieved that his ex-girlfriend was okay. He was scared that Alicia could've died during the earthquake. He had seen the Final Destination movies numerous times. Alicia used to watch them, but stopped watching them after seeing a character getting decapitated. That decapitation scenes freaked Alicia out.
"Where's Charlotte?" Ryan asked. 
Charlotte was Ryan's newly stepmother. More like newly heavily pregnant stepmother. His worries about Alicia now shifted to Charlotte. With the house so dark and powerless and trashed, Ryan and Alicia couldn't see nor find her. The house grew very cold and very scary. Alicia need her cardigan as goosebumps formed on both of her arms.
Despite their differences a few months ago, Ryan and Alicia agreed to set them aside to find his stepmother, but finding her in the dark, maybe a lot harder than they thought.
"Are there any candles around here?" Alicia asked him. 
It was only a matter of time before the battery of the flashlight ran out. Even though it was dark, the two can tell that the house was completely trashed. 
"Yeah. They're in the drawer in the kitchen." said Ryan.
Alicia hoped that he was talking about candles instead of batteries. She asked if he was scared, Alicia could tell that Ryan wasn’t being a guy’s guy, the one who was like being so tough for a girl. 
"No, just shaken. This is my first real scary earthquake."
Ryan had grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, were they didn't have any earthquakes. It was a good thing both Ryan and Alicia paid attention in class about Earthquake drills, because the situation they were in was the real deal.
"Oh, shit! Charlotte went upstairs to the bathroom," said Ryan. He realized that Charlotte went to the bathroom to put up towels at the time of the earthquake. He jumped every shattered furniture in the dark in an attempt to get to the stairs.
"Ry. I found this lantern," Alicia shouted. She pressed the power button on the lantern and it lit up.
The lantern was so bright, because it looked brand new.
"Finally!" Ryan exclaimed. 
Now that they have light (for the time being), he and Alicia could finally use it to find Charlotte.
"Hold my hand. We'll stick together."
Alicia was hesitant to hold Ryan's hand. They held hands when they dated, but now that they broke up, holding Ryan's hand seemed very awkward for her.
"Okay."
Holding hands, Ryan and Alicia jumped through every shattered furniture in the house and leaped to the stairs.
Then they raced upstairs to the bathroom to find Charlotte. But the house had three bathrooms. Ryan and Alicia had to split up to check each bathroom to see if Charlotte was in there. When she wasn't in the bathrooms, they realized she was in the master bathroom.
They raced to the master bedroom, but the master bedroom door was jammed. Ryan kicked down the door and he and Alicia ran to the master bathroom but the bathroom door was also jammed.
"Shit. The door's jammed, too!" Ryan groaned.
He knocked the door to find out if Charlotte was inside.
"Char?!" Are you in there?" He asked.
"Ryan!" Charlotte yelled.
"I'm in here!"
"Hang on, Char!" I'll get you out of there!" Ryan promised.
"Kick it down, already! You did it before!" Alicia snapped.
Ryan kicked down the bathroom door and he and Alicia saw Charlotte. She was okay and wasn't injured, but getting out of the house wasn't going to be easy.
"We better get you out of here, Char."
"Ry. That's going to be a problem," said Alicia.
Ryan turned to Alicia, wondering why would she say that leaving the house was a problem.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Every shattered pieces of furniture are blocking the doors. It's impossible to unblocked the debris!"
"We have no choice, Alcott! Let's go!"
The two helped Charlotte to her feet and the leave the master bathroom. Ryan and Alicia left Charlotte at the top of the stairs and they raced downstairs to move the debris out of the way to unblocked the doors.
"We'll kick down the doors," He said.
"Okay," Alicia agreed.
Chapter 12
At the trashed-up Castelli's Pizza Shack, Kristy Castelli came out of the ladies' room and sees Niki Merrick, struggling to get up. There was a big heavy piece of tile on her right leg.
"Niki!" Kristy hollered when she sees her. She raced to Niki's side to lift the tile off her leg, but it was too heavy. Kristy needed help pronto. She feared that Niki was severely injured at the moment and she wasn't moving. Her eyes were closed, she made no sound, and worse... she had a scrape on her cheek. Her smooth and silky curly medium-long blonde hair felt now stiff and dry from the plaster from the ceiling in the restaurant.
"Somebody help!" Kristy screamed. Praying that someone will help her save close friend. She feared that Niki could had internal bleeding from the injures she sustained in the earthquake.
"Kristy?!" Kristy's mother hollered out her daughter's name.
Kristy turned to her right side.
"Mom!" Kristy yelled.
"I'm over here! Niki's hurt!"
Pamela Castelli raced to her daughter to see how hurt Niki was. After all, Mrs. Castelli was good friends with Niki's mother, even though she once told Mrs. Merrick that Niki wasn't doing good in classes and didn't put in all the effort.
"Niki?" she patted on Niki's cheek to wake her up. Niki was still out cold.
"I think she may have a concussion. But I don't know how serious it is," said Mrs. Castelli. 
Kristy got worried for Niki. Just last year she and Niki were at Castelli's Pizza Shack on a double date with two hot twin brothers from school, Matt and Josh Wright. Niki gushed on how hot Matt was and wondered if she be the perfect wife for him. To pursue him, Niki tried to play matchmaker with Kristy and Josh in order to set up a double date with them. But, Josh and Kristy became an couple while Niki and Matt enjoyed a few dates.
Now, Kristy's family restaurant was trashed and Niki showed no signs of movement.
Kristy was also worried about her other friends Alicia and Sierra. She hasn't heard from them for over a half an hour and worse... phone lines down so calling them was impossible.
"Kristina!" Kristy's father called out.
"Dad! Mom and I are over here. Niki's hurt!"
"Gino, Call an ambulance! Tell them we have a teenage girl injured and she needs help, now!" Mrs. Castelli demanded.
"Si," said Mr. Castelli. He raced to the phone to call 911, but the phone was dead.
"Pam, the phone is dead!" He yelled.
"Try your cellphone!" Mrs. Castelli yelled again.
Mr. Castelli dialed 911 on his cellphone.
Kristy stayed with Niki while her mother tends to the other people at the restaurant. Suddenly, Niki finally regained conciousness, only to find out she had a headache. A killer headache, like she got hit in the head by a something hard.
"Kristy?" Niki asked. Her voice sounded strained.
"Hang on, Love. Help's on the way."
Mrs. Castelli came back. She had bad news on her mind.
"Kristy?"
"Yeah, Mom?"
"I need to talk to you."
Kristy got up and told Niki that she'll be right back, then she walked up to her mother.
"What's up?"
"Honey, your dad talked to 911, the ambulance is at 453 South Kimbal Street. Apparently, there was somebody injured in the quake and the EMT's are busy with that person. I'm saying it could be hours before they arrive."
Kristy couldn't believe it. Niki was in jeopardy and help was too busy checking on other injured people. She couldn't wait that long. By the time the paramedics arrive at the trashed-up Castelli's Pizza Shack, Niki would have succumbed to her injuries.
"Mom, that's way too long," she said.
"I'm sorry, honey. I know you care about Niki, but there's nothing we can do... but wait. I gotta go help your father."
Mrs. Castelli walks away to help her husband.
Kristy was peeved, if the paramedics can't get there in the nick of time to help Niki, she may have to get her to the hospital herself. But it was five miles from Castelli's. If she and Niki walked on foot, it would've taken a lot longer than 20 minutes to get there.
Kristy didn't have any other choice. She took out a pencil and loose paper and wrote down a note to her parents.
After she was finished writing down her note, Kristy grabbed Niki's arm and swung it over her neck and lifted her up from the ground. She then carried Niki out of the restaurant and tried to make it to the hospital. Even though this was against her better judgement, Kristy just couldn’t sit around and wait for the ambulance to arrive while Niki was in and out of consciousness.
"What's going on?" Niki asked as she attempted regain consciousness again.
Kristy explained that they were have to get to the hospital one way or the other. 
Niki complained that her head was killing her. Kristy explained that she had an concussion which was the reason why Niki was in an out of consciousness. She went on to say that her father called an ambulance but, they're working with somebody else and it'll take forever for them to make it to the restaurant. By then, Niki would've been dead.
"Oh!" Niki screamed in pain.
"What's wrong, now?" Kristy panicked.
"My leg really hurts!" Niki told Kristy that her left leg was in so much pain that she couldn't stand on it. Kristy checked Niki's leg and it turned out, it was broken.
"You might a broken leg, Nik. But, I don't know how broken it is."
Now that Niki has a broken leg, Kristy's worries for her intensified. She thought about the years the two weren't friends. She and Niki go way back to their elementary school years. They were in Ms. Garrett's class at Silver Hills Elementary, Niki would constantly teased Kristy about her boyish outfits and her wearing a backwards cap with her unpolished ponytail. But they became civil over the years and eventually became friends. They stayed friends despite their different personalities. Niki was still the same rich bitch, with a soft side, who spend her time at malls and boutiques shopping and going to nail salons and getting emergency French manicures. Kristy was an athletic tomboy who core casual, sporty--yet--cute California clothes raised by loving parents of the Italian descent. Kristy never had a silver spoon like Nikki, she worked at her parents' restaurant as a part-time waitress as a learning experience of hard work and financial responsibilities.
Both had plans on life after high school, Kristy would attend CSUDH (California State University Dominguez Hills), personally because she went on a field trip the campus in middle school and Niki.... well, she planned on moving to Paris to fall in love with a wealthy French man.
Now, Kristy was carrying Niki from the dark streets of Silver Hills to the hospital, which was still 18 minutes away. Kristy was exhausted and for the first time, she was out of breath. It was a matter of life or death.
Chapter 13
"Are you okay?" Matt Wright asked Sierra Jennings, wondering if she wasn't hurt from the earthquake.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, shaken from the horrific quake.
They were outside of the Matt Wright's house on Kelton Avenue and Broker Street. Trees were knocked down because of the earthquake and Matt's jeep had a light pole on top. When the earthquake hit, it knocked the light pole to Matt's jeep and crushed it. Matt and Sierra were sitting in the jeep. If they hadn't gotten out of the jeep just before the light pole crushed it, they might have been crushed too, and they would've been crushed to death.
They watched from the sidewalk, in horror, as the light pole crushes the jeep. Glass shattering all over the jeep. It was a scary, yet, close one.
 "That was my new jeep!" Matt exclaimed.
"Matt! To hell with the jeep! I'm just glad I'm okay. That's it," Sierra snapped.
"And you should be glad that you're okay, also. I can't believe you would be that selfish!"
Sierra was completely dismayed that Matt would care about his stupid jeep than his own life and Sierra's life. She knew how selfish and stupid jocks like Matt can be.
Sierra and Matt had each other in different classes at Silver Hills High. They had fifth period US history with Sierra's best friend, Alicia and her boyfriend, Logan and Matt's twin brother, Josh. Matt would constantly stare at Sierra than the history lectures from their teacher, Mr. Phillips. Sierra and Matt were well acquainted with each other due to one of Sierra's friends having a crush on him and trying to set his brother up with their single tomboyish friend.
 Matt wasn't anything like Sierra's boyfriend. Logan was a plain, nerdy (without the glasses), guy who was an editor of the Silver Hills High's website, and a Treasurer for the SHH's Student Council. He had plans for life after high school, like attend SCU and major in accounting. Matt on the other hand, didn't get good grades like Logan, he slacked off in classes, talked about sports with his friends and brother, and checked out girls on campus.
He was real unclear of his post high school, he thought that he was going to join the NBA after high school.
Because of his laid-back, slacker dumb-jock persona, Sierra called him an lazy loser who doesn't take education seriously and is a complete bum, and Matt called Sierra an uptight, control, prissy, know-it-all princess. That led to the two being at each other's throats. But despite their conflict, Matt had a serious crush on Sierra. He found her very attractive.
 Now, they were fighting--for their lives after the horrific earthquake that trashed up the town.
Sierra was worried about Logan, her friends, and her family and Matt was worried about his brother. With their parents out of town, Matt and Josh were home alone. But Josh went to Castelli's Pizza Shack to talk to his ex-girlfriend, Kristy, one of Sierra's friends. Matt was left alone when Sierra came to help tutor him in US History.
"I'm sorry, Sierra. You're right," Matt admitted.
"I know you're scared. You're scared that you haven't heard from your brother since the earthquake hit. I haven't heard from my friends and my family yet. I don't know if they're alive or dead."
Matt walked up to Sierra and hugged her, comforting her. Sierra always feared that she would end up dumb overnight or that she would lose her strong IQ. But this earthquake scared the shit out of her. She haven't heard from family, Logan, nor her since the earthquake hit. With the phone lines down, she couldn't reach her friends, family, nor Logan. Her biggest fear was that the people she loved and cared were all killed in the earthquake.
"Let go try to find your brother," Sierra suggested.
"Yeah, and Kristy," Matt agreed.
Matt and Sierra walked from Matt's house to Castell's Pizza Shack in an attempt to find Josh and Kristy. Matt knew that Josh went down there to talk to her and Sierra knew that Kristy worked at her parents' pizza restaurant everyday and every night.
Sierra noticed that Matt was holding her hand. It was weird for her. She didn't like him, so why was he holding her hand? It was probably because they were worried about their loved ones and they feared that they were killed. Or... Matt really does like Sierra and he was probably using her vulnerability to make a move on her.
But, they weren't thinking about their feelings towards each other, their minds were focused on finding their loved ones alive and okay.
 "Damn, this earthquake really tore this place up!" Matt exclaimed, scanning his eyes on the entire neighborhood in Silver Hills. There were trees all knocked down to the ground and to several cars. The street was a major mess. Sierra and Matt couldn't believe that the perfect cleaned up neighborhood looked like it got trashed by a major earthquake. Sierra once read about a Northridge Earthquake back in 1994, but this earthquake in Silver Hills almost topped the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.
"Si, watch out for that tree!" Matt screamed. He pulled Sierra out of the falling tree's way as it fell to the sidewalk. Sierra panted in horror. That tree could have crushed her to death. First the light pole, now the tree, Sierra had managed to escaped being crushed to death by two falling items in one night.
 "Thanks, Matt," Sierra panted.
"Anytime. Let's go find everybody. This place is scaring the shit out of me."
Matt then lifts Sierra up and the begin a four-minute walk to Castelli's Pizza Shack.
"Matt?"
"Yeah?"
"I know this is bad timing, but, I need to use the bathroom."
"You're right. This is bad timing."
Sierra had the urge to use the bathroom. She had a drink at Matt's house when she was tutoring him earlier and it looks like she needed to pee.
"We're almost there to Castelli's, can you hold on much longer?" Matt asked.
"I guess so."
Four minutes later, Mrs. Castelli and her husband were passing out blankets to people who her cold because they didn't have any jackets. While passing one of the blankets to her one of her restaurant employers, she sees a note on the table.
She picked it up and her eyes scanned the note as she read it.
It read: 
Dear Mom and Dad, I know I was supposed to wait for the ambulance to take Niki to the hospital. But I couldn't wait any longer, Niki couldn't wait any longer. So I'm taking her to the hospital myself. I know it's against my better judgement, but I'm worried sick to death about her. Hopefully, I'll call soon, if the phonelines will ever go back up.
I love you, both.
Kristy.
"Gino!" Mrs. Castelli yelled her husband's name after reading the letter.
"Pammy, what's the matter?"
Mrs. Castelli told her husband that Kristy took Niki to the hospital herself and left a note behind.
Sierra and Matt arrived at the restaurant and Sierra was relieved that the Castelli's were alive, but she and Matt were shocked to see that the restaurant was trashed. It was worse than Matt's street neighborhood.
"Mrs. Castelli, Mr. Castelli?" Sierra called out.
"Sierra!" Mrs. Castelli ran to Sierra and hugged her.
"Gino, Sierra's okay."
Mrs. Castell was relieved that Sierra was okay, but she was worried about her daughter and Niki.
"I'm so glad you're okay. You too, Matthew."
"Thanks, you too, Mrs. Castelli. And you too, Mr. Castelli."
Now that Sierra and Matt know that the Castellis' were okay, they asked if they had seen Kristy and Josh.
"Kristy is on her way to the hospital with Niki. She got hurt during the earthquake!"
Sierra's stomach dropped when Mrs. Castelli told her that Niki got hurt in the big shake up.
Matt was stunned that the girl whom he went on a few dates last year, got injured in the quake.
"Niki got hurt in the quake?" A stunned Sierra asked.
"Yes. Mr. Castelli had called an ambulance, and it was going to take a while for the paramedics to get here. But, Kristy couldn't wait."
Sierra couldn't believe that Kristy went ahead and took Niki to the hospital when she knew that Niki was hurt.
"What about my brother, Josh? Was he here?" Matt asked.
"Matt, he was here. But, he left a while ago to check on you." 
Matt's eyes grew large. He had left his house and started a four-minute walk to Castelli's with Sierra to find him and then he found out that Josh was on his way to their house to find him. He didn't want to be separated from Sierra, but he needed to find his brother, pronto.
"Matt, Josh could be anywhere," said Sierra.
"Well, wherever he is, I need to find him."
"Kids, it's way to dangerous for you to find Josh now. I think you should stay inside until you're parents can come pick you up," Mrs. Castelli suggested.
"With all due respect, Mrs. C. My brother is out there, if anybody is going out there to find him, it's me."
"I'm with Matt. I haven't seen my mom nor my sisters. I have to find them, too."
Mrs. Castelli decided to let Sierra and Matt go to find their loved ones. Although this was against her better judgement, she knew Sierra and Matt weren't going to rest until they found their loved ones alive and safe.
Her biggest worry was Kristy, with the phonelines down, she had no way to call her daughter.
"Oh, Mrs. Castelli. Have you heard from Alicia?" Sierra asked just as she was about to leave Castelli's.
"No, honey. I wished I did."
Sierra nodded and walked out of the restaurant and went to find her family, with Matt accompany her.
Mr. and Mrs. Castelli knew that this was the darkest moment of their lives and the lives of many Silver Hills residents.
Chapter 14
Around 9:30PM, Alicia Alcott and Ryan Frankel held Ryan's pregnant stepmother, Charlotte's hands as they walked her to Ryan's car to get away from Ryan's father's trashed house and get her to the hospital, to see if she and the baby weren't hurt from the earthquake.
"We're almost there, Char. Just hang on," said Ryan.
His car wasn't that far. It was parked out front, where he had always parked his car.
"Kids, I'm okay," Charlotte told him and Alicia. But they wouldn't take no for an answer.
"What about the baby, is it okay?" Ryan asked.
Charlotte became quiet.
"Exactly," He whispered.
They finally make to the car. Alicia opened the backseat right side of the car and she and Ryan carefully placed her inside and closed the door.
"You okay?" Ryan asked Alicia.
"Your mom's okay, but I don't know if my family's okay. I haven't heard from them for over an hour and worse... I haven't heard from my three best friends either. I don't know if they're dead or alive!" Alicia was scared for her family. She hadn't heard from them in over an hour because the phonelines were still down. Alicia was beginning to break down.
"Alicia, listen to me. We'll find your family and wherever they are, I'm they're safe."
Alicia would like to believe what Ryan said, but she didn't. They haven't seen Alicia's family yet, so how can Ryan say that they were okay, when he haven't seen them yet.
"You haven't seen my family and friends yet, so how the hell can you be for positively sure?"
"It's called "Optimism". You should try it sometimes, Silver Eyes."
"Silver Eyes". That was one name Alicia haven't heard from Ryan's mouth since their break up. Because of her eye color, Ryan called her "Silver Eyes".
That almost made Alicia smile. But they didn't have time to smile at each other, getting Charlotte to the hospital was crucial.
Alicia opened the passenger's side of Ryan's car and went in as Ryan ran to the driver's side of his car and slammed the door.
Ryan searched for his keys in his car, then he finds them in the sun visor. He inserted the car key in the slot and turned on the ignition. But the engine sputtered.
"Shit!" Ryan whispered.
He attempted to turn on the ignition for the second time, but the engine sputtered again.
"Damn it!" He groaned.
"What's up?" Alicia asked.
"My goddamn car won't start! Shit!"
As Ryan's frustration over his car not starting intensified, Charlotte felt a sharp shooting pain in her lower back. She to think nothing of it, but the back pain was extreme.
"Um, Ryan?" she hesitated.
"Char, we have a problem. My car won't start, we're gonna have to go to the hospital on foot."
"I don't know if I can make it to the hospital," Charlotte admitted.
"She's right. It'll take an hour for us to make it to the hospital on foot," Alicia agreed.
"No, Alicia. That's not what I meant. My back is killing me." Charlotte started groaning in agony as her back pain increased.
"Ry, I think Char's in pain," said Alicia. She was getting a lot nervous when Charlotte's back pain increases by the minute.
"Char, you okay?" Ryan asked. He was worried for Charlotte and didn't know if her back pain was caused by the earthquake.
"Kids.... I think I'm in labor."
Alicia and Ryan looked at each other, in shocked that Charlotte might have gone into labor. Also, they were just teenagers. They didn't know anything about delivering a baby, they were just babies themselves, who hit puberty at a very young age.
"In labor?" Ryan asked stupidly.
"Yeah. These pains are contractions. Did you kids learn this in school?"
"I only learned it in seventh grade," Alicia interrupted. She turned her head to face Ryan. 
"It's when my science teacher showed us a tape about reproduction."
Charlotte's contractions grew more closer together and more frequent.
"Ryan, Alicia, I can't make it to the hospital. I think I might have to have the baby in the car."
Ryan and Alicia's eyes grew big again. It was inevitable. The ex-couple had no choice, but to play teen midwives to Charlotte.
"Oh, shit!" Ryan whispered.
"What are we going to do, Ryan? I have no experience on baby delivering."
"Neither do I, but what choice do we have?"
They started talking about bringing Charlotte back inside of the house to deliver the baby. Alicia nixed it because they barely escaped with their lives, if they went back inside, they would likely be crushed to death. Besides, the house was filled with debris of broken furniture, which was considered unsafe for any woman to have her baby.
"We have no choice, Alcott! We're delivering the baby inside the house. Let's go," Ryan demanded.
Alicia rolled her eyes as she and Ryan got out of the car and went to the backseat to help Charlotte out of the car.
They hurried back to the house where they saw debris all over the room.
Alicia opened the side door and she and Ryan only entered, Charlotte waited outside. Alicia and Ryan moved the debris out of the way and cleared the coffee table, which wasn't shattered in the quake.
"I'm gonna go find some towels, you keep Charlotte company," said Ryan. He moved more wreck tables out of his way and raced upstairs.
Alicia walked to the side door and holding Charlotte's hand, she placed her on the coffee table where they waited for Ryan.
The time was going around 9:50PM, ten minutes to 10:00PM, normally, Alicia would be in her bathroom, washing her face and go to bed. Now, her normal routine was on hold.
"This isn't the night you were used to having, huh?" Charlotte asked.
"Nope."
"Are you okay?" Charlotte asked again.
"I haven't heard from my family for like an hour."
Alicia began to reveal what was bothering her. She told Charlotte that Alicia didn't want to go to college, but to move to L.A. to get a recording contract with any music company in the world, that had signed some of Alicia's favorite singers. But she felt a pang of letting her parents down by her decision. Alicia always had a passion for music. She sang at carnivals, talent shows, and pageants growing up. She loving singing to Whitney Houston's songs religiously, and danced to Britney Spears' Drive Me Crazy song, that was released when Alicia was in the fourth grade. Alicia was never a fan of gangster rap nor Hip-Hop, they just didn't fit her personality.
"So you didn't tell your parents that you're bypassing college for a chance to sing on MTV?" Charlotte asked.
"Yeah. My dad want me and my little sister to go to college, like him, my mom, and my older brother. But I want to get out of Silver Hills and make my own record album. And I just can't do it in Silver Hills!"
This makes Charlotte think about her baby's needs when it gets older. She started thinking about the choices her baby might want to make at sixteen. What would have happened if it wants to attend college out of state or if it wants to forego college for other aspirations? It was one of the questions that never popped into Charlotte's head, until now.
Ryan raced back down the stairs and not only got towels, but a pillow from Charlotte's master bedroom.
He placed the pillow on the coffee table and Alicia helped him turn Charlotte on her back and laid her down on the coffee table.
"Okay, what next?" Alicia asked Ryan.
"Find a manual on delivering babies."
"Do you have that?"
"Hell, no!"
By that moment, Charlotte's contractions were by a minute apart, and Ryan and Alicia didn't have time to boil water. The question on how to deliver a baby remained unanswered, so did Alicia's concern about her family and friends.
Chapter 15
At 10:05PM, Trent Alcott had struggled to get a heavy countertop off of his ex-girlfriend and longtime friend, Will Jennings. He was worried that she had sustained injuries from having the countertop granite on her and that it had crushed every part of her body.
Other than Will, Trent was also worried about his parents and his little sisters. He haven't seen them since seven-thirty earlier, when he left to talk to Will. Also, his parents were out of the house, so he left Brittany with a sitter. Alicia was already out of the house.
Trent finally got the countertop off of Will. Luckily, other than a cut on her left eyebrow and a pain in her left wrist, Will was alive and okay. He pulled her right wrist and helped her up.
 "Are you okay?" Will asked him.
"I am, now."
Athough they were okay, their biggest concern is their families and their way out of Jennings' trashed up living room. Will suggested to Trent that they make it out of the window. Trent was skeptical. If they try to escape out of the window, they might fall to their deaths. But Will knew that the window they would escape wasn't that high. She told him that if they make a rope out of sheets, it will work.
"Are you sure about this?" Trent asked.
"I didn't get straight-A's in science for nothing!"
"Let's find something usable to get the hell out of there!" Trent and Will raced to Will's mother's bedroom to find old sheets to use to make a rope. Trent found four sheets, while Will found five. They ripped the sheets and tied a knot each to form a rope.
"Let's go test it out first," Will suggested.
Trent nodded, agreeing with Will. They raced back to the trashed-up living room where Trent threw a heavy leg from the broken coffee table to break the living room window they want to escape at.
Several minutes later, Trent poked a hole in the sheet rope, so that the glass from the broken window could hold on to the sheet rope.
"That's your idea of securing the rope?" Will asked sarcastically.
"Hey, I didn't say it was my best idea!" Trent replied.
With time not on their side, Trent and Will climbed on the rope and try to make their escape. When they make it the last few inches of the grass, the rope rips and Trent and Will fall onto the grass. They weren't hurt from the fall.
"You okay?" Trent asked again.
"Yeah, lucky to be freaking alive!"
They heard a loud rumble from inside of Will's mother's house. Inside, the kitchen felt apart. If Trent hadn't gotten Will out of there in time, she might have been crushed to death from the rumble in the kitchen.
Will panted and hugged Trent, thanking him for rescuing her.
"Let's go find our families," said Will.
She and Trent walked from Crescent Street to Ridgeway Avenue, where Will's little sister, Leslie was spending the night with a babysitter. The neighborhood was so dark and so creepy at night without the lights on. Trent held on to Will's hand, so that they wouldn't be separated.
"You're worried about your family, huh?" Will asked.
"Yeah. Ever since the earthquake, I haven't heard from them for hours."
"Me, too."
Trent wanted to talk about his relationship with Will to her, but it was bad timing. They don't know where their parents and their sisters were. It was dark and creepy at night. Will didn't have her sweater on her. She was shivering.
"You cold?" Trent asked.
"Yeah. I don't have my sweater with me. This is typical. I always have my sweater or my blazer with me on cold nights and now I'm sweater-less."
Will had her arms folded to keep herself warm, but she was still cold, her arms were growing cold bumps. The wind was blowing in her face and her body. Her face like the cold wind, but her body didn't. Without her sweater, she feared she was going to shiver to death.
Trent took off his Blue SHU hoodie sweatshirt and gave to Will, which was very sweet of him. Will was hesitant of wearing his sweatshirt, thinking he might need it to stay warm. But he insisted.
So, she puts it on her. From the moment she snuggled it up on her, it felt cozy and warm. Trent had bought the sweatshirt from the SHU bookstore on campus not too long ago.
"Thanks, Trent," she said quietly.
It was coming around 10:30 at night. Normally, they'd be at their student apartment, Sunnyside, sleeping before getting ready for classes. But, on this night, they are restless. They haven't found their loved ones yet and the lights all over town haven't come back up.
Will had trouble keeping up with Trent, her feet and ankle were starting to hurt. She had on flats that didn’t give any support for walking for a long period of time.
"Hold on, Trent. I got to take a rest," she panted. She rubbed her feet and ankles, they were killing her. Her initial thought was how was she going to find her family when she can barely walk?
"What's wrong?" Trent asked stopping for a moment to see if Will was okay?
"My feet are killing me and so are my ankles. I don't know if I can go on much longer?"
"Okay. We'll take a rest."
They stopped at Crescent Street and Oliver Avenue to give Will's feet and ankles a chance to rest before they can get back up and searched for their loved ones.
"So how's whats-his-face?" Trent asked again. He was referring to Will's ex-boyfriend, her lying, cheating, scumbag ex-boyfriend, Issac.
"Issac?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Don't know and don't care."
Trent's eyes grew large when Will didn't know any concern for Issac. Being the good girlfriend, Will would alway show concern for others.
"What?"
"Issac broke up with me."
Trent felt bad for Will, he hugged her, comforted her. Deep down, Trent felt that Issac was a asshole for dumping Will.
"What happened?"
Will revealed to Trent what Issac did to her on the night she, Sierra, and their family had dinner together.
"Issac was screwing around with an old girlfriend from his high school. I was there to ask him to have dinner at my mother's house."
"That son of a bitch!"
"Trent, calm down. It's not like he punched me!"
"He punched you, I'll kill him!"
"Trent, shut the hell up! He never hit me! He just cheated on me, for christ sake!"
Trent finally calmed down. He just couldn't believe that someone would cheat on Will. She was the most nice, also blunt, girl he had ever know.
"He's a jackass, Will. You're an awesome girl. You're smart, cool, and any guy would be an asshole to not know what an great girl you're really are."
Will smiled. She knew that it was nice of Trent to say things about her in a caring way. They had such history together. They dated in high school, but broke up in their senior year. Deep down, Trent still had leftover feelings for Will, but steered clear from his feelings for her because their sisters were good friends and it would have been awkward to date while their sisters were friends.
But, Trent couldn't keep his feelings to himself, he was falling for Will and couldn't deny it.
 "Thanks, Trent. It's nice to hear you say that," Will smiled.
"We'll I'm always here for you," Trent promised.
He and Will leaned in and shared a soft kiss. Then they began making out on the sidewalk. Once they stopped, Will struggled to come to terms on what she and Trent just did. But suddenly, her feet and ankles were starting to feel better.
"We should get going, we have to find our families."
"What about your feet and ankles?" Trent asked.
"They're feeling better, now."
Trent helped Will up on her feet and they continued to walk down Crescent Street to search for their families. They would rather focus on searching for their families and not think about their intimate moment.
Chapter 16
 At 10:32PM, Kristy Castelli was about to take a rest. She was caring her injured friend, Nikki Merrick from their location to the Silver Hills Community Hospital. Nikki was still in and out of conciseness following getting hurt in the earthquake.
Nikki had injured her right leg and suffered a blow to the head when the earthquake hit. She was at Kristy's parents' pizza restaurant when it happen. She and Kristy were talking about Nikki's fight with Sierra about Matt Wright, Nikki's crush taking an interest in Sierra, which caused their fight. Nikki was still pining for Matt and was pissed off that he would take a interest in Sierra.
After Nikki got injured, Kristy asked her mother to call an ambulance, but it was taking forever. So she took matters into her own hands, instead of waiting for paramedics to arrive, Kristy left a note to her parents and carried Nikki to the hospital, against her better judgment.
 Now Kristy was tired of caring Nikki to the hospital and they were halfway there.
"My head is killing me," Nikki groaned quietly.
"Glad you're talking," said Kristy.
Kristy explained to Nikki that they were halfway to the hospital, but Kristy had to take a rest to get her strength up.
"What happened?" Nikki asked.
Kristy turned her head to face Nikki. It seems like Nikki's head injury has wipe her memory of the earthquake.
"We had an earthquake and you got hurt in the quake. You broke your right leg and took a nasty blow to the head."
"That would explain my right leg hurts like hell."
Kristy nodded, agreeing with Nikki. She explained to Nikki that she made a splint for her broken right leg and that Nikki should rest it, but timing was crucial. Kristy had to get Nikki to the hospital before her injuries kill her.
Kristy draped Nikki's arm over her neck and continued to carry her from where they were now to the hospital.
Kristy continued to talk to Nikki to keep her from closing her eyes.
 "Nik, Do you remember the time when you tried to pair me and Josh up so you would date his brother?" She asked. She wanted to hear Nikki's voice to know that she's alive and awake.
"I wanted to kill you, you tried to pair me with a guy I barely knew for your own pleasure on hooking up with his brother. It was like you were trying to use me for your own petty schemes. But, Josh and I really bonded. He was really sweet and... we had things in common than we thought. I was just too scared to enter a relationship with a guy on the boys' basketball team, while I'm captain of the girls' basketball team, so I pushed him away, by breaking up with him. Big mistake ever, but not my last."
During the girls' journey to the hospital, Nikki was on the verse of passing out again. She had trouble staying awake. Her vision was blurry and she was limping. She couldn't walk normally in her heels because of her injury.
"Don't worry, Nik. The hospital isn't that far," Kristy promised. But, the walk to the hospital was fifteen minutes from their current location. By now, Nikki had already passed out and Kristy's worry for her increased.
Kristy knew that the fastest way to get to the hospital was to drive, but she didn't have a driver's license nor a car. Her mother's minivan was still at the Pizza Shack and so was her dad's delivery truck.
The lights around Silver Hills were still out, Kristy had a hard time seeing through the dark. She couldn't see what street she and Nikki were on, nor if there was a car approaching in their direction. She carried Nikki for another three miles to the hospital in the darkest neighborhood on the block. Kristy thought that it would've taken forever for the lights to come back on, because it's been a long time since the power went out.
"God, I wish I was in bed," Kristy complained.
Chapter 17
At the Silver Hills Community Hospital at 10:45PM, chaos was running amok. Doctors were treating patients who were injured from the quake. Dr. Eric Merrick was on call when he receives a call from his ex-wife, Elizabeth.
"Hello, Liz?" He answered the phone.
Elizabeth tells her ex-husband that she tried to call their daughter, Nikki, but she wasn't answering her phone. Dr. Merrick became worried for his daughter.
"I'm gonna call her right now, Liz!" He slams the receiver and dialed Nikki's cellphone number.
"The number you have dialed is unavailable," The operator said on the other line.
"Damn it!" Dr. Merrick exclaimed. Nikki wasn't answering her phone. He thought Nikki was supposed to do something with her phone, due to her running out of minutes.
"Gladys, I have to find my daughter," He said to the nurse at the admitting desk.
"Doctor, you have patients in need of medical care," the Nurse protested.
"Gladys, my daughter comes first. I know things haven't been so great with me and Nikki since the divorce and since she found out I was dating the mother of one of her friends, but... I have to find her, I feel like I want to make amends with her.
 Then, Mr. and Mrs. Alcott, along with Brittany arrived at the hospital. Mrs. Alcott had a red bump on her forehead, while Mr. Alcott had a gauze on his forearm. While, they were heading to the hospital, they were worried about their two older children. They haven't heard from them since the earthquake hit.
"Eddie, Alice!" Dr. Merrick called out. He was happy to see the Alcott's. They were Dr. Merrick's good friends, while their teenage daughters were also good friends.
"You two, okay?" he asked.
"Yeah. Eddie has a cut on his forearm and I think I have an concussion on my forehead."
"Let me check." Dr. Merrick checked Mrs. Alcott's forehead. It seemed like she just had an concussion Mrs. Alcott had thought.
"Have you seen either Alicia or Trent?" Mrs. Alcott asked.
"No. I haven't seen Nikki. I tried calling her but she isn't answering her phone."
Dr. Merrick and Mr. and Mrs. Alcott try to keep things in perspective but they were worried sick about their teenage daughters, as they weren't answering their phones.
"You're worried about Nikki, huh?" Mr. Alcott asked Dr. Merrick.
"Yeah. Since Elizabeth and I divorced, Nikki had trouble with it. And things got worse for her and me when she found out I was dating Susan. God, she wouldn't talk to me, she wouldn't answer my emails, nothing!"
Dr. Merrick wanted to reconnect with Nikki, but she was too angry to speak to him. She believed that his hook-up with Sierra Jennings' mother was the real reason her parents divorced.
"Eric. Give Nikki time. She'll talk to you."
"Thanks, Ed. You're a good man. It's no wonder you're kids love you."
Eddie flashed back to the moment he and Alicia had a argument over Alicia's bad grades and her concentration on music last year and the bullying she was going through with her evil teacher. He was angry for the fact Alicia never told him and her mother that she was going through problems with her grades and her evil teacher.
"I feel like I failed Alicia. Last year, me and her got into an argument about her grades, her not telling me about what was going on at school..."
"It seemed like Alicia was going through typical teenage rebellion."
Dr. Merrick sat down next to Mr. Alcott to talk to him.
"Ed, you're a good father. Alicia was going through things teenagers go through. But you know she loves you. I messed things up with Nikki and I'm not proud of myself for that, but I still love her."
While Dr. Merrick and Mr. Alcott consoled each other about their love with their daughters, Mrs. Jennings arrived at the hospital with her younger daughter, Leslie and Mr. and Mrs. Alcott's young daughter, Brittany.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for Edward and Alice Alcott," she said to the admitting nurse.
"Over there," the nurse pointed to the left with her blue pen.
"Thank You."
Mrs. Jennings and the girls walked to the Alcotts as she sees Dr. Merrick bandaging Mr. Alcott's forearm.
"Eric, Eddie, Alice!" she called out.
"Brittany!" Mrs. Alcott hugged Brittany as they are reunited. Although she's happy to see her younger daughter, she was worried about her two other children. It had been hours since the earthquake and with the phone lines down, she had no way of reaching them.
"Are you two okay?" Mrs. Jennings asked.
"We're okay. Have you seen either Alicia or Trent?"
"No, Honey. I haven't seen my other girls. I'm scared for both of them, even though they're not little girls anymore."
As the mothers worries for their older children increased, the admitting nurse called out to Dr. Merrick.
"Doctor!"
"Yeah, what's going on?" he asked.
"There was a call from Castelli's Pizza Shack about a teenage girl injured in the quake. But the teen disappeared before paramedics arrived."
"Damn!" Dr. Merrick whispered, unknown to him, the injured teen was someone he knew.
"Help! Somebody help us!" A voice called out. Dr. Merrick raced to see who was calling out. When he turned the corner, he saw Kristy Castelli arriving in the ER. She had a blonde girl with her who looked liked she had a limp.
"Kristy?!" Dr. Merrick yelled from the distance.
He ran to see who was the injured girl she was carrying.
"Dr. M. Nikki's hurt! Some tiles fell on her and she has a broken head and head injury!"
Dr. Merrick looked horrified when he saw is daughter looking injured and in and out of conciseness.
"Somebody get a gurney over here!"
He began to get worried, he feared that Nikki would have internal bleeding from the injuries she sustained from the fallen tiles. Nurses finally arrived with a gurney. Dr. Merrick and Kristy placed Nikki on the gurney. Dr. Merrick told one of the nurses to page a doctor to look at Nikki. The doctor wasn't allowed to examine his own daughter.
Kristy went into the waiting room where Mr. and Mrs. Alcott, Brittany, Mrs. Jennings, and Leslie were sitting.
"Guys?" she spoke up.
The people turned around and saw Kristy.
"Kristy!" Alice got up and hugged her.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah. I exhausted. I need to rest."
Kristy told everybody at the waiting room that Nikki got hurt during the earthquake and they had to walk some many blocks to get to the hospital.
"Oh my god, Nikki!" Mrs. Jennings gasped.
"Where is she?" Mr. Alcott asked.
"In the examining room. She sustained a broken leg and a head injured. Her dad feared Nikki may have internal bleeding from getting hurt by the falling tiles from the Shack. I couldn't wait for the ambulance to arrive, because I was so scared for Nikki. I left a note to my parents saying I'll have to take Nikki to the hospital on foot."
Everyone were surprised that Kristy would risk Nikki's health to get her to the hospital.
"Kristy, just pray that everything with Nikki would go just fine," said Mrs. Alcott.
"Okay. Where's Alicia and Sierra?"
Alice and Susan looked at each other after Kristy asked where her two friends were at.
"We don't know. We haven't heard from them in hours."
Kristy sat down next to Mrs. Alcott and waited news on Nikki's condition. But hearing that Alicia and Sierra were nowhere to be found, scared her to death. She feared that Alicia and Sierra were killed in the earthquake.
Chapter 17
At 10:55PM, five minutes before eleven, Charlotte Frankel panted in and out of breath as she was about to give birth. She imagined herself to be giving birth at a hospital instead of a dark, damaged house with two teenagers with no experience of baby delivery. Ryan Frankel had came back with a first aid kit, more towels, and unsterilized scissors. Alicia Alcott was cooling Charlotte down with a cold face cloth. She was sweating from the contractions she had.
"You okay, Char?" Ryan asked. He never called Charlotte "Mom" nor "Ma" because he already had a mother (who didn't like Alicia) in his life. But Ryan and his mother weren't getting along so he moved in with his father and Charlotte. Around the time he and Alicia were dating, Ryan would invite Alicia to his dad's house and they would either write songs, eat lunch, or make out. Now the house was dark, cold, and the entire inside of the place was trashed.
"Yeah. I'm sorry you and Alicia had to do this. I preferred doing this at a hospital," Charlotte panted.
"Ryan, you going to have to check to see if I'm crowning." Ryan was shocked to hear what Charlotte said, Alicia was also shocked.
"What?!"
"Ryan, please!" Charlotte begged.
"Ry, just check. I think she's ready to bear down!" Alicia yelled.
Ryan checked down there and a top of the baby's head. Charlotte's baby was definitely crowning, but the teens couldn't wait for an ambulance and phones were down, Ryan had no choice but to play midwife to his stepmom.
"Char. Listen to me. The baby's crowning and on the next contraction, I need you to bear down and push. Okay?" said Ryan.
"Okay."
"Alicia, just hold her hands and give me a count of ten."
"Okay."
Alicia held Charlotte's hands tightly, she didn't want her to crush her hands.
Ryan was scared, this was his first time delivering a baby. Luckily, he paid attention to the video on how to deliver babies at school and Alicia watched Discovery Health channel featuring baby delivery.
"Ry, all you have to do is catch the baby, you tell her to push, and I'll count to ten," Alicia reminded Ryan.
"Okay, Alcott."
Then another contraction hits Charlotte. It was now or never.
"Okay, now!" Charlotte groaned.
"Okay, Char. Start pushing!" Ryan urged.
Charlotte pushed hard like she was going to the bathroom. She was squeezing the life out of Alicia's hand like squeezing dirty water out of a dingy sponge.
"I can see the head. It's a blonde!"
"Oh, god. This baby's has Nikki's hair color!" Alicia exclaimed.
But then, Ryan saw something around the baby's neck that almost gave him a heart attack.
"Holy, shit!" He whispered.
"Ryan, what is it?" Charlotte asked, crying.
"Ry, what's up?" Alicia also asked.
"There's something around the baby's neck!"
Alicia quickly realized what was around the baby's neck.
"Ry. I think it's the umbilical cord. You need to unwrap the cord off the baby's neck."
Ryan did what Alicia said. The umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck three times. So he unwrapped the cord and told Charlotte to push one more time.
Charlotte pushed just once and the baby slid out onto Ryan's arms. His arms had a blue towel on top.
"Got him!" He shouted, but then Ryan discovered the real sex of his new half-sibling.
"It's a her!"
"It's a girl?!" Charlotte asked.
"Yep, you have a new baby girl!" Ryan announced.
Charlotte was so happy to hear she had a baby girl thanked both Ryan and Alicia for helping her bring her daughter into the world, during a crisis in Silver Hills.
"Hi, there, baby girl!" Charlotte smiled.
"Thank you, Ryan. You were amazing!"
Ryan smiled. He felt proud that he had delivered his half-sister. Although he was worried at first, he came out a man.
"Thanks, Char. You may also thank Alicia. She helped me out with the whole unwrapping the umbilical cord situation."
"Oh. You're welcome. I saw how they did it on the Discovery Health channel."
Alicia was happy that the situation went great, but now her big concern was how were they are going to get to the hospital, with Ryan's car broke down, they have no way of getting Charlotte and the baby to the hospital.
"How are we going to get mother and baby to the hospital?" She asked Ryan.
"I don't know," Ryan sighed.
"My car's not working and I'm skeptical about all of us walking to the hospital."
"Yeah, it's too far," Alicia agreed.
Then the teens hear a voice from outside of the house. The noise sounded scary like somebody was creeping up from the bushes. Alicia's heart started racing, she thought somebody was going to enter the house and murder her, Ryan, and Charlotte and also steal Charlotte's newborn daughter. After hearing news reports about home invasions and murders in California, Alicia's fears shot up to high hell.
"I'm gonna go check outside," Ryan whispered.
"No, Ry. There could a murderer out there!"
"Alcott, do mankind a favor and stop worrying. I'll be fine!" Ryan gets up and walks outside to see who was in his front yard. Alicia stayed with Charlotte and the baby.
Chapter 18
Nikki Merrick woke up in a hospital room, at 11:04PM, unware of what happened to her and how did she got in her dad's hospital. She was feeling discomfort and confusion and she saw a IV on her hand.
"Hey, you're awake!" Kristy smiled. She was happy to see that Nikki was awake. She feared that the injures Nikki had sustained may have put her in a coma, a long devastating coma.
"What happened to me?" she asked groaning.
"Well, you had a concussion and you were in and out of concussions. I had to carry you from the shack to the hospital."
Nikki attempted to sit up, then she noticed that there was a ugly white cast on her leg.
"What happened to my leg?"
"A beam from the shack fell on your leg, breaking it and it gave you a bump on the head."
Nikki had a bruise on her forehead, a broken leg, and three of her perfectly manicured nails have been chipped off.
"Where's Sierra and Alicia?" she asked.
"I haven't seen them in a while. Sierra was with Matt and they were looking for their families and I haven't heard from Alicia. Y'know, you really scared the shit out of me."
Kristy stayed with Nikki for a full ten minutes before Nikki's father tells her that Nikki needs some rest.
"Thanks for letting me stay there," she whispered.
"Always. Have you heard from your parents or Alicia?" Dr. Merrick asked.
"No. I haven't. But I'll let you know if I see them," Kristy promised.
She walked right out of the room and sighed. With Nikki recovering, her worries shifts back to her friends.
Outside of the hospital, Sierra and Matt were still looking for their family members when Sierra had to rest her feet.
"You okay?" Matt asked.
"Me feet are killing me. I don't know if I can walk anymore."
Matt sat down next to her on an unknown bench. He felt like he needed a rest, too.
"You're worried about your family, huh?" he asked.
"Yeah. My parents divorced a few years ago, when I was in the 8th grade. I love them and despite the divorce, we're still a family and I don't know what I do without them."
Matt felt sorry for Sierra that she had to deal with having divorced parents at such a young age. He revealed to her that his parents are divorced and he and his brother lived with their mother. It was hard for him to deal with not having a dad around. Matt was every bit like his dad while with twin brother was like their mother.
"Do you visit your dad often?" Sierra asked.
"Only on holidays. He lives in San Francisco with his ex-sectary-turn-wife."
"My dad's dating a woman who could be my sister's age."
The two laughed about their divorced dad's new relationships with younger blonder women.
"Do you think you'll see your mom and Josh?"
"Yeah and I know they're alive, I just have to find them."
"Me, too. I just want to see my family again."
Matt scoot over towards Sierra and put his arm around her to comfort her.
"You will, It takes more than an earthquake to break up a family."
"Thanks, that's nice of you to say."
Sierra and Matt completely stared at each other then slowy lean towards one another and started kissing. Sierra was kissing the same boy she disliked for an entire school year while she was dating a boy who wasn't exactly Mr. Popularity nor a jock.
The two laid down on the bench and started making out, like they were about to have sex outside of the hospital.
Then the two stopped making out.
"What did we just do?" Matt asked.
"I don't know, but I think we were about to have sex."
"Matt?!" a voice called out Matt's name. It sounded just like him.
Sierra and Matt turned their heads and saw the person who called out Matt's name.
It was Josh, Matt's twin brother.
"Dude, you okay?" Josh asked Matt.
"Yeah, Sierra and I, we were looking for her family."
"Didn't look like it."
Matt was glad and relieved that his brother was alive and okay, but Sierra hasn't seen her family and friends for hours and it was almost midnight. Normally, she would be at home, in her bed, asleep on a school night, instead of being out at night, in the biggest crisis in Silver Hills.
"Hey, Sierra. You okay?" Josh asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay. But I'll be even more okay when I find my parents, my sisters, my boyfriend, and my friends!"
Sierra wasn't going to stop until she finds her family and friends. But her feet were still sore, she can barely walk. The time was going on 11:50PM and it will be a tough time to walk again.
"Wait, Sierra!" Josh called out. He remembered seeing Sierra's sister, Will and Trent Alcott walking to the hospital.
"I ran into your sister, Wilma--"
"Willow. But she goes by Will."
"Anyway, I ran into her and Travis Alcott?"
"Trent Alcott."
"You know him?"
"He's Alicia's older brother, Josh!"
Josh explains to Sierra that he ran into both Trent and Will and asked them if they had seen Matt and they said "No". They also asked him if they had seen their family members and he also said "No", but if he did, he'll let them know.
"They also told me that they were heading to the hospital."
"Josh, dude. We are at the hospital," said Matt.
"Well, come on now! Let's find my family!"
Sierra, Matt, and Josh raced inside the hospital to find their loved ones. On the plus side, there was no aftershock.
When they got inside of the hospital, there were injured people being treated by countless doctors and other people with minor injuries.
"I gotta find my family, thanks Matt!" Sierra ran to the waiting room in the hospital to find her family.
Her wavy brown hair was all messy and tousled up from the hell she has been through all night. When she got to the waiting room, she heard a familiar voice that would send her to tears.
"Sierra!"
Sierra turned her head and saw her mother calling out her name from behind her.
"Mom!" She ran to her mother and hugged her. She was so happy to see her and relived that she was okay. Susan was so scared and worried about Sierra, as she went through a hell of an ordeal.
"Oh, Sierra. I'm glad you're okay!" she said.
"Me, too. Where's Will?"
Susan's relief quickly turned to fear when Sierra questioned if her older sister was with their mother. Susan asked her was Will with her during the hellish earthquake. Sierra told her that she was with Matt Wright. They were looking for Matt's brother, while Sierra wanted to look for her mother and sisters.
Susan was glad that Sierra was okay and safe, but now, she's back to worrying about her oldest daughter. She can see how messy Sierra looked. Her beautifully refined curly ponytail have gotten messy from the hell she went through from looking for her family.
"I don't know. I wasn't with her when the earthquake happened. She's probably at our house."
"Okay. If she's there, I pray she's okay."
"Is anybody else here?" Sierra asked.
"Alicia's family is here, but Alicia and Trent aren't. Kristy and Nikki are here, but... Nikki got hurt in the earthquake."
Sierra's jaw dropped to the hospital floor when she heard what her mother said about Nikki. She couldn't believe it. She didn't expect for one of her friends to get hurt in the earthquake.
"Nikki's hurt?"
Susan nodded her head. Sierra was surprised and horrified that Nikki was injured. In her mind, she had gotten into an argument with Nikki way before the earthquake happened. Sierra said a lot of mean, cruel, hurtful things to Nikki that offended her. Now, Sierra wishes she had taken back everything she said to her.
"Is she okay?" Sierra wondered.
"She's in stable condition. She has an broken leg, a fracture arm, and a concussion. She'll be in the hospital for quite some time."
Hearing Nikki's injures upset Sierra. She felt like had she been there for Nikki in the first place and not have gotten into an argument with her, Nikki wouldn't have gotten hurt in the earthquake and she wouldn't feel so guilty.
Tears were rolling down her face. Sierra's mother hugged her daughter, comforting her.
"Honey, Nikki's going to be all right. If Kristy hadn't gotten her to the hospital in the nick of time, she would be dead right now."
"What?"
Susan explained to Sierra how Nikki and Kristy made it to the hospital despite how injured she was. She also explained to her that Kristy told that Nikki was injured at the Pizza Shack during the Earthquake and that heavy tiles fell on Nikki, giving her an broken leg, fractured arm, and a concussion. Sierra was horrified to hear on what happened to Nikki. Plus she felt guilty for getting into an argument with her hours before the quake. In her mind, she wish that she hadn't said some bullshit harsh words to her.
"Can I see her?" Sierra asked.
"She's resting, sweetheart. You can see her in the morning."
Sierra's tears rolled down her face as after hours were coming to an end for the night. She knew that boys wasn't worth ending an frenemy relationship between her and Nikki. She hoped that by the next day, they will both make amends and call it even.
 
Chapter 19
At the hospital, the Alcott's were debating on who goes out of the hospital to look for their older kids and who else stays behind with Brittany. Mr. Alcott volunteered to go out to find them. He thought it would be important for his wife to stay at the hospital with Brittany were it was safe and that he'll let them know if he found them.
Just as Mr. Alcott was about to leave, Trent and Will arrived at the hospital, holding each other's hand and looking like hell. The splint on Will's wrist remained intact.
"Trent!" Mrs. Alcott shouted with joy. She ran to her only son and hugged him so tight.
Mr. Alcott and Brittany ran to Trent and hugged him around Mrs. Alcott.
"Hello, Willow. Are you okay?" Mr. Alcott asked.
"Yeah. I'm tired, but I'm okay."
Then they noticed Will's wrist wrapped in a splint. Mr. Alcott asked what happened her wrist. Will explained that injured it during the Earthquake and Trent added a splint.
Will hugged the Alcotts, they were happy to see that they were okay. But, then Mr. Alcott asked if they have seen Alicia. Trent told them that he hasn't seen her. Will explained that she hasn't heard from her either. This causes Mr. and Mrs. Alcott's worry to intensify.
Then they see Susan and Sierra walking down the waiting area. Will was surprised to see her mother and sister and yelled for their attention.
"Mom! Sierra!"
Sierra and her mother turned to their right and saw Will. She ran to them and hugged. They both cried as they were happy to see each other and Susan was relied to see that Will was okay.
"Where are dad and Leslie?" Will asked.
"They're at the other wing at the hospital. Where were you?" Mrs. Jennings asked.
"I was with Trent at home and the earthquake completely tore up the house. I hurt my wrist and had to walk from home to the hospital."
Will also explained that Alicia was still missing at the time of the Earthquake and her family hasn't seen her.
The girls went over to the Alcott family and asked if they were okay. Mrs. Alcott said to her that she'll only be fine when she sees her daughter, Alicia.
"How is everybody?" Mrs. Alcott asked. 
"Niki got hurt in the earthquake and she's in recovery room." Sierra explained.
Mrs. Alcott was stunned to hear about Niki. She wondered if she was okay.
"Niki will be okay. Kristy had to take Niki to the hospital, despite her injuries. They had to walk there.
"Shit!" said Mr. Alcott.
Then, everybody hear commotion from around the corner. Mrs. Alcott and Mrs. Jennings walked over to see what was going on.
"What's happening?" Mrs. Alcott asked. Dr. Merrick met with the paramedics in front of the hospital entrance.
Mrs. Jennings to Mrs. Alcott that she'll check to see what was up. When she got there, she asked her friend, Dr. Merrick what was going on. He told her that paramedics had just brought in a patient who had just given birth to a baby girl at her home and that two teenagers had to help with the delivery. Dr. Merrick identified the young mother as Charlotte Frankel. Mrs. Jennings realized that Charlotte Frankel is related to Ryan Frankel. Dr. Merrick revealed to her that Charlotte is Ryan Frankel's stepmother and that he was also here with her, along with Alicia Alcott. Surprised to hear that Alicia is with them. Mrs. Jennings tells Dr. Merrick to inform Alicia that her family was here at the hospital, just around the corner.
Dr. Merrick said that he will and that he'll go back to dealing with Ryan's step-mother and his new little sister.
Mrs. Jennings ran back to the waiting room and told the Alcott family that Alicia's here and that she is safe. She also tells them that she was with Ryan Frankel at the time of the earthquake. Although the family and Sierra and Will were relieved that Alicia was okay, Mrs. Alcott raced to find Alicia.
While Charlotte and the baby were being evaluated on, Ryan and Alicia had a chat about what they been through.
"This has been one hell of a night," said Alicia.
"I hear that," Ryan agreed.
She complimented Ryan on what a great job he did with his new baby sister. He thanked her for that and also for being there with him. The two hugged, just as Mrs. Alcott came into the room.
"Alicia?"
Alicia unhugged Ryan and turned to her left and saw her mother. She was happy to see Alicia and she walked up to her and hugged her. She asked if Ryan was okay. He said that he is okay and that so was his step-mother and his new sister. Mrs. Alcott was confused on what Ryan said. Ryan explained that his stepmother went into labor and that both he and Alicia had to help with the delivery. Alicia explained that Ryan delivered the baby and Alicia held Mrs. Frankel's hand. She said that Ryan did amazing with his sister's birth and that he took charge. She asked if everyone else was okay. Her mother told her that the family was okay and so were Sierra and Kristy. But told her that Nii was injured in the quake, surprising both Alicia and Ryan.
Alicia asked if Niki was all right. Her mother told that Niki will be okay and will be laid up in the hospital for a while.
"Come on, baby. Let's go see your family," Mrs. Alcott suggested.
"Okay, Ma. If it's okay with Ryan."
Ryan tells her that it was okay to go with her mother and that she needed to be with her family at the moment. He also tells her that he needed to be with his family and that he'll see her in the morning. Alicia smiled that she and Ryan were now on good terms with each other. She and her mother left to go see the rest of the Alcotts'.
Mr. Alcott, Trent, and Brittany were happy to see Alicia unhurt and okay. She explained to them what she and Ryan went through with surviving the earthquake and delivering Ryan's baby sister. Sierra and Kristy ran and hugged Alicia. They were relieved to see that Alicia was okay. With everybody safe in the hospital, it seemed like everybody survived a disastrous earthquake.... or so they thought.
Chapter 20
Alicia and her family were getting ready to leave as Kristy was reunited with her parents and Nikki's mother arrived to see her. As the Alcott family walked towards the hospital exit, Alicia saw Ryan holding his new baby sister in his arms. He was so in love with his new little sister and it was him who brought her into the world, while the town was going through the biggest crisis no one would ever forget.
In the early hours, the Jennings family arrived at their house. They were relieved that the house was still standing after the earthquake, but when they went inside, they were horrified to see how much damage the earthquake had done to their beautiful home on the inside.
==Main Characters==
*Alicia Alcott
*Nikki Merrick
*Sierra Jennings
*Kristy Castelli
==Other Characters==
*Ryan Frankel - Alicia's ex-boyfriend. Student at Silver Hills High.
*Trent Alcott - Alicia's older brother.
*Brittany Alcott - Alicia's little sister.
*Edward Alcott - Trent, Alicia, and Lily's father. Husband of Alice Alcott.
*Alice Alcott - Trent, Alicia, and Lily's mother. Wife of Edward Alcott.
*Dr. Eric Merrick - Nikki's father.
*Elizabeth "Liz" Merrick - Nikki's mother.
*Ethan Larson - Liz's boyfriend.
*Matt Wright - Student at Silver Hills High. Twin brother of Josh Wright.
*Josh Wright - Student at Silver Hills High. Twin brother of Matt Wright.
*Logan Johnson - Sierra's boyfriend. Student at Silver Hills High.
*Will Jennings - Sierra's older sister, Student at Silver Hills University. Trent's girlfriend.
*Leslie Jennings - Sierra's younger sister.
*Susan Jennings - Will, Sierra, and Leslie's mother. Ex-wife of Samuel Jennings.
*Samuel Jennings - Will, Sierra, and Leslie's father. Ex-husband of Susan Jennings.
*Eric Saunders - Susan's boyfriend and Sierra's teacher.
*Gino Castelli - Kristy's father. Manager of Castelli's Pizza Shack.
*Pamela Castelli - Kristy's mother. Principal of Silver Hills High.
*Amy Hunter - Student at Silver Hills High. Cousin of Allison Holmes.
*Allison Holmes - Student at Silver Hills High. Cousin of Amy Hunter.
*Charlotte Frankel - Ryan's stepmother.
*Katie Frankel - Ryan's stepsister. Ryan delivered her.
==Quotes==
*"Oh, I thought you'd like to know. Matt's a great kisser." (Sierra to Alicia).
==Notes==
*This is the first scary episode in the AAU series. The second was Twas the Nightmare Christmas.
*Niki was the last person Mrs. Crawford gave detention for fix her makeup in class, Ryan and Logan were the last people Mrs. Crawford yelled at, and Alicia was the last person to give Mrs. Crawford the evil eye before she was killed in the earthquake.
*This is the only episode to see Niki injured.
*In All About Us Wiki Awards 2018, this episode won:
**Best Intense Episode.
*Author Maryam Wells wanted to create a disaster storyline in the series that would have the readers on the edge of their seats.