After Jo offered all that she knew, August pulled her forward and gave her the most reassuring hug he could offer. Over his sister’s head, his eyes continued to scan the crowd of panicked family members. He was surprised they weren’t rushing the school in an attempt to test this wall for themselves; actually, he would have done just that if he wasn’t sure that several someones had already given that a try. “I’m sure they’re doing the best they can.” His attempt to play devil’s advocate was weak at best. He knew Jo’s opinion of law enforcement and the system as a whole was not very high; usually he would have stood on the opposite side just to get a rise out of her, but now was not the time for that. August didn’t doubt that the police were doing everything they knew how to fix the situation, though he would have agreed that that wasn’t very much.
Farren’s call grabbed hold of his attention, and August waved her over to them, as though she couldn’t already see where they were standing. If one thing could be counted on, even in a crisis, it was Farren’s mouth, but he would be lying if he said that her crass words didn’t offer him comfort. At least that aspect of his world was right. “That’s the big question. Apparently everyone at homecoming is stuck inside: students, teachers, chaperones – Kyle and Lotti.” Yes, his brother and sister were in a category all their own. It wasn’t that August didn’t care about the rest; he just needed them to be okay. “There’s a …wall?” He let go of Jo as he looked down at her to make sure he had heard her right. “Nothing goes in, nothing comes out, including phone calls.” With his arms free, August crossed them at his chest. “Does everyone else know what’s going on?” He was, of course, referring to the rest of their siblings – specifically Trent. On the car ride over, he had hoped that someone would get in touch with his twin, but he was willing to give him a call in the event that no one had.