Feel like living by mountains? I need a roommate- your old Roomski. Giana laughed at her old University of Minnesota college roommate Emma and focused back on her kids.

Her class had done so well with their English tests, so she decided to give them a little treat by teaching them Seven Up-an American game from her elementary school. One boy was covertly trying to peek so she called out a warning. "Eli," she laughed. "No, no!"
He flashed her goofy grin and buried his face into arms.

Another text made her phone buzz. My apartment's celebrity keeps hitting on me thou. Nathan MacKinnon. Although Giana was from Minnesota, she had no clue about the latest big name hockey players since she had been teaching in the Philippines-not that she was an expert anyways. All she knew was the Minnesota Wild signed some guy from the Devils and another from Nashville.

Lol why not? Do it! Giana had texted back as her kids finished tapping people on the head.
Maria had bopped one last person on the head. "Okay, everyone-,"

The hairs on the back of her neck stood, causing her to grip her desk. Giana had had this feeling a few times before from the recent earthquakes that had happened in the region lately. Despite the US geological survey scientists peeking at the mountain located right next to town, Giana just assumed that it actually erupting was as likely as her meeting the Queen of England.
Very quickly however, screams began to fill the room as the ground began to rumble. She did her best to not swear in front of the kids, and to mask her panic. This was definitely worse than the last couple rounds of earthquakes that had hit the town. Placing her phone in her pocket, she called in a strong, authoritative tone, "Venga! Come on kids! Outside! Hold hands with your partner and form a line! Its okay!" Any Tagalog was lost to her so her conversational Spanish and fluent English were her only options.

"Guro Russo!" One of her girl students whimpered and pressed her face into Giana's knees.
"Come on sweet pea!" She cooed to Maria. "Hold hands with ate Sophie!" Counting heads, she gestured her students out the door and was relieved to count everyone. Outside, she saw her two neighbor teachers Sandra and Raul with all their students both ahead of her class and behind. "Rapido kids! Hurry but don't push!"
Sandra gave her a weak smile. "Lucky I charged my phone this morning."

Giana pulled out her phone to see how her battery was. Better safe than sorry after all.
I do hope you're actually teaching English instead of playing with makeup-your Mother.

She barely bothered to read her newest text and only read the 90% battery life before she stuffed her phone into her bra. Distantly she remembered volcanic ash could get into anything so maybe this could deter it a little if the mountain did erupt. "Stay calm and don't push!"

"Don't rush!" Raul coached his students, nodding in approval at her calm demeanor. "This is just like Mount Pinatubo," he said into her ear and her stomach tightened in a panic.
Doing her best to remain calm, she joked, "I guess this beats the Halloween blizzard of 1991 for me. No tornados for me luckily. Maybe a flood or two." The ground eventually stopped shaking but deep down, she knew the volcano was erupting.

When they finally made it outside, Giana turned to her right and masked her astounded expression at the grey ash clouds coming from the mountain. Momentarily, she began to heave with panic. How could she protect her students from something she barely knew about? Was there some sort of magic secret? Get it together! She barked at herself inwardly. "Keep together and don't wander off!" She called out and gestured for the effect. They obeyed, despite some tears breaking out amongst the kids.

As more teachers and students rushed out, someone came running towards them. "Headmaster Belmonte! We have all our students!" Giana called as Eli reached for her hand. "I gotcha buddy," she tutted softly and patted his hand.
"The Hawaii and Guam National Guard should be coming! You should go with them so they can fly you home!" He said.

"Don't be ridiculous! I can't leave my kids! Is everyone else out?" Giana asked.
"We're figuring that out now!" He replied as he patted her shoulder, very touched by her decision to stay behind. "We just have two classes left!"
However they heard a wailing. "Gloria! Did someone find Gloria?"
Her heart tightened as Raul moaned a soft oh no. Betty, one of the first year teachers rushed over. "She went to the bathroom before the earthquake! I haven't seen her since!"

Raul promptly volunteered. "I've been here the longest before you Headmaster. I know the building."
Giana too stepped forward. "I'll go in too. I was the champion of Hide and Seek in my family." Despite himself, Raul laughed as the Headmaster smiled weakly.
"Guro Russo!" Eli whimpered.
She rubbed his head. "I'll be back. We just have to find ate Gloria. She's playing Hide and Seek. So silly right?" To her class, she called, "Stay together and listen to Miss Sandra! How about, uh..." Swallowing, she sang softly, "Oh, her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining. Her hair, her hair, falls perfectly without her trying. She's so beautiful and I tell her every day..."

The kids were distracted with the recent English song she had taught them by Bruno Mars. Why not? It was a sweet and innocent song, Bruno Mars was part Filipino and most importantly it was distracting the kids. As the kids started singing, Headmaster Belmonte nodded in approval as Sandra instructed her students to do the same.

Another teacher placed wet washcloths into hers and Raul's hands. "The school's full of smoke so I don't know if something caught fire or it was a volcanic bomb," one of the fifth grade teachers said.
While the students were distracted with singing, she and Raul slipped away to find the hallways already thick with smoke. "What's a volcanic bomb by the way?" Giana asked. "I only know about tornado sirens being tested on Wednesdays, Minnesota isn't in Tornado Alley, and polar vortex’s."
"Molten rock that flies out during an eruption," Raul said and covered his mouth and nose with the washcloth. "Though I don't like this polar vortex thing."
Flying molten rock? Fantastic, she thought wearily and copied Raul. Ignoring her stinging eyes, Giana first peered into the girls bathroom and called, "Gloria! Come out! Its Guro Russo! Come on baby girl!" Nothing.
"Let's try her classroom. Maybe she's in a closet," Raul said. Something slammed against the roof. Giana gasped as Raul grabbed her shoulder. "That molten rock I think. Let's watch our heads now."

"Check out the classroom, I'll join you in a second," Giana said, having an idea just struck her. Back when she was in America, she heard a news story of people hacking phones by using location services so she turned the one on her phone off. Hackers and thieves were the least of her worries now so she turned hers back on.
"No Gloria!" Raul said and raised his eyebrows at her phone.
"Turned on location services just in case," Giana said. "Just in case."
Raul nodded and gasped at the ground shaking again. Giana removed her washcloth to scream for Gloria but Raul put her hand back. "We'll get out of this," he said firmly and she stuffed her phone back down her shirt.

As they ventured further into the school, they searched the classrooms and noted the smoke getting thicker. Giana started to cough more but shook her head when Raul offered his washcloth to her. "I know you have that inhaler. I don't need it," she said firmly.
"We've looked everywhere!" Raul finally cried after they checked the classrooms. "Maybe she's out already!"
Immediately Giana closed her eyes. If she were playing Hide and Seek, where would she hide in this school? She thought for a moment and then snapped her fingers. She sprinted father and shoved the supply closet door open. Pushing fallen shelves aside, she found a trembling Gloria. "Hi baby," she cooed. "Its okay. Take this," she said and gave up her wet washcloth.
"Scared!" Gloria whined in her limited English as Giana hoisted her up on her hip.
"Don't worry, we're leaving!" Giana promised her and started to choke on the smoke when she went back into the hallway.

"Let's go. Quickly," Raul urged them and they rushed down the hallway. The further they got, the further the smoke began to thicken.
Giana could practically feel her lungs burning from the smoke and her head started to get lighter and lighter but she kept her spine rigid and her feet moving. Her heart grew lighter as she saw the familiar pictures decorating outside Mrs. Aunor's classroom when the roof shook. "WATCH IT!" Raul bellowed.
She dropped to her knees, covering Gloria as chunks from the ceiling fell down. "RAUL!" She screamed. They were on the exit side, he was not. "I'll get you through!"
"Don't be stupid! You'll burn yourself!" He bellowed back. "I'll go through a window!"
Not taking no for an answer, she dropped Gloria. "Shield your head," she gestured with her hands over her head. Gloria obeyed her as Giana closed her eyes and counted down. 3...2...1...Just like she had seen the high school football instruct her classmates when she had cheerleading practice, she lowered her shoulder to butt against the fallen burning pillar and managed to shove it down.

"Stupid, stupid gurong Amerikano," he scolded gently as he patted down her arm and shoulder. "You've got burns."
Giana knew there was a silent thank you in there but picked Gloria back up, grunting slightly at her burned arm and shoulder. Raul started guiding her out and smacked her back when they got outside where it got considerably darker. "Breathe in the better air! We're out!"

It hurt too much to talk but Giana wrinkled her nose in confusion. Rain was pelting her face but it was brown. "Rain?" She managed to ask.
"Mudslides will come I'm sure! Hurry!" Raul cried and ran them over to the familiar logo of the Hawaiian National Guard. "This is all of us! She's burned and breathed in smoke!"

"HURRY! GET IN THE JEEP!" The National Guard men bellowed. "We'll get you aid when we're clear of the lava! If we don't go now it'll burn us alive!"
Gloria screamed and clung to Giana. "Come on! Just move your legs for me!" Raul cried.
Giana stumbled but managed to lift herself upwards with the help of one of the National Guard men. "Where are the students?"

"We sent everyone ahead! Kawika go! Now!" The leader bellowed as the driver hit the gas.
As much as it hurt, Giana slowly shifted to her side as lava was now streaking down the mountain. Their school had gotten out safely from lava but what about the other people in town? The ones that gladly taught her Tagalog. The ones that loved cooking her Filipino dishes and treats like sinigang soup, pork adobo, bibingka, ube treats, and lumpia. The ones that invited her for parties and festivals that seemed to last hours as they talked and laughed about everything.

Their driver Kawika scowled in sympathy. "My family's had their houses destroyed by Kilauea. They lost everything. Nothing like this though. What's that little one?" He asked Gloria who was chattering in Tagalog.
Raul translated for Gloria. "Giana's burned on her arm and shoulder. Gloria says a family member died from burns like this."
"Got it Teacher," Kawika saluted him and sped towards the safe point.

Distantly, she felt herself being pulled from the jeep and was lowered onto something flat. She could hear Eli screaming along with her neighbor teacher Sandra clutching her hand.
"We need to get her mainland. These burns are bad," someone said.
Giana tried to protest a no.
"And her lungs are bad. Who's the emergency contact of hers?"
Headmaster Belmonte cleared his voice. "Emma Miller, located in Denver Colorado."
At that, Giana passed out...

Notes