She looked half asleep.
"Dad?"
"I'm okay."
"I didn't ask."
Evan smiled.
She walked closer.
"They're riding tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah."
"Are you going?"
"I don't know."
Mia looked at him.
"Why?"
Evan struggled for an answer.
"Sometimes it's easier not to fight."
Mia thought about that.
Then she said something that stopped him cold.
"Dad... if they see you, maybe the next kid won't laugh."
Evan stared at her.
She wasn't angry.
She wasn't trying to make him a hero.
She simply believed that being visible could make a difference.
"What if nothing changes?" Evan asked.
Mia shrugged.
"Then at least they saw you."
Evan lowered his eyes.
For several seconds, the room was completely silent.
Then he nodded.
"Then we ride."
Mia smiled.
"Can I make a sign?"
"What are you going to write?"
She disappeared into her room.
A few minutes later, she returned carrying a piece of cardboard.
The letters were uneven.
But they were bold.
RESPECT IS A SAFETY FEATURE.
Evan stared at it.
Then he smiled.
"That's a good sign."
"I know."
Three Hundred Riders
The next morning arrived bright and cool.
A thin haze hung over Sycamore Street.
For a few minutes, Willow Creek seemed completely ordinary.
Then came the first rumble.
Far away.