Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Always There For You ❯ 16 ( Chapter 16 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: AlyRain 
"Why can't I see?"
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.07.2005 | Updated On: 03.17.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.6K | Visits: 176 | Status: Completed
"Why can't I see?"
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.07.2005 | Updated On: 03.17.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.6K | Visits: 176 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing! Sheesh! Quit bugging me about it! *pouts*
Always There for You Chapter 16:
"No...asleep...I'm not sure how...whe-...need to ask..."
Rain forced open heavy eyelids. Her vision was a dull gray color. She blinked a few times to clear it. When the teen had her eyes focused again, she realized she was staring at the back of the couch.
'I'm on the couch...people talk too loud...woke me up...' Rain's mind complained groggily. She could hear people talking but could not decipher who was who.
Closing her eyes again, Rain pushed herself up into a sitting position. There was a slight dip as someone sat down beside her.
"Rain? Are you OK?" A worried Heero leaned towards his daughter.
"I feel...like...I've been hit by a truck..." Rain said softly.
"Well, you hit the floor pretty hard. I hope you didn't hurt your head too much." Heero touched the back of Rain's head gingerly.
"Fell...? What...?" Rain opened her eyes again and studied Heero's face as best she could with her blurring vision.
"She's awake!" Heero turned to yell over his shoulder. Shuddering slightly at the volume of his words, Rain tried to make out the blurry figure walking into the living room from the kitchen.
The blurred person sat near Rain's feet, laying a gentle hand on her ankle.
"Rain, Sweety, are you all right?" The feminine voice asked.
"I-I can't...see." Rain said, shaking her head slowly and blinking her eyes several times. "Why can't I see straight?"
"I think she has a concussion...there's a big welt on the back of her head." Heero said, dropping his hand from Rain's head.
"We need to take her to the doctor right now then." The woman at Rain's feet said. The couch moved slightly as the woman stood up.
"Wait..." Rain reached blindly and put her hand on the woman's arm. "Wait...who are you? Your voice...I..."
"It's OK..." The female said softly, gently patting Rain's hand on her right arm.
"Why...? Why can't I see...Why can't I remem-" Rain stopped speaking and shuddered again as pain rippled through her body, stemming from her head. The young teen began to whimper as tears slid from her closed lids.
Without a word, Heero slowly scooped Rain up into his arms and abruptly walked out the garage door. The girl barely had time to react as more pain started coursing through her body from the sudden movement. She buried her face in her father's chest and tried to clench her teeth to hold back cries of pain. The strain only worsened the pain in her head, causing her jaw to tremble and her teeth to chatter.
The young woman who Rain had not been able to remember opened the back door to Heero's car. Heero gently laid Rain down in the back seat before shutting the door and getting into the driver's seat.
Everything was a total blur of action to Rain. Her brain was processing things nearly a minute after they happened. The car was already on the road before Rain realized she'd heard the sound of the car doors slamming shut.
"Loud..." Rain mumbled before pain shot through her head and everything went black.
******
Groaning softly, Rain opened her eyes. Everything was an endless ocean of black. She heard heavy breathing to her left. Turning her head subconsciously to look for the source, she listened more carefully.
"Damnit." Rain muttered quietly. 'Why can't I see anything?' Her mind inquired.
A rustling sound informed Rain that the person beside her was moving. Chewing on her lip, Rain waited anxiously for the unknown person to speak.
"Rain!? You're awake!" A cheerful voice exclaimed.
Rain's breath caught in her throat as she was suddenly wrapped up in a hug.
"Uncle Duo..." Before she could beg for the braided man to loosen up his grip enough for her to breath, he was gone. Titling her head slightly, she heard him run for the door and fling it open.
"She's awake!" Duo yelled down the hallway.
The young Yuy girl was very confused, but she still found Duo's antics very amusing and smiled lightly.
There was a clatter of different footsteps, then Rain felt people surrounding her. Frustration bubbled up inside of her when she realized she still could not see anything.
"What's going on? I wake up and hear someone sleeping off to my left and then Duo nearly kills me hugging me, then...the next thing I know...he's yelling that I'm awake." Rain asked the crowd before her.
"You fell asleep?" Heero asked. Rain smiled slightly. She could picture the looks on both of their faces at that moment.
"What? I was up all night last night and then took over for you this morning!" Duo exclaimed in self-defense.
"If you were tired, you should have asked someone else to take over for him." Hilde scolded.
"Well-" Duo was cut off as Heero, Hilde, and Quatre continued lecturing him. Rain just smirked and listened with mild amusement.
"Hey...uhm...I still want to know what's going on." Rain finally spoke up. The adults continued to argue without acknowledging her.
"You had a concussion." Came an emotionless reply.
"Huh?" Rain asked. Trowa stood beside Rain's bed and began explaining while the other adults continued to argue.
"You passed out when you saw your mother...you fell and hit your head. It made the head injury you got from the rescue mission flare up again." Trowa explained. Rain remained silent as her memory began to come back. She recalled seeing her mother when she'd gone in search of her father after waking from a nap.
"So where is she now...?" Rain asked.
"She is in Milliardo's office right now. She doesn't know you're awake yet. Or else I'm sure she'd be here."
"Where am I right now?"
"You're in the medical ward of the Preventors Headquarters building."
"How long have I been here?"
"Three days." Trowa replied.
"Why can't I see?" Rain asked. The other three adults had fallen silent.
"As I explained earlier, your latest head injury brought up problems from the last one. You had some nerve damage...nerves connecting your eyes and your brain. The doctors had to perform some surgery in an attempt to repair them...It will be about a few days before they can tell if it worked or not." Trowa said.
"So...it may not have worked at all?" Rain asked quietly.
"We won't know for a few days." Heero answered Rain's question.
"What are the chances?"
"The doctor's said it's about 80 percent probability...that you will only see in black and white...and about 65 percent that you will not be able to see at all." Heero answered truthfully. The teen nodded slowly, accepting the information, but not really wanting to.
"When can I go home?"
"Tonight." Heero said. The girl nodded once, then turned her head towards the door as she heard someone approach.
"Who's that?" Rain asked when no one said anything.
"It's Relena." Duo answered.
Rain heard Relena walk closer to her bed without speaking. The young woman sat on the edge of the bed and laid one hand on top of Rain's.
"We'll leave you two alone for a bit. You should use the time before you go home to catch up a little." Hilde said.
Without any more conversation, Rain heard the other four adults leave the room and close the door. Neither she nor her mother spoke for several minutes.
"I...I want you to know that...I'm sorry." Relena said softly.
"For what?"
"For not being around while you grew up." Relena said with sadness in her voice. "And...for not recognizing you when you came to rescue me..." By Relena's tone, Rain could sense she was on the verge of tears.
"I'm sorry I almost killed you." Rain replied.
"It's all right. You saved your father's life...And, in the end, you saved mine. If I hadn't been stopped...I would have killed him and...I never would have been taken in to recover and remember..." Relena trailed off.
"I should have gone to see you at the clinic." Rain hung her head as guilt twisted her stomach into a knot.
"Don't feel bad. I understand why you didn't...you were afraid that I would not recognize you...and you felt guilty for having shot me right?"
Rain shook her head. "I was afraid if I saw you...I would watch as you were taken away again. I had already lost you two times..." Rain could feel her eyes brimming with tears as she replayed her mother's "death" in her mind.
"I'm not going anywhere this time. You will never lose me again." Relena said softly. She hugged Rain to her very gently.
Relena was a bit hurt when Rain did not respond, but her mind reasoned that Rain was just soaking up too much at one time. The dark-haired teen did not move. The hug felt alien. As much as Rain had dreamed about being reunited with her mother, it did not feel right. Rain was at a loss for understanding.
"You must be a little overwhelmed... I will leave you alone for a while." Relena said as she stood from Rain's bed. The young woman wordlessly left the door, leaving Rain in bitter dark and silence.
"Why...why is it that I feel like you are still gone?" Rain whispered. She laid down, buried her face in her pillow, and cried quietly.
*****
April 23rd, A.C. 215.
Four days had passed since Rain had woken up in the medical ward of the Preventors HQ building. The young girl sat staring out her bedroom window. Her vision had started to come back. However, all she could see was shadows and silhouettes.
A knock sounded from across the room at Rain's door. The girl looked over and watched as a shadowy figure slowly walked in the room.
"Hey Rain." Derek said, sitting beside her.
"Hey." Was Rain's only reply.
"What are you looking at?"
"The trees...I remember they were blooming before...I cant see them though, can barely make out the shape of the branches." Rain said, feeling detached.
"Oh...And how are things going with your mom?"
"They're...going." Rain replied. Her gaze shifted away from the window and to Derek. She wished very badly that she could see his face.
"How so?" Derek chuckled at Rain's vagueness.
"It isn't how I thought it would be." Rain sighed.
"What do you mean?" Derek's voice held concern.
"I don't know...I guess. I just expected her to come back and everything would be great, but..."
"But...?" Derek pressed.
"But I don't know her...I never got a chance to get to know her. She was kidnapped when I was two. I grew up without her and now...it's so hard to bring her back in and fill the gaps."
"Hey, don't stress. It will take time to make things work again. You're right, you don't really know her. And, it will take a long time to get to know her. I'm sure that after a while though, you'll be a family again. You just need to get used to the fact that she's back. I think your mind is still in shock." Derek put an arm around Rain and gave her a light squeeze.
"Maybe you're right, I probably am just having trouble accepting the fact that she's really back..." Rain said, considering Derek's words.
"Maybe all you need is for your mind to accept it, and then your heart can fill in the gaps." Derek said with a shrug.
"Why do you always have good advice? I can't remember when you got to be so wise." Rain smiled softly at him.
"Not sure really." Derek smirked.
"Well...Thanks. You're the first person I've been able to talk to about this."
"It's what I'm here for Rain."
"I'm glad." Rain leaned against Derek and continued to think silently.
*****
June 15th, A.C. 216
It was the last day of exams at Rain's junior high. The teenage girl was sitting at her desk, playing tic-tac- toe with Samantha, the girl who sat behind her, while they awaited the bell, signaling that school would be over for the summer.
All of the students in the 6th period honors Chemistry class had already finished their exams and were allowed to do anything they wanted as long as it was quiet. Rain and her classmate had been bored, but lacked the mental power to do much more than play tic-tac-toe. The exam had turned their brain's into mush.
"Man!" Rain hissed as she lost the fourth game in a row.
"You may all talk now if you want. There's about five minutes before the bell rings." The chemistry teacher, Mr. Donner, announced.
"Yay!" Rain said with bubbling excitement. It was the last day of school, and her last day of junior high. That fall, Rain and her friends would move up to the high school where Jack and Derek had been attending for the previous two years.
Like the rest of her friends, Rain was beyond excitement. She could not wait to start high school. It not only meant that she had three years left of school before college, but it also meant she would get to see Derek and Jack more often.
The bell rang and Rain sprang from her seat. With one swoop, she picked her backpack up and had the straps over her shoulders.
"Have a good summer everyone. And good luck in high school!" Mr. Donner called as the students bustled towards the door.
"Have a great summer Sam!" Rain said as she ran out the door in search of her friends.
On that day, it had been a year and a little over a month since rain had been reunited with her mother. Things had finally started to feel normal. Two weeks after Rain had returned home, her vision had been fully restored. Rain had been very grateful. After the first week of only seeing shadows, Rain had worried she would never regain all of her vision.
The relationship between Rain and Relena had improved quite a bit. They were not as close as they could have been, but Rain no longer felt as though Relena were a total stranger. Rain had finally been able to accept the fact that her mother was alive, and a part of her family.
"Rain!" Chelsea waved from where she stood by a tree in the front courtyard.
"Hey Chels!" Rain called back as she jogged over to her friends.
"It's over! Goodbye junior high!" Katrina said as she waved at the building behind them. The small circle of friends laughed.
"We still on for GameDance tonight?" Alisa asked the group of females.
"Yep, 7 p.m." Chelsea answered.
"Cool."
"I have a score to settle." Rain said, referring to the previous laser tag game where Chelsea had killed her in the last thirty seconds of the game the week before.
*****
At ten p.m., Rain collapsed against her pillow. She had gotten home half an hour earlier after a vicious, but exciting game of laser tag at GameDance. Rain was worn out from a week of exams and a hard game of laser tag.
In the end of the game, it had been a tie. Rain had gotten Chelsea back for beating her the week before. Another game had been set for the following day to try to break the tie.
Glancing at the clock, Rain sighed. She had planned to stay awake until her parents returned home. Her parents were supposed to return around midnight. They had been away on a business trip for the Preventors. Rain was not worried about being home alone. Her parents would be back an hour after she got home. The young girl fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
*****
With a start, rain jerked awake. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the new amount of light while she scanned her room for the source of the crash.
The bedroom window had been smashed. Bits of glass lay on the floor, glittering from the reflected light of the street lamps outside. There was a large rock with a note attached to it lying among the broken glass. The young girl felt her heart thundering in her chest as she walked over to the rock.
Standing far enough back to avoid stepping on the glass, Rain leaned forward and picked up the rock. With swiftness Rain did not know she had, she was back on her bed, clutching the rock in one hand. There was a squeal of tires and Rain could see the reflection of headlights as a car raced away from her house.
After several long seconds, Rain was sure the vehicle was gone. Switching on her bedside lamp, she pulled the note off the rock. The lamplight was nearly blinding. Rain blinked to adjust her eyes to it before she began reading.
"Dear Rain,
Foolish of you to think you could fool me forever. Teresea Carson? You really thought I would not find out? I know who you are now. I know that you took Relena from me.
Did you miss me that much? Well, don't worry, I will be back for you and your whore of a mother. See you soon."
Reading the note once, Rain felt her heart speed up wildly again. Her hands shook so hard that she ripped the paper.
Without much more thought, Rain ran out of her room and down the hallway to the phone. In less than thirty seconds, she had reached the phone and had already dialed the number.
"Hello?" A groggy voice answered on the other line.
"Derek!" Rain said, her voice choked up with a fearful sob rising in her throat.
"Rain? What's wrong!?" Derek asked, sounding fully awake then.
"He's back..." Rain whispered as she sank to the floor in tears. "He's back...and he knows where I am..."
To Be Continued...
-End of Chapter 16-
Author's Notes:
Sorry Minna-san for taking so long to get this chapter up. I had serious lack of motivation. My muse was out on holiday I think. But it's back! So I managed to get this chapter out and will probably have the next one up soon since school gets out THIS Friday!!! YAY!
Please tell me what you thought! Arigatou Minna!
-AlyRain
Always There for You Chapter 16:
"No...asleep...I'm not sure how...whe-...need to ask..."
Rain forced open heavy eyelids. Her vision was a dull gray color. She blinked a few times to clear it. When the teen had her eyes focused again, she realized she was staring at the back of the couch.
'I'm on the couch...people talk too loud...woke me up...' Rain's mind complained groggily. She could hear people talking but could not decipher who was who.
Closing her eyes again, Rain pushed herself up into a sitting position. There was a slight dip as someone sat down beside her.
"Rain? Are you OK?" A worried Heero leaned towards his daughter.
"I feel...like...I've been hit by a truck..." Rain said softly.
"Well, you hit the floor pretty hard. I hope you didn't hurt your head too much." Heero touched the back of Rain's head gingerly.
"Fell...? What...?" Rain opened her eyes again and studied Heero's face as best she could with her blurring vision.
"She's awake!" Heero turned to yell over his shoulder. Shuddering slightly at the volume of his words, Rain tried to make out the blurry figure walking into the living room from the kitchen.
The blurred person sat near Rain's feet, laying a gentle hand on her ankle.
"Rain, Sweety, are you all right?" The feminine voice asked.
"I-I can't...see." Rain said, shaking her head slowly and blinking her eyes several times. "Why can't I see straight?"
"I think she has a concussion...there's a big welt on the back of her head." Heero said, dropping his hand from Rain's head.
"We need to take her to the doctor right now then." The woman at Rain's feet said. The couch moved slightly as the woman stood up.
"Wait..." Rain reached blindly and put her hand on the woman's arm. "Wait...who are you? Your voice...I..."
"It's OK..." The female said softly, gently patting Rain's hand on her right arm.
"Why...? Why can't I see...Why can't I remem-" Rain stopped speaking and shuddered again as pain rippled through her body, stemming from her head. The young teen began to whimper as tears slid from her closed lids.
Without a word, Heero slowly scooped Rain up into his arms and abruptly walked out the garage door. The girl barely had time to react as more pain started coursing through her body from the sudden movement. She buried her face in her father's chest and tried to clench her teeth to hold back cries of pain. The strain only worsened the pain in her head, causing her jaw to tremble and her teeth to chatter.
The young woman who Rain had not been able to remember opened the back door to Heero's car. Heero gently laid Rain down in the back seat before shutting the door and getting into the driver's seat.
Everything was a total blur of action to Rain. Her brain was processing things nearly a minute after they happened. The car was already on the road before Rain realized she'd heard the sound of the car doors slamming shut.
"Loud..." Rain mumbled before pain shot through her head and everything went black.
******
Groaning softly, Rain opened her eyes. Everything was an endless ocean of black. She heard heavy breathing to her left. Turning her head subconsciously to look for the source, she listened more carefully.
"Damnit." Rain muttered quietly. 'Why can't I see anything?' Her mind inquired.
A rustling sound informed Rain that the person beside her was moving. Chewing on her lip, Rain waited anxiously for the unknown person to speak.
"Rain!? You're awake!" A cheerful voice exclaimed.
Rain's breath caught in her throat as she was suddenly wrapped up in a hug.
"Uncle Duo..." Before she could beg for the braided man to loosen up his grip enough for her to breath, he was gone. Titling her head slightly, she heard him run for the door and fling it open.
"She's awake!" Duo yelled down the hallway.
The young Yuy girl was very confused, but she still found Duo's antics very amusing and smiled lightly.
There was a clatter of different footsteps, then Rain felt people surrounding her. Frustration bubbled up inside of her when she realized she still could not see anything.
"What's going on? I wake up and hear someone sleeping off to my left and then Duo nearly kills me hugging me, then...the next thing I know...he's yelling that I'm awake." Rain asked the crowd before her.
"You fell asleep?" Heero asked. Rain smiled slightly. She could picture the looks on both of their faces at that moment.
"What? I was up all night last night and then took over for you this morning!" Duo exclaimed in self-defense.
"If you were tired, you should have asked someone else to take over for him." Hilde scolded.
"Well-" Duo was cut off as Heero, Hilde, and Quatre continued lecturing him. Rain just smirked and listened with mild amusement.
"Hey...uhm...I still want to know what's going on." Rain finally spoke up. The adults continued to argue without acknowledging her.
"You had a concussion." Came an emotionless reply.
"Huh?" Rain asked. Trowa stood beside Rain's bed and began explaining while the other adults continued to argue.
"You passed out when you saw your mother...you fell and hit your head. It made the head injury you got from the rescue mission flare up again." Trowa explained. Rain remained silent as her memory began to come back. She recalled seeing her mother when she'd gone in search of her father after waking from a nap.
"So where is she now...?" Rain asked.
"She is in Milliardo's office right now. She doesn't know you're awake yet. Or else I'm sure she'd be here."
"Where am I right now?"
"You're in the medical ward of the Preventors Headquarters building."
"How long have I been here?"
"Three days." Trowa replied.
"Why can't I see?" Rain asked. The other three adults had fallen silent.
"As I explained earlier, your latest head injury brought up problems from the last one. You had some nerve damage...nerves connecting your eyes and your brain. The doctors had to perform some surgery in an attempt to repair them...It will be about a few days before they can tell if it worked or not." Trowa said.
"So...it may not have worked at all?" Rain asked quietly.
"We won't know for a few days." Heero answered Rain's question.
"What are the chances?"
"The doctor's said it's about 80 percent probability...that you will only see in black and white...and about 65 percent that you will not be able to see at all." Heero answered truthfully. The teen nodded slowly, accepting the information, but not really wanting to.
"When can I go home?"
"Tonight." Heero said. The girl nodded once, then turned her head towards the door as she heard someone approach.
"Who's that?" Rain asked when no one said anything.
"It's Relena." Duo answered.
Rain heard Relena walk closer to her bed without speaking. The young woman sat on the edge of the bed and laid one hand on top of Rain's.
"We'll leave you two alone for a bit. You should use the time before you go home to catch up a little." Hilde said.
Without any more conversation, Rain heard the other four adults leave the room and close the door. Neither she nor her mother spoke for several minutes.
"I...I want you to know that...I'm sorry." Relena said softly.
"For what?"
"For not being around while you grew up." Relena said with sadness in her voice. "And...for not recognizing you when you came to rescue me..." By Relena's tone, Rain could sense she was on the verge of tears.
"I'm sorry I almost killed you." Rain replied.
"It's all right. You saved your father's life...And, in the end, you saved mine. If I hadn't been stopped...I would have killed him and...I never would have been taken in to recover and remember..." Relena trailed off.
"I should have gone to see you at the clinic." Rain hung her head as guilt twisted her stomach into a knot.
"Don't feel bad. I understand why you didn't...you were afraid that I would not recognize you...and you felt guilty for having shot me right?"
Rain shook her head. "I was afraid if I saw you...I would watch as you were taken away again. I had already lost you two times..." Rain could feel her eyes brimming with tears as she replayed her mother's "death" in her mind.
"I'm not going anywhere this time. You will never lose me again." Relena said softly. She hugged Rain to her very gently.
Relena was a bit hurt when Rain did not respond, but her mind reasoned that Rain was just soaking up too much at one time. The dark-haired teen did not move. The hug felt alien. As much as Rain had dreamed about being reunited with her mother, it did not feel right. Rain was at a loss for understanding.
"You must be a little overwhelmed... I will leave you alone for a while." Relena said as she stood from Rain's bed. The young woman wordlessly left the door, leaving Rain in bitter dark and silence.
"Why...why is it that I feel like you are still gone?" Rain whispered. She laid down, buried her face in her pillow, and cried quietly.
*****
April 23rd, A.C. 215.
Four days had passed since Rain had woken up in the medical ward of the Preventors HQ building. The young girl sat staring out her bedroom window. Her vision had started to come back. However, all she could see was shadows and silhouettes.
A knock sounded from across the room at Rain's door. The girl looked over and watched as a shadowy figure slowly walked in the room.
"Hey Rain." Derek said, sitting beside her.
"Hey." Was Rain's only reply.
"What are you looking at?"
"The trees...I remember they were blooming before...I cant see them though, can barely make out the shape of the branches." Rain said, feeling detached.
"Oh...And how are things going with your mom?"
"They're...going." Rain replied. Her gaze shifted away from the window and to Derek. She wished very badly that she could see his face.
"How so?" Derek chuckled at Rain's vagueness.
"It isn't how I thought it would be." Rain sighed.
"What do you mean?" Derek's voice held concern.
"I don't know...I guess. I just expected her to come back and everything would be great, but..."
"But...?" Derek pressed.
"But I don't know her...I never got a chance to get to know her. She was kidnapped when I was two. I grew up without her and now...it's so hard to bring her back in and fill the gaps."
"Hey, don't stress. It will take time to make things work again. You're right, you don't really know her. And, it will take a long time to get to know her. I'm sure that after a while though, you'll be a family again. You just need to get used to the fact that she's back. I think your mind is still in shock." Derek put an arm around Rain and gave her a light squeeze.
"Maybe you're right, I probably am just having trouble accepting the fact that she's really back..." Rain said, considering Derek's words.
"Maybe all you need is for your mind to accept it, and then your heart can fill in the gaps." Derek said with a shrug.
"Why do you always have good advice? I can't remember when you got to be so wise." Rain smiled softly at him.
"Not sure really." Derek smirked.
"Well...Thanks. You're the first person I've been able to talk to about this."
"It's what I'm here for Rain."
"I'm glad." Rain leaned against Derek and continued to think silently.
*****
June 15th, A.C. 216
It was the last day of exams at Rain's junior high. The teenage girl was sitting at her desk, playing tic-tac- toe with Samantha, the girl who sat behind her, while they awaited the bell, signaling that school would be over for the summer.
All of the students in the 6th period honors Chemistry class had already finished their exams and were allowed to do anything they wanted as long as it was quiet. Rain and her classmate had been bored, but lacked the mental power to do much more than play tic-tac-toe. The exam had turned their brain's into mush.
"Man!" Rain hissed as she lost the fourth game in a row.
"You may all talk now if you want. There's about five minutes before the bell rings." The chemistry teacher, Mr. Donner, announced.
"Yay!" Rain said with bubbling excitement. It was the last day of school, and her last day of junior high. That fall, Rain and her friends would move up to the high school where Jack and Derek had been attending for the previous two years.
Like the rest of her friends, Rain was beyond excitement. She could not wait to start high school. It not only meant that she had three years left of school before college, but it also meant she would get to see Derek and Jack more often.
The bell rang and Rain sprang from her seat. With one swoop, she picked her backpack up and had the straps over her shoulders.
"Have a good summer everyone. And good luck in high school!" Mr. Donner called as the students bustled towards the door.
"Have a great summer Sam!" Rain said as she ran out the door in search of her friends.
On that day, it had been a year and a little over a month since rain had been reunited with her mother. Things had finally started to feel normal. Two weeks after Rain had returned home, her vision had been fully restored. Rain had been very grateful. After the first week of only seeing shadows, Rain had worried she would never regain all of her vision.
The relationship between Rain and Relena had improved quite a bit. They were not as close as they could have been, but Rain no longer felt as though Relena were a total stranger. Rain had finally been able to accept the fact that her mother was alive, and a part of her family.
"Rain!" Chelsea waved from where she stood by a tree in the front courtyard.
"Hey Chels!" Rain called back as she jogged over to her friends.
"It's over! Goodbye junior high!" Katrina said as she waved at the building behind them. The small circle of friends laughed.
"We still on for GameDance tonight?" Alisa asked the group of females.
"Yep, 7 p.m." Chelsea answered.
"Cool."
"I have a score to settle." Rain said, referring to the previous laser tag game where Chelsea had killed her in the last thirty seconds of the game the week before.
*****
At ten p.m., Rain collapsed against her pillow. She had gotten home half an hour earlier after a vicious, but exciting game of laser tag at GameDance. Rain was worn out from a week of exams and a hard game of laser tag.
In the end of the game, it had been a tie. Rain had gotten Chelsea back for beating her the week before. Another game had been set for the following day to try to break the tie.
Glancing at the clock, Rain sighed. She had planned to stay awake until her parents returned home. Her parents were supposed to return around midnight. They had been away on a business trip for the Preventors. Rain was not worried about being home alone. Her parents would be back an hour after she got home. The young girl fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
*****
With a start, rain jerked awake. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the new amount of light while she scanned her room for the source of the crash.
The bedroom window had been smashed. Bits of glass lay on the floor, glittering from the reflected light of the street lamps outside. There was a large rock with a note attached to it lying among the broken glass. The young girl felt her heart thundering in her chest as she walked over to the rock.
Standing far enough back to avoid stepping on the glass, Rain leaned forward and picked up the rock. With swiftness Rain did not know she had, she was back on her bed, clutching the rock in one hand. There was a squeal of tires and Rain could see the reflection of headlights as a car raced away from her house.
After several long seconds, Rain was sure the vehicle was gone. Switching on her bedside lamp, she pulled the note off the rock. The lamplight was nearly blinding. Rain blinked to adjust her eyes to it before she began reading.
"Dear Rain,
Foolish of you to think you could fool me forever. Teresea Carson? You really thought I would not find out? I know who you are now. I know that you took Relena from me.
Did you miss me that much? Well, don't worry, I will be back for you and your whore of a mother. See you soon."
Reading the note once, Rain felt her heart speed up wildly again. Her hands shook so hard that she ripped the paper.
Without much more thought, Rain ran out of her room and down the hallway to the phone. In less than thirty seconds, she had reached the phone and had already dialed the number.
"Hello?" A groggy voice answered on the other line.
"Derek!" Rain said, her voice choked up with a fearful sob rising in her throat.
"Rain? What's wrong!?" Derek asked, sounding fully awake then.
"He's back..." Rain whispered as she sank to the floor in tears. "He's back...and he knows where I am..."
To Be Continued...
-End of Chapter 16-
Author's Notes:
Sorry Minna-san for taking so long to get this chapter up. I had serious lack of motivation. My muse was out on holiday I think. But it's back! So I managed to get this chapter out and will probably have the next one up soon since school gets out THIS Friday!!! YAY!
Please tell me what you thought! Arigatou Minna!
-AlyRain