Are You Here?

Chapter Four

Rain looked up to see Mai approaching her, with a worried expression. When Mai reached Rain, she stopped short, looking as surprised at Rain's wet face as she did.

"Rain, honey, are you okay? And...did you go swimming?" She asked kneeling down and looking her friend in the eye. Rain shook her head.

"I....I don't know. No. I am not okay." Rain said. Mai gasped, shocked at what Rain had said. Rain was always okay. Life was perfect for her.

"What do you mean? Not okay?" Mai said, stumbling over her words. Rain ignored Mai's question.

"Mai, what is death?" Rain said. Mai blinked, and Rain thought she saw a flicker of panic across Mai's face, before Mai shook her head.

"Look, Rainie, I have no idea what that is, but that isn't the problem! The problem is the fact that you aren't happy! You are our Queen! You should always be happy!" Mai exclaimed, a little exasperated. Rain was surprised, yet again. Nobody in her entire life had raised their voice at her. She was the only one who did that.

"See? You just did something weird." Rain said. "You just raised your voice at me. You have never done that before!" Mai looked visibly offended.

"Raise my voice? Rainie, I couldn't have. You're my best friend." Mai said, her voice raising a little higher than usual. Rai balled her fists, as a new emotion swept through her. This one was firey, and it made her want to scream. This emotion scared her more than the first one. She could hurt somebody like this. She had to calm down, she knew, but for some reason, that thought made her feel more powerfully emotional.

"That's just it, Mai! You did! How can you not remember what just happened? I cannot be the only person on the Syre that can remember things!" Rain screeched. Mai's eyes widened as she realized that her friend had just screamed, something she had never done before. She was frightened, and very confused.

"I don't understand." Mai spoke, barely above a whisper. Rain glared at her friend, who at the moment was feeling more like an enemy.

"Just...just go away! I don't want to be with you right now!" Rain screamed, and put her head in her hands. Mai gasped at Rain's hurtful statement, but was completely silent after that. Rain kept her head in her hands for what seemed like an eternity, the heat of her emotions slowly cooling off into yet another strange one. This one felt like a deep ache inside her chest. She wanted to apologize, something she'd never done herself before. Suddenly, she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. The ache immediately disappeared and the violent one burst to the surface once again.

"Go away, Mai. I told you to go away." She growled. The hand said nothing. "Mai!" She repeated again, "Go away!" The hand was silent. She jerked her head up. "Mai go-." Rain stopped mid-sentence. In Mai's place, stood a strange, tall man wearing clothes that she had never seen before.

"What?" She asked.

"Rain, baby. I was hoping that we could have a chat." The man said, in a deep, purring voice. A feeling crept inside of her, different from the other explosions of emotion. Unbeknownst to her, that emotion, if she had known could have saved her. It was uneasiness.