Strings || Jasper Hale

In The Rain

Whilst being cooped up in his small home, Creed felt the time pass all at once. The hours seemed to turn in the days altogether, and before he knew it, he was set to start school again on Monday. Now Sunday, he could hardly believe it. October was k over now, and the focus was mainly on the winter months and Christmas.

     Creed would never have said to be a good sleeper, but this night was worse than most. It could have been the nerves, but that was only a guess.

     The details of his assault haunted his mind and plagued his dreams, alongside the many other treacherous events in his life. Every moment was as clear as day, and caused his skin to crawl. It was uncomfortable enough for him to wake in a sweat, breathing heavily. His head ached, and he couldn't sleep again after that.

     His eyes flickered to the clock in his bedside table: 02:38. It would have been nice to slumber once more, there were still five hours or so before he had to leave for school. To stay up all that time was less than appealing, though, Creed wasn't sure he was much of a choice.

     Wrapping a blanket around his shoulders, he went to sit on his windowsill. It wasn't so large that it was comfortable to sit in, but Creed wanted nothing more than to look towards the night sky. So, he made do with all that was given to him.

     It was raining. It was the first thing that he noticed. If he had been superstitious, he would have seen it as a bad omen, but it was no secret that he, unlike his sister, loved the rain. A part of him found it to be oddly soothing.

     The droplets pounded against the pavement, echoing on the window beside him, Creed watched as they pooled into every crack and dip. He watched as they raced down the glass, in his mind guessing which would reach its end first. His thoughts rang constantly with unlikely ideas as he wondered what it might be like to live as a raindrop. It must have been easier. Existentialism wasn't a foreign concept to Creed in the slightest, but perhaps this was a little too far.

     Time passed, and the rain kept coming in thick and fast. It held him in a trance, completely enthralled by the beauty of it all. He wondered what the water would feel like on his skin.

     A small thing clicked inside his mind, so he scavengers beneath his bed for a pair of shoes that wouldn't be completely damaged by the water. His pyjamas would do just fine as he raced to grab his coat, though there was no one he had to beat. He didn't bother to button it up because he just wanted to get outside.

     The rain was cool on his hands. It soothed his soul as he sighed, content. The street lamps guided his path as he wandered with no clear purpose, but sometimes that was the best way to be. There was far too much thinking involved sometimes.

     Creed didn't have too many memories of his childhood, and of that he remembered, none of it was happy. Renée had been a strict single mother, leaving him and his sister with their grandmother as she worked. There were the few years with Rowan which always caused pain and sorrow, and even more so, he let it happen. But he remembered the rain.

     He started walking, quicker by the minute, in the first direction he was drawn to. The rain became heavier and pounded down upon him, his hair as soaked as his skin. It didn't bother him at all. He just wanted to find the memory and live in it forever.

     He was eight, maybe nine, in Ireland with his brothers. It was one of the rare times they were all together. Nick had taken his hand tightly as they stepped into the rain, Tom following close behind, and he remembered just how nervous he had been. They'd been told not to go outside, but Nick insisted it would be okay. Creed believed him.