Into the Storm

Prologue

White light illuminates the room for a split second, making me glance up from the book in my lap. A low growl comes from beside me and I catch a glimpse of glowing eyes as the light reflects off my dog's dark orbs. A loud rumble follows, and my dog turns to me, cocking her head to the left.

"Shhh, it's okay Lu," I murmur to her, while running my hand through her soft black hair, "it's just a storm."

I stare out the window, dark clouds coating the sky. The trees in my front lawn block part of the view, and the rain running down the window blur the tree's greens with the grey sky. Lightning flashes across the sky again, and Luna starts to whine next to me.

My gaze turns to the window, and I stare at the storm raging outside. Unlike Luna, I'm not scared of the sky. Storms don't bother me, they calm me. The sound of rain pelting the roof blocks out the rest of the world, the sound of cars driving by, people talking in the house. It all fades away, and it becomes peaceful.

I used to love running out of the house when the rain began to fall, the door would slam behind me in my rush to get outside. I would skip down the steps in my red rainboots, taking them two at a time. Then once my boots would hit the sidewalk I would be off, running through the rain, and splashing through puddles. I would come in the house soaked, but still happy and smiling.

That story of a girl running through the rain was me, but not quite. What if I told you it wasn't quite that perfect. And the perfect image you made up in your mind wasn't really how it happened? That those shining, red rain boots were actually dull in color and had holes in the soles, and that the house I ran out of wasn't quite a home. That the noise the rain blocked out wasn't a family, but were strangers. The cars driving by weren't cars but huge trucks that puff huge clouds of black smoke into the air. Making me cringe as it mixes with the blue sky.

When I'd come back inside from playing in the rain, I would be muddy, but one thing was actually true. I would be smiling. Though not for long. Once I walked back inside the house, my little kid sized shoes left muddy footprints on the floor. And I'd hear my name echo through the halls after Miss. Brown found the footprints.

"Brooklyn!" I would turn my head to look back down the hallway I had come from, my little kid mind not understanding why I was in trouble.

"Yes?" my high pitched voice would respond.

"Get down here!" the lady would yell. I would walk back down the stairs, still wearing my rain boots. Leaving a trail of mud as I walked. I would walk to the lady with my head down, staring at my boots.

"Yes miss?"

"Clean this up! How many times have I told you to stop playing in the rain?!" she said.

"A lot." I respond, my eyes brimming with tears.

Without another word she would hand me a towel and a heavy bucket filled with water and say, "You know the drill," while turning on her heel and walking away, disappearing down the corridor.

So as I got older I stopped playing in the rain, and instead on those rainy days I would sit inside with one of the few books I owned cuddled up by a window. And with each passing year, my life pretty much stayed the same.

When I was fourteen I found Luna. She was just a puppy then, curled up in an alleyway all alone. My heart immediately went out to her, so I picked her up and stuffed her in my jacket. I brought her home and begged Miss. Brown to let me keep her.

Miss. Brown wasn't really a mean lady. She was actually quite kind if you were on her good side and didn't cause much trouble for her-she hadn't yelled at me since I was an eight year old with muddy foot prints-so after much promising on my part she let me keep Luna.

After that I got a job. It was just a dishwasher at the local diner, but it paid enough for me to keep Luna fed and well cared for. And the owners of the diner were kind and let me have meals there for free, and boy did that beat eating at the orphanage.

Since then I've been upgraded to a waitress, and I've began to save money for when I can finally leave this town. It's been three years since then, and I've just turned seventeen. One more year in this place and then I'm out of here.

Author's Note:

Please give this story a chance, thanks!