Rain. (Lesbian story) (Completed)

Rain

Rain falls.

We don't get much precipitation here. It's been nearly a year since the last time the sky opened up. I'm actually a little surprised; before last year and now, it hadn't rained in over six years. Some think its insane. "How do you survive?" They ask us, bewildered. We shake our heads and smile. The answer isn't always the same, but the idea is.

They don't need to know.

Our survival doesn't mean anything to them, anyways. This landscape is barren, save for misfit patched of grass that have somehow sprouted here and there. Anything that attempts to grow dies in the first few days. There is one exception to this cruel rule of life...Us. We are here. We have thrived.

Aquifer. An underground source of water. Under this dry ground is a source of water like a lake, caged in by rock and dirt. They don't know it is here. We've made sure of that.

Some are surprised we aren't a region of modern industry now, but we're just a small town. There is no room for such a thing here. We all survive in one way or another, and it its their business. Why do they bother?

Curiosity is a strange thing. They should know better. Then again, it is their curiosity that makes this town thrive. We're small, yeah. No one wants to live in a town without rain or wildlife, but there are some lovely natural formations here. Photographers come here for their pictures, journalists write articles, people buy souvenirs. No one knows the truth about what lies under this town.

--

Today an unlucky journalist approached me. With a wad of gum in her mouth, she started pressing me for information on how we survived here. I gave her the unusual answers. "With a smile." I decided to tell her. "We import our water."

The woman frowned and smacked her gum in an unattractive way. "Sure you do, honey. But there are reports that say other wise..." She scribbled something down in that notebook of hers, and i noted that her fragile pale skin was being scorched by the sun.

I repeated myself. "We import our water, ma'am. Any other reports saying otherwise are false. I could take you to our town records and show you proof." I held a bit of a challenge in my voice, but with a friendlier tone I added. "You should buy sunscreen from the shop on the corner. It looks like you need it."

She mumbled something under her breath, eyes still trained on her journal. "Surely you've heard the rumors about your town, honey. That you have a special way of getting water." I began to notice that she was incapable of starting a sentence without emphasis. She was trying to play polite, but I could see through it. Still, I played dumb.

"I don't know what you're talking about ma'am. Why don't you take it up with the mayor?" I asked, knowing he could handle this. A visit to him and she wouldn't ever remember coming here.

"Listen kid," She said suddenly with venom in her voice. "Im not leaving here without the truth. There are rumors of people going missing and right before it rains here. Rumors of abduction and murder. Ill find out the truth, whether you like it or not." The woman turned and stalked off on those ridiculous high heels of hers.

Tourists are so impractical, I thought to myself. Have fun scouting out the truth in those shoes. Your skin will burn off by nightfall without sunscreen. I sighed. It was none of my business. i had things to do anyway.

At 9 the town meeting began. Tourists had already gone home, the city was closed of to non-residents at 8 during the summer months. Most left with burns and blisters. They weren't used to the heat like we were. All the better, though. No more fake-friendliness towards strangers, no more aggravating questions from reporters. Just another meeting.

"Jazzy!" A blonde woman shouted from across the meeting hall. She ran to me and embraced me in a tight hug, I was used to this from her, actually I welcomed it. She was my girlfriend after all.

"Jess. Sorry I'm a bit late. Who's our lucky guest tonight?" I asked, peeking around her shoulder. Usually there was a person from out of town to be incorporated in, but I didn't see anyone unfamiliar. I frowned and imagined actually having to import water. Yuck.

"It's a journalist from out of town, You'll love her! I hope she joins us," Jess whispered excitedly in my ear. She let go of me only to grasp onto my hand and lead me to the special guest, but after two minutes of maneuvering around other people, the woman was nowhere in sight.

Jess seemed confused. "Huh. She was just here a moment ago." Suddenly, the room across the hall opened and out came a seemingly happy reporter. It took me just a moment to recognize the face. The woman from earlier...

She appeared at home among all the townsfolk, but I felt sick to my stomach. There was no way... She couldn't have been persuaded to stay here, could she? I don't know. Mayor was supposed to erase her memory, not incorporate her into our town.

Then again, I had to trust him on this. He'd never been proven wrong before. See, most towns are full of people who don't care about each other, but that isn't our town. We're all a family. A cult even. Im sure he cares about us more than anyone. We'd never taken in journalist before anyways, so surely he had another purpose for her.

"Hello everyone. Id like to introduce our special guest tonight." Mayor said, gesturing towards the woman. She smiled winningly and waved, and I wondered what the mayor's plan was yet again. "Her name is Kayla Alles. You may have seen her walking around today."

It would have been impossible not to see her, I thought bitterly. She was asking everyone questions.

Jess' grip on my hand tightened. She could sense it, I knew she could. I could too. Mayor wasn't doing things the way he would if we were really welcoming a new resident. There were limited refreshments and snacks, and I notice some of my neighbors seemed to smile robotically, as if forced. Others had a patient but deadly look in their eyes, like cats ready to attack.

She was a sacrifice.

Our survival depends on the death of others. It wouldn't be necessary if they weren't curious. We could live in peace. The aquifer is all we need, after all. Those who search for the truth will find it. We'll give it to them, even if they have to walk through death's unforgiving doors.

I watched and followed as we brought her to a flight of stairs leading into the earth. Jess tensed up as we went into the cold passage. She never like seeing blood, but it was necessary that we all watch.

The woman- Kayla- began to realize something wasn't right. They laid her down. Held her there. Mayor held a knife; we all gathered in a circle and watched, some laughing as she screamed for help. It was her own fault, though. She shouldn't have searched for the truth.

"It got in my eye." Jess mumbled weakly, and I looked. Sure enough, the blood spurting from the now-dying woman's neck had gotten into her eye. She seemed about to faint, but I caught her.

"It's over," I said, seeing the journalist had stopped moving entirely. Her eyes were clouded over with truth. Death.

--

Rain is falling now as we head home. For the first time in over a year, pellets of watermark their way down my face. I looked of at my girlfriend who is using an umbrella.

I can't tell if she dislikes rain or the heavy price that come with it, but sure enough a different kind of water drips down her face and onto the ground below.

~photo is of Jess~