The Year Of Rain

The Hour of Truth. Part 1

The cold wind whipped her face, the road to her home being made harder by the thick layers of snow covering the sidewalk. She breathe heavy, her mind burdened with concerns for her younger siblings, a sense of dread nesting in her chest. She tried to shake it off. It didn't make sense; it was just the grief messing with her head. But it was still there, no matter how much she tried to deny its existence. Cars passed by her now and then, the noise giving her a headache. A black Honda Civic drove by, a tear rolling down her face, memories of expeditions flooding her mind, trips to the most remote and beautiful places in the country, smiles, arguments, laughs, jokes, all swirling in her head. They reminded her of the things she lost and could never get back. The corner where it all happened came into view and she averted her eyes, blocking the image of the crash from her mind. She won't go there again. Not anymore.

She wiped her face and continued her road home. It wasn't far, now. She could already see the familiar black and grey gate lying open, exposing the yard where Cecilia pacing through the layers of snow, gaze stuck in the ground. She seemed genuinely concerned about something, which only worsened Rea's own fears. As she got closer, she could hear some grumblings coming from her aunt, as if she were speaking to someone, but there was no one around and she didn't have a phone either. Could she be talking to herself?

The loud crack of the girl's steps drew the woman's attention. She looked up, a smile brightening her face.

"Oh, Rea! You came home? Why didn't you call me? I would have come pick you up." Cecilia said, going to welcome her and help with the luggage.

"May called me all of the sudden saying that I needed to come home. What happened?" she asked.

Was it her imagination, or did her aunt seem restless? And...wait...was there something in her shawl? Rea could swear she saw it move, but now it was still as a statue.

"Oh, that? W-well...we have a situation...b-but you..." Cecilia stuttered, having a hard time finding her words.

With concern eating away at her, Rea was about to ask her aunt to tell her what was happening when she heard a rasp, angry, male voice spoke from behind her.

"Grah! What's taking you so long?! Just tell her what's going on already!"

Angry and confused, the girl turned around to look at who was talking, her eyes growing big and her mind going blank when she came face to face with a dog-sized spider with a bald, human head. It stared at her, dark eyes and wicked grin sending shivers down her spine.

"Well? Aren't you going to at least say hello?" Patches asked, smiling at the look of distress on Cecilia's face.

Rea opened her mouth, however, what she let out wasn't a greeting, but a loud, sharp scream of terror, one which caused the spider to scurry away and her aunt to cover her ears, the dogs barking relentlessly hearing their owner. The next thing, she knew, everything was fading to black, the sound of waves resonating in the distance, scent of sea filling her nose.

(Y/N), May, what have you done this time?

✠♦✠

She was tired, sick of cowering in fear as she floated above the surface of the grey sea. She became numb to the fright, the voice screaming in the back of her mind to stay put, to not be noticed. No more. She wanted to see what was below, what hid in the depths.

"You don't really need to dive in.

If you want to see her, all you have to do is call.

Her kind is sympathetic by nature.

She'll answer."

"Nah. I'd like to take a few dips. It's been a long time since I enjoyed the sea anyway." May replied, moving her hands through the water, keeping herself afloat.