The Cause

Rain came pouring down when I was drowning - prologue

The rain was pouring outside; it drenched my clothes, my feet and my heart was beating like it could come out of my chest any second. I wasn't just cold; I was alone. I was scared and alone. There were people around me, our friends, but she wasn't. She was all I wanted, all I have ever wanted. Where was she?

"Molly, where are you?" I screamed, the words just bounced off the brick walls. I knew she wasn't out here, but I needed to try. I knew deep down she was gone, but I couldn't accept that, if I accepted that then I was giving up on her and I'd made a promise I swore I'd never break.

We all knew she was hurting; I knew more than most. Nothing we could do or say seemed to cheer her up, nothing made her smile the way she used to. She was broken and felt alone, but she was never alone. Not one of us would ever leave her, we were all here for her now, looking for her, calling for her, screaming her name at the top of our lungs.

I knew why she would want to do this. I've thought about it plenty of times, but she has always been there for me to pull me back over the edge, I had to do that for her. I had to return the favour. I had to.

The rain, that's all I would remember from this moment, the way the rain fell. It mocked us. It seared itself into our skin, burning and taunting us. I knew I'd lost her, I knew I couldn't save her, but I had to keep trying. We all had to keep looking.

She said she would be out here; she said she was fine, happy even. We should have known. We should have known this was a lie, a brutal, heartbreaking lie.