The Girl in The Rain

Chapter 1

Hi there! I'm Elle Somnias, one of two writers of Stellae Somnias. Thank you so, so, so much for clicking on my story. Little to no editing has gone into this, so if you see anything that needs to be edited, feel free to comment. Lastly, if you enjoyed, please vote and comment! It would mean the world to me! Now, into the world of Zander, Rachel, and the girl in the rain . . . . .

Zander-

It was one of those days. Where the sky opened up and let lose a tsunami of rain. When you couldn't take two steps without soaking your shoes. It was the sort of day that could make anyone feel dreary and sluggish. A sort of day that ruined plans with friends because if he stood out there for even a second you'd be soaked to the bone. 

I stare out the window, watching as raindrops worm their way to the ground. My computer was open, playing some random YouTube video next to me. I slam it shut and jump off my bed, stretching. 

Kicking aside some clothes, I wander to my mirror across the room. 

My black hair was a disaster, falling over my blue eyes. My freckles are sprinkled across my face, and this one little patch of acne I couldn't seem to get rid of pestered my forehead. 

I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. I wanted to do something, I just didn't know what. 

"ZANDER, COME TAKE OUT THE TRASH!" My mom's voice floated up the stairs towards me. 

"COMING!" I shout back, tiptoeing over piles of clothes. My big toe jams into the corner of my bookshelf, and I grab it, hissing. 

I hop out of my bedroom, one-footed. The rain was pattering on the roof, an incessant background of noise. I flex my toe and set it back down on the ground, then jog down the stairs. 

"Hi, Mom," I say as I walk into the kitchen and open the cupboard underneath the sink. 

"Hey, Zander, sweetie." She said, looking up at me from her notebook on the kitchen table. "What do you want to eat on Saturday?" She asked, tapping her pen on the pad of paper. 

"Uh. . . spaghetti?" I respond, saying the first meal that came to mind. I reach under the sink and grab the dark green can. I tug out the trash bag and pull the drawstrings tight. 

"No, that's what we're having on Tuesday." She said, doodling a heart in the corner of the page. "Tell your brother he has to come down and do his homework." 

"I'm taking out the trash right now, but I will when if I see him," I say, tossing the garbage over my shoulder and kicking the can back under the sink. 

"Right, right. Thanks." Mom said, scrawling something in the notebook, then shutting it.

I close the cupboard with my foot and make my way outside. I swing open the door and sigh. 

The rain pounded against the ground, creating puddles that littered the yard like land mines. The sky was a dreary grey that matched my mood, and the sun barely shone through the clouds. 

I step outside, letting the door swing shut behind me. Rain immediately soaks my hair, making it stick to my forehead. I job across the driveway to where the trash can sat on the curb. 

I lift the lid, squinting around my hair. Then I saw her.

It was only a second, as she was racing down the hill on a bike. But time seemed to slow down. It felt like I could make out every raindrop on her jacket, every dent in her bike. But what I remember most about her was the look of pure elation on her face. Her whoop of joy as she sped past my house, the way she held her arms out like she was flying. Her laughter as she tipped her face to the sky. Her brown hair flowed behind her, the wind sending ripples through it like waves in the ocean.

And then she was gone, as swiftly as she had appeared. I stare into the space where she was. She seemed.....happy. Blissful. Her giddy laugh echoed in my ears, like bells. 

This girl was the polar opposite of me, happy and laughing to my dark and dreary. She relished something that would ruin anyone else's day. 

I had to meet her, this girl in the rain. Wanted to talk to her, hear her bell-like laugh again. 

But you don't even know her name! That pesky, logical side of my brain argued. How will you find her?

I stand there, pondering, for a while before it hits me. Rachel! 

I slam the trash bag into the can and take off down the sidewalk, splashing through puddles and mud. 

Rachel was a genius. If anyone could find the girl in the rain, it was her.