Rain: A Guardian's Tale

Chapter 1

        Crash.
        I sit up and look around my room. Irritated, once more, that my parents have managed to pull me, and no doubt Emilie, from our slumber.
         Knock. Knock. Knock.
        The fast paced rasping on my bedroom door sends my heart racing. I jump up from my bed to answer it.
        "What the - Emilie?"
         "Rainy, I'm scared. Like, really, really scared."
        My heart sinks as I watch her sobbing hard enough to make her tiny, little body shake.
         "Okay. It's gonna be okay. Breathe. Tell me what's going on."
        "The-the-the p-p-people took m-mommy and-and d-daddy. A-And they're c-coming after m-me."
        "Who's coming after you?"
         "The people, Rainy!"
         "What are you talking about? What people?"
         "The people downstairs."
        My heart stops.
         "Did they break in?"
         She nods.
          Why didn't they lock the door? Dad always locks the door. Mom always double-checks. Why wasn't the door locked?
         "Quick, hide under my bed. Don't make a sound. Do you hear me?"
         She nods, "Okay, Rainy."
         I suddenly want to cry as I watch her squish her tiny, five-year-old body under my bed.
         Suddenly, there are several big bang's on my bedroom door. I look around for a weapon I can use. Anything I can use to protect my sister.
         Should I text Cadence? What could he do? Get himself killed? Probably.
        A thundering hoard of feet coming up my attic stairs interrupt my thoughts. And I listen to their angry voices murmur to each other from outside my door.
        Quickly, I grab my pocket knife I keep inside my nightstand, and flip it open.
        "Didn't really want to use this, but whatever." I mutter to myself.
         The door flies open and a group of men enter the room. My grip tightens around my knife as I take a step back toward my bed.
         The leader of them looks like he could easily snap my neck like a toothpick and probably weighs 400 pounds of pure muscle. He's also older, which means, usually, there's experience behind him. The rest, well, they look like they shouldn't be guarding him at all. Scrawny, weak, and young.
         "Can I help you?"
         I feel my knuckles turn white as they grip my knife tighter and the leader steps forward, "Where is she?"
        "Who?"
        He growls, "Don't play games with me. Where is she?"
        "Who?"
        He growls again, bawling up his fist, and I try to keep my composure, "Don't play this damn run around game with me! Where is the girl?!"
         The only blonde out of the group steps forward, turning to look at him, "Ace. Raising your voice does nothing but set her on edge. We want her calm."
        Yeah, well, that's a bust. I'm in a room full of men. The last time this happened, I ended up in a psych ward.
         The blonde looks at me, "I apologize for Ace. He's new at this."
         "Screw you, Aaryn!" He growls.
        Ace looks back at me, "Where. Is. The. Girl?"
        "Tell me why you're here first."
        Aaryn takes a beep breath, "We know about your change. Others are born doing it, some are triggered into it. You happened to be triggered by protecting your sister. And we need your sister now."
        "But, if you're here because of me, why do you need her?"
        Ace growls once more, seeming to grow more irritated, "Enough." He turns to the group behind him, "Grab her. Search the room."
        Aaryn looks disappointed as he looks over at Ace. And as hard as I try to fight them, they're all too quick and too strong.
         "Ace, that's not necessary."
        "It is if we don't have the time. And I don't have the time for you two to have small talk!"
        Seeing me struggle was enough for Emilie to run out from under my bed.
        "Rainy!"
        No.
        "Emilie - "
        "Grab her!"
        "Don't you fucking touch her!"
        I begin to fight like hell as they begin to carry us down my attic, through the house, and then out the door.
        "Emilie, no!"
        I scream to her as the set her on the ground next to my bound parents.
         "No! Don't touch her! Don't fucking touch her!"
        They open the door to the limo they pulled up in, and I manage to scream her name one last time.
        "Emilie!"
        "Rainy!"
         I watch her sobbing face as I'm thrown into the backseat.
        I sit up to watch out the back window when Aaryn grabs my arm, "Don't look back there, Rain. The past is there, and I promise you, it's ugly."
         "Don't tell me what to do."
        Ace grunts, "Leave her be. She'll learn."
       I watch us begin to drive away when I hear a loud pop and I see my mother fall to the ground.
         "Oh my god!"
         I begin to cry, and Aaryn pulls me to him and away from the scene.
         "No!"
        Pop.
        Two.
        "No!"
        Pop.
        Three.
        And I feel my heart shatter into a million pieces.