One shots of the UnOrdinary kind

Like Lightning

It wasn't often in late Spring that Wellston would get rain. Even then, it was only a sprinkle of droplets that barely left the grounds below covered in a fine mist.

But today, it must've been a blue moon for it was currently a torrential downpour. Rain pelted against the glass in waves and chipped away at the fine layer of dirt that had accumulated on the sidewalks and streets.

In the far distance, you could hear the base of thunder vibrating through the air and view the briefest of flashes blinking through the sky.

While most stowed away inside, there was one who stood out on the roof, eyes casted to the dark clouds rolling overhead.

The rain had long since soaked through her uniform and into her very bones. But she didn't focus on it. Rather, she focused on the charge filling up the air, counting in her head the time between the lightning and the thunder.

The bow once keeping her hair up slipped away from her light pink locks. It slumped to the ground in a watery pile but was quickly retrieved by delicate hands.

Another flick of lightning.

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*BANG*

The thunder rolled through the air, practically rattling her ribs and the ground beneath her feet where she stood.

Yet she had never felt more stable.

It was the first time in months she felt sound enough to stand on the barren roof, rain whirling around her, cleansing her of these ravenous thoughts lingering in her mind.

She tilted her face up to the sky, closing her eyes as she let the droplets cascade down her face.

They washed away the grime, sweat and blood that had layered over time. They quenched the images of hungry flames that had once tore through her very flesh and charred her skin to a searing crisp.

Most importantly though, it soothed the burning ache buried deep in her chest, wedged far into her heart.

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*BANG*

In storms like these, it was a frequent sight to see her and an elder brother, jumping through puddles and kicking up the droplets all while lighting arched across the sky in dazzling branches. Other parents would think their mother crazy for letting her children frolic so freely while such danger lurked overhead.

But she knew. They all knew.

It's why they were taught not to fear the lightning but rather, enjoy it. To treat it as a companion deserving of respect and admiration.

For the two siblings, they may have had their mother to teach them the ways of conducting such force, but there truly was no greater teacher than that of mother nature herself.

She was unpredictable and chaotic, flashes illuminating the sky for brief moments only to vanish once more. She was fast, they learned. If they wanted to keep up at her pace, they would have to first match it.

All the while though, pink eyes never strayed from the sight of her brother, a beam of light twirling in the dark as he continued his childish play amongst the rain and clouds all while sparks of light danced at his fingertips.

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*BANG*

It was now that those memories felt so far away. Her once naive heart selfishly wished she had not yet known the pain of loss. She yearned for the days of her youth where they would dance in puddles and sit on drenched, grassy planes as they took notes from the oldest teacher they could learn from.