The Elementals: Nina's Rain

Preface

Smoke filled my lungs, the smell of sulfur burning the inside of my nose, as I sat there staringaround me at what I could only describe as Hell. Nina!! Nina Help me!! I heard my best friendcalling out for me as I ran toward her cries.  Suddenly, I tripped over something and slammedhard into the ground, smacking my head on the rocky terrain. Rolling over, holding my head, I situp. Man, that really hurt. Rubbing my forehead right above my eye, I look to see what I trippedover. Laying at my feet is my best friend Raven, all the light in her eyes was gone. She was dead.

I started screaming, crying, and begging for it to not be true, when a very handsome manappeared in a cloud of black smoke. He was tall with dark hair and yellow eyes. He said to me,Nina, you can't have her, she is mine! As he grabbed Raven off the floor, I lunged at him. Hewaved his hand and sent me flying over the steep cliff next to me. I was falling and falling, thetears rolling down my face, when suddenly......

"Nina, sweetie. Time to get up." My mother was knocking on my bedroom door as I awoke fromthat nightmare covered in sweat, still crying. I felt something drop on my head and reached up to see what it was when another drop fell on my hand. Bringing my hand down to look at it, I see a single drop of water on the top of my hand.Curious, I reached down to touch it and vanished. Absorbing into my hand, like it was neverthere. Weird. But, whatever. I walked into my bathroom to brush my teeth, take a shower, and get ready for the day. I looked in my mirror as I was waiting for the shower to get warm like I doevery single morning, but this morning where I hit my head in my dream was a small cut andhuge knot. It was already turning purple by the second. What the fuck!!! Did that dream real?Where was Raven? I was freaking out, just then my phone rang, it was RJ. Oh, thank God.

"Rave, are you ok? I had the strangest dream. It felt so real. "I rambled on for about two minutesbefore I heard Raven scream, "REGINA KAY!!" That got my attention. I hated that name."What." I said quietly. "Nina, sorry for using the forbidden name. I won't be in school today. I have all my homework. Iam sick." Raven says to me."Um, excuse me? You are never sick. You have not missed a single day of school since the2nd grade when you had to have your tonsils out. What is really going on." I questioned her, notbelieving her."Nina?" Raven's mom Regina was on the phone."Uh, hello Ms. Cade." I stammered."Nina, honey. Raven is sick and will not be at school. She has gone to lay down, we ask you giveher a day or two to get better please." Ms. Cade said very sternly. I barely managed to stammerout and ok before she hung up on me.

WTF!  That was super weird. I hopped in the shower, got clean, then got out and threw on mytightest blue jeans and my favorite crop top. Looked at myself in the mirror. Meh. I was five foottwo, petite, small curves, cause I had some hips, not a lot but some. My low back length red hairwith my new blue stripe that I woke up with two days ago was pulled up into a high ponytail andI put on a bit of mascara.

My parents didn't like me to wear makeup, but I could get away with mascara. It's funny thoughthey didn't say a single word about my new blue streak. Odd. A whole lot of weird stuff washappening lately.I ran downstairs, mom had gone out and bought McDonalds for breakfast, nice! I grabbed myburritos, hot sauce, and my large orange juice off the counter. Then went and sat down at thekitchen table. I ate in hurry, grabbed my bag, threw on my chucks, kissed my mom on the cheekand ran out the door to my 2019 Ford Mustang. I don't drive often because Raven likes to drive.I don't really care to drive. Threw my car in reverse and backed down our long driveway, headeddown the tree lined streets to NOLA high school.

I slowly walked into the front door of NOLA high school, my head down, staring at my feet. Myday was already messed up, because Raven Cade, my best friend in the whole world, texted melast night that she was sick and would not be able to pick me up today. That was surprising as inthe over ten years I have known Raven; she has not missed one day of school. Not one. And nowduring the last 3 weeks of high school, she's sick? It seems very strange.But then again loads of strange stuff has been happening to me since last night. I was piningaway over Declan Stonewall in my room last night and got super sad, cause there is no way hewould notice me ever. A single tear slid down my cheek and I swear I felt a rain drop fall frommy ceiling and hit me in the head. But I can't rain inside. I even got up to check if it was rainingoutside and it wasn't.

Then the dream I had last night was super creepy. I was in...well...the only way to describe it isHell. Yep, I was in Hell, and I kept hearing Raven crying and yelling out for me. The smell ofsulfur permeating the air as I ran for her. Then a very large, very handsome man stepped out ofthe shadows and said you can't have her she is mine. And with a swoop of his large hand, I flewaway, and I kept falling and falling. Just before I hit the ground, I woke up screaming. My bedwas soaked. And I swear it smelled slightly of sulfur still. I hope I don't have that dream everagain. Cause that man was terrifying.

I was shaking my head, trying to get the image of him out of it, when I turned the corner to mylocker and ran smack into Declan Stonewall."Watch where the fu...." He started to yell, I looked up at him as I scrambled to get up and thesecond my eyes landed on his beautiful green eyes he stopped. His cheeks flushed pink, and hereached down, grabbing my hands and helped me up. All while he was apologizing. "Oh, shit. I am so sorry Nina. Are you ok? I didn't hurt you, did I? I blushed hard, and took twosteps away from him, before looking back at him and saying, "I, I, I, I am fine, Declan. Thanks." I swirled around quickly and ran for my locker. I was soembarrassed. I started to cry a little, my cheeks burning of embarrassment. I threw my bag intomy locker and bolted for the restroom.

I flung myself into a stall and cried my heart out. There was very little people in the school yet,as it was only 7:15 am. I came to school early to avoid seeing Declan. But he was here. Why washe here? He is never at school early. As I was sitting there crying, I swear I felt it again.Raindrops on my head. I looked up above me and nothing. What was going on? I walked up tothe sink, splashed some water on my face, closed my eyes and composed myself. I looked upinto the mirror at myself.

Yep. Red hair, blue stripe. That was a new addition, it showed up after the girls and I performed agrounding ceremony, long story. I checked the rest of me out and smoothed down my clothes and was about to walk out when something caught my eye.

I jerked my head back to the mirror. My eyes! My eyes are normally this deep blue, almost oceanwater colored. But now they were like Caribbean Sea colored, almost...no...exactly like mynecklace. I shook my head and closed my eyes and looked again. Nope, just normal ocean-colored eyes. Did I just hallucinate that? Am I going crazy?

I have to get to Raven's house right now!!! She will know what to do.