The Nobodies

11: When The Rain Clears

© Amber Kalkes 2015

Song: "Nothing But The Water" By Grace And The Nocturnals 

Chapter Eleven: When The Rain Clears

I've always been an observer, even when I was little. Generally I'd grown up being rather quiet and in the corner of other people's lives. I followed behind my mama through her choices and then became a corner stone in my Gran's. It never bothered me to be someone on the side lines, in fact I liked it. It gave you position to see what other's couldn't or didn't want to see.

One of the things I'd learned through that casting of my character was that no one was the same when seen through different eyes. To most in town, Gran and I were seen as trash but we didn't see us that way. Gran saw us as strong women who knew things that other's couldn't comprehend. I saw us as a scapegoat. People weren't going to look at us and see something good when we could reveal the bad in others.

I knew how others saw me too. Ethan saw me as some kind of conquest. Newman saw me the same way but his intentions were based mostly on his own vanity. He wanted to say he bagged the town freak. Sadly for him, I couldn't say the same. To Gran I was a companion. To my mom, I was a much loved burden. To Seth...well, that one I was still trying to figure that one out.

Running a hand through my tangled mess of soaking wet hair, I swiftly diverted my thoughts from that subject. I didn't want to think about Seth, or the lack of him. All I wanted was to go on with my life as it had been before but the more time Seth had been away the less likely it seemed that was going to happen. I couldn't even sleep without thinking about him or, more specifically, his wolf.

Nights of dreaming about his hazel eyes, his thick gray fur and his low growl were setting me on edge. I didn't want to think about him but the more I tried not to, the worse it seemed to be getting. I didn't want this. I didn't want any of it and I suspected he didn't either. It would have explained his behavior towards me. It would have explained his leaving but it wouldn't have explained this damn pain in my chest. It wouldn't have explained this overwhelming longing inside me and that was probably the most frustrating thing of all.

As the house came into view, I let out a small sigh of relief. I needed a warm bath and maybe some tea after this walk. Maybe then I'd be calmed enough to scold my Gran properly for sticking me with Ethan. The thought had me grimacing. I still couldn't believe she'd do that to me. Oh who was I kidding? Of course she would have done that to me. She was Annabelle Marcum for heaven's sake!

A shiver moved down my body and I rubbed my hands up my arms to warm them up. Goosebumps lined my skin and with a glance up to the sky. I smiled a little when the sight of the stubborn sun trying to peek through the unbreakable line of dark clouds. When I looked back towards the house though, my smile dropped and my feet froze. On the porch and through the pouring rain, I could see a phantom on my front step and when its head lifted, I knew it saw me too.

I didn't know what to do so instead I stood there, looking like a drowned rat and staring at the large hazel eyed man before me. He stood up from his place on the stoop. He was dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans combo that had my palms feeling sweaty. I was suddenly forgetting about the reasons I was happy he'd been gone and instead let the longing take over. It was an unhappy revelation but one I couldn't ignore much. I had missed him. I had missed him so much and now that I was seeing him again, I didn't think I could hide it.

His eyes looked me over slowly, taking in every inch of what was visible to him. I was starting to get nervous with the look in his eyes. I couldn't place it but my body was warming every second it was left under the heated gaze. I went painfully ridged when he took a step off the porch and into the downpour.