Bloom

April Showers

She stared out the rain splashed window, humming to herself: Rain, Rain, Go away; Come again, April day; Little Johnny wants to play. Thunder clapped over her head as another bolt of lightning, hotter then the sun, or so she had been told, crackled across the sky. It looks like the sky has a monstrous crack in it, she thought in amusement as another strike of lightning ignited the black sky. But with the continuous rumbles of thunder her brow creased, her eyebrows knitting together as she remembered her parents arguing about the threat of war.

"Edmund, we should send our children away! The threat of war is too imminent to chance our daughters' lives!" Her mother had proclaimed to her father, making Adeline jump from around the corner, where she was eavesdropping, at the severity her mother's voice held.

"Rosemary, please, try to think civilly. The South would never think of doing such a preposterous thing as waging a war over such a minute issue."

"But Edmund, dear, slavery is not a minute issue for them. For the Southerners, slavery is their life."

The conversation had sent chills up her spine, as it did now, as more thunder shook the estate and she heard, from across the hall, her little sister yelp and careen into her bedroom, without even knocking, as Iris hugged Adeline in fear. "Addie, is the storm going to make our home collapse?" Iris looked up at her with big brown eyes, speckled with hints of green. But Adeline, Addie as her sisters had deemed her, only knew that because she had seen her sister's eyes in the daylight. Now, of course, no one would even notice the sprinkles of green.

"No!" Adeline laughed at the silliness of such a thought. Surely she knows better then to believe that.

"Addie, don't laugh at me! It ain't nice to laugh at people, especially when they're scared. Don't yeah know dat?"

"Oh Iris! Your grammar is atrocious! You are beginning to sound similar to the country folk that come to the town market every Saturday! Lowering yourself to the middle class!" Adeline gave her sister a look of mock surprise, "It is not ain't, instead say is not and do not say dat, say that."

"That." Her younger sister proclaimed proudly just as another clap of thunder rumbled, shaking the red brick building as a tree branch lightly thwacked the window, sending Iris into a frenzy panic. "There is something out there!" She squeaked, running away from the window as Adeline heard her crawl back into her bed across the hall. "Julia," Iris called in a whisper to her maid. More of a playmate if anyone were to ask my opinion, Adeline thought as she heard Julia gently soothing a distraught Iris.

And she proclaims to everyone that spring is her favorite season. Hypocrite, Adeline chuckled as more lightning danced across the sky, followed almost rhythmically by a raucous of thunder. Father once told us the thunder was the angels playing ninepins. She smiled absentmindedly at the memory. A meek knock aroused her from her inner thoughts.

"Addie," a lanky girl with penetrating grey eyes and curly locks of brown hair leaned against the bedroom's door frame.

"Yes, Gardenia?" She asked, seeing her sister reflected in the water drop covered window as she continued to watch the storm.

"How do you feel?" At this question Adeline turned around, puzzled. "What I mean to say is, how do you feel about what Mother and Father were discussing?" Gardenia glared at her sister, her soul piercing eyes nearly making Adeline shiver. "I know you were eavesdropping," she added.

"How did you know I was eavesdropping?" Gardenia turned a bright pink, walking across the room to stand next to her older sister.

"I possibly could have been eavesdropping as well..." Adeline laughed, weaving her fingers through her younger sister's hair in affection.

"Then do you not think it unfair that you accused me of doing something when you too were doing the same thing?" Gardenia's laugh tinkled like chimes at Adeline's question.

"I suppose so, sister." Their eyes met as another boisterous boom of thunder made them both jump. "What if it's cannons?!" Her sister squealed, her voice reaching a hysterical octave.

"Hush!" The word immediately silenced her as Adeline ran a hand along her sister's round face, touching her pointer finger to Gardenia's nose. The younger sister snickered, pulling away from Adeline as Gardenia's face became serious once more.

"But what if it is so? What if the South does go to war with us, Addie? What will happen to us? What will happen to," she cast Adeline a cautious look before she continued, "what will happen to Lewis?" Adeline's face hardened at his name as her lips formed a thin line at the mention of such a detestable human being.

"Gardenia, you know as well as I do that I do not care about Lewis," her heart sped up as his name came off her lips, "I do not even care if he dies!" Her younger sister gaped at her, taking a few steps away from Adeline at the thought of such a horrid thing happening. Adeline's mind raced at the thought of it occurring. Shot down in battle, his grieving family, black mourning dresses, tear stained faces, she shook her head slightly to rid her mind of the troublesome thoughts.

"Why Addie! How can you say such a thing?"

"I just did, did I not?" Her sister glared at her, narrowing her eyes as she scrutinized her older sister's words.

"I know that somewhere in your heart you still love him," Adeline scoffed as color flooded to her cheeks. She turned her back from her sister as lightning illuminated Adeline's face, betraying her as it showed her blush. "You are blushing!!"

"I am not!" Adeline denied as a scowl formed on her face. I do not have feelings for Lewis! Why I never!

"Fine, you are not," Gardenia looked at her doubtfully. "But I know that something is coming, Addie. Whether you want it to or not, things are going to be changing." Another crackle of lightning followed closely by a symphony of thunderous rumbles sent both girls clutching each other in fear. Adeline pulled away from her younger sister, embarrassed by her childish act. For after all I am six years older, one should know better than to clutch someone like a sissy.

"Just because you are six years older, Addie, does not mean you cannot be afraid." Adeline glared at her sister, annoyed at the thought that she could have been talking out loud.

"No one said I was ever afraid, Gardenia. So, to set the matter accordingly, there will be no war and certainly, under no circumstances will there ever be a Lewis." She heard her sister snicker under her breath as Gardenia went back to her room next door.

Adeline stood near the window until the thunder had passed and all that the storm had left to offer was rain. I do not want to wake up thinking of cannons. She turned away from the window at the thought, walking toward her bed. Lightning whitened the window behind her as thunder shook the window pane, making Adeline jump in surprise.

The storm has only begun.