The Rain

Chapter Three

"Hold that thought," I said as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I was surprised to see 'Kristy' flashing on the screen. She was supposed to be in one of her classes right now. "Uh, hi Kristy."

Her jumbled screaming blared through the speaker.

"Kristy! I can't und- I can't- Kristy! Shut up! I can't understand you!"

A string of curse words trailed out the speaker. "Jackson, I'm coming to get you. Don't go outside."

"Huh? Why? I'm already outside. What happened to your class?"

Bailey looked over at me. "What's going on?"

I tilted the phone away from my face. "It's just my sister. She's going psycho."

"What do you mean you're already outside?" She screamed. "Are you not at the skating rink? Oh my god. Why are you not at the skating rink?"

"I met someone and we went somewhere else. What's going on Kristy? Why are you yelling?" I screamed back.

"I can't- I don't- Just go inside somewhere, Jackson! I'm coming to get you. Where are you?"

I tried to read some of the signs on the buildings beyond the boardwalk and across the street.  "I don't know! We're at some boardwalk on a ferris wheel! Let me ask Bailey!" I turned to look at him.

"Tell her we're by the Municipal Building." He said, leaning over the safety bar and motioning to the conductor to let us off.

"He says we're by the Municipal Building."

"Okay, I'm coming to get you. Wait inside and don't come out until I get there. I'm serious Jackson."

"Um, okay. What's going on? What's the matter? Why are you not in class?" I tried again.

"I'll explain when I get there. Just don't go outside." And she hung up.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and hopped out of the cart which had returned safely to the bottom. "My sister wants me to wait for her in the Municipal Building. I don't know what's up with her, but I'm sorry she's cutting our time short."

Bailey shrugged and put his hands in his pockets, walking away. "It's okay. I should probably be heading home soon anyway. I bet it's about time to start grilling and getting ready for tonight."

"Yeah, I think you're right. I'm still sorry about this though." I chewed the inside of my lip, walking fast to keep up with him. My nose was starting to get cold. "What were you going to ask me before my phone went off?"

He scratched the back of his head. "It's nothing. Just forget about it."

I cocked an eyebrow but stayed silent, sensing he didn't want to talk about it. The crosswalk sign flashed on and we crossed the street. I noticed the wind had stopped and that everything was dead still. The only movement was the cars zipping by in the streets. I looked up at the sky to see that the black clouds had reached the city and loomed threateningly just beyond the sun. If I didn't want to get wet like Kristy had said, we'd better hurry up and make it to the Municipal Building.

Bailey and I slipped through the glass front door, trying to look as normal and nonthreatening as possible. The lobby of the Municipal Building was fancy, with a fire place, potted plants, and extensively cushioned couches. I was sure they didn't think too fondly of two teenage kids coming into such a nice place with no adult. As if to confirm my thoughts, the man sitting behind the reception desk eyed us as we made our way to one of the couches.

Bailey sat down on a white leather one with a potted tree next to it. I sank into the soft cushions beside him, getting swallowed by the fluff. It was cold in the building, and the marble floors only added to the affect.

"Why did your sister call you?" Bailey asked, picking at some of the leaves on the tree.

I shrugged. Or, well, as best as I could from within the cushions. "She's supposed to be in a class right now and I don't know why she's not. She was yelling at me to go inside but didn't tell me why. It was hard to understand her and she sounded pretty panicked."

Bailey looked over at me. "Are you worried? Maybe something happened to your parents..."

I shook my head. "No, someone would have called me too, not just Kristy. And she was telling me to go inside. Do you think there was a terrorist attack or something?"

It was Bailey's turn to shrug. "I don't know. Your sister's weird, man."

"Tell me about it..." I trailed off.

We waited in silence for awhile, waiting for Kristy to arrive.  I tapped my feet to the beat of the song playing softly overhead and watched the cars drive by outside the window, the sky getting darker all the while. Bailey and I jumped as Kristy burst through the front doors, her hair and eyes wild.

"Jackson! Get in the car, now! We don't have much time."