Confident

25- Thunder

Thunder woke Brooklyn and she shot up in bed, her eyes wide.

She grabbed her phone and checked the time. 6:30. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. Another crash of thunder made her jump and she closed her eyes. When she had been taken by the man who abused and raped her, it had thundered the majority of the time.

She couldn't hear thunder without being reminded of that torturous week.

Brooklyn turned on some music and blasted it loudly, trying to drown out the storm. She was home alone, which made her more nervous. Her aunt and uncle had already left for work and Brandon had left the night before to stay round a friend's house.

Brooklyn hummed to the music and got in the shower. She showered quickly and dressed in ripped skinny jeans and an oversized purple jumper. Her hair was in curls all over the place and she didn't even try to contain them as she knew the rain would only make them worse.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph," she gasped when a loud crash made the floor shake slightly. Brooklyn took a deep breath and pulled on her black flats. She then grabbed her school bag and made her way downstairs.

Brooklyn searched the house for ten minutes for an umbrella and she came to the conclusion that it was lost. She then hunted around for her coat, grinning when she saw it. She picked up the floral coat and then walked out of the house, stopping immediately when there was a flash of light and a loud bang.

She stumbled back and sat down on the porch, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her head on her knees.

"You're safe," Brooklyn whispered to herself. "It's just the weather, it can't hurt you." A frightened squeak escaped her lips when there was another crash and she took a shaky breath. "It doesn't remind you of what happened. It's not thunder, it's just... It's not thunder, it's something else, it's a... A loud dog. Come on, grow some balls and walk to school-" Brooklyn covered her ears when there was another crack of thunder and she squeezed her eyes shut.

Her mind was going back to the room where she was chained up and left in the dark. She could hear his footsteps walking down the stairs. She could always hear when he was coming for her. They were getting closer and Brooklyn started to panic. Her breathing became rapid and her hands got clammy.

Brooklyn gasped when someone grabbed her wrists and her eyes flew open when she felt the sparks. "It's me," Harry said. "Relax."

"I... I... Thunder it... I-"

"Shh," Harry said, "you don't need to explain yourself."

Brooklyn jumped again when she heard another crash of thunder. "It just needs to shut up!"' She snapped. She looked at Harry with wide eyes and she willed herself not to cry. "When I was... taken... it thundered a lot and it just reminds me of what happened-" Brooklyn squeezed her eyes shut when there was lightening and she braced herself for the loud noise.

It never came.

Harry's large hands covered her ears and Brooklyn didn't hear the thunder. He then gently pulled Brooklyn up and guided her towards his car. The heater was on and the radio was playing softly. Brooklyn eyed Harry cautiously when he got in the car and shut the door. The car blocked the outside out rather well.

"You okay?" Harry asked after a silence.

Brooklyn nodded. "I will be." She flinched when she heard a quiet rumble of thunder.

"Don't cry," Harry said and Brooklyn moved back when he reached out for her.

"Don't," she said, not wanting to feel the sparks.

Harry ignored her and cupped her cheek, wiping her tears away with his thumb.

"It's not going to hurt you," he said, referring to the weather.