The Dream Crashers ✓

11 - Rain and Feathers

Stepping out of the main entrance of BCHS, I felt a drop of water hit my cheek and roll down to my chin. I stopped in my tracks and glanced up at the sky. Putting my hand out, I asked in surprise, "Did you feel that?"

"This is just great," Luke sighed, pulling the hood of his sweater over his head. I did the same.

The rain was falling faster now, causing dark spots to accumulate on the sleeves of my cardigan. The forecast this morning had been for high temperatures and sunshine, but now the sky was bleak and gray. A strong gust of wind whipped my hair around my head and caused the leaves to rustle loudly.

Other students who were coming out of the school building darted to the parking lot and jumped into their cars. No one had expected that they would've needed an umbrella today.

"Are you still riding with Seth? It's dangerous," Luke commented.

"I know." Glancing around, I spotted him fairly quickly, along with the other three. They were taking shelter from the rain beneath a massive oak tree. "Come on. I'll tell him I'm riding with you."

Luke brightened tremendously. "Great! I feel like we never see each other anymore."

His cheeriness caused me to cringe in guilt, but luckily he didn't see. Luke followed after me as I jogged over to the group, shielding my face from the rain with my arm. Mara greeted us with a glare while the others chorused a 'hello.' Luke pulled off his hood and shook the water from his blonde locks once we were under the safety of the branches above us.

Pulling Seth aside, I told him, "I think I'm going to ride with Luke today. I haven't see him in a while and we're probably going to catch up—"

"Don't tell me that after so long, you're still scared of my driving?" Seth said, like he was reading my mind. "I won't kill you just because there's a little water in the streets. We didn't spend so long training you for nothing."

"There hasn't ever been another attack. Whoever those guys were, they probably decided to leave me alone," I reasoned. "Also, now that we've been training in my dreams, I'm a lot more prepared."

"Not in the real world. You didn't forget about our combat training in my apartment already, did you? And it's good that you're starting to remember the things that happen in your dream, but don't get too confident. The last thing we need is for you to regress by quitting your training."

I was just about to argue that it wouldn't happen when I was interrupted by an annoyed huff.

"What is with this freaking weather?" Mara hissed, motioning towards the darkening sky. "It's halfway through April. I thought it was supposed to be eighty-five degrees today with a zero percent chance of rain."

Mara had her arms wrapped around her body, shielding herself from the biting wind. Her jaw was set as she kept from shivering.

"Have my jacket," Elijah said, already shrugging it off. He placed it on her shoulders.

"Did I say I was cold?" she asked him, but didn't remove it.

"Wait. Be quiet," Seth said, narrowing his eyes in concentration. Everyone turned towards him.

"What is it?" I asked. "What do you hear? I don't hear anything."

"Rory, for once will you shut up?" Seth whispered.

"Hey, don't talk to her like—ow!" Luke was cut off when Mara grabbed his arm so tightly that he gasped in pain.

Then I heard it.

Cawing.

"Birds," Seth mumbled. "Just like the first time."

"Like in the hallway?" Luke asked, rubbing her arm where she grabbed him.