RAIN

Chapter five

Lightning ripped through the sky, followed by the boom of imminent thunder. The rain had eased up for a moment. A slight drizzle gently tapped on the galvanized tin roof. The barking of the dog pierced the growing night. He was frozen, looking out the window. A figure holding a lantern drifted toward the house, with a white dog enthusiastically nipping at their feet. His heart was beating in his chest, a rising feeling of dread that he felt deep in his soul.

"It's my aunt. She's returned," Rain said from behind him.

Jet was finally able to move. He turned away from the window and the woman in a broad-brimmed hat, who continued toward the house.

"Will she be angry that I am here?"

He wasn't sure she was the worst of his worries. But now there were two of them, and this unnerved him even more.

"I will explain your situation to her."

"Thank you."

It was all Jet could manage to say. His throat felt like it was filled with mud. His mind was in tatters as fear continued to eat away at him.

The sound of a heavy boot plopped down on the creaky floorboards of the small porch outside the front door. A key rattled in the lock, and after a few agonizing seconds, the door flew open, inviting in a wild gust of wind that sent a scenic picture in an ornate frame flying from its nail on the wall.

           She stepped in and placed the lantern on the ground, water beading off her black raincoat. She removed her hat and hung it on a nail that protruded from the wall behind the door. She peeled off the raincoat, not paying any attention to Rain, and yet to discover Jet standing by the window. She stepped further into the room. She was a good-looking woman with a small frame like Rain's, but other than their petite size, they didn't bear much family resemblance.

           Her dark brown eyes turned to Jet. He held his breath. He expected her to show some sort of reaction to his presence, but the woman remained apathetic - another family trait she shared with Rain. She stared at her nephew as he stood there awaiting her response to the stranger he had invited into her home.

"Where did you go? You are wet!" she asked him in their native tongue. Her tone was cold and scolding.

Jet's eyebrows furrowed, a curiosity and worry seeping into him through the nervousness. Questions started racing through his mind.

"Coco got out and was running behind you. I went out to find him," Rain said, still speaking in their native language.

Jet was confused by the sudden change in Rain's story, the uneasiness growing.

"Oh? And you found something else, I see," she said with a nod directed at Jet. "Who is this?"

"He crashed his car out in the road. He is injured. I couldn't leave him out there." She inhaled, her body growing tense. Rain quickly continued, "He is from the Mannan family."

"Oh, I see," she said. She took a few steps closer to her nephew. Jet's stomach twisted with worry. She placed a hand on Rain's shoulder and leaned in, her eyes gripping his in a deep stare so that his attention belonged to her. "Rain, you know that we have our own troubles. Why would you bring a stranger into our home at a time like this? We don't want them to know about your uncle and his terrible deeds, do we?"

Jet felt his stomach twist violently. Thunder shook the house again. He looked at Rain, his eyes demanding an explanation from him. But he was too preoccupied with his aunt, nervously wringing his hands together. This family was certainly an unconventional one. There was an uneasiness growing in the room, and that sense of danger that Jet had felt before was quickly becoming more rational to him.