𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄- 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐃

𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄

𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐖𝐎𝐊𝐄 𝐔𝐏. Still in Rhiannon's bed from last night, she sat up straight, aware of her friend's absence this afternoon. She vaguely recalled something about Rhiannon picking up an extra shift this morning. She worked a few days a week at a record store a few blocks down. Not because she needed the money, but because Rhiannon enjoyed the social interaction, and the talking to people. Alana couldn't picture herself working a retail job, but Rhiannon seemed to love it, since she was so passionate about music already. 

The rain outside pattered gently against the window, which Alana found to be strangely comforting in a way. With Rhiannon gone, the room was silent, save for the sound the busy city outside the window, muffled by the downpour. Alana imagined people running down the streets, desperate to get out of the rain. She wondered how many of them had remembered umbrellas this morning, or if they had known that rain would be in the forecast today. Alana loved the rain. 

Rain cleansed. It washed away the grime of the city, the sins from yesterday. Rainfall left the world with a fresh, yet temporary sense of purity. Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if the rain was weeping for humanity, offering a temporary reprieve from the world. 

Alana chuckled and ran a hand down her face. She had just woken up, and the cynicism had already kicked in full force. 

She stretched, the warmth of Rhiannon's bed still clinging to her. Alana swung her legs over the bed, and shivered when she felt her toes brush against the cold hardwood floors. The events from last night briefly came back in disjointed segments-  Evangeline's anniversary, and the blood on her hands, now washed away from the rain overnight. Jackson didn't stand a chance against her, and he knew that in his final moments. Alana considered it a small act of retribution considering his role in everything. Deep down, she knew he deserved more than what he'd gotten. 

Alana wrapped a blanket around her shoulders as she padded over toward the window, tracing a lone rain drops path as it travelled down the window pane. The sound of rainfall outside was a form of constant companion to her solitude. The city she saw outside felt distant, like another part of a reality that she'd never full belong to. She reached over onto the nightstand, expecting to find another text from Spencer, but she frowned when she noticed he hadn't said anything since early yesterday evening. He didn't say much, but his text messages spoke volumes. Whatever it was he was dealing with on this case was weighing down on him. 

Alana knew she should keep her distance, but she didn't have it in her to care. After ten years had gone by, Alana had assumed that any of her happy emotions had been permanently dormant. Now, talking to Spencer had somehow made her feel again. Getting that feeling back after ten years of absolutely nothing was euphoric. It made him addictive, and Alana didn't want to stop. She wanted to keep feeling this way. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a genuine smile on her face, until now. 

The rain did cleanse, Alana noted. However, it also blurred the lines, making it hard to see what was ahead of her. Alana realized this whole time she'd been moving into uncharted waters, and there was no clear way back now that she'd already jumped in head first. 

Alana sighed and made her way into the bathroom, where she stood in front of the sink and stared at her reflection for a moment. She cocked her head to the side, remembering all that had happened over the years that had made her into this. Alana squinted, trying to get a glimpse of that girl she used to be- the one who had become nothing more than a stranger to her. But she was long gone now. Whatever innocence and naivety she had before, they had beat it out of her that night. The woman looking back at her had prominent dark circles, hollow cheek bones, and the ghost of a smile that had been long gone until recently. If she leaned over the sink and looked closely at herself, she could see the small scars on her face that she'd usually covered with makeup on a day to day basis. The face looking back at her had been almost completely different from the one she'd had before, no thanks to the dozens of fractures and breakages she'd had, which required her to have extensive facial reconstruction surgery.