Burning Bridges

Chapter 3: Set fire to the rain

Chapter 3:  Set Fire to the Rain

(A/N: i'm back again and this is chapter 3!!! let me know how it;s working and PLEASE COMMENT, VOTE and FAN ME!!! XO XO)

Scarlett's POV:

It was five in the morning when I reached home. The skies were starting to clear and the pale pink light was faintly illuminating a part of the living room. I swallowed the small tightening in my throat as I came to terms with reality that was echoing all throughout the house…dad was dead and there was no way anything could change that. Despite knowing that, I could not resist the urge that beat against my empty heart, I could not resist that tiny light of hope…I tiptoed across the hall, exactly like I used to when I’d wake up in the middle of the night to a bad dream, and crept into my parents room. My mom was alive back then, my head calculated. In those days, I’d carefully open their door and stand in the doorway, looking at them sleep and then I’d slowly close the door, take water from the kitchen and retrace my steps back to my room. I realized that the simple fact that they were there was enough to help me feel better. But today, when I slowly opened the door, the dark room resonated with the blankness inside me. The bed was not slept in, the windows were shut, and the room bore no sense of comfort as it had when I was a kid. Instead, it looked frightening, empty and forbidden. I swiftly closed the door shut.

Tired and sick of the darkness, I ran to the living room and quickly switched on all the lights. Every light the house ever had. The sun was rising from the horizon when I went  up to my room, and I showered really fast and crashed in my bed. In my dreams, I saw faint images of my mom, dad, dark forests, the cabin in Chicago, Tristan and Nathan..all cluttered up into a hazy void as I tossed and turned, unable to sleep for even a damn second.

*-*-*-*

I woke up to a loud noise coming from my bed stand. My phone. Sigh. I reached out and clocked the time. One in the afternoon. Really? Had I been sleeping that long? At first, it felt like any normal day. I was about to get out of bed and get ready for school, when I realized that I’d already have missed school for today and that was when I realized that I’d already had my graduation day. That reminded me that my dad had not come to my graduation day. Dad. Then, it took just a moment for all of the ‘mishaps’ of the last twenty-four hours to come crashing down on me. It almost felt like the blue walls of my room were suffocating me. Feeling claustrophobic, and desperate for fresh air, I rushed to the window and thrust the window open with a bang, as the gust of wind floated right back in. It was cold and uncomfortable. There was no sigh of the friendly sun, that I had seen in the very early hours of the morning. Instead, the rain was pouring on. Dark and heavy clouds covered the sky. The grass in the untrimmed backyard swayed to and fro, almost as if it was enjoying the rain, almost as if it was making fun of me. I had always liked the rain. It always felt like a refreshment, like a respite from the daily occurrences of life…I always liked the way the rain felt on my skin. But today, I was not really sure.

I was suddenly reminded of how my Dad hated the rain. He said it felt too sticky, too wet. I could almost hear my mother say, in her unusually chirpy voice, “ewwww…it’s raining, Scarlett! put your coat on!”

Dad was not a big fan of this weather. I could not say if I was either right now. My head hurt and that was when I actually, finally realized that I really had no one in this world anymore. I never met my grandpa or grandma…neither did I ever meet any uncles or aunts…I always grew up knowing that my parents had nobody else in the world…except me. And that they were the only people who were related to me by blood…

Shaking off the disastrous feeling of loneliness, I grabbed my towel and took another shower really fast, put on some clothes, and went downstairs to notice that all the lights were still on. The light felt comfortable, homely. And right now, I didn’t even know where I belonged anymore.