When the Rain Falls Silent

Chapter 2

I got back home after a few hours with Juniper. We'd fooled around, talked, and laughed, but she had to return to Celestria to help her mom and dad. When I opened the front door, Jules was in the kitchen, making our plates.

"Good, you're back! Wash your hands before touching your food," Jules nagged.

"I know," I rolled my eyes, heading to the sink. I glanced over and saw her pulling a rain predictor from her pocket.

"When does it say the next rain will be?" I asked, joining her at the table.

"It says it's going to rain in three days, but you know how unreliable these things are," Jules replied as we started eating.

"Why'd you even buy it? It's a load of junk," I sneered.

"I was desperate, Evie. I thought if I got one of these, I could plan better... protect you," Jules shot back.

The room fell silent.

"You're better than any parent, Jules. You could've resented me; I'm the reason Mom and Dad left. You could've left me behind, but you didn't. You've taken care of me, fought monsters for me—risked your life more times than I can count. I couldn't ask for more," I said, reaching out for her hand. Tears started welling in her eyes.

"I'd go to any lengths, Evangeline. Any lengths," she mumbled.

"And I'd do anything for you, Jules." I smiled, my own tears sliding down my cheeks.

"Alright, enough tears—let's eat before the food gets cold," Jules chuckled, wiping away our tears.

The next day, the sun shone bright, not a cloud in sight. I heard Jules humming in the living room as I walked in and saw her reading.

"Morning, Jules," I greeted her.

"Morning, Evie. Your breakfast is in the microwave. When you're done eating, get ready for school," Jules said with a smile.

"I know the routine," I chuckled.

After getting dressed, I waited at the bus stop until the bus finally pulled up.

"Remember, no using your powers at school," Jules reminded me.

"Alright, I love you."

"Love you too, sweet girl," Jules hugged me before I got on the bus.

At school, I kept to myself, as usual. My focus was on getting good grades and finding a good job after high school to help Jules with the bills.

In history class, I took my usual seat. Mrs. Robinson started the lesson.

"Good morning, everyone. I hope you're all doing okay after yesterday's monster attack. Let's get started," she said, writing a question on the board. "Can anyone tell me when the rain attacks began?"

I raised my hand.

"Yes, Evangeline?"

"Four thousand years ago," I answered.

"Good. Four thousand years ago, we discovered that during rain, our powers stopped working. That was also the year of the first recorded casualties," she explained.

After an hour of listening to her lecture, the bell finally rang, and I packed up my things, relieved.

In biology, Mr. Clarke was about to start his lecture when he looked out the window, his eyes widening. Dark clouds were rolling in fast.

"How? We already had an attack yesterday," he mumbled. The intercom crackled on.

"Students and staff, this is Principal Jefferys. Rain is on its way. School is canceled for the day. Go home and take cover."

"You heard him—go now!" Mr. Clarke urged us out of the room.

The bus ride home was chaotic. Everyone was scared; so was I. We'd just finished cleaning up from yesterday's rain. Why was it happening again so soon?

When the bus finally stopped, Jules was already waiting for me.

"C'mon, we need to get inside now!" she said, taking my hand as we ran to the house.

"This isn't normal, Jules. We've never had two rainfalls in the same week," I said, grabbing supplies.

"I know, but whatever's going on, we have to be ready," she replied as the rain started pouring down hard.

"Get in the pantry. I'm right behind you," Jules instructed. I ran to the pantry, and she shut the door after joining me.

"We're going to be okay," she whispered as we huddled together. I nodded, hoping she was right.

Suddenly, we heard a deafening crash. The house shook as something stomped through it, heavy and relentless.

"We have to move," Jules whispered urgently.

"What?" I whipped my head toward her, wide-eyed.

"It's going to crush everything. We need to get out of here and find another place to hide," she explained.

"Do you hear yourself? We'll never outrun it!" I whispered back.

"Evie, please, we have to try," she pleaded, her eyes fierce. I caved. She grabbed my hand, opened the pantry door, and we ran.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of it—a humanlike body with no face, just long, writhing tentacles.

It saw me.