IN ONLY 1000 WORDS

Story 1: Rain

~~Hey fam, this will be the first short story of many, all compiled into one book. Each chapter will be something new. My goal is to write 20 chapters/stories. Comment if you have an idea for a new story, or if you think I should tie them all together at the end. Don't plagiarize; that's just not cool. I'll try to update around once a week. Let's aim to get this book up to 50 votes!~~

World War Five. It was a terrible time. Bombs, death, destruction. The world was coming to an end. Everyone should've been inside hiding, and yet there she was, sitting on the ground in the middle of a thunder storm. He saw her from a distance; she looked almost like a ghost.

Pale hair, pale skin, white dress. He almost didn't notice it because of the rain, but she was crying. Hard. He approached her and asked softly, "Are you alright?"

She was shivering, so he placed his jacket over her shoulders. She pulled it tightly around herself. "Thank you." She said, so quietly that he almost didn't hear her. She was beautiful. Her pale pink, plump lips, and her piercing blue eyes stood out against her ghostly skin and bleach-blonde hair.

"Let's get you inside." He told her. He scooped her up in his arms and started walking back to his house. She barely weighed a thing. She must have been starving, like so many were these days. He brought her inside and placed her on the couch, wrapping a blanket around her.

"Do you want something to eat?" He asked. She nodded, the sadness seeming to fade from her eyes just a little bit. It was still there, but less. So he ran to the kitchen and within moments was back with a steaming mug of hot chocolate, and a sandwich.

She ate the sandwich faster than should be humanly possible, and drained the mug in seconds. She looked up sheepishly and put the mug down on the coffee table. "Sorry." She said quietly. She seemed so fragile, like she could break at the slightest touch.

"No need to be, I have plenty more cocoa if you want it." After refilling her mug, he sat on the couch next to her, noticing happily that her shivering had lessened. "Why were you crying? Are you alright?"

"My house got hit with a bomb, and my parents... they were inside." She started crying again, so he put an arm around her shoulders.

"Shhh, it'll be alright." She put a hand over her mouth in a feeble effort to stifle the sobs. "You can just stay with me for now. For as long as you like. I could use the company anyway; it gets pretty lonely out here." He said, trying to lighten the mood a little. "My name is Carter."

She attempted to smile at him in thanks. Wiping away her tears quickly, she tried to pull herself together. He grabbed another blanket for himself and held her delicately. "I'm afraid." She spoke after a while.

"Of what?"

"I don't know. The war. That another bomb will come and hit me too."

"Well then, I'll keep watch until morning; make sure no bombs come." She looked at him doubtfully. "I promise, you're safe with me." He said.

"Why are you being so kind to me?"

"Because..." He paused. "You seem like you need it. And I'm naturally a pretty charming person, I mean look at me." He mimicked a hair-flip, and she rolled her eyes at him. She let out a small, tinkling laugh, for the first time since they met. It was beautiful. He wanted to make her laugh more.

But she needed rest. She needed time to grieve. "Why don't you try to go to sleep now." He said, so she lay her head on his shoulder, and drifted off within moments. She must have been exhausted.

He held her carefully for the rest of the night, listening for bombs just like he promised. He only allowed himself to fall asleep once he could see the sun rising. When he woke up later the next morning, with her still in his arms, a smile lit up his face.

They might've met under dire circumstances, but he was glad to be with her. She needed him, and he might just need her too. It made him happy to be with her. This sweet, mysterious girl that he knew almost nothing about.

She woke up within minutes of him and said, "Thanks for last night. I'm a mess, I know."

"You look beautiful to me." He said in response. He saw the hesitation flicker in her eyes, before she pecked him on the cheek.

"I'm glad you found me." She whispered.

"Me too. I'll go make some breakfast." He got up grudgingly and went to the kitchen. He came back with two plates, but she was nowhere to be found. Out the window he saw a flash of white. More like a ghost than ever, she walked straight into the pouring rain without looking back. Soon she was almost out of sight. He had never even known her name. Her silhouette faded from view.

And that was the last time he ever saw her.

Or, it would've been, if he hadn't flung open the door and chased after her like a madman. He ran faster than he ever had before. No way in hell was he letting this amazing girl walk out of his life.

The End.