~Rain~

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Dawn was breaking over the hill, and Alice was still sitting, legs crossed, on the cold, hard floor of the house that Cael and Taya had chosen for the survivors.

She knew she would be more comfortable on one of the chairs, or even in one of the beds down the hall, but she preferred to sit on the ground, where she could feel the chill of the floor seeping into her and the harness of the wall against her back. Here, she knew she would never fall asleep.

Now morning was coming, and Alice wondered whether today would be the day she would be finally meeting her father after all these years. Whether she would first have to do something to prove her loyalty to Taya and Cael.

That would be the type of thing Taya would do, of course. Make her do something she didn’t want to do in exchange for the information about her dad. Or maybe he was dead like the rest, and Taya had no idea where he was. For all Alice knew, Taya hadn’t seen him since they were eight, either.

There was a sudden, low creaking from outside the door of the room, and Alice looked up in surprise.

‘C-c-Cael?’ a small girl’s head appeared around the open door, and Alice got to her feet.

‘Shut up,’ she hissed. The girls face crumpled and Alice softened her voice, ‘Sorry. Cael’s asleep now, what is it?’

‘Who are you?’ The girl asked, eyes wide.

‘Alice. Don’t worry. What do you want?’

‘I want a drink.’

‘We don’t have any drinks. Wait until morning, and then we’ll see what we can do.’

‘But I’m thirsty!’ The little girl lisped, getting louder.

Alice looked around in fear, hoping the girl had not woken Taya and Cael up. Sighing, Alice made her way, barefoot, to the far side of the room. She rummaged in the pile of bags and things that had survived the fire. A bottle of water rolled out across the floor.

‘Go.’

The girl went.

Alice turned around, ready to settle back down in her cold corner of the floor and wait for the light to become so unbearably light that Taya and Cael would be forced to wake up. It was probably only five or six in the morning, but Alice was restless. Looking back over at Cael and Taya, Alice jumped and let out a tiny, silent scream. Cael was snoring softly, looking younger and somehow fragile in his sleep. Taya stared right back at her, Taya’s clear blue eyes meeting Alice’s grey blue ones.

‘You’re awake.’ Alice sounded level and threatening, although Taya saw right through it.

‘I am.’ Taya smiled, and Alice just about expected her to say something about the girl and the water, but Taya said nothing more.

After a moment of silence, Alice spoke again, unable to sit there on the floor, feeling the girl’s eyes piercing her from across the room. ‘Wake Cael. We need to go now.’

Alice had expected Taya to argue, or ask something of her, but Taya nodded slowly, smiling and reaching out to Cael. Taya’s pale hand rested on his shoulder and he jumped a little, before frowning at Alice.

‘Are we going now, Taya?’ he asked, also smiling.

‘Oh yes. We need to go to the other side of town. Towards the school.’

‘The schools on this side of town.’ Alice pointed out.

‘The other school, you idiot. The government school. Where Cael went.’