New Rain

I.

A/N

I've finally uploaded the next chapter - sorry about the wait. 

For those who have read the previous version, you may find that this one is very different - just a warning. And for those who haven't, well, I really hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Please rememeber to vote and comment :D

-Astrid

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//ONE//

The sky is overcast. The thick grey clouds spread out over the sky like a blanket, extending towards the horizon. Everything about today is grey.

I pass by a silver playground, the wind blowing the cold metal swings back and forth eerily. On a day like this, it's no surprise it's been abandoned. I can imagine that all the children have been kept inside despite their pleading to go out and play. Nobody goes outside when it's cloudy.

I look towards the houses that line the street. They all look empty - abandones - with each and every one sporting an identical metal exterior. Most people claim that usually, the city looks pretty; when it's sunny, the metal tends to glimmer and shine, like diamonds. But not on days like today. When it's overcast, people have told me that the metal looks dull and lifeless; the clouds in the sky casting a grey light that robs the city of its glamour, making it seem like a cold deserted scrapyard.

I don't agree with them. 

I catch a glimpse of some children peering out one the windows in a house to my right. They put their hands on it and lean forward until their noses get squished up against the glass, their breath fogging up the window. I smile slightly and wave.

They only stare.

Further up the street, an elderly couple is staring out their large floor to ceiling window at me. The lady's knitting sits forgotten in her lap as she watches me move down the empty road. Slowly, I notice more and more people at their windows, their faces wearing matching masks of shock and curiosity.

I know why:

No one goes outside on days like to today. It's practically suicide.

But I like the clouds - the way they transform the city into a shadow of itself. I like walking down the empty streets, and viewing the city without the usual crowds. It's like a whole other world. Plus, it helps me think - clears my mind. The silence is like a blank canvas for my mind, on which I can think anything, say anything and do anything.

Most people don't understand why I like it so much, and when they ask, I tell them, "Because it's beautiful." And it is. While sunny days cause the city to light up like a crystal palace, cloudy days show its raw beauty: the wind whistling in-between the houses like a melody; the symmetrical structures, sitting silent and waiting – waiting for the storm, waiting for the familiar hum of life to return to the city – taking on personalities, as if each one can talk and we can all share secrets that only we will ever hear.

Unfortunately, every time I step out of the house on days like today, I'm risking my life. And the further I walk away from home, the higher the chance of an early death. You see, this city of diamonds has a flaw – a flaw which is also the reason for its metal décor:

It's plagued by acid rain. And a cloudy sky can only mean one thing: the rain is on its way.

At any second, the grey sky could be overtaken by black as the aicd storm travels rapidly across the horizon. That's my first warning to go home, to get away as I fast as I can. My second usually comes in the form of roaring thunder or a flash of lightening just seconds before the clouds open up, sending a torrent of acid down on top of me.