The Search For Dakota Thompson

Chapter 6:

Rain.

It was the only thing to lull me asleep when I was small. In a funny way, I've always quite enjoyed the rain.

It reminded me that, although hectic, the small things in life have a huge impact.

Although it saddens the life of many people, rain also brings clarity and hope for other living things, like flowers.

I watched the water glide seamlessly over the small ledges of the window frame, until they reached the bottom, falling into the unknown.

After a while, I closed my eyes, allowing the gentle patter of raindrops on the glass to teleport me back to my childhood room. Back to simplicity.

A sharp rumble of thunder sounded far off in the distance, bringing my eyes to open. Lightening momentarily lit up Miami's dark streets, before it plummeted back into the darkness, in which it would remain.

Around me the room did the same, shadows danced on the walls for a fraction of a second before they were gone again. Like they were never even there.

Wrapping the thin piece of rain dampened material around my shoulders tighter, my numb fingers found their way to the dried blood left by the small cut on my neck.

I was bruised and cut all over, and was still in shock. I wasn't in pain, it was more like a dull ache throughout my body.

My physicality wasn't the only thing that was numb, my head was too. I couldn't think straight, nothing made sense to me. But my thoughts refused to leave me for a single moment.

Dark clouds hung low in the night sky, crying out for help. As I wish I could. As I would, if I wasn't so numb. Inside and out. I had no feeling, no emotion.

Nothing.

Just pure bleakness. In most ways, I was like Miami this night. Cold and dark, empty and alone.

After catching his eyes, I knew who he was and I broke. In that moment I couldn't be in that room if he was. 16. I was 16 when I lost my bestfriend.

It was a lot to take in. However, all that heartbreak and all those tears were pointless.

James didn't die, he wasn't killed, he didn't go missing. Nothing that I thought happened to him actually happened. He was in that room, alive. That's what hurt the most.

I fled from the building when he spoke, straight through the dark streets of the city, and ran into the emptiness. I ran until I couldn't any longer, until my thoughts were void and the rain stopped falling.

I didn't know how long I was gone for but something told me to go back. When I did get back, I was greeted by the small red headed girl, Ari. She handed me a towel and a thin blanket, directed me to this room and left without another word.

Moments later, knocking me back to the present, my loneliness subsided. It could have been anyone who could have joined me. Anyone in this moment, anyone but him.

"Calissa, may I?" He asked, his voice close to a whisper. Extending my arm, I gestured to the floor to my right. James sat down, the rain and lightening broke through the large window, casting shadows across his stubble lined jaw.

Once he folded his legs beneath him, mimicking my own, silence found it's way into the space around us, into the darkened corners of the alleyways and blinding lights of passing cars.

I refused to say anything. I had nothing to say. So I remained focused on the rain, on the city. On anything but him.

"You always loved the rain. Remember that one day we walked home and it started raining, but you just lay on that hill by the school until it started to get dark. You caught the flu and stayed home from school for weeks, but you told your mom it was worth it?" His voice took me by surprise, as did his words.