Chapter 1: Rain
It was always raining.
Lourraine Silverstone sat on a chair in her room and looked desolately out the window. Thick, transparent drops of rainwater fell on her window, trickling so fast, to be replaced by new drops.
“The weather reports haven’t been so positive lately,” she thought.
It wasn’t as if she hated the rain, she actually appreciated the coolness it brought to the atmosphere. It had a soothing and crisp after-scent. But it had rained non-stop during the last few weeks. Something had to be up. She felt anxious at the continuous rain; it felt like a bad omen for her.
“Raine, come down for dinner,” she heard a loud call from downstairs.
She sighed and darted down the stairs.
Lourraine Silverstone had lived in Queensland, Australia all her life. It was second largest of Australia’s states and territories and it was wonderful place to live. Though it was much of an urban life, there was a large countryside not far from its capital city, Brisbane, where she lived. It was just a 20-minute drive from the city. From the highway where there were cheerful chatters from neighboring houses, her home was located in one of the little pathways that led to the forests of Queensland, Mooreshed Trail.
She didn’t have parents; she lived with her two Aunts, Suzannah and Brenda Silverstone. As a child, she was no different from everyone, easily slipping in school life. Aside from showing signs of developing a bright mind, she was just as childish and curious as her classmates.
By the time she was ten years old, she finally dared to ask her aunts about her parents. In her younger years, she had often asked about her parents but her, and they were surprisingly blunt and honest about it.
“It would be of no use to keep it hiding from you,” Aunt Brenda said. “So it would be better to tell you. But believe me that there is a great reason why this happened.”
She nodded in understanding and urged her to go on.
“Your parents left you with us when you were two days old. They were going to come back one day. But you had to be with us to keep you safe.”
And that was it.
A thousand questions sprang to her lips and she bombarded her aunts with them everyday. They remained firm, and they gave no hint as to where they might be. Eventually she came to accept it, relieved by the fact that her parents did not abandon her, but simply tried to protect for reasons she could never imagine.
Instead, her aunts would sometimes tell her little things about her parents. They assured her that they would come back for her.
“Your parents were very gentle people,” Aunt Suzannah commented. “Why, when I was with them, I always felt completely at ease with them.”
“What do they look like, Aunt Suzannah?”
“Well, I’d say they looked…” Aunt Suzannah paused, looking for the right words. “…rather beautiful, both of them. And let’s say…mystical.”
Lourraine marveled at the word. “Mystical?”
“Yes, mystical indeed.” finished Aunt Suzannah.
