The Light At The End Of The World

The Memories of Rain..

A few drops of rain fell and I can remember the day it was like to lose both my parents... It had rained on that day too and it causes the memory to play back in full force each time the sky opens up and rains.

I look up to the sky and the rain closed in around us Rain and tears mingle on my face, salty tracks blending into the fresh sky-fallen trickles. Only the pinkness of my eyes gives any clue to my sadness and Grace isn't close enough to tell. There is a heaviness to my woollen coat that was absent when I left Airville.

My anxiety was rising as I heard the voice of my old principal echoing in my head. Haunting me for the rest of my life. It was five years ago but I could still remember it clear as day.

five years ago......

I was in class, sixth grade to be exact. I was sitting in my english class listening to my teacher giving her lesson when my principal walked into the classroom and whispered something into her ear. She nodded, her expression going blank and her smile faltered.

"June Atlas." my teacher said my name and it looked like she was about to cry.

I looked up thinking that I was in trouble and feared the worst.

"June could you please step out into the hall with me for a moment please. I assure you that you are not in any trouble at this moment, Miss Atlas."

I smiled and followed him out into the hallway wondering what he was about to tell me. Nothing could have prepared me for what he was about to say next. He led me down the hall a bit then stopped.

"June, your parents got in a car accident and you need to get to the hospital."

I remembered my cheerful smile on my eleven year old face fall. And I froze directly in my tracks.

"What?"

"We received a call from the hospital about five minutes ago," he explained. "The only people listed in your emergency contacts were your parents, is there anyone who can bring you there?"

"Are they going to be okay?" I asked, eyes wide.

"I don't know," he responded. " I don't know anything about the situation. Is there anyone who can bring you? An aunt or uncle maybe?"

I shook my head. "No, no. There's no one else. How am I going to get there? I need to get there!"

"I can give you a ride since it's an emergency," he said, opening the door to his office. "I'll grab my keys and you can follow me."

I nodded, gripping my backpack tighter. He snatched his keys off his desk and then headed for the back entrance of the school. I followed without a second's hesitation, stepping out into the cold pouring rain. Each freezing drop stung my bare skin, and I had to squint to see through it. My principal guided me to his Mazda and I quickly got in the passenger's seat, tossing my backpack into the back, and snapping my seat buckle. He slid in the driver's side closing the door a little harder than necessary. I could tell he was trying to stay calm.

"Do you know anything?" I asked my principal.

He shook his head. "I don't, I'm sorry."

I pressed my head to the cool glass of the window, trying not to be sick as the world whizzed by me. My hands shook and I silently prayed for my parents to be okay. They didn't tell my principal anything on the phone? Didn't that mean my parents were fine? They had to be okay- they still had to take care of my sister and me. They had to be okay.

When we arrived, we pulled up all the way to the emergency entrance, allowing me to exit the car. "I'll be in the waiting area whenever you're ready," he told me.