Silence And Rain

Chapter One

Annalise watched as the rain streamed down her window, every so often glancing at the dark sky in a calm way.

Annalise loved rain. So did her mother. Yet when she was younger, she was terrified of storms quite like this one. She would run to safety in the warm arms that belonged to her mama. The older Italian would chuckle lightly and look her daughter in the face with soft, amber eyes.

"Perché tanta paura, il mio poco amore? (Why so scared, my little love?)" Her mother would ask in a light tone, stroking back the dark brown curls atop her daughter's head.

"La tempesta é forte, mamma. (The storm is loud, mom.)"  She replied, cradling her mother's hand.

Her mother would smile sweetly and kiss her forehead, giving her back a rub. "Non vi è nulla da temere, amore. (There's nothing to fear, love.)" 

They would head downstairs to get cioccolata calda (hot cocoa) and talk out the storm. They shared laughs and jokes, Annalise asking about her mom's job, and them telling each other stories. Soon, the sound of the storm would be distant and all Annalise would care is for the calm, warm voice of her mother.

Now, she loved storms. Clouds rolling in gave her chills of excitement, and when the lightning would come down she would grin. Thunder boomed overhead and Annalise didn't even jump, still thinking about the past.

Her mother was Chiara Sofia Russo, a single mother and famous fiction writer. Her job allowed her to stay home and care for Annalise while still working on a new award winning novel. Chiara never told anyone, but the first book she wrote had a character based off of her daughter. She thought the story needed a bit of Annalise's love. That same story won awards and fans all over social media loved the character "Anna". 

Annalise's father had left a few months after she was born, boarding a plane to see his parents. He never came home. Two days later, the news talked about a plane crash with no survivors, the same plane her father was on. Chiara talked about him a lot. Manuel Romano, a young daredevil with a passion for calcio (football/soccer). He won first for his team almost every game. Chiara said Annalise got her ambition and fighting spirit from her father. 

After his death, Chiara and Annalise became very close, watching out for each other and making each other happy. Anna would remind her mamma to rest when she was focused on a hard project and Chiara would help Anna with math problems. They shared laughs and smiles, but also tears. All of their days were together, and that's how it was until a little bit after Annalise turned nine.

Their house had caught fire in the night, and Anna woke up to the smell of smoke. She ran downstairs and saw her mother desperately trying to put out an ever growing flame. Annalise was screaming in fear and eventually she passed out in a panic attack.

She woke up in a hospital around two days later, desperately moving around and trying to exit the room. A nurse brought her back to the bed and calmed her down. Anna tried to argue but then realized something terrible.

She couldn't.

Scared, she gripped the nurses hand and pointed to her throat, desperate to know why no noise was coming out.

"Oh, honey..." The nurse gazed at her sadly, "In the fire, you inhaled too much smoke into your throat. It caused harsh damage to your vocal chords and..."

Oh, that's fantastic.

Annalise clasped her hands in her hair. 

 She was mute. She can't talk anymore. Annalise gripped her scalp in an aggravated way, trying not to cry. She needed support, something only her mo-

Something clicked in the back of her brain.

She needed something to write on.

The nurse noticed this and took a small notepad and pen from her breastpocket. Annalise took the tools and scribbled down the question.

Where is my mamma?

The nurse took the note and shook her head. "Your mother...she...she didn't make it out of the fire. She's gone. I'm so sorry."

Annalise was shaking uncontrollably. First the fire. Then she's diagnosed as mute. And now her mothers gone?

Her rock, her support, her best friend, her lifeline, gone?!

It was all too much for the little nine year old to handle.

Blinking at the black spots, she fell back onto the bed, slowly going unconscious.

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Silent tears cascaded down her cheeks as she remembered, streaming like the rain outside.

Silence and rain.