The sound of rain. To most, its a peaceful gesture towards sleep. A harmless and peaceful sound. This is usually the part where theres an individual and cliché contradiction to these ideas,but, honestly, I don't blame them.
It's soothing and relaxing... most of the time. You see, I have this minor phobia of rain. I don't piss myself every time I hear thunder or anything like that. It's just that, when I hear rain, I feel kind of...uncomfortable; for the lack of a better word. As a matter of fact, it's basically all I can remember of the day they were killed.
The sound of rain, the cold, the feeling. I remember wondering if that's what death felt like. It's funny...Ten years and, yet, I still can't remember anything else about that day; let alone, my parents. The murderer... was an enigma to me... He-er, well maybe- it was full of hate and I remember feeling it's cold hard stare. Why it didn't kill me, I don't know. All I do know is that It is not gone for good....
"C...."
"Cro..."
"Crow..."
"Crow!"
"C'mon Crow, wake up!!", a familiar, but very annoying, voice called out to me.
"Ugh...", I groaned while rubbing my eyes,"Come back later when I'm not studying the back of my eyelids."
"Ya gotta get up sometime. Its already almost noon!"
"Damn...", I finally opened my eyes and there she was- Sariah. My best friend for about seven years, i guess. She's really annoying. But for some reason I have yet to find out, I keep her around.
"What do you want?"
"You to get out of bed! It's the freakin' middle of the day and this is how you want to spend it?
I got up to sit on the edge of the bed and looked out the window of my room. Storm clouds, as far as the eye can see. That bummed me out when i saw it. "Doesn't look like a day to spend it any other way,". Saria gave me her trademark what-are-you-talking-about look and said, "You promised today we'd-"
"I know, I know. I know what I said.", I interrupted
"Then? What did you say?"
*sigh*"I said we'd go to the clock tower today."
"Oh, so you do remember."
I stood on my feet, imitated a soldier's stance, saluted, and mocked with a, "YES, SIR!"
Looking as innocent and harmless as usual, she smiled and walked out of my room. I sighed to myself again and, after a minute of debating, decided that i wasn't just going to plop in bed behind Saria's back. I got my clothes on: a red t-shirt with this weird cross-looking insignia on its left short sleeve, a black zipper jacket with the sleeves ripped off and a hood with the same insignia, some black jean shorts that a little worn, and worn out, yet still cool-looking, sneakers with white ankle socks.
Reluctantly walking out of my room, I noticed the other guys were gone from their usual spots in the halls. I looked around but couldn't find anyone. I shrugged and continued to the cafeteria.
There was no one there, either. Must be outside or something, I thought to myself. Eating my breakfast, I continued wondering why it was such a ghost town in there. I didn't see or hear anyone until I heard one of the duchess's servants come in.
This one was a good friend of mine named Grant and he was just coming from one of the doors to the outside. I stopped him and asked him about what was going on.
"Madam Bernaceaux has taken the rest of the orphans to the marketplace in town for the day.", he told me,"Since you were such a heavy sleeper, as usual, Saria suggested that you and her stay here and she would keep an eye on you."
"What! Now, Saria's trying to be my babysitter?! Nah uh! No way!"
"Now don't get into such an uproar, Master Crow. Saria told me that you and her had some where to be any way."
I gasped, "I just remembered!". Running past him, stuffing some toast into my mouth, and opening the door, I looked back and shouted "Thanks for the reminder, Grant. See ya."
I made my way towards Wallow Ridge Town, in the distance, on the beaten path that eventually led to the gate.
The town is kinda big to be called a "town". Its surrounded by a mote and four gates opening in all four directions (in other words: North, South, East, and West). It gets alot of visitors; for being in the middle of nowhere, that is. There was a lot of houses, shops, and inns to visit but none of them really interest me. What I'm interested is the tallest building in the town. The Midnight Clocktower.
The Midnight Clocktower was a huge building that was said to have finished construction at exactly midnight; which gave it it's name. The clocktower housed many different bells and gave a solemn ballad when it struck at midnight. Me, Saria, and our other friend, Tyson, had used the top of the tower as a hang out for years and swore that we'd meet there every other week. Saria liked to draw in her sketchbook up there and always says that the view up there gives her inspiration. I dont know. I guess I just like it because of the view.
But as I approached the town through the fog of the brewing storm, I could see the building towering above the somewhat low clouds. More pumped up than ever, I sprinted toward the gate.
