Nameless [CURRENTLY BEING EDITED]

Chapter 15. A Promise in the Rain

The rain lasted for days, preventing anyone from leaving their houses without getting soaked. Rae and Ber desperately missed Nessa and cursed the storm. Liz, on the other hand, was glad of the brief rest as it gave her time to piecemeal her plan together. A plan to get rid of Nessa. Permanently.

Rae stared out the window melancholically, watching the rain, hoping against hope that there would be some sign of a break. But of course, there wasn't. She sighed and threw herself on the carpet, almost whacking Ber who was reading a book on the floor.

Ber rolled his eyes and moved a little farther away.

"Mom!" Rae called from the floor. "I'm begging you, can we go outside? We're gonna die in here."

From the kitchen, Mrs. Walker replied, "I told you already, it's too wet out there."

Rae face planted on the carpet, screaming into it. "BUT I NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE!"

"Please?" Ber joined in.

Mrs. Walker sighed wearily. "Put raincoats on and be back in two hours or I'm sending your father after you."

Rae looked up from the carpet in surprise then shot up like a rocket. She grabbed Ber's wrist, jerking him to his feet and ran to the door, shrugging on her coat and boots.

"Come on!" she begged as Ber struggled to find his coat.

She banged the door open and they sped through it into the chill air and dripping sky. Rae spun in a circle laughing happily as the rain spattered her face. She cocked her head at Ber, flinging her now sopping wet ponytail in his face.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She whispered as they slid down the muddy forest path.

A small smile crawled across his face, "Nessa?" He whispered back.

She nodded and ran a little faster.

It seemed like an hour but it was only half of that amount before they arrived at the pond, swamped over, the ground mushy to the touch. Nessa was nowhere to be seen. They squished through the mud peering hopefully into the thick trees that lined the meadow. Of course, they had not asked Nessa to meet them here, they had made no previous plans, but they couldn't help hoping that somehow she would be here.

Rae picked up a stone listlessly and threw it forcefully into the pond, watching the rings that reminded her of echoes in a cave. She paused a moment then threw another, grunting as she did so with the force of her throw. The stone sailed clear over the pond and landed on the opposite side, rolling until a sneaker stepped on it and stopped the movement.

Ber and Rae looked up startled, for there was Nessa, her hood pulled even more deeply over her face. She waved to them and Rae let out a barely contained squeal of glee and even Ber smiled excitedly as she jogged around the pond to meet them.

They wrapped her in a tight bear hug, ignoring the fact that they both were getting sopping wet.

"I missed you so much!!" Rae crowed, "I'm so glad you're here because if not I was never going to forgive you." she pulled away from the hug and folded her arms, glaring. "Never."

Ber rolled his eyes, "Yeah right."

"Anyway," Rae continued, wiping her sopping hair out of her face, "We're glad to see you! C'mon, let's not stand here in the rain. Hey! I know where we can go! That old treehouse, I bet it's dry!"

Nessa pulled her hood closer with one hand as Rae tugged on her other, leading them deeper into the forest. She didn't really want to go, but inwardly she sighed and followed them, allowing herself only the briefest moment of hesitation.