Library of Rain

Side Story 1

Sunrise had never enjoyed the dark before; it reminded her of being locked in that cramped trunk, forced to remain silent while listening to her mother entertaining guests. The stink of mold, the feel of bugs crawling on her while unable to brush them off for fear of making a sound, the sounds of moaning and grunting, she hated them all. But that changed when she met Rain, the only good person Sunrise had ever met.

Rain radiated a feeling of dark places. Just looking at her made Sunrise feel a chill down her spine and her heart race. But unlike every time before, instead of feeling scared or disgusted, Sunrise felt drawn in; she wanted to be closer to Rain to stand next to her for the rest of her life.

That was why this current situation wouldn’t do. Markson seemed alright. He had even tried to get her to come home and stay with him and his wife and son. He treated her with kindness. She didn’t trust him. Everyone at ‘The House’ pretended to be kind and caring, customers and whores alike. Sunrise had learned better than to believe it. Kind faces only lasted until someone realized they could do whatever they wanted without repercussions. She didn’t belong here working for Markson; she should be working for Rain.

Sunrise had turned Markson’s offer of a place to stay down not just because she didn’t trust him but because she was afraid that Rain would come back and she wouldn’t be here to greet her. So, instead, she slept at the warehouse. She had climbed up to a small ledge above one of the windows. It was small, but being high up made Sunrise feel safe. People never looked up. She had found high places to hide for years at ‘The House’ to avoid the people.

Sunrise perked up when she heard a disturbing creaking sound. Was Rain here? Unfortunately, it seemed that one of the doors had shifted for some reason. She slumped back down. Whenever she caught a shadow moving in the corner of her eye or heard a creepy sound, it reminded her of Rain, and she got her hopes up.

She should know better. Back in the alley where her mother had been beating her because she wasn't good enough for her disgusting father to take in, Rain had emitted a feeling far stronger than the simple feeling of being alone in a creaky, empty warehouse in the middle of the night. Rain's hair had floated like she was underwater, and her eyes glowed purple. Sunrise wanted to be just like her.

When Sunrise listened in on Rain and Markson’s conversation, she had heard a third voice promising to help her be close to Rain forever. She had almost barged in when she heard it. Unfortunately, the voice had disappeared, and she hadn’t been able to find its source despite a lengthy search afterward.

Still, she couldn't get its words out of her head, the thought of being with Rain, maybe getting patted on the head again. Sunrise's ears turned red. It was perfect. They didn’t need anyone else; all the filthy people could disappear. She only wanted Rain. Elizabeth the bastard lady, was no more; she was Sunrise, and she would do whatever it took to stay close to Rain, her hero.