When It Rains

It was a beautiful Thursday afternoon now that my private tutor, Mrs. Potts, decided to leave earlier than the usual after noticing that the dark, gloomy clouds were beginning to pour raindrops. However, she did gracefully made an excuse that I was quick in learning today’s lessons and that there’s no need to trouble me with advance lectures and in a more desperate light, she also asked if I have any plans tonight since I’m wearing a shift dress, forgetting that my mother barely lets me out of the house but I let out a smile anyway.

I lead her to the door and tiptoed past the living room when a man’s voice startled me right before I even got to the stairs.

“I thought she’d never leave” he muttered. I paused momentarily before turning around, a huge grin plastered across my face.

“Jace!” I exclaimed, running towards him as he caught me with a hug, “How long have you been here?” I asked

“Oh… you know” he replied, raising an eyebrow. I noticed him staring at me but I pretended not to notice, “My, who are you all dressed up for?” he remarked, smiring with hidden arrogance.

“No one” I asserted, quickly avoiding his gaze

“Oh, so you normally dress up like this?” he snickered with a teasing smile, “Uh-huh. As a matter of fact, I do” I explained

“Right…” he only chuckled.

Jason came in my life when I was of the age of 14, two years after I got into a car accident with my grandfather. We were driving to their home to visit my sick grandmother when it started to rain, strong winds came out of the blue, blowing away those orange and dead leaves. I can still remember that freezing day, I never felt afraid of the thunder and the deafening pour of the heavy rain because my grandfather was with me - I was catching the leaves that were drifting with the wind when I heard a blaring sound and next thing I knew, blood was dripping from behind my grandfather’s head while he was embracing me.

We were in the headlines of our local newspaper and it said that lightning struck a massive roadside tree and fell on the road before my grandfather could even pull the breaks.

My mother was heartbroken and there was no one to console her but with me, I’ve met girls a little older than me who had their fathers taken away from them or their brothers shot by an arquebus due to unfortunate circumstances and they can’t do anything about it but watch. However, our friendship was short-lived and within a time, I felt lonely again and by some miracle, Jace came into picture.

I’ve known him since then and he never left me even after four years. He was a tall lad with curly blonde locks and has a smooth face; he constantly wears a white loose woolen tunic, a dirt-filled stocking and boots. He’s two years older than me and has a funny English accent. He’s sweet and quite heroic though stubborn and loves to work with his father in the farm and that’s mostly all I know about him because he only comes to visit when it rains. I barely know his family and friends and he told me where he lives but with my lack of experience from the outsider world, I could barely navigate where that place is.

We both head to the room: the only place at home where we both know he’ll be safe. Ever since that accident, I have never seen my mother smile or shed a laugh again and ever since that day, she has become extremely protective of me which explains why she doesn’t want me to go out of the house. Jace says its unfortunate and that it’s no different from his life.

My mother doesn’t want anybody near me except for Mrs. Potts that she even hides me in my room when the plumbers arrive to fix our broken pipes. I try to understand her and her situation but sometimes, she just cross the line.

“Didn’t you tell me that you’re sick of being here?” Jace uttered a little agitated, “I did…” I lowered my head, knowing where the conversation would be heading.

“That every single day of your life feels like a slow and painful death…”

“It is…”

“Well, have those thoughts changed while I was out?” he stood up, resting his hands on his waist

“No, God no!”

“Then run away with me” he firmly induced, just like the past few raining days

“How?! That’s impossible, Jace” I bawled

“Nothing is impossible if you want it so bad” he affirmed, “There’s nothing left for you here, only sadness and anguish for the rest of your days”

“Alright…” I hesitantly agreed, thinking of what might and could be when I heard a knock at the door.

“Eve, can I come in?” I heard my mother from the other side of the door. Jace and I quickly stood up and I hid him in my closet, “Stay still” I whispered and quickly sat on my bed, grabbing a book that was lying on my bedside table.

“How are you?” she asked, her eyes were teary and her nose was red and I know she has been crying. Maybe because she looks at me like I’m a sad person but only if she would let me out some time, then maybe I can regain some happiness.

“I’m alright, mom” I retorted nervously, “You?”

“I’m… I’m good” she stuttered, nodding her head as if convincing herself that she is alright. “I heard… I heard you talking… are you with someone… right now?” she asked again, her sweet voice trembling

“No…” I answered, hoping that she would believe me.

“Okay, well… I’ll be downstairs if you need me” she softly whispered before closing the door. I used to need her everyday, when I have my friends coming over, those same girls I talk to about their problems with their fathers and their brothers, of course they were peasants living in Lord Godfrey’s manor. I used to ask her assistance while I was bringing a pitcher of lemonade so we could have refreshments but in the middle of our conversations about how tiring laundry is or how their landlady envies their beauty and wants the them out, she suddenly started to cry and shattered all the glassware and told me stop.

“Who are you talking to?!” she used to shriek, crying loudly and embarrassing me in front of my friends but I tried to gather my composure and help her up, she’s just depressed I think to myself and pity her because she’s not in her right mind. But it was enough for me to know that I should never ask for her company when I’m with other people.

I never saw my friends since then and I felt lonelier until after a couple of months, Jace came in and after a few years, I fell in love with him and he told me that he also does.

Jace came out from the closet and continued to convince me about running away with him but I told him not today, not now that mom is curious, not now that mom is unsettled. Instead, we both lay down on the bed. He was hugging me from behind while I was staring at my bedroom window, the sky was already charcoal but the rain already calmed down a little bit, and I began to worry.

“Don’t leave me…” I begged, a tear flowed out from my eye.

“You know I can’t do that, Eve” he sighed, burying his face in my hair, “I love you” he whispered before he disappeared and that’s when I knew that the last raindrop has fallen from the skies.

I cried myself to sleep and woke up the next day with puffy eyes. I headed straight to the kitchen to prepare my cereal and poured a small amount of water for my cactus. I then went to the living room and turned on the telly before Mrs. Potts will arrive, and Jace was on it, wearing his farmer’s tunic. He is now in chains, held captive by the evil Marche Shadowmend.

“...you love someone, Jason?” Shadowmend made a sardonic laugh and Jace kept quiet because that’s what Shadowmend does - he takes the people you love away from you, “And you think you both can get away… from all the palace guards and soldiers?! Such a foolish boy!” he stormed

“That’s why I’m asking for your help!” Jace yelled desperately

“Ah! Desperate times… desperate measures” Shadowmend made a wretched smirk

“Will you help me?” he sobbed loudly, his sorry sad eyes filled with tears “Well, of course, I wouldn’t want to be a spoilsport but eh… should we discuss about the price” he grinned, exposing his rugged, yellow teeth.

That explains why Jace cannot stay, he has to be somewhere off, far from here so he can look for ways to help me escape. My heart is beating so fast - I cannot let him trade and sacrifice whatever he has left just to be with me!

I nearly cried when mom passed by and sat beside me, “What’s this show?” she asked, “You always love this” she commented and I secretly grimaced. I was quite offended that she called Jace’s life a show, a means of entertainment of some sort.

I kept my silence while mom handed me over a glass of water and poured a pill from a small bottled of Zyprexa. She said it is some sort of candy that will help me feel better but for me, it only makes me feel worse, especially when I realized that maybe it’s some sort of potion that Shadowmend created, then he hypnotized my mother to make me take it so I cannot see Jace, even when it’s raining.