^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^
Rain tied up the lace of her boots as Lily walked down the stairs.
"Let's go," Lily said simply.
Rain looked up, moving a few inches away from her sister. She didn't say anything immediately. She just studied her, trying to confirm something only she could see.
"...You okay?" Rain asked carefully.
Lily blinked.
She tilted her head slightly. "Yeah…" then gave a light shrug.
Rain hesitated. "You sure?" She asked again. "You are not hungry?"
There was a small pause before she responded. "I don't think I am," Lily added. "At least not anymore."
Rain held her gaze a second longer, then exhaled through her mouth. "Good. Because I don't need you turning into a menace before school."
Lily gasped. "I wasn't that bad." Moving closer to her sister.
Rain scoffed as she grabbed her bag. "Yeah right. You looked like you hadn't eaten in years."
"I was really hungry." She said defensively.
Rain shook her head as she walked beside her. "You looked like you wanted to eat me next."
Lily gasped lightly. Then a real laugh escaped her mouth. The sounds of their laughter echoed across the hallways as they both stepped outside together.
^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^
They walked into the garage and got in the car.
Lily sat in front, clicking her seatbelt shut, and so did Rain. The silence inside lasted a few minutes long, then Rain pressed the start button.
Nothing.
She pressed it again. But the car remained unresponsive. Rain knitted her brows together. "That's weird…" she whispered.
Lily caught on. "What's wrong?"
"The car isn't starting." Rain replied, still pressing the button. She let out a sigh and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Maybe it didn't charge."
Lily leaned forward slightly. "Did you forget to plug it in?"
"No," she responded quickly, stepping out of the car. "I remember plugging it in." She walked around it, scanning for any issue.
"Could something be wrong with it?" Rain asked herself.
Lily pushed the car door open, her voice cutting through. "Rain," she called. "We are going to be late."
Rain glanced at the time, then quickly moved to the car, pulling out her bag. "Come on. We are not going to miss school because of a dead car."
Lily walked to her sister; she shut the door.
"Let's take the bus," she said with a smile, wrapping a hand over Lily's shoulder. Lily followed without protest, responding with a small nod.
They stepped out through the garage door, closing the door behind them.
The air hung still. The cold brushing against their skin. Thankfully they both wore jackets.
Rain's was blue and thick, while Lily's was yellow and slightly longer.
Lily stood still. Her eyes drifted towards the trees lining the far ends of the street.
Just watching. The trees were unmoving and dark. Even in daylight, the leaves clung together, preventing light from spilling through.
"Lily…" A tap on her shoulder pulled her back. "I've been calling you."
"S-sorry," Lily responded softly.
Rain stared at her for a moment. "Come on," she finally said. As they walked down the street.
The walk to the bus stop felt longer than usual. Not because of the distance, but the stillness that followed after each footstep.
There were no birds, no cars, and no neighbors.
Just them, as they walked hand in hand along the roadside. But Rain didn't bring it up. They just kept going.
Eventually, they reached the bus stop.
They waited.
and waited.
Five, ten minutes. Yet the road stayed empty. Lily swung her legs slightly on the bench. Rain just sat still beside her.
"It's late," Lily groaned. Her legs stilled.
Rain glanced at her watch. "It's not that late."
Ten more minutes passed, yet still nothing.
She stood up. "Okay," Rain muttered. "…something's wrong."
She walked out from under the shade. Her eyes bounced to each end of the road. But it was empty.
No bus, no cars, and still no movements.
"This doesn't make sense." Her voice lowered. Her gaze shifted back to Lily, her brows slightly tightened. "Did you notice anything on the way here?"
"Like what?" Lily looked back at her.
Rain didn't respond quickly. "I don't know." She murmured. "Anything…strange?"
Lily's lashes lowered. She remained still for a second, then her lips parted to say something.
"I.."
Her grip tightened against her sleeves.
Rain frowned. "What?"
For a moment, she looked like she was about to say something more. Suddenly…
An engine roared from a distance. Rain's eyes shot up. The sound rolled down the empty street, loud and too sudden against the stillness.
Lily's mouth snapped shut. Her head turned toward the direction of the sound. For a second, neither of them moved.
The pickup truck slowed as it approached them. It was red and familiar.
It pulled up beside them. Rain exhaled, she hadn't realised she had been holding her breath the entire time.
The tension in her shoulder loosened almost instantly. "Nora!" She called out excitedly.
Nora leaned out the window, her gaze flickered between them like she had already assessed everything. "There you are," she said. Her voice filled with certainty.
"I think we missed the bus," Rain said, her relief settling quickly.
Nora tilted her head slightly. "That's sad," releasing a soft chuckle. "Get in."
They climbed onto the truck. Lily fastened her seatbelt in the back seat, and Rain sat in front.
"What happened to your car?" Nora asked, her eyes fixed on the road.
"It didn't work." Rain said plainly, adjusting her seatbelt.
"Really?" Nora's brows lifted. "Same thing happened to Mason."
Rain stared at her. "It did?"
"Yeah," Nora added. "He called me, asking if I could pick him up this morning but changed his mind." She said, her other hand struggling to find a decent channel on the radio.
Rain's focus gradually drifted, the static from the radio pulling her in.
Lily's voice echoed. Unintentionally demanding her attention.
"Do you think it's because they're both electric cars?"
Rain glanced at her, then her gaze settled on Nora.
"Maybe…" Nora replied with a shrug. "It's the same brand, isn't it?" then finally gave up on the radio.
Rain gave a slow nod, slightly absent-minded.
For a while nobody spoke. Their eyes remained on the road. Nora checked on Lily through the rearview, then her eyes fell on Rain.
"...about last night?"
Rain's body instantly stiffened. "What about it?"
Nora studied her briefly, then looked away. Her grip tightened on the wheels. "Nothing," she said.
But Rain didn't look away immediately. "Exactly," Her expression was plain.
Nora slightly tilted her head. A faint smile slowly pulled at the corner of her mouth, "Good. Let's keep it that way." She stepped onto the pedals, as the car shot forward.
Rain noticed it.
The smile didn't seem like relief, nor could she tell if it was, worry.
The road stretched further down as the car went at full speed. Eventually, they arrived at school.
But the crowd outside surprised them even more.