R.E.solve (Rain Experience Book 2)

by Thomas W. Everson

  Emma has been here every day, and I know she hasn’t been taking care of her shop. She’s intending to go with us. Driesen’s subtle attempts have failed and I don’t know how effective I’m going to be when I tell her she needs to stay in her own time.

  Lightning flashes and thunder cracks loudly outside. Out the window I watch as a downpour begins. Dark clouds have swept in fast and the park becomes drenched within a matter of moments. Through the heavy rain I can’t see the city. My attention is consumed by the rain and lightning while I reflect upon Ami and Agatha saving me, and my promise.

  What can I do to stop this vortex? My destructive, innate ability doesn’t help any. But I need to try harder to find a solution. I have a debt to pay. Evalyn might have some ideas, but though she’s softened up a bit, would she be willing to help?

  What about that idea of getting far enough away? We’d have to make sure there are no obstacles to crash against. But would it work?

  Emma enters the room and sits next to me, hugging my side. I wrap an arm around her for a quick embrace and then let go.

  “You looked lost in thought. Figured maybe you needed guiding back to reality.” She smiles innocently.

  Smiling back at her, I nod and look out the window again. “I was indeed lost. Then again, it’s no different from me being in reality. Most of the time I have no idea what I’m doing. I just bumble around doing what I think is right.”

  “Well, it’s the good intentions that count right?” She pokes my side.

  I let out a small chuckle. “Not really. It usually lands me in a load of trouble and hurt.”

  “But you risked your life to save me from Denis. That’s what counts in my book.”

  “I suppose so.” I let silence fall then speak again. “Did Driesen stop by today?”

  “No. He stopped by the shop when I was there last night though. Told me how well things are going. Seems like they have a solid plan for Chas’s recovery.”

  “Good. If he doesn’t stop by here again soon though, I’m afraid you’ll have to tell him goodbye for me.” I slyly broach the idea of her staying.

  “What do you mean?”

  “If he doesn’t stop by here before the house shifts through time, you’ll likely see him at your shop and you’ll have the chance to tell him.”

  “I’m going with you!” she proclaims.

  “Emma, I…”

  “No!” She crosses her arms and pulls away from me. “Am I such a burden that you wouldn’t want me along? I already talked to Aggy! I have my room picked out! It’s going to be down the hall from you, across from Evalyn!”

  “It’s dangerous Emma. I don’t know if I’ll be able to protect you.”

  “I know you’ll be able to!”

  This isn’t how it was supposed to go. She already talked to Agatha? Is that what the women have been whispering about?

  It might make sense Ami would allow it, since Emma doesn’t have those kinds of feelings for me. But it’s dangerous. I can’t just allow them to put her in danger, can I? Maybe I need to talk to Ami.

  Standing up, I frown disapprovingly at her and climb the stairs to the sewing room. Thinking about Ami, it comes to mind we haven’t been able to see Anselmo yet, and it’s something I want to do for her, the weather permitting.

  Upstairs, light beams from under the door. I rap lightly with my knuckles against the wood. Waiting and listening for a moment I receive no response. I open the door and peek in only to find her not there. I flip the light switch off and close the door.

  Down the hall there is a commotion in Eve’s room, followed by a thud against the wall. I fear Eve might be assaulting Ami, but pressing my ear to the door I hear snoring instead.

  Rather than go back downstairs, I enter my room. Flipping on the light I’m surprised to find Ami. She’s curled up with my pillow, asleep on my bed. Knowing full well if the other girls saw this trouble would start. I shut the door quietly.

  I bet she got tired while sewing and just wandered in here instead of stumbling down the stairs. But did she do it to cause trouble too?

  Not unfamiliar with sharing sleeping space with Ami, I take care not to wake her while I scoot her over. Readjusting the pillow I lay down, turning my back to her.

  I just hope I don’t roll over in my sleep and cling onto her. That would be a little awkward.

  The rain drums against the roof and window rhythmically and I drift off. But instead of sleeping and dreaming I fall into the darkness. Though it appears I am alone, it’s less unnerving this time around than previous times. In the midst of floating I’m met with waves and visions of despair. Due to my proximity to Ami, they’re hers. Things I already know come to the surface.

  “Why can’t I have a normal life? Why must I be stuck drifting through time?

  “What isn’t mother telling me about her health? It’s Evalyn’s fault by taking over her body. It’s making her weaker.”

  But while listening it becomes more personal.

  “I want Rain to myself, but what do I do if Eve wins his affection? I’ve seen the way he looks at her. How long will he rebuke her advances?

  “What am I supposed to do if he doesn’t want to be with me?

  “I thought we were becoming closer. I don’t know what happened. Why is he pushing me away?”

  It hurts to hear her pain.

  She is the one who saved me. She cared for me, taught me, took me out on adventures. Of course I like her, but she knows how dangerous it is.

  How can I ignore Eve when she’s begun to grow on me? She’s a friend, but I know she wants a lot more. It’s impossible to ignore that, and the more I’m around her the more difficult it’s becoming.

  Ami is the one to whom I felt attraction to first.

  I have to put a stop to their competing.

  Ami’s despairs become silent. I float along and the distant speck of light appears. No sense of urgency compels me toward it, but I creep closer. It feels like there is a warm gentle breeze blowing by me. When I awake, I am face to face with Ami and her warm breath is caressing my skin. Her eyes are not open, but in the darkness I can see a hint of a smile. When I move my hand to scratch an itch, I find our fingers intertwined together.

  She must have woken at some point and taken advantage of me choosing to lie in the same bed as her.

  The rain continues to pour, creating a gentle ambient noise. Lying here with Ami, I’m comforted from her despairs by having seen her smile and holding her hand. Sleep once again overtakes me and I drift off.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  My eyes slowly open on their own to light pouring in through the window. Ami is still here. As I come to, I see she’s awake, smiling and blushing at me. My heart skips a beat and I smile back. No words are exchanged for several minutes as we just stare into each other’s eyes. But our silence is broken by two distinct voices yelling downstairs. The yelling quickly turns into stomping and then heavy footsteps up the stairs.

  Before I can react and jump out of the bed, it’s too late. My door slams open. Both Emma and Eve are there and I see the anger in their eyes. Eve shakes a clenched fist.

  I begin to sit up, but I’m halted mid-way as Ami clasps my chest, burying her face into my neck. Looking sideways at them she wastes no time in seizing this opportunity.

  “Oh don’t worry, this is exactly what you think it is. And this isn’t the first time Rain and I have shared a bed! You remember, right Eve? You gave us that tent.”

  Ami! What have you done?!

  Eve and Emma storm over and grab me under the arms. Ami tries to resist, but they forcefully haul me down the stairs and toss me out onto a soaking wet lawn. My dry clothes cease to be dry long before the door is slammed shut. A click of the lock follows and I take my time, knowing I’ll have to walk around the house and hope either Agatha or Evalyn is in the kitchen.

  In the middle of hoisting myself up, a familiar large palm reaches to my aide. Driesen pulls me to my feet. I nod in thanks. />
  “What was that ‘bout?”

  “Women problems.” I shoot him a glance and he smirks with understanding.

  “We just gots done with a council session. I wanted ta see if you were still around.”

  “Not for long. That reminds me though. I wanted to ask you to keep our time traveling a secret. We’ve already interfered a lot, and I’m afraid if people learn about this, it might be a bad thing for everyone.”

  “That’ll be no problem. Your secret’s safe with me.”

  I shake his hand again.

  “We scraped together a few more resources for yous. Mostly food. It’ll be dropped off later.”

  “Thanks, but you really didn’t have to. We’ve been pulling things together quite nicely to last us another couple months.”

  “Eh, it’s no problem. Anyways, I gotta get some sleep before the next meeting.”

  “Keep an eye on this spot in the next few days. You might just see something amazing.”

  We wave and Driesen heads off toward the residential section of the city. I make my way to the living room door. Looking in the window I see no one inside. Rather than knocking to try for Ami or Agatha’s attention I move to the other side of the house. A perplexed Agatha stares at me through the kitchen window as I pass by. I smile sheepishly. She opens the door for me and before the question of ‘why?’ I just close my eyes and shake my head.

  Creeping through the kitchen quietly I listen for any sign of them. The coast is clear and I push on the swinging door slowly. The girls are nowhere to be seen. I bolt up the stairs and close my door. Footsteps thud to my door but I yell out while stripping.

  “I have no clothes on!”

  The door doesn’t open, to my relief. The stairs creak and I’m left in peace to finish changing into dry clothes. Cautiously, I open my door to peek out, and no one is there. I take care stepping down the stairs, avoiding the creaky spots. Voices can be heard from beyond the kitchen door and I can tell the three of them are going at it. Placing my ear against the crack I eavesdrop again. I have better luck this time around in hearing them, as their voices are elevated.

  “I’m going to make him choose!” Eve snarls.

  “He’s already picked me,” Ami taunts her smugly.

  “Neither of you can have him!” Emma bellows.

  “Just because you have a little sister complex and don’t want him doesn’t mean you get to tell me I can’t have him.

  “I won’t let him take forever. I’m going to push him along, and when he chooses to be my second, I’m going to take every opportunity to flaunt it.” The confidence in Eve’s voice is overwhelming.

  “Don’t be stupid,” Ami retorts. “I’ve already won, but if you want to waste your efforts, you need guidelines as to what’s appropriate.”

  “You both need them,” Emma says. “And the first one is that under no circumstances should either of you get in bed with him!”

  Silence from both Ami and Eve tell me they’re going to have a hard time with that one, but they finally agree and move on.

  “Okay. My turn. No initiating kissing with him, at all,” Ami states and Eve grunts loudly in disagreement.

  “How else am I supposed to greet him when he comes to my room in the middle of the night? With a handshake?” she says sarcastically. “Fine, my turn: no seducing him.”

  I am taken aback, considering her previous actions.

  “You’re one to talk. You try every chance you get,” Ami sneers.

  “Oh no. The rule was for you, not me.” I can hear the evil grin in her voice.

  “That’s not how it works, but since you said it, it applies to you too,” Emma says.

  I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t be hearing any of this, but I can’t pry myself away from the door. If they catch me, I’m going to get more than just thrown out on the lawn.

  “And if he goes into one of your rooms the door has to be open and the lights on!” Emma adds.

  Reluctant sighs come from both Ami and Eve and is followed by a synchronized ‘fine’. I stifle a chuckle but become silent when a new voice enters the fray.

  “And there should be no reason any of you should go into the bathroom and talk to him while he’s in the shower!” Evalyn cackles.

  “What?!” Emma shouts.

  “Who?!” Ami hollers. “Eve?!”

  “Whoa, hey now! It was once and it’s none of your business! And you, I don’t want to know how you know!” I imagine her pointing her finger accusingly at Evalyn.

  “Off limits! If Rain is in the bathroom and the door is closed, there is no reason for any of us to go in there,” Ami scolds. “Aunt Evalyn, no going in there as a spirit!”

  “I couldn’t help it. When I saw Eve sneak in after Rain, I had to know what she was doing.”

  “You listened to my conversation? Gah!” Eve yells.

  If they find me out here I’m a dead man. But I bet I can play a prank on them for throwing me outside.

  Tiptoeing away, I move to the front door, slip my shoes on, and creep outside. Around the house, I find the kitchen window and peer in. Their voices are still audible, but I can only make out every other word. I slink under it.

  I reach the door, put my face to one of the panes of glass, and breathe heavily to fog it up. I then proceed to press my face to it, grunt loudly, and bang on the door rapidly while jiggling the handle. All three girls scream and I can hear Evalyn break into hysterical laughter. Angry stomping heading my way indicates it’s time for me to run.

  The door swings open but by the time they’re outside I’m already in full sprint away from the house. There is a person coming from the commercial district with a cart. Before I can pass him I’m hit in the back of the head with something hard. I stumble and fall face first into the wet grass, soaking a second set of clothing today. A shoe lies next to me and I recognize it as one of Eve’s boots. Behind me stands an unamused Eve with crossed arms but before she can do anything else we’re interrupted by the man pulling the cart.

  “Are you Rain?” he asks.

  “Yes,” I groan and stand up, brushing my shirt off.

  “This is from Driesen.” He drops the handles of the pull cart and dusts his hands off.

  “Thank you. We’ll unload it and you can take your cart with you.” I nod at him.

  “It’s not mine.”

  “Oh, well thank you for delivering it,” I offer my hand in a handshake, but when he sees my eyes, he declines.

  “Well, I think we’re going to be just fine for a few months,” Ami blurts.

  Eve retrieves her boot, putting it back on her bare foot. I haul the cart to the back door and we spend a good portion of the day unloading and organizing the food. When we’re finished Evalyn prepares a chicken salad.

  We sit to eat our meal, Ami and Emma stealing the spots next to me again. We’re silent, but there is a lot of eye contact between everyone. They seem to have no suspicion I overheard them and I can’t help but smile.

  They all finish before me, including Evalyn, and stack their dishes. Ami points to me, and then to the stack. I chuckle and nod, accepting punishment for scaring them. It doesn’t take me long to wash the dishes after I’m done eating.

  In the living room Ami is sitting on the floor hunched over the table with several sheets of paper and a pencil. I watch as she sketches designs for clothing, but promptly crumples each sheet up and tosses it to the side. Either Agatha or Evalyn is sitting on the couch. From the musty tome she’s reading from I assume it’s Evalyn. When she looks up to see me there she hurriedly closes the book and disappears upstairs, leaving just Ami and I.

  “Coming up with anything interesting?” I ask, sitting on the couch.

  “Not really.” She sighs. “I’m having a creative block right now.”

  “Ah. It will pass.”

  “I know. It’s just frustrating.”

  I lean forward. “You know what’ll take your mind off of it,” I whisper into her ear.

  Looking at me puz
zled, Ami asks without saying anything.

  “How about we take off? Head into the city, maybe go check up on Anselmo?” I suggest.

  A spark of excitement grows in her face and she whispers back, “I’d like that!”

  “But we have to sneak out.” I look around cautiously to indicate the others shouldn’t know.

  “Got it!” She jumps up and puts her shoes on.

  Holding my finger up to tell her to wait, I put it to my lips and then point for her to head through the kitchen while I slip out the living room door. She nods in agreement and tiptoes to the kitchen. The latch clicks softly on the living room door. I slide out and close it behind me. I make my way around the side of the house, waiting at the corner to see Ami.

  Waving an arm, I work to gain her attention. Her eyes meet mine. I paddle my hands quickly like a dog in water, and then point with both fingers toward the city. She nods and I hope she understands I want her to run.

  Breaking into a sprint, she heads toward the city, her long green skirt flowing behind her. When she reaches the apple tree I follow after as fast as I can. Once I’ve caught up to her I grab her hand and pull her along faster. Looking over my shoulder, I make sure we aren’t being pursued. Ami stumbles a little but quickly regains her footing. We make it through the park in a short amount of time.

  Upon reaching the street surrounding the park, I think we can slow down and we drop to a quick stride. I let go of her hand and stick my arm out for her to take. She smiles and puts her arm through mine.

  Safely away from the house, we slow to a stroll, following the path we originally took when we were here previously.

  It feels like years ago. It was years ago. But it was only months for us. Time travel can be so confusing.

  Dusk begins to set in. Vendors and shops begin to open up. Reminiscing about our first date, I look around at the somewhat barren street and find it might be better with less people to dodge this time. But looking at the open stalls, I realize I don’t have currency to purchase anything.

  “I didn’t grab any gold coins from our stash.”

  “No problem!” She slyly draws out the card she got the last time we were here and waves it at me. “As long as they still take these, there’s still some left on it from before. How about we buy some ice cream again.”