"Come on Rain, we need to get the groceries back, it's chicken stew tonight". Lucas taunts his older brother. His innocent green eyes brim with hunger and excitement.
"I'm moving, I'm carrying most of the weight here squirt". A calm relaxed tone follows an apathetic sigh as he flicks the nose of his little brother.
"I can't wait, it's going to be so good". Lucas says struggling to hold back salivating over the idea of his mother cooking.
"Yeah, sounds like a good distraction from college. The last thing I need to think about is my grades". Rain's mind begins to cloud as memories of his recent results loom over him. Guilt and shame are bottled away as he tries not to think about the money his dad is spending on him.
"Don't worry I wont tell Mom, you're failing". Lucas mocks sticking his tongue out in the process.
"Haha, far from it I'm just stumbling a little". Rain says keeping his eyes on the sky to obscure his lie.
"Isn't that the same thing". Lucas' smile forms into a smirk as playful as the blonde curls in his hair.
"I swear gonna suffocate me with your humour huh, lets pick up the pace Lucas i heard from some of the other students there will be a strong storm tonight". Rain's bright blue eyes shift toward his younger brother, lovingly despite the constant jabbing.
"It's called love". Lucas smiles pulling at his eyelid, his eyes as green as the vast oceans. .
"Good excuse, brat. Your turn, have some bags". Rain scowls, chucking one of the bags onto Lucas with barely any warning.
"GOOD LORD, so heavy". Lucas sputters, struggling to keep the weight up, his knees nearly buckling in the process.
"Yeah, I bet, imagine what I'm carrying". Rain mocks, reaffirming his grip on the bags. After a while, they finally arrive at their estate stepping into their backyard.
"Mom, Dad were back". Rain and Lucas say in unison despite their obvious tonal differences. .
"Put the groceries in the kitchen, I'm prepping the stew now". Their mother says lovingly. Her fingers gripping the knife firmly chopping away. The same ocean green eyes are locked in concentration to provide the best meal possible.
"Your dad's outside working on the SUV, why don't you go and give him a hand Rain, ill geet Lucas out of your hair". His mother coos and chirps looking her son as she has done for decades.
"Yeah, stew"! Lucas chirps with glee. His ten year old hands quickly manage to stumble through washing the ingredients. The storm starts to brew with even more fervour. The clouds begin to darken to a smear of grey.
"Is it about my grades?". Rain says, his inquisitive yellow eyes see through the situation with ease.
"Go and find out. Rain, don't just sit here and speculate." His mother says trying to guide him without any more pain than needed.
"Alright, Mom". Rain replies slowly with a deep sigh ready to walk into an unknown inferno.
"Good. When you come back there will be a hot bowl of chicken stew waiting for you". She says, compassion emanating out of her pristine milky face lit up by the effervescent green.
"We love you Rain". She pressed her lips to his forehead.
"I know." Rain struggles to remain stoic through the raw embrace. Prepared to face the inevitable he steps outside to meet his father. Knowing full well what's about to unfold.
"Hey Dad, how are you?" Rain says nonchalantly, trying to gauge the situation. Droplets fall from the sky slowly.
"Really you going to go with the how are you dad route!?"His father yells through the curls of his brown beard. Strokes of grey make themselves known, evident of the stress he has been through.
"Rain, you're 20 and you're flunking college. How can you just nonchalantly say 'How are you' knowing full well you're wasting my money!" His father's temper is lost in his blind fury raising his voice a couple levels. Every chance he has given to his son, wasted.
"How am I, I'm infuriated! My son is wasting the chances and his potential by deciding not to put the work in." His dad continues to seeth pinching at the bridge of his nose.
"Dad I am, I've been busting my ass. I'm sorry, I'm spending as much time as I can right now studying!" Rain argues struggling to remain neutral and calm through the constant beratement. Leading his cool exterior to begin heating up.
"I don't want to hear it, you need to focus only on your studies now isn't the time for games. You waste so much damn time on those games. I'm sick of it!" His father roars out slamming his point home. His hands shake with anger hardly able to resolve the static in his SUVS radio.
"I'm stripping your room, there will just be books left."He says with a deathly quiet tone.
"DAD WHAT THE HELL I WASN'T KIDDING JUST ASK MRS. JONES!" Rain's anger rises to the surface finally, becoming an unstable torrent of waves.
"I don't give a damn what Mrs Jones thinks! She coddles you, makes excuses for you to my damn face even! It's time you pulled up your bootstraps and if you won't, I'll do it for you. Even if you hate me for it in the end!" His dad lets out a deep sigh remaining firm to his decision.
"I'm so sick of this shit! All the damn time, nothing is ever good enough, nothing makes you see me, I'm just a problem you have to deal with!" Rain's rage starts to boil, making his mind cloud further.
"I'M DROWNING DAMMIT AND I'M ABOUT TO JUST LET THE WATERS TAKE ME." Rain screams out feeling the pangs of sadness hit him in the chest. The constant pitter patter of the droplets continues to fall around them.
"QUIT EXAGGERATING THIS WOULDN'T BE A DAMN PROBLEM IF YOU PUT YOUR HEAD DOWN IN THE FIRST PLACE!" His father lets spit fly with his roar. His large forehead lighting up red from the blood pressure.
"I DID YOU OLD BASTARD!" Rain yells even louder. His yellow eyes glow fiercely as he lashes back.
*SLAP* A firm hand crashes against the side of Rain's face. A red handprint surfaces on his smooth skin.
"How dare you!" His father's face darkens with near disgust following his brow scrunching up from the flowing disappointment and anger. The silence was palpable, the only thing that could be heard was the constant downpour around them.
"Severe weather anomaly has been detected. This is not a drill, severe weather anomaly is imminent, Do you hear me, John!?" Rain's fathers navy radio buzzes to life, crackling with the voice of his friend.
"You need to evacuate Lapis immediately, this isn't a joke or a prank, there are severe floods incoming!" The voice erupts out of the radio trying to remain calm through the sights he's seeing unfold.
"John, I'm dead serious, you know I wouldn't lie to you. You need to leave Lapis right now. I will send the coordinates you and your family need to reach there as soon as possible. There is a way out of this." The voice cuts off finishing his message, the radio soon falls near quiet.
All that could be heard was the crackling of the radio and the persistent fall from the clouds above. Assaulting the surface over and over again puddles and miniature lakes started to form in the divots of the pavement.
A cold ripple went down both of their spines as they started to piece together the weather and what's to come. The downpour only continued to grow louder, dominating all of the soundscape, barely a breath could be heard between them as they froze in sheer panic.
"Irene Irene IRENE!" His father shouts out in a frenzy.
"Rain! Stay right there dammit!" His father barks out orders, rushing to his wife inside.
"Yes, what's wrong John?" She says lovingly, twirling her curls from his presence. Her blonde hair is the only order remaining in this bleak situation.
"We have to go right now!" John continues to frantically rush through the house with barely an explanation to his wife.
"But the stew is almost ready honey. There's going to be a storm so I made a hot meal for the family." Irene says confused, struggling to keep up with the erratic display from her husband
"Forget the stew! Forget the house! Look at me, have I ever done us wrong!? We need to go now I'll explain on the way, get the kids together I'll gather all we need. Rains already outside." His eyes turn bleak with desperation pleading with his wife to just listen to him.
The droplets form into huge hulking beads of rain, splashing down across the pavement causing the flooding to wreak even more havoc through the suburban estate.
"John! John! Can you hear me? You need to get your ass's asap! The flooding is getting worse by the minute. The suburbs will be under in an hour!" The radio on his waist crackles to life.