The Property of Rain is to Wet and Fire to Burn (Part 1)

It was a sad day when the sun was smiling in Rain’s face. And yet, that’s what she woke to; the bright sun burning her eyes and irritatingly tickling her skin.

She moaned and rolled over, only to be greeted by her father’s excited smile less than 2 inches from her face. She let a low ‘eep’ escape her throat before hitting him once, then twice. Upon finally registering who it was, however, she paused, then swung one more time.

“Go away!” she whined, covering her face with her blankets. “Go away, unless you have coffee. Then you may be granted entrance into my lair.”

He responded by pulling the blankets off her, saying, “Your lair? Something is wrong with you.”

“Gee, thanks dad. I feel so great about myself now.” She sat up. “And where’s the coffee old man?!”

“Downstairs where I left it. Feel free to join me in a cup.”

He disappeared and closed the door just as she launched a full-scale pillow attack at him. “You missed!” he called back. And she gave him a look there’s no way he could see, but she was sure he felt it.

She sighed as she slid out of bed, readying herself as she did every morning before class; her usually routine feeling especially automated without any coffee in her system yet.

She finished and went downstairs just as her father had finished making a cup of coffee for her.

“I assumed you went back to sleep without your kick-start so I was going to be nice enough to bring it to you, but it seems the coffee fiend in you motivated you to get it yourself. Awww,” he pretended to wipe a tear away. “My little girl is finally growing up and getting her own coffee.”

“If you weren’t my dad, I’d have tons of rude, unfeminine like things to say to you right now. Just so you know.”

“Just saying that makes me want to ground you. Forever,” he grunted.

“That’s the great part about being an adult. You can’t. And what’s even better is that I pay my dues around here so I live under my own roof,” she said with a smug smile. She sipped her coffee and let out a satisfied ‘Aah’. Before long, her mug was empty.

“Great coffee Pops. Glad we had this talk.” She grabbed her bag, flung it over her shoulder, and headed for her car. She stopped when she reached the front door and headed back into the kitchen.

“You’re really not gonna talk to me over that old man?”

“Just so you know, I could ground you if I want,” he replied stubbornly.

“Okay. Whatever you say,” she laughed. “I’ll be back tonight. I have to work today,” she kissed him on the forehead. “Try not to get into any trouble while I’m gone.”

“I’m supposed to be telling you that!” he called after her, but Rain was already out the door.

When she returned home that night, all the lights were on. Every single one of them. Frustrated, she opened the front door, yelling, “Pops! Do you really need every single solitary light on?! You can only be in one room at a time!” He didn’t answer.

She dropped her keys on the counter and went on a search for her dad. She checked all the rooms downstairs, simultaneously turning off all the lights as she went, and headed upstairs. She went to drop her bag in her room first and noticed it was a mess. Not the usual mess she left it in either. Someone, probably her dad, had been in her room looking for something. That simply added to her frustration.

“Anthony Tyler Williams!!” she yelled her father’s full name.

She went to check his room and all her anger and frustration disappeared. His normally clean room was a mess as well. But that’s not what stopped her. What stopped her was the blood spattered on the walls, on the floor, on the ceiling. What’s worse is, after calling the police and checking the rest of the house, her father was nowhere to be found.

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