A Bigger Splash

Rain never ceased to come at the most opportune of times.

I glanced up at the rickety sheet of metal separating me from the typhoon outside. A pitter patter of droplets bounced off the walls, only stray bits of thunder breaking up the constant hum that rain always brought along.

“Still think trekking up here was such a brilliant idea?” I muttered to the girl on my right, watching bits of rainwater seep through the sorry excuse for a ceiling.

Lilly shot me the same insufferable grin as always. She had left her hair untied today. The long, vaguely tangled brown mess stretched well past her shoulders.

Light green eyes, like stained glass, caught mine as she leaned back onto the floor. “Looks like we’re going to be stuck here for a bit longer than we thought. Though there's worse people to be trapped with than a beautiful girl. Right, Rin?” Lilly said.

“Speak for yourself,” I stretched out my arms besides her, feeling the subtle mummer of thunder from miles away. “Anything is better than being outside.”

From a logical point of view, lying down on the roof of a fifteen-story building in the middle of a typhoon wasn’t the smartest of ideas. Most of our classmates long since left or were hyping themselves up to take the plunge. Logic had never been my forte.

“So, Rin,” Lilly broke the silence, still staring out towards the never-ending rain. “How did you do on the pop quiz?”

“In math? Completely flunked it.”

Lilly scoffed. “Of course, why did I ever dare to think otherwise.”

“I’ll make it up during the end of the year and bring my grade up to a four.”

“Not a five?”

“Why bother? Even with a five my parents will find some other thing to yell about.”

“Rin…” Lilly sighed, “One of these days you won't be able to sleepwalk through life anymore.”

I unconsciously spun a bit of my long black hair around, feeling the smooth strands glide like ice along my skin. “Maybe…”

Lilly stayed quiet for a moment before leaping off the ground with a display of athleticism no other person who attended this school could display. “Well, to celebrate your spectacular failure, you want to grab a bite to eat?”

“I guess. Since when do I say no to food?” I rose to my feet in a noticeably less athletic way than Lilly. “Saying that, what place is crazy enough to stay open in this?”

“Nothing local…” Lilly pondered, eyes staring out toward the storm as she thought.

“WcDonalds!” We both shouted at the same time.

It was perfect. A little typhoon wasn’t nearly enough to get an American burger place to close its doors; they wouldn't give up any amount of money so easily. The only problem was getting there.

“Please say you have an umbrella. You wouldn’t let a girl get her hair wet during a storm like this!” Lilly asked with a sense of hope in her voice.

“Do I seem like the kind of dude to carry an umbrella?” I got mistaken as a girl enough as it was, I didn’t need to add to the baggage.

“Well, you have me for inspiration, maybe some good habits rubbed off?” She said with a sly grin.

“You’re so funny,” I rolled my eyes. Lilly never would miss an opportunity to mention my long black hair.

In the past more than one dude had been confused enough to ask me on a date, something which Lilly found to be absolutely hilarious. I couldn’t tell if it was the long hair, my androgynous features, or the annoying way my body refused to look anything but dainty. Yet I didn't want to change a single thing.

“And humble,” Lilly shot me another smug grin before throwing the door downstairs open. With a flick of her ankles she climbed onto the railing, balancing on the slim metal pole. “You coming? Or are you going to force poor old me to eat enough food for the both of us?”

“You’ll steal half my plate before I can blink.”

“You say steal, I say permanently borrow,” Lilly said.

“How do you permanently borrow food?” I rolled my eyes and ran after Lilly as she started to slide down the railings.

Our race, if you could even call it that, ended in Lilly waiting for me at the bottom of the stars. Here I was panting, leaning against the wall as my heart beat out of my chest. All while Lilly laughed at my suffering.

“Slowpoke,”

“Show off,” I closed my eyes and let my heart slow its thumping a little.

Our school’s entrance hall felt barren. Underneath the buzzing lights, a half dozen people huddled near the exit, all nervously watching the weather outside. Even the typically stuffed umbrella stands were clean.

I took my umbrella out and tossed Lilly hers before giving the street outside a proper look. Rain hammered the concrete roads. The winds blew with such a force that the metal street signs swayed like flags. I wasn’t one to flinch, but the way trash flew outside caused me to pause.

“That’s it?” Lilly twirled her umbrella around like a baton. “For all that thunder, I was expecting more.”

“Still looks like a pain,” I said, opening my umbrella and taking my first steps into the storm. “Feels like one too.”

With a single gust my umbrella immediately flipped upside down, trying its hardest to escape from me. I gave a slight shiver as water soaked through my clothes. “I’ve been in pools drier than this.”

“The rain looks good on you,” Lilly said, stepping out beside me. Her umbrella didn’t have the guts to break itself in the wind. “It has that western aesthetic, like a lost heroine facing her fears for the first time."

Lilly never had been the kind of person to let small things like typhoons bother her. If a thousand people dared to venture out in the rain, she would find a way to be the last one standing.

“Cute girls and thunderstorms, there's not a better combo!” Lilly darted into the run with a smile on her face. “Last one there pays for dinner.”

I sighed, letting a grin sprout. “If you insist.”

We dashed into the storm, endless floods falling from the sky. The brief reprieve of streetlights and neon signs were the only guides keeping us from getting swept away in the rain.

WcDonalds had always been a favorite of ours. Compared to the fifteen-stories tall office buildings and expensive steakhouses that surounded us, it was an oasis of cheap food.

Water splashed against my legs with every step. My wallet couldn’t afford me giving up now. Lilly may have outclassed me in most areas, but when it came to a pure test of speed, I was more than able to hold my ground.

Running and hand to hand combat, the only two sports that let us stand on equal footing. With the latter not coming up on a day to day basis, this was my best chance to equalize the score a bit.

“Is that all you got?” I risked a glance back at Lilly’s taunt, barely dodging the minefield of puddles that stood between me and the faint yellow glow of WcDonalds. Somehow, I’d managed to keep the lead.

Lilly shot me a glare as she narrowed her gaze and picked up speed.

“Don’t let yourself get trapped,” I muttered under my breath. “Focus, Rin.”

Energy burst from my legs as I gracefully slid on the solid sheet of water that covered the road. Only a few more steps to go now. I could imagine the disdain on Lilly’s face… For once, my wallet could breathe a sigh of relief.

“Too late for that!” Just as victory seemed within reach, Lilly flew past me, leaping higher than what ought to be possible. The yellow neon lights cast her in an almost intimidating aura, making her glow in the storm

I watched, stunned, as she slid against the white tile to a stop like a movie star. She threw her light brown hair back, wearing the smuggest grin I’d ever had the displeasure of seeing on her face.

If not for the lack of an audience, that kind of trick would have exploded on social media, the kind of thing only seen through a screen. Not that a lacking audience could ever stop her.

The half-asleep cashier barely acknowledged us as we ordered; a single cheeseburger for me and two combo meals for Lilly.

Like below, WcDonald’s upper floor of cheap tables and flimsy chairs didn’t have a single person eating their meal. The eerie feeling was undeniable. This was a WcDonalds, on a typical day just getting an open table was a nightmare in itself.

If Lilly felt any of that she didn’t let it be shown, instead tearing into her hamburger like it was the last thing she would ever eat on this earth.

“How do they make this stuff so good?” Lilly leaned back in her chair, taking a deserved break from her gluttony.

“A mountain of salt and sugar,” I said, taking my first bite while Lilly’s food sat half-eaten.

“Don’t remind me of that!”

“You’re the one who asked.”

A comfortable, quiet spread between us, only broken up by the occasional rumbling thunder. 

Days like this were my favorite. The torrential rain drowned out my thoughts, letting my brain slow down for the first time in a while.

“Speaking of…” Lilly’s voice drifted off as she turned her head towards the window. “I realized earlier today that it’s been two years since we met.”

“Two whole years,” Her simple words hit harder than they should have. "I can still feel the pain in my knee."

“That's the price you pay with kendo.”

“One I needed to pay.” I shrugged, trying my best to play my sudden fatigue off. I barely acknowledged my finger twirling my hair again.

“You’ve still never told me what happened that day, before we met. Not that you’ve mentioned much of your past in the first place.” Lilly took a sip of her drink.

“Yeah…” My burger started to taste like cardboard. “The past is in the past. I don’t know, I try not to think about it that often.”

“But you still do.” Lilly leaned forward, her stained glass-like eyes staring right through me. “I see every bit of it, Rin. When you stare off in the distance during class, or lose track of our conversations. I can’t read your mind, Rin. But connecting the dots is something I can do.”

“If I forget, then I can change the future. The past isn’t nearly as flexible.”

“I’m not asking you to tell me, just know if that day ever comes I’ll be here.”

I finished off my dull hamburger and took a sip of my soda. The carbonation had long since left. “One day I will. Just… give me a bit of time.”

“Your story, not mine.” Lilly smiled. “Now come on, it looks like our friendly storm’s taking a break. Perfect time to–”

BAM

Light flashed, wind shattered the windows, rain swept into the building.

“Shit!” I grasped the table, desperately hanging on as the entire building rattled. “Grab on tight!”

“Already there, Rin!” Lilly shouted, arms wrapped tightly around one of the white pillars. Her skirt flapped about haphazardly as cracks began to show on the floor. “Earthquake!”

“At a time like this too!” I cursed our luck.

BOOM

Lightning struck again, dissolving my table into a pillar of ash

I squeezed my eyes shut and braced for impact as I fell. The floor below wasn’t too far of a drop. If I reacted quickly, I could grab Lilly and run for safety—there had to be a way out of this!

That impact never came.

“Lilly?” I hesitantly opened my eyes, expecting to see a pile of destroyed concrete and chairs.

Instead, a void of swirling gray stretched endlessly below us.

“Lilly? LILLY!”

“Rin!” she grasped my hand as we tumbled through the gray clouds. “What's going on?!”

“No idea!” I shouted.

“This is the weirdest WcDolands I’ve ever seen,” Lilly said, looking around the swirling void in awe. “You see a bottom?”

“Nothing,” I glanced downward as the wind whipped between my face. “Stay close, you never know what could happen!”

But before I could speak another word, a beam of scalding water shot out like a bullet from the clouds.

“Lilly!” I flung back, wincing as the boiling water seared my shoulder. “Lilly!”

The force flung me back towards the void, covering me in the seeping floods. I shivered, the water on my shoulder started to crystallize, my vision condensed into a single sheet of gray.

“I’ll find you, Rin! Rin!” Lilly’s voice broke through the clouds as I lost her from my sight.

I felt my eyes start to close. “No… No, Lilly, stay with me!” Yet all my shouting disappeared like vapor as I shot away from her. I couldn’t lose her. I had to be there, to be with her.

After an eternity, however, the void claimed victory as my consciousness started to slip away.

But just before I completely passed out, I heard a voice. It was regal, neither male or female, yet I could feel power behind every word.

“Come forth, my hero.”