The Red Thread

Ace was shuffling things in the dark trying to find the cigarette and the lights, cursing inwardly, when he heard the thunder outside.

The little light peeking through the barely opened door went off followed by the bang of the door shutting close.

"For God Sake, please tell me you didn't lock it"

Rain jumped up hearing a male voice, and without anything to hold on lost her footing falling on her ass.

"Ouch"

Her soft voice made Ace realize that it was a girl, and he hoped that it was not one of those attention-seeking girls he saw outside. The ones who only need you to get popular, shallow from inside and only caring about how you look.

He hated such girls, those with empty heads and full everything else, full and fake. Scratch that, he hated every girl. To have feelings for someone, spending time and money on them, making her the center of the world, he chuckled even on the pity thought. That was impossible or rather something he never would want.

*Is she okay?* A sudden thought came into his mind after a long silence. He knew that the girl had fallen down but with the room in complete darkness, he couldn't know if she was okay or not.

He was about to move forward when he heard little sobs.

Although falling down on her ass which she knew would be sore by the morning wasn't that painful, she didn't know why she started to sob. Soft and low, like a small kitten. She tried to rub her tears off by the back of her hand, which were completely wet, but then she thought again.

*She didn't know who was inside the closet with her, he doesn't know her and it has been really long since she has cried in someone's company*

She started sobbing hard now.

Ace was quickly up on his feet and even with the room bathing in darkness, like in-game, he used all his senses to reach the girl. By now he had realized that she wasn't one of those girls, but he didn't know she was hurt this bad.

He started moving his hand in the air, trying to locate the girl he assumed was a little girl, or so he thought with the soft sobs. His hand touched something but it was not hair, but a cloth, completely wet. He shook his head and moved closer.

His palm lightly patting her head "Hey there, Kitty, you alright?" He flinched listening to his words. He couldn't believe he would say them any time in his life, but something about her vulnerability and her innocence were drawing him in.

"I am.." hiccup "I am okay" Rain answered her voice shivering with the cold of the wet cloth.

"Hey hey" Ace moved by her side, putting his arm around her, trying to get her warm. "Did it hurt? Why are you crying?"

The concern in his voice made Rain cry harder, it had been long, long since someone has cared about her to ask her. Her classmates even while knowing about the accident never batted an eye and here a complete stranger was holding her asking her what was wrong.

"Someone.." hiccup, "told me..." hiccup, "told me that crying is a way to.." hiccup "to cleanse our hearts, that it's okay to sometimes not pretend that we are okay" Rain sobbed more feeling his hold getting tighter.

Ace held the girl tight and looked at her. Even though he couldn't see her, he knew that she was precious. She wasn't made of just sugar and spice, she was more, something magical.

He looked ahead-pondering over the words that were just told to him, so simple and yet so right.

He chuckled and felt like the girl had moved a little and was now looking at him.

"I might have been pretending for some time now, pretending to be okay. I.." he didn't know why he was saying this to a complete stranger but he felt like he could trust her "I lost someone close to me, recently"

Rain turned to her side and raised her head to pat the boy, the one who has the heart of a poor boy but the mind of a conqueror, the boy who belonged in the rain.

"When you are having a hard time" hiccup "what raises you isn't money or expensive stuff, but good people" she swallowed and kept talking "I hope, I really do that you are surrounded by people who love you"

As the sound of rain was getting faded with each passing minute, two strangers sitting in the dark didn't even realize that they were locked in, they felt safe sitting by each other's sides. As if they have known each other for far too long, their talks smooth, without any awkward silence to fill, and if there was silence, it only made them more comfortable.

"I hope...I hope you are okay" Ace spoke realizing how the little girl was crying earlier.

"I don't know what happened and I won't ask too, but I hope everything will be fine." He paused hoping that she would say something but when she didn't he continued "we can always start over, it might sound obvious but it's true. We could force ourselves to do things about which we are not sure of."

Ace sighed and breathed slowly. He thought about it, he might have friends, friends who were close to him, but he never told anyone what he told this complete stranger. But it didn't feel wrong, it felt like a heavyweight had been lifted off his chest.

*Bang bang*

"Is someone inside?" Both of them jumped on their feet, hitting the things shattered near them.

As Ace's feet moved to reach the door, he felt something pulling him back.

"Is that you? We have to go" Ace tried to move again and failed.

"What? What's happening?" Rain asked not understanding what was going on, but she quickly found out the reason. A woolen ball had entangled their feet, not entirely just the toes tying them together.

"Hold on, I have to break it," Rain said trying to break the thread from between so Ace could move.

"Break what" The door flew open, Noah standing on the other side.

"Having a good time..are we?" He muttered but before he could continue Ace placed his hand over Noah's mouth.

"Shut it...will you" he couldn't turn back now with his friend's quite open remark, although he wanted to, he wanted to see her face, just once. The idea vanished when he saw a group of girls approaching him.

"It's...I am breaking it...you can..go..it..where did it go?" Rain didn't realize that Ace has gone when she looked up.

"He..left"