Lightning shot through the warm summer night and a crackling thunder followed shortly after, as Kate Beckett ran up the path that led to her apartment.
Thick raindrops hit her face and clothes until she reached the shelter of the house.
She slammed the key into the lock and twisted it to get inside as fast as possible. When she pushed the door open and stepped into her dark apartment, she gasped. The sudden rain had cooled the air outside, but the inside of her apartment was still hot from the sun that had shone the whole day.
After dropping her keys and handbag on the couch, she opened every window in her flat to let the cold air in.
She went into her bedroom to change her sweaty work clothes for a light summer dress. She left her clothes on the floor, forgetting them completely, as she remembered a ritual her mother had shown her when she was still a little child. But the thunderstorm was not over yet, so she went to the kitchen to grab her favorite smoothie to wait for the tempest to be over.
Kate hadn't bothered to turn the light on. She knew her apartment well enough to not trip over shoes or carpets and she had always liked the light a bolt created in dark rooms.
Some people were afraid of lightning but Kate liked it, found it reassuring.
So she stood there, leaning against the counters of her kitchen and simply enjoyed the atmosphere and the cool air which now flowed through her domicile.
When the thunder decreased, Kate pushed off of her counter, walked into her living room and trough the doors that led onto her small balcony.
She spread her arms, looked up to the sky, and closed her eyes. The raindrops soaked her dress which soon outlined the curves of her body.
She smiled broadly.
This was what she used to do with her mom when she was about five. 'Imagine that every raindrop is the wish of a person, that didn't come true yet.' Her mother's voiced still echoed in Kate's head.
'You should treat every person good, so you'll bring them closer to achieving their dreams.'
Sometimes, Kate cried, when she stood in the rain and remembered her mother. But usually she smiled, thinking about her wonderful childhood.
Standing on the balcony in the summer night she turned around and around, letting the rain touch every part of her body.
Little did she know that a certain author was watching her from across the street, smiling to himself, as he watched Kate playing with the rain.