Thunderstorms were always terrible. The sound of the heavy rainfall and the crashing sounds of the thunder resulted in tears and sleepless nights. At least in the Bourdeaux household. For Eliette Bourdeaux, a twenty-six year old single mother, thunderstorms meant that her four year old daughter would start crying due to the loud noises and it would be nearly impossible to put the four year old back to sleep. Eliette, as a result, developed a deep dislike for thunderstorms. The twenty-six year old was already working two full time jobs to support herself and her daughter, Celia, so having to deal with thunderstorms only added to the mother's exhaustion. Celia, however, was too young to understand that the thunder and rain weren't going to hurt her. In the four year old's mind, the loud noises were terrifying, probably being seen as some kind of monster.

That was why, late one Saturday night, Eliette was awake trying to comfort Celia during a particularly bad thunderstorm. Weathermen had predicted that the upcoming storm would be the year's biggest one, and that meant Eliette had to prepare herself mentally and emotionally. Celia's cries seemed to be never ending. The young girl's screams seemed to go on forever. Eliette swore whenever her daughter screamed, she never took a breath. It was almost like Celia breathed through her nose during those episodes. It was almost disturbing.

"Baby, it's fine, stop crying." Hours upon hours of comforting that was going nowhere. Glancing at her clock, Eliette internally groaned. It was past three a.m., and she had to go to work early that morning. She considered calling in sick, but she wasn't sure her boss would be so understanding. Eliette worked two full time jobs to provide for herself and for Celia; considering Celia's father, a Cajun man named Francis, abandoned the two of them shortly after his daughter's birth. The young mother had no idea where her ex was currently living, but she could only assume it was somewhere in their native Louisiana. Francis' family was close, so he couldn't have possibly grown the balls to just leave them, too. Eliette, however, didn't have the balls to tell Francis' family about the birth of Celia; she didn't want to deal with whatever drama would come out of that. She saw how close her ex's family truly was, and while it was refreshing, it was also overwhelming. Eliette Bourdeaux's family was the exact opposite of that. The Bourdeaux family found comfort in being alone, not having to deal with each other's constant presence. Eliette grew up thinking that was perfectly normal, and being a single mother with two full time jobs meant that she didn't get opportunities to be alone. Between work and Celia, Eliette didn't get any free time. And the twenty-six year old always felt bad for complaining.

Celia's crying didn't let up. The next clap of thunder sent the four year old into another fit of screaming hysteria.

Oh God, please don't have the neighbors hear this, Eliette silently prayed. The last thing I need is for them to give me trouble.

Holding her daughter close to her, Eliette let out a frustrated huff. She was honestly trying her best with the whole "single mother" thing. She really was. Initially, Eliette had no plans for becoming a mother. She wanted to be able to live a more free lifestyle, to travel and be with whoever she wanted and not be held back with the responsibilities of childcare. But it seemed as though the universe had different plans. When Eliette and Francis first got together, it was more-so out of lust rather than true, romantic feelings. Then Eliette got pregnant and Francis felt some responsibility towards the matter. They both agreed not to tell his family just yet, though they did tell hers. Eliette's parents - which included her strict Haitian mother, Esther, and her continuously displeased Creole father, Julien - were not as thrilled over the pregnancy, though Eliette already knew that. Esther and Julien didn't approve of Eliette's and Francis' relationship, so the pregnancy only furthered their disapproval. The twenty-six year old learned her lesson the hard way, shortly after Celia had been born. It should've been obvious, that there would be an abandonment in the horizon, but the young mother was hoping everything would work out. Even if Eliette and Francis did end up ending the relationship, they could at least allow some kind of visitation so Celia would know both her parents. In the end it didn't matter. Eliette was left alone with a newborn while her ex was out doing whatever he wanted.

Fast forward four years and Eliette felt like she was doing even worse compared to after taking Celia home for the first time. Esther and Julien helped take care of their granddaughter during the first few years of Celia's life, but after about three years, Eliette's parents stopped helping. The grandparents felt as if they'd done enough to provide for the broken family, so that meant everything was up to Eliette at that point. Eliette ended up taking a second full time job to earn more money, and that usually meant putting Celia in daycare during her day job as a waitress and then hiring an overnight babysitter for her night job as a bartender. It was stressful, but it brought in the money and that was important.

"Celia, it's OK," Eliette sighed, gently stroking her daughter's dark brown curls. "Stop crying. It's just a little thunder."

"Scary!" the four year old cried, burying her face in Eliette's neck. "Make it stop!"

"I can't." Celia's fists gripped at Eliette's nightshirt tightly, and that broke the young mother's heart. Celia always hated loud noises, that was the main reason why thunderstorms were so bad. The same could be said about lightning storms, too. It was a terrible feeling, not being able to do something to calm Celia down. "Do you wanna hear some music, sweetie?" Eliette asked. "Would that make you feel better?" There was a moment of sniffling before Celia nodded. "OK, that's good," Eliette murmured. "What do you want to hear?"

"The song grand-mère used to sing," the four year old mumbled.

A small smile came onto Eliette's face. When Eliette's parents were still helping out with Celia, they taught their granddaughter how to say some French. Grand-mère happened to be one of those words.

"Are you ready?" Eliette gently pulled her daughter off her, looking at the small girl's big, glassy eyes. When Celia nodded, Eliette gave a reassuring smile before she started singing.

(A/N):

A messy first chapter, but I hope you guys find something good in it. Chances are I'll come back to this chapter later to do some revisions, but not right now. I'll let you guys have an opportunity to read it first. Tell me what you think - what should I improve on? Did I out out too much information, or not enough? What do you think of the characters? The story, as of right now, takes place before the outbreak, so there are no walkers as of yet. I'm hoping to not write the outbreak/walkers in just yet, but we'll see how these first couple chapters go first.

Anywho, TWD doesn't belong to me. All I own are my characters and the subplots I put in.

Honestly, though - if there's anything in this chapter you think needs improvement, don't hesitate to let me know. I'm all for constructive criticism. For me, that helps make a story so much better.

Grand-mère is, according to Google Translate, French for 'grandma'. If anyone out there is fluent in French, don't hesitate to confirm or deny the accuracy of this. Throughout the story, there's a possibility I'll drop a few words in different languages (primarily in French, at least for now), and since I can speak only English, I'd appreciate if I got some help from any multilingual/bilingual people out there. I don't want to find out later on I have been getting certain words wrong. That'd be really awkward and just terrible.

In the situations that I write certain words in different languages, the words will be italicized.

Hopefully you guys like this chapter, and I'll try to do some revisions when I get the opportunity.

Thanks.

Raeven Belmonte