It had started raining about eleven, coming as a sudden downpour that lacked the usual lightning and thunder that would ease my nerves. Even though most people were afraid of them, the more violent the storm, the better. It might be odd, but I was used to the fact.

"Sissy?"

I didn't move. It wasn't that I could hear the fear in the high voice. I did; the rain was so captivating in the way it fell in great sheets that blanketed the earth. Most people would be disturbed with my idea of "blanketing" and would refer to the storm as "buffeting" the earth instead.

"Sissy!"

I finally got up from my perch on the window seat in my bedroom. My brother's room was just down the hall and I was used to trekking it in the dark. I had the pathway memorized, so I didn't run into the cabinet that held our collaborated collection of random cartoon figurines. Most of his were Spiderman, while mine leaned more to the anime-ish characters of the Japanese comic books.

"What's wrong, Devin?" I asked, although I already knew the answer.

Devin was seven-years-old, and deathly afraid of thunderstorms. The only blessing was that he usually slept through them. He'd gone to bed after hearing me complain to him about it starting so late. I usually tried to stay awake for them, and I was glad I did.

This one was bad enough to make him scream for me, obviously.

Devin didn't answer. Instead, he shuffled his little, pale body sideways and held out his arms in the childish "pick me up" fashion. Annoyance rushed through, quickly followed by the urge to leave him alone. I sighed and shuffled toward him.

"Dev, you're seven, you can't expect me to do this all your life," I said as I crawled into bed with him.

He shifted around until I was under the covers, before using me as a pillow. I just absently brushed his hair with my fingers.

"But I don't like thunderstorms," he complained. "They scare me a lot, Sissy."

"I know, but if your friends knew about it, they would think you're just a big baby."

"But I'm not!" he protested, pulling away from me and propping himself up to look me in the eyes.

Again I was reminded that he was the only one that would willingly hold my gaze. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his forehead in a rare show of affection. Instantly I was rewarded with his entire little body relaxing as he was reminded of when our mother would comfort him.

I could feel his eyelashes flutter against my jaw, before I pulled away. Big brown eyes stared at me in exhaustion. I gave him an attempted smile.

He made a noise of contentment, and snuggled closer to me with a little sigh.

I don't know how long we lay there like that. The digital clock on the wall didn't help. The power had gone out once already, and so it was flashing a neon green as a reminder that it needed to be reset. Perhaps I would buy him a nuclear clock so I wouldn't have to worry about it ever again. The more I thought about it, the more appealing the thought became.

"They talked bad about you, again, at school today."

I was slightly surprised that he was still awake. I could've sworn his breathing had evened out; my arm had gone to sleep so I wouldn't have felt him become loose like a doll.

"What did they say?" My voice was low, but not in anger.

"I…I can't remember."

"If you couldn't remember, why bring it up? Don't start lying to me," I warned.

If anything could piss me off, it was being lied to.

He shifted a little, but didn't say anything. I was beginning to wonder if he'd finally fallen asleep, when he surprised me again.

"They said you're a cold, unfeeling bitch who is the one doing all these murders. They also said you're my mom."

I was too surprised at the second part of the first accusation to really register that he'd cussed. He normally didn't, so I guess he might've just been mimicking what was said.

They thought I was killing all the children? If they did, they were even more stupid than I thought. Those hadn't been the words of first grade children either; they were quoting their parents to my brother. None of the parents or children had ever met me, because I refused to attend any parent/teacher meetings. I wasn't his parent, and I was barely his legal guardian. Besides, first graders don't do anything complicated, and I made sure he understood how to do all of the worksheets she sent home with him.

Had his teacher heard the other students say this? If she had, wouldn't he have stopped it? Why did Devin always come home with news about how the other kids were picking on him and our family? She should be stopping these things.

Unless she agrees with them.

She might have. Making up my mind, I shrugged.

"You and I both know that's not true, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but I don't like it. It's not fair that they pick on you when you're always working so hard."

I didn't really respond right away. Devin had always worried about me. When I left the room, as a baby he'd cry and throw a tantrum until I came back, or someone took him after me. I didn't expect him to worry about how others saw me, though. Those weren't normal thoughts for a boy of seven. He should be worrying if Robin really defeated Slade or not.

"When's your next parent/teacher meeting?" I asked.

"I don't know. I don't really listen to anything about that. Why?"

I sighed. "I'm thinking about going along to the next one. Is that a crime?"

He jerked up into a sitting position. Even in the light of the nightlight, I could see that he looked excited. It confused me.

"Really?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, really. Now, go to bed."

He nodded and curled back up at my side. I flexed my fingers to wake up my hand. I realized that I was almost falling out of his bed.

I can't do this anymore, I thought with a sigh. This is the last time no matter how much he begs.

Closing my eyes, I sighed wearily and waited for his breathing to slow down. To pass the time, I kept the rhythm of his heart on my arm. It helped me relax, if only for a few minutes.

It wasn't until I realized the rain had stopped that I moved. Gently, to make sure I didn't wake him up, I slid my arm out from under him and stood up.

He sighed and rolled over so he wasn't facing me anymore, before snuggling deep into his blankets and pillows.

A fleeting smile crossed my face, but I quickly left the room and walked down the hall to my own. The sun was beginning to peek through the bottom of my window shades. Great. With a groan, I crawled onto my bed, slipped between the sheets, and stared up at the ceiling. The faces on the posters were becoming easier to see.

Reaching over to the small bedside table, I picked up my phone and flipped it open.

Bloody…it's only 4:00, I thought. Maybe no one will need me today.

I turned up the volume as loud as it could go and put it back on the wood top. Rolling over onto my stomach, I ignored the fact I had to make Devin his breakfast and closed my eyes.

He could get Poptarts from the refrigerator if he wanted. The last coherent thought as I fell asleep was that I needed to make an appointment with my doctor.