It was raining again. Nicolas stared at the window. The streets were always so glum and dirty in Ergastulum but the rain made things look even more grim than usual. Minutes went by and Nicolas hadn't even looked away once. Alex glanced at the man staring out of the window and wondered what he was thinking about. There was so much about him that Alex didn't know and might never know. She would often find herself thinking about the Nicolas, mainly when Worick was away and it was just the two of them in the apartment. Nicolas rarely communicated with her but it was fine. She knew was Nicolas was a good man. Although he was a distant and frightening at times he was a genuine and sincere soul and Alex respected that about Nichols. She was happy. The silence was comfortable and it would help Alex clear her head. She owed a lot to Worick and Nicolas. She was happy and content with her new life.

Nicolas was still looking out of the window by the time Alex snapped out of her trance. She then too looked out of the window. She couldn't see much from where she was sitting and was curious what had caught Nicolas's attention. Just as Alex was about move in order to get a good look, Nicolas started to speak.

Alex stayed glued to her seat.

In a rough voice he said, " I do not like a rainy day, the road is wet and the sky is gray. I wish the sun would come and stay. I do not like a rainy day."

The short man then got up and left. Alex was puzzled, what did that mean? Was she meant to hear that? Was that a metaphor for something? Was she missing something? Does Nicolas just really hate rain? Lots of questions flooded Alex's head. Several minutes her brain was dead.

The door opened and Worick's tall figure appeared behind that door. He flashed Alex a cheeky smile but seeing Alex's distraught face he quickly made his way to the kitchen and popped on the kettle. He retuned with two teas in his hand. He handed Alex a mug and gave her a questioning look.

"Did something happen between you and Nic?"

"E-Eh, no haha, nothing happened." She replied meekly

"How come when I walked in you looked a mess, like you soul left your body or something?" Alex gave him a confused look, Worick laughed heartily.

"I was just overthinking that's all. Anyways do you know what 'I do not like a rainy day, the road is wet and the sky is gray. I wish the sun would come and stay. I do not like a rainy day' means?"

Worick stopped laughing and wore a stoic expression on his face.

Surprised by this Alex stuttered "It-It's just Nicolas said something along the lines of this before he left. H-He was staring out of the window for quite a long time and –"

"It's a poem by William Wise" he cut her off.

"Alex, before you there was a woman called Veronica, I'm sure you've heard her name come up before." He paused.

" Before Veronica there was another. Nicolas and I met her when we were still quite young. We were still in our teens. Anyways, Nicolas and I, we really loved her you know. Nicolas especially. Back the she was our little ray of light in this dark world. We were broke, hungry and we had nowhere to go but we were happy, for a while. She died because of Nicolas and I. We got into a fight with some older men. They called us names and made fun of Nic, for being a tag. Then they tried to touch her. We lost it Nic and I. she begged us not to start and just let it go but we weren't listening. The next thing we know, a stray bullet hits her. Blows straight through an artery. Blood starts pouring out, it was scary, it was endless. We stopped and ran over to her, the men ran away without glancing back at us. She was dying. I could feel her leaving us. We couldn't do anything at this point. There wasn't a hospital nearby and even if there was, who would take us in-"

Worick was shouting now. His voice cracked from the amount of raw emotion. Alex squeezed his shoulder, trying to calm him down; Worick composed himself and began once more.

"Right before she left I told her that we loved her and begged her not to leave. Nicolas was crying next to me, gripping her hand in his two. I had never seen Nic like this. She smiled at us. It was a weak and tired one. She laughed and told us she loved us too. Then she left."

A haunting silence filled the shabby apartment. Alex went to the kitchen and she returned with another tea and handed it to Worick. He took it from her.

"She taught us a lot in the small amount of time we were together. She loved to recite poems. Her mother was a writer so she grew up with a passion for literature. She taught us love and happiness. She laughed a lot. She was strong too. She taught me how to handle a gun properly and also a few moves hat have saved my life. She was beautiful, Alex. Nic and I fell for her sooner or later. She taught is how to be good people and to always be sincere."

Worick quickly downed his tea. He welcomed the warmth it gave him. It reminded him of her.

"Her name was Apollo, she was named after the god of music, poetry, art, medicine, knowledge, light and the sun