Normal. That's what Alaina was: normal. Alaina wasn't special. She couldn't dance, couldn't sing, couldn't act. She wasn't the next scientist or Harvard student. Alaina was Alaina: a quiet, shy girl who kept to herself, and she was happy with that. After that day, Alaina was anything but normal.
The rain poured steadily as Alaina walked to school that cold day in December. Alaina held her umbrella tightly as the wind whipped around her uniform and face, tangling her long, dark brown hair and almost knocking the umbrella out of her hands. Alaina gripped the umbrella even more now, concentrating her green eyes on the sidewalk as she marched along. She was determined to get to school with this umbrella in one piece.
Alaina loved the rain. She loved the drumming sound raindrops made as they pounded the ground, washing away its impurities. She loved the way the clouds swirled above her head, frightening and calming. She loved how the cold stings and the warm showers felt against her skin. Alaina loved how different the rain could feel to many different people. The emotions caused by the rain varied from comforting to terrifying to depressing, but in the end, everybody needed the rain, and Alaina loved that.
"I wish somebody needed me," Alaina whispered. Whoosh! The umbrella flew out of her hands and into the street. "Oh, no!" Alaina chased after the umbrella, not looking to see if the street was unoccupied. Alaina looked up as she grabbed her umbrella. Two yellow lights sped towards her, getting closer and closer with every second. Alaina tried to move, but her legs were frozen. Alaina didn't know what to do. Her whole body stiffened as her mind slowly analyzed what was happening. Screeeeeeech! Alaina squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the impact.
Alaina heard a car door slam. She opened one eye and saw a white car smashed into a pole on the side of the street ."Are you alright, miss?" Alaina turned around to see a handsome man standing over her. He looked at her through his sunglasses, his chin length hair blowing out of his face. Alaina's dark brown hair flew into her face as she looked at his attire: white shirt, black jacket, old jeans. Who was this man? But, more importantly, "Why are you wearing sunglasses in the rain?" Alaina asked. She quickly covered her mouth. Did she say that out loud? Why was she so stupid? "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to say that!" She looked down at her feet, embarrassed for her slip up.
The man chuckled. "I don't know. I guess it doesn't make a lot of sense, huh?" He took off his sunglasses and put them on his shirt. Alaina looked at his face. His tan skin complemented his dark brown eyes; they lured Alaina in, but there was a certain vibe to him that disrupted Alaina's thought process. Had she seen this face before? She wiped her hair out of her eyes, finally noticing how wet she was from the rain. "Oh, no! My uniform!" Alaina quickly opened her umbrella, only to find that the wind had completely knocked the umbrella inside out. The man took off his jacket and put it around Alaina, keeping his arms around her shoulders. "Here, kid. I'll take you home and you can go change. After all, it's the least I can do for not running you over!" He guided her towards the smashed car. Alaina backed away. "Actually, I think I'll just go to school." She took off the man's jacket and handed it back to him. "They probably have some extra clothes in the front, and if I don't get going now, I'm going to be late! It was nice meeting you, mister!"
Alaina began to run towards the sidewalk and school, but something grabbed her shoulder. Alaina looked back. The man had dropped his jacket and grabbed her shoulder, refusing to let go. "I don't think so, kid." He yanked back Alaina as she screamed. She started to kick the man, but he would not budge.. The man quickly put his hand across Alaina's mouth. "If you even think about screaming, running away, or fighting back, you won't end up alive." He whispered into her ear. Alaina stopped struggling. Fear coursed through her veins faster than her own blood. "That's better. Now don't move," The man said as he bent down to pick up his jacket off the ground.
She looked around as the man grabbed Alaina's arm, guiding her towards his car. Where was everybody? Why wasn't there anyone here now trying to stop this man? They stopped at the car. The man, still holding Alaina's arm, opened the trunk and pulled out a length of rope. He quickly tied her arms behind her back and closed the trunk. "Now get in the car." He growled as he threw Alaina's arm towards the passenger side. Trembling, she walked over to the door, but realized she couldn't open it. "Um, excuse me, mister?" She said quietly, afraid of what the man might do. He turned around sharply and looked at her. His sunglasses were on his face again. "What?" "I can't open the door. I'm sorry." The man shook his head and sighed with frustration. He hurriedly walked around the car to Alaina, opened the door, and pushed her in. He chuckled as she fell on top of the seat, obviously in pain. He slammed the door. Oh, God, help me.