A Song Of Storm And Fire
Chapter One
The heavens were dark.
Rae Lovelace eyed the sky with a critical eye, gaze on the rolling, almost-black clouds. Sitting on the swing set, hands limp in her lap, she frowned. A storm was coming. She wasn't surprised. A sharp, high-pitched laugh drew her attention away from the sky to the squealing child running away from a tall, grinning woman. A smile spread across Rae's face as she watched Lexi and Brynlee's antics, unable to soft the soft laugh that slipped through pink lips.
Off to the side, Lexi's twin, Thom, sat on the top of the jungle gym. Rae rose from her place, stepping into the playground's sandy grounds, and made her way through the frowning child. His gaze shifted to her as she neared, his head dipping in greeting. She leaned against the ladder his feet dangled over, eyeing the fair-haired child for a moment in silence.
Many of the other adults eyed her, lips pursed. It wasn't the first time, Rae mused to herself as she looked up at her child. She was young to have children his and Lexi's age. Barely a year out of high school. She wondered how people in this town would react, if they were judge…
"Aren't you going to join in, Thom?" The small child shook his head, lips pressing into a tight line. After a moment, Rae looks towards the other two. Lexi had just darted under one of the seesaws with an echoing laugh, causing the brunette following to dig her heels into the ground. Brynlee laughed, eyes gleaming with amusement as she called out, "Run, little girl, run!"
Her gaze shifted back to the child, voice light as she said, "Come here, Thom. Come to mama."
He slipped off the top of the jungle gym without hesitation. Rae wrapped her arms around the thin child, smiling as she made her way towards the other two. Brynlee caught sight of her and stood, wiping her forehead clear of sweat as she asked, "Time to head home, mama bear?"
Lexi pouted, her large eyes staring imploringly up at Rae as the child said, "Can we stay a little longer, mama? Please?"
Rae eyed the child for a moment. "No. We'd best get home. If the weather is nice, we'll come back tomorrow. Now get your little butt in the car."
Lexi darted off, Brynlee on her heels. Rae could hear the two talking as she followed, Thom tucked against her side. He played with the edges of her sleeves, the wide fabric sliding between his fingers as he smiled. Running a hand through his hair, Rae offered a sad, but gentle, smile.
Her children, her sister-in-arms – she'd be lost without them.
As she advanced on the car, Brynlee said, "Lexi's buckled in. How's Thom?"
"Tired, I think," Rae circled the car, opening the back door to the passenger's side. She set the still child into his seat, buckling him in as she continued, "I'm much the same. I'm ready to get to the estate to see what we have to work with this time around."
Brynlee groaned. When Rae tossed look over the top of the car towards the taller woman, her friend offered a sharp grin. Tossing the keys over the roof, Rae climbed into the car as Brynlee said, "Another rundown home with an attitude. Is there power? Probably not. Perhaps we'll finally meet the Crooked Man!"
Rae rolled her eyes at the energetic female bouncing in the driver's seat, smiling fondly as the car roared to life. Lexi squealed in the back seat, giggling happily as she babbled away at her brother. A quick look in the review mirror showed Thom giving his twin his full attention, dark eyes focused on the hands swinging through the air.
Turning her gaze to the road, Rae said, "Let's get going."
It took them well over an hour to find the house. It was located deep in the woods, off an old, nearly invisible county road that hadn't been repaired in a long while. Rae grasped the shit-handle in a white-knuckled grip as they hit another pothole, sending the passengers jumping out of their seats involuntarily.
Lexi was wide-eyed and silent, grasping her brother's hand in her own. Thom held onto his seat, eyes clenched shut as they continued to bump their way around a sharp corner. Brynlee, slightly green, forced a laugh before saying, "Should be there any minute now…"
"If my car breaks because of this, I'm gonna be pissed," Rae muttered under her breath as the car hit another pothole, the front of the car diving, and then bouncing, without warning. Her head hit the ceiling hard enough to earn a slew of curses, temples pounding as a headache blared to life. "If we die on this bloody road, I'll haunt the bastard who sold this place to us!"
The ride seemed to go on forever. As they finally crept upon an iron-wrought gate, parts of it rusted with disuse, Rae demanded the car be stopped. Brynlee did so, parking the car and slumping back into her seat. Rae kicked the door open, advancing on the towering gate with narrowed eyes. It stood before her, one door sealed shut and the other hanging off the side. She slowly turned, gaze landing on the three pairs of eyes watching her from inside the car.
"Looks like we'll be walking from here," She told Brynlee as the older girl climbed out of the car. The brunette came over, pressing against the still-closed door of half the gate. It didn't budge. Rae made her way to the back of the car, calmly unbuckling the kids as she said, "Get your overnight bag. We'll walk to the house and call someone in the morning to get the doors open."
"Do we have to walk, mama?" Lexi asked, staring up at her with wide eyes. Her doll was tucked in her arms, lopsided head resting against her shoulder as if it was settling down for a nap. Rae ran her fingers through her daughter's hair, voice light as she answered, "Yeah, we do. When we get to the house, we'll settle in for the night."
Overhead, thunder boomed. A few seconds after, lightning cut across the sky.
Rae popped the trunk, grabbing the few backpacks stashed inside. She handed the children theirs with a slight smile before pulling hers on. She shut the trunk, making her way to where Brynlee was standing. She tossed her the last backpack. Brynlee caught it, shrugging it on with a sigh.
"So much for a good start."
Brynlee squeezed through the gate, helping Thom, then Lexi, through after her. Rae slipped through at the back, shivering as a cold, howling wind kicked up dirt. She watched as it barreled down the old, broken road. She staggered backward as it washed over her car, heading directly for the gate. Turning on her heel, she yelled at the others to run. At her back, it began to pour. Three shrill cries broke the silence as they took off at a run, Thom swiftly pushing to the front with his backpack held up over his head.
The driveway was a long one, but the house stood out like a massive, oppressive shadows in the distance. Rae grabbed Lexi's hand, tugging the thin-legged child down the path and up the steps to the porch of the sprawling complex. Rain poured, finding them through the broken porch's roof even as Rae flipped through the keys she pulled off her belt.
After the third one, the door swung open. The four tumbled through the door into the dark, cold home. Rae pulled off her shirt, flinging it across the room with a poorly-contained curse. Brynlee did the same, the two of them turning to help the twins out of their wet clothing. Lexi jumped foot-to-foot, toes curled as her dress was cast off to the side in a growing pile of clothes while Thom crossed his arms across his torso with a sullen scowl on his face.
"I know, hun," Rae murmured as she knelt in front of him, rifling through the bag she had carried. Lexi darted circles around them, a train of 'cold, cold, cold' leaving her mouth. Brynlee was busy going through the other bags, hunting blankets, and food. A stray, cold wind blew through the open space, the four of them shuddering as their skin crawled from the chill. Rae pulled out two thick sweaters, handing one to each child. "Here. This'll keep you warm."
A moment later, Brynlee tossed her a shirt before pulling on a new one. The two of them opted to wear sweatpants, feet bare as they eyed the dark, empty foyer with a sense of dismay. It was a mess. Rae turned to her friend, voice low as she said, "I'm gonna kill them, Bryn. Kill them."
"Don't be brash," Brynlee admonished, grinning. Rae blinked when the older bobbed her on the nose, a wide smile spreading across the brunette's face as she continued, "It's not so bad. In the morning, we'll be better able to see the damage. Then we can start on getting it fixed, hun. Think of the money this place will bring in, once it's brought back to life!"
"I'm thinking of the money it'll take to fix it," Rae muttered as she made her way towards a door to their left. Lexi darted ahead of them, a pale ghost that almost glowed in the creeping shadows. Thom pressed closer to her side, thin hand seeking hers. Rae took his hand, offering a gentle squeeze as she continued, "We'll see what we're working with in the morning. For now, let's find someplace to sleep."
The next room over was a spacious room, one that seemed to vanish into the darkness. A fireplace rested at the center of the room, a massive stone pillar pushing through the ceiling into the floors above. Several seats were littered around it, covered in white sheets. Rae pulled one off, coughing as dust flew into the air. Turning her face away, she sneezed.
"Well, I think we found our bedroom for the night," Brynlee chirped, happily plopping down on another newly uncovered sofa. She slumped onto her side with a groaned. "God, Rae, these things are so soft!"
Lexi hopped onto another, bouncing with a spirited laugh. "Soft, mama! Real soft!"
Thom climbed onto the next Rae uncovered, crawling to one corner to rest his head on the armrest. He yawned, blinking tiredly. Rae sat on her own sofa, eyeing the unlit fireplace. For a time, they sat quietly as they listened to the rain and the rumbling thunder. Rae rifled through the bags, tossing each person a snack before pulling out the quilts packed into the bottoms.
She covered the children first before handing Brynlee hers. Rae plopped onto her sofa, sprawling out across it with a semi-warm quilt covering her legs. When the children's soft snore broke the silence, Rae relaxed fully. She was almost asleep with the old estate groaned, the floors creaking as if some great force was pressed upon them.
Then there was blinding light and an echoing, shattering clap of thunder outside.
Rae shot up, eyes wide as she watched bolts of lightning slam into the ground outside. It was easy to see the floor-to-ceiling windows lining one side of the room, giving a perfect view of the world outside. Again, lightning rained down from the heavens. Brynlee was sitting up, gaze set on the windows with her quilt clutched over her heart.
Both children were up once more, eyes wide as they climbed onto Rae's sofa. One pressed into each side of her, dark bags beginning to appear under their eyes as the light show continued outside without any sign of stopping. Brynlee made her way over to them, resting tanned hands on Rae's shoulder as the latter eyed the ongoing storm happening right in her front yard.
The final bolt struck, though Rae did not need to see to feel its impact. Power surged through the house, tossing them from the couch onto the ground with cries of shock and fear. Rae threw herself over the children, skin rippling with gooseflesh as several resounding bangs echoed throughout the house. As she laid there, heart pounding, Rae shuddered.
Had something caved in? Had a light fixture fallen?
A calm seemed to settle and, as Rae rose to her knees, she could not deny the heaviness that seemed to settle over the house. There was static in the air, so thick it made her hair raise on end as she tossed a worried, wide-eyed stare at her friend. Swallowing, the older two rose to their feet while murmuring to the children to stay down.
Neither attempted to move, their small frames wrapped pressed close together.
"What the fuck was that?"
Rae drew in a steadying breath, not quite sure of the answer her friend was seeking. Creaking floorboards echoed again. Rae slowly turned, her back flush against Brynlee's. She caught her hand, pulse fluttering rapidly under her fingers. She heard Brynlee swear the same utterance even as Rae made out an advancing figure coming from the darkness at the back of the room.
Mouth dry, Rae watched as a person glided out of the darkness. Adorned in nothing more than a black and red cloak, the young woman watched, suddenly cold, as a man paused to stare at her. At her back, Brynlee's sharp intake of breath told her she was likely seeing something similar.
If Rae thought things couldn't get worse, she was wrong.
The strange man standing in the room, in an equally strange cloak, was armed.
Author's Note
Gods, I cannot remember the last time I thought on Naruto of all things. I use to be a huge fan, years ago. I'm still in love with the Akatsuki, however. I've been reading some FanFiction based around them and it, once more, inspired my own drive to pen down a story with them in it. However, I wasn't sure how to go about this. Most stories I read start off with the infamous organization of criminals as kittens to get them in the story. I didn't want to go that route. I also wanted a different heroine and supporting cast (complete with their own issues to be dealt with). So I have Rae, her children, and her best-friend Brynlee. I can't even name a story that featured the MC as a mother, let alone a young mother. Being that young, raising two kids...
...I would think that would be one hell of a task on its own. Through in other problems (not yet mentioned) and the Akatsuki...and chaos is sure to rise. I'm not quite sure what I think about this introductory chapter. My only hope is that everyone will like it. That, hopefully, it inspires interest. After all, who could be the 'strange man' Rae is seeing? Who is Brynlee seeing? I played around with this chapter for a while, not quite sure how I wanted it to start. This is the final product.
I hope everyone enjoyed it. Read it. Like it. Review, if you'd be so kind.