Rain.

She hated it.

The irony wasn’t lost on her—being named Rain and yet despising the very thing she was named after. To her, rain wasn't soothing or romantic. It was cold. Loud. Messy. It blurred the world outside her window like the thoughts she tried so hard to keep buried.

Ever since she was a child, rainy days meant cancelled plans, muddy shoes, and memories she didn’t want to remember. It always rained the day everything fell apart in her family. And maybe, somewhere in her heart, she'd grown to associate the downpour with disappointment.

So when the sky turned gray that morning, and the first drops started hitting her window, Rain let out a sigh.

“Of course,” she mumbled, zipping up her hoodie before heading out for her first day at the new school.

She didn’t want to transfer. She didn’t want to start over. But her parents made the decision for her—as they often did. They said a “fresh start” would help. New environment, new people. As if simply changing schools could magically fix what was broken inside her.

Rain kept her eyes low as she walked past unfamiliar faces in the hall. She didn’t smile. She didn’t speak. People whispered—maybe about her name, maybe about how quiet she was. She didn’t care. She had no energy for fitting in. Not today.

She took the seat at the back of the classroom and stared out the window.

The rain was still falling.

Everything about it irritated her—the way it stained the windows, the way it soaked the streets, the smell of damp notebooks and wet uniforms. The gray skies only made her feel more invisible than usual.

But then, something strange happened.

As her teacher called roll, Rain looked out the window again. For a brief moment, the rain changed—just slightly. The drops slowed. The sky flickered. It wasn’t lightning, not exactly. More like… a shimmer. A strange glow passed through the clouds, almost like they were pulsing with something alive.

She blinked. Maybe she was imagining it.

The rest of the day passed in slow motion. She avoided conversations, ignored group activities, and counted down the minutes until she could leave. Her mind kept drifting back to the window, to that flicker in the rain.

By the time school ended, the rain hadn’t let up. It had only gotten heavier. The streets were slick with water. Her shoes were soaked within seconds.

She gritted her teeth.

“Stupid rain,” she muttered, pulling her hood tighter over her head.

But halfway home, the air changed.

It wasn’t colder—but it felt heavier, like something pressing down on her shoulders. A strange warmth passed through her fingertips. She paused on the sidewalk, looking up.

There it was again.

That shimmer in the rain.

And then, without warning, everything around her blurred. Not just from the rain—but as if the world was melting. The streetlights, the buildings, even the sound of the water—all warped and twisted like ripples in a puddle.

Rain stumbled back.

“What the—”

The shimmer turned into light—bright, golden, and swallowing. The rain didn’t touch her anymore. It paused, like the world was holding its breath.

And then… it pulled her in.

The sidewalk disappeared beneath her feet. The storm vanished. Everything went dark.

---

When she opened her eyes, she wasn’t on her street anymore.

She was lying in the middle of a damp forest, surrounded by towering trees that glowed faintly in the dark. The air smelled like rain, but it was cleaner… unfamiliar.

Rain sat up slowly, heart pounding.

“What is this place…?”

It was raining, but not like before. This rain was softer. Almost… silent. The droplets hovered in the air like they were frozen in time.

She stood shakily, trying to make sense of it all.

And then she saw it.

A path lit by faint golden light, leading into the forest. As if something—someone—was waiting.

Rain took a step forward.

Still hating the rain.

Still alone.

But no longer in the world she once knew.