Shadow Slave: Rainy Days

The three years that followed the death of Rain's father were tough. After her husband's passing, Rain's mother became the sole provider of the family, and with the loss of the father's income, she had to take on a second job, barely scraping up enough money for rent.

Rain, now almost eight years old, matured way past her age. Seeing her mother struggle, solely because of the love for her children, made something stir inside her. When her mother was gone, Rain started doing all of the household chores and taking care of Sunless.

She missed the days where she and Sunny simply played on the ground, waiting for either her mother or father to come back from work. But those memories were just memories–a mirage of the past.

Her mother was doing everything to give them a good future, however, the strain of working two jobs in the outskirts and taking care of her children alone, made her eventually fall sick, which resulted in her death.

On the day of her death, Rain had cried a lot, but she forced herself to calm down, not allowing herself to break.

Now, there was only her and Sunny left.

Since the month had just ended, and they couldn't pay the rent, they had been kicked out of the house. The siblings sat on the side of the street, Rain holding the malnourished Sunny tightly as he rested inside of her arms.

She had thought of going to the adoption center. She even once walked towards one, but when she and Sunny stood in front of the door, she decided to go back.

Families who adopted children often only wanted one, and the thought of being separated from Sunny made her want to puke. And what was even worse, was that she couldn't trust those families to take care of Sunny the way he deserved to be taken care of.

She was simply egoistical, choosing to take care of her three year old brother all by herself.

The streets of the outskirts were unforgiving and brutal, especially for two young and weak children like them. Every day was a fight for food and shelter. Rain was too young to take on a real job and too weak to take on an illegal one, so she resorted to the only thing she could rely on in a desperate time like this, stealing.

Rain knew the risks of stealing, but seeing Sunny's hungry and pleading eyes, made all of her fear and guilt disappear, leaving her no option but to act.

With a determined look on her face, she told Sunny to wait in an alleyway, promising him that she would return quickly.

Sunny, too young to understand the weight or danger of what Rain was about to do, complied quickly, having full trust in his dear sister. He gave her an innocent grin, the sight of Sunless' happiness being the only thing that Rain could cling to.—Something that gave her a new light and purpose in their dark reality.

Rain could of course also simply wait till the next day, where the government would provide free synthpaste to everyone in the outskirts, but she knew that it wasn't enough. Sunny was just three years old, his body needed more food, or he would grow up weak and slim.

That was the reason why Rain now hid behind a corner, her eyes fixated on a local stand that was selling bread.

Her heart pounded, as she smelled the freshly baked goods, the fear of being caught building up to an extreme level. 'Just grab it and run. Nothing more, nothing less.' Rain told herself, while taking a deep breath.

She observed the stand carefully, waiting for the right moment to strike. Just when the seller turned around, Rain dashed forwards, her petite and nimble frame allowing her to weave through the crowd of people with ease. Her legs pushed her forward with all of her power, her mind fixated on one thing, and one thing alone, bread.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins, pushing her to speed up, her breath growing heavy and strained. As she arrived in front of the stand, her hand shot up, aiming for the loaf of bread. When she felt the weight and heat seep onto her palms, she quickly turned around, running back towards the alleyway where she told Sunny to wait.

Thankfully, it seemed like the vendor hadn't noticed her. 

She ran through a narrow gap, suddenly appearing on a whole different part of the street. But that wasn't enough yet, as she continued running, holding the loaf of bread securely in her arms. After a while, she saw two houses, another narrow road in between them. It was the alley that led to Sunless.

She quickly ran inside, hiding herself from the bustling streets.

Rain leaned against the cold wall, trying to calm her heart down. She had secured food for today, but would she do the same the next day ? Rain didn't know.

Her eyes scanned around the area, trying to search for something, or rather someone. Behind a corner, the place where Rain told her brother to wait, she expectedly saw Sunny.

The small boy was sitting on a cold, large stone, his weak arms holding some smaller rocks and throwing them around. His mind seemed to have been occupied with thoughts that a three year old shouldn't think about at the moment, making Rain's heart throb painfully.

When Sunless finally noticed Rain, his expression instantly turned one of warmth, the big smile on his face making Rain force a smile too . "Rainy!" He greeted with a light and joyful voice, before quickly standing up and making his way towards her.

Rain spread her arms wide for the young Sunny, who was toddling his way towards her, embracing him in a deep hug. She still held the loaf of bread in one hand, but it almost slipped out of her grasp when Sunny ran into her. They held each other for multiple seconds, the bond they've built since his birth unbreakable.

When Sunny stepped backwards, he started to notice the loaf of bread that Rain held, his eyes instantly turning into stars. His small hands eagerly reached towards the bread, his voice excited and high pitched. "Food?!"

Rain's lips curled upwards. Seeing Sunny happy made all of her fatigue and dark thoughts disappear. She would do everything to keep Sunny happy and save, even if she would slowly bring herself down as a consequence.

The pale girl then tore off a big part of the loaf, giving it to her brother, who greedily accepted it and pushed it down his mouth.

"Sunny, I'll bring you lots of food every day. You'll eat it like a good boy, right ?" Rain asked, her voice filled with love, as she gently ruffled his dark hair.

Sunny nodded enthusiastically, his mouth too full to respond while his hand was already reaching for the next piece of bread. As Rain watched her brother eat, her heart started to fill up with proudness but also guilt. She didn't know for how long she could continue this, but she knew that there was no moment in which she would choose to give up.

As Sunny finished chewing on the last piece of bread, his expression suddenly changed grim, his head hanging low. What happened next was something Rain had hoped for not to happen, at least not so soon. Sunny asked a question, to which Rain didn't know how to answer properly.

Sunny looked up with confusion. "Rainy, where is mom ? And why aren't we home ? It's cold." Sunny asked, making Rain's breath hitch. Her warm smile fainted, crooking awkwardly. She didn't know what to say, how to tell her brother that their mother and house was gone forever. The only thing she could do was to lie, even if she didn't want to.

"Sunny... We're on an adventure." Rain said with fake enthusiasm. "Look around you! We are fully free, Sunny. This is freedom. So don't ever forget this feeling, okay ? No one should ever chain you down." Rain paused for a moment, waiting for Sunny's reaction.

Sunny tilted his head, his widened eyes gleaming like he had just found out something that would shape his entire life. "Freedom." He mumbled softly, not fully understanding its meaning or weight yet, but desperately wanting to reach whatever true freedom meant.

***

Days passed in a blur, slowly stretching into weeks, as Rain and Sunny struggled to survive in the outskirts. In that time, Rain had perfected the cycle of stealing. She knew exactly when vendors had the most customers, when it was the perfect time to strike. Her skills sharpened and improved every time she stole something, slowly transforming her into a masterful thief.

But even the best of the best blundered sometimes, so she did too. Like any other day, Rain waited near one of the countless stands, this time one that sold a variety of goods, like meat and vegetables .

Sunny patiently waited at the entrance to the pathway that led to their temporary place of residence, watching his sister from afar. Sunny's eyes were glued on who he perceived as his Hero, Rain.

The view that stretched out in front of her, one that had ingrained itself in her mind for the past weeks, blurred as she weaved her way through dozens of people once more. 

Her legs, which now looked even more malnourished than before, pushed her whole body forward, her will alone allowing her to do so, even through the fatigue.

When Rain noticed the vendor turning around, she sped up, and in the next second, she felt the weight of multiple foods nestle securely in her arms. Without wasting any more time, she continued forward, but this time, tragedy struck, as she felt herself being pulled backwards.

"I don't think you've paid for that, little thief!" A large guy with no hair and a brown bear yelled. Rain's heart stopped, skipping a beat as she realised what had just happened. The strength inside her disappeared, as she let the fresh goods fall onto the ground, scattering them everywhere.

Everyone nearby turned around to look, their eyes heavy with disappointment and judgement. Rain's survival instinct screamed frantically at her to escape, to get out of his grasp and run away, but she couldn't. She had no chance to escape, simply because her strength paled in comparison to the one of the vendor.

"LET ME GO!" Rain cried out desperately, her voice high pitched and full of fear. Her desire to survive continued making her wiggle, still trying to free herself from the man's grasp, even though she knew that she couldn't.

"You've got a lot of guts if you think you can steal from me" The large man growled, as he pulled the thief closer. Rain didn't even hear what the vendor said next, her thoughts somewhere completely else. She was thinking of Sunny, who was watching this unfold from a distance, afraid and alone. 

The crowd around them grew, the amount of gazes Rain felt increasing every second. Everyone started to whisper, some with pity for the malnourished girl, others with disgust for her actions. 

But no one intervened, except for one little boy. She heard a shaky voice call out from behind. "Leave sister Rainy alone!"

Rain's brother, barely more than a toddler, stepped out of the alleyway and slowly wobbled his way towards his caught sister.

She froze, since her worst nightmare was just about to turn into reality. She didn't care what would happen to her, but if someone even dared to touch Sunny, she would do everything in her power to destroy their lives–purely out of sheer spite.

Sunny's eyes were burning with determination that exceeded his age. As he arrived in front of the large man, he weakly punched his leg, trying to help his sister break free.

The man glanced down at the small boy, his expression turning into confusion, before transforming back into anger. "Is this your brother?"

"W-what? Of course not! I don't know that kid!" Rain exclaimed to no avail, since the vendor ignored her lie and reached out to Sunny, grabbing him by his collar and pulling him into the air.

Rain's heart plummeted at the sight of Sunny dangling helplessly, a surge of panic and anger coursing through her whole body like a wave. The crowd around them faded into a blur, their murmurs dampened and their value diminished. The only thing relevant was Sunny's expression of scaredness and terror.

Her mind was clouded in rage and what happened next was something that would change her forever. Seeing her brother, the only person she had left, completely helpless and in danger, made her actions fueled with protectiveness and fury. 

Without warning, Rain put all her strength into biting the arm of the vendor, allowing her to escape out of his grasp.

Next to her, laying on the stand, was a butcher knife, and without a second thought, she picked it up, feeling its cold steel on her skin. Not wasting any more time, she lunged forward, gripping the knife tightly as her vision narrowed on one singular person, the vendor who had hurt her brother.

In the next moment, the vendor yelled out in pain, feeling a large metallic blade sink into his side. Large quantities of blood gushed out of his wounds, as he fell onto the ground, releasing Sunny and clutching his side with shaky hands.

The crowd around them gasped at the sudden violence, but since death wasn't something unusual in the outskirts, no one intervened. All eyes fell onto the blood painted, malnourished and pale girl. Her breath was raspy and her eyes were widened. Rain was frozen in the moment, not wanting to accept what she had just done.

She looked around, seeing the judgmental gazes of the crowd around her. There wasn't any pity left, rather solely disgust. Being too young to commit murder, yet having done so either way, made her feel like an outcast, someone who shouldn't live. 'Stop looking at me like that! I'm not a monster!' She yelled internally.

Rain turned her head to the right, seeing the pained expression of the vendor. The blood flowed endlessly out of his wound, and his death was already set in stone. A few seconds later, his body had grown limp.

Rain felt a deep darkness fill her heart, realising that she had crossed a line she could never turn back to. She didn't feel like the hero that had saved her brother, she didn't feel like a young girl who just desperately tried to survive. She had taken the life of another human–she was a murderer–that was a fact.

Not having the mental capacity to stay here any longer, she picked up the small Sunless and ran away, the butcher knife she held before already long dropped. She ran towards a hidden alleyway, clutching Sunny tightly in her thin arms. Her breath was ragged and hitched.

Rain wanted to scream and cry, but there was no time–Sunny needed to be brought to a safe place.

She sprinted through the narrow streets, weaving through occasional masses of people, her legs feeling like jelly and growing weaker with each step. Every second that passed felt like an eternity, the consequences of her actions pressing down on her mind.

She looked down at Sunny, feeling his face nustle against her chest. He was too innocent to understand what Rain had done, too young to know what sin his sister had committed. He did feel her bloodied hands holding him tightly though, so he knew that his sister had done something very bad.

After many minutes of running through the outskirts, Rain finally arrived in a secluded place.

 She gently sat Sunny down, before falling onto her knees and clutching her heaving chest.

The consequences of her actions had just now fully settled in and Rain's head felt like it would explode any second if she continued thinking about it. Yet, she couldn't stop.

She had taken the life of a man, husband and father. Her own world had shattered when her father passed, and now another family was about to be hit with the same disaster. Now, a child would be left alone in this dark world without his father, and a woman would be left alone to fight for their future without her husband.

Rain moved her hands towards her head, covering her face in blood. 'W-what did I do?' I killed a human, destroyed the life of a family.'

Her hands trembled, her heart ached and her mind spun. She didn't know what to do, how to continue–how to keep on living with the knowledge of knowing that she had killed another being.

Rain lay on the ground, unmoving. Her self-destruction thoughts kept on invading her mind, till a quiet voice pulled her out of the void. That voice of course belonged to Sunny. "Rainy… why are you crying ? You saved me."

She quickly wiped her eyes, trying to hide her tears from him. His simple words had pierced all of her defenses, leaving her confused and broken.

Sunny's voice, filled with love and trust was all it took for Rain to stop feeling guilty about the murder, at least for now. She had saved Sunny–that was all that mattered.

She forced a smile, not wanting to worry her brother. "It's alright, Sunny. Big sis just needed some time to calm down." Rain lied with fake warmth.

Sunny nodded, his eyes full with naive trust. "Okay, sis." He said, his voice full with unconditional love.

Rain's heart broke once more at his words. She didn't want to lie and deceive her brother, but sometimes the truth was hideous and something one wanted to hide from everyone.

Before Sunny could react, he felt himself being pulled into an embrace by Rain, the gentle hold a comfortable shield against the cold winds . "Sunny, you should go to sleep, okay? I'll protect you." Rain whispered gently.

Sunny nestled against Rain's chest, feeling safe in her arms. His eyes felt heavy, and eventually closed, his body relaxing in her embrace and his mind wandering off into a dream.

***

Two hours later, Rain found herself standing in front of an adoption center, holding the sleeping Sunny tightly. The large, gloomy building loomed over them, its lifeless exterior matching the outskirts perfectly.

Rain didn't want to abandon Sunny, but she had no other choice. She wasn't strong enough to take care of a three year old child all alone, especially since they lived on the streets.

That was the reason why Rain had finally decided to give Sunny up for adoption. Sunny was too good for this dark world, too good for his murderer of a sister. 

The adoption center would take care of him, give him food and medicine. And maybe, just maybe, a rich family would adopt him and take care of him as their own.

There was also of course the option to give herself up for adoption too, but why should she? "Why should a family adopt me? I'm a murderer, a monster. But Sunny… He's still so innocent, he still has a future." Rain mumbled with a bitter taste in her mouth.

She looked at the small bundle of hope that lay in her arms. The weight of her decision hung heavily on her shoulders, every thought, every step towards the building making her heart ache even more. 

When she finally arrived in front of the door, she froze. If she really went through this, there would be no turning back.

'This is for the best. Sunny has so much potential… I could never nurture him into his best.'

Rain glanced down at Sunny, a single tear rolling down her pale cheek. She leaned down, giving her brother one final kiss on his small forehead. "I love you Sunless. I know you'll grow into a strong and rich man–I'll always root for you, so don't cry when I'm gone." Rain whispered quietly, not wanting to wake Sunny up. "I know you'll feel betrayed and lost, but know that I'll someday come back to you, okay? Now go live, Sunny. Reach for freedom, become someone even the heavens need to look up to."

And with that, Rain knocked on the door, before quickly disappearing into the dark embrace of the outskirts.