2-6: Preacher

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"You look cute."

Rain looked up from the pot she had been stirring, her eyes widening slightly.

"Rae! Hi!"

She pulled the spoon out and sat it aside, hugging Rae softly.

"Hello, Rain."

She observed Rain for a few moments, tilting her head to the side.

"My twin has mentioned you a lot lately. He speaks pretty highly of you, honestly. I thought you were supposed to be my friend?"

She cracked a grin as she chided, but Rain couldn't help but feel slightly guilty at her words.

"I'm sorry, Rae. We are friends. Ryan is just... well, I guess he's my friend now too."

Rae shook her head, her expression growing a little more curious than it was.

"No, I was joking. It's okay, I promise."

Rain was always so quick to feel sorry for things, it was embarrassing sometimes. Her cheeks easily turned pink and she picked the spoon back up, stirring the contents of the pot again.

"I knew that."

She could pick up on a laugh from the other room. And it seemed like it shouldn't be so easy to tell that it was Ryan's for her, but it was. She glanced down at her dress and wondered for a second if he would compliment her again. 

She also wondered if she could take it in stride this time, or deny it again.

Like that's even going to happen. He probably thinks you're a jerk after the way you treated him at the party.

His voice preceded him into the kitchen, along with her father's, and Rain tried, and failed, to make herself busy with the stirring again. But the potatoes in it were far past mashed by now. 

Xavier nodded once at Rain and headed to the living room where everyone else was probably gathered by now. Ryan, however, stood by the refrigerator, looking at Rain curiously.

"Hi."

Rain sat the spoon aside once more, and turned to face him, nerves settling in her chest.

"Hi. Look, I'm sor-"

Ryan raised an eyebrow and Rain froze mid-sentence, folding her hands in front of her.

"Don't be. You're fine, Rain. I promise."

Rain's eyes swept the kitchen, but Rae was gone. She was alone with Ryan, and not sure how she felt about it at all.

"I was mean. And rude. And I didn't mean to snap at you. It was completely out of character."

Ryan laughed, and it entered Rain's head without her permission, making it kind of spinny like it sometimes did.

"You don't have a mean bone in your entire body. And like I said, it's fine. You didn't offend me. You were already on edge, I didn't mean to make it worse."

Rain shook her head quickly, turning the burner off on the stove and letting out a heavy breath.

"You didn't. I'm just crazy sometimes, I guess."

"I wouldn't call you crazy."

Rain turned around to face him again, and was on the task of formulating a response, when Eden popped her head into the kitchen, signaling for the two of them to join the rest of their families.

Rain took one last glance at Ryan and headed for the door quietly. But when she passed close to him, her reached out to touch her shoulder.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Rain."

He disconnected the touch and looked away, but she couldn't manage to tune out the static it had put in her chest.

"Okay."

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Storm's eyes were throwing daggers across the table, but the object of her piercing gaze seemed to pretend he couldn't feel it. Laughing and joking with her brother and Ryan.

She took one more deep drink of the wine in her glass, which just seemed to illicit a dirty look from her mom. She rolled her eyes at her, pushing the food on her plate around with her fork.

"Something wrong, Storm?"

 She snapped her eyes up at Discord's voice, grimacing.

"Don't talk to me."

Everyone at the table quieted instantly, and Eden's eyes traveled from Discord to Storm and back again.

"Am I missing something?"

Storm brought her glass to her lips, finishing the rest of the wine.

She shook her head at her mom and smiled, looking back at Discord.

"Nope. And neither am I."

Discord's eyes narrowed and he looked at Eden for a moment as the chatter at the table picked up again.

"I think your daughter is just drunk. She should probably go sleep it off."

He raised his own glass, shooting her a smile and taking a drink.

"Ugh."

Storm stood up from the table quickly, throwing her napkin on her plate.

"Where are you going, Storm? I thought I told-"

She glared daggers at her dad this time, and he stopped speaking, his mouth open.

"Okay.... Go on."

Storm turned around, exiting the kitchen. It didn't take fifteen seconds before Discord was standing in front of her, his arms crossed over her chest.

"Why are you so pissed at me?"

Storm put her hands on her hips.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I asked, didn't I?"

Storm threw her hands up, turning back for her room, but Discord was in front of her again in less than a second.

Fucking vampires.

"I don't want to talk to you. Get the hell out of my way, Hunter."

Discord shook his head.

"Nope."

Storm's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest, mimicking him. 

"I will kick you in the balls, I swear to God. Get out of my way, goddammit."

Discord shook his head again, a grin breaking across his face.

"Nooope."

Storm sighed exasperatedly, trying to push him aside, but he didn't move.

"Look. You took my virginity and haven't fucking spoken to me since. So excuse me if I want nothing to do with you. I'm sorry I'm not a cold hearted asshole like you and I actually had feelings and I'm not okay with what you did.

Now, if you'll please, move, I can go to my room and keep pretending you don't exist."

Discord's expression didn't change much as she basically yelled at him, which only succeeded in making her more angry.

"Discord. Fucking get out of my way. Now."

He shook his head again, and she curled her hand into a fist at her side, one more head shake away from punching him in it.

"You'd think if you wanted anything to do with me, you would have, I don't know, found a way to talk to me by now. So why are you keeping me here right now? If you're trying to torture me, like your namesake, please be aware you've already done that so this is just pouring salt in the wound."

Discord uncrossed his arms, looking down at her for a moment. His face was unreadable.

"I'm not gonna tell you-"

"Wanna hook up?"


Storm froze mid-sentence, her mouth dropping open.

"....What?"

She couldn't decide if she was offended or hurt or...

"You heard me."

Storm stared at him for a few seconds, looking over her shoulder, but the hallway was clear. She let out a groan and bit down on her lip, watching his eyes as they looked her up and down.

".....Yes."

Discord held his hand out and she took it, following him up the stairs without another word.

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"Where is Storm?"

Rain looked up from the book she was reading at her dad standing in the doorway.

"I don't know? She left dinner and I haven't seen her since."

Xavier leaned against the frame, his face puzzled.

"Huh... Okay, then, I guess. She seemed pretty upset and now her room is empty but her car is here. So I don't know what's up. But if you see her, tell her I need to talk to her."

Rain nodded once, dropping her eyes back to the book on the bed beneath her.

"Hey, and, the Hunter's are probably going to leave soon if you want to come and say goodbye."

Rain hesitated, looking back up at him once again. She'd basically avoided Ryan the entire night, only paying attention to Rae. But, if anything, she should probably say something to him before he left. But she knew she'd end up just apologizing and looking stupid again.

"Can you tell them for me?"

Xavier tilted his head, his face stoic. But she knew his thoughts were on how weird she was acting tonight. They had to be.

"I can do that, but I still think you should come downstairs with the rest of us instead of being in your room all night. One of my daughters disappeared but I'd like the other one to be around. It's a family day after all."

Rain sighed, setting her book aside and crawling off of her bed.

"I don't know why. Storm isn't down there and Thaddeous is mad at me, and mom is drinking so she's just focused on Kiara."

Xavier held the door open, smiling at her.

"Yeah, but I'm down there. And grandpa wants to talk to you."

Rain was taken aback for a second, pushing her hair behind her ear.

"As in grandpa Carter? Why?"

Xavier shrugged.

"I don't know. He just does. If I were you, I'd give him a chance to say whatever it is he has to say. He's a wise man."

All Rain really knew of Carter was what she had read in her grandma's book. The one about the baby challenge she had done when she was young. Before she had had Rain's mother and the rest of them. They didn't see them much outside of holidays, and her mom had explained that there was a lot of tension there, but they try to work through it.

Her impression was that he was a lovesick man who would do anything for her grandma. And she had always wondered what it was like to have a love like that. To be that enamored with someone that nothing else mattered.

The way they were together was different than her parents. Not necessarily better, just.... different.

"Alright. I'll be downstairs in a few minutes."

Xavier nodded once, exiting into the hallway.

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"What's this I hear about ballet auditions you're not allowed to go to?"

Rain pulled the pillow next to her on the couch onto her lap, completely surprised at her grandfather's approach to the conversation.

"Yeah... My dad doesn't want me to go to school in another country, so he told me he wouldn't pay for it."

She neglected to mention that Ryan was going to do it instead. That she was still going to go. At the very least, to audition. She didn't even know how Carter could know about that.

Unless... her mom had told him?

"I see. Well I actually wanted to talk to you about that.

What would you say if I told you that I would pay for you to go, if you wanted me to? And talk your parents into it while I'm at it."

Rain was taken aback on an entirely new level.

"What... Really?"

Carter nodded, looking over his shoulder at the empty kitchen behind them.

"I've seen you perform, Rain. You're incredibly talented. More than. You deserve to go."

Rain couldn't help but wonder if this was a trick.

"My dad would literally kill you."

Carter laughed softly, his eyes far away for a moment.

"Let's just say... I helped him out a long time ago, and he owes me at least one favor."

Rain had no idea what he was talking about, but she could see an extensive amount of loopholes in this situation. She hesitated before answering, looking down at the pillow in her lap.

"I'm sorry, grandpa, I just... really don't think it'll work.

They'll never let me go."

She looked back up at his face, and was surprised to see amusement there.

"I'm pretty sure that it will.

Rain, there's too much pain in this world for you to have to hurt over losing your dream.

I'd like to tell you that you'll never hurt, but that isn't true. 

But, I can, at the very least, help you with this. You are amazing at what you do, and if anyone knows how important it is to follow your heart, it's me."

Rain stared at him for a second, his words leaking into her veins. She didn't know exactly what he was talking about, but something told her it was about Aria.

His love for her was so obvious it almost hurt to look at his eyes.

"I... Okay. You can try. I... Thank you."

Carter reached over, poking her nose just once.

"You're welcome. 

But... when you're a famous ballerina and you're on stage with all that attention, don't forget the people who you left behind, okay? That's the only thing I ask of you.

Your parents love you, and your family loves you, and they are the only ones who are always going to be there for you, unconditionally.

Don't ever let that go."

Rain nodded once, completely stunned. Carter seemed pretty satisfied with her reaction as he stood, exiting the room.

Who, exactly, was this man? And what about him could have ever possibly made her mother distant with him?

Could this even work? 

And if it did... could she still get Ryan to go with her?
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When I was a kid, my grandfather was a preacher
He'd talk about life, yeah he was something like a teacher
He said God only helps those
Who learn to help themselves

He was a million miles from a million dollars

But you could never spend his wealth