𝒜 𝐻𝒶𝓅𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝐸𝓃𝒹𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉

3 - 𝐹𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀𝓈 𝒞𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒪𝓊𝓉 𝒜𝓉 𝒩𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉

A sudden crackle of thunder explodes through the sky; she flinches and cranes her neck backward to look up at the ominous grey clouds. The atmosphere shifts from warm to damp in an instant as imminent rain draws nearer. Oh great, she thinks, spinning on her heel to walk the two miles back to her grandparents' cottage. That's what I need. Rain. She quickens her pace, being mindful not to trip over a stray root or run into a limb dangling lower to the ground, following the plant-ridden trail that she originally took to get this far out here.

She isn't exactly sure where she is, as she doesn't recognize the dense frondescence around her, but she knows she has to be around thirty-five to forty minutes away from the cottage. This means she will probably get caught in the storm that materialized out of nowhere.

The surrounding air is muggy and thick, and she can't stop herself from sniffing. It grows darker, though not enough to obstruct her vision any, for which she is immensely grateful. A bolt of lightning streaks through the sky, and following close behind is another startling clash of thunder. Forcing her legs to move at an even faster rate to get back before it starts to pour, she continuously avoids running into any plants or tripping over weeds sticking out of the dirt and looping around each other.

It starts out as a small, almost unnoticeable droplet of water that lands on her nose and slowly cascades down her skin; she moves her gaze back up toward the sky anxiously. Another soon follows, this one colliding with the top of her head and dribbling down her h/c locks of hair. This is the moment that she wishes she would have brought a jacket. Well, how was I supposed to know it was going to storm?

The area around her begins to seem more familiar, and she hopes that means she's getting closer. Maybe she can get back before it starts—

Another thunderous rumble erupts through the atmosphere, and not two seconds later, a torrent of rain follows. She curses under her breath and speeds up into an unabridged run, desperately wanting to make it back home before she's totally drenched. She'll need a shower at this point, anyway.

Water blurs her vision and leaves wet trails down her face, and she can feel it soak her clothes and weigh down her hair. The cool drops send chills up her spine, and she dashes down the path, trying to step on the patches of grass to avoid slipping on mud and falling to the ground. Holding her hands above her eyes to act as a sort of shield from the rain, she navigates through the condensing fog and thick greenery surrounding her b/s frame.

Every couple of minutes she steps under some branches housing abundant leaves, making a temporary shelter against the storm, though it only lasts about three or four steps before she's back underneath the mercy of the pounding rain. The nearer she gets to the cottage, the harder the rain becomes, and it isn't long before her shoes and feet are slathered in mud and her hair is sticking to her neck.

I'm gonna get a cold, aren't I? She can't stop the exasperated huff that exits her lips, her eyes squinted as she attempts to ward off the gushing water and stop it from irritating her senses even further. The deep rumbling of the constant thunder, the pitter-patter of rain splashing against the leaves and rising puddles of water, and the invigorating breeze gently blowing against her skin would be relaxing if she wasn't currently being saturated as she hurries back.

In her rush to get out of the weather, she stares ahead to see if she can locate the tranquil little house, just for an instant forgetting to watch where she's stepping, and as a result, misses a particularly thick weed, prompting her foot to get caught up in it which soon has her losing her balance and plummeting to the dirt floor with a grunt.

She catches the majority of her body weight with her hands and allows her arms to take the brunt of the fall, still landing on her stomach and chest. The lower strands of her hair land in mud and she can feel pressure in the palm of her right hand, almost as if something was sticking through the skin, but she doesn't pay much mind to it, too focused on returning before the weather has a chance to get even worse. Releasing a peeved "dang it", she pushes herself to her feet, not taking time to look at the damage that had to have been caused, and makes sure to keep her eyes glued to her feet and what's in front of them.