A Touch of Rain

Prologue

"Can I go play over there, mommy?"
I never knew those were the last words I would ever say to my mother.
"Sure bunny, just be careful."
"Okay."
It was the county fair, Houston, Texas, I was five years old. I had just spotted the giant playground and was now zooming towards it. I jumped in and lost myself in a world of colors and shapes. I was enjoying myself so much I didn’t notice that my mother was nowhere in sight.
I popped out of the jungle gym, and started weaving my way threw the crowd. I heard complaints behind me but they sounded far away. I was terrified as I got farther and farther in the crowd and the sun started disappearing behind the clouds. Suddenly I slammed into two bodies in front of me.
"Excuse me" I murmured.

I tried to swerve around the two strangers, but one of them caught my arm.
"What’s the rush, little one?" He asked me politely.
He was a middle aged man with a balding head and average clothes. He looked like one of those guys with two perfectly polished kids and a fifties style mom. Beside him was a woman about the same age with a sweet smile.
"I’m lost and I can’t find my mommy." I whimpered. Saying it aloud seemed to make the situation sound worse and tears swelled up in my eyes.
"Aww, don’t cry sweetheart, I’m sure she’s around here somewhere." It was the nice-looking lady speaking now.
"Why don’t you take a drive around with us and we’ll see if we can find her." The man said.
Talks I had had with my mother suddenly came back to me.
"Don’t you ever go anywhere with people you don’t know, understand bunny?"
"yes mama."
Remembering those talks suddenly made it hard to frame a coherent sentence for the couple.

"Umm, that’s okay but thanks anyway" I said.
"Oh, come on it’s a brand new car don’t you want to see it? I’ve got ice cream too. Do you like ice cream?" He asked.
Mmm I did like ice cream. Snap out of it Casey!
"No thank you, I really have to go know." I said and tried to run around him, but he caught me again.
"Look you little brat, just come with us and no one will get hurt."
I was truly terrified when I heard a faint voice.
"Casey, Casey, CASEY?!?!"
"Mom?"
"MOMMY, HELP M-"
The rest of the sentence was cut off because, the stranger had put a hand over my mouth and was running at full speed with the woman on his heels. At that point I was way past rational thinking considering how scared I was. I tried kicking and biting but he was too strong, and at this point I was losing conciseness because the man’s restraining hand was starting to cut off my air supply. The world started to swim around me, and I could just barely make out my mother sobbing my name, but it was getting quieter and quieter. That’s when I lost complete conciseness.

When I finally opened my eyes, I was in a shabby looking room, like an attic. I got up and went to the door and tried it, but it was locked.
And that’s where my life as Casey Winter’s ended. And Summer Wilkinsons began.