The rain started late one May afternoon. Just a light shower, nothing too serious. As a refreshing change to the usual scorching sun, Alexi was quite relieved. She sat in her bedroom listening to the light pitter-patter, trying to concentrate on her English homework. She had to write a short story by next week, and she had nothing to write about.
     Alexi was usually very creative, but when she had boundaries nothing seemed to come out right. Her story had to be based on a life-changing event that she had gone through, but Alexi couldn't think of anything to write about. She had used the divorce of her parents too many times in stories. Plus, she thought it wasn't very unique because almost every kid in her class had gone through it.
     She jumped as the phone rang, a chill going through her body. It was her mom calling to say she'd be home late from work. She told her to make supper, and said she would pick up her own on the way home. Alexi had gotten quite used to this since her father had moved out. Deciding cooking would be a way to think of something for her story, she got up and walked out to the kitchen.
     She glanced out the window and noticed the rain had gotten worse in the last hour. Since her curtains had been closed she hadn't noticed too much. Alexi wasn't too hungry so she pulled out some Kraft Dinner and a pot. She started boiling the water when a howling could be heard. She thought it was just a dog, but it started whistling and whipping all around her. She looked outside and saw that the trees had nearly bent in half since the wind and rain were pounding so hard.
     Alexi gulped and threw macaroni into the pot. She turned the heat down a couple notches. She started drumming her hands on the counter to the song she was dancing to in jazz. While she was waiting for the food to cook she went over her dance on the kitchen floor. In mid-pirouette she heard a faint ringing sound. She ran for the phone.
     "Hello?" she yelled over the wind outside. It seemed to get louder and louder by the mintue and the rain was now coming down in sheets.
     She was too shocked to say much. Alexi now had her story.
     Red-eyed and still shaken, a week later Alexi handed the story over to her English teacher. She left the school right away not being able to concentrate through all the pain. Later that night Mrs. Dunby, her teacher, read the compsition:

     I was sitting there that one May afternoon listening to the rain fall lightly on the house. I was working on my homework when the phone rang. I got shivers down my back, and knew something wasn't quite right.
     "Hello?"
     "Hey, sweetie. Sorry but I'm going to be late coming home from work today, so you'll have to make dinner for yourself. I'll just pick something up for myself on the way home okay?"
     "Sure, Mom, that's fine. Love you," I said like I always did, not knowing I'd regret that later.
     "Love you too, honey."
     I hung up the phone and walked out to the kitchen. I realized I had been so caught up in my work that I didn't notice the rain had gotten much worse. While making my macaroni the wind and rain picked up greatly. Just barely over the wind I could hear the phone ringing.
     "Hello?"
     "Is Alexi Jonassyn there please?"
     I gulped. "Speaking," I said timidly.
"This is Point Valley Medical Center. Your mother has been in a very terrible car accident. She is in Emergency Surgery right now, but I'm afraid she doesn't have a big chance of living."
     I gasped and burst into tears. "S-should I c-come d-down there r-right away?" I managed to choke out.
     "We've sent a police officer up to your house to talk to you, and he will bring you down the the hospital."
     All I could do was cry. I hung up and fell to the floor sobbing.

     I sat with Officer Donnavan at the kitchen table.
     "Your mother was driving very slowly, but the roads are very wet. She couldn't react quickly when the car ran the red light and hit her vehicle. Her side of the car was slammed, and pushed a few hundred meters away."
     "What happened to her? What did she hurt?" I had so many questions running through my head. Especially one. Why? Why did it have to happen to me? Why my mom?
     "When she was hit, the impact threw her sideways and she broke her collarbone. She was also found with major damage to her internal organs, and her stomach was bleeding. She had some major head trauma as well. The surgeons tried as hard as they could to save her, but her injuries were too great." The officers face softened when he saw me start to cry all over again.
     All I could do for the next ten minutes was sit there and cry. It was just beginning to sink in that I would never see, hear, or talk to my mom again. Officer Donnaban took me down to the hospital then. had a feeling implementing in the pit of my stomach.

     I stepped into the morgue. Seeing her lifeless body lying there made me sick. Trembling, I walked up to her, slowly, dreading what I would see. As I gained the courage to look at her once happy face, a tear slid down my already soaked cheek. Her beautiful green eyes were closed peacefully. She looked as she did normally, except for the pale blueness in her skin, and traces of dried blood in her messy brown hair.
     "I love you. I'll never forget you, ever," I said as I grabbed her freezing cold hand. My eyes were flooding with tears now. "Good-bye, Mom. I love you."
     Officer Donnavan and the surgeon who had worked on my mom, Dr. Tierney, led me out to the hall.
     "I'm going to go through some arrangements with you," Officer Donnavan said slowly.
     "What kind of arrangements?" I knew the answer already. I just didn't want to go through all this so soon. She left me, and all ready I have to go through with this. I felt like screaming, but I just looked at the officer and waited for the answer.
     He paused. It seemed like an eternity before he spoke again. "Living arrangements....what you will go through with services."
     I started to feel sick again. Thinking of a funeral at the moment seemed too strange. And who would I live with? My dad? I hadn't seen him in at least six years.
     "Now, Alexi, I now finding a place for you to go to is going to be tough. I've been tyring to get a hold of your father. I realize you haven't seen him in a long time since the divorce, but he is still your legal guardian.
     I sighed. I didn't want to have to relocate. I've lived here all my life, and I just couldn't up and leave my friends...my life. "Is there any chance my dad could move here?" I asked, knowing it wouldn't do any good.
     "Alexi," Officer Donnavan started, "I know you want everything to go back to the way it was, or close to it. However, it might be better for you if you leave. Going to live with your father in Chicago could be good for you. You wouldn't be attached to this horrible accident, having to revisit it every day."
     I could see where he was coming from, but he didn't understand. It wasn't that easy to leave. I had so many memories here, happy ones, and one terrifying one wasn't going to make things terrible.
     After being silent for a few moments, the officer spoke up. "Your dad said he would give you two weeks after the funeral to finalize everything with you leaving. I'm sorry, but there is no chance of you staying here."
     All the anger that had been boiling up inside of me came out. "How can yu say that?" I screamed. "He can't just expect me to leave my life here and start a brand new oe somwhere I've never been. Especially with a father I haven't even spoken to let alone seen!" I stood up so fast my chair flew backwards.
     Officer Donnavan tried to calm me down. "Look, Alexi, I can understand how angry you are, but there's nothing that can be done. Think about the good side. You'll be able to reconnect with your father, and get over your mother's death."
     "Maybe I won't want to get over her death! Maybe I don't want to reconnect with my father! I can do whatever I want, I'm not going. They can't make me go. They can't make me go...they can't..."

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