One drop of water fell, then another, and another, and soon more fell on the bright pavement until everywhere was soaked. I had a lot on my mind that day, and Ajax’s mention of “Enhancers” threw me into a deep hole. The word started swirling in my mind. While I didn’t know much about them, rumors say that they are an abnormal society that enacts violence to “prove'' something to the world, mainly political leaders. The ones that attacked Old Northgate very much fit the description. Although they invaded a normal town instead of a rich community. Luckily, I haven’t really encountered any since then thanks to the Guard. They fight them on a day-to-day basis on the frontlines.

The sidewalks started to be covered in specs of water drops. I looked to the sky, and its clouds depressingly darkened. “If I recall correctly, there’s supposed to be an 85% chance of rain? At least the mood is set, I guess.” Thankfully, I stowed away an umbrella before school. Unlike most of the students who didn’t bring one, which was a mistake on their part. The further I walked into New Northgate, the darker the skies got. 

Walking down the street made me feel calm, even though I was reminded of all those years ago. At least, that's what I wanted to believe, though it wasn’t too loud here nor too quiet. People got into cars, visited shops, admired the rain, and yet, not one person was concerned about what happened. Of course, who could blame them when the land has healed since then? Still, not everyone recovers as quickly. Mending not just physical damage, but the emotional tears in people’s lives is a delicate process. So every time I heard the term “Enhancer”, I felt as if my eyes wanted to give out, along with my legs. 

This just in, another Enhancer terrorist cell was discovered near Glendale! Unitarian Guard reports claim that the cell remained in secret for months! Said a TV inside a store. 

The headlines pierced through the glass window before infiltrating my senses. I began to feel a little colder. Shivers crept across my back to the point that I felt my shoulders weaken. “Ignore it, Jake, ignore it. Just ignore it.” I was starting to get annoyed as well, and my arms got tired too. Most people watching probably don’t even know what it feels like. To stare ahead at the mask of death. The image that still haunted my brain. “Great, now I’m feeling weird again!” I ran to a tree and sat down with the umbrella covering my face, staring down at the wet cement. “Why, why now! Shit, I need to catch my breath.” It was awful. I usually got this feeling at times whenever I dreamt of the nightmare. But I got too lost in my thoughts this time.

I listened to every flow of water that streamed down the side of the road. The tree above me shook its leaves off, allowing them to land gracefully near my feet. Hearing the sounds of nature was like a soothing harmony. Soon, the shivers around my body began to dissipate. “Okay,” I said quietly, and moved along.

The black gate was close to the tree. Inside, I walked along a path intersecting other walkways. Compared to outside, the leaves here fell roughly; there was no water flowing like a river, and the trees mourned in silence. People arrived every day to pay their respects. Each person who entered appeared to change their personality to a gloomy one. It was understandable considering that I knew their pain. My hands trembled with the flowers as I got closer, but it was better to admit it than to lie to myself.

I stood before the marking written on its tombstone, In Honor of General Emmnual Knight, the Silver Ulitmate, Father, Husband, and Soldier. It was faded a little but still legible. After taking a moment of silence for one of my two heroes in life, I knelt and laid the flowers against the tombstone. “Hi, Dad.” It took a lot of strength not to tear up. I never knew what to say exactly. “I finished my finals this week for the semester. Crazy right?  I mean it feels like I just got back into classes and now I’m halfway there. Junior year has been kind of an experience but, I’m doing my best.” My voice suddenly came to a halt, like I forgot how to speak. It was always painful to visit this place, which is why I only came on Fridays. Knowing the weekend is ahead is a plus. “I guess I just wanted to say that I’ve kept my promise. Mom and the others are safe, and I’ll keep it that way.” The air felt colder now, and the grass stopped swaying in the increasing downpour.

There was an elderly, female voice humming nearby. The sound of gentle hums slowly repeating helped calm my own atmosphere. Mrs Wayfield stood just a few tombs to the right with her eyes closed. I couldn’t believe the sight before me. She was standing in the middle of a downpour, and it began raining so much that she didn’t even care. Or rather, the rain helped soothe her own pain? I walked over to her and asked, “Mrs. Wayfield, how are you this afternoon?”

She stopped humming and gave a warm smile that countered the cold. “Ah, Jake Knight, how are you today? Are you studying for college?” 

“Well, I’m still a junior, we’re actually on winter break for the next month.”

“I see. You know my grandchildren are also on break, but they started last week.” 

“Really, wow, they're really lucky.” 

“So you still come here on Fridays? That is very kind of you, Jake. But, may I ask, are you feeling okay? That handsome smile of yours seems faulty today.” She said, which surprised me. I didn’t take it the wrong way, however, it's just that I thought my mood had gotten better. 

“Oh, sorry, it's just, I guess I’m still having trouble moving past this.” I glanced back at Dad’s grave. Mrs. Wayfield nodded before saying, “I get it, it's okay to feel sad and mourn your loved ones who have passed. But as someone who understands you," She stared back down again at her husband’s tombstone, “It is important to make time for yourself and live your life, Jake. Your father would want you to keep a real smile.” Mrs. Wayfield said and turned back to my direction. She saw how starstruck I was by her wisdom.

Mrs. Wayfield was right, of course, I had trouble focusing on my own life from time to time. I tend to think about my dad’s experiences at work. How hard he pushed himself to support my family. And also how dangerous it was. It was still hard to accept though, but I guess, “My friends actually invited me to a hangout today.” Mrs. Wayfield listened as the rain continued to shower the cemetery. “But I declined, since I was coming here today.” I sighed deeply and rubbed my forehead. “Maybe I should call them back.”

“As I said, Jake, there’s nothing wrong with coming here every Friday, but make sure you don’t solely focus on the past. You’re still young, so enjoy life while it's here,” she said joyfully right as my phone rang. 

I took out my phone from my jeans pocket and saw it was Mom. “It's my Mom, excuse me, Mrs. Wayfield.” I went over to the side and answered. “Qué manda Mama?” I greeted and asked her. 

“Mi rey, ¿dónde estás? ¡Ya casi es una hora que se terminó la escuela! No me mandaste mensaje, no me marcaste, ni recordaste que tenías Mama!” She kept asking me where I was and why I didn’t communicate with her. I should have contacted her sooner. Mom tends to exaggerate things when she’s angry, but I understood she was just concerned.

I started sweating, it was raining, and I was sweating? “No, no, sorry Mama, sorry, es que me fui a ver a Papa como siempre cada Viernes.” Mom stayed silent for a moment before I pleaded my case again. “Sorry que no te conteste, es que me sentí cansado por los exámenes hoy.” There was no response until after two or three seconds.

She demanded that I always call her after school and seemed to forgive me this once. “Okay, está bien, entiendo por qué, pero siempre me tenés que marcar cuando salgas de la escuela! Estamos!” 

Her last shout caused me to straighten up like a soldier. “Si, Mama! Sorry.” 

Mom finally smiled on her end, though I saw this coming. “Cuando terminas ahí, puedes pasar a la tienda para agarrar huevos, leche, y pan de caja?” I knew she would ask me to pass by the store. Though I remembered that the things she listed were almost out anyway.

“Si, Mama.”

She then said, “Y si encuentras pan dulce, me regalas eso también, mi rey.” I had a feeling she would ask for sweet bread too. It's been a while since I had taken a bite out of that chocolate chip kind. So this can be a reward for finishing the finals. 

“Sí, Mamá, okay, ya voy a la tienda.”

“Tene cuidado, mi rey, I love you.”

“I love you too, Mama.” We kissed each other bye over the phone, and the call ended. The rain started to drizzle more, so I put my hoodie up. 

Mrs. Wayfield didn’t bring an umbrella along, unfortunately. She wore a raincoat, but I still felt that it wouldn’t keep her dry enough. “Mrs Wayfield, if it's no trouble, I’d like to lend you my umbrella.”

She turned to me and tilted her head, “Oh, you don’t have to do that, Jake, I’m perfectly fine.” 

“Really, I want you to have it. It's just that I have to go, and I don’t want you to catch a cold.” I held it out to her. 

“Alright, if it means that much to you.” She took the umbrella and thanked me. “You’re a good boy, Jake. Keep that trait of yours.” 

After saying bye, I turned and left through the black gate. It was nice to do something thoughtful that actually made my day! Then I stopped right when I made way for the sidewalk. “Oh no, I just remember that my mom recently bought that umbrella!” I honestly felt like drowning myself in the rain at the moment. I sighed and just continued forward. “Guess I’ll just buy a new one then.” I walked away from the cemetery. Out in the distance, Dad’s flowers still looked great in the rain on the grass. Almost like they glowed for a moment before disappearing in the rain’s fog.

About 20 minutes had passed since I had gone to the grocery store, which was a bunch of blocks down. I can’t believe I even had to cross the bridge just to get over there. I was saving my quarters for the ride home, so I ended up walking a marathon. “You gotta be joking with me. I really should have gotten the 150-day pass.” After exiting the store, the sky had darkened even more than before. Apparently, the rain calmed down a little, which was a bummer since I bought another umbrella. Now I had more to carry on hand, though it was also satisfying to carry the groceries since I’d be able to cook some eggs in bread tomorrow morning. Frances (Bolillos) from El Salvador goes great with scrambled eggs and red beans. You just have to cut one in half, rip a center piece from each half, and stuff all the eggs and beans inside. Though that satisfying thought vanished once irritation hit.

My fingers began getting blisters from the bags’ weight. I shifted hands with the umbrella and bags; it was a hassle. It felt like I was getting punished for not having a car yet or something. Though I was planning on taking the written test soon. The rain grew stronger with gusts of wind added to the fray. Rocks are drenched by the nearby river’s aggressive waves. I was back in the area with a bridge crossing that was normally empty. This led to the bus stop about 15 minutes away. “Almost there, thank gosh…” If that wasn’t enough, I cut myself off at the strange sight in the distance. “What was that?” I heard metal clashes and sounds of electricity just passed the bridge. Blue flashes ignited intensely, and I even felt some of my own hairs stand up. Then, after rubbing an eye, a person suddenly lay unconscious on the bridge. “What the!” 

For the first time, the rain annoyed me as I couldn't make out who it was. With damn grocery bags attacking my fingers, I got closer and was shocked by what was happening. Two other figures were there, dark figures; they were just standing next to the unconscious person. “No, stop! Hey!” Dropping the groceries to what felt like a thousand feet, the eggs splattered with their shells cracked open. I dashed to the bridge, and if I was not mistaken, the unconscious person was about to fall into the river!