Saving Rain

by Kelsey Kingsley

We parked the car and got out, and that was when the light shining over River Canyon dimmed, casting shadows where I’d once thought there were none. As we walked to the entrance, a blonde woman with a few young girls in tow took one look at me and shielded her kids with an arm, steering them out of my way. At first, I thought maybe she was just maneuvering them, instructing them to watch for others and whatever. But then I heard the whispers. “That's the guy Mayor Fischer told us about,” the woman whispered to another nearby lady, this one with black hair. “The guy who was in prison? How do you know?” The blonde nodded. “She said he was big and hard to miss.” “Didn't she say he killed someone? Does Officer Kinney know he's here?” “Yeah. He said he'd keep an eye on him, but we should probably watch out for the kids. Just in case.” I wasn't an inconspicuous guy by any means. At six foot seven, it was hard for me to blend in, and I sure as hell wasn't going to win any games of hide-and-seek anytime soon. The height and size had their advantages sometimes—I could always reach the highest shelf, and nobody had dared to fuck with me at Wayward—but now, I felt like I stood out like a giant, throbbing sore thumb. Harry patted my back reassuringly. “Hey, don't worry about it. They'll learn.” “It's fine,” I muttered, pushing the door open and walking into the store. “They just don't know you yet.” “I get it.” And I did. Once upon a time, if I'd heard that some guy moved into town wh...