Since Esmera was abandoned on a stranger's doorstep as a baby, the only person who has looked out for her is herself.
Until a lark starts visiting her, leaving behind exotic flowers and iridescent pebbles that the internet doesn't recognise.
Esmera...
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The world went about its business around Esmera, jarring in its simplest sounds. She turned away from raucous laughter, keeping her arms folded over her chest. She flinched at loud shouts and walked faster.
She was all too overwhelmed by the sounds of the city even as she tried not to be aware of them. The state of her t-shirt and the smoky grey clouds that obscured the darkening sky had her on edge.
As if the wind whipping her loose hair about her face wasn't warning enough, the impending storm sent another in the drop that fell on Esmera's nose. She looked up at the sky.
The clouds bled into each other like smudged paint. More raindrops fell, faster now, racing each other to the ground. They settled on Esmera's eyelashes.
She put her head down and hurried along. Getting cornered by the rain would be the chocolate sauce on the suffocating foam of the spilt frappe that was her birthday.
Esmera's apartment was only two blocks away. She could beat the rain there.
When the rain unleashed itself upon the city, there were only a few people on the street. The rest had all found shelter beneath the roofs jutting out from nearby buildings because they had sense. Esmera didn't.
She closed her eyes as the rain enveloped her.
She liked the vitality in its crispness. She wanted to smell the wet leaves and the rain burning as it struck the hot tarmac. She wanted to feel the storm's fingers against her skin, reminding her that she was real.
So what if she caught a cold? It wouldn't be the worst thing that had happened to her today.
Esmera opened her eyes to see the rain coming down in a curtain too thick to see past. She wouldn't be able to spot a car swerving towards her even if its headlights were on. The realisation sent Esmera stumbling through the downpour, away from the street.
A nearby building extended a flight of stairs like a helping hand. Esmera ran for it, taking care not to slip.
She started up the stairs. There was a roughness to the terracotta tiles that seemed deliberate, almost as if they were trying to be part of some past time or place.
The air around Esmera went dry and still. She took a moment to catch her breath and glanced up at the ceiling.
She had escaped the rain.
All around her were laughing young couples and mothers with children running about their legs, all drenched or merely licked by the drizzle. The only thing Esmera had in common with them was that they were also seeking shelter from the storm.
Esmera looked out past the pillars at the rain which still pummelled the ground and any unfortunate person who hadn't been quick enough to escape the force of its fists.
Now Esmera's t-shirt was soaked through, but at least the coffee stain on the front had washed out. That was something that had gone right today. As insignificant as it was, it brought a tired, hesitant smile to Esmera's face.
