The air shifted around me, a subtle warning, just before fat drops fell from the sky and pinged against the tin roof of the barn and then reached my overheated skin. The cool rain almost hurt, but that gave me some sense of relief that I was still able to feel anything.

Flickers of lightning joined the pattern of blue-and-red flashing lights whirling around the tobacco field as I swayed in place, taking in the chaos that was building right along with the storm. A rumble of thunder formed in the distance, sounding like a boulder on a runaway path. It was so fierce I could have sworn it formed within the very marrow of my being. Another sharp bolt of lightning. This time making my teeth sting. I swiped my tongue over them to get rid of the tingling sensation and swallowed, but the metallic taste clung to my palate like the dust to my skin.

Rebelling against humidity, the fine hairs along my neck stood on end. The air crackled with energy as if it were tiptoeing across a live wire. All warning signs that this was far beyond a gentle rain cloud. The panicked yelling of orders for the EMTs to get the lead out, the staticky screech of CB radios spewing indecipherable codes, the ringing in my ears . . . also warning signs.

This night not only marked the end to the drought, but also the end to the long-held secret we’d kept hidden just past the magnolias of Nolia Farms.

As it began to rain in earnest and the red lights faded into the night, the sheriff broke away from a small circle of police officers and came to a stop beside me. My eyes were fixed to the ambulance as it rushed down the dirt road, kicking up dust the rain hadn’t had the chance to tamp down yet.

“Austin,” Sheriff Inman spoke, using a tone better suited when dealing with a two-year-old girl instead of a twenty-one-year-old woman. He exhaled harshly. “Who —?”

“Pa . . . Pa did it to himself . . .” A staggered sob rushed up my throat, nearly choking me. “It’s not the first time.” The putrid-green fields swirled around me as the ringing in my ears grew to a nauseating pitch. The field angled sideways, but a hand grasped my shoulder to keep me upright.

“Whoa there, young lady. You okay?”

I sipped a mouthful of balmy air and nodded while demanding the dizziness and bile to recede.

“I need you to come with me.” He spoke louder as the rain picked up its own volume.

“Why?” I blinked away raindrops clinging to my eyelashes.

“Just to answer a few questions. Won’t take long.”

“But the young’uns . . .” I lifted my hands so that the rain could wash away some of the blood and guilt. Fingertip to elbow, I was thickly covered in both. Just like the dust, I had my doubts of ever ridding myself of it.