Forces of Nature

Conquer Thy Fear... Or Not

"Riley!"

I marched down the hallway, flinging his bedroom door open. He didn't even stir, burrowed under his blankets snoring softly.

"Riley!" I yelled again, chucking the muffin I was holding at his duvet covered head. He grunted in response, pulling the covers more tightly around him. I ground my teeth in frustration.

"I let the dog out while I was checking the mail," I said, changing tactic. "It got hit by a truck."

That did it. He sprang out of bed like he'd been shocked, eyes wide open, half the hair on his head standing straight up.

"What!?" he gasped, tripping over the bedcovers in his disorientated state.

"Just kidding. But I was tempted to let it go after it chewed my homework up." Homework that was due this coming Monday, I might add. I had been ready and willing to wring its neck for that alone.

Riley groaned and climbed back into bed. "I'm sorry. I'll lock it in the kitchen tonight."

If he thought he was getting off that easy, he had another thing coming.

"You said I wouldn't even know it was here," I fumed. "It's been less than twenty four hours and besides eating part of my homework, it's left nice little surprises in the hallway, on one of the rugs and on one of my sweaters."

The sweater in question was now in the neighbours bin. There was no way in hell I'd be wearing it again with the knowledge that an animal had done it's doggie business in the hood.

"Really?" he asked in surprise. "But it's so little."

I rolled my eyes at him. Clearly he was nowhere near prepared to deal with a living creature that apparently wasn't potty trained and was hell-bent on chewing everything in its path to pieces. And everything not in its path. My homework had been minding its own business in my schoolbag. The bag may have been left undone, but that didn't give the little critter an open invitation to help itself.

Rolling over, he grabbed the digital alarm clock from his bedside table.

"Noah!" he cried. "It's barely six thirty."

I shrugged. "If I have to be up, I don't see why you get to sleep in."

He groaned again and dropped the clock onto the floor.

"You sleep with your door closed," he mumbled, trying to get comfortable. "I doubt the dog woke you up."

Well no, actually, it didn't. Courtney was responsible for that. I'd come awake at the ungodly hour of five thirty to her phone screaming out the lyrics to 'In the End' by Linkin Park. After throwing it at her, I had snuggled down and drifted back to sleep - only to be reawakened an hour later with orders to get up and get dressed.

"Whatever," I grumbled. "Just remember, if I see that thing again I'm going to drop kick it over the neighbour's fence. With luck, their cat will eat it."

He grunted, his eyes already closed as he flailed his arm around trying to locate his blanket. I stalked from the room to begin my search for the second person on my shit list. If Courtney thought I was going to tag along on her pre dawn date with her boyfriend she also had another thing coming.

"So why am I coming along?" I asked Courtney half an hour later as I drove us west out of town.

"Because Drew is bringing one of his friends," she said, checking her makeup in her compact mirror. "And because I don't have a car. Are you sure you don't want some of my makeup?"

I glanced at my reflection in the rear view mirror. My eyes were a tad bloodshot with dark circles underneath them, my wavy honey brown hair a wild mess of tangles.