My Precious Nightmare

3: A Hoax

The light from the nearest working streetlamp was enough to see the edges of a long black trench coat and the shape of windswept hair. Even as Lea watched, the stranger seemed to tremble.

"Probably someone who wants to be left alone," said Lea quietly, pushing at her frozen friend. "Mom's right, no more horror games for you."

At the sound of her voice, the person in the alley looked up, and Lea found herself staring into a pair of impossibly red, glowing eyes.

For the space of a breath, Lea felt her muscles seize up, suspended in the blank surprise before the flight.

Sky let out one of her famous piercing shrieks and split like ice cream on the stove, long mocha legs serving her well.

Lea, however, found herself unable to move, stunned by an overwhelming pressure of something imminent, something dangerous, tinged with an unproductive amount of disbelief. This had to be a joke, after all. No one had glowing red eyes. How hokey could you get?

Slowly, the figure stood, unblinking.

Strawberry milkshake splattered on her feet. Ice cream sunk around the plastic strap of her flip-flops and sank between her toes.

"Aren't you going to run after your friend?"

The low, velveteen voice sent ice down her back.

"I'm g-g-getting to that," she heard herself squeak.

The red eyes finally blinked.

Then the night air rumbled with unmistakable male laughter. The rolling peels sent pleasant prickles over her shoulders, warming her chilled nerves somewhat. The idea that this was a joke became a little stronger and her terror softened.

"I-Is this some kind of joke?" she snapped. "I mean, you have to be a pro if it is. It's got to cost some money to make your eyes glow like that. Do you just wait here for anyone to look in?"

The laughter hitched and lowered to a closed-mouth chuckle. Her eyes had adjusted a bit more by now, and she thought she could make out a smooth face and proud shoulders. Now that she was calming down, she noticed he wasn't all that tall for a boy. Definitely taller than her (everything was taller than her), but nothing that should have intimidated Sky, who, despite her fear of the supernatural, made it a point to swing around her street cred (made up or not).

"Something like that," he said, and she found, with her fear gone, she rather liked his voice. "Best you scurry off. Got to prepare for my next scare, eh?"

But Lea found herself cocking her head to the side as she kicked milkshake from her toes.

"Is this, like, a hobby of yours? How did you get your eyes to glow?"

"Magician's secret. You should head along."

She nodded, set down her sticky foot, and smiled. "I'll see you around, then."

It wasn't till she stepped into the bright light of her bathroom to clean off her feet that she noticed that her hands were still shaking.

She ignored it, however, focusing instead on explaining to the rattled and apologetic Sky that it had just been a prankster and nothing more.

"What kind of bastard hangs out on empty streets to scare people?" Sky had raved. "Screw that, I'm going out there! Jerkwad needs a punch to the face, that's what he needs!"

"And one more assault charge will take you to Juvy," said Lea wearily. She'd only gone out to get ice cream, and now that was gone she was just tired. She didn't know where Sky got her energy from. Or maybe Lea was just an old lady waiting to happen.

Sky didn't take kindly to being reminded of her record.

"That's only if they find out," she said.

"They'll find out."

"Damn it, Lea, someone's got to teach him a lesson!"

"All he did was stand there with glowing contacts, which I seriously want to do a web search now for. Could you quiet down, now? You've already woken my mom up once."

Sky snorted, kicked the bathroom doorframe with her heel, and stomped off, muttering curses beneath her breath.

Lea clenched her shaking hands together and smiled at her fingers.

If only she could get a portion of Sky's passion, she thought. Maybe they'd both become better-balanced individuals.

But they weren't, and Lea shook off the water from her hands before drying them on her shirt. She'd have to do laundry tomorrow. The sink needed a scrubbing too. After school, though. After homework. After the evening grew dark and lonely.

Ignoring the lingering chill prickling in her stomach, she flicked off the bathroom light and returned to her bedroom, where her grouchy friend waited.

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Does anyone remember that badger badger mushroom mushroom video fad? They had other videos to it to, like Magical Trevor and Owls and whatnot....I just dated myself again, didn't I?