PANDEMONIUM

one

My energy seeped in and filled the space where the cat needed batteries. I felt this warm buzz on the metal surface and then the robot slowly woke up. It didn't look up, acknowledge me, or yawn and it's painted eyes couldn't blink, of course, but it started shifting and shaking and soon the springy legs that dad designed jutted out like rockets and confetti from an inner box he built and the cat began to stumble in my direction. It was alive and it almost seemed happy.

Then it leapt off the bench and tried to strangle Benny with its legs.

Dad was more shocked than I was. Couldn't blame him really, he had no idea what I was planning beforehand and now he had to handle seeing his new robot pet strangle a pig to death.

He took a step back. I let out a shriek.

I reached out my hand to touch the cats head again. It felt soothing when I brought the energy back to me.

"Why did you do that?" Dad yelled.

"I wanted to see if I could actually make it move. And I did!"

"Augustus, you have absolutely no idea what will happen when you use your powers."

I frowned. "Only because I never use them."

"Because you can't!"

And that's pretty much all he had to say to me. Cause it was entirely true. I couldn't use them. Especially not outside. I couldn't let myself be caught using an offensive power.

"That was a risky move. Too risky. The robot could have run on the streets and someone could have felt it. Some people can tell what magic feels like."

I looked down at my feet and saw Benny grunting and struggling below me. That lifeless cat was weighing him down like a ton of bricks. It still had its stretchy legs wrapped around his neck like an octopus so I picked it up and put it back on the green bench. Benny squealed and darted back inside the house.

"I'll use batteries, Oggie. They're safer."

Dad didn't put the batteries in that day and he went to work shortly after. We could both tell by the amount of sunlight that it was at least seven o'clock at that point. I had my school bag prepared the night before and dad had his lunch for work so neither of us would have a problem coming in early.

My sister Emma would be slightly ahead of me by now. I remember hearing her leave the front door after taking my energy back from the robot so I thought I might still catch her at the bus stop. I didn't.

When I got to the school gate, I pulled out my Mythic cards so I could admire them for a little. Mythic is this card game I mostly play with my friend Aaron Yun. I have 144 cards that I've collected over three years of playing. I shuffled through them for a few minutes but then I dropped one. Annoyed, I put my bag on the ground next to me and decided to just put them all back after bending over to get the one I dropped.

And then someone came and ran all over me.

Whoever it was, his feet were strangely tiny. It didn't hurt so much when he stepped on me. Still left me with an ache though. When I looked up, I saw a dark-skinned boy who was shorter than me but older than me – somehow, I could tell – and he had long brown hair that he held back with a red bandana tied around his head. He had hazel eyes and a sleeveless shirt with black and red stripes. He had a much bigger friend who thankfully wasn't as careless as him. But then I heard him laughing at me. Or maybe he was just laughing at the situation.

I looked away, avoided their gaze, then put away my Mythic cards and went inside the school building. His

I met up with Aaron in the music room. We went there often because it was nice and spacious. When I walked in it was just like it usually was, violins hung on the wall at the back, pianos were off on the sides and the guitars and cellos were sitting on racks on the ground. Aaron was sitting at a square table by himself when I walked in. "Hi Aaron." I said casually.