PANDEMONIUM

two

"I just hope it isn't?"

"I just hope it isn't snot with dye on it."

I coughed out a laugh. "I wouldn't try to trick you, Jenny."

She paused and thought for a second. "I think I felt something radiating off it. But it didn't feel bad though. It might actually be useful."

And then someone screamed.

Jenny and I whipped our heads around and saw Michael running out of the Chemistry lab with someone else beside him. Someone with a blue hoodie. And they were both too afraid to turn back and close the door. No, instead they just hid behind the building. I quickly learned why.

I heard a loud shuffling and scratching behind the lab door. Then a paw as big as my face stretched outward. Then I saw a rat's face. Its black eyes looked directly at me for a split second. There was something glowing on its back. It had dozens of sharp black and blue spikes jutting out from its fur. It forced its way out the door and growled revealing a row of its ugly sharp teeth. It was the first time I'd ever been scared of a rat.

The rat scampered in my direction then swerved around me and Jenny. Its tail slid over my foot like a snake and I felt a strange energy radiating from its spikes. The same energy that came from the Heptir plants.

I blinked and looked at the rat that was now running through the school building faster than a cable cart down a zipline and I ran after it. The closer I got the more I could see the damage it was doing. It used its claws to scratch several lockers, its head bumped into a ceiling fan knocking it down and leaving it smashed broken on floor and its feet stained the carpet and tore it apart.

I saw it standing upright as it lunged at a boy wearing a green baseball cap. I took a deep breath then sprinted at it like mad grabbing its fur from behind as I dug my nails into its back. It wriggled and hissed and it almost threw me off. It was frightening being close to an animal that huge. I grabbed one of its blue spikes, closed my eyes then used my powers to pull the energy out. The sensation was like drinking hot chocolate on winter mornings. And luckily for me the boy with the cap was hiding his face behind his hands in fear so he couldn't see what I was doing and all the other kids had run out of the building. I felt dizzy afterwards, like a hollow object that someone just threw rocks inside and I could feel myself rattling and shaking like a can.

I closed my eyes and stumbled backwards. When I opened them, I saw a little rat with grey fur darting through the hallway and I heard a woman shriek. A teacher had just stepped out of her office. I didn't want to have to have to explain to her what had just happened but the least I could do is tell her why the lab rat got away so she could at least be calm and not think there was suddenly an infestation.

So I stood up and walked over to explain to her and on the way I saw Michael at the hallway door glaring at me. But it wasn't an angry glare. No. It was more like he was afraid. His buddy was standing next to him, the guy with the hoodie. His skin was dark like his eyes and he had a ring piercing on his bottom lip. He had a similar expression except it looked more like he was curious instead of afraid.

"Um, sorry miss," I told the teacher. She had name tag that said 'Mrs. Black.' "Some idiot let the rat out." The both of us looked towards the hallway door but Mike and his buddy had disappeared by then.

Was this worth getting him into trouble for? I decided no, since the only reason they had used the goo on the rat was to test it. Now that they knew what it was capable of, there was no reason for them to care about the magic anymore. Unless they wanted to turn into a monstrosity as well.

Mrs. Black said, "Thank you for telling me, I'll call someone to put it back in its cage," and started speed walking to find another teacher.

It was only a hunch that made me decide to use my powers on the rat but now I knew for sure that I could give and take energy from living things and not just objects. And now I had the energy from a Heptir plants right inside me and it didn't feel dangerous at all.