7th day of the Second Month, Love's Moon
10:00pm
The Forest Village
Ten hours after Zerron had exploded a sack full of flour into Kalen's hair, Kalen was only just now drying his hair after washing it.
He stood at his bedroom window, roughly rubbing the ends. The window opposite was also open and Zerron sat on the window seat, drying his own hair.
After Kalen's mother had left to find the matriarch, Kalen had thrown a bag of flour back at Zerron and by the time Zerron's mother had found them, they had coated the entire warehouse.
As punishment, they hadn't been allowed to wash until after nightfall and had had to deal with the itchiness all day - oh the itchiness. They had also been banned from the festival for the first two hours, so, since the party had started at nine, they still had a whole hour to be bored.
"Your ma was so harsh today. Two hour ban? On one of the biggest parties of the year? That's so unfair," Kalen said, dropping onto his window seat and wrenching on a jumper, tying his hair up into a knot.
"I'm betting it's a double punishment for last week," Zerron said.
"Last week?"
"You can't tell me you forgot about the frogs in the school hall?"
Kalen wrinkled his nose and frowned. "Oh yes, forgot about that little incident."
"I doubt your sister would consider it little."
"Ah the kid needs something to get the heart racing."
"I think that boy was getting her heart racing," Zerron said with a mean grin.
"She is too young to be dealing with any teenage boys!"
"Oh yes, sure, she being the same age as them."
"Too young! Do you know how bad teenage boys are?"
"Well at eighteen, I think I have a vague idea."
Kalen threw a book at him, which Zerron ducked and watched as it sailed through his room and straight out the door, down the corridor and they listened as it bounced down the stairs and landed on the ground floor. Zerron frowned at him.
"Would you mind the crazy strength, what if someone were down there?"
"Sorry," Kalen said, "to be fair, I knew there wasn't anyone, I couldn't hear anything."
"Uh-huh. You keep that crazy vampy strength to yourself."
"Oh sure, you say that, until you need something heavy lifted then it's all, 'Kaaaallleeeennn, it's too heavy. Help me, pweeease."
Zerron grabbed one of his own books and hurled it at Kalen, who laughed as he moved his head out of the way.
"I've never said 'pwease' in my life!"
"You just did."
"Don't make me slap you."
"You couldn't catch me."
Zerron just hissed at him since there was nothing he could really say to that that wasn't a lie and Kalen hissed back at him - only he hissed and bared fangs, holding up his hands, fingers curled like claws.
Zerron just laughed at him. "You're such a freak."
Kalen stared at him. "I'm offended by that, Zerron."
Zerron's eyes widened. "Oh my gods, I didn't literally mean it," he said quickly, "it was just a joke. I'm sorry, that was so careless of me. After years, you'd think I'd know bett-" He stopped when he noticed Kalen's mouth twitch. "Kalen!" he snarled, "I should come over there and throttle you! You scared me! I really thought I had offended you!"
Kalen snorted with laughter. "Oh c'mon, Zer, how many years have we been friends? You have never once offended me; I don't care what you say. By Lady Fate and her Attendant, you're still so gullible."
"Well with you getting mad at Raiko last week, I thought I hit a sore spot."
"Raiko is a beetle - no, that's offensive to beetles."
Zerron smiled.
"Raiko called me a freak and actually meant it. That, and he also called me about nine other names including flea, monster and walking leech and told me to go drown myself in the blood of my victims."
Zerron stared at him. "Did he? You didn't tell me that."
"He was looking for a fight," Kalen said, "So yes, I was angry at him."
"You didn't actually fight him, did you?"
"No, but only because one of the elders showed up and shouted at us both, telling me off for not handling my emotions and calling him suicidal. At him, yes, I was mad. At you? You're just easy to tease."
Zerron glared at him.
Kalen chuckled and a movement behind Zerron caught his attention. He looked to the doorway and stopped.
His smile vanished, his breath hitched in his throat and his eyes widened.
There was a shadow in the doorway to Zerron's bedroom, and there was nothing there that could cast it.
"Are you alright?" Zerron asked, about to look behind him.
"Don't," Kalen hissed, making him stop, "Don't look at it."
Zerron raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh for goodness sake Kalen. Are you trying to scare me again? It worked when we were ten, not this time."
"No," Kalen hissed, his eyes widening more in panic, "Seriously, just stay still."
"Why?" Zerron asked, folding his arms.
"That shadow is behind you."
Zerron completely froze. "Kal, that's not funny," he whispered.
"I'm not being funny," Kalen muttered, slowly standing up, his eyes never leaving the doorway where the shadow stood.
"What are you doing?"
"Coming over, move."
Zerron's face creased in worry for a moment, then he started to move.
As soon as he rose however, the shadow launched itself at him, at such a speed Kalen almost didn't react in time. Zerron whirled around, letting out a shout of horror, falling to the ground, just as Kalen vaulted out of his window, easily making the distance between the houses and soaring right over Zerron's head, colliding with the shadow.
He half expected it actually go straight through the darkness, and was shocked when he felt himself collide with a solid body and go flying straight out the room with it. He and the body crashed to the ground in the hallway, rolled a few meters and tumbled straight down the stairs.
Kalen released the shadow to cover his head and both he and the intruder landed in a heap at the bottom of the step and there was silence.
Kalen groaned as he slowly opened his eyes - his head had landed on the book he'd thrown down the stairs - then there was the thunder of Zerron as he raced down the stairs.
"Kalen!" he shouted.
"Stay back!" Kalen snarled, sitting bolt upright, his eyes spinning to try and find the shadow. He found it, lying several feet away, a pool of coiling mist that wasn't doing anything for the moment.
Kalen stared at it, his eyes narrowing and then the most ear splitting, blood curdling scream exploded from the shadow and the pitch literally disorientated Kalen. His vision blurred as his hands slipped from under him, sending him crashing to the ground before he could cover his ears.
"Kalen!"
Another set of hands clamped over his, dampening the sound more and Kalen opening his watering eyes to see Zerron crouched by his head, staring to where the shadow was, his face scrunched with pain.
And then it stopped, and the shadow was gone, under the front door and into the night.
Zerron released Kalen's head and Kalen let himself fall back with a gasp.
"My gods, what in the name of Fate is that thing?" he whispered.
"I have no idea," Zerron muttered.
~~~~~~~
Next up: In a second
You know, it's so weird reading back over the beginning of this for uploads because i'm writing the end of it atm. Things were so much more peaceful before they left on that adventure..... if you ignore the crazy smoky evil shadow.
Question!
Where do you live? (yes, this is me being inventive with questions)