Black and Blue

Chapter 6 Cards

A smile slowly spreads across Ethan's face showing faint dimples I didn't notice.

   "Sander, my friend," he said in a sing songy voice. "Sander, my friend." He stood up and did a little dance.

   "Actually, it's Xander," I corrected, pointedly. But I don't think he heard me, because he kept on cheerfully saying, "Sander, my friend. My friend, Sander. Sander is my friend."

   What have I done? I put Ethan in more harm than usual. I'm not suppose to be talking to him or else his mother will hurt him, and I'll be the one to blame. Maybe there is a way for Ethan and me to be friends without him getting hurt.

   When I had enough of this, I put my hand on Ethan's small shoulder to stop his ludicrous dancing. "Ethan, what I'm going to tell you is very important." I look into his eyes to have him focus on me. "Will you listen?"

   He nods his head with his goofy smile still plastered on his face. "Yeah. I listen. I listen fa real good."

   "I need you to keep our friendship a secret," I stated. "Will you do that?"

   His smile dropped a little. "I ain't tell my mama?"

   Ain't ya never talkin' ta my boy again.

   I don't want him hurt. "No, especially your mom. She would get mad at me and we can't be friends anymore. Is that what you want?

   He shook his head sadly. Another lump form in my throat. It's hard to see him sad. It's like watching a small, fluffy puppy get ran over by a Semi truck and a little kid crying, begging for the puppy to wake up. I need to cheer him up by forgetting.

   "Hey, Ethan. Do you still wanna play a game?" I asked.

   The troubled looked slipped from his face, and was replaced with a joyous expression.

   Dang. This kid is easy to please.

   "Oh, yes. I wanna pway a game." He jumps up and down in anticipation.

   "Okay," I said. "Do you know any games we can play."

   He stops jumping and thinks with his index finder at the corner of his mouth. "Nah." He gave up. "All da games I knows only have 'ne person. Sarry, Sander."

   "No, it's fine." I thought of games that we could play. I don't really play games so it's kind of hard to think of one. But there is this one game...

   "Ethan." He was watching the leaves fall outside the long windows when he snaps his head to face me. "Do you have a deck of cards?"

   "Yep." He expeditiously got up and ran to the opposing side of the room. I heard him zealously searching through the boxes. He ran back with a small box in his outstreatched arms as if it'll explode at any moment. "'Ere." He carefully places the box in my hand. The box was a cover for the deck of cards. There was dust and dried mud lingering on it. The writing was swirled ink from the exposure to water making it illegiable.

   I opened the top flap of the box and tipped it, so the cards fall into my other hand. The face on the cards were the usual ace to king, spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. On the back was a different story. The print has a pitch black background with a shabby looking heart shape in the middle. A dagger is jabbed into the side of the heart with blood leaking from the wound. The thought of Ethan owning this card wasn't the only thing that shocked. What shocked me was the cards look new.

   "Where did you get these cards?" I asked hesaintly.

   "I stole 'em," Ethan replied with pride.  

    No. This was exactly what I thought. He can't start to steal at this age. He's heading down the wrong path. Soon he'll be me.

   "Why did you steal them?"

   "I thought they looked pretty, and I wanted it," he innocently stated.

   I sigh. "Don't steal again," I sternly said. "It's not good to take something that isn't yours."

   Hypocrite. Was running through my mind when I said this. I know stealings wrong. I know I stole. But is it stealing when I need it?

   "'Kay," he said it like an apology.

   "Do you wanna play the game now?" I asked so he would stop looking guilty.

   "Yes!" He claps his hands. "What da game are?"

   I taught him the rules of SlapJack, and it took him a long while to understand it. We played SlapJack for a long time. While we played, I would let Ethan win majority of the time. With his slow reflex and all. We stopped when it became too dark to play anymore, and Ethan had to go home before his mom got mad. Which I definitely didn't want.

   Memories of playing SlapJack replay in my head. I blocked them out. Putting a brick wall between us. My memories are to never remember.

~~~~

I climb through my window, and I hear something strange. Laughter. There's no laughter in Hell. Unless...

   I walk closer to my door and opened it a little. Laughter is what I heard again, but this laughter was of a woman.

   I daringly walk out of my room to see if I was dreaming. It almost sounds like my mom. I climb the stairs almost half way when I hear the laughter again and I stopped dead in my tracks. The smooth laughter was replaced with a cackle that is not my mom's.

   I was dreaming. How stupid was I to think my mom would be here? But who's is that laughter? The Demon never laughs.

   I climb the rest of the stairs with my adrenialine racing. I'm not allowed upstairs. Well, the Demon never told me that. It's just a ground rule I set for myself. Curiosity is taking over the rational part of my brain.

   When I came to the door, I peek around the corner. My heart has sped up so much I might pass out. I turn my head the rest of the way, and make sense of what I see.