Centum Malediction

Chapter 2-3

Tuesday, September 21st. 2010

Michael lay in his bed, watching his alarm clock closely desperate not to fall asleep. Chelsea insisted on waiting until one A.M. before heading into the city, which meant Michael had to stay awake for about three hours after going to bed. If he was younger, this would be an easy task, but in his teenage years he'd been finding sleep came more quickly than the past.

The shadows of his room seemed to dance awkwardly as sleep yearned for him. They say when you need to fall asleep, you never can, but when sleep is something you wish to avoid it appears as if mocking you. The only thing Michael found to keep himself awake was a second battery, the twin to the one he played with the previous night.

"Visceria," He whispered as quietly as possible. The last thing he needed was to wake his sister up with his incantations. They slept in the same room. A long curtain separated his side from hers. The energy from the battery slowly entered him. It was invigorating and helped him stay awake. It was similar to overdosing on sugar, only this energy came with a sharp static shock.

Michael entertained himself by manipulating the energy through his body, arcing the lightning through his fingertips. If he was going to battle these spells it meant he had to get used to the power within him. The last thing he needed was to be fighting for his life with powers he hadn't yet mastered.

He was almost disappointed when his alarm clock finally read one A.M. He sat up from his bed as quietly as possible and sneaked through the curtain that separated his portion of the room from Abigail's. She was fast asleep, oblivious to the world around her. Michael took a moment and wondered how easy it would be to approach him if he were asleep. It was a frightening idea that thankfully left his head by the time he made it out of his room.

Just as he was hoping, Chelsea was already outside of his house, parked on the street waiting for him. She was wearing a plain black shirt with a matching skirt. Michael had picked out his darkest shirt and jeans.

"There you are," Chelsea called out to Michael. She didn't shout, but her voice still seemed loud in the silence of the night. Michael ran to her in a slow jog, taking his seat next to her in the red convertible.

"I was worried you fell asleep," Chelsea said with a sigh of relief. Michael couldn't see her that well as it was incredibly dark and only light from the streetlamps illuminated her face. It was easy to see just how tired she was in the pale light.

"I almost did," Michael admitted. He looked around, paranoid that someone might hear him. He shouldn't be out this late and could only imagine how suspicious he must look. Chelsea didn't seem to have the same thoughts.

The night was so dark that it didn't feel like a veil covering the sky like it usually did, but instead thick goo pressing down on the streetlights that held it off. There wasn't a single star shining above them. Despite the dark night actually working to their advantage Michael couldn't help but feel a little frightened by it.

With a turn of the key, Chelsea's convertible roared and the car shot forward, headlights cutting through the oppressive darkness that ensnared them. Michael took one last look back at his home, hopeful that his dad hadn't awoken to see the car drive off. The last thing he needed was another lecture from his father about what he should and shouldn't do.

The once friendly neighborhood showed a different side after dark. It was scary, not just because of the lack of light, but also due to the overwhelming silence. Michael heard nothing but the gentle hum of the car's motor as they drove through the neighborhood that looked different from his own. They didn't see a single other car until they reached the highway into the city, and then it was mostly trucks.