Dance of the Death Prince

Chapter 1; Demon

"It's just a myth!"

"Then why do you want to go so bad?!"

"Because it spooks Mazz and it's funny!"

"Oi-! Don't bring me into you guys's petty argument!"

It was growing dark when the four friends gathered at the oldest's house, Joshua. Of course he was only a month or so older, but he was the least mature.

Pike butted in, pushing Joshua and Kiley apart, for they had been the two fighting. Pike was the most gentle out of the four, and besides his slightly taller figure (he was taller than all of his friends), he was more graceful than even some of the girls. "Quit bickering!" he warned loudly. "Are you sure this is even a good idea?"

Mazz placed her hands on her hips as Joshua grinned, flipping back her black hair. "Yeah," she said with a hint of sass, "the elders told us the last time you decided to sneak out to not go to the center of town at night. They say even some of the best warriors have died trying to kill this IMMORTAL thing! Did you know that it'll suck the blood right out of you? It'll tear us to shreds- even if it just gets a hold of a strand of hair!"

Pike crossed his arms, rolling his eyes when Joshua mocked him. "Josh, this is a horrible idea. Didn't you say you saw something last time? What if we see more than we want to? What if we get killed? It'll be your fault."

"No one's going to die!" Josh protested. His voice was always smooth and convincing, but now he just seemed to be worked up. "We're just going to prove all of the complainers wrong!"

"Josh, think for a moment," Kiley tapped the side of her head, blue eyes flashing, "what if you're wrong?"

Again the oldest rolled his eyes, looking out of his window. Torches lit the lonely, dark, gravel streets, trying their best to scare him off.

It wasn't working.

"Whether you all want to go or not," Josh said, waving his hand as he stood up, "I'm going. If I die, so be it."

Mazz snarled in anger, as much as she hated her 'friend', she wouldn't let him out there by himself. None of them would, not Kiley or Pike either. They quickly chased after him when they heard the door creak open, wishing they could just drop him as a friend.

The cold night air hit Josh's face like a soft cloud, but soon that cloud became chilling and rose goosebumps on his tanned skin. He wore long sleeves and long pants as well as a jacket, but the night still seeped through. He smirked, giving a chuckle. "See," he said quietly, looking back at his cowering friends, "this is beautiful."

Josh lead the small pack of friends to the center of town, for he didn't live to far. The torches that stood on top of tall posts along the rough path glowed with each of their own fires, sending flickering light onto the already eerie scenery.

The center park was not the best. Tall wooden structures that had rope tied around different places to climb on. A small pond sat near it, along with unstable wooden benches and flowers. It wasn't much, but it was one of a kind and kept the children busy.

"I-I don't like this..." Mazz whined, hugging her chilly arms, "how long do we have to stay?"

Josh shrugged, sitting on one of the benches facing the pond. He put his hands behind his head as he watched the water gently ripple with his reflection. "I don't know. Nothing has happened yet, but I kinda just like this view."

HHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHWWWWWWWWWWWW!..

All four friends jumped, startled as they looked around. "What was that?!" Kiley cried, jumping up and down in fear.