Servant to the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 7: looking into things

"Do you think I'll actually be able to sleep tonight?" I asked Amos.

After the movie with mom, I told her I was tired and went straight to bed. Wasn't exactly a lie.

"Hm?" He was spacing out and not even paying attention.

"Nothing," I began to wonder what would happen now.

I grabbed some pillows and blankets and set them up on the floor. After some deliberation, with myself, I thought it looked great.

"Here ya go. A bed fit for a Prince." I motioned to the bed on the floor. Amos looked at it, then looked at me with disappointment. "What?"

"I get the bed. You get the, whatever that is on the floor." He went back to looking out the window.

"Fine, I like the floor anyway," I mumbled. I looked over at Amos, he seemed intent. "What are you looking for?" I asked.

"Looking? Why would I be looking for something?" He turned his head to face me.

"You just looked like you were. I mean, staring so intently out of a window does that to you." I rocked back and forth on my heels.

"I'm just thinking," he said quietly. I just nodded and went to go brush my teeth.
**********
"Hey, Amos?" I pulled the blanket up around me to combat the cold.

"Yes?"

"Where exactly do you come from?" I wondered.

"To be honest, it's quite like here. Some differences. We've been aware of this place for some time. Even have some sway over it," he said informatively.

"What do you mean?" I looked up at the bed.

"When my people are born, certain sprits endow them with powers. Dark, light, water, earth, etc. the spirt that gave me my powers was considered 'the prince' of his trade. Hence my name, 'the prince of darkness'. That is probably the main difference between our worlds," he explained.

"With the dark and the light, whichever one holds more power, it seems to have an effect on this world. Like how many more people will become dark and corrupt vs righteous and light. Dark has been in power for some time now, clearly," he boasted. 

"So where was that place I met you at? Your world?" I rested on my elbows.

"No no. That place was called, 'the in between,' it is between our world and yours. And if you have enough power, you can banish people there. That is where the spirits are said to come from." He moved his hands as he explained. Quite memorizing.

"So, how does this servant thing work?" Looks like I wouldn't be sleeping tonight.

"Like a general servant. Except you stink at it." He sounded tired.

"Need I remind you just who exactly forced me into this?" I scrunched my nose at his tone.

"Touché." He rolled over and didn't say anything for the rest of the night.
***********
When my alarm went off the next morning Amos was less than pleased.

"What is that dreadful racket?" He moaned. I was actually comfortable in my little floor bed. Slept well, for once. And then, like the little devil it is, my alarm went off.

"It's my alarm," I groaned. I didn't want to wake up yet.

"We'll turn it off," he wined. I let out a huff of air and tried to get up. I went to reach across my bed. I'd forgotten there was someone else in my bed. "Don't squish me." He pushed me off of him.

I just laid there. On his legs. With my alarm going off. I was so tired I almost fell back asleep.

"Honey, wake up. Your alarms been going off for 20 minutes." Mom! I jumped up, turned the alarm off, and pushed Amos off the bed. He landed with an 'oof'. That when I started burning all over.

Mom walked in, letting light from the hallway flood into my room.

"I'm awake. I'm awake." I hoped she mistook the strain in my voice for grogginess. I curled my toes at the pain.

"Well, you better hurry if your going to get to school on time. Are you ok? You looked-"

"Tired? I'm really tired," I said quickly. I couldn't move.

"Yeah. Tired."

Please leave. Please leave. Please leave. I kept repeating in my head.

"Thanks mom." I tried getting her out of the room with my words.

"Mmhm." She turned to leave. "Also, your room is a mess. Please clean it." She turned back around.

"Yep. Will do. Thanks." She finally left. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Amos!" I whispered loudly. "The pain." It was slowly intensifying. I grabbed the blankets and practically tore them apart. Or, at least, I tried.

"Remember when I said don't hurt me or my mark will punish you?" He said with a smirk. He was leaning on my bed. "You hurt me when you pushed me off. That was rude." He tsked.

"Make." Breath. "It." Another breath. "Stop."

"Only if you apologize." He looked at his nails. Bored.

"Screw you," I hissed. He just huffed. 

I was starting to suffocate. I was gasping for air.

"Fine. God. I'm sorry. Please." As soon as I said it, the pain, and the suffocating force, was gone.

"Awe. Someone's learning." He was looking at me like some toy. I just shook my head and got up to get ready.
******
"Have that same dream?" Bree asked.

"What dream?" Amos asked.

"I didn't. I slept well too." I ignored Amos.

"What dream?" He said with more force.

"May has been having this dream where she's in a foggy place where she met this guy. Totally-"

"Wow Bree, look at that-" I searched for something to point out, "-that car." Thank fully it was an older car that was pretty cool.

"Wow!" Bree had an odd thing for old cars. I silently thanked my stars she didn't finish her sentence.

"You were saying?" Amos was being persistent.

"Oh-" Bree began.

"Hey, how's your boyfriend?" I tried to change the subject.

"Don't interrupt," Amos said forcefully. I was forced to obey. "Please, do go on."

"Ok, so this guy, probably hot-" oh dear mother of god stop talking, "so he then offered his lap other than an actual pillow!" She continued to tell him my dream about him. I sat there in silence. I never realized how embarrassing my dream sounded. Especially to the guy that was actually in it.

Hot? I heard his mocking voice in my head.

I never said that. That was her interpretation. Clearly, she was wrong. I spat back.

Right.