Chapter 1
I snapped my fingers time and time again watching the fire-like white light come out of my thumb. As the light illuminated the dark room I watched the shadows, including my own, disappear and reappear with each glow.
I found it fascinating to stare into the white flame. It was kind of weird at the same time, how it looked like light but acted like fire. It caught things on fire if it kept hitting it long enough. So I guess it was more of like a really on beam that could catch things on fire after a short amount of time.
Running my finger through it I felt the heat of it, pondering why it never harmed me. It was probably because it can’t harm what makes it. I don’t know if I’ll ever figure that out.
I snapped my fingers again only to hear my bedroom door open and have the lamp light flicker on. Peering over the edge of the bed from my corner of which I sat I saw my mother standing there leaning against the door frame, black hair in a messy bun.
Putting my hands together I hope she didn’t notice any light coming from my room because I know how much she hates it when I use my light.
She puckered her lips, “So, whatchya’ doing?”
I kept looking at her, “Nothing.”
Looking around my room she asked, “Then why was your light off?”
I rolled my eyes, “Because I like sitting in the dark.”
She rolled her eyes as well, “Really? You’re almost eighteen and you still enjoy sitting in the dark?”
“It’s not a crime.”
She pointed her finger at me, “It is when it’s in my house. I don’t want any weird children. Aaron and Josh don’t do this.”
I sighed, “I’m not them. It’s my preference and mine is that I like to sit in the dark rather than have the light on.”
Moving her hands to her hips she replied, “Well you better start liking it on because that’s how it is going to be.”
I started playing with my fingers, “Yeah all right.”
“You better not be back-talking me!”
I held up my hands, “All I said was “yeah all right”!”
She started closing my door, “Well you better mean it. If I see that light off again while you’re in here you’ll get no dinner.” With that she closed the door and went back to doing who knows what.
Sighing yet again to myself I snapped my fingers again just to see the white light, but it wasn’t the same with the light on. I looked at my alarm clock on the dresser to see eight forty-three pm. I have school in the morning, even though I didn’t really want to go.
Throwing on a white t-shirt and my blue sweatpants I turned on the little television that sat in the corner of the room to watch the nightly news. As I crawled under the covers the newsman talked about how there will be severe thunderstorms going through the area and look to last quite some time.
Not being really interested in the thought of so much rain I turned the t.v off and tossed the remote to the chair near my bed. I curled under the warm blue blankets, closed my eyes to get to sleep.
All of a sudden I heard a slight scratching sound on my wooden floor on my side of the bed. Thinking it was just the cat I wiggled into my sheets even further. The sound came again but the scratching was longer and started to sound from under my side of the bed. Rolling over I peered over the edge to see long stick like legs coming out from under my bed.
Panicking I flew from my bed into the hallway and making sure to close the door. I called out, “Mom! There’s something in my room!” I knew she wouldn’t be happy being woken up, but she’d see why I had to get her up.
Screaming from Josh and Aaron’s room broke the silence. I ran to their room to see the same legs appearing from below each of their twin beds. Before I could blink their small bedroom lamp turned off, leaving the room in darkness for no more than a second. When it flicked back on both boys were gone.
My breath became shallow as my heart started to beat uncontrollably. My voice shook, “Boys? This isn’t funny. Come out from where you’re hiding.”
I took two steps into their room just to turn around at the sound of scratching. Seeing nothing I turned back into their room to see a large thick centipede monster hurling at me from under the bed with its stick legs held wide.
I woke in a cold sweat, fists gripping the blankets, while my heart beat against my chest and filled my ears with its sound.
Glancing at the clock I saw it was only one thirty-five am. I put my head back on the pillow, closed my eyes once and again and fell into a fitful sleep.
