STATIC; JR [2]

1.1

Silence coated my surroundings like a thick blanket, and for a few seconds, my vision blurred. I stared down at my phone that lay on the table, watching the black screen with pure fascination. The slight pain ringing in the back of my ears wasn't enough to overrule my innocent astonishment to what was happening before me. I took a deep breath in through my nose, blinking slowly. I kept my hands at my sides, but my fists were clenched like it was a struggle not to move them. With narrowed eyes, I felt the now familiar pull of energy directed towards the phone, and as expected, the torch operated. The mobile was sitting face up, so the light on the back was clouded by the wood it was resting on. I smiled, chewing on the inside of my cheek as I reached for my phone. I turned it around in my hands, examining the torch on the device before pressing the icon to switch it off. I was proud of myself, for obvious reasons. I had just used magic to activate the torch on my mobile phone, and although this was a new experience for me, I felt I was already getting the hang of it. There was no evidence of magic around me, because I hadn't actually done anything physical. It was all in my mind, and I could feel my powers manifesting. With an urgent knock on my bedroom door, I was quickly brought out from the world of magic. "Edith, we have to go now." It was Blake, impatiently waiting for us to go to the interview. Since the boys and I have come home, we've been turned into small town celebrities. It was strange, really, how much people had actually cared about our disappearance while we were gone. But, it was hard to think about other people's feelings when there was a demon chasing you all hours of the day. I stalled where I stood, taking a sharp breath in. I was a little nervous, but I guess that was normal as I wasn't really one for public speaking. Although, I think we were kind of assuming that Felix would do all the talking. I didn't make a verbal reply to my brother, but the sound of my shoes dragging along the floor of my room were a good indication that I was addressing his calls. I shoved my phone into my pocket, smiling at him as I opened the door to my bedroom. I followed him to the car, both of us still silent. Dad made some light conversation on the way to the police station, but I don't think any of us were really in the mood for chatting.

"You nervous, kid?" The older man asked me, glancing at me in the rear view mirror. I nodded, my shoulders bunching up at my neck.

"Yes, a little bit." I said, sending him a small smile before returning my gaze to the world outside. I didn't really take notice of anything we were passing until I saw Andy, Sam and Jake walking down the street. I shot up, grabbing the sides of Blake's seat. "Dad, can you please let me out here? I just saw the boys, and I don't really want to walk in there without them." The two sentences I spoke were just a quick string of mumbles, but my father seemed to understand me clearly enough.

"Okay." He said, pulling over to the side of the road. Andy was the first to spot our car, and when he saw us stopped, he motioned for the other boys to look. I mumbled a thanks, but when I tried to get out, he kept talking. He was turned in his seat, positioned so that he was able to face me as I scampered from the car. "We'll meet you in there, good luck." He told me, a smile on his face. The affection that rested on his thin lips was an obvious contradiction to the concern that laced his voice, but I didn't question him. I just gave him a nod, then shut the door. As the car disappeared around a corner, the other boys approached me.

"Hey, princess." Sam greeted, teasing me with the nickname. I rolled my eyes, giggling quietly as he threw an arm across my shoulders. Andy, who wasn't one for large amounts of physical affection, sent me a cheery grin. We'd visited each other at our houses, so we were all hugged out for the moment. I leaned into Sam's embrace, hugging him from the side. I hadn't seen him for what felt like a long time, but that was probably because of how extreme his personality was. Sam in constant large doses wasn't really something that you could grow accustomed to, you just had to accept the time spent with him. As we had been together for a period of two weeks, being without Sam and his bubbly personality was a little strange and kind of hard to get used to.

"I missed you, Sam." I told him, sighing as he smiled down at me.

"Aw, I missed you, too, Edith." He cooed, his body shaking with laughter. He then moved his arm, reaching to pat the top of my head. I pulled out of the hug, laughing as a slightly defensive expression crossed my face. Jake held his hand out to me, visibly grateful that I was no longer hugging another boy. With my hand placed inside his own, I wrapped my free arm around his waist.

"I missed you, too, by the way." I giggled, blushing at the smile that covered his face. His grin was from ear to ear, sending butterflies to my stomach.

"Well, that's good, because then I would have felt awkward." He also laughed, and it was a truly delightful sound. For a second, it put my nerves at ease. It didn't last long, however, as his next five words brought more to my stomach. "We should get to Felix."