Centum Malediction

Chapter 5-6

Sunday, September 26th. 2010

Sleep brought no peace to Alexander. A loud squeaking noise woke him up, but he felt so defeated he didn't bother moving. When his eyes opened he saw another pair of eyes staring back at him. There was a rat right in front of his face staring deep into his soul. Before Alexander could react, the rat bit him on the cheek. Alexander yelled at the sudden pain, flinched from the sudden bite. The rat ran away and judging by the large amount of squeaking and splashing it wasn't the only one around.

Alexander stood up in disgust. That rat was probably crawling with diseases, diseases that would probably be passed to him. Of course, sleeping in a sewer wasn't a healthy pastime either. He let out a heavy sigh, how could things get this bad? Part of him wanted to start crying again, but there was no time.

"This is my life now." Alexander said to himself. "What is, is." He was hoping to be more comforted by the cold logic of the situation. There was no going back in time to reverse his actions, well, with magic anything was possible, but it was unlikely. He had to focus on the now. If he was going to survive on his own he had to follow the hierarchy of needs he was taught. Food and water were the most important things for survival. Fortunately, the city was packed with grocery stores and restaurants. In a worse case scenario he could steal to survive, Faerina's power would be invaluable.

Thinking of his new life on the streets was enough to give Alexander a spark of motivation. The spark allowed him to walk through the darkness. He stepped carefully, making sure he wasn't going to fall into sludge. His eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness, but only enough to see basic shapes of the walls.

Food and water would be easy, so next on the list was shelter. Where would he stay? His mind wandered back to Jim, the apartment staff member. Jim called him a vagrant. The title suited him now. He had to find shelter, but why should he stay in town? If he could sneak on a train he could get away from Century City, away from the spells, and away from the Mage Hunter. Where would he go?

"It doesn't matter." Alexander answered his worries out loud. "Any place is better than here." There was a blurry shape up ahead. Something different than the curved walls he was able to make out before. He reached out, fearlessly grasping at the object. It was cold and cylindrical, with bars. It was a ladder! A way out! Filled with newfound determination Alexander began climbing the slippery ladder towards the street above. There was a sealed manhole at the top of the ladder, but Faerina's power could take care of that. A loud pattering echoed downwards from the manhole. It was raining, that was the only explanation to the sound.

"Faerina." Alexander said upon reaching top of the ladder. He didn't even bother questioning how he was able to hold on to the ladder and pull himself up while phasing through the manhole. The spell didn't appear to follow any strict rules, or rather. The rules could change at any given moment to suit his needs.

He pulled himself up in an empty backstreet. Thankfully there was no one in sight to see him pop out of the ground like a carrot. Once he was on solid ground he allowed the spell to fade. It was the middle of the night. He must have been asleep in those sewers longer than he thought. He looked up in the sky and held his arms out, letting the rain wash over him. It was the most refreshing feeling in the world. He couldn't help but smile as the rain splashed against his face, running down his cheeks just like the tears he had cried. The rain washed away all of Alexander's worries along with the muck he obtained in the sewers, he knew the serenity wouldn't last, but it was nice to enjoy the peace while it did. It was the first time in his life he was thankful of the weather in the pacific northeast.

"Alexander?" A familiar voice rang out through the heavy rain. Alexander shot open his eyes and turned towards the source of the voice. It was Heather, wearing her usual gray hoodie, this time with the hood up to protect her from the rain. "What are you doing here?" She asked.