Eye of the Storm Part I: Awakened.

Chapter I

June Lisenski turned the keys to his small, beige house. He had inherited the house when his grandparents died, ironically on the day he turned eighteen years old. He strolled inside solemnly and placed the keys on the small table he kept to the left of the light brown door.

He carried a few thick wooden planks with him. Planks he would use to border up his windows in preparation for the Storm. He was about to begin placing the planks on his windows when his phone vibrated. He lifted it swiftly from his left pocket and read the message:

Marcus: Got the wood?

He replied and placed the phone back in his pocket. A large gust of wind suddenly slammed into one of the windows in his kitchen. It shook the house slightly.

June walked into the kitchen just as another gust of wind hit. A few tiny rocks accompanied the wind. Together, the rocks and the wind left the window with a few scratches.

One final violent gust of wind shattered the window entirely, simultaneously knocking down a few glass jars off the kitchen counter. The glasses smacked against the floor, shattering with brilliant shrapnel. June covered his face with his arms as puny gravel sprayed through the new hole in the window. He dashed back into the living room and grabbed a few wood planks to border window. By the time he arrived back in the kitchen, the gust of wind had disappeared. With it went a dark black-blue shadow.

June kneeled down to lift the wood planks against the window. Once he had them flat against the hole in the window, he reached for the paste to glue them together. It was gone.

Reluctantly, he propped the wooden planks against the wall below the window. He searched the kitchen and the living room for the paste. His search yielded disappointing results.

He sighed as he swiftly glided to his door, grabbed his keys, and left.

Marcus Feerow kept his eyes shut and his breathing steady through the shouts and screams of his two siblings. His parents, too focused on preparing for the Storm, couldn't stop the two from running around.

He was about to release one final exhale when his door flew open.

"Drop the gun!" one sibling shouted, raising a fake knife in the air and giving chase to the other sibling.

"Drop the knife!" the other sibling ordered, raising a water gun at the other.

"Max!" Marcus opened his eyes. "Wendell!"

The two continued to run. They began circling Marcus as they pitifully chased each other.

Marcus quickly formulated an idea as his siblings circled him. Just before Wendell was about to pass him, he extended his arms and yanked back quickly. The action tore the water gun from Wendell's grasp and into his. Marcus stood up quickly, aiming and firing the water gun at both siblings.

"Marcus!" Max shouted first.

"Mar!" Wendell subsequently shouted. They both stormed out of the room. Marcus tossed the water gun into the hallway before shutting the door again. He opened a messaging app on his phone and noticed an unread message from his girlfriend, Candice:

Candice: How's the preparation going?

Marcus replied sarcastically. He then opened another message in the app and began typing to another friend:

Got the wood?

He tossed his phone on his bed, opened his door, and walked out of his room. He ensured the door was shut before he left. The water gun was no longer next to his door, and yet, he was sure both of his siblings had run down to the basement to tattle on him.