Chapter 2: Awake

Abruptly I wake from my bed and frantically look around my surprisingly clean room. Ugh, my head hurts. "How long have I been out?" I mutter to myself as the agonising headache subsides. I must've crawled in after... After I tore through those people. I wonder what happened after that.

"Sweety! You're gonna be late for school, hurry the fruit up if you don't wanna be late." Kelly calls from downstairs.

"Sure, I'll be right down!" I respond in high volume. Wait did she substitute the f-word with fruit? I swear I'll never truly understand what goes on in my aunt's head.

I take a quick-brushing-my-teeth-whilst-taking-a-shower combo. Using the water from above to rinse off both my body and my mouth. It's a life hack for when you're really late. By the time I go downstairs I've only used up fifteen minutes, which means I can still catch the bus.

"I packed your lunch and put it in your bag, also I'm not going to be home today so the diner is closed. I left the spare key in the birdhouse outside. I'll see you later sweety. I love you." Kelly reports as she kisses my left cheek and hurriedly makes for the front door.

"Love you too Kelly. I'm probably gonna have a few friends over as usual so I'll be occupied. No worries." I respond but she's already halfway down the porch. Maybe she's got business deal meetings again. Well, regardless I hope that her endeavours go well. She deserves it.

If I had been five minutes late I would have missed the bus but luckily I make it just in time. I pass by a few seats and to my left, I see my best friend Max. We have been friends since kindergarten, she's been my rock through some pretty trying times. Never have I ever seen someone throw a right hook as well as she can. She's just... The most awesome person you can ever be friends with.

"Hey turd, I saved you a seat, as usual." Max gestures to the seat beside her with a giggly smile.

"Is that Frenzy? The new fighting game on every platform. You already have it? It came out Friday, how?" I ask dumbfounded as I peek into her phone. Recently some new company had released new game technology phones and consoles designed to play the same games. This was done to avoid mobile gamers from missing out on experiences like graphics etc. I can't believe she already has one of their phones and the new game.

"I also bought the next-gen gamethread too. I'm a lucky girl." She exclaims teasingly with a subtle show-off. She's basically rubbing the fact that she's making a lot of money. Her family might be rich but she doesn't show off about that. Instead, she always works her but off to earn most things. It's one of the qualities I admire about her. "My YouTube channel took off and Next Gen sent free merch to advertise and do walk-throughs on so I'm excited. I hit three million subscribers last month too so that's a plus."

"Wow, that's awesome. Congrats Max, I'm still struggling with my book writing so I'll probably catch up with you in a couple of years." I respond while gently punching her.

"I'll be waiting Turd. In the meantime, after we turn eighteen. How about you live with me and I could also provide free advertising on my channel once it's complete?"

"Sounds like a plan. It's gonna be a continuous sleepover. Just please don't bring too many girls around." Max has a habit of being able to score any girl she wants. It's also another thing that annoys me about her. I got really lucky when I got together with Carol. But for Max, girls just fall for her easy peasy.

"I make no promises." She responds as the bus finally arrives at school.

I've been going to Oakwood High for the past year now. I've finally begun my fourth year and at age sixteen, I'm doing pretty good. Max and I head over inside the building.

The school still looks the same as when I left here on Friday. The hallways, neatly polished tiles. The lockers decorate the sides in an organised numbered method and the art pieces from the art club hang high up on the walls occasionally making a contemporary decoration that is unusual in schools.

The students erratically move up and down, bumping into each other without an apology or a notice. Typical high school.

I open and my locker and immediately almost pass out by what I see. It's a Next Gen gamethread console with a Frenzy on top. Like a strawberry decorating an ice-cream sundae. It's a glorious sight. I'd drop a single tear if I could.

"Surprise motherfucker." Max says from behind me.

"You did this? But when? How? Why?" I try to process the whole situation.

"Happy late birthday dude." She sweetly says. "Let's not wonder about how and just appreciate the gift. Besides, I think you should put it in your bag before anyone sees it."

"Thanks so much, Max, this is amazing. I didn't expect you to spend so much money on me. Wait I can't accept this." I say as I hide it behind books in my locker.

"No, I bought it for you as a birthday present. So you can accept it. I've got literature in a few minutes so I'll see you at lunch later." Max says as she hugs me and makes her to class.

I am filled with joy as I walk to my first period which happens to be biology class.

"Hey, you there!"

I hear a weird voice call from behind and I jolt to look behind me. That's odd, no one there. Must be imagining things again.

I get into the lesson two minutes before it starts and Mr Scotts is already here. He's always early. At least he doesn't fault us for being late, except if you miss most of the whole lesson. Other than that he's a cool guy.

"Boy, can you hear me?"

The same voice screeches to me again. I look around the moderately sized lab where we are having our lesson in. Nothing. I can't spot anything out of place. Not a single spec in or out of order, for a science lab that is. All I can see is charts, chemicals and work stations.

"Hey Angelo, wanna partner up?" Carol calls from the middle of the classroom. She's looking as gorgeous as ever. She has her hair let loose in curls, she's wearing an unzipped black hoodie with a white tank top underneath. Her white leggings also match with her black shoes making a perfect combination of black and white all over. She's always been stylish.

"Sure, I was actually just about to come and ask you the same thing."

"Hey Santiago, be seeing you after school, don't forget our little play date," Brandon whispers from behind Carol. He's the school's rugby captain and he's been on my case since the first year of high-school. It's gotten worse ever since Carol and I started dating. I think he maybe liked her and it gets on his nerves every time he sees us together. I can never tell Carol, she'll blame herself and it isn't her fault.

"Hey you look like you just saw a ghost, everything ok?" Carol asks as she caresses my hand after I take a seat beside her.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about the amazing gift Max got for me."

"Oh yeah, she told me about it. It's awesome, I don't know if mine will be able to measure up to it."

"I don't think anyone can ever beat Max at going big or going home," I say laughingly at Carol. "Remember she once got two jobs for like a whole year just so she could buy a new phone for her older brother's birthday?"

"I remember that. It was just so...Unusual. I'd never do that for any of my siblings." Carol jokingly said as she opened the textbook laid out in front of us.

"Child, you dare ignore me? I've been trapped inside this... Vile adolescent body and it won't even bother to listen to a higher authority. How insolent." The voice complaints. I'm hearing things, I know I am. But I don't know, something about it feels close, very close.

"Angelo? What a crude name, you humans have a plethora of languages and most of them are as repulsive as ever. However, if I must use them to communicate then so be it." The voice spoke softly this time. Slowly trying to make me feel at ease.

I'm certain now, this is not in my head, this thing, whatever this thing is, is in my head. Jeez. Well, I'm fucked.

"You know I can hear your thoughts right. Every idea, every whim, every guess, I can hear it all." The voice communicated once more. "My name is Abhartach (pronounced like hour-tuk). This isn't some trivial hallucination and no you're not suffering from schizophrenia. I'm as real as the boys who are sitting behind you and just threatened you five minutes ago."

"What do you want?" I ask him in my thoughts.

"I want your cooperation. You listen to what I say and I will give you power beyond your wildest dreams."

"What kind of cooperation are we talking about here?"

"Oh, I just want partial control over this body and of course some assistance in returning to my world and in exchange I will help you with whatever I can."

"Who says I want power anyway? What if I refuse your offer?"

"Oh, I know you won't pass this chance up. I can see deep inside your soul. You crave power. You want all those boys who bully you to learn their lesson, you want to protect that which you love and of course, you want to keep that female in your corner. You love her. So naive, young love is."

"I'll tell you what, prove yourself and I might consider it."

Abhartach chuckles heavily. He laughs so hard that I can hear the condescending tone in his ridicule. I feel insulted.

"Fine, even though you've witnessed what I can do first hand before."

I begin to remember bits and pieces of the night I was attacked. It was just a dream but it feels real. Like it happened.

"I thought that was just a dream," I say to him and this time I say it out loud in a hushed voice without noticing. Carol seems to be the only person who heard me and looks in my direction.

"No that was no dream. I just prevented you from remembering everything in fear that I might break you but the next time, you'll see and remember everything. That I can assure you." Abhartach says as I feel him fade away into my subconscious. Or at least it's what I think he's doing.

"Hey Sam, you ok?" Carol asks and I immediately say yes and we both return our attention to the Biology lesson.