void dragon master
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Just read, critique, sit back and enjoy.
I looked out of my car window; the window was rolled down, wind rushing wildly past my face. I was day dreaming about things, cars, girls, getting good grades, a nice house and job to top it off. The life every sensible teenage student my age dreamt of. I was smiling at it, I’ve always wanted to have a cool job, with lots of money. Something that nobody else did, or very few people. I even considered my chances in politics, then quickly threw it out the window as I realize I have a lack of the virtue of silence, but all in all it was a good dream, some friends of mine at school were discussing it. George Flanagan, Alexandre Morgans, Nastasha Catarina Brisendine , and Caeren Ying. Caeran was a sweet Korean girl who came here in my senior years. I fancy her quite a bit, but I’ve never been able to really broach the topic with her surrounded be our friends all the time. I’m also a super senior at my school, so I’m actually 18 years old now and …. “–You bloody fool, Casey Barkens”, I was brought back to reality by my mother’s hectic screaming. “Why can’t you just see that we’re trying to help you?” Last night I was caught at a party where I got drunk, and it just so happened that my parents would be walking down the nice neighborhood valley in the dead of night, and I would conveniently stumble into them during my drunken stupor. “You are in so much trouble, no more games, the computer will be for homework only and we’re taking away your cellphone too.” She was signaling for a right turn, when someone artfully slid in front of her, cutting her off. She gave a short shriek and flipped the other driver the finger. “That’s not fair!” I yelp, “I mean I go to ONE party, sure I got drunk, but that was the first time, and it was bound to happen sooner or later. I mean, you can’t expect someone to go all their lives without coming in contact with a bottle of alcoholic drink once in their lives, unless they’re a Jehovah’s witness, or Islamic. Also I’m still on top of all my school stuff.” Somehow my little spiel had managed to incite my mother just a bit further and she became red on the cheeks. “It’s not fair?” she huffed, “we spent nearly four hours rushing up and down the neighborhood looking for you, and you say it’s not fair? Well you’re right; it’s not fair, for us. Did you ever think we’d be worried sick about you?” I groaned, giving up, but as a final last bit of mutiny. I started whispering under my breath. Luckily my mother ignored this and we were silent the rest of the car ride home.
When we arrived back home I quickly headed for the front door and unlocked it, kicking off my shoes and throwing my keys back into the ceramic bowl on the small table at the front of the house. A few second later my mother walked in behind me and mimicked my exact actions. Silently she closed the door behind her. She was screaming again, this time at the top of her bloody lungs, with as much noise as she could muster, I don’t think anyone would be able to top her in a screaming contest. She was in the middle of her rant when the front door clicked open. “Hey, I’m home.” It was my dad, instantly my heart was up in my throat. Dad was usually a calm person, but I fear I may have pushed him over the edge this time; my mom always had this red hot temperament. “Sarah its ok, I’ll deal with this one,” like both of us, he kicked off his shoes and threw his keys in the bowl. The bowl was mom’s idea after having lost nearly three keys to the house. My mom inhaled quickly, but decided to let my dad handle it. “OK, Lucan.” I could tell she had more to say, but she trusted dad, and trusted it would be dealt with accordingly. There’s a moment of silence, I’m thinking of plenty of excuses… somehow all of them start with. ‘I can explain.’ But there’s a problem there, I can’t. I was caught red handed and now I have to face the punishment. It’s the only thing to do, I might as well face it with honour, then I hear my mother whisper to my dad, surely no doubt about the punishment. In that instant a sense of rebellion kicks in. “I can… – …” I was cutoff mid-sentence. “Casey, you should have at least asked.” He face was stern and the lines of his face were slightly dipped into a frown. He wasn’t nearly as mad as I thought. “But I knew you wouldn’t have let me go,” I complain. “You never let me do anything or go anywhere.” I finish. “That’s right. We don’t, it’s for matters like these. You won’t be punished as much as you thought; only your cellphone will be taken away.” I take a breath to grumble, and then realize he’s being fairer than mom, a lot fairer. “Ok,” I sigh. Dad smiles, mom returns not look looking to sure, but she doesn’t say anything. Caroline walks in, I pretty sure she did the same as the three of us. It’s nearly tradition. “Good Casey, you can go now. Get your homework done.” I stand and turn heading upstairs then my dad calls me back. “Oh and Casey, if you want to go to a party next time, ask first ok?” I nod understandingly and make my way back upstairs breathing a huge sigh of relief.
It’s late at night, nearly twelve O’clock, and I’m still working on this stupid English project. There’s a quiet knock at the door. I grunt for them to enter, it’s my sister Caroline. “Hey,” she smiled. “I heard you got caught for going to the party.” I grunt again, confiding in my little sister wasn’t something I did often. “Yeah,” I scowl angrily. “Never mind, just go to bed,” she ignores me and heads over to my computer. “I can’t fall asleep,” I sigh, this time it not one of distress. “What do you want?”
“I want to talk.”
“’Bout what?”
“Anything.”
There’s an awkward silence, neither of us are sure whether to break the silence or not. Then, “So how was the party?” Caroline asks. I’m thankful she decided to talk first. “Why do you want to know?” She shrugs, “I just want to know what parties are like, I’ve never been to one you know.”
“Sure you have, you’ve had plenty of birthday parties.”
“Yes, but those are birthday parties. Not a house party. It’s like muffins, and cupcakes they’re similar yet still completely different.”
I bit my tongue, I hated her analogies, they were always so fruity.
“Fine,” I gather my thoughts. “They’re a lot wilder. Music blasting, so pretty much the whole neighborhood would hear, alcoholic drinks, as you already know, and you pretty much do whatever you want, ‘slong as you don’t break anything.”
I pause and think back.
“Sometimes we play games, every party has certain people.”
“People?”
“Yes.. such as there’s always one person who basically just keeps the party alive. Also there are those who just sort of relax in a corner by themselves… or with a close friend.”
“Oh,” a look of confusion came to her face. “Well how about games?”
I laugh. “You’re a bit too young to be playing our games.”
A disappointed look crossed her face, replace her childish confusion.
I sigh, “Just promise you won’t tell anybody.”
“Ok then… promise.”
“OK, well there are drinking games where you have to take a shot every time something certain happens. So like, it could be a ‘have you ever?’ game, and if you answer ‘yes’ you have to take a drink and kissing games like spin the bottle.” She nods, I can tell that she’s very interested in the information I just gave her. I worry I may have told her too much. I shrug it off, maybe she’ll forget by tomorrow morning. “I’m tired,” I say faking a yawn. “I’m gonna go to bed, night Care.”
Day one of my punishment, I sent most of my contacts a message saying I had it taken away and to not text me. The first few hours of my life are nearly hell, as I realize that my cellphone is my primary source of communications with my friends … and Caeran… especially Caeran. In my head I play out all these crazy scenarios where I actually managed to man up and ask her out, but in truth I’m a coward, and those thoughts are dispelled from my head instantly. I smile, maybe someday. I head back downstairs to the main floor. I land in the main lobby, there’s no one home. Caroline must have gone out with mom to go shopping. House to myself, can do whatever I want…. Well nearly as much as I want. I head for the living room and flop on the black leather sofa on my favorite spot. It’s some business show. Disinterested, I snort and flip through the channels. I go through Star Trek, a cartoon adaption for star wars, family guy and the Simpsons. Finally I find what I’m looking for a new episode of Chuck. Chuck was a TV show about a loser named Chuck, who hasn’t dated since he broke up with his girlfriend in Stanford University. Then his old buddy Bryce Larkin – who’s name I happen to be really jealous of – sends him an email of all the files on the intersect. The intersect is some sort of super computer in which the CIA and the NSA put all their top secret info on this on computer. Once a download begins anyone looking at the screen will have millions of CIA and NSA top secret information downloaded and embedded into their brains. Ever since that Chuck slowly learns how to become a spy. I groan, I got up too late; the episode is already half over. Still I stay and watch, nothing better to do anyways. A commercial break comes on and I head over to the kitchen, I look in the fridge…. Nothing good to eat, I plop back down on my seat. A few seconds later I’m back looking in the fridge and then the pantry. I spot some old cookies, noodles, and chips but nothing much. I head back to my seat. This continues for about three more repetition when I finally realize what happened. I laugh at myself and decide to just order Pizza, as I pick up the phone the door clicks open. It’s my mom and sister, dad should be at work. They walk in carrying a box of pizza. I chuckle. Out of pure kindness, I head to the door to help my mom with the groceries, and pizza. She thinks I’m just trying to win my phone back and while that is true. She doesn’t need to know that, I carry the groceries and start sorting them into different categories. I’ve always been an organized person I may be slightly OCD. My mother and Caroline finish with the last of the groceries and head in.
The pizza’s still hot, and with all my favorite toppings. I reckon mum’s trying to apologize for her outburst with pizza. Hah! As if that’ll work but I do feel grateful for it still. After lunch I head back to watch TV, Caroline sits with me. In her usual spot, the middle seat centre to the coffee table. We talk for a bit but then as I realize there’s nothing good to watch on, I sniff disinterestedly and switch it off. There’s no argument from Caroline, a minute or so later and she would have been gone anyways. I make my way to my room upstairs to read some books or comics or maybe surf the net. My room’s the cleanest bedroom in the house, even mum and dad’s room can’t compare to mine, it’s always been something I’m proud of, as I push the door ajar I head straight for a book, ‘Eragon’ I have must read this book two thousand times. I lower myself onto my bed. Slowly, page by page, I read the book. Just six more days until I get my cellphone back.
I look up at the clock in my room, 9:00PM, I’ve been reading for a lot longer than I thought. Then realize it’s true because I’ve already been reading the second book, ‘Eldest’. There’s not much to do so I go back down stairs when the phone rings. It’s Alexandre, he’s always calling me late. “Hey Casey?” He sounds urgent. “Uh huh?”
“What page was the math homework on?”
Typical… I thought, he was always one leaving homework until the last second.
“Page 242, questions 1 to 15.”
“Alright thanks, Casey. Alright my parents are freaking out over here. I gotta go.” And with that he hangs up the phone. Once it clicks I realize how extremely uneventful my day had been, not being able to connect with my pals really hit me. I never thought one day without friends would be so dull. It’s nearly 10PM now, I decide to head to sleep as I enter my room I see it’s already occupied. “Caroline,” I groan. “I already told you not to be in my room unless you ask me. Remember what happened last time?” She looks up, startled. “Oh, I didn’t see you there.”
“Why are you...-“
“- Because I wanted to talk”
“We talked a few days ago though!”
“Well, we did, but this isn’t about the party. She looks shifty, as if someone may burst in with a chainsaw and massacre the pair of us. ‘Texas chainsaw massacre!’ Toronto style! Of course that doesn’t happen. She leans in close to my ears to whisper. “I was in the car with mom. She went to pay for the gas and I was in the car alone. Then I found this.” She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a brass bullet casing. I’m stunned, I take the bullet from Caroline, I examine it closely, but upon closer inspection I realize it’s not a bullet. It’s a casing for a bullet. Which meant… I slide the casing back to Caroline. “I think someone was trying to kill mommy.” Her eyes nearly fill with tears. “Caroline stop, no one’s trying to kill mom.”
She sobs even harder. “How can you say that? How can you say mom’s not in trouble. I found the bullet! Look!” She presses the brass casing into my face. I let it stay there for a bit before gently pulling her hand away. “No care, that’s not a bullet… it’s a bullet casing. A casing is something that holds bullets for when they are fired. Anyways point is bullet casings always fly off to the side.” I stop talking to see if she’ll elaborate, but she doesn’t. “That means the shooter would have been on the inside of the car. It means that mom wasn’t running from someone, someone else was running from mom.”
“Our parents are murderers?” She gasps, horrified.
“I don’t know … I … -“
There are footsteps downstairs.
“Hear that?” whispering in her ear.
“Yes.”
“Stay here.”
I rise from my seat, and check my parents’ room. Empty. It’s already past midnight, what are they doing up so late. I tiptoe back to my room to call Caroline, but she’s already here behind me. I nearly scream. I make a quick motion with my head to the stairs.
We’re going, down as quietly as possible. “They heard us,” my dad says. I panic. Quickly I usher my sister back upstairs. “Casey, Caroline, come down here.” I’m scared now there’s no reason for my parents to be up this late, what if they decided I wasn’t punished enough. They may take away more things, or even send me off to boarding school, maybe this is a dream and I’m still sleeping, and everyone is in bed like they should be. We arrive in the kitchen, where a finely dressed couple awaits us. He motions with his head to the two empty seats. Instantly we obey. “I thought we might owe you an explanation.” My first thought is one of relief. Then intrigue when I consider the possibilities of this explanation. “You’re probably wondering why your mother and I are going out?” He continues. “Well it’s because we’re going to a certain party, but it’s not a house party, more businesslike than anything else.” We nod in turn. “Ok, now go back to bed.” We trot back upstairs, and Caroline turns to her room where she flops on her bed and drifts off to sleep. I’m not so sure, a pair of surgeons going to a party? I’ve hear better lies. “Caroline?” Of course! We chance upon the discovery of our lives and sleep is the number one option on her list.
She groans. “Trying t’ sleep!”
“Do you really think mom and dad are going to a business party?”
“What does it matter?”
“I think they’re lying. That they have a secret they don’t want us to know.”
“Well, I don’t care! Let me sleep.”
“Caroline!” I hiss, “Listen, something’s going on, and we’re going to find out. Mom and Dad may need our help!”
“Urghhhh….” Time for a different route. “Fine but when I find out the secret and you’re sleeping I’m not telling you. The bluff works, instantly she’s up and about. We silently sneak downstairs and grab the keys to the old BMW. I grab my wallet with my driver’s license. Soon we’re heading off around the neighborhood.
We drive in circles for a few hours until we spot the polished red Mercedes Benz up ahead. I catch a glimpse of the license plate. Bingo. We tail them a bit longer, until they stop near a mansion. I gasp. I see them quickly show I.D and the metal gates open. No way are we going getting past that. I switch the car into reverse and park and a few blocks down the road. We jog back up to the mansion; we easily climb the fence in the dead of night. And soon we’re sprinting up to the mansion. By sheer luck, there’s a window open and I boost my sister up into the room, and follow shortly after. We’re in a living room, we exit to the main room, where a plethora of guests stand chatting. Parents nowhere to be found, we nearly give up when we see them head up stairs. We wait a few minutes before following. They walk quickly down corridors. We nearly lose them, plenty of times. More than I could remember. Finally they open a large door and slide inside. We stand outside, ears pressed against the wall. There’s a lot of racquet in there. I begin to think they’re doing it in someone else’s house. I nearly send Caroline away, then I hear more voices. Unable to resist myself, I turn the doorknob and we stumble inside. They’re holding guns at a pair of well suited men. I let out a loud gasp, “Dad?!” … Seconds later, “Mom?” Caroline whispers. “Casey?!” Dad shouts, “Caroline?!” My mom yelps seconds after my dad. There’s a loud bang, like a firework going off. I see my mom fall to the floor, bleed severely. My dad fires at the other men and two of them fall, I can’t tell if they’re dead or not. In any case, I don’t care. I make my way over to mom. “Stay where you are Casey.”
More shots, it all happens in slow motion. My dad slowly falls backwards and soon he’s dead. Another shot and my mom is gone. It’s just Caroline and I now, and soon we’ll be dead like our parents. So many thoughts run through my head. Why were they in a gunfight? With who? And how long was this going on? The three suited men walk up to us. We’re cowering in the corner, holding each other, sobbing. I feel the guns rise on us. There’s a loud crash, and three consecutive shots. Yet we’re still breathing. I brave a look up at the killers, instead they’re gone. More than that they’re lying dead close to us, each with a bullet in the head, or near the heart. I look around and spot our savior. It’s Uncle Derek. Now my head is really pounding with questions. Why was Uncle Derek here? Is it with Mom and Dad? How did he know to come? He makes his way over to us, “Quickly! Caroline! Casey! We need to get out of here, more will be coming.” We sob uncontrollably. Derek is franticly trying to get us to go with him. “What about our parents?” I sob looking at them to see if they’ll somehow come back to us. He sighs. “There’s nothing we can do for them, now if you want to end up like them then be my guest, otherwise come with me NOW!” That clicks it for us, we both ran to our uncle who embraces us in his open arms, next thing I know we’re clinging on to my uncle for dear life as he slides down a grapple rope, down the three story building. We quickly climb into his Honda, both Caroline and I in the back, holding each other. We’re both sure we’re about to wake up any second now. Both we don’t. Because we know this isn’t a nightmare. This is all real, our parents are dead, my uncle here to rescue us. I want to ask him questions but my mind still can’t get over the murders. The way I saw my parents fall dead. As blood flew out of their bodies, and landed everywhere on the hardwood flooring. “Derek… what’s happening?” Uncle Derek makes a left and looks back, nearly getting into an accident. “Not now, I’ll explain later for now just sleep. It’s late, you’re going to need rest.” He’s right, we close our eyes and within minutes, both of us are settled down into a deep restful sleep - filled with images of our dead parents.
I wake with a start, sweating, breathing heavily. The nightmares have been coming at us like a tidal wave now. Caroline isn’t here. After quickly brushing my teeth and showering. I feel the after effects of the nightmare wear off. I head downstairs breakfast is already on the table. Scrambled eggs and toast, Uncle Derek is already sitting there quietly eating.
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