Quote:
On the fourth night of the aurora, it changes from dancing lights to a strange, swirling maelstrom. A cold wind picks up, swirling wildly. Near midnight, the wind is strong enough to topple lighter bushes and knock branches from trees. No major damage has been done, but it is still a storm no one wants to be out in. Suddenly, the colors in the sky seem to explode. A distant echo, like thunder, rolls through the town. The aurora is gone, and so is its strange spell. The only thing that lingers are the small, colorful beads that fall from the sky like hail. They sparkle in all colors of the aurora and are never any larger than a marble. Most of them seem safe, but if you hold too many at one time you are met with the same sleepless affliction the town was suffering under the aurora.
On the fourth evening of his stay with his father, Ren snuck out. Even with the door missing, it was easy to do once he learned the habits of his father and his girlfriend. The house itself creaked and gave alerts to their location; his father was heavy footed, stomping around the house in a grumbling fit. His girlfriend - a European woman some ten years his junior with long limbs, curves, and a certain level of airheadedness to her - was lighter on her feet, but made a point to make her presence known when passing Ren's room. Ren hadn't bothered to remember her name (it was something like Beatrice or Helga or Narissa he was sure) but appreciated her attempts to keep him alert.
It took him only two days to gather the pattern of the house. His father left for work at 6:30 am, his girlfriend left at home. At noon, she brought him lunch, leaving Ren alone for two hours. In this time, he ate as much food as he dared and showered. By 5:30 pm, his father was home and a tense dinner was cooked by the girlfriend. From 7 to 10, it was open season for Sloan to take his aggression out on Ren. From checking text logs to browser history, Sloan inspected for 'deviant' behavior. Satisfied when there was none, he left Ren alone, though did not let him go back to his room.
By 10:30 pm Sloan and the woman were asleep. Or at least, behind a closed door. They slept through the night and did not check on him. A small blessing, that.
Still, Ren was patient and waited until the clock ticked to midnight before slipping out of the window and up the wall to the roof. He dared not go further than his own house for now; while he had not been checked on yet, did not mean it wouldn't happen. He tucked himself under an eave as the weather turned for the worse. No forecast had prepared him for this, but anything was better than staying in that house. Several car alarms went off, and lights began to flicker on inside houses.
Thunder rolled across the sky, the aurora exploding outwards. That was... different. The color fell from the sky in iridescent marbles. He caught a few and stared at them curiously. He wasn't sure what to do with them, letting the orbs fall to the roof top. They rolled and bounced down the shingles. Too late he realized they were on a collision course for the driveway - his father's car. He tried to dive for them, but not even powered speed could help him reach them as they launched into the air and fell.
There was a crack followed by the blaring of the car alarm.
Time to go.
Mourite scrambled down the roof and wall, slipping on orbs and sending even more flying, and launched himself through the window. He closed the window as the door of his father's room slammed open, and Ren dove under the covers, heart pounding like a drum.
Footsteps approached, paused, and then stormed past. Ren dared not breath until he heard his father leave through the front door.
Ten more days. Ten more days and he would be free again.
He marked off the day on a tiny calendar next to his bed.
Ten more days.
[ WC: 569 ]
