Introduction Part 4

You were still chewing on that dream the next morning, barely registering your friends as you all sat down for class. Shame washed over you whenever you glanced at Stacy and her friends.

When was the last time you had an erotic dream? You couldn’t recall. But you were fairly certain they had never included people you actually knew, and in this case, disliked. The whole thing was very embarrassing.

Sighing, you buried your head in the textbook in front of you, hoping the mindless geography work would take your mind off things. But as you went to turn the page, you frowned a little.

You were still wearing the ring.

It hadn’t even occurred to you that you hadn’t taken it off in days but now that you looked at it, you knew that was the case. It seemed to warm as you looked at it, though surely that was just your mind playing tricks on you.

Why exactly had your grandfather given you the ring? He hadn’t given you anything else before, so had approaching **** caused a change of heart?

You spent the rest of the day pondering the ring and your dreams, feeling very put off by the whole thing. When it came to walk home Tina marched up beside you, with a moody expression.

“I have a plan,” she announced.

“A plan for what, exactly?”

A vicious smile spread across her lips. “I’m going to get back at that bitch Stacy.”

The two of you walked in tandem through your shared neighbourhood, with you acting as a kind of chaperone and bodyguard. It was ridiculous, especially since you were certain Tina could kick your ass, but her parents had insisted on it with the state of things in town.

“Do you really think it’s worth it?” You asked, rubbing your neck awkwardly, “this stuff is just going to escalate the more you two provoke each other. Why not be the bigger person and walk away?”

Tina stared at you for a full minute before bursting out laughing. Big belly laughs that echoed through the afternoon air.

“Seriously dude,” she said, red faced and wiping away a stray tear, “enough with that pansy shit. Are you in or not? I’ve already recruited Marcus, so you’ll be the odd man out if you don’t come.”

You chewed on your lip thoughtfully. “What do you have planned, exactly?”

“Oh you’ll love it,” she grinned, “we’re gonna sneak out after dark, go to that bitch’s house and egg it from top to bottom.”

“Seriously? Egging her house?” You shook your head. “That’s childish as fuck.”

She shrugged. “I fully admit that I’m petty,” she nudged your shoulder, “so? You in? C’mon, please say you’re in.”

“Fine, whatever,” you nudged her, “but if we get in trouble for breaking curfew I’m throwing you under the bus.”

———————————————————

The evening came and went, and you were able to enjoy a nice pasta dinner with your mom before settling in to play some video games. It was around ten o’clock when your phone lit up with a message from Tina.

T: Outside!

You quickly dressed into warm clothing and snuck downstairs and outside. Tina and Marcus were waiting at your mailbox, the former seeming infinitely more excited than the latter.

“Lets get moving already,” Marcus complained. “The cops have been patrolling all along these streets.”

The three of you moved quickly through the foggy, brisk night, occasionally ducking and hiding at the first sign of the cops. It was touch and go for a while, with all the activity along the streets, but eventually your trio made it to Stacy’s house. It was by far one of the best looking houses in town, but since Stacy’s father was the mayor of Silent Oaks that all made sense and added an element of danger to Tina’s mad little prank.

“You guys ready?” Tina asked as she began to hand out eggs, a big grin plastered across her face. “I can’t wait to see how that stuck up bitch reacts to this…”

Marcus grunted. “We’ll do this and then bail, I’m not waiting around for Stacy’s family to release the hounds.”

The three of you approached the house, eggs at the ready, but as you drew close a sound caught your attention. At first you thought it was the breeze and the night air playing tricks on you, but after a beat you heard it again. A muffled groan.

“Wait a sec,” you held up a hand to still the others, “listen.”

The groan was slightly louder.

Tina’s blinked in confusion. “The hell is that?”

Curiosity winning out over caution, you followed the sound and approached the side entrance of the house. You paused briefly at the side gate, but then peeked out over the top into the backyard. What you saw stunned you.

A half dozen hooded figures leading a bound and naked across the expansive backyard. A dark sack concealed her head, but you were certain it was your homeroom teacher. Your eyes watched every movement of the woman as she stumbled along, dragged by a long rope, encircled by six wraith-like figures. Listening carefully, you thought you could hear some kind of huming or chanting, but you couldn’t make out the distinct words.

But something vibrated through your whole being as you listened to the chanting. A warmth that stood out against the cold night air, an energy that made you feel more excited and alert than you had in a long time. The ring on your finger glowed faintly with the pulse of your heartbeat.

You glanced down to stare at the ring’s reaction for perhaps a second before the **** sounds of your teacher drew your attention again. She began to groan and cry in a muffled voice as she was dragged away into the dark woods beyond.