Chapter 1: Awakening

It was warm, the bed, and he had doubts, just a few but what he was about to do will be well worth it. He was about to venture into a land where no man ever went and dared to talk about. He was so close to victory, he leaned over to kiss the face of an angel… "John get your ass out of bed now you're going to be late!"

How he feared those words.

"Alright parental figure!" yelled John, still a little buzzed from last night. So John shook it off and rolled over the side of the bed, put his feet on the smooth, cold tile. Walked over to the bathroom and started to brush his teeth when he heard it again, "Don't make me come up there".

"I'm already up dammit!" screamed John.

"Why couldn't that woman just go to work already?" John thought to himself. He rinsed his mouth out and splashed a little water on his face and walked back over to his bed. "Where the hell did I put them damn cigarettes? Mom did you trash my cigarettes again?"

"I told you to quit puffin on those cancer sticks!" said a furious mother.

"DAMN! Why can't you just quit touching my stuff…? Nevermind, don't answer that."

As an enraged John walked down the stairs about to leave to 'summer school' he ran back up the stairs to find his lighter. Forgotten he put it in his hoodie and rush out the door trying to avoid his bitchie mother. "Oh shit I might not get to the corner-store in time, better haul ass! Why do I have to meet her there this early any way, it's not like where going to school." John said thinking a little too loudly. With that in mind he ran off to the corner of 13th and Center.

After about ten minutes of running he saw her. A girl, no older than him with short jet-black hair and sky blue eyes. "Hiya John, how's it hanging, it's been forever." said the girl. "Yea, if twelve hours is forever." John said sarcastically. "You're an asshole you know that John Constantine!"

"I'm sorry but you set your self up, do you forgive me Frankie?" John said apologetic.

"Well I guess I could forgive you, if you let me bum a smoke off you."

"Damn, I'm sorry my mother dumped um, I was hoping you had some." John said.

A silence sat between the two of them for a few minutes. "Hey, well let's go to the mall and gets some, my friend works there!" said Frankie all excited like.

John hated the mall, it was always too loud and all those damn children running around screaming. I mean he still was a child him self at sixteen. Not exactly a child but he still needed to grow a bit more. Well that's not the only reason for not liking the mall. When he was about seven he and his mom were walking through a store in the back part of the mall and some how they got separated. He started to cry until this man came up to him and told John to stop ballin. When John looked at him, his face looked like it was melting and rotting away. When his mom found him the man was gone. He tried to tell his mother about what he saw, but she wouldn't listen. From then on John kept seeing these "hallucinations" as the doctor called them. John knew he wasn't hallucinating, but what did he know? He was just a kid.

When they got to the mall, they had to go to the coffee shop and find Frankie's friend and get some cigarettes. Before they got to the coffee shop, Frankie had to go talk to some girl first about whatever. By this time John felt as if he couldn't stop fidgeting and just wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. "Hey Frankie, how long is it until your friend gets on break?" John asked impatiently. "He said he was going to take his break in like five minutes. Why?"

"No reason, I just really need a cigarette." John said anxiously. "So what do you want to do for five minutes?" asked Frankie. "Well I'm going to go get a drink, if that's all right with you?" "Sure." replied Frankie.

About two minutes after John left Frankie heard a scream and rushed out of the shop to see what it was. "What happened?" Frankie asked randomly hoping somebody was listening. John was the one who answered "I don't know? This lady just collapsed and started to shake and talk in this weird language."

"Do you know what language it is?" asked Frankie. "It sounds familiar I think it's… Latin? But I'm not sure." Responded a puzzled John. "How do you know?" "Because I took it last year, Duh." said John.

Frankie started talking to him but he ignored her. He couldn't really hear her as he started walking toward the lady. It felt like he was being pulled towards her. When he got there he knelt down beside her and whispered in her ear, "This is Constantine, John Constantine… asshole." He put his hands over her eyes and started chanting. When he lifted his hand off her eyes a demon was in the glass ceiling trying to break through the glass. John threw his shoe at it, shattering the glass. Not fully knowing what he did, he grab Frankie's arm and the shoe and together they ran out of the mall, running into a mess of people.

"Slow down John! What the hell was that all about?" Frankie asked still trying to catch her breath. "I, I don't know. It felt as if I knew I was talking but couldn't hear the sounds." "You scared the shit out of me John."

"Yea I'm sorry. Oh and I got something for you, I got them from this guy with long blonde curly hair as we were running out of the mall. Want one of these?" John asked. " Wow. Thanks and well next time you want to go to the mall, count me out." Frankie said sarcastically taking a long drag off the cigarette. Both sat in silence for an hour before staring back to the corner store.

"Well I'll see you later John."

"Yea, same time tomorrow?"

"Sure. But next time hide those ciggs from your mom, I don't want you freaking out on me again if she takes them." Frankie said playfully.

"Hey Frankie, do you want me to walk you home?"

"If you want to." Frankie shrugged. "That's a yes."

The two walked around her block for what felt like hours. They talked about anything and nothing. Both trying to refrain to talk about what happened at the mall as they went into her house. John had lost track of time remembering he had to be some where.

Oh shit my mom's going to be pissed I told her I'd help her fix the damn sink. "Hey uh Frankie, I got to get going." John said.

"Um ok. Hey, thank you Jonathan Constantine."

"For what Francis Holloway?"

"Nevermind."

And like that he was gone "Sweet dreams John Constantine." Frankie whispered to herself as she stood in her doorway. "Francis get in here and close that damn door. You weren't raised in a damn barn!" "Yea, ok mom coming."