I sat on my bed's black comforter, waiting for the blue time to come. It seemed to take longer these days, what with me waiting all the time. I glaced over at the clock again. 11:57. Great. Only a little over two minutes left. Probably about two minutes and twenty-eight seconds. Wonderful.
I double checked my room and went over the list in my mind. Thirteen tacks on the window sill. Check. Thirteen paper clips on the door frame. Check. Psychotically Authoritative Manipulations, my spear. Check. Thirteen linked braclets. Check. Thirteen linked anklets. Check. Thirteen, twenty-six, thirty-nine linked neclaces. Check. Everything seemed in order. Extraordinary. Normally I wasn't this ready. Tonight's midnight was going to be good.
I was starting to get jumpy. I peered at the clock again. 11:59. Fourty-three seconds left. Finally. I stood up and grabbed Manipulations. It's steel bands that wrapped around the metal staff felt ice cold against my skin. I walked as slowly as possible to the window and opened it. I was willing it not to make a noise. The rustly metal could not help but making a sharp, high pitched noise. It made me want to tear out all my hair and scratch out my ears.
The wind outside stopped abruptly. The animals creeping along the badlands stopped moving. My music stopped playing. I jumped at the quietness. Even though I had lived here for a couple months I had still not gotten used to how all the noise just stopped. Everything had turned blue, the color sucked out of everything by the big moon. I slid out the window, careful not to knock off the tacks on my window sill.
Other than a pair of black shorts, I was wearing a black leather jacket, black combat boots, and all my protective jewelry. My hair was pulled back in a low pony-tail. I was trying to grow it back out since my mom had cropped it short before we'd moved. I didn't grab my dark sunglasses, though. I would be back home way before it got bright again. The sun wouldn't come up for another six hours, for me that is. It would only be five hours for all the other people in Bixby, Oklahoma.
I, Desdemonia, was alone in this blue world. Well, besides the some big, old creatures that could change shape according to your fears and some snake-type things that could either fly or live on the ground. The snake-thing's bites left aweful bruises that stayed there for longer than a normal bruise you got by bumping into something or getting hit.
I walked to the driveway and hopped on my bike. It was sure to get me out of this place faster than on foot. As I rode across the silent dirt roads, I tried to steer clear of all the dust devils. There wouldn't be as many once I got into the middle of the town. The rising moon was a dark purple when I looked up. It was barely risen, so I had some time to spare. I didn't quite know what I was going to do in this midnight and was not even sure why I was going to the middle of town.
I heard a loud roar-like scream coming from somewhere behind me.
"Great." I whispered; I could have said it a lot louder, though. Nobody would hear me anyways... I turned around, still on the old bike. When I reached the top of my arc, I stopped and put one foot on the ground. The creature I now faced was changing shape. I knew what it would change into, even though it was still in the process... It finished after a short minute. It now took the form of a wolf. I shuddered at the large creature. I had reasons to be afraid of it... I wish I didn't though. When my family had first moved to Oklahoma, I had wondered off into the woods near our house. There, at night time, the wolves had come out and I had been attacked. I had been afraid of them since.
I crawled off my bike as silently as possible. Manipulations held tight in my hands. I brought it up to my lips.
"Psychotically Authoritative Manipulations." I stared down at the spear and giggled at a funny thought. Psychotically Authoritative Manipulations, I thought. Abbreviate the words and you get "PAM." I giggled again. I normally realized random things like that. It was just something that I did! That, and I was a total math wiz.
I tensed myself, getting ready to attack. I raised Manipulations so it was at an level to my eyes. This thing wouldn't take care of itself. It was my job to take care of it.