Chapter Thirteen: Catharsis
"So, your favorite book is Gone With the Wind?" Carmen asked Ponyboy.
"Well, yeah," Ponyboy said. "What's yours?"
Carmen struggled for a plausible answer. "I like a lot of books," she said finally. How was she supposed to tell him that her favorite book was Full Moon: The Memoirs of a Werewolf?
"Stop it, stop it!" Two-Bit finally burst with frustration. "Is all you can talk about books? Can we do something else, maybe?"
Ponyboy shuffled his feet. Carmen stared at the cracks in the sidewalk. Two-Bit changed the subject rapidly and started telling them a long, wild story.
Carmen tuned him out. Sometimes, she thought to herself, Two-Bit is just annoying.
They passed the DX and Ponyboy said he was going to stop inside to talk to his brother Sodapop.
"I think I'll go home," Carmen said quietly. Two-Bit stopped abruptly. "What? Why?" he demanded.
"I don't feel so well," Carmen lied. She had gotten pretty good at that. "I'm going to go lie down."
She felt terrible for lying and almost told the truth as Two-Bit looked disappointed. "Okay," he said finally. "Want me to walk you there?"
"It's okay," Carmen said. "I'll be fine. Really," she added as Two-Bit looked suspiciously at her.
She ran off hurriedly. She could feel Two-Bit's eyes on her still. She could hear a whisper of his mind: I'll check up on her later.
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Two-Bit frowned after her. I'll check up on her later, he thought. He turned and continued on his way.
He ambled easily down the streets. Nothing exciting happened during the day. All the fun of wild parties and getting drunk happened at night.
True, you could drink beer at any hour. But who gets drunk at noon, besides alcoholics? Two-Bit liked beer all right, but he wasn't dependant on it. He had seen what that could do to you at Johnny's house.
He spotted a Soc's car parked nearby. That gave him a mischievous idea. Checking to make sure no one was around to see him, Two-Bit flicked out his switchblade.
Checking again to make absolutely sure that no one was watching, Two-Bit uttered a spell under his breath and aimed his switchblade at it.
He could barely breathe for laughing hysterically as the shiny red Mustang started up by itself and cannoned down the road, crashing into the dumpster at the end of the street.
Chortling to himself, he sprinted away before anyone who had heard the noise could come running. He finished his laughing fit two blocks away. It was times like this that made being a wizard worth the trouble.
Where to now? He wondered to himself. So many places to wreak havoc, so little time.
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Carmen ran home as fast as her feet would carry her and locked the door behind her.
She closed all the curtains in the house, locked all the doors and turned off all the lights. In her room, she sat on the bed and closed her eyes.
In the semi-darkness, Carmen muttered a spell under her breath and the radio began to softly play. It wasn't music that could be heard on any station. It was strange and bittersweet, mournful and calming. It was the music of midnight dreams, when all consciousness is lost and anything can happen.
Carmen meditated quietly. She didn't know how long she sat there for, only that she was and peace surrounded her and filled her, blocking out everything else for a short time. Her mind stopped all conscious thought and the rational side gave in.
This was the way Carmen cleared her mind. Right now, her thoughts were jumbled and confusing. She needed this, this catharsis, to retain her sanity.
Silence reigned and nothing penetrated Carmen's nirvana, not her own thoughts, no magic of any sort. She was in her element, and as long as she remained that way, nothing could touch her.
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Sorry so short. Last update for a while: stupid finals.