Day 30: Superstition (Richie & Seth, future)
My last switch, the original prompt was 'scariest cover' (these prompts were from a book review blog, originally).
Takes place before day 27. Poe snuck in for one last appearance! Not sure where I picked up this twist on the black cat superstition… but it's a nice one, don't you think?
Carrying a box of liquor bottles in his arms, Seth grunted as he found himself stopped by his brother's back. Seth shifted the box slightly, and craned his neck to see what had Richie stopped dead in the middle of the hallway.
"Richie, you mind?"
"Not now, Seth."
Seth's eyes narrowed, and he kicked Richie viciously in the back of the knee. Richie's leg naturally gave out, and he collapsed on the carpet.
"Dammit, Seth!"
Seth snickered. "Time waits for no man, Rich, especially when I've got a box of hooch dragging my arms from their sockets."
"But the cat!"
Seth craned his neck again, and caught sight of Poe, crouched in that awkward little corner of the hall that Kate swore was the worse dust-trap in the house, and always made her glare when she vacuumed. Poe had claimed it as one of his sentry posts the day they'd moved in, so they'd found one of those weird little knick-knack shelf thingies that fit into corners and installed it so Poe could sit on top and survey the hall, instead of lurking under their feet.
"Yeah, Poe likes sitting there. We got that shelf-thingy so he couldn't hide in the corner and trip us up in the hall."
"Given what our lives have been like the past few years, do you really think letting a black cat constantly cross your path is wise?"
Seth bit back another snicker. Richie's near OCD over various superstitions – starting on the day he'd found himself human again – was awesomely fun to give him shit about, but Richie usually replied with his fists, and Seth had about a grand worth of Blue Agave in his arms.
"Nah, Richie, it's cool. There's actually a way to turn the superstition around."
Richie's voice was deeply sceptical. "There's actually a way to make a black cat crossing your path bring you good luck?"
"Sure," Seth replied. "If you own the cat!"
Granted, it was more like Poe owned him and Kate, but it worked either way.
"That doesn't exactly apply to me, Seth," Richie pointed out.
"Huh. That's a good point," Seth conceded.
Then he continued his way down the hall, leaving Poe and Richie to their staredown.
(His money was on Poe)