Death’s Tales: Chapter 15

I used to be able to sleep in late and not have to worry about people waking me up. They were too scared of me. Mrs. Willow once let me sleep so long that I woke up at noon. But Micheal doesn’t let me sleep in. Not even for a few extra minutes.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I groaned and turned over, pulling the pillow over my head.

“Come on, Hades. Get up. We have school.” I could hear Micheal right on the other side of the door.

“I would like to sleep, Miracle Boy!” I called back, but it was muffled by my pillow.

There was silence, and then: “What?”

I sighed and threw my pillow off. “Give me five minutes.”

“Okay.” Footsteps slowly receded down the hall and I sighed again. Micheal was going to pay for waking me up.

I laced up my boots when the knocking started again.

“Knock it off,” I yelled.

The knocking stopped. “Are you ready to go?”

I glared at the door as if I could send my glare to him, through it. “I’m getting my shoes on.”

“Okay, I’ll be outside.”

I rolled my eyes and finished tying the boots.

I ran down the stairs and opened the door, shivering as the icy air penetrated my jacket. Micheal was smiling, wrapped in his huge coat but what really caught my eye was the white and silence that had fallen over the world.

“Whoa.”

Micheal nodded. “Yeah, it started snowing late last night.”

I started to smile, seeing the perfect way to get back at Micheal. Just because he had got me up to see this, he wasn’t off the hook for waking me up.

I ran into the snow. It had to be at least eight inches deep and I sunk slightly with each step. I reached down and gathered a handful of snow into a ball. I twisted and threw it at Micheal, who was still a few feet away. It hit him in the chest and he stumbled back as it exploded into just a bunch of snow again.

He lost his balance and fell into the snow, laughing. I ran over and helped him to his feet and he dusted the snow off of him as best he could.

“What was that for?” he asked, still laughing.

I shoved him to the side. “I told you I wanted to sleep.”

He laughed again. “Well, too bad. It was time for you to get up.”

I stuck out my tongue and turned away. Suddenly, something flew into my back and I stumbled forward.

“Micheal!” I scolded, as I scooped another ball of snow. I threw it at him and he dived to the side to evade it. He sat up, his face covered in snow. I laughed, my hand pressed to my mouth.

Micheal smirked and jumped to his feet. “I’m coming for you, Hades.” And he started to run after me. I shrieked and tried to run away but the snow made it hard to do. His arms wrapped around me and pulled me to the ground. I fought against his grip as I laughed uncontrollably.

When I managed to break away, I stood up, panting. “We should get to school.”

Micheal stood up and dusted some snow off. Once he was done, he smirked at me. “Snow day!” he yelled, as he shoved me into the snow yet again.

When I stood up again, I glared at him, daring for him to push me down again. But it was more of a friendly glare than an I’m-coming-for-you-because-you-wouldn’t-let-me-sleep glare. I was sweating under my jacket but my hands felt frozen. And my nose felt like it was buried in the snow. Which it had been, a minute ago.

Micheal was panting, too, but he was smiling. “Do you… do you want to come over for some cocoa? Mom made a bunch,” he asked in between his panting.

I rolled my eyes. “I could have slept in, Micheal, but you had to come and get me up for cocoa.”

He nodded. “And snow.”

“And snow,” I agreed. “But you could have waited.”

He shook his head, still smiling. “Nah. I had to come get you right away.”

I rolled my eyes and started my way to his house. I looked back to see him still breathing hard. “Well,” I said, “Aren’t you coming?”

He smirked and nodded, jogging to catch up with me. “What’s with the fast pace?” he asked.

I wrapped my arms around myself. “I’m cold. And I want cocoa.”

We walked in silence for a minute or two and then Micheal’s arm snaked around me. “Truth or dare?”

I bit my lip. “Dare.”

“Okay, I dare you to eat the snow.”

I made a face. “No. We have no idea what’s been through it.”

“You made your choice.”

“I ate snow when you tackled me, Miracle Boy. Dare completed.”

He rolled his eyes. “That’s not how it works.”

I stuck my tongue out at him. “I say it does work that way.”

“Fine. New dare. I dare you to carry a ball of snow the entire way to my house.”

“Fine.” I picked up a clump of snow and worked it until it was a ball. I showed it to him and then held it in my hand.

It was cold!

“Okay, Your turn, Miracle Boy. Truth or dare.”

“Dare.”

“Eat snow.”

“No!”

I smiled and shoved him into the snow and then took off running. We were in sight of the house and I ran toward it. Micheal was hot on my tail. I still had the ball of icy cold in my hand but I dropped it as I stood on the step. Micheal slowed to a stop next to me.

“That...was...mean.”

I smiled and took a deep breath of cold that stung like ice in my lungs. “I know.”

We were both out of breath and smiling.

I opened the door. “And now, I need cocoa.”