Chapter One- The Dark

Asa is just like an average 16-year-old. Except maybe his humor is a little darker, and his outlook on things is a little gloomier. But hey, that's just how people are, right?

Can you blame a man for hate? Can you blame him for sadness? Can you even blame him for envy? Asa thought not. He believed us to all be imprinted with a mental blueprint. Every blueprint was different, but kept the same elements at heart.

Anger, Hate, Fear, and Envy all flow through our blood, staining it a darker color. It makes us human. It makes us people.

But why did the negative traits stay with us, as brightly colored emotions drained away, dissolving in churning waters?

Asa sat alone, pondering this very question.

“I guess it’s just what we’re meant to do. It’s for survival…” He thought to himself gloomily… As was most things he did. Asa almost projected an aura of the very traits he pondered. He embraced them and welcomed them. He was just like Odd in that way.

Odd was short for Odysseus, one of Asa’s best friends, and a longtime partner in trouble. They had done all of the stupid, irresponsible things that 16 year olds, like themselves, were supposed to do. They also knew so much about each other without ever having to tell about themselves. Perhaps it was because they were so much alike?

Asa pushed these questions out of his head as he pushed away some clutter on his desk, making room for the plate of pizza rolls he had made. He set the cheap microwave food down next to his computer alongside a fresh can of Mountain Dew and sat in his off-white plastic chair. He stared at the computer that sat in front of him, waiting on it to boot up. As the computer made its series of whirrs and buzzes that were common during startup, he considered options for a witty Facebook status.

“Maybe I should make a joke about murder…?” He pondered before coming to the conclusion that, in order to ensure him keeping his job, he should not. He then opened a web browser and began browsing the meaningless jumble of other people’s lives that was the infamous Facebook. He then went to his profile, which displayed a picture of him in the corner. He examined it. His longish brown hair fell over his relatively handsome face. On that particular face was an average mouth, a nose he thought was a little too big (but not too bad), and two peculiar eyes. The thing that made them peculiar was that unlike average brown eyes, which he would have had without this oddity in them, there was hints of steely gray throughout. He examined his eyes some more, just because he thought they looked nice, before returning to the rest of Facebook. After a symphony of clicks, taps, and light chuckles, he logged off and shut his laptop before leaving the mess that was his room.

As he descended the stairs, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it from said pocket and saw the name Odd at the top of the screen.

“Oh, this is gonna be interesting.” He said to himself as he answered it.

“Hello?” He said casually into the phone.

“Hey dude, me and Arlo are at Wal-Mart and we could use a third guy to help us ruin things here!” Odd said excitedly.

“What? I’m just a ‘third guy’ to you?” Asa said jokingly.

“Yeah, only because you’re a f****t and nobody wants to associate themselves with you.”

“Well f**k you too. I’ll be there in five minutes”

Asa hung up without saying any formal goodbye, laughing to himself.

As he traversed the complex system of roads that led to the Wal-Mart in Lake Jackson, Texas, he considered his unusual pastime of messing around in Wal-Mart with his friends.

Essentially, it was a game of who could f**k up more s**t in the store. They climbed shelves, piled things across the aisle, and, one time; they shoved random things into the microwaves and toaster ovens in the appliances section. Then, as they left, they liked to run through the parking lot while tipping carts over, sending them crashing into the pavement. It was all wonderful fun, especially when they got caught and had to run out of the store. Hopping into what was usually Asa’s car and driving out of the parking lot in a hurried fashion.

He arrived and walked through Wal-Mart. It was complex and busy, but Arlo and Odd weren’t too hard to miss.

After about eight minutes, he saw two 16-year-old guys. One of these two were wearing regular blue jeans and some unremarkable shirt. He had short blond hair and a stud in each ear. That was definitely Odd. The other boy with him was wearing a gray flat billed hat (Which Asa thought to look idiotic) over his also longish brown hair. He was wearing a black shirt and darkly colored skinny jeans with some form of skating shoes to go with his skateboard. That was obviously Arlo, Asa’s other best friend.

He walked up to them and greeted them with some insults and other jokes that were common between them before asking, “So, what is the target for today, boys?”

“The toy section is our primary target, but we might stuff things into the microwaves again.” Replied Arlo.

“Does this include the bike section? Because that’s how I think I want to get kicked out today.” Asa asked in a mischievous tone.

“Is that even a question?! Just come on before you ask something else dumb.”  Replied Odd.

And so the day began. But all the time throughout their hi-jinx, Asa felt something heavy and dark pressing in is stomach, making him light headed and a little unfocused. But whatever, right? Must have been from lack of sleep… Right?

Author's Note

First chapter, and to be honest, I have no clue what I'm doing. I'm just kindof winging it