Awakening: Prodigy

29: Curfew Bells

POV William

It was minutes before the curfew bells rang. It was the hottest July day William could remember since moving to Clearwater almost six years ago.

Sunset fell fast over his shortcut from the Memorial Site to his home, both on the outskirts of town. His friends had abandoned him hours ago, refusing to explore the haunted forest monument. They were just a bunch of babies; typical nobodies who were afraid of shadows and crazy ghost stories.

Scaredy cats. He'd spent many afternoons at the site and absolutely nothing happened. Ever.

His heart pounded against his chest. He was going to be late. Like super late; not just angry dad late, but like spending the night in a cell late. Luckily for William, his dad was the local Master Hunter. With that small stroke of good fortune, the local authorities were more likely to drop him off at home and look the other way. The curfew law was bullshit anyway. There hadn't been a demon attack in Clearwater since... ever! Especially not since his dad assumed his post.

Life in Clearwater was peaceful.

Life in Clearwater was boring.

William leapt over fallen branches instead of slowing his mad dash home. He smiled to himself as he cleared another young fallen tree. If he managed to keep this pace, he would be a shoe-in for the game's recruitment drive in the next school year.

He saw the dark blue roof of his home, just beyond the trees that separated the forest from the town. He slowed his pace; one part to catch his breath, the other...

Today was the day that 'she' would show up and ruin his summer holiday. He squinted through the gaps of the tall white picket fence that framed his backyard, peering into the living room window as best he could. The sheer curtains were closed, but the light was on. She was there now, sucking up to his dad.

William's relationship with his father wasn't perfect, sure, but she had no right to wedge herself between them. She wasn't even related! How dare she even try to replace him! He couldn't wait for the day when she'd stop 'Summering' in Clearwater. That was the term his 'affluent' friends used for when they spent a season away from home. Affluent, of course, was a less crude way of saying rich; that was something else he had learned from his schoolmates.

He walked around the fence toward the front of the two-story home. He held his breath as he turned the handle and pushed the front door open, praying that it wouldn't call his dad's attention. Not that it mattered anyway. As soon as his dad saw his grades, he was going to be grounded all Summer anyway.

William cringed when the front door slammed behind him, telling everyone in the house that he had made it home five hours later than he was meant to be. What difference did a few hours make?

He had seconds to make it to his bedroom and pretend that he had been home this whole time.

He ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, each step thundering beneath him. He'd only be in trouble if he got caught. Truth was, he was sure he was going to get an earful no matter what. What's a few more minutes of peace before putting up with the noise pollution coming from his dad's mouth for the next hour? It wouldn't change the fact that he'd made it home before his dad's stupid curfew rule all week. Today was just a freak occurrence. He hadn't noticed the time until it was way past the unreasonable time his dad had set, especially for today.

"William." His dad's voice was even and matter-of-fact. He never shouted; he didn't need to. His voice carried a constant undertone of disappointment when it came to William. Somehow, that tone made getting caught so much worse than it needed to be. He froze on the landing, with one foot already on the next step. He resisted the urge to sag under the weight of his dad's disappointed gaze.