Eventide

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Russell Nassiri may not look it, but he liked quiet time by himself.

It's not that he didn't love his coven. They were his second family - possibly his first. But Russell also liked time where he could relax and reflect, and it was hard to do either surrounded by the chaos that followed his friends.

Russell walked by a park. Since it was Tuesday morning, no one was there but a young couple. Surprisingly, both were fairly attractive. The girl had short red hair that Russell would love to run his hands through, and the guy had shaggy brown hair that was the perfect length for pulling. The girl jumped into the guy's arms, and he kissed her eagerly.

Damn. Russell thought. There goes my hope that they were just friends.

Russell's felt a vibration in his left pocket, pulling him back to reality. Russell grabbed his phone from his pocket. His lockscreen was a picture of Colby's jean-clad ass that he took just to spite the boy. Russell slid his finger across Colby's cheeks, unlocking the phone.

Russell had several notifications from Twitter, one from Nick, and one from the Eventide group chat. Russell checked Twitter.

Russell had three likes on a selfie he was reasonably proud of. His makeup was on point. He had managed to make both eyes look nice, and more importantly, similar.

Russell scrolled down his notifications,seeing the usual plethora of retweets and likes. He had a myriad of replies as well. A few stood out.

Sad to see what's become of men these days. Shameful.

Sis you really tryin that look with a beard? This is why gays need to lay off makeup.

I want to punch you in the face repeatedly.

Wow you really think highly of yourself don't you?

Dumbass faggot. Hope you get raped.

Russell considered this.

Then he posted another selfie straight to Twitter, with no filter or prep. The caption read “Love you guys <3”

Russell checked his messages from Nick.

Russ, I scryed a Shade close by you. Think you can take care of it alone?

Russell texted back a simple thumbs up emoji, then concentrated. He felt something shift. The closest thing Russell could compare it to was feeling of movement one gets when standing in the edge of the tide and looking down. One sees the water moving, but it almost seems like the ground beneath you is moving instead. The unique brand of disorientation reminded him of that.

Russell looked around. Everything looked almost the same, but the desaturated colors and dim lighting told him that it was different.

Russell began walking, trying to sense the Shade. It was a few blocks before he found it, standing behind a dumpster.  The shape of the beast’s body resembled a black wolf, but it had a cat's tail and slicked-back ears. It looked oily. It's face was round, and its eyes were bright yellow with no irises. It flicked its tail, and Russell saw that it had a furry barb attached to the end. Along the beast's spine were glossy black spikes.

“A Blight,” Russell muttered. Great.

It's ears perked up, and it turned to Russell. Russell slowly reached into his pocket.

“Relax,” Russell said in his most soothing voice. “Chill. I'm just reaching for a potion that will make me invulnerable to your acid. Nbd.”

Russell pulled out the gum packet and it pounced. Russell dived to the left. He landed on his shoulder, scrambling to his feet. He pulled out the piece of gum and chewed it, hoping it was the right potion. The Blight pounced, and Russell ran forward to meet it.

It's claws teared through Russell's shirt like paper, but bounced off his skin. Russell grinned.

The Blight wasn't ready to give up. It unhinged it's jaw with a sickening popping sound and sprayed Russell with acid. The acid doused his upper body, and his shirt slid of his back in tatters. To his horror, his jeans and underwear fell to the ground as well.

Russell balled his fists and a knuckle duster appeared on both hands. The creature pounced, but Russell met it with his fist mid-strike. It crashed straight into the ground and dissolved into black dust.

Russell concentrated, and his weapons disappeared. He searched the tatters of his clothes for his wallet and phone, which Adisa had thankfully enchanted to be extra durable. Inside his wallet were more packets of gum that Russell had made himself.

Russell felt a chill go across his lower region. It was always chilly in the Other Layer, something Russell was just now starting to appreciate. He began to walk home, thankful that not many people would be on this plane of reality to see him exposed.

His phone shook in his hand. Russell unlocked it and saw the Eventide group chat icon on the side of his screen.

When does it start? Was the most recent text from Naomi. Russell wondered what “it” was.

The day after tmw. Adisa replied. I'm dreading the weight gain though.

You gain weight from fasting? Naomi asked.

Yep. Adisa texted. Last year I gained 10 pounds. I think it has to do with the irregular eating patterns.

Naomi took a second to text back. Maybe the ten pounds is undigested food?

I hate you. Hey Russell, are you fasting this year?

Russell pressed the power button on his phone, then continued his walk home.