COBALT: The Red Phantom (Book One)

Chapter 11: The Impossible Request (Part 3/3)

          Puff had sprawled himself across the cold floor, drooping his eyelids in a weak attempt to stay awake as he watched the black haired boy, or as everyone seemed to be calling him, Káel, fail spectacularly. The eerie man in red didn't seem to be entertained either, the excitement filling him burnt out with his sunken shoulders. 

          Káel's constant failures had slowly grinded down on his nerves, and now everyone was leaking a fatigued and disappointed gloom.

          "My, I've never met someone as bad as you at this," Phantom sighed. "I tell you to do one thing, and for whatever unfortunate reason you manage to mess it up."

          "Might have something to do with the fact that I've only known about this stuff for three days," Káel retorted, sitting on the floor in boredom.

          "Okay, try breaking that stick without touching it again," Phantom said, taking his own seat upon the floor.

          "It's not gonna work. Again," Káel sighed, muttering at the stick. 

          It didn't move, which was the expected outcome at this point. What was unexpected was when the stick smouldered, then promptly burst into a little bonfire.

          Puff widened his eyes in surprise, while Káel and Phantom unanimously looked at the smouldering wreckage emotionlessly.

          "There goes our stick," Phantom mumbled, resting his chin on his hands. "I hope you're cursed, cause otherwise... Wow."

          "Jeez I'm hungry," Káel dodged, throwing his arms out in a stiff stretch and yawning. 

          Puff warbled in agreement, wiggling his stubby limbs to grip the floor and roll onto his feet, only to slip and land on his broken wing with a yelp.

          Káel smiled pitifully at his guardian, and Puff finally got to his feet. The tight bandages had yellowed a bit with dirt, their knotted ends fraying with prickly teeth marks. It was probably time to change them.

          Káel smiled, until one of the words unwelcomingly lingered in his mind.

          Time. 

          "Wait... what time is it?" His stomach flipped with dread as he leapt to his feet, pulling his sleeve up to look at the sender. 

          The fourth period had just ended. 

          Phantom followed Káel as he ran out of the room swearing, the two of them halting at the top of the stairs while Káel caught his breath. "Can you check if anyone's out there?"

          Phantom shoved his head through the wall and sat there for a bit, leaning back out with a thumbs up. "Teetee's not there, or anybody else, there's just an irritated looking cat."

          "A cat?" Káel grabbed his Ceptrum, his eyes hoping to meet the frosty blue eyes of Jeremiah as he muttered the password. 

          When he shoved his face through to meet Ragdoll's peeved squint, neither one of them was satisfied by the encounter, with Ragdoll jumping in fright, and Káel frowning in utter disappointment.

          "What are you doing here?" Káel whispered, completely pulling himself out of the wall as the cat sniffed his leg. He could have sworn he caught the end of her rolling her eyes at his statement, but he couldn't keep an eye on the feline as she saw Puff hop through the wall, her fur bristling as she laddered up Káel's back and latched to his shoulders hissing.