Little Spark

30 - Corndog Mumson

"So, Beez," Candis says as we sit on a Caldwell counter Thursday afternoon, waiting for Mr. Casey to arrive, "you're coming with us to the carnival tomorrow night, right?"

A stab of guilt makes my eyelid twitch as I'm reminded of last night's brief phone chat with Reign after everyone went to bed. He's the one that told me about the annual Cocoa Falls carnival that plops itself in the center of an abandoned parking lot near the cemetery for the two weeks prior to Halloween. "Oh," I say to Candis, "I'm actually going with my Aunt and cousin"—this much is true—"but I'm sure I'll see you guys there."

"I'm really excited," she beams. "It'll be my first legitimate date with Von."

Apollo, who sits on a counter across from us, clears his throat and changes the subject. "So any idea what M.C. has planned today?"

"Nope," I reply. "Which scares me a little..." I have yet to get over last week's let's-pretend-to-be-Shadows-and-see-how-Bliss-reacts session, and Mr. Casey insisted that all three of us be here to work today.

"Well whatever it is, I hope it's relatively safe—"

The door flies open, and Mr. Casey strides in. "Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that 'In skating over thin ice, our safety is in our speed'!" He passes between us and goes deeper into the warehouse without so much as a hello.

Candis, Apollo, and I look at each other, confused.

"Well come on then," he shouts from the far end of an aisle of desk lamps. "Lots of ground to cover today. Chop chop!"

We get to the end and look right; the hidden door to The Powerhouse is standing wide open. Behind us, a couple of bulbs burst. "Sorry," Candis says. "Overactive adrenal medulla."

When we reach the bottom of the steps, Mr. Casey is leaning against the opposite wall with a mischievous grin on his face. He places his hand on the wall behind him, and the outline of a door appears just like the one at the top of the stairs. We all gasp as he pushes it open, revealing darkness beyond.

When I step through, my skin emits a faint glow like it does it The Crypt, but the moment Mr. Casey pushes the door shut, I flicker out, and we're immersed in pitch blackness.

No one speaks. The darkness is so cloying, I can't even hear anyone breathing. "Guys?" I whisper.

"Yeah," Apollo whispers back. "We're here."

"Why are we whispering?" Candis whispers.

"I don't know," I whisper back. "Just seems appropriate when it's this dark."

"Okay, is it just me, or is this nauseatingly frightening?"

"It's not just you," I say. "I can't actually feel my legs right now, I'm so scared."

"M.C.," Apollo says, raising his voice just a little, "you mind telling us what we're doing here?"

There's no answer.

"Mr. Casey?" My heart is beating so fast, I'm starting to get dizzy.

There's no response.

"Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, asphyxiating—"

"Calm down, Cand," Apollo says. "Everything'll be fine."

Something pokes me in the eye. "Oww!"

"Oh! Sorry, B!" Candis yelps. "Trying to find the door."

I feel the pin slip from the rage grenade inside me. This whole scenario of being thrown headlong into frightening circumstances with no background information reminds me way too much of what mom did to me, which in turn reminds me that she's gone and I'm left to navigate this treacherous Spark versus Shadow terrain with no parental guidance. "Why would he do this?" I burst. "Why would he just leave us here in the dark?" My fingertips spark, but it doesn't provide any light, so it just increases my fury. "NOT COOL, LIGHT LORD!"