Chapter 3: In My Room

In My Room

"This place is fucking disgusting! You actually live here?"

"Would you be quiet before my mom hears you."

"Kid, No one can see or hear me but you."

"Well if no one else can see or hear you how do I know ... OWWWW!" I grabbed my ankle.

"Believe I'm real now?" TreFual laughed as I hopped around the room.

"Are you all right?" I heard mom calling up the stairs.

"Yeah," I yelled "I tripped on something."

"Well, If you would clean up your room occasionally that wouldn't happen."

TreFual looked at me with a big "shit eating" grin spread across his tiny face.

"Fuck you." I said, flipping him the bird.

Trefual jumped up on my desk and sat down. He folded his arms and began to examine my room.

"I want you to clean this room. While you're doing that, I need to check a few things so that we can get started."

I picked up some cd's from the floor and ran some dishes downstairs. Coming back up to the room, I swooped some dirty clothes into the closet. "There all finished." I said dusting my hands off.

"Hey Kid." TreFual whispered.

I turned to see what he wanted. Every muscle cramped in agony as fire seemed to flow through my veins. I wanted to scream but, I couldn't make a sound. My muscles were so tight that I lost balance and fell back onto the bed. My back arched as waves of pain coursed through my body. As suddenly as it begun, the pain stopped. I lay there gasping for breath. I kinda "oomphed" when TreFual landed on my stomach. He bent over and his small hand curled into a fist as he grabbed my shirt and pulled me up.

"You are a member of the most elite organization in creation. Half assed anything doesn't cut it." He snarled. "Everything you do has to be as close to perfect as you can get it. I don't care if you're wiping your ass. It will be the best wiped ass in existence. Now," he said, letting go of my shirt and stepping onto the bed " go get some cleaning supplies and scrub every square inch of this room. Floor, ceiling, everything." His eyes were hard and without pity as he glared at me. "If you do the job well enough I may not punish you again."

I whimpered as I scampered off the bed toward the door. I had to tell mom or somebody. Somebody has to help me get out of this.

As though he was reading my mind, TreFual spoke, "Remember, your life, the lives of your family, the lives of your friends are all forfeit if you do."

I turned and stared at him.

"We told you kid, This is for keeps. Now take a moment to catch your breath. Go wash your face or something and then get those supplies up here and get to work. I'll give you ten minutes to be back and I don't mean eleven."

I went into my parents bathroom and stared into the mirror at my reflection. I was pasty white and my sweat drenched hair stuck to my forehead. I felt the tears that I saw running down my cheeks." John old boy," I whispered "you're fucked. you're absolutely and completely fucked." I grabbed my dad's brush and ran it a few times through my hair and then washed my face with cold water. Looking better than I felt, I made my way down stairs to the kitchen. I paused in the doorway as I saw my mom. Her back was to me. I leaned against the door frame as I watched her work. Pasting a grin on my face I walked in.

"What are you doing?" Mom asked as I started rooting around under the sink.

"Umm, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Yeah, try me." She turned to face me, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed.

"Well, after my brush with death or at least a broken leg. I'm going to clean my room."

"You're right, I don't believe you. Now, what are you doing with my chemicals?"

I stood up grabbing the bucket, Kissing her on the cheek as I brushed by. "Doubter."

"Doubter, huh? Who set the garage on fire last winter?"

I grinned back over my shoulder " My evil twin brother Larry."

"You don't have a twin brother."

"Sure I do, you just haven't met him."