Chapter 1

I can't believe we have a test on Wednesday, this Wednesday, I mean that's definitely not enough time to study being Monday and all, ugh I wish my English teacher would just go on a long vacation…forever. 

"Hey Mack, wait for me!" that's… my friend Del he is well… very anti-social, and I'm pretty much the only person who tolerates him. If I didn't tolerate him he told me he would be shipped off somewhere like a rabid wolf in a park. Well I don't think he will but I'm his friend and I don't ditch my friends in the woods. "Hey Del what's up? I can't believe Mr. Paris gave us a test on Wednesday, that's not enough time to study and babysit tonight" I whispered as we walked past the principal.  

"I feel ya Mack I could help you babysit, we could do a switch off thing you know?". "How long do you have to babysit?" He asked as we stood in line for lunch. "Well I have to babysit all week but I just need to get through the test then I'm done, but I also have to work with the baby cougar I rescued from being killed, plus the babysitting thing and the test I really don't have enough time". I said while the mean lunch lady slapped some runny mashed potatoes on my tray and threatened me with her spoon to get moving, and so I flipped her off before the cafeteria monitor came walking by. Del laughed at that, and so did the rest of the people who saw it. The cafeteria monitor even giggled then told me to get moving to the rest of the food choices, so I did.

"Oh I just hate that lunch lady, she should go to hell. Don't you think? Because she threatened me with a mashed potato spoon, and is just mean in general, ugh". I said as we walked around looking for a spot to sit.

"I agree with all of that, but if she wasn't here we would have to bring our lunch and I don't think anybody wants to bring their lunch, I know I don't, and I know you don't, so how about we keep wishing that she will quit or get fired and we can keep getting free lunch, that sounds like a plan?" He said as he took a bite off his apple. 

When we finished our lunch, I ran to the principal's office to talk to the principal about missing school on Friday, so that I can get the baby that I'm babysitting ready for his parents so that I get paid more than most babysitters do. Because for some reason babysitter's call me a lot more than my friend April, and she works harder than I do.

I stopped by my locker so that I could grab my books to study with while the little brat I'm babysitting takes his nap. "Hey, umm Mack I was wondering, the school dance is this Saturday, maybe…" That's Russ, the biggest flirt in the 12th grade. "Russ let me stop you there umm dude you know that dances aren't my thing, plus I have boxing practice Saturday morning, and if I do go I would smell like a sweaty pig, so I'm not going, sorry." I said as I closed my locker, "Well if you change your mind I have nobody to go with, I'll be the guy in jeans and a nice t-shirt." He said as I walked quickly away from him.

I tried not to kick him in the nuts while he was talking about the dance, because I hate dances, besides he is just my friend and I don't like him in that way, as I walked home I met up with April, and we walked home together. Then I heard something, it… it didn't sound close then, 'BOOM', it came from downtown but it's impossible to hear anything from downtown even a large crash can't be heard from our school. "Wait… Did… you hear that."  I spoke quietly as I listened harder, "No, I didn't hear anything." She said it loud enough for me to have a head-ache. "SHUSH!!! Seriously you said that, now I lost what I heard!" I said slightly annoyed, then continued on with walking. "Okay geez I'll stop talking… ok what's gotten into you Mack you usually don't act like this." April glanced over at me concerned and a little mad but more concerned, "I'm sorry for snapping at you, but… I'm not even really sure what's going on myself, I want to find out but I can't tell my parents, and nobody will understand… uh… I gotta go, I will meet up with you tomorrow or later today!!!" I said as I started running down Docs St. and to Del's house, I have been his friend since I moved here fifteen years ago. 

I ran to the door and stood there for a second to catch my breath. I do boxing and track but mostly boxing, so I am fit, but I don't like to run. I sprinted to his house, probably fast enough to be on the 100 yard event on the track team. I knocked on the door and rang the doorbell like 10 times until he finally answered, " Uh hi um… What are you doing here?" he said while he was pulling up his shorts. Del likes to sleep a lot, he likes to sleep and fight he is really good at fighting he is top on the wrestling, but second in the boxing team, I am first, I am the best in the whole town of Narooma, most people call it Nar for short instead of the whole name, but other than the name the place is FULL of wildlife, have everything from the smallest kangaroo rat to the largest cougar, it should in my opinion just be a zoo, " I am here to tell you something and ask you something too, did you hear that big crash sound downtown, because from up here like 10 miles away from downtown you shouldn't be able to hear anything from downtown." I panicked as he offered me to come in.

"Yeah, I heard it was…" I cut him off short, "Oh thank god someone else heard it because April didn't hear it and neither did anyone else but me, and now you." He looked at me annoyed because I cut him off, "As I was saying, yes I heard it, one of the malls caved in, it was also all on the News too, but I heard it when I was driving home, I slammed on my breaks and someone rear ended me, then I got out and said sorry to the guy with my fist, and drove off before he gained his conscience back, and came inside got a snack then turned on the TV and it was all on the News, then fell asleep ignoring the guys blood on my hand." He said as he handed me a glass of water and then went to get himself some water, and grabbed some Oreo's, "Thanks and can I spend the night over here because I am too far away from my house to walk and my parents don't want you to drive me…" he cut me off, "Yeah, sure you can spend the night… my parents are out of town, and well it's getting kind of lonely here, and I was getting kind of bored, and it would be nice to have some company… I guess anyway." He said as he shoved an Oreo in his mouth. 

      I called my folks and they said sure, but my father informed me that he is too young to be a grandpa, so Del needs to keep his hands to himself, and when he said that I just laughed, and he said he would kill me if I had a kid at fourteen, "My folks said sure, but no babies, my dad will kill you then he said he will sell me." We both laughed then, then he pulled out some boxing gloves two pairs of them, and we headed outback where he has boxing bags and a wrestling ring, his parents aren't home a lot so he pretty much has to raise himself, he knows how to do pretty much everything except he can't be social he is… really anti-social.

We did some boxing, "Hey I thought you had to babysit and study, so why did you come here, did you let April sub for the beloved babysitter, or did you ditch the little brat," he said as he was destroying the boxing bag," well I just didn't feel like it and well we don't hang much anymore like we used to plus I'm a little enraged at you saying 'Beloved' in that sentence," I kicked the boxing bag into his gut while he wasn't paying any attention, " Don't ever say that again!" Kicked him that time and we went to the wrestling ring and practiced some new moves the coach taught us.

"Okay I'm just about done with this, want something to drink?" I asked as I took the wrestling gear off and grabbed a damp towel and tossed it to him, then ran inside and grabbed some water bottles and threw one at him. "Hey, want to watch a movie, I got Dead Souls or soul shakers." He said as we headed for the family room. Del only has scary movies, but he also has a normal TV but he just likes to watch scary movies.

"Yeah, sure how about Dead Souls. I heard it's a great movie." I said as we sat down on the couch, and he put his arm around me and switched on the movie, after that, I wasn't really sure what happened.