Chapter 3: Blood and SweatWe drove for hours, briefly stopping for gas and oil. Finally we reached what seemed like California, which had separated into an entirely different island off the new coast of Arizona and Nevada. There was a long, steel bridge connecting California to the border of both the states nowadays, and the annoying clanks lulled me into a subconscious state.We drove through a gloomy forest, that probably no one had ever noticed before. The rain kept on pouring over the roof of the car and Travis’s iPod blasted with loud chords.We entered an old-fashioned town, and the rain seemed to be pounding harder as Silver accelerated and we hit a bump. I hit my head hard on the window and Travis’s hat flew off and out of his reach. I could see Silver through the mirror and he was smiling his sinister smile of dismay and glum.We were nearing a stone well at top speed, and I shouted out in fright, “Are you CRAZY?! We’re going to hit the well!”Silver threw Travis some duct tape from the glove compartment, and remarked gravely, “Do me a favor and tape her mouth shut…”"Are you kidding?” Travis asked, looking at the tape and back up at Silver.Silver looked back at Travis, then back at the road. “Do I look like I’m kidding?”Travis looked at me and smirked, tightly grasping the duct tape in his hand before breaking off a portion.Just as we were about to hit the well, I broke off the tape and screamed, “Watch out, you’re going to hit it!”Silver boomed, “FOR THE LAST TIME, JUST SHUT UP!!!”Claire looked up from her book briefly before hitting a big, flashing red button.Then everything was peaceful again. Travis and I were frozen with shock, and Silver was frozen with anger. Claire looked down at her book again, calmly and silently.Silver quietly unlocked the door, got out and looked at the front of the car. He looked at the sky and watched the rain drip from the clouds, put his hands in his pockets and got into the car again. He slammed the door, took a CD out of the glove compartment, and violently shoved it into the car’s CD player. He turned the volume up to full.The car boomed with Fall Out Boy, and Silver sunk deep into the car seat, panting with anger. The rainwater rolled down his forehead, dripping off his pale nose. His raven black and blood red hair hung over his scarlet eyes. At the moment the only thing you could hear was the music.Travis handed the tape back with a trembling hand.Silver snatched the tape back and threw it at my forehead.”Gah! Why’d you do that?” I shouted, attempting to nurse my injured head back to health.Silver turned back to me, and I could tell that the peaceful atmosphere wasn’t going to last much longer.Silver was grinding his sharp teeth together, thinking of retaliation. “YOU’RE SO ANNOYING! I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!! WE ALMOST MISSED THE PORTAL!”"What por- never mind. We didn’t miss it though, did we?” I growled, turning back to the window and gazing out of it to the foggy metropolis.”Well, you’re right about something… for once. I let you off with a warning; I have a short and explosive temper… get me anger and it might be the last thing you think about…” Silver snapped, turning back to the steering wheel and starting up the car again.”I would have never known…” I growled.”Shut up…” Silver growled, picking up speed.For the remainder of the night that I was awake, I watched bright lights dance around the car, orbs shooting past us and people lifting incredibly heavy looking boxes with a single movement of their index finger.Travis had slipped into a deep slumber, listening to his iPod.I decided to listen Silver and Claire’s conversation. When Silver wasn’t commenting on how beautiful Claire was, he was watching her patiently while she read her book.”You’re so consumed in that book, love, what’s it about?” Silver leaned over to see what she was reading.Claire looked at him and smiled, then eased the book over to his hands.Silver put the car on another gear that seemed like Auto Drive and flipped through the pages. “Hmm, you’re reading up on spell casting…. You know you could always ask me…” He looked up and gave Claire a kiss on the cheek and handed the book back.”I know, but… this is really new stuff… only known by a small group of shadows…”Silver raised his left eyebrow and asked for the book back. Claire handed it to him again and Silver flipped to the front page. “This thing says it was made purely for ultimate power…” He flipped through some more pages. “This says this spell can fatally harm anyone with one hit… and that it can break a spell that has already been cast… I doubt it. You’re going to have to cast it on me sometime.”Claire looked at him a bit shocked, and Silver smiled and kissed her lips. “I know what you’re thinking and don’t worry… nothing can harm me… Yet…”Claire shrugged and muttered, “… I want to practice my powers … With you…”Silver ran his hand through her hair and kissed her cheek. “You’re tired. Forget about the book for now and rest…”Claire put the book on her lap and lay her head on Silver’s shoulder. Silver put his arm around her neck and leaned back into the seat.I fell asleep with one thought in my mind; ‘I wish I could meet someone like Silver… someone who would love me no matter what happens…’Chapter 4: Dreary PlainsI woke up in a daze. I could almost see imaginary rain trickling over my face. It was nice to finally to see a ceiling of a building. I looked around the room I was in. It had a very homey look to it, amongst the high-tech devices and swords posted on the wall. The room was dark, and there was a dim fire in the fireplace. A candle’s flame flickered. I felt around for a remote to the TV in front of me.A bit farther off, Travis was still asleep on a chair, though his iPod had turned off a long time ago.The sofa was made of cold leather, and I pulled a velvet blanket over my nose, freezing.I finally found a remote lodged between two sofa cushions, and flipped the TV on.The first thing I saw was a pair of bright blue eyes staring deep into my soul. I flipped the station, frozen in my seat, and it turned to the news.”Hello! Thank you for joining us for the Spirit World early morning news!” said a lady in a formal dress, with a strictly British accent.Spirit World? That must be the world Silver and Claire are from. I turned down the volume, hearing a door opening.Silver came in, in his PJs, sleepily rubbing his eyes and yawning. He took a left into what seemed to be a kitchen, and got some cereal and came back in and sat beside me.” ‘Sup, Silver?” I asked, still watching the news. They were playing a clip about some punk rock star in the Spirit World, named Dark Fire or something along those lines.”I thought I told you to call me Lord Stone.” Silver said through crunches. “Pfft, ah well, who cares. You’ll just become another one of those suck-ups. Go ahead, call me Silver, knock yourself out… literally…”There was a silence and the news lady began to speak to one of the pedestrians.”Hello, this is the Spirit World news, can I ask you a few questions?”The person nodded and smiled, then waved, to the camera.”Great! Tell me, what do you think about our king allowing these living humans to stay in the Darkness temple?”"I said Light Temple!” spat Silver, picking up a pillow and throwing it at the plasma.”Well, personally, I think it’s great that Lord Stone is warming up to those mortals… I mean… yeah. Others say he’s gone soft. I don’t think so, I think he’s still really… really threatening… dangerous guy.”"Got that right. I’m not a softie…” Silver changed the station and in bold, bright letters it read, “WELCOME TO THE SPIRIT WORLD HUMANS!”Silver pointed his spoon at the TV and said, “I really have no idea why this place is called the Spirit World. Which is kinda stupid of me because I’m the ruler here… There isn’t any spirits here… only souls…”I looked at him confused. “Shouldn’t it be called– forget it. I’m not going to argue. Anyway, what’s the difference between souls and spirits?”Silver shrugged, “There’s alot. Spirits don’t have hands or feet. They float around like the ghosts you dress up oh-so-foolishly as…”"I don’t dress up! Most people don’t!”"Who cares, the point is that they look different. Plus, souls retain their former earthly looks, weight, height, and all that junk. Same brain, no difference really… It’s just that they can have powers unlike most of you humans… and they’re considered ‘immortal’.”"Wow, didn’t know that…” I sighed, curling up under the velvet blankets.Silver looked up at the TV briefly and then back down, and then said, “You should really pay attention to this stuff.”"Nah, I’ll find my way around.” I yawned.Silver shrugged, “Suit yourself.”Silence.”So this is your house, right?”Silver nodded, staring at the cereal bowl while crunching and murmuring, “Mmm hmm.”"It’s comfortable.””Don’t get used to it, this flood isn’t going to last much longer and your brain’s not going to comprehend any of this…. zippo, dudette, zippo.” Silver muttered, swallowing.”So it’s just Claire and you, right? You’re the only people who live here, huh? Must get lonely.” I continued, stretching.Silver shook his head, after taking a huge bite of cereal again.”Who else lives here? I mean other than Travis and I.” I asked, straightening up and turning back to the TV.”For your information, you don’t live here and you never will. Other than Claire and I, some of our kids live here. Meet Talos, my fourth son…”Silver pointed to a kid who was just exiting the bathroom in dark blue pajamas.”Really? You guys have kids? You look a bit young to have kids… I mean, wow! This kid looks old enough to be your older brother!”"Talos is 18, he wants to get into a college but wherever he seems to go he gets either expelled or we take him out before that does happen. Yeah and uh, he couldn’t be my brother. I’m over two thousand years old. I feel like I’m trapped in a seventeen year old teenagers body.” Silver continued to eat his cereal.”T-Two Thousand years old??!!” I exclaimed.I must have almost woken Travis up because he stirred in his sleep and changed positions.”Shh, crap it, you’re going to wake Claire up.” Silver snapped, changing the stations again.”You’re really two thousand years old?” I asked.”Nah,”I sighed with relief when he muttered that.”I’m older than that. At least a hundred… I’m not sure. I just say I’m twenty four.” Silver growled, standing up and putting the empty cereal bowl in the dishwasher, then turning it on. He sat back down in another chair, sipping some coffee. He had another full, piping hot mug on the counter.”Oh, hey, dad, the coffee is mine, right?” ‘Talos’ asked, almost picking up the mug, clearly oblivious to my presence.”Touch it and you die.” Silver barked, almost breaking his own mug. “That’s for your mother…”"Oh… well OK. Hey, who are the humans and why are they staying here?”"Believe it or not, you’re a human too! You were born alive! No shut up and move along. I’m tired of both your and Sarai’s annoying questioning, now… Sarai, leave… and as for you… get out of the house, hang out with some of your junkie friends, go to the movies, WHATEVER. You probably were going to do that anyway, just wanted to remind you of your pointless life…” Silver growled.”No one understands me!” Talos whimpered, then bursting out the door.”Yeah, yeah, that’s what I used to think… get over it, kid… sometimes I swear you’re almost as bad as Rover…”"Who’s Rover?” I asked, ignoring the fact that he had mentioned he was tired of both Talos’s and my annoying questioning.”Ask me when I’m in a better mood, moron. Leave me alone, OK?!”With that I decided to get up and explore the Spirit World.