A Grave Dare

What an easy dare, Cole couldn’t help but think.

The dare was to kiss the town’s graveyard cat.

It was Halloween Night, and Cole was hanging out with his friends. They were seated in the living room under his older sister, Ciara watchful eye. They had felt too old to go treat-or-tricking even though they were only 13 years-old. Yet, they still need a babysitter which happened to be his sister who was 18 years-old.

“So are you going to accept the dare, Cole” His friend Tyler smiled. He was a tall, Asian guy with red dyed hair. He always had a great smile and every girl in school liked him. He was kind and playful guy who could sing and dance. He want to be a famous singer one day.

And he was Cole best friend. While Tyler ruled everything performing arts wise, Cole ruled over everything sport wise. He was a great football player, soccer player and swimmer. Cole wants to be a Olympic swimmer. They both enjoyed watching horror and thriller movies. And They both enjoy celebrating Halloween.

“Of course he is,” Daniel scoffed closing his book. He was short, pale guy with curly brown hair and freckles. He was a bookworm and movie buff. Daniel also was smart and funny guy of the group. He wants to be a movie star.

“Yeah, Ciara can you take us to the town graveyard?” Cole asked. He was average height and had light brown skin. He had black straight hair in pulled into a man bun.

Ciara looked up from her bowl of caramel popcorn and her phone. She narrowed her green eyes at them.

She sighed. “Fine, I’m bored anyway,”

Ciara pulled her black hair into a high bun, her skin was light brown like her brother Cole but unlike him, she was short. Even for a women.

They arrived at the town’s graveyard at the top of the hill in the middle of the town. It was always strange to them and everyone in town why there was a graveyard in middle of their town.

It was well kept graveyard and one of the town main attractions. But the graveyard cat was not the most graceful cat in the world. It was gray shorthair cat with one white eye and the other piercing blue. Everyone in town did their part to take care of the cat, some even tried to have it washed and netured but to no success. This was very free cat who only sometimes liked the humans around it.

Cole and her sister would hang out the graveyard sometimes when they were young. They would visit their grandfather’s grave and talk to him about their day and the gray shorthair cat who come sit in their laps and purr as they pet him. No one knew why Cole and his sister Ciara who hang out with cat and sometimes fall asleep on their grandfather’s grave.

Especially, since they never meet their grandfather Harry and their mother did not know much about him. Harry had died when their mother was young. Bethany, their mother had told them he had saved the town but no one know what he did to save it. They just know that after he died, the town was the safest and lavish town in the South.

And his sister Ciara and her friends named the cat, Thunder. It really stuck for everyone in the grades below them. Even some of the adults would call the cat Thunder even if they do their best to avoid the cat at all. The adults even some of the elderly people were freaked out by the cat.

One day, maybe they’ll figure out why that is. But for now they just write it off as adults being weird.

They weren’t the only ones at the graveyard tonight some of their schoolmates were. Ciara shrugged, “Well, I’m going to say hey to Pa. Have fun with your dare and don’t get into trouble, 30 minutes here and we go home”

“Got it,” The boys agreed and nodded watching her walk off.

The graveyard cat was not hard to find. He was sitting on the bench on a tree.

“Well, go on kiss Thunder over there,” Tyler chuckled.

Daniel shook his head. “I heard the last person who tried to grab him got their face clawed up,”

Cole shrugged and grinned as he walked over to Thunder, the cat.

“I’m not scared of a little danger,”

He took a sit on the bench and the cat tilted its’ head then narrowed its’ eyes.

I’ve been waiting for you.

Cole jumped up off the bench and back away from the cat.

“Did you say that?” Cole couldn’t help whisper. His friends and a couple of his schoolmate looked at him strangely.

Yes, don’t make a scene.

Cole blinked at the cat who was staring at him intensely. He laughed looking around his friends seem to relax and his schoolmate started ignored him and going back to their conversations.

“So, Cole are you punking out?” Tyler asked with a grin on his face.

Cole shook his head. “You wish,”

He took a few brave strive forward and grab the cat. Cole apologized to the cat before kissing it on his dirt covered fur head.

“Why, can I hear you in my head?”

Because, it’s time for you to decide. You and your sister are descendants of mine. And you must choose, just like your sister did, your mother and your grandfather.

Power or Time?

Cole couldn’t help but be confused by the question.

“What do you mean?”

Cole asked, his friends were started laughing as he talked to Thunder, the cat.

You are 12 years old. At this age in our family line, you are granted 3 advantages in this lifetime. Do not ask why because I can not say, you must learn. these 3 advantage come only come 10 years, with only one question and a single answer from you. It stops when you answer your finale question at 32 years old.

Now, your answer.

Would you like power or time?

Cole nodded. Looking over at his friends just as his sister came up behind them and gave a sly smile and winked him.

“Power,” Cole answered. Thunder, the cat blind left white eye glowed at bright blue even brighter than his other right blue eye.

Cole could feel something within him spark to life, as sense he didn’t have before. The energy around him and this cat who happened to be his ancestor had flared.

It had changed, this was his ancestor and he could feel it in his bones.

He could feel his power.

And he could sense his sister power, Cole glanced at his sister Ciara. Her eyes were glowing blue and a smile on her face.

Ciara put a finger to her lips in a silent gesture and tilted her head to his friends. Cole nodded and thanked Thunder, the cat who is one of his ancestors. He and his sister both promise to visit Thunder tomorrow.

His friends didn’t notice anything different about him, other then somehow he stood taller and had different layer.

They couldn’t put their finger on it.

But Cole and Ciara both knew that different layer, that his friends couldn’t seem to name.

It was power.

And it all started on Halloween night with a grave dare.