PROMPT : CONTAINED
“A trip to Grandpa Trevors?” Archie scratched his head. There wasn’t a safe answer to that and his step-father was now glaring at him.
His triplet step-sisters began to whoop and dance in an undignified circle, excitedly chattering to each other. They loved the open country air, the prestigious farm and the handsome foreman. It was perfect for them.
And terrible for him.
“I can hardly contain the excitement,” he deadpanned.
His step-father glowered for another minute. “Just what I expected,” he snorted. “Ungrateful brat. We’re leaving tomorrow—I’ve already handed in your excuse to the school. Pack your things tonight. Just in case we leave early.”
Archie managed a shrug, before slinking away from the room. His emotions tangled up inside of him and his thoughts became foggy as he trudged upstairs to his attic bedroom.
The air was already warm to the point of stifling. Throwing open the double-lattice-crossed windows, he stuck his head out into the summer-turned air. A single breath. Another.
A third.
The sunlight seemed to flicker. The sky began to cloud over. Archie ducked back inside the room, turning his back to the hazy sunlight. He didn’t want to call up anything right now—but his powers rarely ever did what he wanted.
Tomorrow—everything would go sideways in a hand basket.
It would start off with the road trip from hades. The last thing he wanted to do was spend his summer slaving away on his grandfather’s farm. That was most certainly what would end up happening—just like the last time.
The grandfather who refused to acknowledge that he was a Stormcaller. The same one who believed his mother to be anything but a decent woman who had loved and raised him to the best of her ability.
Sure.
A summer at Grandpa Trevor’s.
This would be the start of a very long nightmare.
(c) S. Harricharan