WOW 555 – Sleep

Happy Friday!

This week flew by for me – can’t believe it’s almost February. With time going by so quickly, I’m having trouble getting to everything I want to have done. The new year has been a whirlwind for me so far. Maybe February will bring a little more stability.

One thing that has been steadfast and on schedule for me, though, is Wendy’s WOW555 contest. Every week I’ve been able to make time for each prompt, thankfully, and it’s been a lot of fun – especially now that I’m dedicating WOW555 to a specific pair of characters and trying to tell a bigger story.

This week’s prompt: write a story in which sleep plays a specific role.

Enjoy!

~~~

Curses

“It took you long enough. I was beginning to get bored.” After the day I’d had, the last thing I needed was Malakai’s snark greeting me when I set foot in the door. With a glare at his half naked body (he’d taken to wearing only the pajama bottoms I gave him – an article long left behind by an ex-boyfriend), I walked past him and to my desk, dropping my bag in the chair. “You alright?”

“No.” School had been less than ideal, and I blamed Hoffman. His visit earlier soured my mood beyond repair, tainting the rest of my day.

“Trouble in paradise?”

“A witch’s life is hardly paradise.” I scoffed. “Any luck with your research?”

“Not really. Didn’t find anything I didn’t already know.” He gestured to the book in front of him, stolen from an occult library the previous day. “I probably won’t get anywhere until you resume your training at the academy – they have extensive material on curses.”

“Great.” I mumbled, turning to the math textbook I pulled out of my bag. Opening the book but unwilling to work on the assignment, I continued. “Remind me again why this curse is so terrible? It’s not like it’s the end of the world.”

I could almost hear him growl. “I’m a shapeshifter, Emma – that means I should be able to shift into anything. Anything. And I’m stuck as a cat! That witch basically locked my powers and now I’m useless…”

“At least she didn’t force you to stay in cat form – then you’d be beyond screwed.” I shrugged. “Why did she do it, anyway? Witches don’t dish out curses lightly – it takes way too much energy.”

He’d been avoiding this question since we first spoke. Before agreeing to help him, I made him drink a truth serum from my mom’s supply (I can’t brew to save my life) and interrogated him. By the time I got around to that question, the potion had worn off, and stealing another was too risky.

He was reluctant to answer, avoiding my eyes. “I stole something from her.”

“Must have been important. What was it?”

“A map.” He must have hidden it somewhere, because he was empty handed when he came to me. As if reading my mind, he continued, “But she took it back when she caught me.”

“Why? I mean, why did you steal it?” My attention fully on him, my math book lay abandoned on the desk.

“My sister. She’s been hidden from me and cursed to a millennium of sleep by that witch, and it would have led me to her.” He was frustrated, and from the emotion in his voice, I knew he spoke the truth. My eyes softened, sympathy replacing the bitterness.

“More curses?” I sighed. “What did your sister do?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well you’re lucky. The witch went easy on you.”

“Yeah. So lucky.” He rolled his eyes before shifting into cat form and leaping out the window.

~~~

Well, I hope you guys liked it. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the entries on Saturday and vote for your favorite! If you’re a writer, consider submitting – you have until 5PM CST.

As always, think happy thoughts!

Image Credit: Image found via Google Image Search: imgkid.com.

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