Dare

(dâr)
verb -To challenge (someone) to do something requiring boldness

"Where's Lucy?" Dave asked me as I trudged inside. He balanced a bowl of Cheerios, half on the kitchen counter, half on his knee. I shrugged my shoulders in response.
"James, you have to look out for her more. She's only 8" Dave sounded like dad. Another shrug. "What's up with you anyway?"
"Nothing"
"DAVE....DAVE..." a high pitched squeal ran past me.
"Did you miss me?" Lucy flashed her cutest smile.
"Always" he replied, ruffing up her golden curls.
"Jaaaay-mes" she whined, turning back to me. "Why didn't you wait for me? I dont like walking alone Jaaaay-mes."
"Well I do" I glared into her small blue eyes, the same blue eyes that Dave and I had. Her puzzlement was obvious. "Fine, tomorrow" I resigned, "We can walk together"
"Yay! I love you James"

"Hey Kellie, I missed you last night" Boy did I sound pathetic. "Was heaps of fun, but I'm sure you'll make the next one. It's James by the way, Dave's brother. Um, bye" As soon my phone clicked shut I wished I could take the message back. Talk about sounding desperate.
"What was that all about?" Dean asked, taking a long drag on the cigarette.
"You know Kellie, short, brown hair, butterfly tattoo on her neck"
"Nah, doesn't ring a bell."
"Well, she's smokin'"
"Out of your league for sure" Dean laughed, "No girl wants a Rubik cube genius. Full stop."
"I'm not a fricken Rubik cube genius, I just used to solve them as a kid, as in no longer. And by the way be careful where you put that thing, " I motioned to the cigarette, " any burn marks and my dad will friggen rip me to pieces."
"All right, settle down hot shot, what you going to do about this Kellie anyway?"
"Dunno" I lay back down across my bed. Faint outlines of those glow in the dark stars were the only thing that distinguished my bedroom's ceiling from any other in the house. Mum had put them up when I had, as many other five year olds, wanted to be a astronaut.

As soon as the alarm rang for 8:30 Dean and I jumped up. Ready to roll for another night, we expertly climbed out the window, dropping onto the irregular grass below. Silently we crept downthe driveway and around the corner. Darkness hadn't fully descended over Mitchelstown, the god-forsaken town my family had decided to move to 7 years earlier. The park was only a few blocks away, and while it now was stripped of the monkey-bars, slide and see-saw due to some councilor's idea of safety, a pair of swings still stood in the middle of a sandy area. We moved towards the one picnic table that remained, joining the three other people who sat there. "I reckon we settle it tonight" I could hear Tommo's voice firmly instruct the others.
"Settle what?" I asked.
"Sorry mate, this doesnt include you." Tommo's face was shadowed.
"I just thought..."
"You thought wrong." I was relatively new to this group, Tommo was a legend in the area. Silence enshued. "So you ready?"
"Ready for what?" I looked to Dean who had suddenly found his shoes very interesting.
"If you want to be one of us, you have to prove it" a hint of malice came out as Steve, Tommo's right hand man replied.
"You have to do anything we say" whined Boston. Boston wasnt his real name but no-one ever dared to ask what was. Built like a tank, not only did he have the muscle but he had the skills to inflict a whole world of pain even sadists didnt want to touch.
"We decided since you used to be Jock Boy, we'd put those fast legs to work." Tommo smirked. I gulped, hoping I didnt betray the fear that was slowing instilling itself into my heart.

Dammit. Initation tests. I could just about knock Dean out for not giving me a heads up. Tommo isn't one of those guys you can back down from. Well best get this over with. I looked back at the car parked across the street in which Tommo, Boston, Steve and Dean were all staring at me. I crouched down hiding myself as best as I could from view of the faintly blue weather-board house. Here goes.

Sprinting while staying low I layed down firecrackers in the small tidily kept flower-boxes that adorned every windowsill. My was heart thumping, absolutely pounding, surely it was going to give out, and there I would be a sweaty teenage boy, dead on some stranger's doorstep. Once they were all placed I had to sprint back to the car.
"Good work, James, part one complete. Time for a shot." Tommo passed a clear liquid over, indicating for me to drink it.
"How many parts are there?" I asked again, choking on what had to be paint stripper. Tommo waved me off.
"Now you have to paint the side of the house." A bucket of black paint was passed through the back window by Steve. "Oh, and you have to paint this" Boston leaned over showing a graphic picture of what could be described as family jewels, with a title above proclaiming - I'M SMALL.
"Fine" I crept back up towards the house, it still wasnt completely dark. Furtively I painted as best I could, while wondering if Tommo knew the people that lived here. Again I sprinted back to the car.

"Nice" Boston was sniggering.
"This is the last part" Tommo's grey eyes bore into mine. "Clothes off."
"Excuse me?" Four pairs of blank eyes looked back, their chilling resolve wearing my sense of pride down. Despite it being a warm night, I stood there shivering trying my best to cover certain parts of me while I listened to what I had to do next.
"Shot" This time Dean passed over a mug of paint thinner. "Good luck" he mouthed. Backing away from the car, I spun and ran towards the house, praying that nobody was watching. Light damn it. Light. The firecrackers were damp and intsead of lighting easily smoke started to billow around while the fuses fizzled. After managing to set all the fuzes, I pelted towards the car. Three steps away, just three more steps.
"Sayonara bitch" Steve called out, before the car roared to life, and with it my clothes and my pals shot to the end of the street.

Shit. Shit. Shit. I wasn't even too sure of where the hell I was. The firecrackers were starting to make some noise. The street was so long, running to either end didnt seem to be an option. Instead I retreated to the tree I had originally hid behind. Think man, think. My eyes searched, darting this way and that, when they fell upon an open window on the second story. There stood a gorgeous girl in an almost see through nightie, her dark brown hair flowing from the slight breeze. She turned away to reach for something. That something evidently being glasses as when she returned, her eyes were framed by thick black rims. Our eyes met, and we both froze.