Alan Price and the Colossus of Rhodes (The Nephilim Chronicles) Read Free Page A

“You have to. It’s
doctor’s orders.”
    Somewhere in the back of Alan’s mind,
he knew he was doing the wrong thing. But he had made up a reason to justify
his actions. Given his current circumstances, that was enough for him.
    Alan was and had always been a
great kid. Besides being late to the bus a few times, he was a model student
and always obeyed the rules Tony set in place. The possibility that Alan would
actually steal his car had never crossed Tony’s mind. Alan knew all of this and
almost felt bad, almost.
    His fingers tingled as his skin
made contact with the cold spare keys Tony hung in the garage closet. His grip
tightened around the key ring, making indentions in his hand. He was doing it;
he was really going to do this.
    Heart fluttering, Alan made sure he
had his wallet. It was there like a lump of guilt in his pocket.
    You can do this. You can do
this.
    Alan entered the car’s dark
interior. The seats embraced him in their promise of freedom. Alan closed the
door beside him, allowing his hands to run across the smooth steering wheel. He
trembled with a mix of fear and excitement. He pushed the ignition key, willing
the car to life. The engine purred, like a cat yawning from a nap.
    Alan had only driven a few times
and never by himself. The deal Tony and he had made just a year before was one
Alan was positive Tony had only agreed to because he was sure Alan wouldn’t
succeed. The agreement was that Alan had to get straight A’s for the year. If
he did that, Tony would allow him to take driver’s education, but Alan still
had to find a way to pay for it himself.
    Alan had made good on his end of
the bargain even getting a summer job at the city library to pay for his
driving classes. Tony had reluctantly allowed him to get his license but even then,
Alan had only driven a handful of times, always with Tony in the car bracing
himself against the dash as if at any moment Alan was going to wreck.
    However, this time was different.
This time Alan was alone. Alan reached a finger to the visor and clicked the
garage door opener’s sticky blue button. Mechanical grating overcame the purr
of the engine as the door to his freedom opened. The sun’s last setting light
showed through the opening door with a soft glow.
    This is it. After this, there is
no going back. You’ll be grounded for sure. Maybe even forced to move homes. But
if tonight you could stop being depressed, if tonight could be some type of
turning point, it would all be worth it.
    Alan carefully put the car in
reverse, checked his mirrors and very slowly pulled out of the garage.

 
    Chapter 8
     
    “Oh, and why, yes, sir. You would
look absolutely gorgeous in this one. I mean just feel the quality of the
fabric. No, go ahead feel it. I mean this kind of material all over your body?
Forget about it, honey.”
    Alan reached out a tentative hand
to touch the fabric. The sales associate at the tuxedo rental store was right.
It felt great.
    “How much is this one?”
    “Oh, let’s see here, you said just
a one day rental?”
    Alan nodded. “Technically I just
need it for the night.”
    “Oh, well, aren’t you cute. We
don’t rent by the hour so it’ll have to be a day. Going to a dance?”
    Alan nodded at the energetic sales
associate. He was about Alan’s height wearing a skintight suit with a nametag
that read, “Enrique”.
    “Three hundred and fifty-seven.”
    Alan looked confused for a second
and then thought he realized where the misunderstanding had occurred. “Oh no,
I’m sorry. I said ‘rent’. I don’t want to buy it. I just need it for a few
hours.”
    Enrique shook his head, his thickly
gelled hair not swaying the slightest bit. “No, sweetie, aren’t you too cute.
That is the rental price for the day.”
    Alan’s mouth went dry. “Don’t you
have anything else?”
    “I’m sorry. For the last few weeks,
we’ve been all but sold out. With the school dance coming up, I mean, my guess
is that would be the