Unknown by Christopher Smith Page B

been a real mess.   The red eyes were a nice touch, though—he won’t soon forget that.   I like the leaves and the pine needles and the wind, too.”   He reached down for the beer at his side and finished it.   “Want one?”
    “I’m seventeen.”
    “So, what?”
    “I’ll pass.”
    “Jesus, you’re uptight.”
    “When the world is coming after you, you think there’s an option?”
    “Probably not.”   He eyed me.   “But already you’re different.”
    “How so?”
    “You’re standing up straight.   Got some confidence.   You don’t look like such a pussy.”
    “Thanks.”
    “It’s a compliment.   Take it.   With those pimples gone, you’re actually not a bad good looking boy.   And that’s what the amulet is for—provided you don’t become one of them.”
    “What does that mean?”
    He lifted one of the cats into his arms.   It was a fat, happy cat, probably loaded with flees and filled with all the mice it could eat.   The cat batted at creepy Jim’s nose and then it licked it.   “You know what I mean.   You’ve got to control that thing.   You’ve got to pick your battles.   Not everyone should go down just because you have the power to bring them down.   You can use it for good, too, you know?”
    “I’ve thought about that.”
    “That’s the thing,” he said.   “How you use it is up to you.   Some situations call for violence and they’ll be necessary.   But if you’re a thinking person—and I’m pretty sure you’re probably one of those—most situations can be dealt with without anyone getting hurt.”   He scratched beneath the cat’s chin and flicked his eyes up to meet mine.   “And without you turning into a bully yourself.”
    “Isn’t being a bully going after someone for no reason?”
    “I’d agree with that.”
    “Then I wouldn’t do that.   It’s not me.”
    “Hope not.   You’ve always been a good kid.   It’s why I gave it to you.   I was tired of seeing you get beat up.   But people change, Seth.   There’s light and darkness in that amulet.   The darkness is stronger—it will come for you.   And you’ll like what it does for you.   You’ll get a rush out of it.   You’ll feel invincible.   Power is intoxicating.   Power also corrupts.   You need to be careful with it.”
    “How?”
    “By not giving into it.   By controlling it.   You need to decide how to use it best.”   The cat jumped off his lap and another leaped up to take its place.   This one was small and white, with a black mark between its eyes and dainty feet.
    “What if I can’t?   You know how they’ve been to me.   You know what I’ve been through—at least part of it.   I think I’ve taken care of Hastings, but there are dozens more like him.   My biggest fear is that someone is going to jump me and my reflex will be what it’s always been.   I’ll wish they were dead.   And it’ll happen.   How am I supposed to make sure that won’t happen?”
    “Through training.   Over and over in your head, you’re going to have to imagine that scenario happening and then figure out your go-to response for it.   Needs to be like second nature.   You’re going to have to train yourself to think of something else when that happens.   And you need to start today.   You’re going to have to train yourself for every situation you can think of—kids spitting on you, someone punching you when you’re not expecting it, someone calling you a name.   You’re going to have to master how you behave within the element of surprise.   Does that make sense?”
    “I still could kill someone.”
    He nudged the cat down and leaned back in his chair.   He studied me.   “The bitch of it all is that you probably will.”
    “Then I don’t want anything to do with this.”
    “Don’t be stupid—you need it.”
    “I don’t need it.”
    “You won’t get through this year without it.”
    “I’ve managed so far without it.”
    “And