Chapter One Imperfect
Deut: 18:13 King James bible: “Thou Shalt Be perfect. . .”


Cameron tapped his pencil on his desk. What to do for Christmas break this year. Nothing, he could think of nothing. The mall lay across the street and he looked at it from his window, which was slightly fogged and in need of cleaning. His desk was sprawled. Papers lay over the floor and on top of a book that was very near to falling off the desk. His bed was unmade, like usual, and his bookshelf was so dusty that he usually would sneeze if he got within five feet of it.

Several stains where all over his floor and would never come out. The oldest was a hot chocolate stain from three years ago. His garbage was tipped over revealing three apple cores, an old box of corn flakes, and a old container of tissues. His phone lay on his bed, along with his backpack, which he brought absolutely everywhere. It was red with two straps falling down from it and a piece of metal that he created in metalsmithing hanging from the side near his water bottle. The piece of metal was a crude shape of a star. The sky outside was filled with fresh falling snow and billowing white clouds. Christmas was definitely on its way.

Consumed with boredom he picked up the phone to call his friend, Jenn. Her full name was actually Jennifer but he just called her Jenn and she called him Cam, despite his full name. He dialed the number rather slowly listening to each beep as he pressed the buttons. He listened to the dial tone as it rang an annoying ring. It seemed to last forever. Each tone was like the sound of the death toll. Finally, when there was lost of all hope came jenn’s answering machine. Cameron frowned from disappointment. Jenn always had her phone on, where was she? Cameron had a sudden erge to throw his phone at the wall.

He decided not to, considering that his phone was the only unbroken thing in his room. He threw it rather casually onto the bed and smacked his head onto the edge of the desk which he regretted after the pain began. Deciding he didn’t want to waste his life away he would go to Jenn’s house and bash down the door if he had too. He walked down the stairs dragging his hand along the handrail. PANIC! His backpack! He quickly ran back up the stairs and flung his backpack onto his back. Suddenly a calm reassurance broke over him now that he had his friend. He grabbed his phone and slipped it into his pocket. He walked back down the stairs, this time he was more perked up than before and he opened the door to the outside. Immediately he went back in, of course forgetting his coat. The freezing air had chilled him to the bone in one second of time and he was forced to go grab his coat. What was going to hold him back from his friend’s house this time?

He stepped out, the freezing air biting his cheeks, but fortunately thanks to his coat, nothing else. He stood for a moment, thinking, making sure he had not forgotten anything else. Finally, realizing that he hadn’t forgotten anything else, he got onto his bike and began to peddle. The seat on his bike was a light gray thus making it freezing cold in the weather. Ice formed on his handlebars freezing his hands. He had forgotten gloves. He refused to turn back, not again.

He moved on, the wheels of his bike groaning in the effort of moving against the freezing wind. He saw Jenn’s house, about time. He didn’t pace himself up to her doorstep. He knocked on the door three times listening to each beat. The cold silence blew around him. Nobody answered at first, and he gave the door another firm knock. He was about to break in threw the window when the door opened. It was Jenn’s Mom. “Oh, hi Mrs. Andrews.” Cameron said with a smile. “Sorry, Cameron. Jenn isn’t here right now, she’s at the mall.” She said giving a weak smile back. “Oh, Thanks.” Cameron said as Jenn’s mom closed the door. He felt rather stupid. Of course she was at the mall. She was always at the mall. Oh no, no, she wasn’t looking for hot cloths for guys to like her. She was rather secretly a geek like Cameron. Both were rather obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons, game stores, warhammer, world of warcraft, and some other things with a bad reputation.

He got back on the bike. He didn’t need to peddle very much considering it was all down hill. He moved down the hill and into the parking lot of Hillcress Mall, barely dodging a black Volvo. He moved the bike into the bike rack and went into the mall. He pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and dialed Jenn’s number again. It rang once, twice, voicemail. He rolled his eyes, hung up the phone and dialed it again. Once, Twice, Three times and...Voicemail. Cameron swore at his phone making a mother with a child look at him rather rudely. Only one more thing to try, texting.

He opened his phone and typed the following rather quickly: “Its Cam, where are you in the mall?” He waited rather impatiently for a few seconds and then the phone vibrated. He quickly read the message: “I’m on the second floor, isn’t that obvious? It’s the gaming district!” He laughed to himself and replied: “I am in the mall, what store are you in? I will meet you there.” He waited until it vibrated again. “I’m in The Dragon’s lair shop.” Cameron knew exactly where that was, considering it was his and Jenn’s favorite gaming store. They always played tournaments there of Dungeons and Dragons, The Market Place of Moon Pearl, and Warhammer.

He walked toward the stairs, which was rather tuff considering it was a Saturday and the mall was extremely full because people where shopping for Christmas gifts. Luckily only a few people where on the second floor. Not a mother or child under ten in sight. Only geeks. He felt at home and walked towards the Dragon’s Lair. It was brightly lit with a neon dragon blowing flames at the costumers below. He walked inside the store that was much darker than the outside.

It was the coolest store ever, from his point of view. Other kids looked over Dungeons and Dragons books and talked about what mini figures they were getting for Christmas. Others were fawning over the new Magus model for The Market of Moon Pearl. He smiled to himself and walked to the back, where they held tournaments. Jenn was most likely there.

When he saw what was going on, rage filled his veins. It was a tournament, the only one he ever missed, and Jenn didn’t tell him. He scanned the store furiously and found Jenn rolling some dice in the corner. A geek was opposing her. He had huge glasses and several large, disgusting zits positioned on his face.

Cameron stomped over to Jenn. “Hello Jenn.” He said rather coldly. “Hey, in the middle of a game here!” She whined and rolled her dice. She cursed rather vulgarly as her dice landed on a one. The geek gave a high-pitched laugh and moved one of her miniatures off the board. “Stupid freak.” She muttered under her breath after she said a few choice curse words again. “Why didn’t I hear about this Tournament?” He snarled at her. “I told you already.” She said while she rolled the dice one last time. “Didn’t you check your text messages?”

Cameron flipped open his phone rather violently and looked at his recent texts. Ten recent missed texts, it flashed at him. He opened one up: “WHERE ARE YOU! TOURNAMENT AT DRAGON’S LAIR! IN TEN MINUTES! HURRY UP!” Cameron sat and stared at it for a moment. Suddenly he flung his cell phone across the game shop and it hit the wall rather noisily. Everyone stopped and looked up. Jenn took this as an advantage to re roll the dice that had landed on a Two.

Cameron crossed his arms and refused to look in the direction of his cell phone. The geek turned back and saw the dice Jenn had fixed had landed on a six. The geek gave a holler and fell to his knees by the table in tears. He had lost. Jenn jumped up, with a scream of victory and did several twirls before taking her miniatures and putting them back into a Dungeons and Dragons platinum box. Cameron glared at his phone for a few moments as Jenn walked past the table.

“I believe you owe me fifteen bucks.” She said to the poor geek who was still in tears as he passed her the money. “So, what now?” Jenn asked Cam. He walked over and grabbed his phone. It was fine, luckily. He stuffed it in his pocket resentfully. Jenn put the fifteen dollars that she had won, (By cheating of course) into her back pocket. Cam and Jenn walked out the store. “One sec, I need a drink.” Cam said as thirst attacked his stomach. He dropped his bag in Dragon’s lair and ran out to get a drink. Jenn walked after him.

Jenn’s cell phone vibrated suddenly. She opened it. “Hello?” She said. “What! Really! We are so there!” She hung up the phone. Cam went back towards the Dragon’s lair. “Cam! Tournament, sixth floor, two minutes, in the Black Dungeon, come on!” She cried. “Tournament! I am so going to play!” Cam shouted and they ran for the elevator. “Wait, I don’t have my Dungeons and Dragons figures here!” He cried as Jenn jammed the elevator button over and over. “Here use mine for now! I will call your mom to bring it ASAP!” She cried, already texting as she continued to jam the button and forcing the box into Cam’s hands. The elevator door moved open, unnaturally slow. Jenn and Cam ran into the elevator, before it was even half way open. The door closed quickly. The elevator did not move. Jenn kicked the button to floor six several times. “MOVE!” She swore over and over as she kicked the button. Cam swore with her. Suddenly the sixth floor button flashed several times. A droning noise interrupted their string of curses and they both stopped. The sound of groaning and scrapping of machinery met their ears, chilling them both to the bone.

They both stared at the wall. Silence, dead silence, it was unbearable. Again the droning sounds! This time it was mixed to a high-pitched noise that was like a blood curdling scream! Silence again, nothingness; Cam began to doubt his own existence. Then suddenly the elevator dropped. Plummeting, it was like drowning, Jenn couldn’t breath. Death, death was on its way. They were going to die.

Suddenly a dinging noise came, the plummeting stopped, Jenn’s Dungeons and Dragons box was sprawled over the elevator floor along with her cell phone. The Elevator door opened slowly and they were both unprepared for what they saw.