Tag: teen

The Little Match Boy

The Little Match Boy

Dylan shivered in the frigid wind, snow blowing all around him. He felt lucky that he still had his coat and shoes. The man who robbed him last night attempted to take those as well. Dylan woke up in time to run away, but he lost his backpack and everything in it. Three nights on his own and now he owned only the clothes on his back, three dollars and thirty-seven cents, a stick of gum, and a matchbook with three remaining matches. Pathetic. The wind and snow drove him to get up and get moving again. The cops moved him along if he stayed in one place too long anyway. He got up, brushed the snow off his clothes and walked off into the night, destination unknown.

Dylan considered the last three days of his life, while he searched for a place to crash for the night. He turned fourteen three days ago. The day began awesomely. His fourteenth birthday, a week before Christmas, everything seemed perfect to him. He thought that telling his parent would make things even better. He thought they would understand. He thought they loved him no matter what. So, with a broad grin on his face, Dylan walked into the family room and told his parents that he was gay. Their reaction shocked him. His mother burst into tears and ran out of the room. His father demanded that he stop lying and admit that he was straight. Dylan almost did just that, but he decided that he had come this far, he had to be honest with them and with himself.

Dylan’s mother returned to the room and dropped his backpack on the floor at his feet. This confused him at first, and he looked from his mother to his backpack and back again. She didn’t even look him in the eye, she just told him to leave. She didn’t want him and his sinful ways infecting his little brother. Dylan burst into tears, picked up the backpack and left the only home he had ever known.

A cry for help brought Dylan out of his memories and back into the cold reality of his new life. The sound came from an alley of to his right. He ran to the opening and looked towards the sounds. A man stood over a young boy. The boy, sprawled on the wet pavement, noticed Dylan and yelled louder. “Help! He’s stealing all my stuff! Help!”

That’s when Dylan noticed his own backpack slung over the man’s shoulder. “Hey!” Dylan yelled, running towards the man. “Give that stuff back!” The man glanced back at Dylan and then took off running. “Crap,” Dylan said. “that guy has my stuff, too.” Dylan extended his hand to the other boy to help him up. “I’m Dylan. What’s your name?”

The other boy stood up and brushed as much of the snow and dirt off himself as he could. “Thanks a lot, bro. My name is Jason, but please call me Jay.” Jay looked down at his feet. “I can’t believe he stole my shoes and my socks. I hate to think of what else may have happened if you hadn’t come. Thanks again, Dylan.” Jay wrapped his arms around himself, shaking with cold.

“Jay? Where do you live? Can I walk you back there?” Dylan asked with trepidation. Afraid that this boy, like him, may not have a home to go back to.

Jay frowned. “I ran away. My parents died in a car crash last year. I’ve been living with my aunt, but things haven’t been great. My uncle gets drunk and mean almost every night.” Jay scowled and didn’t meet Dylan’s eyes.

“Hey, I understand. No sweat, bro. No judgments from me. Do you have any other clothes, or did he get everything?” Dylan asked.

“He stole everything I had. Even my shoes and socks. I might have to try a shelter tonight, even though most are almost as dangerous as the streets.” Jay’s eyes glistened with tears, but he held firm and did not cry. “Don’t worry about me, Dylan. You look like you have as many problems as I do.”

Dylan sighed. “I guess. My parents kicked me out because I’m gay. My perfect little life blew up three days ago, on my fourteenth birthday no less. I totally misjudged my parents. My mom told me she didn’t want my sinful, disgusting ways to infect my little brother. Being gay isn’t a disease!” Dylan kicked a rock across the alley and clenched his fists. “I just don’t understand how they could do that to me. I’m their son. Aren’t they supposed to love and support me no matter what?”

“Gee, bro, I’m sorry. Yeah, that really sucks. People get so stupid about that stuff. Who you love shouldn’t matter to anyone but you. I’m only twelve, and I understand that. What’s the matter with parents?” Jay put his hand on Dylan’s shoulder to try and comfort him.

Dylan shrugged his shoulders. “Thanks, Jay. I appreciate it. I have some things I want to give you. I can’t just leave you like this. That dick took your shoes and socks for crying out loud. And it’s snowing!” Dylan sat on a nearby fire escape and took off his shoes and socks. He handed the socks to Jay and put his shoes back on. Before the boy had a chance to thank him, Dylan took off his jacket and his hoodie. He tossed the hoodie to Jay and put his coat back on. Next, he emptied his pockets and looked at his remaining belongings. He handed Jay the stick of bubblegum and one matchstick, leaving himself with three dollars and thirty-seven cents and two matches. “I hope that helps. Jay. It’s the best I can do. Kids like us got to stick together. Take care of yourself, bro.”

Jay couldn’t believe it. “Dylan, this is too much. I can’t take all this.” He lost his battle to not cry as tears streamed down his face. “This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me since my parents died. What am I supposed to do with the match though?” Through his tears, Jay smiled as he asked about the match.

Dylan just smiled. “Keep it. All of it. I don’t need it. Maybe you can start a fire somewhere with the match and warm yourself up. Take care of yourself, Jay. See you around.” Dylan turned and left the alley, taking one last look back and waving to Jay as he turned the corner.

Dylan fought his way through the wind and snow as he made his way through town. The snow pelted his face, coming down harder than ever. He walked closer to the buildings, trying to avoid the worst of the wind. He bent his head forward and attempted to walk faster. He needed to find a safe place to sleep soon, exhaustion was overtaking his body. He heard a noise and stopped. He looked all around and then noticed someone huddled in the doorway of the building he just walked past. Dylan turned and walked back to the doorway and peered in. An old man shivered, wrapping his arms around his knees, trying to stay warm. The man wore no coat, no hat, no gloves. Dylan bent down next to the man.

“Sir, are you ok? Is there somewhere you can go? It’s snowing pretty hard.” Dylan shook the man’s shoulder.

The man slowly looked up. “The shelters filled up before I got there. I’ll shelter here tonight. I’ve survived worse.” The old man tried to smile reassuringly. “What about you, son. Why are you out on such a snowy night?”

“My parents kicked me out. Then a man robbed me, so I left that place, too.   I’m looking for a new place to crash. Right now, I’m more worried about you, sir.” Dylan said.

“Don’t worry about an old man like me. I’ve survived two wars and three divorces; a little snow won’t kill me.” He tried to laugh but ended up coughing.

Dylan frowned and stood up. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around the man’s shoulders, then he handed the old man his gloves. “Take these. Don’t even try to say no. You need them more than I do.” He reached into his pocket and took out the matchbook. He ripped one of the two remaining matches out of the book and handed it to the old man. “Here, sir. Take this, too. Maybe when it stops snowing, you can light a fire.” Dylan shrugged and gave the man a half-smile.

“Thank you, son.” The man said with tears forming at the corners of his eyes. “You don’t even know how many people walked right past me tonight and none stopped except you. You may be just a boy, but you have a bigger heart than any grown man I have ever known. Take care of yourself. I will never forget you.” Holding back tears of his own, Dylan said goodnight to the old man, turned and continued with his search for a place to sleep.

Dylan barely walked two blocks before he heard another noise that stopped him in his tracks. He heard loud banging and what sounded like a baby crying from behind the supermarket. Curious and concerned, he, once again, abandoned his own quest and investigated possible trouble. Dylan turned the corner and couldn’t believe his eyes. A baby sat in a beat-up stroller, alone, beside a big green dumpster. Dylan ran up to check the condition of the baby. He barely had any clothes of his own left, he had no idea how he would keep a baby warm if no one came back for it. Just before he reached the stroller, a girl’s head appeared from inside the dumpster and shouted at him.

“Hey! You! Help! I’m stuck in here. I reached in to see if I could find any food for Olivia and me, but I slipped and fell, and now I can’t get out.” The girl said while waving over at Dylan. “Please!”

Dylan walked over to the dumpster. He stepped up on a wooden crate and reached his arm over the side of the dumpster. When he felt the girl grab on, he pulled her out. They both fell off the crate, the girl landing on top of him. She smiled down at him. “Thanks a million, doll.” She kissed his forehead and got up.

Dylan blushed and looked more closely at her. She didn’t look much older than him. Sixteen, maybe seventeen, if he had to guess. “You’re welcome. I’m Dylan. Glad I could help. Why are you out here with your baby?  I’m frozen. Your baby must be even colder.”

The girl turned towards Dylan. “I’m Natalie, and this is my son, Alexander. There’s nowhere for us to go. My mom kicked me out when I got pregnant, and Alex’s father won’t even admit he’s his son. The ignorant bastard.” Natalie’s voice held a mixture and anger, sadness and despair.

“I’m so sorry, Natalie. I’ve only been out here on the streets for three days, and I’ve already heard such horrible stories of what people do to each other. It’s overwhelming.” Dylan said.

“What’s your own sad story, Dylan? Why are you out here?” Natalie asked, placing her hand on Dylan’s arm.

“My parents kicked me out because I’m gay. They kicked me out on my fourteenth birthday no less! I… I thought my parents would love me no matter what.” He gave her a sympathetic look. “I thought they’d be cool with it, but they kicked me out with just a backpack full of stuff. And the backpack was stolen just two days later!” He shrugged.  “Other people have it worse than me. I can see that already. It’s rougher out here than you can ever imagine when you’re safe at home. I never thought about the people, the kids, out here on the streets. It really sucks.”

Natalie nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it does suck. We’ll find a way to make it, though. I’m sure you will, too. You seem very smart and strong. And the sweetest guy I’ve met in a long time.” She smirked and winked at him, causing him to blush. “Anyway, this dumpster was a bust. We’re going to look for another one. You want to join us?”

Dylan shook his head. “Nah, I’m going to keep looking for a new place to crash. Good luck with your search.” Dylan dug into his pants pocket and pulled out the contents. “Here, I know it’s just three dollars and thirty-seven cents, but I don’t know, maybe you can get baby food or something. I don’t even know how expensive that stuff is” He shrugged. “And take this match and my beanie. Find somewhere out of the snow and light a fire to get warm. Alex looks really cold.”

Natalie hugged him and kissed his cheek, eliciting yet another episode of blushing. “Thank you so much, Dylan. We’ll never forget you. Good luck with finding a place to sleep.”

Dylan turned and left. Now with empty pockets, no hat, no jacket, no hoodie, no socks, and no gloves, he walked off and continued his quest for a warm place to sleep.

Dylan’s could barely feel his face, his hands, or his feet by the time he heard the bells. The church! The church bells always sounded at midnight on Christmas Eve. Shivering uncontrollably, Dylan headed in the direction of the bells. He hoped the pastor left the church unlocked. A warm building, any warm building, filled his thoughts. Dylan saw the lights of the church at the end of the street. Just a few more yards. Then the world spun, and everything went black. Dylan collapsed into the snow.

Dylan heard a voice and felt warm hands rubbing his arms and face. “My dear boy, wake up. I need to get you into the church where it’s warm, but I’m not sure I can carry you there by myself.” The voice said. Dylan blinked his eyes, trying to open them. They felt frozen shut. Ice crusted on his eyelashes. He finally opened his eyes and stared up at the person trying to lift him out of the snow. It was a lady, maybe a little older than his mom. Her small frame struggled just to keep his upper body out of the snow while she tried to rub warmth into his arms and hands.

Dylan groaned. “Where am I? What’s happening?” Weak and disoriented, he tried to sit up. “Who are you?”

“I’ll answer all of your questions as soon as we’re inside, young man. Let’s get you out of this snow.” The lady helped him to his feet, and they walked into the church and sat in the back pew. “I am Amelia. I came here to pray, and when I left, I found you in the snow. I should be asking you the questions, but first let me get you a blanket or an old coat from the church’s donation bin.” Amelia left him sitting on the bench, lost in his thoughts. She returned a few minutes later with both a big puffy jacket and a blanket. Dylan quickly put on the coat and wrapped the blanket around himself as tightly as he could.

“Thank you so much, Amelia. I… I think you might have saved my life. My name is Dylan. I’ll tell you anything you want to know… as soon as my teeth stop chattering.” Dylan gave Amelia a half-smile and pulled the blanket even tighter around himself.

Amelia thought about taking Dylan to her house, but she didn’t want to chance taking him back out in the cold yet. She gave him the time he needed to warm up before asking him any more questions. When he felt a bit warmer, Dylan looked at Amelia and began his story. He told her everything. From his parents kicking him out to the man stealing his backpack and everything that happened to him tonight. When he finished, they both had tears streaming down their faces.

Dylan pulled back from her a little and spoke. “You seem like a church lady, just like my parents. If you want to kick me out of this church now that you know I’m gay I understand.” He sobbed. The tears now freely flowing down his cheeks.

Amelia started crying even harder. “Oh no, Dylan. Never. No one should kick anyone out of church. And you… you’re the sweetest angel I have ever met.” She reached over and wiped away his tears. “The bible I read teaches love not hate. Your parents were wrong to kick you out. You’re only fourteen! The things you’ve done amazing things tonight and I believe that God led me here to save your life as you may have saved three other lives tonight. I woke out of a sound sleep with a burning desire to come here to this church and pray. I can’t explain why. I’ll just call it a Christmas miracle. Right after the bells rang to signal Christmas, I left the church and found you face down in the snow! God doesn’t care that you’re gay. He cares that you have more love in your heart than any other person I’ve ever met. He brought me here to save you. I truly believe that. Dylan. I’m bringing you home with me tonight if that’s ok with you. We’ll talk about plans beyond that after I feed a nice big breakfast tomorrow morning. No one should ever make plans on an empty stomach.” She looked at him with questioning eyes.

“I think I’d like that, Amelia,” Dylan said, a genuine smile forming on his face for the first time in days. “Oh yeah, Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas, Dylan.” Amelia took his hand in hers, and they walked out of the church. The snow finally stopped falling, and the light of the full moon lit their way home.

Running Toward Love (Chapter 3)

Chapter 3

Leo grabbed his lunch tray and piled some food on it. Lost in thought, he wandered up to pay for his food. He heard a familiar voice behind him say, “What’s safe to eat around here? Everything at my old school tasted like salted cardboard.”

Leo turned his head and saw the boy from last night. “Ah. We meet again. Reese? Right? They have pizza almost every day, and it’s edible. I’ve got the spaghetti today. I’m hoping it’s as good as it was last year. Overall, the food isn’t great, but it’s ok.”

“Yeah, I’m Reese. Thanks for the directions last night and the culinary suggestions today. I promise I won’t only talk to you when I need help.” Reese grinned.

“That’s quite alright. You can talk to me anytime. Do you want to sit with my friend and me? He’s waiting for me over there.” Leo pointed to where Brandon was sitting.

“I would, but there’s this girl I’m supposed to meet with.”

“A girl? I suppose that is more important. Have fun.”

“No… uh… not like that.” Reese blushed. “I need to find out the details for cheer tryouts. I was on the cheer squad at my last school, and it was fun. I wanted to try and do that here, too.”

“A cheerleader. I would have guessed you for a lacrosse star.”

“I tried that, but I like cheerleading better. I also play baseball in the spring.”

Leo heard Brandon calling his name. “Sounds fun. I gotta go before my friend starts chewing on the table.” Leo laughed. “The cheerleaders usually sit over there.” He pointed across the cafeteria. “See you later, Reese.”

Reese smiled and walked where Leo pointed while Leo walked over and sat by Brandon.

“It’s about time you got here! That’s the last time I wait for you for food.” Brandon reached over and took one of the trays from Leo. “Now spill the tea. Who was that hottie you were talking to, and was he the guardian angel you hinted at this morning?”

“He is Reese. I met him last night on the beach. He’s not my angel. He’s just a new boy. Sounds like he’s trying out for the cheer squad. My angel’s name is Charlie, and he and his mom rented the cabin by the old lighthouse while exploring our glorious little town. That’s why he happened to be on the beach yesterday.”

“Wait? Exploring? Please tell me you didn’t fall for a tourist, Leo!”

“Yes, he is a tourist, but you didn’t see him. You didn’t talk to him. Bran, I haven’t thought about anyone else since the whole thing with Jazz. I planned to get through this year and maybe start over in college, but when I looked up into Charlie’s brown eyes, I fell.”

Brandon rolled his eyes. “Maybe he’s hot. Maybe he’s fun. But how long is he staying, Leo? You’re just going to get hurt again.”

“He’s staying until the end of the week, I think. Who knows what can happen between now and then. Maybe he’ll stay longer. Maybe we can do a long-distance thing. I felt a strong connection, Bran. I know he did, too.”

“We’re not done with this discussion. Spill the rest of the story. The fight with Matt and this angel saving you.” Brandon said, eating lunch and waiting for his best friend’s story.

Leo relayed to his friend all the events from the previous day between bites of his lunch. The run with his brother, the argument and fight with Matt, and finally, the rescue by Charlie. He even confided in him about the second dizzy spell at the mall. He finished by telling him about the second meeting with Charlie and the near-kiss.

“Wow. That was quite a day. I don’t think that much happened to me all summer! First off, how are you feeling today? Any dizziness or headaches. That sounds serious, bro. You gotta tell Kam or me every time it happens. Tell us even if you don’t want to tell your mom yet.” He reached over, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Ok. Ok. I promised Kam already. I promise to tell you, too. And I will tell my mom if it keeps happening. I’m not an idiot.” Leo rolled his eyes at Brandon.

Brandon smirked. “Now, on to the good stuff. When are you going to see your hot little tourist again?”

“Today after school. He wasn’t sure what his mom had planned. If he’s not busy, I’ll meet up with him and give him the grand tour. Maybe show him the Village and get some junk food for dinner.” Leo laughed. “Mystic Village fried dough should win him over.”

Brandon rolled his eyes. “With all the running you’ve been doing, I don’t know why you continue to put that crap in your body.”

Leo laughed. “It’s the best! It is my biggest weakness, diet-wise. I’ll just run an extra mile tomorrow. That reminds me. Aren’t you friends with Max? From the track team? Kam wants to try out, and I considered joining him.”

Brandon looked at his phone. “We have to get to class. I’ll talk to Max and find out about tryouts, then text you the details. If I don’t see you later, have fun and wish Kam good luck for me!”

The two boys put away their lunch trays and headed toward their next class.

————————————————————————————————————

The first day of senior year, finally behind him, Leo walked towards the gym to meet up with his brother and look for Max. According to multiple texts from Brandon, cross-country tryouts were held today. Now Leo was glad he skipped the morning run. Brandon said that Max would meet Leo and Kam at the track. Leo got to the gym and found Kam waiting for him. The two boys headed toward the track to look for Max. Leo spotted Max waving to him from the track infield. Max and a few other boys looked like they were doing pre-run stretching. The two brothers walked over and joined them.

“Hey, Leo! I was surprised when Bran told me you were interested in running this year. Aren’t you a senior? And is this your brother?”

“Yeah, I’m a senior. I just started running this past summer, mostly as a way of burning off anger issues.” Leo chuckled. “This is my brother Kameron. He’s a freshman, and he’s the one who suggested trying out for the team. I’m kinda along as support.”

Max stuck his hand out to both brothers. “Nice to meet both of you.” He glanced at Leo. “Running is an excellent choice for a mood enhancer, and it looks like you already have a runner’s body.” Max grinned. “Brandon mentioned track. You know we’re trying out for cross-country today, right? Indoor Track will start in November and Outdoor Track in late March.”

“Yep. We’ll try our hand at cross-country first. I prefer the long-distance stuff anyway. Little bro is the one who is looking forward to the shorter, faster events in track.”

“Ah-ha! So, Kameron is our speed demon, then?”

“Yep!” Kam laughed. “I outrun Leo all the time short distances. I’ll need to build up my endurance to run the longer races. I’ve only just started putting any effort into running.” As Kam was speaking, other boys started showing up at the track. Some were stretching, others jogging around the track to warm up before the tryouts began. Leo, Kam, and Max started running a warm-up lap. By the time they completed one lap, the coach had arrived, and everyone gathered around to listen to him speak.

Coach Stevens spoke loudly and paced back and forth in front of the boys. He was a middle-aged man but tall and incredibly fit. The coach could easily pass for forty instead of his fifty-two years. He spoke of past championships and future goals. He welcomed back current runners and thanked the new boys for attending tryouts. After his speech, Coach separated the boys into two groups. One group ran laps around the track, and the other ran around a small modified cross-country track. After each group finished, they swapped until both groups had run on both tracks.

Everything went well for Kam throughout the tryout, except for one thing. Kam decided to run a little too fast on the cross-country track, which was a failure. An epic failure, to be honest. The kind of failure that could have gone viral if only it had been caught on camera. Kam turned a corner and failed to see a giant mud puddle. By the time he finished sliding through the mud on his belly, he was covered from head to toe. Kam glanced over to the bleachers and saw that Tommy had arrived and was laughing hysterically. He also saw the new boy. The guy that Leo said he met last night. The boy was sitting by himself near the top of the bleachers, watching the tryouts.

After the tryouts, the coach pulled Kam aside and told him he would be on the JV team. He patted Kam on the back, said he expected him to do well if he trained hard, and showed the speed he showed today. He also encouraged Kam to try out for the indoor track season in November.

Kam ran over to the bleachers to fill Leo and Tommy in on what the coach said, and then they all walked back over to Max. Max made team captain, as expected. Kam made JV, and Leo made varsity. Max’s girlfriend joined the four boys as they left the track field. As they walked across the field, Leo turned back and saw Reese sitting in the bleachers. He raised a hand and waved. Reese smiled and waved back, then Leo turned and continued walking off the field.

“Becca, you remember Leo, right? This is his brother, Kameron, and,” Max trailed off, looking at Tommy.

Kam spoke up. “This is my bestie, Tommy. Nice to meet you, Becca.”

Becca walked with Leo as they headed for the school parking lot. “Leo, are you still going out with Jasper Anderson?”

“No. We broke up last year.”

“You’re better off without him, in my opinion. He’s a jerk and a stoner. You’re the one that dumped him, I hope.”

 “Yes. He was the biggest mistake of my life, and I’ve moved on from all that.”

Becca looked Leo up and down. “You’re hot. I know three or four boys and half a dozen girls who would fight to go out with you. Forget that jerk. Anyway, do you guys want to go with Max and me to get ice cream to celebrate.”

Kam answered for all three. “Definitely!”

They got to the ice cream shop, and all got their cones. Leo and Max shared stories about Brandon, wondering how they had never all hung out together. Leo noticed Kam and Tommy were whispering off in a corner booth. He thought it was strange but put it out of his head. Leo was distracted with thoughts about meeting up with Charlie later.

Becca noticed that Leo kept looking at his phone.

“Hot date later, Leo?” Becca smirked.

“Um, no. Well, sort of.” Leo blushed.

Kam yelled over. “Don’t let him fool ya. It’s a date. Loverboy can’t stop gushing about the guy.” 

“Shut up, Kam.” Leo rolled his eyes at his brother. 

Becca leaned towards Leo. “Tell me more. Is he cute?”

Leo sighed. “He’s not just cute. He’s totally dreamy. I met him out on the beach yesterday. I told him I’d text him after the cross-country tryout.” Leo said while looking at his phone again.

Becca stood up. “Well, let’s get you home then. Come on, Max, let’s go.” Becca led the way out of the shop, and they all followed. Max dropped Leo, Kam, and Tommy off and continued towards his home.

Leo was out of the car and sprinting towards the house almost before the car even stopped. He took the stairs two at a time, rushed into his room, and quickly picked out a change of clothes. He darted out of his room and into the bathroom. Leo jumped into the shower before Kam even got into the house. After the quickest shower of his life, Leo got dressed and texted Charlie to find out where he was. Leo started blow-drying his hair and did his best to make it as presentable as possible in as short a time as possible. Then, he ran out of the house. Glancing down to check for a reply from Charlie. He ran towards the fence but then thought better of it. His body was still too sore for jumping. He turned and went around and onto the beach.

He looked up and down the beach and spotted Charlie at the water’s edge. Leo walked up and stood next to the other boy, not saying anything for a minute or two. Then Leo looked over at him. “Sorry, I took so long. A guy from the team took my brother and me out for ice cream to celebrate. We both made the team. I made varsity, and Kam made JV.”

Charlie turned towards Leo, reached out, and grabbed both his hands. “That’s awesome! I’m so happy for you both!” He leaned in and hugged Leo.

Leo hugged him back before saying, “Thanks, Charlie. I’m happy that Kam and I are doing something together. I think running will be perfect for both of us.” Leo put his hand against Charlie’s face. “You’re so gorgeous, Charlie.” He smiled shyly.

Leo begrudgingly pulled his hand away from Charlie. “We better stop now, or I may decide to try for more,”

Charlie smiled. “You can try, but I’m not sure how far I’d let you get.” He winked.

Leo cleared his throat. “Anyway, what did you do today? I wouldn’t want to suggest doing the same things you already did.” Leo asked.

“We went out on a boat from the aquarium down the street and went on a whale watch. That took up a few hours. It was pretty out on the water, and we did see a few whales. Then mom went shopping, and I walked around town for a while and then came down here.” Charlie took out his phone and showed it to Leo. “Here are the pics of the whales.”

“Let’s walk this way.” Leo held out one hand until Charlie took it. Then he started walking up the beach, away from the lighthouse. “There’s a small carnival up here. It’s only here in the summer. This is the last week that it will be here until next May. There’s a Ferris wheel, a few other rides, carnival games, and junk food! Do you want to go? Have you eaten yet?”

“That sounds fun! No, I haven’t had dinner, and carnival food sounds perfect! Let’s go.” Charlie squeezed Leo’s hand tighter, looked at him, and smiled as they walked up the beach towards the carnival.

By the time they had been at the carnival for twenty minutes, Leo clutched a giant stuffed panda bear almost as big as he was.

“I can never win at these carnival games. Thanks for winning this for me, Charlie. I love him. I’m going to name him Charlie. Charlie the Panda.” Leo laughed, leaned over, and kissed Charlie on the cheek. “Let’s ride the Ferris wheel before it gets too dark so I can show you my town from up high.”

The Ferris wheel line was short, and the boys were in a seat in just a few minutes. They waited as the worker ensured they were buckled in, and then he locked the safety bar. The ride began to slowly turn, stopping and starting at first while other passengers got on or off. Leo pointed out some of his favorite spots in town when the Ferris wheel neared the top.

“One of the things I love the most is that we’re at the ocean, but just a couple miles away, we can swim and fish in the river.” He pointed off to their left. “Just past where the coastline bends in is the little spot where the town gets its name, Pebble Cove. Named that way because the beach there has more pebbles than sand. The cove is pretty, the water is great, but the beach is terrible.” Leo pointed out something different to Charlie each time the Ferris wheel went up. He showed him the Seaport Village, where the old tall wooden ships were displayed. He showed him the shops that were set up to resemble a colonial village, and he showed him many other sights.

Charlie grabbed Leo’s hand. “You really love your town, don’t you?’

Leo turned his head to face Charlie. “I do. I mean, I get annoyed by the crowds during tourist season. Most tourists are jerks who don’t care about anything but themselves. They leave trash everywhere. They drink. They fight. I’m not too fond of that part. But the actual town I do love.”

“So, you hate tourists, huh?”  Charlie huffed out a laugh.

Leo blushed. “Cute tourists with hot Australian accents are the exception to my rule.” Leo turned in the seat to face Charlie, and he leaned in. Charlie was so nervous that he was nearly shaking, but he went for it. Eighteen years was long enough to wait for his first kiss. He wasn’t about to wait one minute longer. Charlie grabbed the front of Leo’s shirt with both hands and pulled him close. Their lips met tentatively at first. Charlie’s lips parted, and Leo’s tongue darted inside. Leo leaned back against the side of the Ferris wheel car, pulling Charlie down on top of him. The seat strap dug into Charlie’s chest, so he ducked under it, freeing himself. Leo ran his hands up and down Charlie’s broad, muscular back. Charlie had one hand braced against the seat to stop himself from falling and his other hand on the back of Leo’s neck, pulling him closer as the kiss deepened.

Clang! A loud metal bang rang in both boys’ ears, and they looked up, eyes wide. The ride had stopped. Their car was at the bottom, and the metal bar swung open. The carnival worker was looking at them with a look that was half scowl and half smirk.

“Get off my Ferris wheel, you two! Take that somewhere else.” He waved off in a direction away from the ride. “And you,” he pointed at Charlie. “If I ever see you on my ride again without the safety strap, I’ll kick you off permanently!”

Charlie mumbled. “Yes, sir. Of course, sir.” Then he grabbed Leo’s hand, and the two boys ran off as fast as they could away from the Ferris wheel and the line of people standing there and watching the entire thing.

They slowed down when they turned a corner and entered a different part of the carnival. Charlie spoke up. “Hey, do you want to grab something to eat?”

“Yum! Junky carnival food sounds great!” Leo chuckled. “Let’s go find some deep-fried chicken and onion rings, and when we’re done with that, some fried dough for dessert!”

Charlie rolled his eyes at the choices but followed as Leo led the way to the food booths.

After they ate what passed for dinner, the two boys walked through the carnival midway, finishing their fried dough. Leo glanced over at Charlie and smirked. He stepped directly in front of Charlie and looked up at the taller boy, then pulled Charlie’s face down to his own. As Leo leaned in close, his tongue darted out, and he slowly licked just to the side of Charlie’s mouth on both sides, then pulled back.

“What was that for?” Charlie beamed, his eyes burning with desire.

“Powdered sugar. I love it. I didn’t want to see it go to waste.” Leo shrugged and grinned and started walking again. They were passing through the carnival games when Leo suddenly stopped.

“I want to try and win something. This looks like a fun game. You won the panda for me. Now I want to win something for you.” Leo was hugging his giant panda as he spoke.

“Awe. I’m glad you like your panda, but you don’t have to win me anything. It’s sweet of you to want to, though.” Charlie replied.

“I know I don’t have to. I want to. Now hold onto Charlie, Jr.” Leo handed the panda to Charlie. The game had six big metal milk jugs, and the object was to toss a baseball into one of the pitchers—two dollars for three baseballs. Leo won four times and traded up for the prize he wanted. Sixteen dollars later, he handed a giant stuffed dolphin to Charlie.

“A dolphin to welcome you to our little fishing town.” Leo leaned in and kissed Charlie.

“Should I name him Leo?” Charlie smirked. “Nah. I won’t copy you. Pebbles for Pebble Cove.”

“That’s perfect.”

Charlie pulled Leo close and kissed him before pulling back and looking down into his eyes. “There are too many people around right here. Let’s walk somewhere else.”

Leo’s eyes lit up, and a devilish grin spread across his face. “Absolutely brilliant plan. Let’s go!”

The two boys headed towards the carnival exit, but Leo pointed between the fence and the Ferris wheel. “Back there. Behind the Ferris wheel. No one will ever go back there.” He pulled Charlie along by their linked hands until they were just outside the reach of the carnival lights. Now, in near darkness, Leo turned and faced Charlie. He placed one hand flat against the older boy’s chest and firmly yet gently pushed him up against the fence. Leo freed his other hand from Charlie’s grasp and slowly ran both hands up Charlie’s body until his hands were at the collar of Charlie’s light blue button-down shirt. Leo pulled on the collar, forcing Charlie to bend down slightly. Leo leaned in, and the two met in an open-mouthed kiss. Charlie was older. Charlie was taller. However, Leo was in charge. Leo broke away from Charlie’s mouth and started licking and kissing Charlie’s jawline, then moving up to his ear. After nibbling on Charlie’s ear, Leo began kissing the older boy’s neck.

Leo let go of Charlie’s collar, and his hands found their way to the top button of his shirt. He unbuttoned the top button and kissed the newly exposed skin. His fingers were shaking just a bit with nerves, and he undid the next button and then the next. He kissed and licked his way down with each button he released. Lower and lower. He was halfway down Charlie’s chest when he felt the other boy run his fingers through his hair and grip the top of his head.

“Yeah. Oh my God, Leo, that’s amazing.” Charlie said as he gently applied pressure, urging Leo even lower. Leo was on his knees in front of Charlie. More buttons unbuttoned—more kissing and licking. Leo finally released the bottom button on the shirt and spread the shirt open. Leo’s tongue darted out and into Charlie’s innie belly button. Charlie moaned and gripped Leo’s head even tighter. Leo rubbed up and down the front of Charlie’s khaki board shorts, feeling just how into this Charlie really was. Charlie moaned even louder. “Leo. Oh, God, Leo. Wait. Stop.” Charlie grabbed Leo’s shirt and pulled him back to a standing position. Charlie’s eyes were glazed over with lust, and he was breathing heavily. He took a deep breath and began to speak before Leo could cause him to change his mind. “We have to stop. I want you so bad, but not here. Not now.”

“Why? Did I do something wrong?” Leo had a worried look in his eyes.

“No. Oh, God, no. Absolutely not. It’s just that I,” Charlie hesitated and blushed before speaking again. “I’ve never done anything like this before. The kiss on the Ferris Wheel was my first ever kiss.” He put his hand up to stop Leo from interrupting. “I know we’ve just met, but I want more of my firsts to be with you. Not here, though. Not in a muddy field behind the carnival where anyone could,” As if on cue, a loud noise interrupted them.

Crash! Bang! “Hey! You two! What are you doing over there?! You don’t belong back here! The carnival is closed!” A voice yelled.

Both boys nearly jumped out of their skins. Leo spun and looked towards the yelling and saw a carnival worker. The man was emptying trash into a bin and had seen the boys. Leo grabbed Charlie’s hand, and they ran off into the darkness. They ran through the exit and out onto the beach. They never even slowed until they were near the path leading to Leo’s house, where they finally stopped.

 

Running Toward Love (Chapter 2)

Chapter 2

Charlie wasn’t sure how much further they would have to walk when Leo motioned for him to turn towards the right. They walked past a couple of picnic tables and across a grassy area to a fence at the edge of the beach. “This is it. I live right over there.” Leo pointed at a house across the street. “Will I ever see you again?” Leo asked, looking directly into Charlie’s eyes.

“I sure hope so. We’ve rented that cabin until the end of the week. What are you doing tomorrow?” Charlie replied with a grin. “I’d love to hang out sometime when I’m not saving you from a maniac.”

“School starts tomorrow. I could meet up with you afterward if you want.”

“What year of school are you in?”

“I start my senior year of high school tomorrow. You said that you just graduated, right?”

“Yep! I’m so glad I can finally focus on what I want to do rather than what the school wants me to do! I would have guessed you for a college boy, too. You look about the same age as me. I’ll be nineteen next month.”

“I’ll be eighteen in two weeks, not far behind you. Anyway, I need to get home before my brother sends out a search party. Should I look for you after school tomorrow?”

“I’m not sure what my mom has planned. Give me your number, and I’ll text you when I know our plans,” Charlie said.

Leo took Charlie’s phone and put in his contact information. When he handed it back, he leaned in and gave a surprised Charlie a quick kiss on the cheek. Leo grinned at a speechless Charlie, then turned and jumped the fence and walked home without looking back.

The kiss shocked Charlie. Leo kissed him! It was just a kiss on the cheek, but still, it meant that he probably liked him! Leo flirted the whole time, but the kiss was still a surprise. Charlie’s grin nearly split his face in two as he turned and retraced his steps back to the cabin by the lighthouse.

————————————————————————————————————

Leo went across the street and into his house, where he found his brother Kam sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the door. As soon as Leo was in the house, Kam was on his feet, asking his brother question after question. “What took you so long? Are you alright? Hey, what happened to your face?”

“Kam! Stop with the questions. Let’s go to my room, and we can talk there.” Leo said as he led his brother up the stairs and into his bedroom. Leo sat at his desk and motioned for Kam to sit on the bed. “I’ll tell you everything that happened, but you have to promise not to tell anyone, Kam. Not anyone! Understand?”

“Yeah. Of course. Like always. We always keep each other’s secrets and watch each other’s backs. We’re brothers.” Kam held his fist out to his brother. Leo complied, and they bumped fists and grinned silly grins.

“Ok. Well, here it goes.” Leo told Kam about everything that had happened since they split up until Leo returned to the house. Kam listened without once interrupting. When Leo finished, Kam gave out a low whistle.

“Wow, bro. You had a busy morning after I left.”    Kam said.

“Yeah, I know, right! Scary. Awful. Amazing. Confusing. I don’t know what to feel right now!” Leo ran his fingers through his hair and slumped back into his chair.

Kam scowled, then looked at his brother. “First, we have to worry about Dad and what he will say about your bruises. He’ll flip out if you tell him it was about Jasper.”

“Hmm. Hey! I’ll tell him I went swimming after our run, and a surfboard clipped me. I’d rather he thought I was an idiot and wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings than deal with him going off about Jazz again.”

“That might work for dad, but Jasper and Matt will have to be dealt with eventually. Now, what about this boy, Charlie? Do you think you’ll see him again? Should you even bother? You said he’s a tourist just here until the end of the week.” Kam stared intently at his brother, waiting for answers.

“He’s super-hot! That hair and those eyes. Mm-hm. I sure hope I see him again. I gave him my number and asked him to text me tomorrow when he knows his plans. Yes, I know he’s a tourist, but he makes me smile. I haven’t smiled because of a boy in a long time, Kam.” Leo said with a grin. “Plus, there’s just something about him. I can’t even explain it. The connection was immediate and strong. Maybe it was him saving me from Matt, but I looked up into those dark brown eyes, and my heart skipped a beat. At that moment, I felt more for him than I ever felt in eight months with Jazz. So, yes. Yes, I plan to see him again. I hope he feels the same way! Who knows what can happen in a week? Maybe he’ll stay!” Leo spun the chair around, leaning against the back, looking at his brother.

“You just met him, and he’s a tourist. Enjoy the week, but be careful. I’ll reheat breakfast. Mom, Dad, and Allison went to the mall for last-minute school shopping. Mom said she’d take you and me later today.” Kam disappeared down the hall, and Leo gathered some clean clothes and headed towards the bathroom to shower.

After Leo’s shower, he took a good long look at himself in the mirror. The bruises looked terrible, but he could move without too much pain. Nothing felt broken. Mrs. Davis was probably right about that; thank goodness his ankle already felt better! He had Charlie to thank. Matt probably would have done even more damage if Charlie hadn’t been there to stop him. Leo quickly shook thoughts of Charlie out of his head before he became distracted, and his food got cold again. He finished in the bathroom and went downstairs to join his brother for breakfast.

————————————————————————————————————

After breakfast, the two boys entered the living room and played Xbox. After killing each other a dozen times in Call of Duty, they turned the game off. Leo started channel surfing, and Kam took out his phone and started texting. Soon, their family returned home from the mall, and Leo and Kam left with their mom. Once at the mall, their mom explicitly instructed Kam on what she expected him to buy but just handed Leo some money. They each went their separate ways to find what they needed.

Leo nearly finished shopping, thoughts of the upcoming school year clouding his mind. Thoughts of dealing with Jasper, thoughts of Charlie, all these thoughts ran through his head. His vision started spinning, and he felt himself begin to sweat. He leaned heavily onto the checkout counter.

“Sir? Are you ok? Sir?” The cashier spoke to Leo and grabbed his arm as she saw him start to lean forward. To Leo, the entire store began to spin and go dark. He lost his grip on the counter and fell to the floor. Hands grabbed him, but the voices sounded far away, and everything was dark.

Leo felt something cold and damp against his forehead, and he faintly heard someone saying his name and talking to him. He opened his eyes, and things weren’t so dark, and the spinning had slowed. He closed his eyes again, leaned back against the counter, and listened to the voice talking to him. The voice sounded familiar. Leo opened his eyes again. The spinning stopped. He blinked. The first things he saw were the EMT uniform and the stretcher. Leo groaned. He did not want to end up at the hospital. Leo wasn’t ready to tell his mom that the dizzy spells were back. He looked up, and when he saw the face of the EMT, he smiled. It was Kyle, the same EMT who had saved his life six years ago.

“Hey, Kyle. Fancy meeting you here. I hope you’re not planning on putting me on that thing.” Leo pointed at the stretcher.

“Hi, Leo. It has been a long time. Which is good, considering my line of work.” Kyle reached over and removed the cold rag from Leo’s forehead. “How are you feeling? What happened?”

“Kyle, can we move over to the bench out of the store?” Leo started to push himself up off the floor.

Kyle helped Leo to his feet and held onto his arm as they paid for Leo’s purchases. They then walked out to the bench and sat down. “So, what happened, Leo? The cashier said it looked like you got dizzy and passed out.”

Leo looked down, then looked back at Kyle. “I think it was just a bad anxiety attack. There’s been a lot on my mind lately. But I’ll be candid with you, Kyle. I’ve had a few dizzy spells and headaches. At least a couple a week. I’m a little worried.”

“Do you want me to take you to the hospital now, Leo? With your history, it’s better to be safe than sorry. It might just be anxiety, but it might be something more.” As he talked, Kyle took Leo’s blood pressure and pulse readings. “All your vitals look good, but I am happy to load you into the ambulance and take you to the hospital. Is your mom here in the mall?”

“Yeah. Mom and Kam are both here. I appreciate you looking after me again, Kyle, but I don’t want to go to the hospital. If the dizzy spells continue, I promise to tell Mom. I promise. I really do think it’s just the anxiety.” Leo told Kyle all that had been going on in his life. The breakup with Jasper, the fight with Matt, meeting Charlie, worries about school, everything.

“Wow. That is a lot. It could be the anxiety, but I’ll hold you to that promise about telling your mom if you get dizzy again. You know better than anyone how important this is. You can’t mess around when it comes to brain injuries. Please don’t make me sic Doc Danny on you! Anyway, if you’re sure you don’t want to go to the hospital, I have to get going.” Kyle stood up and rested a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “You sure you’re ok, Leo?”

“Yeah. I’m good now, Kyle. Thanks a lot. I’m glad it was you that came for me again. Spilling my guts and telling you everything probably helped more than anything else. I’m feeling much better.” Leo stood and gathered his shopping bags as Kyle said one last goodbye, tossed his medical bag onto the stretcher and left.

Leo glanced at his watch. “Damn!” He hurried off toward the mall food court, already fifteen minutes past the time his mom had said for him to be there.

————————————————————————————————————

After they got home from the mall, the boys put their things away and went to the backyard to help their dad set up for the barbecue. “What happened to you?” Leo’s dad asked him.

“I was swimming this morning after my run. I guess I drifted out too far without realizing it, and the next thing I knew, a surfboard crashed right into me. It hit my face and my ribs. I’m pretty sore, but I’m ok, Dad.” Leo said, hoping his father would believe the story.

“Hmph! Be more careful out there. You could have hurt yourself worse or hurt the surfer. Pay attention to your surroundings, Leo. Now get the food from your mother. Kam, help your brother and bring the plates out, too.” Their father said.

When the boys returned with all the food and other supplies for the barbecue, their sister, Allison, came out with them. The boys set the stuff on the picnic table, and Alli began setting it up.

“Nice shiner, big brother,” Allison said.

“Thanks,” Leo said, shaking his head and repeating what he told their father.

Alli smirked and whispered, “Matt?”

Leo sighed, shook his head, and motioned for his sister to walk with him. Once they turned the corner of the house, he said, “Come on, Alli, you know dad would freak out. Please don’t get me in trouble. Please.”

“Of course not. It would be best if you talked to Jazz, though. As much of a dick as he turned out to be, I don’t think he’d want to see you get hurt.” Allison said.

“I know. I’m sure I’ll see Jazz at school. I’ll say something to him. Maybe he’ll keep Matt away from me. I hate asking him for a favor, but maybe it’s the only way.” Leo said. “Anyway, let’s get back before Dad gets mad.”

————————————————————————————————————

After dinner, Leo told his mom he was going for a walk on the beach. As he was about to leave the house, Kam caught up to him. “Hey, Leo, want me to come with you?”

“Nah, bro. I am only going to take a walk and chill out for a bit. I’m not going too far.” Leo blushed and smiled. “Maybe just as far as the lighthouse.”

“Ah-ha! Ok, bro. Have fun! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Kam laughed.

“Well, that leaves my options wide open!” Leo clapped his brother on the shoulder, turned, and left the house. He jogged across the street and leaped over the fence onto the beach like he’d done a million times before. This time, though, he winced in pain when he landed. Mentally cursing himself for his stupidity, he turned and started walking up the beach toward the lighthouse, hoping to see Charlie.

About halfway to the lighthouse, Leo saw a lone figure standing at the water’s edge, throwing rocks into the sea. He looked close to make sure it wasn’t Matt, but it wasn’t. It was Charlie. Leo walked up behind the other boy. Leo saw a look of intense concentration on Charlie’s face, apparently lost in his thoughts and not paying attention to his surroundings. Leo leaned in close. “Hey, gorgeous. You come here often.”

Charlie jumped and spun around. “Leo! You scared the crap out of me!” Charlie clutched at his heart, took a deep breath, and then laughed. “I didn’t think I would see you again until tomorrow. How did I get so lucky?”

Leo shrugged and smiled. “I guess I wanted to see you again tonight. I can’t stay long, though. It’s already late, and tomorrow is the first day of school. Walk with me back towards my house?”

“I’m glad you came. I wanted to see you again, too. Yeah, let’s walk.” Charlie held out his hand towards Leo. Leo took Charlie’s hand, and the two walked back towards Leo’s house, hand in hand.

About halfway there, they heard someone yell from off to their right. “Hey! Hey, guys! Wait a minute!”

Leo cringed and nearly hid behind Charlie before he realized that the voice did not belong to Matt. He turned and saw a boy about his age running from the beach parking lot toward where he and Charlie stood.

The boy ran up and stopped right in front of Leo. “Thanks for waiting. I… I’m kinda lost.” The boy huffed out a laugh. “We just moved here a couple days ago, and I was out walking around the neighborhood, but now I don’t know where my street is. Can you guys send me in the right direction for Spruce Street?” The boy ran a hand through his short, sandy brown hair. He looked at Leo, but then he blushed and looked down, unable to maintain eye contact.

Leo smiled and blushed a little. This guy was cute, but Leo was standing there holding hands with Charlie. After nearly seven months of being single, he meets two cuties on the same day. What are the odds?! Leo cleared his throat. “Uh, go back through that parking lot you were just in, and then take a left. Take your first right and then another left. Spruce will be the second left. It’s actually only one street away from where I live. Welcome to the neighborhood! My name is Leo.”

“Thanks, Leo. I’m Reese. Maybe I’ll see you at school. Have a good night!” And with that, Reese turned and ran back toward the parking lot, disappearing into the growing darkness.

Leo and Charlie walked silently for a while, each casting quick glances at the other before Charlie finally cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “So, are you excited for senior year? Have you decided on a college yet?”

“Yes, for the first question, and no for the second one. I’m still not sure what I want to do with my life. Probably business management, but my dad is trying to push me into something science-related. Everything in my life is just so confusing right now. That’s why I’ve started running every morning with my brother. It’s the only time I can focus and think things through. I’m even considering trying out for cross country or track. Kam is, too. He will be a freshman this year, so this is the perfect time to get involved. They might not want a senior who has never really run before.” Leo shrugged.

“That would be so cool if you both made the team! I’m sure you can do it. Is that what you were doing on the beach this morning? Training?”

“Yeah. We were running on the beach, but I stopped to rest, and Kam went ahead. That’s why I was alone when Matt found me.”

“That dude was a jerk. I’m glad I showed up when I did.”

Before they knew it, they were at the fence across from Leo’s house. The sun was setting, and it was dusk but not dark.

“I guess this is my stop.” Leo looked up into Charlie’s dark eyes; Charlie was a good three inches taller. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess. I’ll text you when I get home, and you can tell me your plans.”

“That sounds great. I’ll make sure that I have some free time to meet up.” Charlie leaned in, very close to Leo.

Leo leaned back and felt his back press firmly against the fence. Charlie was so close that Leo could feel his body heat. “O-ok. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Charlie leaned in even closer. He thought about kissing Leo, then chickened out at the last minute. Charlie wasn’t sure how far they wanted this to go, knowing he was leaving in just a few days.

Leo sighed, still looking up at Charlie. “I have to go.” He leaned in and gave the other boy a quick hug. “Good night! See you tomorrow!” This time, Leo went around the fence instead of jumping over it. He returned home as Charlie turned and started walking back towards the lighthouse, smiling like an idiot.

————————————————————————————————————

Leo rolled over and turned off his alarm clock two minutes before the alarm would have buzzed, 5:03am. He was about to get up, but then he realized that he shouldn’t run this morning, just in case. Two dizzy spells yesterday convinced him to take it easy, at least for today. Leo slung his arm over his eyes and relaxed. No running meant he didn’t need to get up and into the shower for at least another half hour. He let his mind wander over the events of the previous day. A lot happened. His morning run ended with a dizzy spell, and then there was the fight with Matt and Charlie rescuing him. Then, Charlie takes care of him at the lighthouse, the panic attack at the mall, and finally he met up with Charlie again. He thought they were about to kiss for a moment, but then it didn’t happen. Maybe next time!

Today was the first day of senior year. He supposed that he should hunt down Jasper and talk with him about Matt once he was at school. Leo didn’t want to talk with Jazz, but the harassment and fights had to stop. He also thought about possibly trying out for track and pushing Kameron into trying out. Most of all, Leo was thinking about getting through the school day, returning home, and hanging out with Charlie.

All of this replayed in Leo’s mind as he lay there in bed. He glanced at the clock again, 5:42. Time to get up and get ready for school, or as his best friend Brandon called it, prison.

————————————————————————————————————

Leo looked at the lock screen on his phone as he left Starbucks at 6:52. He still had plenty of time to catch the bus. He peered over at Kam. “You ready for your first day of high school, little bro?”

“Yeah. For sure. I mean, maybe a little nervous but excited, too. Are we still trying out for cross country or track or whatever?”

“Yeah. I think Brandon knows someone on the team. I’ll find out about tryouts and text you.”

The two brothers strolled to the bus stop and joined their neighborhood’s small group of kids. Leo spotted the new boy he met last night and waved. He was about to go over and say hi, but the bus pulled up. Then, the boy was lost in the crowd of kids. Leo sat on the bus next to his brother and looked around for the new boy, but he didn’t see him. Kam arched an eyebrow at his brother. “Who is he? Obviously, not your tourist friend since he’s on the school bus.”

“No. Just a guy I met on the beach last night. He was lost and asked for directions. He lives on Spruce Street. I guess he just moved here.”

Kam smirked. “Maybe you should rethink your tourist crush. Why bother with someone who will only be here a few days when you have a new cutie to set your sights on.”

Leo sighed. “I know Charlie is only here for a few days, but I like him, Kam. I don’t know anything about this other guy besides the fact that he just moved here. He’s probably straight. Who knows.”

“I just don’t want to see you get your heart broken again so soon after Jazz. Be careful, bro.”

“Totally. I will. We’re here. I’ll text you after I talk to Brandon. Have fun.”

————————————————————————————————————

Leo spotted Brandon in the parking lot as soon as he got off the bus. He jogged over to catch up to his friend before he reached the building. “Hey, buddy, what’s up? Didn’t see much of ya this summer. How’re things with Brett?”

Brandon clapped Leo on the back. “Great, my friend, just great. Sucks he’s going to school so far away, but I’ll still see him on weekends. The perils of dating a college boy, I guess! Now, we need to find you a boyfriend.” Brandon smirked.

Leo chuckled. “I’m kinda working on that myself.” He blushed and smiled.

“Really?” Brandon turned and looked at his friend. “Whoa! What the hell happened to you?” He said, seeing the bruises for the first time.

“Matt,” Leo said with a grimace. “I’ll tell you all about it in between classes. There’s a lot to the story. Good things and bad.”

“He needs a good ass whipping. Want me to sic Brett on him?” Brandon asked.

“No. Matt already got his ass whipped. That’s part of my story.” Leo grinned.

“You beat up Matt?” Brandon asked, surprised.

“No. Not me. My guardian angel did.” Leo grinned.

“Now, I’m interested! You better tell me the whole story! I want juicy details!” Brandon laughed. “See you at lunch.”

 

Running Toward Love (Prologue)

Prologue

Leo Kennedy hated family picnics, and the annual Memorial Day picnic at his grandparent’s house was always the worst, in his opinion. At least this year, the weather was beautiful; it was eighty-four degrees, and no clouds were in the sky. Last year, it rained, and everyone was jammed inside the house. He scanned the crowd of relatives, looking for his brother Kameron, but he didn’t see him anywhere.

Leo grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler and jumped over the porch railing, heading for the yard’s edge. He just wanted to be left alone if he couldn’t find Kam. He was about to sit down when he noticed someone else sitting alone, staring off into the distance. Leo thought momentarily, then picked up his chair and strolled over to where the man was seated. He sat down on his lawn chair next to the older man. “Hey, Uncle Kai, nice day, isn’t it?”

Kai took off his sunglasses and made a show of looking all around and behind his nephew. “You look like my nephew Leo, but he usually has two shadows close at his heels. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him by himself before.”

Leo snorted with laughter. “Jazz had to go to his family picnic, and I’m unsure where Kam went. I’m by myself, sometimes.”

“Jasper is a very close friend, isn’t he?” Kai asked with a raised eyebrow.

Leo blushed. “We’ve been best friends since the first day of kindergarten, and sophomore year is over in two weeks! So, yeah, we’re pretty close.”

“Leo, I want you to know that you can come to me any time and ask me anything. Even things that your parents may not be willing to understand.”

“I know, Uncle Kai. Thank you.” Leo squirmed in his seat and then looked back at his uncle. “Uncle Kai, how come grandma won’t even mention your friend’s name, the one that died in the war. Today is Memorial Day, a day to remember people like that. The family knew him. Shouldn’t we celebrate him most of all?”

Tears stung Kai’s eyes. “I celebrate him every single day, Leo.”

“He was your best friend, wasn’t he?”

The beginnings of a smile formed on Kai’s face. “Yes, Leo, he was my best friend.”

“Was he,” Leo hesitated, “was he more than your best friend?”

“He was much more than my best friend. He was the love of my life. He was my hero long before he was a hero to the country. He won me my freedom, then went to Kuwait and Iraq to win others their freedom.”

“What do you mean he won you your freedom? Freedom from what?”

“Freedom from your grandmother. I’m sure you can see how she is. You are a brilliant boy for sixteen, Leo. After your father moved out, your grandmother monopolized all my time. She wanted me with her always. Anytime that anyone got close, she tried to push them away. Doug was the only one who stuck by me, and it was only because of him that I managed to get out from under her thumb. That’s why she still hates him to this day, even though he’s been dead for over thirty years.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean about grandma. I love her, but she is a bit overbearing. How did he help you, though? Why does she hate him so much?”

“You say she’s overbearing? That doesn’t even describe how she was when I was your age. She had me scared of everything. Fear was my constant companion, especially the fear of change. Any change sent me into extreme anxiety attacks. Doug was the only one who could pull me out of it. By age eighteen, I knew the only way to have an everyday life was to leave this house. She tried to make me stay, but the thoughts of Doug pushed me forward through my fear. Let me tell you a story, Leo. The story of the day I finally moved out of this house. The day that Doug won his first battle and gained me my freedom.

 

The door was open, but fear held Kai in place. He needed to go through the door.  Four steps, only four steps. He just needed the courage to make his feet take those last four steps.

Fear gnawed away at Kai Kennedy’s soul, infecting almost everything in his life. Now, finally, on the verge of freedom, he was even scared of not being scared anymore. He was used to the fear. Change is what had him scared now. Change of any kind was a frightening prospect for Kai. 

Kai’s life had been almost entirely unchanged for nearly eighteen years. Kai lived with his mother. He knew his mother loved him, but it was an overbearing, jealous love. Kai’s mother craved attention. She needed all of Kai’s attention. All of Kai’s love. If he gave love or attention to anyone or anything else, it sent his mother into a rage. So, Kai gave his mother the care she needed. He didn’t go out with friends. He didn’t date or do anything except spend time with his mother. 

Kai’s thoughts returned to his present situation. The doorway. He still wasn’t any closer to it than he had been ten minutes ago. He knew a different life was waiting for him outside that door. He wanted that life, but he was scared to leave this one. It’s not that he liked his life; it’s just that he was used to it. It was comfortable. Kai smiled for a minute. The reasons he thought of as positive were the reasons Doug told him he needed to change it. It was Doug who made Kai smile. It was Doug who gave Kai the strength to consider this change. Thoughts of Doug made Kai smile again, and he stepped towards the door.

Three more steps now, and he’d be free in just three more steps.

 Kai couldn’t see through the doorway for some reason. Even though the door was open, it was just darkness where the doorway should have been, and it was the middle of the afternoon. Kai was beginning to feel lightheaded and dizzy from all the emotions raging through his heart and mind. His thoughts drifted back to his mother.

There had been plenty of good times between Kai and his mother. They had a lot of fun together over the years. He laughed when he remembered some of the family gatherings. He loved his family, especially his mom. He just wished she would let him love other people as well. When Kai gets too close to someone, his mother grows angry and tries to destroy the relationship. She would try to fill Kai’s mind with any fault she could find with the other person. If that didn’t work, she would use so much of Kai’s time doing things for her that the other person would grow tired of it and leave. The exception to this was Doug. Doug had stayed by Kai’s side through thick and thin. Doug wouldn’t allow Kai’s mother to drive him away. Kai’s mother hated Doug because of that, but Kai wouldn’t listen to her about him. The thought of his mother’s hatred of the one thing he loved angered Kai, and he took another step forward.

Two more steps now, just two more steps.   

Kai loved his mother… and hated her simultaneously, if that was possible. He loved her for all the good things she had brought into his life. She had brought him up well and taught him a lot, but she had also sheltered him from the rest of the world. Kai didn’t believe that she did it on purpose. She craved the attention and felt she deserved it. She told him she had given up much for him and expected him to do the same for her. Kai had done just that. He had been made fun of throughout school because he was so different. He was always off alone and didn’t get involved in any activities with anyone else. That was until Doug came into his life. Doug talked Kai into doing things. They weren’t terrible things, but things that a kid like Kai should have been doing all along. Things like going to Prom. That’s when Kai’s mother’s dislike of Doug became pure hatred. She could sense that Kai was drifting away from her. She tried to drive a wedge between Kai and Doug, but it was too late. Her meddling in their relationship drove Kai closer to Doug instead of the other way around. Two months later, a moving van stood packed in the driveway, filled with all of Kai’s things. Kai was moving out of his mother’s house and into his own apartment. An apartment he would share with Doug. Kai’s mother told him that she would never want to see him again if he did that. She thought that he would change his mind. He didn’t. He cried at the things his mother said to him and about him, but he felt she would reconsider after she calmed down. Her threats only made him surer of his decision. He cleared his head and came back to the present again. He took another step towards the doorway.

One more step now, only one more step.

Kai’s mother was screeching in the background. “Kai, you will be sorry if you go with him! Please don’t leave me! He won’t be there for you like I always am, Kai! You’re making a mistake! Don’t go to him!”

Just as Kai thought he couldn’t take that last step, a hand reached through the doorway. Kai smiled. He would recognize that hand anywhere. Kai could have grasped that hand and let himself be pulled through the door, but Kai knew for his own peace of mind that he needed to take the last step himself. Knowing who was on the other side and waiting for him to step through was all the help he needed. Kai took a deep breath, looked back one last time, and stepped through the doorway.

As soon as he was on the other side of the door, Kai felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders. The moment’s stress overcame him, Kai grew weak, and the world around him dimmed. Kai started to fall, but he never hit the ground. He felt himself being carried down the steps and away from the house. Kai looked up and saw the face of his best friend, his boyfriend, Doug. Kai knew he was safe. Before he allowed himself to drift off, his last thought was that his life would never be the same. Kai wasn’t scared anymore. Kai Kennedy was finally free.

 

Leo had tears streaming down his face. “Uncle Kai, that was a beautiful story, and Doug should be celebrated just for that, even if he hadn’t ever gone to war.”

Kai patted his nephew’s hand. “Thank you for saying that, Leo, but I think you know that most in this family would not agree.”

Leo blushed. “I know. It really sucks. You don’t think my dad would accept a relationship like that?”

Kai struggled to find the right words. “The look in his eyes, even today, when I mention Doug tells me that he probably wouldn’t. Times are much different now than in 1986 when I was your age. Even if you don’t feel you can tell your dad yet, there must be people you can talk to.”

Leo’s eyes grew wide. “Me? What makes you think I’m asking these questions because of me?”

Kai rolled his eyes. “I’m old, but I’m not dead. Even before we started talking today, I suspected. I see the way you and Jasper look at each other. It reminds me so much of Doug and me. Are you two, uh, are you two a couple?”

Now Leo was really blushing. “No! Nothing like that!” He shrugged. “Not yet, anyway. We have talked about it. A lot. And Uncle Kai, you’re not old!”

Kai chuckled. “At sixteen, I definitely considered fifty-three old, but thank you for saying that.”

“You’re the coolest adult I know, Uncle Kai. You’re not gonna tell anyone about me, are you?”

“Of course not. No one should ever be outed against their will by someone else. I do suggest you find someone that you trust to tell. Maybe your brother or your sister?”

“Definitely not Allison. Maybe Kam. I can trust him.”

“Speak of the devil. There he is now.”

Kam waved from the other side of the yard. Leo grinned. “I should go check on him before he gets himself into trouble. Thanks for the talk, Uncle Kai. I’m glad you know. Your friend Doug was a true hero. Happy Memorial Day!”

Kai Kennedy wiped the tears from his eyes as he watched Leo race across the yard. Tears of sadness at the memory of his lost love, but also tears of joy at the bright future he sensed for his young nephew.

New Justyce – Episode 7

Episode 7: Date Night Interrupted

Gavin Kastala scolded himself for being nervous. Why should a pretty girl scare Gavin when he fought a mutant ram monster and discovered that he and his brothers had superpowers. Well, he and Harvey have superpowers. Logan was dating an angel from an alternate dimension! But here he was, fixing his hair for the fifteenth time and worrying about his date. It’s not like this is the first date Gavin has ever been on. He’d been on lots of dates. But this one seemed different. Becky asked Gavin out, and she was intelligent and beautiful. She seemed so far out of Gavin’s league that he didn’t know why Becky asked him out. Rebekah was two years older than him and was a senior in college. Gavin offered to get a fake ID and take Becky to a club, but she told him she didn’t want another club date. Becky said she asked him out because Gavin was smart and funny and could converse about what interested her.

And that’s why Gavin was so nervous. The prettiest girl at college asked him out and complimented him. Gavin knew he was gonna mess this up! It might be less stressful to fight the mutant ram-man again! Gavin had twenty minutes to kill before picking Rebekah up and taking her to the restaurant. Maybe annoying his two brothers would relax him.

Gavin walked into the living room, still fiddling with his hair. The new bright blue streaks in his dark brown hair confused him. Gavin knew he had ice powers, but why had that caused his hair to change colors? What else was happening to his body that he wasn’t even aware of yet? That line of thinking caused Gavin to be concerned for Harvey and Ashton. Maybe if Logan could find Obadiah, he could explain what was happening. For now, everything appeared deceptively normal. Logan and Ash were playing Xbox, and Harvey was texting on his cell phone. “Harvs, have you heard from Bryson yet?” Gavin asked.

“Do you think Logan would still be here if he knew where Obadiah was?” Harvey answered without looking up.

Logan’s eyes darted toward Gavin before focusing back on the game. “I will go to him as soon as Harvey finds out where Obie is. I don’t care what time it is.”

Gavin nodded. “That’s fine. We all need answers, but I don’t want you going alone. I hate to say it, but I want all three of you to go together. Be safe and watch each other’s backs.”

“Should we be worried that we haven’t heard from Dad?” Harvey asked.

“I’ve been watching the news reports. Dad’s unit is chasing the monsters. We won’t hear from him until tomorrow at the earliest. Dad told us to stay in the house and expected us to listen, but he knew nothing about our powers. Dad must understand that things are happening too fast for us to sit here.” Gavin said.

Harvey sighed. “We need to figure out how to use these powers to help Dad and the army. We barely survived fighting against one or two of the Zodiac, but there are at least six. We fought three, and I’ve seen video clips of three others. If they ever showed up together, we’d be dead.”

“I agree. Our priorities are finding Logan’s friend, finding out what else Bryson knows, and then getting ourselves trained. Right now, though, I’m heading out to meet Rebekah. I want to enjoy my date, but don’t hesitate to text me if anything happens.” Gavin said. “Keep me in the loop about Obadiah, and let me know when you leave the house. Stay together and stay safe.”

“Have fun, big bro. I’ll keep in touch.” Harvey said as Gavin turned and left.

————————————————————————————————————

Bryson was about to cross the street toward his house, but Erik grabbed the back of his t-shirt and pulled him back into the park. “Hey! What did you do that for?” Bryson asked.

“Look.” Erik pointed. “Aren’t those army jeeps in your driveway?”

“I wonder what the army is doing here,” Bryson said as he started walking out of the trees again.

Erik put a hand against Bryson’s chest to stop him. “Geez. Usually, you’re the smart one, and you stop me from acting impulsively. Think about it, Bry. The army is looking for the monsters, and your fight with the minotaur has gone viral. Your face is all over social media and the news. The army tracked you down, bro.”

“You’re right. I was so focused on making sure my dad was alright and thinking about you and the others that I completely forgot that I was the one on the news. If the army is at my house, we must assume they know everything about me. I can’t go home ever again. At least not and live a normal life.” Bryson frowned.

“I’m not ready to say never,” Erik said. “Let’s figure this thing out. We need to talk to your friend and see what she discovered.”

“Grace must have found something interesting. Harvey’s brother Logan is the Logan that she was looking for. I’ll text them both. Grace would meet me here, but obviously, she can’t. I’ll have Grace, Harvey, and Logan meet us at the baseball field.”

“Maybe Ash and Gavin will show up, too. We must get everyone on the same page and figure out what is happening.”

“Agreed. I sent the texts. Let’s get out of here.” Bryson said, and the two boys kept the trees between them and Bryson’s house as they made their way to the high school baseball field.

————————————————————————————————————

Harvey looked up from his phone and grinned. “Finally! Hey, Logan, I got a text from Bryson. He wants us to meet him at the baseball field.”

“Why there and not at his house? Is Obadiah with him?” Logan asked.

“To answer the first question, we have to stay far away from Bryson’s house. The army is there looking for him. The video about Bryson fighting the minotaur went viral. Bryson asked us not to mention to anyone, especially Dad, that we even know him. To answer your second question, your friend is not with Bryson. I guess he forwarded the picture to me from his reporter friend, Grace. She is also going to meet us at the baseball field. Obadiah might be with her, or Grace will know where he is.”

“Let’s get going.” Logan looked over at Ashton. “Are you coming with us, Ash?”

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Besides, if there’s trouble, you may need me.” Ash said.

“The world is getting more dangerous,” Harvey said with a severe expression.

“Let’s just go find my boyfriend. I’m worried about him, and he may know what is happening to the rest of us.” Logan said. The three boys slipped on their shoes and ran out the door.

————————————————————————————————————

In the sub-basement of Justyce Labs, a computer next to a stainless-steel operating table beeped. The massive program that Caleb left running when he went to his sister’s house earlier that day finished.

“All systems online.”

“Diagnostics complete.”

“Unit operational. Operating at 100% capacity.”

The android opened his eyes and found himself in a brightly lit room. He blinked, activating his vision’s operating system. The android lowered the visual input brightness by 17% to compensate for the bright lights in the room. He found that he was lying on a silver table in a room filled with computers. The android tried to sit up but discovered his wrists, chest, and ankles were fastened to the table by leather straps. He flexed his forearms, and the straps across his wrists snapped without difficulty.

The android pushed up from the table, and the strap across his chest broke apart. Then he reached down and freed his legs to finally stand. The android inspected the room and found no windows or doors. The space was empty except for the table and all the computers. The android moved closer to the computers and activated his Heads-Up Display (HUD). “Connect to network – y/n?”

The android allowed the connection, and new images and data flooded his mind. The data was mostly about him. He discovered that he was the creation of a man named Caleb Justyce. The location of this room was the sub-basement of Justyce Labs – Building 1. The file referred to him as ‘Project: Adam.’ The file was vague. He must be called Adam. He needed to find out why this man created him. Adam needed to find Caleb Justyce.

————————————————————————————————————

Gavin pulled up in front of Rebekah’s apartment five minutes early. He was about to leave and go to the door when Gavin saw her come to meet him. Gavin opened the door for his date just as she got to the car. Rebekah paused for a minute, smirked at Gavin, and said, “That was so 1950 of you.”

Gavin blushed and got back in the car. Becky reached over and touched his forearm. “I’m teasing you, Gavin. Let’s go to dinner.”

Gavin smiled. “I just want to make sure to do everything right.”

“You’re off to a fantastic start.” Becky grinned.

The restaurant was busy, and the service was slow. Rebekah tapped her fingers on the table. “This drink is warm. Where’s that waiter? I need some ice or a new drink.” She grumbled.

Gavin pointed to the other side of the room. “Is that the waiter over there?” When Becky looked away, Gav touched the side of her glass and willed it to get cold. He only meant to chill the soda, but like the water glass at home, the entire glass froze and cracked. Thankfully, this time, the glass didn’t explode. Progress! “Oops!” Gavin said in surprise.

Becky turned back towards Gavin. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh. Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.” Gav said, grabbing the glass before she could see it. “I’ll go to the bar and get you a new drink. I’ll be right back.” Gavin hurried away before Becky could see the frozen glass.

After dinner, Gavin handed Becky the dessert menu. “Pick out anything you want.” Gavin was thinking about how great the date was going, then all hell broke loose. Gavin heard a loud crash from the front of the restaurant and turned around to see a half-goat and half-woman monster charging through the front window. Gavin cursed. Why was the Zodiac Club attacking a small restaurant in the middle of nowhere? Was it because of him? The other monster said that it could sense the meteors. Were they drawn to Gavin now?

“Listen up! My name is Capricorn, and I am with the Zodiac Club. I won’t kill any of you if you do what I say. One of you has a blue meteor rock in your possession. I can smell it. Don’t try being a hero. Just give me the rock, and everyone lives.” The goat yelled. Her grey-furred head darted from side to side, and her nostrils flared. Capricorn had small, curled horns growing from her head, which she must have used to smash through the picture window.

Gavin noticed something strange. A woman in a long, flowing white dress stood behind the goat beast. At first, Gavin thought the lady was a bystander from the restaurant. Then he noticed that she was whispering to Capricorn. Then, the lady in the white dress began to sing. Gavin felt his mind fog over and stood up from his seat. He felt compelled to go to the lady in the white dress. He used every ounce of concentration that he could to try and stop. Gavin’s body went cold, and his skin turned blue. Gavin looked around the room and saw everyone walking toward the Capricorn and her friend.

Gavin could hear the hooves of the goat crushing the tiled floor with every step as she walked from person to person and searched them for meteor rocks. Gavin knew he had to get out and get Rebekah and everyone else out, too. Gavin was thinking up options and silently praying that Capricorn couldn’t pinpoint his location. Then Capricorn flipped over another table and stared at a woman on the floor.

“I smell the rock, but no one is giving me what I want even though you are all entranced by Virgo’s siren call. I’ll have to prove I’m serious by crushing this woman’s head under my hoof.” The goat said, her light brown, almost yellow eyes darting wildly.

Gavin sighed and looked over at Rebekah. “Becky, this has been a great date. I hope you don’t hate me for this, but there’s something I gotta do. I can’t let them hurt anyone. Not if I can stop it. You should leave. Right now. Run as far and as fast as you can.” Gavin got up and turned toward Capricorn.

“Wait! Gavin! What can you possibly do to stop her? Get back here!” Becky cried. “Don’t do anything stupid!”

Gavin clenched his fists and concentrated. Rebekah watched as her date’s whole body became encased in armor made of ice. “Hey, goat girl! Come pick on someone your own size!”

Rebekah gasped and hid behind the table, but she watched the scene play out. She had no intention of leaving.

Capricorn heard the challenge and answered it. She charged at the man in the ice armor.

Gavin put his hands before him and shot a column of ice at the charging goat. Capricorn hit the ice with such force that she smashed through it, but she skidded on the icy floor and only hit Gavin with a glancing blow. Gavin’s hands were encased in icy gauntlets. He let loose with some heavy punches at the back and sides of Capricorn.

 Capricorn barely felt the punches. She turned and swiped at Gavin with one mighty fist. Gavin flew halfway across the room, crashing into one of the tables. Capricorn charged again. This time, Gavin aimed lower. The shot to the goat’s upper body didn’t even slow her down, so Gavin fired the icy blast at the creature’s hooves. The goat slipped and smashed through another table, but Capricorn didn’t stay down for long. She got up and stalked toward Gavin. Gavin braced for a renewed attack, but the boy and the goat heard the police sirens and the rumble of the army helicopters. More trouble than either of them wanted was fast approaching.

————————————————————————————————————

Oliver stared out the window of the penthouse apartment and scowled. Ollie knew he could keep messing with the watch until he found a way to convince the realtor to rent to him, but did he really want to live in a penthouse? Sure, it was nice, but Ollie would never fit in in this world, no matter how much he messed with the timeline. Oliver glanced at the realtor. “I’ve decided not to rent this apartment. Thank you for your time, Miss Stevens.”

“Are you sure? We haven’t even discussed all the amenities that come with it.”

“I’m sure. It’s a beautiful apartment, but it’s not what I want.” With that, he walked out. Once he was down on the street, Oliver slid into the driver’s seat of the Mustang Shelby. He drove back to the car dealership. Ollie left the car in the lot and walked back to his apartment. Oliver packed clothes and a few other small things into his backpack and one duffel bag. Ollie left money and a note in the landlord’s mailbox. The message said that Oliver would not be back and that the landlord could do whatever he wanted with whatever Ollie left behind.

Oliver decided he needed a new start but didn’t want to be like the monsters he had robbed. It was too late to do the right thing with the money now. He’d be arrested for stealing it if he returned it to the bank. Ollie knew the cameras would be all screwy because of the time jumps, so the cops would think he had something to do with it. Oliver could not prove his innocence, so he decided to keep the money. Oliver wasn’t sure what to do, but he didn’t want to keep manipulating people and stealing from them. Stealing from the monsters felt good, but tricking the car dealer into selling him the car felt wrong. He almost did the same thing with the realtor, and that was what made him think about the choices he was making.

The money would help Ollie make a fresh start. Now, he needed to decide what that fresh start would be. Oliver strapped on his backpack, picked up the duffel bag, chose a random direction, and started walking.

 

Carl Chambers and Rick Myers stood in the center of the warehouse, overseeing the buzz of activity around them. Carl shook his head, his unruly mane falling around his face. “I think this will make an excellent base of operations, and there are two other abandoned buildings that I am going to acquire. We should have safe houses in different parts of the city for emergencies.”

Rick nodded in agreement. “That’s brilliant, Carl. You were always a good union president; now, you are an even better crime boss. I am not questioning your decision, but I do have to ask. Considering the other powered individuals’ appearance, was it smart to send out just two of us to each location where we smelled the meteor? Should we send more in as backup?”

Carl stroked his chin. “Libra and Gemini should be fine. Hell, the two of them could take on an army!” Then he shrugged. “Send two more out to check on Capricorn and Virgo if you want.”

Rick’s bull muzzle turned into a semblance of a grin, and his eyes sparkled. You’ve started calling us by our codenames. I’m not sure if that’s cool or scary.”

Carl shrugged. “I don’t want us to slip up and use real names on a mission. We may as well get used to the codenames. It could get messy if the army finds out our real names.”

“Good point. I’ll see if Luke and Jayden, or I should say Aquarius and Pisces, will take a walk and check on Capricorn and Virgo.”

Rick spotted Luke and Jayden huddled together in a corner. “Luke! Jayden!” He got close to them and shook his head. “Well, I guess I should call you Aquarius and Pisces. Carl wants us to get used to the codenames so we don’t screw up on missions.”

Jayden rolled his eyes. “I may look like a freak, but I’m still Jayden Stone. Out there, call me Pisces if you want, but in here, I’m still me. I’m still Jayden.”

Luke put an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders. “Stop calling yourself a freak, babe. You’re still my beautiful boo.” He leaned over and gave Jayden a kiss.

“I appreciate you saying that, but to the world, I’m the creature from the black lagoon.” He returned the kiss, then looked at Rick and raised an eyebrow. “What’s up, Taurus. How can we help you?”

“With everything that’s happened today, I think someone should go out and check up on Capricorn and Virgo. Do you guys mind looking for them?” Rick asked.

“I’m in. You wanna go for a walk, babe?” Luke asked Jayden.

Jay glanced outside. “It’s almost dark. My hoodie should hide my face. Yeah, let’s go. Rick is right. We should check on those two. Sam and the twins should be fine.” Hand in hand, Luke and Jayden walked out of the warehouse to search for Capricorn and Virgo. Two blocks from the Portside Restaurant, they saw the cops and heard the army helicopter.

 

Capricorn looked at Gavin and said, “You’re the one who fought my husband earlier today. We’ll find you again. All the rocks will belong to the Zodiac Club. You can’t hide from us.”

Gavin snapped back at her. “Deep Freeze hides from no one. Find me anytime, goat girl, and bring your husband. I’ll take you both at once.”

Capricorn scoffed at the comment. She turned and looked for Virgo, but the other woman was already gone. Capricorn stepped through the demolished front window just as the helicopters landed. She started to run, but she was struck in the shoulder by a tranquilizer dart and fell to the ground.

Deep Freeze, a.k.a. Gavin Kastala, knew he had to leave and leave quickly. The army meant his dad. He couldn’t let his dad find out about his powers like this. He started to go, but then Rebekah was at his side. “Trying to run out on our date?” She smiled up at him.

“Our date? I thought I ruined that half an hour ago. I’m surprised you’re even still speaking to me.” Gavin said.

“Ruined? My boyfriend is a superhero! You’re the bravest guy I know. How you stood up to that creature and saved everyone was so hot.” She gripped his forearm and laid her head against his shoulder.

Gavin knew that it was now too late to escape. “Becky, the army will come through the door any second. You can’t be seen with me. Go sit over there with all the other restaurant customers. Deny that you know me. Please. I don’t want them to take you.”

“But…”

“No. Go now. Please.” Gavin said. Rebekah let go of Gav’s hand and quickly walked away. She stood beside the wall and watched the army burst through the door. Rebekah could only watch as the soldiers knocked her boyfriend to the floor, handcuffed him, and dragged him and the goat creature away. She vowed that she would do everything possible to get him back.

After a few quick questions from one of the soldiers who seemed to be in charge, Rebekah was told she could leave. They advised her not to speak of tonight’s events to anyone. Becky decided not to listen. Instead, she hailed a cab and headed for the Kastala house. Rebekah needed to free her boyfriend from captivity. She figured that his two brothers were the most logical ones to help.

 

Gavin sat in a damp, dark jail cell. His wrists and ankles were shackled to bolts on the cement floor. Two soldiers outside his cell were both pointing rifles directly at him. No matter how much Gavin tried to talk to them, neither man would answer his questions or even acknowledge that he spoke. Then Gavin heard his father’s voice. Isaac Kastala was talking to a third soldier stationed beyond another locked cell door leading to the room where Gavin’s cell was.

“Open the door, corporal. I need to speak to the prisoner.”

“With all due respect, sir, I’ve been ordered not to let anyone in to see him. The prisoner has been deemed a national security risk.”

“My son is no security risk! Open the door. I am your superior officer!”

A third voice spoke. “Go ahead and open the door, corporal.”

“Yes, sir, General Woodson.”

Gavin heard the rattling of keys and the cell door clanging as it opened. Then, the general spoke again. “You have fifteen minutes, Ike, and I’m only giving you that because he is your son. Get him to cooperate with us. It will be easier on everyone.” Then Gavin’s father strode into the room.

Isaac Kastala glared at the two soldiers who were pointing guns at Gavin. “Both of you, get out of here.”

They hesitated, and then the voice of General Woodson was heard again. “Double time it, privates. Give the sergeant the room.”

Coming Soon – Episode 8: Chaos at the Crater!

Rise of the Cursed Twins (Chapter 4)

Chapter 4

The boy stood at the top of the hill and looked down at the town. His blonde hair was slicked back from the driving rain, his bare feet ankle-deep in mud, and his hands clenched into fists that hung limply at his sides. The boy howled in rage into the storm that swirled all around him. His energy was now spent, and he collapsed in a heap and slept until the bright, hot morning sun woke him.

 

The confidence with which the tall, lanky boy strolled into the village, contrasted with his dirty appearance and ragged clothing. His bare feet slapped the hard-packed dirt street with each step as he slowly scanned the storefronts before deciding what he should do. A look of fierce determination on his young face, he stood up straight, squared his shoulders, and entered the blacksmith shop. He stopped just inside the door, blinking his pale green eyes, adjusting to the dim interior of the shop. Brushing his unruly blonde hair out of his face, he walked towards the large man hammering away at the forge. Though tall for his age, Bart felt utterly dwarfed by the blacksmith. The smith was clearly a foot taller and two hundred pounds heavier than Bart’s five foot six and a hundred and twenty pounds.

 The smith caught sight of Bart, turned towards the boy, and bellowed. “Boy! Why are you in my shop?! You do not look like a paying customer! Get out now!” The smith waved one hand dismissively at Bart, trying to point Bart back towards the door.

Bart felt the old, familiar rage boiling inside of him. He took one deep breath, held it for a moment, and released the anger and the breath. At thirteen, Bart now had near-perfect control of his emotions, especially anger. He had to. Rage was a near-constant companion for Bart. The only constant companion he had ever had. With his feelings again under control, Bart raised one dirty hand, brushed a stray lock of blonde hair out of his pale green eyes, and looked up at the man still yelling for him to get out of the shop. This time, it was the blacksmith who was kicking him out. Bart didn’t need to hear what the man said as he had been getting the same reaction from every shopkeeper in every village for the last two months. He wasn’t asking for handouts. He just wanted to do some chores in exchange for food and maybe a warm place to sleep for a couple of nights. Bart’s thin frame was weakening from lack of food and little sleep. He needed both desperately. Bart focused back in on what the blacksmith was saying to him.

“Get out of my shop now, boy. I already have an apprentice to do all the necessary chores, and your filthy stink is driving away my customers. You smell like the inside of a cow stall. Get out.”

“Please, sir, I haven’t eaten for days. I am willing to do whatever work you have that needs doing. I need a little food. Please. I don’t want a handout. I’m willing to work hard at any task you give me.” Bart looked directly into the blacksmith’s eyes, pleading with him one last time.

The blacksmith, unmoved by Bart’s plea for help, turned his head and yelled.” Andrew, get your lazy behind out here and get this filthy beggar out of my shop, now!” A tall, wide-shouldered boy lumbered out of the back room, a look on his face like an angry storm cloud. He leaned a battered-looking broom against the wall and wiped his large hands on the dirty apron hanging at his waist. Though he was not much older than Bart, Andrew’s body rippled with muscles. He had been working for the blacksmith for several years and eating more often than Bart ever had. Bart saw the boy walking towards him and started to go back to the door. Andrew closed the distance between himself and Bart in seconds and, without warning, gave him a two-handed shove to the chest, knocking Bart backward through the open door. Bart lost his balance and fell into the dusty street outside the blacksmith shop. Bart struggled to his feet and was immediately struck in the left eye by Andrew’s massive right fist. Bart attempted to get back to his feet, but the apprentice hit him in the face again. This time, the boy’s fist split Bart’s lip open. Dazed, Bart felt the blood dripping down his chin as he closed his eyes and tried to get the world to stop spinning. Andrew grabbed Bart by the back of his shirt and dragged him across the street. Bart tried to struggle free of the bigger boy’s grasp. Bart’s struggles only succeeded in getting him repeatedly kicked in the ribs.

Andrew looked down at the battered and bloody boy at his feet. “Never come back to this shop again. My master does not want you here. If you return, I will beat you even worse.” Andrew turned without another word and stalked back to the blacksmith shop.

 Bart groaned in agony. His left eye throbbed and was already swollen shut. He ran his tongue over the cut on his lip and tasted fresh blood still dripping from the wound. His chest hurt if he tried to breathe too deeply, hopefully, bruised and not broken ribs. Bart rolled himself into a sitting position and leaned his back against the side of the building. He glowered across the street at the blacksmith shop with his one good eye. His body shook as the rage flowed through him. Bart was furious. His hands balled into tightly clenched fists, and little half-moons of blood sprouted up under his fingernails. He gritted his teeth to prevent himself from howling in rage. He looked down and saw a large bruise already forming where the boy had roughly gripped his arm and dragged him across the street. Bart clenched his fists tighter and felt the blood from his palms dripping down the sides of his hands.

Bart closed his eyes and pictured what he wanted to do to the blacksmith’s apprentice. Bart imagined what he wanted to do to the blacksmith. He envisioned what he wanted to do to everyone around him. Bart hated them. He hated them all. Even the few people who had ever been kind to Bart, he hated them most of all. The nicer someone was to him, the more he hated them. He knew that someday they would betray him. They all always did. So, if he let himself care, he would open himself up to even worse pain. Therefore, the people who acted as if they liked him were the most dangerous of all. He had to push them away even further than the rest. As Bart pictured all this in his mind, he felt a surge of energy, and his whole body itched and tingled. His pain seemed to lessen slightly, and Bart opened his eyes and stood up. He glanced at the blacksmith shop one last time and saw the apprentice still looking out of the shop towards him. Bart turned and walked up the street away from the shop, still plotting revenge.

He had to get away for now. He had to get his anger under control and decide what to do next. The first thing he needed to do was clean himself up. His hands were bloody, and he was even dirtier than he was before. Bart walked further up the dusty street. He saw an inn and thought he could clean up and maybe beg for food. He looked through the inn’s window and saw a middle-aged woman tending the bar and a young girl waiting tables and serving food. He hoped the middle-aged woman was the inn owner. She looked like someone who might help a young boy in trouble. He wasn’t sure what he would say to her, but he stepped forward and pushed through the door to the inn. He only took a few steps into the inn when suddenly he became very dizzy. The room started to spin, and he collapsed on the floor. As he lost consciousness, Bart thought he heard a glass break and a woman scream.

 

After Bart walked up the street, a shadowy figure emerged from behind the building. The individual was wearing a heavy black cloak and had the hood pulled all the way forward, completely covering their face. The figure glided over and bent down right where Bart had been sitting in the grass. The once lush green grass was now yellow, dry, and wilted. There were also drops of Bart’s blood on the grass from the cuts on his hands and lip. The figure extended one sickly grey hand out, pulled up some yellowed grass, rolled it between his long, bony fingers, and dropped it back to the ground. He wiped up a spot of the blood and licked it off his finger with his pointed yellow tongue. The figure nodded to himself, knowing that the boy had finally used magic, even if he was unaware of that fact. With one wave of his hand, the figure turned the yellowed grass green again, wiping away any trace of magic. The Shadowkin called Ihlvo turned and faded back into the buildings’ shadow. The child of Bahaar was growing in power. Soon, Ihlvo’s plans would begin in earnest.

 

Bart felt a presence hovering over him, and he slowly opened his right eye. The worried face of the middle-aged woman, the woman he had seen just before he entered the inn, greeted him. Bart pushed himself up to a sitting position. “Wha-what happened?”

The woman steadied Bart with a hand on his shoulder. “You poor boy. You stumbled into my inn and collapsed on the floor! You look terribly beaten! Who has done such an evil thing to such a sweet, innocent boy?!” Tears dripped from her eyes, and she looked down at Bart as if he were her own son.

Bart decided it best not to mention the blacksmith or the apprentice. Instead, he told a story of strangers on the road brutally attacking him. “Ma’am, there were two of them. Big men. I never saw what they looked like. They beat me, took everything I had, and left me by the side of the road. When I woke, I made my way here to this inn. It took all the strength I had to make it this far. I guess I passed out. If someone could help me up, I will be out of your way as soon as I rest for a bit.” He sighed and lay back on the floor.

“No. No. No. You are not going anywhere, my dear boy.” She looked back over her shoulder at the people in the inn. “Jonah! Help this boy up and sit him at the table by the corner window.” Next, she yelled at one of her servers. “Emily! Go to my room, get the little black pouch by my bed, and then get me a steak from the kitchen. Move! Both of you!” She looked back down at Bart. “My name is Cecilia Greene. You are going to be staying with me for a while. What is your name?”

“I am Bartholomew. You can call me Bart, though. I don’t want to be any trouble. Really.”

“Quiet, little one. It is no trouble at all. My own sons moved off on their own to start their own families. Let me take care of you. Now you sit back and tell old Cecilia everything that happened while I tend to your cuts and bruises.” Emily arrived with the first aid pouch, and Jonah finished helping Bart to the table by the window. Cecilia sent the two off on other errands and inspected Bart’s wounds closely before starting her work.

Bart winced in pain each time Cecilia cleaned a cut or applied some ointment to a bruise, but he talked through the pain. Deep down, he knew he didn’t want Cecilia, or anyone else, to learn of his fight at the smithy. Therefore, he spun Cecilia a different tale.

“I have been traveling on my own for a long time. I mostly stick to the forest and fend for myself. I try to avoid people as much as I can, especially towns. I… don’t have much luck dealing with people.” Bart cast his eyes downward. He cleared his throat and continued his story. “I was in the woods northwest of the village. Hunting was getting me nowhere. I could find no game anywhere. The fish weren’t biting. I haven’t eaten in four days! I was so hungry that I left the forest against my better judgment and found the road leading into town. I hoped to find work to earn money to buy some food. About a half-mile or so from the town, two men jumped me. They were hiding behind an overturned wagon, and as I passed the wagon, they attacked. When I woke up, I hurt everywhere. I was lying in a ditch on the side of the road, bloody and bruised. Everything I had with me, which wasn’t much to begin with, was gone: my knife, my fishing pole, and a few coins, all gone. I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t sure if they were still around. I was scared they might attack me again and kill me this time, so I got up and made my way into town. I saw the inn and hoped maybe I could clean myself up here. I guess I passed out. I woke up, and you were there. Thank you for taking care of my cuts. I don’t know how I can ever repay you. I have nothing now.” Bart lowered his gaze again. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, surprised at the depth of his own emotions.

Cecilia patted his arm. “Don’t worry about paying me for helping you, and don’t worry about leaving my inn. You said you came into town looking for work to get some food. I have plenty of work for you to do around here. I am always looking for someone to help with things. You rest and heal. When you are back on your feet, I will put you to work, and then we can talk about wages and repayments.” Cecilia turned her head toward Jonah, who was still at the table listening attentively to everything the young stranger had to say. “Jonah, go to the kitchen and get Bart something to eat. For now, get him some bread, cheese, and a big bowl of hot soup, and we’ll see if we can fill his hungry belly.” Cecilia patted Bart’s arm again and smiled at the boy. She got up from the table and called Emily. “Emily, get Bart a pitcher of water and keep him company until Jonah returns with dinner.”

Bart found himself smiling, which confused him. He genuinely liked Cecilia. She was kinder to him than anyone had been in longer than Bart could remember. Cecilia offered him food, a place to sleep, and a job. There was no way Bart would say no. After all, it was what he had come to town for. He had just not planned on feeling this way about someone. The only emotions Bart could ever remember feeling were anger and hate. Cold hatred or burning hot rage. This warm feeling of affection was new to him, and it confused him. Emily returned to the table with a water pitcher, interrupting his thoughts. Emily was a beautiful girl. He guessed her to be about sixteen, three years older than him. She had long blonde hair tied back to keep it from her face while working. Bart stood to pull the chair out for her to sit, and he noticed he was slightly taller than she was.

When Bart pulled the chair out for her, Emily set the pitcher of water down, leaned over, and kissed Bart on the cheek. “Such a sweet boy. Even though you are in terrible pain, you are still a fine young gentleman. Some girl will be lucky to have you someday.” Emily smiled and sat across the table from Bart.

The rage appeared quick and powerful; he almost couldn’t control it. He clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and took deep breaths. The kindness from Emily triggered the old familiar anger. Bart was even more confused now than before. What was it about Cecilia that allowed him to like her? He didn’t know, but he wanted to. He desperately wanted to be able to like people. He knew he had to spend more time with Cecilia and figure out what was different about her.

Bart opened his eyes and saw the worried look on the face of Emily. “Sorry.” He said through clenched teeth. “My ribs hurt really bad.” He took another deep breath and exhaled the rage as he had taught himself to do. He looked back at Emily again. “Thank you for your kind words, Emily. I can’t remember when people were as nice to me as you and Cecilia.” He stuttered and stammered another thank you as he poured himself a glass of water.

Before long, Jonah arrived with a plate of food for Bart. “Emily, Cecilia wants you to get back to work. Customers are waiting for their food.” As Emily left the table, Jonah slipped into her chair. He folded his hands and stared across the table at Bart. “Who are you really? And what happened to you? Bandits don’t roam the streets of this town. And if they did, why would they bother with a scrawny beggar like you?” Jonah sneered at Bart. “I don’t believe one word of your story. I’m going to keep an eye on you. Cecilia is a good person, and I won’t have you take advantage of her good nature.”

  Bart sat back, folded his hands in front of himself, and took two long, deep breaths. He looked directly at Jonah. “Every word I told Cecilia is true, Jonah. Why would I lie? Look at me. Aren’t my bruises all the proof you need? What more do you want?”

Jonah stared at Bart for a minute. “I’m not sure. I don’t trust you. Your story is ridiculous. Your injuries are real, though. I’ll give you that.” Jonah squinted his eyes, deep in thought. “I… just don’t know.”

Bart looked down, fiddled with his hands, and looked back at Jonah. Even though he hated this boy, he needed to stay at the inn for now, so he had to get everyone here to like and trust him. Bart had learned to smile and charm people into liking him, even though he hated them. He bottled up the hate and smiled at Jonah. “Please, Jonah. Give me a chance to prove myself. I don’t want handouts. I am willing to work hard for anything Cecilia does to help me. I’m not lying to you. I was badly beaten, and I have nothing except the clothes I’m wearing.”

Jonah sighed. “Ok, Bart. I won’t cause you any trouble with Cecilia, but I’m still not sure I believe you. If you stay, we’ll probably work together on lots of chores. Let’s get to know each other better. How long have you been on your own? My own parents died two years ago. I’ve been staying here at the inn with Cecilia ever since.”

Bart avoided as many of Jonah’s questions as he could. He deflected other questions back at Jonah and changed the subject as often as was possible. Part of the reason was that he didn’t want Jonah to know much about him, but mostly, it was because Bart did not know much about his own childhood. He didn’t know who his birth parents were or even where he was born. Bart bounced from family to family and village to village as each family got tired of caring for the boy. The last family even accused him of doing evil, vile things. The woman gave birth to a new baby while Bart was there. The baby disappeared from the hut one night, and they found him dead in the forest. They blamed Bart for the child’s death. They would have hung him, but they had no proof that he did it, so instead, they banished him from the village. That was two years ago. Bart had only been eleven years old. He never even tried to stay with a family after that. He didn’t need them. He could make it on his own! Now, here he was again. In another town and surrounded by people. He figured he’d stay long enough to fill his belly, rest, and then move on. He didn’t trust people. He was better off on his own.

Bart looked up from his reverie and realized it had gotten dark, and Jonah was still talking. “I’m sorry, Jonah. I zoned out. I’m tired. Can you show me where Cecilia wants me to sleep?”

“Sure. Come on.” Jonah got up and led Bart to a room at the very back of the inn. “Right in here. The washroom is across the hall, and my room is right next to yours if you need anything. Goodnight, Bart. I’m glad we talked.” Jonah walked away and left Bart alone in the room.

 

Rise of the Cursed Twins (Chapter 2)

Chapter 2

After weeks of hard flying and little rest, the great, green dragon Colossus crested the top of the mountains, leaving the scorching desert behind. He saw a land dotted by rivers, lakes, and forests spread out below. He flew in ever-decreasing circles, surveying the land, finally settling onto the lush, green grass of a meadow by a large lake. He had not seen a single drop of water in the last four days. He leaned down and took a long drink of the cold, crystal-clear water, even dunking his head under the water to cool down. After flying over the hot, dry desert and the tall snow-capped mountains, Colossus was bone-weary tired.

A small yet determined cry reminded him of the task at hand. He opened the claw of his left forefoot and gingerly dropped the baby on the grass. Far from Talamh Arsa, and with the Endless Desert separating the lands, this should be as good a place as any to find a home for Bahaar’s son. He could smell the stench of dark magic emanating from the baby but could sense no evil intentions from him. He could not just leave the child to fend for himself in the forest, so he decided to scout to see what manner of creatures lived in this land. He took another long drink of water, flapped his massive wings, and flew off into the distance, the baby once again clutched in his giant claw.

 

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Colossus landed just outside of a small village. The inhabitants of the town, obviously seeing his arrival, gathered at the edge of the village, weapons in hand. Colossus could smell their fear but also their courage. The weapons they held looked more adapted to farming than war. Colossus shook his head in wonder. These creatures looked remarkably like the baby he clutched in his claw. However, that should be no surprise, as Andharia helped create everything. When she cast the curse, she must have had the look of these creatures in the back of her mind.

Colossus stared at the villagers gathered before him. They were tall and broad-shouldered, covered in a thick coat of shaggy brown fur. They had large, curved horns on their heads and wide nostrils on their snouts. They stood on two legs, which ended in hooves. The only difference between them and the baby that Colossus could readily discern was that his newly emerging horns were black. The horns of all these villagers were ivory.

Colossus spoke to them in the old tongue, hoping they knew it, knowing they would not understand dragon speech. “Greetings, brave creatures. My name is Colossus, and I have come from across the Endless Desert searching for a new home for this baby. Though he is not of your kind, he more closely resembles you than any other race I have found.” He watched their faces and waited.

One among them stepped forward. “My Lord Dragon, we are honored by your presence. None of your kind has visited these lands in our lifetime. I am Aleksei. My brethren do not speak this language. I was taught to speak it by the elves when I visited their homeland.” He peered at the baby. “What manner of creature is this? And why would you travel such great distances only to give him to us?”

Colossus leaned his massive head down so he could look directly into the eyes of the minotaur. He narrowed his eyes in concentration and spoke. “I took you for a simple farming community. I am surprised that you have elf-taught knowledge. Have others in your village studied with the elves?”

“No. Only the eldest son of the Tribal Chieftain learns the old tongue from the elves. There has not been a dragon sighted in these lands in longer than my lifetime. What is it that brings you to these lands, Lord Dragon?”

“I have come to find a suitable home for this babe. He comes from a faraway land and needs a new home.”

“What manner of beast is he? His black fur and ebony horns give him a look of evil, yet a gentleness in his eyes is rarely seen in such a beast.”

Colossus sighed a heavy sigh. “I will share a part of his story with you. He is a cursed demi-god. He was born of a human mother and fathered by the king of the gods. He was cursed while still in the womb by the jealous queen. She cursed him to be evil inside and for his appearance to reflect that. I sense no evil from this child, however. I do not think that the curse fully touched him. I will stay nearby to monitor his growth, but if he grows up with others who resemble him, he may stand a better chance of living a normal life.”

“I sense the truth in your words and agree with your assessment, Lord Dragon. I, Aleksei of the Minotaurs, and my wife, Senja, will welcome the babe into our home as one of our own. I will tell no one, other than my wife, his true origins. Do you know his name, Lord Dragon?”

Colossus pondered a moment. “I do not. He was banished from the kingdom before he could be named.”

“I will call him Krycus. A good strong name for a good strong babe.” Aleksei said while reaching down and lifting Krycus into his arms.

“I thank you, Aleksei of the Minotaurs, and I will not forget your kindness. I will know and come if you or young Krycus ever need my assistance. Otherwise, I will not bother you again. Farewell, Aleksei.” With that, Colossus turned and, with a massive flap of his wings, rose high into the air and disappeared from sight.

 

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Colossus flew in wide, arcing circles across the length and breadth of Talamh Thar. He was searching for a race with which he could entrust certain secrets. Colossus knew that someday, the troubles of Talamh Arsa would spread into the new land. Talamh Thar needed guardians. The minotaurs were good, hardy creatures but were still just simple folk and relatively few in number. Colossus flew past the armored cities of the war-like dwarves, the elves’ homes hidden deep in their forests. He flew past schools of merfolk splashing with the dolphins in the sea and the giants’ simple villages in the fields and hills. Then, Colossus found the humans. Back in the old country, humans were clustered in small towns and were few in number. Here, they were spread out in dozens of towns and cities of varying sizes. Their numbers were vast. Colossus made the decision to entrust his secrets to humans. Colossus spotted a large castle atop a hill at the edge of the most significant human city. He circled one more time and then landed near the castle.

Soldiers flooded out of the castle’s front gate, and archers lined the parapets. Colossus cocked his head to the side and came as close as a dragon can to smiling. He blew out a thin stream of fire several feet in front of the line of soldiers and watched as they retreated and cowered in fear. The archers rained arrows down upon the dragon, but they bounced harmlessly off his scaly hide.

Colossus sat and stared as the soldiers scurried around, trying to decide what to do about him. The dragon noticed a man standing on the highest tower. The man was watching everything. Colossus noted that the man was not dressed as a soldier and had a golden circlet on his brow. The dragon knew immediately that this must be their king. Colossus stood and bowed his head toward the king.

King Tarquinn surveyed the scene below him. A creature of legend, a dragon, stood in his courtyard. The king’s first instinct was to protect his people and his castle. He deployed his formidable army, which resulted in an embarrassing failure. No weapon could pierce the dragon’s hide. When a strange thing happened, Tarquinn contemplated his next move; the great green dragon’s gaze fell upon him. The dragon stared, and the king stared back. Tarquinn’s hand instinctively reached for his sword when the dragon stood and moved toward him, but then the dragon bowed. Tarquinn was stunned. It wasn’t just a figment of his imagination; the dragon bowed toward the king, then lay down and rested its massive head between its front legs. The dragon seemed to be waiting for something or for someone. Tarquinn made a decision. He descended the tower and stepped outside of his castle. Flanked by his two most senior generals, Tarquinn stepped forward, stood before the mighty dragon, and bowed. “Greetings, Lord Dragon. Is there any manner in which we may communicate? I would greatly like to hear your reason for visiting my humble kingdom.”

Colossus was impressed that the human king returned his bow with one of his own. The dragon drew in a breath and blew out a thin stream of dragon smoke, which encircled the king. The two generals leaped forward, but Tarquinn yelled to stop them before they could act. “No! Stop! It’s ok. The smoke isn’t hurting me. There’s a slight itching and burning sensation on my right bicep.” Tarquinn pulled down his shirt and stared in wonder at the bright green dragon claw tattoo on his right arm. He looked wonderingly at the dragon. “Why did you do this?”

“I granted you Dragon Speech so you could understand me. I judge you as a kind and noble king, and I need your assistance.”

“You have already granted me a gift for which I can never repay you. Ask anything, and I will grant it.”

“I need you and your people to be the guardians of this land. A watchdog, so to speak. I have come from the land beyond the Sands of Eternity, the great desert to your west. I did not come alone. I brought with me a cursed demi-god. He needed a home far from where he came from, and I have chosen to leave him with the minotaurs.”

“Beyond the sands to the west, you say? Some have ventured in, but none have ever returned. We call it the Death Sands.” The king turned to one of his generals. “Send for a tent and a chair for me. Have drinks and food sent out as well.” The general yelled out orders to a soldier who stood nearby. The king turned back to Colossus. “Sorry for that interruption, Lord Dragon. Continue your tale.”

“The Death Sands, as you call them, would be near impossible for humans to cross without knowledge of the terrain and an arsenal to defend against what lives within the desert. That is a tale for another day, though. For now, you must learn of the boy and his history.”

“I am still amazed that I am speaking to a dragon, and now we will speak of a demi-god. How is this possible? I have so many questions. Why did you choose me to speak to? Why did you leave the demi-god with the minotaurs? They are such a simple and peaceful race! Why did you take the baby so far from his home?” While speaking, the soldiers constructed a tent around the king and brought him his throne. They got a table and filled it full of drinks and food for the king and the generals. Last, they also brought Colossus a cow and two sheep to satiate his hunger.

The green dragon licked his lips and thanked the king for the meal. “To answer your questions, King Tarquinn, I chose the minotaurs for two reasons. Reason one is that they are a simple and peaceful race, as you say. The second reason is that the curse caused the baby’s appearance to change, and he now resembles a minotaur. There are differences, but he resembles them more closely than any other race.”

“That makes sense, but why come to us? Why grant me Dragon Speech?”

“I flew the length and breadth of this land. I passed over the war-like dwarves. I passed over the hidden and reclusive elves. I passed over the people of the sea, the syreni. I passed over the trolls in their mountain caves. I passed over many other races. In Talamh Arsa, the land I came from, humans are simple folk. They live in small villages without centralized organization. You have come far here in Talamh Thar. Your people have flourished. If dark days envelop this land, humans will play a key role in saving the world.”

“You speak highly of both me and my race, Lord Dragon. I am honored.”

“I hope I am not misjudging you,” Colossus said, staring intently at Tarquinn. “As to why I brought the baby here, the answer is both simple and complex at the same time. The simple answer is that King Bahaar did not want it known that the cursed and grotesque child was of his blood. It was his Queen, Andharia, who cursed the babe. Bahaar mated with a human woman and impregnated her. Andharia cursed the child while he was still in the womb. Upon his birth, his mother was killed, and he was banished.”

“Political drama and jealousy amongst the gods. I am not sure if that is comforting or frightening.” Tarquinn said.

“That answers your question, but it is not the whole story I must tell you.” The dragon said. “The curse is of the old magic. Though I do not sense evil within him, he may yet draw evil to him. You need to know the history of the old magic and these beings I call gods.”

“Did you warn the minotaurs of this danger?”

“In vague terms only. I did not feel that they would have understood. That is why I am here with you now.”

“I am ready to listen, Lord Dragon.”

Colossus began his story. “Back before recorded time, there was one being before anything else. A being so powerful that words have no explanation. This being grew tired of the empty void and eternal aloneness. He decided to create a planet on which he could then create life. He gathered all of his magical energies and focused them on the creation of this planet. Even with all his power, he couldn’t stop what happened next. He expended so much energy that he splintered into twelve separate entities. As they each awoke, they began to realize what happened. They also discovered that their former self’s remaining energy now flowed like a river under the ground of their new home. The river’s magic seeped into the earth, imbuing everything with a small amount of magic.”

Colossus stopped his story and leaned closer to Tarquinn. “This is still true today, king. The river of magic flows beneath our feet, and every plant and animal holds minute traces of magic within them.”

“That is amazing, Lord Dragon. I never knew.”

“It is the source of magic powers. Whether they know the source or not, they draw magic from everywhere. Untrained mages can draw too much from one source and kill it.”

“No wonder they go through such long apprenticeships.”

“True.” Colossus settled his head back onto his mighty forelegs. “The twelve attempted to recombine into their one true form. They tried for months, maybe years. Finally, they gave up and started experimenting with what they could do as twelve separate entities. They soon discovered that the power of creation required all twelve to work together. I was the result of their first successful attempt. I was the first of dragons, the oldest living being except for the twelve themselves.”

“Wow! That’s impressive!” Tarquinn bowed his head toward Colossus.

“The twelve, who now referred to themselves as elders, set me the task of guarding the source of magic. I was confined to the underground cavern for thousands of years until fate intervened, and I could pass my task on to others. With the magic now guarded, the elders were free to roam. They took pride in creating small things independently but were forced to work together to create life. They started developing their own personalities and took on the separate names that we know them by today. They spent their days creating small things. Some made flowers and trees and other vegetation.

In contrast, when the twelve met again, others contemplated new ideas for small animals, insects, and birds. The world was filling up with all manner of life. One among them grew bored. His name was Ashael. He started experimenting with darker aspects of his powers, such as combining life forms to create new things, grotesque things. He began killing things only to bring them back to life. Some of Ashael’s creations escaped from his laboratories and began destroying Ashael’s siblings’ creations.

When the others realized the problem, it had grown so severe that it was too late to stop. The dark magic had warped and changed Ashael. He was now the first of the Shadowkin. The eternal war between the Elders and the Shadowkin had begun. The creatures that Ashael had brought back from the dead had the power to infect those that they touched. The Shadowkin gained numbers amazingly quickly. The eleven remaining Elders searched for Ashael, but he had disappeared. He has never been seen to this day. It is assumed that he still lives but has chosen to live in hiding.

For centuries, the elders chased the shadowkin across the lands. Around them, the world changed. The other races grew and spread across the globe. Towns and, eventually, cities were built. Stories about the two warring groups were told over and over. The elders became known as the Enkali. The mysterious Ashael and his Shadowkin became legends of terror to scare children of all races into obeying their parents.”

Tarquinn stood and stretched his limbs. He took a drink of water. “That is an amazing story, Lord Dragon. We have heard variations of similar stories. We never dreamed they were true!”

“I am not surprised that variations of the stories have reached this far. My story is not yet finished, King Tarquinn. What I have told you is but history. I told you all that to prepare you for how things currently are and how they may directly affect the lands in which you live.”

“In that case, I am quite interested, and you have my undivided attention, Lord Dragon,” Tarquinn said.

“As I have said, the Unending War has raged for thousands of years. The Shadowkin, soon followed by the Enkali, arrived in Talamh Arsa over a thousand years ago. The elves were drawn into the fight but soon fled the land. They entered the desert, and their descendants may now live in the forests to your south. It is unlikely, though possible, that any stayed in the desert.”

“Elves are a hardy bunch, but I agree with you. Why stay in that horrible, hellish desert?”

“Exactly my thinking. The truth is probably written in the elven histories, but they are hidden even from most elves.”

“Odd. We teach our history to all our young.”

“The elves are different and more secretive than most other races. That is one of the reasons why I did not choose them in my quest to find a guardian for this land.”

“My people and I are humbled that you chose us.”

The dragon cocked his head and smiled his dragony smile. “Back to my tale. So, the battle raged across Talamh Arsa for hundreds of years. The elves fled, and the dragons and our kin retreated to the northern mountains. This left the Enkali and Shadowkin to battle each other. Other races, like the humans, were sometimes caught in the middle, but they mostly stayed out of the way. Then, the Enkali made a breakthrough. Close to five hundred years ago, they created silver control collars. Once the collars were in place around the neck of a Shadowkin, that Shadowkin was under the complete control of the Enkali. Now, as far as anyone knows, every Shadowkin is collared. There has been a more extended period of peace in the land than has been known for a long time.

Now that you know a brief history let me tell you about my fears about our current situation and why I want the baby to be watched closely. When Andharia cursed the baby, the Enkali made the first use of dark magic since Ashael. I fear that the birth of the babe and the release of the dark magic within him may stir up the Shadowkin and draw Ashael himself out of the shadows.”

“Those are indeed some dire fears. It is a mission of grave importance that you place upon the shoulders of my people.”

“The mark that I placed upon you will be handed down to the firstborn son of each generation. Ensure your heirs know this story and contact me if any sign of the Shadowkin appears within these lands. I will hear the thoughts of any who bear that tattoo if those thoughts are directed towards me.”

“I will do as you ask, Lord Dragon. You will not regret your decision to put your trust in us.”

Colossus nodded his head. He rose and stretched his limbs, and then the dragon turned and flew off into the sky with a flap of his massive wings.

 

New Justyce – Episode 3

Episode 3: Heroes and Monsters

“Ashton! Wait up!” Harvey yelled as he closed ground on his best friend.

Ash heard someone yell his name and stopped. He turned around and saw his closest friend, Harvey Kastala, running to catch up to him. Ash sat on a park bench and waited.

Slightly out of breath, Harvey sat down next to Ashton. “Hey, Ash.”

“Why are you here, Harvs? Shouldn’t you be in class right now?”

Harvey waved the hall pass in front of his friend. “I’m in the bathroom. Duh!”

Ash rolled his eyes. “Go back to school, Harvey. I’m fine.”

“What happened? I saw the vice-principal walk you off school property?”

“I’m not sure what happened. My desk fell apart, and the school blamed me. Destruction of school property. It’s been a weird day, Harvs.”

“I know. My dad’s unit is on high alert because of the meteors. They think there’s more to it than that.”

Ashton’s eyes grew wide. “Do you know what they think is going on? Are the meteors dangerous?”

“Ash, what are you not telling me? What happened at school?”

Ashton sighed. “You know me too well.”

“You’ve been my best friend since kindergarten. Now spill it!”

“Alright. Well, my strange day started before I got to school. I was passing by the antique store on Park Avenue. The store burned down in one of the fires last night. I stopped to check it out and noticed a bright blue rock in the antique store’s ashes. It was stunning, so I picked it up.” Ash pulled the rock out of his pocket and showed it to Harvey. “The damn thing started glowing and made my whole body feel weird. I’m not sure why I kept it.”

Harvey started to reach for it, but Ash pulled it back. “No! Please don’t touch it. At least not until I finish my story. Then you can decide for yourself.”

“It may be too late for that.” Harvey reached into his pocket and pulled out four small blue stones. “They’re a lot smaller than the one you have, but I felt the same energy pulses throughout my body that you described. So, please, I need to hear the rest of your story.”

Ash reached out, placed a hand on Harvey’s forearm, and stared deep into his bright blue eyes. “Oh, Harvs, what’s happening to us. I hope you don’t experience what I did today.”

“Just tell me, Ash. What happened?” Harvey asked.

Ashton relayed his story. He told Harvey about the floor tile, the pencil, and the desk falling apart. Ash explained that none of it was intentional. His body vibrated so fast that Ash could barely follow his movements, and he had no conscious control. “So, that’s my story. It can’t be a coincidence. It’s gotta be related to the stones, right?”

Harvey was about to respond when an older boy ran out of the park. Harvey thought he recognized him. Erik? Something like that. He thought the boy graduated with Gavin. “Dude, where’s the fire?” Harvey said as the boy ran over to where Harvey and Ashton sat.

“There’s not a fire, but two monsters are in the park, and I think they’re chasing me! We need to get out of here!”

“Whatever drugs you’re taking, you need to quit,” Ash said, then an arrow flew out of the trees and stuck in the bench right between him and Harvey.

————————————————————————————————————

“Gav, I know we have to check in with Dad but promise me we will come back and look for Obie. I know he’s close. I can feel his presence with the feather.” Logan said as he reached for the car’s door handle.

“Ok, Logan, I promise. As long as Dad doesn’t say that we can’t, I’ll bring you back here.” Gavin started to go around the car to get into the driver’s side. Before he could get in the car, Gavin heard a loud yell. He looked to the side just in time to see a large shape hurtling toward the vehicle. “Logan! Get down!” Gavin yelled.

Logan looked around, and his eyes widened in shock and fear. He dove toward his brother, barely getting out of the way in time before something big crashed into the car. The windows shattered, and the vehicle was knocked onto its side. Logan rolled over and looked to see what hit the car. He couldn’t believe his own eyes. What Logan saw stood on two legs like a man, but the similarities ended there. Where the creature’s massive leg muscles burst through its jeans, long dark grey fur showed through the rips. The same hair covered the creature’s bare upper torso. The beast’s upper body was humanoid and just over six feet tall. The broad shoulders and heavily muscled arms ended in large hands. Logan could see the once human face was distorted and covered in the same grey fur. The creature’s ears were pointed and closer to the top of its head than human ears. Still, the most shocking feature was the set of enormous, curved ram’s horns protruding from the sides of the monster’s head.

“What are you?” Logan asked, his voice shaking with fear.

The beast turned toward Logan and snarled. “I am Aries the Ram, and you will give me the blue stones, or I will crush the life from you and take them.”

Gavin leaped in front of his brother and faced Aries. “Stay away from my brother, you freak. You’ll have to come through me to get to him.” Gavin turned his head to look at Logan. “Get behind the car, Logan. Hurry!” Logan scrambled backward and crouched behind the overturned car. Gavin set his feet and faced his foe.

————————————————————————————————————

Caleb didn’t even bother knocking when he got to Christine’s house. He was too excited to see this boy she told him about. Caleb rushed into the kitchen and found his sister drinking tea at the table. “Where is he? You didn’t let him leave, did you?”

“No. Of course not. The boy is still here. He just woke up. He doesn’t remember what happened to him. I turned the TV on in the living room and made him some sandwiches. Take it slow, Caleb. That boy looks like he’s been through a lot.”

“What about the wounds on his back? You said his blood is blue and glowing?”

“Yes, and he’s healing remarkably fast. The cuts were open and raw last night. Now, they look like they’ve been healing for a week!”

“Amazing! Let me go talk to him.” Caleb said and rushed out of the room.

Caleb stopped just inside the doorway to the living room. His breath caught in his throat. At first glance, the view could have been mistaken for millions of similar scenes worldwide. A teenage boy was sprawled on the couch watching TV while practically inhaling sandwiches and potato chips. Then Caleb noticed the boy’s eyes. He had the brightest blue eyes that Caleb had ever seen, but that wasn’t what caught Caleb’s attention. The boy’s eyes weren’t exactly glowing, but they shone in the dim light. It reminded Caleb of how a cat’s eyes reflected low light, allowing them to see in the dark. The boy turned his head and looked directly at Caleb. A momentary jolt of fear shot through Caleb, but when the boy smiled, Caleb knew there was no evil in that boy. Caleb slowly moved further into the room. Not wanting to spook the boy, Caleb sat on the opposite end of the couch.

————————————————————————————————————

Harvey and Ashton both leaped off of the bench. “Dude! I thought you were joking. Who is chasing you?” Harvey asked.

“Yeah, I thought you said monsters, not crazy bow-wielding maniacs?” Ashton quipped.

“I did say monsters, and I meant it. One is a half-woman and half-horse creature from mythology. That monster is the one with the bow. The other is a guy who looks like he has a shell and a mutant claw for a hand! They’re not chasing me, but we need to get out of here! They’re in the middle of the park, terrorizing everyone in sight!” Erik replied, pacing back and forth.

“A centaur and a crab man? Are you trying to prank us? Where are the cameras?” Harvey said.

“Harvey, duck!” Ash yelled!

Harvey looked up and saw another arrow heading straight for him. Harvey didn’t even have time to react. Then something barreled into him, and Harvey landed on the ground on his back. The breath was knocked right out of his lungs. Harvey coughed and blinked and tried to roll out from under whatever landed on him, then he saw that it was Ash. “Ash? How? You were way over there.”

“I… I’m not sure.”

“I was looking right at you and didn’t see you move. You were next to me one second, and then there was a blur and a gust of wind, and you were on top of your friend.” Erik said.

“A lot of weird stuff has been happening today,” Ash said, getting off Harvey. “Maybe we should do as Erik said and get as far away from here as possible.”

Harvey leaped to his feet. “No! If they are hurting people, we need to try and help! I want to get a few pictures to send to my dad. These creatures may be the reason that his army unit was activated.”

“This idea is stupid, but I’ll show you where they are. You’ll change your mind and agree with me as soon as you see them.” Erik said in frustration, but he led the other two boys through the trees and into the picnic area in the park’s center.

“I thought you were exaggerating, but that does look just like a centaur,” Harvey said.

“She’s firing arrows right at that family. Harvey’s right. We have to at least try and help.” Ashton said and took a step forward, and then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

“Ash? Where’d ya go? Erik, what happened?” Harvey said, looking all around.

“It’s the same as when he tackled you. A gust of wind and Ash was gone. Wait. Isn’t that him over by the pond?”

“It can’t be. That’s over a hundred yards away. How could he….”

Erik heard a thump and turned to see why Harvey had stopped talking. When he turned, Erik first saw the mutant crab monster, but then he saw Harvey lying face-first on the ground at the creature’s feet. Erik clenched his fists. “Get away from my friend, you freak!” To Erik’s surprise, the monster took a step back. Then Erik felt a gust of wind, and Ashton appeared.

“Harvs!” Ashton yelled and knelt by his best friend. Ash looked up at Erik, and his eyes grew wide. “Erik! You’re on fire… and you’re… floating!”

Erik looked down at himself, and his eyes widened in shock and fear. Ashton was right. His entire body was floating a foot off the ground and was engulfed in flames.

————————————————————————————————————

“You are either brave or foolish,” Aries sneered.

“I will not let you hurt my brother,” Gavin stated, raising his fists.

“Gavin, come on! Let’s run!” Logan yelled from behind the overturned car.

“Too late for that, boy,” Aries said as he butted his horns against the car, pushing it further off the road.

“What do you want from us?” Gavin asked.

“The blue stones. Give them to me willingly, and I might let you live.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We don’t have any blue stones,” Gavin said, slowly backing away from Aries.

Aries sniffed the air. “I can smell them. You can’t lie to me, boy. I’ve had enough talk. Prepare to die.” Aries lowered his head and charged.

Gavin dropped to his knees and raised his arms to protect himself. Gavin gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and prepared for an impact that never came. Instead, Gavin heard what sounded like breaking glass, and a loud thump came from behind him. Gavin opened his eyes and looked warily around. Shards of ice were everywhere, and Aries was between Gavin and the car. Gavin couldn’t figure out what had happened but quickly jumped to his feet to place himself between Aries and Logan.

Aries’ eyes narrowed. “I knew I smelt the stones. You’ve been affected by them, so now you must die!” Aries charged at Gavin.

Gavin side-stepped the charge and swung his fist at Aries. Before his punch struck its target, Gavin felt an extreme coldness run through his body. A cocoon of ice formed around his fist just as the blow landed. The ram was nearly knocked off his feet and stumbled away from Gavin. Gavin looked down in awe at his ice-covered fist. He thought how cool it would be if his whole body were protected by the ice, and then it happened. Gavin was covered in icy armor from head to toe.

Aries watched as the ice formed around Gavin. Hoping to catch Gavin distracted, Aries lowered his head and charged. He hit Gavin full force in the mid-section with his horns. Gavin was thrown back and smashed against the car. He was unhurt, but the icy armor shattered into a million pieces. Gavin saw Aries closing in on him and tried to move away. Gavin was pinned against the car and couldn’t get away fast enough. He raised his arms in self-defense, wishing he had something to throw at Aries. Streams of ice shot out of Gavin’s fingers and struck Aries square in the chest, knocking him backward. Frost continued streaming from Gavin’s fingers until the ram’s legs were frozen.

Gavin leaped to his feet and rushed to the car’s other side. “Logan, come on! That probably won’t hold him for long. Let’s get out of here.”

Logan’s dark brown eyes were wide open and staring. “Gavin, you’re a superhero!” He ran over and hugged his brother. 

“Whatever! This might make me believe your story about angels a little more. We can talk at home. Let’s get out of here before he breaks free,” The two boys turned and ran down the road as fast as possible, leaving Aries howling with rage.

————————————————————————————————————

“Hello. My name is Caleb.” Caleb motioned toward the kitchen, “My sister said you’ve been hurt. What is your name? Can you tell me what happened to you?”

“I…” The boy got a look of intense concentration on his face. “I think my name is Obadiah, but I am not sure. I can’t remember much of anything before last night.”

“That’s ok, Obadiah. Take it slow. How did you end up here at my sister’s house? Do you live nearby?”

“I woke up in the middle of a field. It was raining, and everything around me was burning. My back hurt. A lot. The only light that I saw led me here.”

“Can I see your back, Obadiah? I promise I won’t hurt you.”

Obadiah frowned but turned away from Caleb and gently lifted his shirt. Caleb’s eyes widened, and he nearly gasped. The wounds were still raw, but they looked like wounds that had been healing for days, not overnight. Glowing blue blood still oozed from several spots, but the lacerations mainly had scabbed over. Caleb sat back and looked intently at Obadiah.

“I know you don’t know me, and there’s no reason to trust me, but I would like you to stay with me at my laboratory. I’m a research scientist, and I can help you. They wouldn’t know what to do if you went to a regular hospital. They’d probably ship you off to the army base, and no one would ever see you again.”

“No! I won’t be locked away by the soldiers!” Obie looked directly into Caleb’s eyes. “I think I can trust you. I will go to your lab.”

“Do you remember anything before waking up in the field, Obadiah?”

Obie thought really hard. “I was falling. It felt like I fell forever. I think I was falling away from people who hurt me, but I was also falling toward someone. I think I was falling toward someone named Logan. I will go with you, Caleb, but only if you help me find Logan.”

Caleb nodded. “Of course I will. Maybe Logan will know more about you and where you come from.”

“Thank you.” Obadiah stood up. “I am ready to go with you now.”

Caleb said goodbye to his sister and led Obie out to his car. Caleb glanced at his phone and saw about a dozen missed calls and texts from Grace Santos. After listening to and reading the messages, he pulled his car onto the street and sped off toward Justyce Labs.

————————————————————————————————————

Erik screamed and started beating at his body with his hands to try and extinguish the bright yellow flames. “What the hell? Why am I on fire, and why am I floating?”

Cancer sneered and stepped closer to Ash and Harvey. “While your fiery friend is beating himself up, I’ll take care of the two of you. I can sense the blue stones. Give them to me, or the consequences will be severe.”

Ashton pulled Harvey’s unconscious body away from the crab creature and then stood between his friend and the terrifying monster. “You’re not getting the stones, and you’re not getting to my friends without a fight!”

“Ash! Duck!” Erik yelled.

Ash looked behind him and saw Erik with his arms out and intense concentration on his face. Ash didn’t hesitate. He dove on Harvey to protect him from whatever was about to happen. Just as Ash dove, he felt a searing heat above him. Ashton saw yellow fire emitting from Erik’s hands, striking Cancer directly in the chest.

Cancer ripped his burned shirt off when the flames stopped and threw it on the ground. “That hurt, boy, but I’m still standing. What else you got?” Cancer said, taking a step toward Erik.

“Damn! Those flames were hot, but they were too light and airy. I wonder if I can adjust the heat levels?” Erik mumbled to himself. He kept an eye on the advancing crab creature and tried to take a step backward. Erik was still floating and had lost his sense of balance. Erik did a summersault in mid-air as he stepped back before regaining control. Once upright, Erik threw another stream of fire at Cancer.

The crab slowed his advance. “That’s annoying, boy, but you’ll have to do better.”

Erik clenched his fists and closed his eyes in concentration. He pictured himself creating a massive ball of fire to throw at Cancer. Erik felt himself fall, and his feet hit the ground. Erik stumbled, but he stayed upright. When Erik opened his eyes, the flames covering his body had changed from a bright yellow to a dark orange. Also, he was holding a giant ball of fire. Erik threw the fireball as hard as he could. It hit Cancer with a thud, knocking him off his feet and sending him twenty feet backward.

Erik glanced over at Ashton. “Get Harvey out of here and help the others in the park. I got this.”

Harvey was awake but dizzy. Ash helped Harvey to stand, and the two friends disappeared into the trees, heading toward the park’s central section.

When Ash and Harvey cleared the tree line and looked down into the park, the centaur still fired arrows at people as they tried to run away. Ashton put a hand on Harvey’s arm. “I’ll be right back. Let me go and help these people.”

“I can help. Just let me clear my head. I’m still a bit dizzy.”

“Sit down, Harvs. I’ll be right back.” Ashton said and was gone in the blink of an eye. Harvey spotted Ash fifty yards away, knocking an arrow out of mid-air and helping a lady escape into the trees. Harvey couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His best friend was a bona fide superhero! He took out his cell phone and started taking pics and videos of the action.

Cancer got up and charged at Erik. Erik tried to form another fireball, but the crab was on top of him before he could get one ready. Before Cancer reached him, Erik tried to float but couldn’t get off the ground. Cancer struck Erik right in the midsection, and the two tumbled to the ground. Cancer knelt on Erik’s chest and raised his claw above his head, ready to strike. Erik raised both hands and shot a small fireball into the crab’s face. Cancer rolled off Erik, and Erik leaped to his feet. He willed his flames to get hotter again. Erik’s whole body glowed with yellow fire, and he rose into the air. That was the key. The orange and red fire was heavier and better used for fireballs, and the yellow fire was hotter, lighter, and perfect for flight. Erik was starting to figure out his power. He wondered what else he could do. He’d have to experiment when he wasn’t fighting for his life!

Finally gaining a little control over his new power, Erik fired shots of the yellow fire at Cancer, making the crab yelp in pain and roar in anger. Erik knew he couldn’t defeat the monster this way, but he tried to lure the creature away from his friends and the innocent bystanders in the park. Erik led Cancer to the east, away from the high school and toward the docks.

Ashton was busy dodging arrows and carrying people out of harm’s way. His confidence grew with each person he saved. Unfortunately, with overconfidence comes complacency. Ash failed to notice Sagittarius leap on top of the boathouse to gain a broader range for her arrows. Ash set a small boy down inside the tree line and turned back toward the lake. Before he could move out of the way, Ash was struck in the left shoulder with an arrow. The force of the blow caused him to stumble, and then another arrow embedded itself into his right thigh. Ash fell, moaning in pain.

Harvey saw the scene unfolding right in front of him, but he couldn’t do anything to stop it. Harvey yelled for Ash to turn around, but his friend was too far away and couldn’t hear him. Harvey stood up, slid his phone into his pocket, and ran as fast as possible across the park. Harvey reached Ashton’s side just as the other boy fell. Harvey looked up at the centaur, standing on top of the boathouse. “Leave my friend alone! What do you want? Why are you doing this?” Harvey barely noticed that his entire body felt tingly, and blue electric sparks ran back and forth between his fingertips.

“I’m here for the blue stones and will kill anyone with them. I will also kill anyone who stands in my way. That means your friend must die, and you too, by the looks of things.” The centaur said as she notched another arrow into her bow.

“I won’t let you kill him,” Harvey said. As Harvey’s anger rose, the electrical sparks multiplied and arced in the air around him. Harvey looked at himself in wonder, not understanding what was happening. Harvey didn’t even notice that Sagittarius had let loose the arrow and let it fly directly at his chest.

————————————————————————————————————

Gavin slammed the front door shut and locked it. He turned to his brother, “Logan, go to the family room. Stay away from the windows. We don’t know if that thing followed us. It might be able to track us!”

“That was scary, Gav, but you were awesome!” Logan said as he hurried into the family room.

“I… I’m not sure what I was or what happened.” He looked down at his hands, still covered with a light frost. Gavin wiped his hands on his jeans to try and dry them off. He sat on the couch and picked up the remote. “Let’s watch the news and see if there are any reports of other creatures like the one we saw.”

“Wow,” Logan said in awe as they watched short homemade video clips play on the television. “If we didn’t see what we saw, I’d think the footage of that minotaur was fake news!”

“Looks like the army is setting up checkpoints all over town. We should try to contact Dad and find out what’s up.”

“Ok. You text Dad, and I’ll text Harvs. If the high school hasn’t closed yet, it will soon.”

Logan wandered into the kitchen, looking for his brother. “Gav, Harvey still isn’t answering texts. I even tried calling, but it went to voicemail.”

Gavin gulped down the rest of his Mountain Dew and frowned. “I saw on the news that the high school closed and sent everyone home. He should be here by now.”

“Any news from dad?”

“Yes, but just vague stuff. ‘I won’t be home tonight. Don’t worry. Don’t leave the house unless absolutely necessary.’” Gavin shrugged. “He’s probably not saying anything specific in case anyone monitors his phone.”

“Should we be worried about Harvey?”

“We will look for him if he’s not home in another half hour. In the meantime, keep texting him. Hopefully, he’ll answer soon.”

“Got it.” Logan wandered back into the family room to watch the news for more updates about the strange events all over town. At the same time, he continued to text his younger brother.

————————————————————————————————————

Carl Chambers pulled the black van into the Newville Community Credit Union’s rear parking lot. He parked far away from the other cars. Carl shook his head, his golden mane flying wildly around his face, and glanced into the rearview mirror at Danielle Gordon. Dani was sprawled out on the middle seat of the van. “That was interesting. Even everyday things like driving will take some getting used to with our new bodies.”

“Yeah. We’ll have to customize everything. I can’t even sit properly with this tail. Some of us won’t be able to move around in public without attracting attention.”

Carl looked thoughtful. “You’re right. Especially once we begin our plans, we must find a new headquarters. Somewhere secret. They would find us at the union hall. We’ll move the meteorite and anything else important tonight.”

“You ready for this, Carl? We’ve mugged people, robbed gas stations, and other small stuff, but this is big.” Dani pointed at the bank.

“I’ve been ready for this for years. Let our reign of terror begin.” Carl threw his head back and roared.

The lion and the scorpion walked through the credit union’s front doors, and everyone stopped and stared. One of the security guards sauntered over with a smirk on his face. “Y’all can’t come into a bank wearing those silly costumes. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Dani sneered at the guard. “Silly costumes? How dare you address the Zodiac Club in such a bold manner!” Dani’s tail swung around and hit the guard square in the chest, sending him flying backward and out of the front window. He landed on the sidewalk in a shower of broken glass. The second guard barely had a chance to move before Carl grabbed him and threw him through the window to join his partner on the sidewalk.

Carl looked around the bank. He pointed at the customers with one big furry paw. “All of you get on the floor facedown, and you might live to see another day.”

As the customers obeyed Carl, Dani walked up to the closest bank teller and set a pile of bags on the counter. “Hello. My name is Scorpia. My friend Leo and I represent the Zodiac Club and would like to withdraw from your bank today. Fill up all these bags, and don’t try anything heroic. I don’t want to kill you, but I will.” Scorpia smashed her tail onto a nearby desk to emphasize her point, splintering it into kindling. The bank tellers quickly got to work filling the bags.

 

Coming Soon: Episode 4 – A Firefly and a Pocket Watch

New Justyce – Episode 2

Episode 2: The Zodiac Club

As soon as Logan was up, showered, and dressed, he ran downstairs. Logan wolfed down a quick breakfast and threw a couple pieces of fruit and some trail mix into his backpack. Logan wasn’t sure where he planned on going yet, but he could still feel Obadiah’s presence nearby. Logan slipped on his shoes, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and then poked his head into the living room. “Harvey, I’m going for a walk. I don’t have a class until ten. Tell Dad and Gavin for me, please.”

Harvey glanced up from his phone. “Really? Okay, bro. See ya after school.”

Logan left the house and wandered up and down the town’s streets. It’s not like the feather was a GPS that gave him specific directions. He could only get a vague sense of direction and distance. About ten minutes later, Logan heard police sirens. Soon after, he saw two army helicopters flying toward the city’s center. Thankfully, the feather was leading him in the opposite direction. Logan had been walking for another fifteen minutes when he passed by the high school baseball field. Like last night, the feather started glowing, so Logan turned and walked into the field. Everything looked burnt, and he could still smell the smoke.

Logan found a massive crater in the center of the field, right where the pitcher’s mound used to be. He saw footprints leading away in the mud, but Logan didn’t see any footprints leading toward the crater. He crawled down into the hole and saw the muddy imprint of a body. The feather pulsed and flashed in his hand. Did something happen to Obie here? Logan was now even more determined to find his friend.

Logan crawled out of the crater and followed the footprints. A blue glow near the edge of the field caught his attention. Logan walked over and looked down. He found two small rocks glowing with the same blue light as the feather. Logan picked them up and felt the stones pulse in his hands. A wave of energy washed over Logan’s entire body. He felt different. Changed somehow. Maybe Obie could explain what happened when he found him. Logan put the two rocks in his pocket and followed the muddy footprints.

————————————————————————————————–

 

            Carl Chambers woke to the sound of a crash. When he opened his eyes, his vision was unfocused and blurry. Carl stood on shaky feet and stumbled into the union hall bathroom. His body felt weird, and he couldn’t concentrate. Carl’s head ached. He put one hand up to massage his temple and felt a massive amount of thick, curly hair. Hair that hadn’t been there just the night before. Carl looked down at his arms and saw them covered with golden fur. The muscles in his arms were rippling and appeared to be growing right before his eyes. Carl rushed to the mirror and saw a face that he barely recognized. Carl’s appearance was warping and changing. He ran to the doorway and called out to his best friend and top assistant, Rick Myers. “Rick! Rick, get in here! Something is happening to me!”

Carl heard the same clip-clop of hooves on the wooden floor that he heard last night just before he blacked out for the second time. Then, Carl heard Rick’s voice. “Something happened to all of us, Carl. Something strange and powerful.”

Rick turned the corner, and Carl jumped back in surprise. What Carl saw, he barely recognized as his best friend. Carl could still make out Rick’s facial features, but that face was covered in brown fur, and horns were growing out of the sides of Rick’s head. The new Rick was around seven feet tall, and his shoulders were broad enough that Rick would have to turn sideways to enter most doors. As Carl gaped at his friend, he noticed that Rick’s legs ended in massive hooves.

“Oh my God, Rick. What is happening?”

Rick waved a hand at Carl. “You tell me, boss.”

“I think it was from the meteor last night. I felt it pulsing, but I never expected these physical changes. I don’t know what is happening, but I feel powerful!”

“Carl, I have horns growing out of the side of my head. It’s weird, but you’re right. I feel powerful!”

“You said it’s happening to everyone? Are they all still here? I want to see.”

“They’re still here. Some are just waking up. Some are happy, but not everyone. We may need to finish that meeting that was interrupted last night.”

“You’re exactly right, Rick. This could be the best thing to ever happen to us.” The two best friends strode into the union hall meeting room to assess what had happened to the rest of their friends. 

——————————————————————————————–

“Time to get ready for school,” Harvey grumbled to himself. When he turned the game off that he was playing on his phone, Harvey noticed a text from his dad. The text was also sent to his two brothers. It read: “Boys, they activated my unit this morning. There are reports of strange activities and possible terror attacks in the city. I may be unable to come home tonight or possibly for a few days. Watch out for each other. Stay safe. Dad.”

Harvey turned the television on and flipped to a twenty-four-hour news channel. He could hardly believe what he was watching. Could this be real? They showed amateur film clips of glowing blue meteors racing across the sky and fires raging all over the city.

He was still watching when his oldest brother, Gavin, walked in and stood behind him. “Harvey, did you get a weird text from Dad?” Gavin looked up from his phone. “What the hell are you watching?”

“The news, I think. Weird, right?” Harvey said.

“With this text from Dad, I’d say it must be accurate, or the army thinks so. It sounds like they think it’s more than just meteors.” Gavin said.

“Should I go to school?” Harvey asked.

“Yeah. Go ahead. I’m sure the school will cancel classes if this gets worse. I don’t have class until this afternoon, so I’ll keep an eye on the news and watch for Dad’s texts. Keep your phone on in case I need to contact you. Where’s Logan?”

“He went for a walk a while ago. He said he doesn’t have class until ten today.”

“Okay. I’ll try and get a hold of Logan; you go get ready for school.” Gavin sat down and texted Logan while Harvey finished getting ready for school and left the house.

—————————————————————————————————

Carl walked into the union hall’s meeting room and scanned the room. The creatures, his closest friends, were all spread out. Carl leaned his head back and let out a ferocious roar. Everyone spun toward him, and he spoke, “Friends, gather around the table and let us continue our meeting.”

“You’ll excuse me if I don’t sit at the table,” quipped Lisa Jensen.

Carl turned his head to speak, “I expect…” he stopped when he saw Lisa. Lisa looked the same from her head to her waist, but the body of a beautiful chestnut-colored horse stood where her lower torso and legs should be. Carl began again, “No. Take the end of the table across from me.”

Brent Irons pounded his fist on the table, more claw than a fist. His hand was bright red and hardened into a shell-like substance. Brent’s fingers were fused together, and his thumb was elongated and had a serrated edge. “Do you really expect business as usual, Carl? Look at us! We’re freaks! How can we even go out in public? Jayden was suffocating for no apparent reason. I’m unsure if he’s still alive, and you want to continue a business meeting?!”

Carl looked around. “Where’s Jayden now?”

“Luke took him into the kitchen,” Brent answered.

Carl tapped Rick on the shoulder, “Go check on them.” Then he turned to the rest, “Let me address Brent’s questions. Can we go out in public? Yes, I say, and let them fear us! We are not freaks. We are amazing and powerful beings. Do I expect business as usual? Hell no! I expect that instead of ruling Newville Heights… we can rule the world!” When Carl finished speaking, the rest of the assembled group pounded on the table and cheered.

——————————————————————————————————

Harvey decided to take the shortcut through the park on his way to school. On his way there, he noticed burned trees and scorched grass. “Weird,” Harvey thought. “All the burned trees are in a straight line.” Coincidentally, the line of burned trees was right along Harvey’s route. He noticed a bright blue stone in the center of a burned patch of grass. After seeing the news reports about meteors, Harvey bent down to look closer. Harvey tentatively picked up the stone, and it began to glow and pulse in his hand. Harvey’s whole body felt weird. He shrugged and stuffed the rock into the pocket of his jeans. When Harvey got to school, he had found and pocketed three more stones.

———————————————————————————————

Gavin prepared a quick breakfast for himself, then sat down to channel surf. He wanted to see if he could find out what was going on in town. Gavin became engrossed with the news reports of the strange meteors and fires causing damage and the conspiracy theories about the army taking over the investigation. Gavin grew tired of watching the same video clips over and over. He looked at his phone for any new messages. It was odd for his brother to not answer a text right away. Gavin could not sit still and wait, so he got up to look for Logan.

———————————————————————————————–

Rick Myers walked into the kitchen of the union hall. Whatever he was expecting to see, what he saw wasn’t it. Luke Adams was standing by the sink with his arm outstretched. Luke’s hand was held out, palm facing upward, and fingers extended. Luke had an intense look of concentration on his face. The first shock for Rick was that the water from the faucet arched upward and rained down on Jayden Stone. Jaydon sat on the floor, leaning against the sink.

Jayden was the second shock, though, at this point, nothing should shock Rick, considering his own transformation. Jayden’s skin was now bluish-green scales, and his eyes were narrow and a deep amber. Two slits on the sides of Jayden’s neck were slowly opening and closing. Rick guessed that they must be gills, which must be the problem with Jaydon’s breathing. Rick cleared his throat. “Luke, Jayden, is there anything I can do to help?”

Rick’s voice distracted Luke, and he lost concentration. Water started spraying all over the room. “Rick? Is that you? What is happening to us?” Luke got the water spray back under control, but Jayden stood up from the floor, looking not entirely out of breath.

“Shut the water off, babe. I think I got this under control now.” Jayden said between deep breaths.

Luke’s green eyes shone with concern. “Are you sure, Jay? What about the gills?”

“Yes, I’m sure. My body got confused when the gills formed, and I tried to breathe through them. I can switch back and forth between the gills and my lungs. It’s kinda cool now that I know how to do it.”

Luke switched off the water and rushed over to wrap his arms around his boyfriend. Luke tried to pull Jayden close, but Jayden took a step back and pushed Luke away. Luke had a look of shock and confusion on his face. “Jay, what’s wrong?”

“Look at me, Luke! I’m a grotesque freak! I have gills and scales. You don’t have to pretend to still want to touch me.” Jayden said with tears streaming down his face.

“I’m not pretending, Jay. I love you. You are still you, and that’s the only thing that matters to me. You are still the most beautiful man in the world.”

“Can we talk more about this later?” Jayden looked over at Rick and motioned toward the meeting room. “What’s going on out there with everyone else? It sounds like a party.”

“Carl restarted the meeting from last night. He’s getting everyone fired up. We should get out there and find out the details for ourselves.” Carl turned and walked out of the kitchen, followed closely by Luke and Jayden.

————————————————————————————————–

Gavin drove up yet another street in his search for Logan. Finally, he spotted him. Gavin drove past his brother and pulled off the road right in front of Logan. Gavin got out of the car and walked right up to his brother. “What the hell, Logan? Are you trying to worry Harvey and me? With all that’s happening, you decide to wander off and not answer your texts?”

Logan looked confused. “What are you talking about? What’s happening?”

“Didn’t you get the text from Dad? Or the texts from me? Have you seen the news?”

“No. I left the house early. I didn’t watch any news, and I don’t have a text from Dad. What time is it?” Logan looked down at his phone. “Dang. I didn’t turn my phone on this morning. I guess I was too preoccupied, Gavin. I’m so sorry. I meant to go to my class. I didn’t realize it was almost ten o’clock already.” He said while turning his phone on. “Here’s the text. What does this mean? What’s going on, Gavin.”

“There was a weird meteor shower last night. The meteors were glowing with a blue light. It was odd, but I wouldn’t have been too concerned. What’s got me worried is that the army must be worried. With the text from Dad, I don’t know.” Gavin said. “Your turn. Why are you out so early and not in class?”

“They were glowing blue, you said?” Logan’s voice trembled. “You might think I’m crazy, even with what you told me.” He pulled the feather out of his pocket and showed it to Gavin. “My friend Obadiah gave this to me. It also glows with a blue light. Gavin, Obie plucked this out of his own wing. He’s an angel. Well, more precisely, a seraphim, that’s what they call themselves.”

————————————————————————————————-

Carl glanced over when Rick re-entered the meeting room, followed by Luke and a third figure, who must be Jayden. “Good. I’m glad you three could join us. We were discussing plans for taking over the docks and then the entire town and beyond. We should search the city and find as many blue rocks as possible. No one else must be allowed access to them.”

“What if others have already found them?” Lisa asked.

“Kill them. We can’t allow anyone else to gain powers like ours. We should even name ourselves to strike fear into the people.” Carl said.

“Like individual names or the group?” Luke asked.

“Both,” Carl answered thoughtfully. “Let me think.”

“How about The Freak Show,” Brent said with a laugh.

“No. No. Look around. It’s obvious now that we’re all here.” Carl said, looking from face to face. “We are The Zodiac. Literally, look at us. Leo the Lion, Taurus the Bull, and Cancer the Crab. We all fit the zodiac. That’s who we are… The Zodiac Club.” Everyone at the table looked around and nodded in agreement.

————————————————————————————————————

Gavin didn’t look convinced. “An angel? Are you serious? That’s impossible, Logan. Maybe he’s part of whatever is going on. Be careful, Logan. The army is involved. You should stay away from Obadiah until we talk to Dad.”

“Come with me, please, Gav. Let me show you what I found.” Logan led his brother back to the field and the crater’s center. “Look at that. Doesn’t it look like the imprint of a body? And look at the size of this crater, and the footprints only lead out of the crater, not in.”

“It is all very odd. I guess that’s the theme of the day. But an angel, Logan? I don’t know. It could mean just what I said. He could be a part of whatever is happening.”

“Gavin, there’s something else. The feather was glowing a bright blue earlier, the same blue as all these little meteor rocks! Explain that! Touch one, and maybe you’ll understand.” He picked up a blue rock and tossed it to his brother.

“What the hell? It feels weird. Like it’s pulsing or something.” Gavin was now staring at the glowing blue rock in the palm of his hand. “Grab a couple more rocks so we can show them to Dad when he gets home.”

Logan stuffed a few more blue rocks into the pocket of his jeans. “Gavin, I think Obie is out here somewhere. I’m worried that he may be hurt. What do we do?”

“Let’s go home and see if Dad is there. If Dad isn’t home, we can drive around and see if you can find your friend. But, Logan, we don’t know where he is or even what he is. You must understand that we probably won’t find him.” Gavin said.

“When I hold the feather, I feel he’s close, but I can’t get an exact location. I appreciate you trying to help. I really do.” Logan said.

“Let’s go home and see if Dad is there,” Gavin said, and they walked back to his car.

————————————————————————————————————

Carl Chambers sat in quiet contemplation. So much happened since last night. Most of the twelve members of his group experienced at least minor physical changes. For some, the changes were dramatic. They all felt different. After their strategy session this morning, Carl sent his ten friends out to search for the blue meteor stones with orders to kill anyone who had already touched the rocks. Carl wanted their group to be the most powerful beings in the town and the world. He glanced at the other remaining person in the room, Danielle Gordon.

“Dani, have you figured out how to balance and properly move with that.” He pointed at the six-foot-long tail that curved up and over Danielle’s head.

“Yeah. It pretty much just came naturally. It is surprisingly maneuverable.” She swung the tail around from side to side.

“If you’re sure, then we have a job to do.”

“Collecting rocks like everyone else?”

“No. If we are going to rule this town, and eventually, even more, we need cash. What do you think about robbing the Newville Community Credit Union?”

“That sounds perfect to me, boss. Let’s go.”

Carl stood, shook his golden mane, and led his scorpion-tailed companion out the door.

————————————————————————————————————

Ashton Connors sat in math class, trying to calm his nerves. Ash couldn’t sit still. His mind was in overdrive, and he hadn’t even had his usual latte that morning. Ashton heard a cracking sound and looked down. The tile underneath Ashton’s foot splintered like someone had hit it with a hammer. “Crap!” Ash thought to himself. “I hope Mr. Bailey doesn’t see that, or he’ll blame me!” In his nervousness, Ash started tapping his pencil faster. Ashton watched, spellbound, as his hand moved so quickly that all he saw was a blur. With another loud crack, the pencil drilled entirely through the desktop.

“Mr. Connors, what is going on back there?” Mr. Bailey asked as he turned from the blackboard and looked directly at Ashton.

“Nothing, sir. Everything is fine.” Ashton was so worked up between the broken tile and the pencil sticking out of the desk that his whole body started to shake. Ash could barely follow his own movements as the desk began to vibrate.

“Mr. Connors, whatever you are doing, please stop this instant!” You’re disrupting the class, and if I have to speak to you again, you’re going to the principal’s office.”

“Mr. Bailey, I…” Ashton started to say, but then… CRASH!

Ashton’s desk fell apart, and he landed amongst the pieces on the floor. The students closest to him leaped out of their seats and backed away.

“Ashton! What have you done? Are you okay?” Mr. Bailey rushed to Ashton’s side.

“I’m alright. I don’t know what happened.”

Mr. Bailey’s eyes took in the disassembled desk, the smashed tile, and the pencil impaled through the desktop. He shook his head. “I don’t understand why so many of you kids have to be so destructive. Come with me, Mr. Connors.”

Ash opened his mouth to try and defend himself but quickly closed it again. It was no use. He couldn’t even explain what happened to himself, never mind explaining it to an adult. Ashton sighed and followed Mr. Bailey out of the room.

Harvey was startled out of his reverie when he noticed his friend Ashton Connors walk out of the school, closely followed by the vice-principal. They walked to the end of the parking lot, where Ash kept walking off school property, and the vice-principal turned and walked back into the school. Harvey was staring outside, lost in thought, even though he should have been paying attention to his calculus teacher. “What was that all about?” Harvey thought to himself, then he raised his hand.

The teacher acknowledged Harvey. “Yes, Mr. Kastala?”

“May I go to the restroom, please, Mr. Sawyer?”

“Can’t it wait until the end of class?”

“Not really, sir.”

“Okay. Fine. Go. Make it quick.”

Harvey grabbed the hall pass from Mr. Sawyer’s desk and ran out of class. He ran past the bathrooms and out the front door. When Harvey got to the street, he looked all around, trying to see if he could find Ashton. Bingo. Harvey spotted Ash across the street, just entering the park. Harvey dashed off to catch up to his friend.

————————————————————————————————————

Christine Justyce heard the boy stirring in the living room. She peered in to see if he needed anything, and Christine saw that he was already back to sleep. She picked up her phone and made a call. As soon as the other person picked up, Christine began to speak. “Caleb, it’s me. I need you to come over to my house right away.”

“What’s wrong, sis?”

“An injured boy showed up at my house last night. He’s hurt badly. Can you come over right now?”

“Why did you call me, not an ambulance or the police, Christine? What else is wrong?”

“He has two huge, very raw wounds down his back. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

“I’ll ask again. Why call me? What is happening?”

“His blood is bright glowing blue. He showed up covered in mud right after that strange meteor shower. Caleb, I don’t think he’s human.”

“I’ll be right there.” Caleb Justyce hung up the phone and headed to his sister’s house.

Coming Soon – Episode 3: Heroes and Monsters

The Creature

“The lights went out, but the chaos continued around me.” Joshua Taylor told his young grandson.

“Grandpa, this is a great story, but it isn’t true, and that kid has no clue what he is doing at the register. This waiting is killing me!” Jase Taylor was a very hyperactive 12-year-old and kept giving the boy at the cash register dirty looks. The kid at the cash register was obviously new to his job and kept messing up all the orders.

“Jase, that is what I am trying to tell you. Impatience can kill you if you are impatient with the wrong person. Listen to my story and heed my warning. Not everything is always as it seems, and not everyone is who they appear to be.” Josh looked down at his grandson and continued his story. “After the lights went out, I just tried to hide and stay out of its sight. I hid behind a big display of canned spinach. I figured I could use the cans as a weapon if it came to it. My priority was to get out of there and as far away from Sam’s Market as possible.”

Jase’s twin brother Jesse ran up to them. “Grandpa! Jase! Hey, what were you guys talking about?”

“Gramps was telling me a story from when he was our age. He says that there was a monster right here in this store!” Then Jase leaned in and whispered to his twin. “Not sure if I believe him, though!”

“Can you tell me, too, Grandpa?” Jesse asked.

I suppose I can. Now, both of you listen closely to my story. Every word is true.

Josh began telling the story all over again. “One minute, I had just been standing in the check-out line here at Sam’s Market, and the next minute, I felt like I was in a scene from a horror movie. I had been more than a little irritated with the incompetence of the young girl at the check-out counter. Still, my irritation paled compared to the boy in front of me. He had gone from grumbling under his breath to loudly hurling insults at the girl and her supervisor, who was attempting to help her. The girl kept apologizing to everyone in line, but that did not stop the boy’s insults. The girl was becoming increasingly visibly upset, and then she transformed. I could not believe what I was seeing. I just stood and watched in disbelief. In twenty minutes, I witnessed a face that could have only been described as magnificent turn into something horrid.”

“Grandpa, you’re pulling my leg. Aren’t you?” Jase was looking up at his grandfather with wide, unbelieving eyes. Jesse looked on with an expression of eager anticipation, waiting for the story to continue.

“No. Not at all. This is what really happened. Let me finish, Jase.” Josh cleared his throat and started talking again.

 “Before my astonished eyes, the sweet smile of that check-out girl became a snarl of pure rage. Her calm, unblemished face twisted into that of some demonic entity. Eyes as blue as a clear summer sky became red glowing embers. Her long dark hair spiraled upward and compressed into large, sharply pointed horns. Her small frame shuddered with the force of transforming from about 5’2” to well over 7 feet tall.

As the beast that had been the girl heaved the overflowing grocery basket of the next customer in line roughly 150 feet across the store, I abandoned my cart and started backing away. The beast-girl leaped over the check-out, countered, and roared at the boy insulting her. Before he could react, the beast had grabbed him by the head with its gigantic claws. Its fingers clasped the back of his head, sinking both thumbs into his eye sockets. I heard two sickening pops as his eyes were crushed and the thumbs pushed into his brain. Before I turned away, I caught a glimpse of blood and brains dripping down both sides of what remained of the boy’s face. The creature then crushed the boy’s skull and threw his body aside. It pulled the entire check-out counter from the floor and smashed it against the nearest wall. The counter must have hit a fuse box as it crashed through the wall because there was a shower of bluish sparks, and that is when the lights went out.” Josh looked at Jase and then at Jesse. “This is where I was in the story when you ran up. Jesse. As I told your brother, I looked for a place to hide from the beast’s sight when the lights went out. I found a display of canned spinach, which I figured could double as a hiding place and a source of possible weapons if needed. My first thoughts were of trying to escape, though. I had no intention of even trying to fight that beast.”

I heard a lot of crashing and screaming in the darkness. I stayed hidden behind the canned goods. The beast roared again, and the big front window of the store shattered from the force of a large shelf being thrown through it. People started running out of the store and into the parking lot. I followed cautiously. I got to the broken front window and peered outside. Chaos. Destruction. People were running everywhere. I tried to get to where I left my bicycle, but I was knocked down by a panicked man running for his life. I rolled onto my back and looked up into the beast’s red glowing eyes.

       The beast was snarling, hot drool dripping down onto my face. I thought I was going to die. The beast was crouched over me, its muzzle inches from my face. I struggled but couldn’t break free. I thought about the girl and how panicked she looked before the change. I locked eyes with the beast and started talking to it, to her. I don’t remember what I said, but the beast seemed to calm down. Then crashes and screams from behind us distracted her, and she snarled, and her mouth opened, her teeth glinting in the parking lot lights. Just when I thought the end was near, the beast’s face kinda relaxed, and then it moaned as if in pain. The beast tried to stand but fell to the ground, rolling around in agony. A few minutes later, it was the girl again.

She looked around in horror at the remains of the storefront and the chaos of the parking lot. “Oh my god! What have I done?” The girl dropped to her knees, covered her face with her hands, and started to cry.

She looked so scared and innocent…and beautiful. I got to my feet, draped my jacket over her bare shoulders, and pulled her to her feet. “Come with me. You need to get out of here before they notice you.”

She looked at me strangely, “Why would you help me? I would have killed you.”

“You didn’t kill me tho. You didn’t kill anyone. That beast did.”  I walked her over to where my bike was parked. “Take my bike. Get as far away as you can.”

She touched my arm. “Thank you. I don’t even know your name. “

“My name doesn’t matter. Just take the bike and get out of here before they see us!”

She disappeared into the woods behind the store. They searched for weeks. Searched for the beast and for the girl. She’s never been caught. I hope she’s still alive.

“So, boys, that’s my story. Just remember, when you are in line and you’re feeling impatient with the clerk, the beast is still at large.”

Jase said, “Aww, gramps, you’re pulling our legs! Not one word of that story is true!” Jesse nodded in agreement with his twin. But both boys were much quieter, and they closely watched the boy at the check-out register.

  https://youtu.be/WtiKzbv3yRM?si=LfXTdv5XsPKDpu96