8A middle aged man walked into a dark alley. His face was grim, and his eyes glimmered a sad and worried glow. The man was in a luxuriant two- piece suit, an attire fit for only the upper class executives. His regal aura sharply contrasted his surroundings, he soon entered an abandoned shack that was barely fitting for even a lowly hobo. He walked to the center of the shanty as footsteps echoed with each movement. The place was dark, greasy, and an occasional scurry of vermin sounded throughout the insides of the decrepit cote. The individual smoothed his brown leather overcoat as his eyes scanned his sooty environment.
"I know you're in here you oaf. Delano! My patience is running very, very thin!" The man shouted angrily as his deep voice bellowed through the room. The echoes died down slowly and suddenly, a large black rat scampered in front of the man. Not many rats would do what just happened, and not many would react to it just as the man did. He was strangely calm, almost relieved at the sight of the dungy rat. He was even unmoved when the rat began to grow bigger, changing shape as it did so. The rat was now a full grown man, a well-dressed man of Caucasian descent. He ran his stubby fingers through his thick blond hair. His azure colored blue eyes sparkled with amusement as his goatee face broke out into a silly grin.
"Aww, why so grim Cedric?" The blond man questioned, knowing real well why the man was angry. Ced glared at the man and replied back furiously.
"What did the kith chancellor say? Did he give permission?" Cedric asked earnestly, eyes almost desperate. Delano smirked and gave a fake frown.
"Ced, what's the rush? Sit down and we can have a nice little chat while you're in the big apple. How about it?" Delano asked, laughing whole heartedly. Cedric was not amused. He let out a feral growl as he bared his teeth like an enraged animal, his eyes glowed orange like a big cat out to slaughter. By this Delano stumbled backwards. He was now not in the joking mood, Cedric's savage threat meant business. He quickly stiffened and slowly informed him of the information that Cedric desperately wanted to know.
"Easy tiger, the chancellor gave you the go. What's so bad about the kid that you can't take him.?" Delano asked remarkably curious about the whole situation. Cedric tilted his head indignantly as he replied softly, almost ashamed.
"The kid is by far a bad apple. He'll only cause trouble and it's beyond our control. We usually don't do this but, we aren't going to risk it. He's had a bad life, and it might start affecting the other children."
"Really? His stats are off the charts, and I thought you didn't want him because you weren't going to go through with his family."
"Oh that's also the case. The fact that the family speaks hardly any English and are illegal citizens, that has dissuaded my original plans for the boy. He isn't fit for the life, he'll just have to live his life as the Purblind do. I'm disappointed, but hell, it's happened before."
"Yeah, but rarely." Delano exclaimed, letting the remark sink in. Cedric sighed, he turned around and began walking out the door until Delano shouted at him.
"Going back to Jersey so soon Ceddy? It's alright. Go ahead, remember, your clan is going to love hearing what you got planned for the boy. It's a shame that one of the richest and most prominent clans in the country has to have a Pariah. See yah later my old friend!" Delano broke out in hysterical laughter as his scornful good bye ignited a fiery reaction. Cedric lunged at Delano like a crazed murderer. In a flash, Delano was gone and a familiar black rat dashed out of sight.
Meanwhile, in a two family house in New Hamleton, a young boy had a very lucid and cabalistic dream...
Pain and death. Fires and lightening. Blood and sweat. Flashes of cryptic, dark scenes flooded his mind as he braced in mental panic. The young boy twisted and turned in his sleep as the haunting dream made him cry out in alarmed frenzy. The frightful dream ended with a surreal ending that would send chills down his spine for a very long time. The horrific dream ended with bloodshot eyes peering into his mind as an unearthly voice boomed into his head, "It will come. It will find you..."
The boy awoke screaming as the voice echoed, ebbing into his soul. Out of breath, the frightened boy gasped as he wiped his forehead of the pouring sweat. The boy sighed as he assured himself it was just a dream, but it was still a torturous nightmare that shook him tremendously. The boy glanced at his alarm clock and realized it was the middle of the night, he fell back to deep slumber, soon drifting into darkness as he began to forget the ordeal...
"Michael, you better get yourself up before I go in there. You don't wanna know what I'm gonna do if I get that far, so get up!" a loud, shrill voice rang from the kitchen. An aged but still lovely looking mother was getting severely annoyed, her patience had run out and she was not going to call her son's name anymore. She marched into his room as Michael instinctively shot up and jumped out of his bed.
"Okay okay, jeez, I'm up alright?" Michael brushed past his mother and out of his room. It was bad night, a dreadful nightmare had ruined a good night's sleep and he was not very happy. A groan escaped his throat as his hand gripped a blue toothbrush. Toothpaste smeared unto the brush, Michael shoved it in his mouth and began to clean his yellowish teeth. He gargled and rinsed, a soothing breath respired from his throat, his mouth felt refreshed and very pure. Clothes now stripped, the boy stepped into the shower. Temperate waters flowed through his body and the mildly scathing shower gave Michael a calm, a serenity that he especially enjoyed whenever he had a steamy bath such as this one. Michael grinned as the smooth shampoo gel squirted unto his hand and began to lather his hair. He smiled as he blissfully washed and frothed his hair with the honey-sweet scented shampoo. The cleansing of his body was very similar, and soon he grasped a towel and stepped out after a long, pleasant bath.
A few moments later, Michael already was dressed in mahogany hued khakis and a gleaming jet black shirt. He quickly equipped himself with a light jacket that complemented his clothes and styled his hair the usual. A smile could be seen on his face as he looked at himself through the mirror. A handsome face, comely chestnut eyes and a charming smile which not surprisingly was adored by the ladies. He brushed his hand across his silky, sable hair. Lightly permed and colored cerise, he was satisfied at what he saw.
"You look handsome, now go to school before you're late, I told you I wasn't going to sign anymore of those late notes. Now hurry up." Her mother quickly chimed in, her eyes seemed to warn him of consequences which Michael was very familiar with. In a few minutes, Michael slung his backpack over his shoulders and was out before his mother could say another word.
"Late again, Mr. Kim?" the attendance lady asked in a slightly sarcastic, frustrated tone. Michael rolled his eyes, but said nothing.
"Note?" she asked inattentively, knowing real well what the usual response was.
"Nope." Michael said, not even trying to come up with a lame excuse. He knew trying was admirable enough, but making up a reason that didn't sound pathetic was harder than people thought.
The school day was long and nearly unbearable, he couldn't wait to get home and do... whatever he did. The day was long and harsh but lunch rolled around. Michael took his seat in his usual table, with his usual lunchmate. He didn't even know his name, the guy was a Junior who recently arrived from Japan, who had no one to sit with before him. Michael looked around and saw the usual people in the cafeteria, bustling with activity and the atmosphere of estrogen and testerone almost stifling. He saw the jocks hooting and hollering in one corner of the cafeteria as the geeky nerds chattered away on the other. All seemed normal to Michael, well, almost.
In the back of his mind, since he was thirteen, he always had this nagging feeling that there was something wrong with what he was seeing. He thought some people were hiding something, that those people knew what it was and was keeping it a secret. Paranoia was the only rational explanation for his state of thinking, but Michael refused to believe something so blatantly perceptible to him can be ignored. However, fearing ridicule and concern from his parents had left Michael with no choice but to keep it to himself. This made him even more determined to know what the secret was and what they were hiding. Michael even suspected the people who were hiding the secret, something mysterious, hell, even magical was pulling him towards something. Still, he didn't know what it was.
Michael scarfed down the last remnants of his lunch and tossed the garbage into the can. He sauntered across the cafeteria and out the door, he felt a strange vibe coming from the bathroom as he walked past it. Michael stopped and peered into the bathroom, wondering if he should go inside the boys' lavatory to see what was bothering him. Michael finally gathered the courage to open the door, as he went inside, a bizarre feeling started to grow stronger in his heart, it almost made him turn around and head back out the door. When he saw the stalls, Michael realized that there was no one there. With that he shook his head and left, but as he shut the door behind him, a shadowy figure jumped from the ceiling onto the bathroom floor and stood up.
Another figure materialized out of thin air, and turned towards the other figure. "He's growing stronger, he can even sense us now when we use enough of our power." The shorter shadow said, the two boys were shrouded in darkness, only their lips and limbs were visible.
"Hell, what should we do about it? We can't accept him, he's been denied." The other figure replied softly. The shorter boy gave a surprise jerk.
"For real? How do you know?"
"Coach told me during one of our parley meetings. He got word from the bigheads on top that the chancellor gave them permission to deny him."
The shorter boy sighed and shrugged. "I guess that's that man, he woulda' been good. He has potential."
The other scoffed and scornfully remarked, "The dude's got too many problems that even I can't point out all of them. Plus, his powers might be strong, but he still should have figured it out by now when the Pariah Controllers were trysting with our coach and the bigheads."
"I guess..." He said shaking his head, deciding whether or not arguing with him would be the right thing to do. Since considering that he himself was confused with the whole situation. Soon they teleported out, using the shadows to sweep them away like the desert winds.
After lunch, Michael endured a few more periods until school was closed for the day. Michael tried to ignore the groups of kids that were talking and hanging out, because he did not have a group that fit in with him and his only true friend was sick that day. Michael felt isolated and alone, a feeling that he despised terribly. What was about him that made him so recognizable but never good enough for his peers? This had troubled Michael since he had gotten into this town a year ago, and he desperately wanted to move back to his old town.
As he was walking home, he saw a grand opening for a new shop. Michael felt overwhelmed by a wave of curiosity pulling him towards the shop. He finally opened the door which held the sign that said, "GWYDION: Your Guide to the Supernatural." As Michael entered the shop, trinkets and charms all adorned the walls and shelves of the store. He felt fascinated by the books on gypsy magic and enchanted lore. Then, a strong force urged Michael to turn around. His eyes felt allured by an item that stood out from the rest, Michael felt the need to go over and pick it up. He walked over and held it in his hand, a rush of warmth escaped from the jewel and circulated throughout his body.
"May I help you?" A deep voice, with a heavy Romanian accent bellowed from behind Michael, which made him jump back from surprise. He turned to see a big bellied, middle-aged man towering before him. The guy was exceptionally corpulent, Mike stepped back as he looked up at the mustached face which had deep, emerald green eyes. He had blondish brown hair and he gave a big smile.
"Didn't mean to scare you, well, are you here to buy something?" The man asked affably, experienced in conversing with possible customers.
"Um... well, I'm just here to look around." Michael said as he nervously grinned a crooked smile. The man smiled back.
"That isn't a problem, say, what's your name? I go by Espen. Italian, Roma, and proud of it my friend." The man exclaimed, as he held his hand out to greet Michael. Michael grasped the gigantic hand and shook it.
"Michael. But, just call me Mike if you want." He said with a shrug. The man smiled but then noticed the amulet type that he held in his hand. Espen gazed at the amulet which Mike held so tightly, he noticed a blazing glow in the object in which Mike did not notice. He then shifted his eyes back and forth from the amulet to Mike. Mike realized what he was doing and he held it out in front of him.
"Oh I'm sorry.. I was just-"
"No, no! .. I-it's fine mi amico, why don't you just keep it?" Espen practically shouted at the top his lungs, he felt tense and nervous, like he did not know what to do because he had seen something that shouldn't have been seen. Mike tilted his head as he saw the sweat on Espen's forehead. After an odd silence, Mike said his thanks and waved as he left the shop, profoundly suspicious of the events that had just occured.
Espen watched as Mike leave and immediately went to the phone and dialed in a number he had finally found hidden in the stacks of messy papers. After a couple of rings, a cheery voice answered the phone.
"Hello, Casavants' residence."
"Hello?! Sorella?! It's me, your brother."
"Oh hi Espen.. You seem a little worked up today, you okay?" the woman laughed, her American accent strongly contrasted her brother's. Espen was too anxious to speak, but he took a few deep breaths and told her what had just happened.
"I have amazing news, I know this might be a little hard to believe but remember the Eye of Argo jewel that our nonna left us before she died?" A silence before the sister answered, uncomfortable with the subject of the jewel.
"... Of course. You have it now don't you?"
"Yes yes. But.. Do you remember what nonna had told us when we were little children? About the sleeping eye and and it's awakening?"
"I do, but what's wrong?" Espen sighed as he began to explain, not aware of how his baby sister would react.
"I don't know if I'm crazy, or if the world is gonna go to hell, but something.. happened to the jewel today when some boy came in to the shop I just opened in New Hamleton. You know, in Jersey."
"... What happened to the jewel Espen?" The once spirited voice was now sinking to a grave one.
"I-I.. Oh it's... Questo stupisce!"
"Espen! Tell me what has happened to the jewel!"
"... I think a boy has awakened the Eye of Argo, Sorella!" A long, sedated silence, longer than the one before overtook the conversation. Both didn't dare to speak. Then the sister finally whispered softly to her brother, her voice flushed with disbelief.
"You're crazy Espen... Th-that's impossible."
"I know exactly how you feel Sorella, but I saw it with my own eyes. The jewel stirred, I thought I was going to jump out of my own skin! .. I didn't know what to do, I panicked, I gave the jewel to the boy." The woman then replied angrily to her brother.
"That is a priceless heirloom, our own grandmother spooned us countless stories with that thing before her last breath and you give it away to some boy!?"
"Sono dolente my dear sister..." The brother apologized, voice full of regret and sorrow. The woman sighed.
"I'm sorry too Espen, I didn't mean to yell at you... What are we going to do? Shall we alert the clan about this. Our kith must know something like this has occured."
"No no. You know how they are Sorella. Come to Hamleton, for a little visit, and we must examine the boy and jewel together. We must not make any false moves, even if we must hold back from our kith, the Eye is too important." The woman sighed and agreed.
"You're right, I'll be coming in next weekend. Your nephews are going to go visit their father but I'm sure Ellen wouldn't mind coming. She told me her father wanted to have exclusive time with the boys."
"Oh good, I wanted to see little Elli again. But Sorella, thank you..."
"Oh Espen..."
The two said their good-byes and hung up. Espen sighed as he closed the shop and locked the doors. He then searched through the piles of books that laid on his desk. Then he pulled out a little book from the bottom after careful rummaging. It was maroon tinged, and the pages were yellow with age. After hours of reading, he finally set his book down and went upstairs to his private room. Espen blew out the candle and darkness coated everything .
Down in the table where the book laid open, ancient whispers and mutters sounded from the book as the pages began to flip by themselves. The pages stopped flipping and a mural covered the two pages. It was a picture of a very familiar jewel, with each shard having its own color. Each shard had a crest or symbol, representing secrets and powers of ancient wisdoms. The vivid illustration began to glow. A power was stirring, a clan was reawakening.
Back in Mike's room, fate and destiny ushers fantasy to life. His life will change forever...
Mike rubbed the many colored jewel with his index finger, strangely fascinated by its mysterious beauty and aura. His visit at Gwydion was nothing more than terribly odd but he was more enraptured with the jewel he had just recieved. After examining it for a few more minutes, the nightly sleep began to overcome his body with drowsiness. Letting out an exhausted yawn, he laid down on his bed and closed his eyes.
He held the jewel in his hand even as he slept, softly snoring with dreamless slumber. In the darkness, the jewel emanated a candid glow. The chorus of mystical chants that arose from the book at the magic shop began to echo from the jewel as well. The chorus chanted louder and the glow of crystalline lights began to radiate brighter. Soon a bright flash enveloped the jewel and Mike, the jewel's incomprehensible power seeped into Mike's spirit. Basked in the light, Mike's heart opened its doors to the jewel and it entered his soul, it spoke to him through visions of unimaginable wonder.
In his dreams, Mike saw places in the world that he never knew existed. He felt the emotions and memories that were held in those places. He faltered because he was moved by the emotions, and believed whatever he saw was real. Then his spirit thrusted forward, like it was set in maximum speed. The images that burst past him in his dream's vision were quick and unrecognizable, but one thing was certain. The images were of valor and gallantry. Heroes from the ancient times of stone to the Elizabethian age all mesmerized him. Suddenly, the dream was running out of control, it was spinning wildly in Mike's mind and soon, it was like a vortex blinding him and as he held on with all his heart, it all soon flashed into darkness.