These are the three chapters that I have so far. I will probably release a little bit every month. Remember no editing has been done as yet, so the writing of a threeyear old might be better.
Chapter
1
Dephon
wove his way through the crowded streets, his fear propelling him forward. Out
of place in this new time, Dephon wasn’t sure of much, but he was sure of one
thing.
He was
being followed.
In the
sewers of Trepton, the first thing you learned was how to tell when you weren’t
alone. There were no second chances in
Dephon’s homeland, but at least there, he knew who his enemies were. Here he
had no idea. And that was much worst. He stopped and hid behind a building at
the corner of Kezar Drive, peering cautiously down the street in the hopes of
catching his stalker unaware. The streets were brimming with so many people
that he couldn’t see anything. Or rather he saw too much. A dark-haired man to
the left of him looked suspicious, and a masculine-looking woman was staring at
him a little too intently for comfort.
Was she evil, or was she just staring because Dephon just looked crazy,
peaking at people around the side of buildings?
Dephon
tried to clear his head, but everyone
was starting to look suspicious. He could have sworn that he saw the girl in
the flowery white and pink dress with long, swinging black hair three streets
ago. And there was a man in a blue suit
pushing a stroller who looked familiar, too. Dephon wasn’t sure who was
following him, but he was smart enough to never doubt his instincts.
Lightning
rippled through the gradually darkening sky. Hesitantly he took his eyes off
the street and looked up at the clouds.
Droplets of water began to fall from the sky, pounding the
concrete. Pedestrians scattered liked
roaches. This was just the distraction Dephon needed. He sprinted down Kezar
street; casting furtive glances over his shoulder. He rounded the corner
quickly onto the street that he recognized so well from The Exemeus- his
mother’s street.
When
he reached the corner he saw two figures dashing through the rain. One with
long dark-brown hair and the other’s was blonde with tattered ends sticking out
of her ponytail. Dephon stood, frozen. He had gotten accustomed to seeing the
3D image of his mother from the book, but now here she was, in the flesh. He
tried to shake off his feelings of awe, of shock, but they weren’t going
anywhere. His mother was alive and, if it took his last breath, he was going to
keep her that way.
He
stood in the rain, long after she had disappeared; simply enjoying that she was
alive. It wasn’t until he was drenched that he remembered it wasn’t supposed to
rain today. The past was changing.
***
Dephon squatted behind the women’s
apparel rack in Macys. He had followed his mom and Virginia to the mall. He was
definitely not the best spy on the planet. In fact, if he was honest with
himself, he might be the worst. Virginia had spotted him at least twice on
their walk over. He’d tried to play it cool, but she’d still looked at him suspiciously.
Dephon felt a tap on his shoulder. He whirled around. “Jacqueline,”
he cried out in surprise. It took all he had not to launch into her, but the
puzzled expression on her face made him pause.
“You’re
scaring them. Virginia is debating whether or not to call the police.” As Jacqueline
spoke, she stared at him with great interest. Finally, she reached out and
poked his chest.
“What
are you doing and why are you staring at me like that?”
“How
do you know my name?”
“What
do you mean? Can’t you read my mind?”
“How
do you know I read minds?”
Dephon sighed, exasperated. “We’re going in circles. What
happened to your mind reading and future reading skills?” He glanced around
quickly, an idea dawning on him. “Is a scalper around?”
“You seem well versed in magic for someone so young. But
if there was a scalper I wouldn’t be able to read anyone’s future—not just
yours. So, who are you and why are you skulking around the juniors section of
the ladies department?”
Dephon sighed, “This would be so much easier if you could
read my mind, ‘cause you’re not going to believe me.”
“I can be quite gullible. Try me.”
“I’m from the future,” Dephon said slowly, trying to
gauge her reaction. Jacqueline’s eyes widened, but she remained silent. Dephon continued steadily, “It was all part
of your master plan, that you didn’t tell anyone about. My mom is Hyalee. She
was supposed to save the planet, not me, but she failed. So here I am trying to
figure out what you,” her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “I mean, future you,
wants me to do.”
Jacqueline nodded, her expression, as impossible as it
was, managed to be a mixture of confusion and understanding. “So that’s why I
can’t read your future: You don’t have one. Where did you get an Exemeus from
and The Dzitar of Duplicity?” She asked, curiously.
“Well, I….” Dephon’s voice trailed off as his eyes
scanned the store. “Where’s my mom?” he cried out in alarm.
“She
just walked out the door,” Jacqueline said, gesturing with her chin.
Dephon
hurtled through the maze of clothes, ignoring Jacqueline calling after him. He
dashed out the door, searching for his mother’s disheveled ponytail. In the
parking lot he noticed two lone figures turning the corner. Running at top
speed, he hurried to catch up with them. As he rounded the corner he almost ran
smack dab into Virginia, who stood with her arm outstretched, a silver canister
clasped between her fingers.
There
was no time for him to process what was happening. She released a steady stream
of spray directly into his eyes. His vision went blurry; and all he could do
was scream. He toppled backwards, landing on his butt with a thud. He clawed at
his eyes wishing the pain would subside. He didn’t know how long he sat there
writhing in agony, before a comforting arm rested on his shoulder. Calmness
settled over him as his brain disassociated from his body, and the world was
swept away.
***
Back
at Jacqueline’s house, Jacqueline dabbed at Dephon’s eye with a herb that
appeared to be … drooling. Dephon tried not to cringe, opting to ignore the
abnormal feel of plant spit on his face, because it appeared to be helping. His
vision had cleared and the pain had subsided.
“I
can’t believe Virginia sprayed me with mace,” Dephon said, blinking against the
brightness of the light.
“I
can’t believe you’re surprised. That’s
what girls are supposed to do when a strange boy chases them around the mall.
Were you expecting a greeting card?” she waved her hand dismissively, “Tell me
about future me.”
“I
wasn’t chasing them,” Dephon said adamantly. Jacqueline gave him a disbelieving
glance. Dephon shook his head. “Whatever. As for future you, she still knows it
all and tells nothing. The future you wouldn’t have told me about the mace
either.”
“In
my defense, I yelled after you, but you ignored me. I was going to warn you,
but you didn’t listen. Hopefully, lesson learned. Tell me about the future.
I’ve never met a person who has time travelled. Twins are rare and royalty is
even rarer. You might be the first time traveler.”
“Lucky
me,” he said drily. “There’s nothing to tell really. The Treptonian government has taken over the
planet. We have to stay inside, schools and sports are illegal. The government
controls everything and anyone who doesn’t obey is shot to death. ”
“So
I sent you back to save the future. Sounds like the type of brilliant plan that
I would come up with.” Jacqueline said, smiling to herself.
“Some
plan: my mother thinks I’m a stalker, I’m stuck in the past, and I have no idea
what to do to keep history from repeating itself.”
“I
didn’t give you any instructions at all? That doesn’t sound like me.”
“You
told me to read my mom’s Exemeus. That’s it. Some advice.”
“Well,
did you read it?” She asked, resuming her ministrations on his eye.
“Um—
” but before Dephon could evade the question, the doorbell rang.
Jacqueline
froze.
“What’s
wrong?” Dephon asked.
“The
doorbell isn’t supposed to ring.”
“It’s
not? Is it broken?”
“No,
I just didn’t foresee it happening.”
“Who
is it?” Dephon asked peering over her shoulder as though he could see through
walls.
“I
don’t know,” Jacqueline said, thoroughly perplexed. “I think your presence is
throwing everything off. We’ve got to be careful; time shouldn’t change too
much.” She headed to the door. Dephon
hopped off the counter and followed her.
The
door swung open and on the steps stood a girl in a flowery white and pink dress.
Dephon
recognized her instantly. “You,” he yelled pointing at her. “You’ve been
following me.”
The
girl stepped around Jacqueline and reached out to touch Dephon’s face. He
swatted her hand away in surprise and took a tentative step back.
“You
two know each other?” Jacqueline asked.
“No,”
Dephon said. At the same time the girl responded “yes”.
“Who
are you?” Dephon asked staring into her brown oval eyes. Her stare was intense,
he shook it off, taking another step back.
“I’m
your energy match. I felt like you needed me,” she said, her voice sounding
hollow like she was whispering, but managing to do it at a regular volume.
“How
could I need you? I don’t know you.” Dephon said, glancing to Jacqueline for
confirmation. Jacqueline watched the exchange with barely constrained
amusement.
“We’re
energy matches. We’ll always know when we need each other.”
Dephon
hoped to one day meet a female he didn’t think was weird. Today was clearly not
going to be that day. “Firstly, you and I are nothing to each other, but
strangers. Secondly, you can’t just show
up at someone’s house rambling on about energy matches and expect people to not think that you’re crazy. What is an energy match, anyway?” Dephon said
looking back and forth between Jacqueline and the strange girl. Jacqueline
shrugged, clearly as ignorant as Dephon was. Not comforting.
The
strange girl reached out and grabbed Dephon’s hand. His skin began to glow an
ocean blue color-- and so did hers-- an energy hummed along the surface of his
skin, the room was brighter, his vision was sharper, and he felt the strength
of his powers practically crackling at his fingertips. It was intoxicating.
She
removed her hand way too quickly and Dephon had to forcibly hold himself back
to keep from following her hand.
“You
need me,” she said simply.
Dephon
had to agree.
“That
was amazing,” Jacqueline said with excitement. “Who are you?”
“Valentina,”
she said, paying attention to Jacqueline for the first time. “ And your
Jacqueline.” She said simply.
“How
do you know that?” Dephon asked.
“I
had a feeling.”
“Of
course, you seem to have a lot of feelings.”
“I
do. I felt that you needed me and I felt your sadness and your pain.”
Dephon
furrowed his brow, “I think your feeling device is off, because I’m not sad.”
Valentina
smiled and reached up and brushed her fingers past the corner of his eyes. Dephon gasped as an overwhelming sadness
pervaded his body. He had to grit his teeth to keep from crying. His mind was a
jumble of all the times in the future that didn’t exist yet, where he would
long for his mother, but she wouldn’t be there. His mind raced through this
first time that they met and how she let her friend mace him. He remembered the
moments in the book when she was so loving and tender to those around her, but
he had yet to experience any of her kindness.
“Make
it stop,” Dephon said to her, through gritted teeth. The jumble of thoughts was
more than he could handle.
“Only you can make it stop,” she said taking
his hand in hers. “Command it away,” she said to him as his skin lit up and his
powers thrummed to life.
Dephon
mentally pushed the thoughts away. Almost immediately they disappeared, but the
sadness remained. “I’m still depressed.”
“I
know, but that is your decision. You’ve always been sad about your mother’s absence
and now what you feel is a second betrayal; I just let you feel it. You
shouldn’t hide from your feelings.”
Just
great. Now he was suffering from depression on top of all of his other
problems.
“On
that note, I think I’m going to leave you two to get acquainted,” Jacqueline
said. “You’re both welcomed to stay as long as you like.”
Dephon
didn’t protest. He couldn’t, because Jacqueline was gone, leaving him alone
with the girl he didn’t quite trust.
Chapter 2
Dephon
tossed and turned in his sleep. His sadness was so heavy it felt like it was
pressing down on his chest, making it impossible to breathe. Images of his
mother assaulted his mind, the memories of her fighting Dubleton, the shocked
expression on her face when she was betrayed. Dephon squeezed his eyes
together, trying to keep the errant thoughts at bay… but he couldn’t. His least
favorite memory of her came unbidden into his mind: beams of white light
uniting and hitting his mother in the heart before she crashed lifeless to the
ground.
Dephon
sprung up into a seated position, nearly colliding with Jacqueline who was
sitting on his bed.
“Uhhh,
must you always do that?”
“I
don’t know what you mean, but whatever I do, I do for a reason.”
“Could’ve
fooled me,” Dephon said, his eyes latching onto a glittering object swinging
from her hand. “What’s that?” he asked, jutting out his chin at her balled up
fist.
“I
noticed you’ve been trying to sleep for the past 12 hours. It’s almost noon and
you don’t look like you’ve slept a wink. What’s wrong?” she asked, ignoring his
question entirely.
“Maybe
I was creeped out by the thought of someone watching me sleep.”
Jacqueline
smiled. “You’re amusing. What’s the real
reason that you can’t sleep? Valentina can’t seem to either. She’s tossing and
turning too.”
“Do
you spy on all of your house guests?”
“Only
the ones whose minds I can’t read.”
Dephon
nestled back against his pillow, his eyes roaming the ceiling. “What do you
think about Valentina?”
“I
can’t get any more of a read on her than I’ve got on you.”
“Then
why did you let us stay here. We could be murderers, or assassins hired to kill
you.”
Jacqueline
burst into laughter, a melodious sound that put Dephon at ease. “I would love to see you two try, but even
with the debilitating fear of you slitting my throat while I sleep, I couldn’t
turn you out onto the streets. And she seems hell bent on assisting you, so I
viewed it as a package deal.”
“We
are not a package. I don’t even know her. And “ Dephon added, leaning forward,
just in case Valentina had magical hearing powers “she’s a little bit weird.”
“So
are you. And you do seem to share a connection. You both suffer from restless
sleep syndrome. What’s the problem? Dreaming about Hyalee?”
“Wait,
you think I’m weird?”
Jacqueline
waved her hand dismissively, the glittering object catching his attention once
more.
“What
is that?” Dephon asked again.
“An
Azemeon.”
“Uh
huh, of course. Never a name I know. What’s it for? It looks like a necklace.”
“It
is more or less, and it’s for you.”
“A
necklace, just what I always wanted. Too bad I forgot to pack anything that
will match.”
“I’m
sure you’ll manage,” she said as she gingerly placed the necklace around his
neck.
“Why
do I have to wear this,” Dephon asked reaching up to grab the sphere shaped
pendant.
“Don’t
touch i-“ Jacqueline’s words were cut off as the world was engulfed with
darkness. Dephon felt his insides split into a million pieces swirling around
until they all reconfigured in a blinding flash of light.
And
then there was no more.
***
“Earth
to Hyalee,” Virginia said waving her hands in my face. “Have you heard a word I
said?”
“No,
I’m so sorry,” I said, looki ng over my shoulder, “but I suddenly get the
feeling we’re being watched.”
“Maybe
the guy I pepper-sprayed is coming back for more,” Virginia said excitedly,
beginning to dig through her purse.
“Stop.
No more mace. I can’t believe you even did that, he was just a boy.”
“A
creepy boy.”
“I
thought he looked sweet.”
“We’ll
have to agree to disagree. So, as I was saying, I was online and I saw an
advertisement for the hobbit and you know who the lead looked like? David!
That’s who he looks like, I couldn’t put my finger on it, but he looks like one
of the trolls from those movies.”
“They’re
not trolls they’re hobbits, hence the name The Hobbit.”
“Whatever,
you know what I mean. Ooooohh fine guy, six o’clock.”
I
rolled my eyes at Virginia’s short attention span, but I played along with her
anyway. “My six or yours?”
“Definitely yours,” a smooth Baritone voice
said behind me. I turned around and stared up into the most arresting hazel
eyes. Dimples winked at me from his cheeks. I’m pretty sure I had stopped
breathing.
“I
seem to be lost,” he said staring at me intently, “can you help me find my way
to English lit; it’s in room,” he glanced at his schedule, “it’s in room 134.
Do you know where that is?”
“She
sure does,” Virginia said, volunteering my services.
“I hope I didn’t interrupt your conversation.
I’d just hate to be the new kid who was always late.”
I
glanced at the clock on my phone, “No, it’s fine. If you hadn’t come by, I
would have been late for class. Again.”
“See,”
Virginia said offering him her most endearing smile, “you just saved her from detention.
Are you trying to be her superman?”
I
gave Virginia a warning look as the boy laughed, an interesting sound that
complimented the sparkle in his eyes. “I’ll do my best.”
“Well,
let’s get going,” I said to him, “I’ll see you later, V,” I called over my
shoulder.
“Call
me later and tell me everything!”
I
wished the floor would swallow me up. “She’s just kidding, really.”
He
nodded indifferently, “Best friends don’t scare me. They normally just want to
make sure I’m not the antichrist and that I keep them knee deep in swoon-worthy
stories. How am I doing so far?”
I
laughed, “Well, I don’t think you’re the antichrist.”
“What
a relief: that was the part I was most worried about,” he said giving me that
100 watt smile. “So what’s your story?”
“My
story?”
“Tell
me about yourself. We can start with your name.”
I
came to a halt in front of room 134. “There’s not much to tell really,” I said
leaning against the wall. Facing me he did the same. He was so close the tips
of our shoes were almost touching. I had to crane my neck to see his handsome
face. I brushed a stray hair out of my face nervously.
“You
don’t have a name? Your mother must have a hard time when she wants to call you
for dinner.”
I
smiled, “I’m Hyalee Smith, a senior here at Lowell High.” I shrugged unsure of
how to proceed.
“Single,
dating, married?”
“Married?”
I laughed, “If I got married now, my mother would kill me before I even left
the church.”
“That
would cut costs if you plan your wedding and your funeral on the same day. The
same preacher can preside over both ceremonies. I should market that.”
“Weddings
and funerals in one, I don’t know if it will catch on.”
“I
can sell anything; Evian to a drowning man.” His eyes roved over my face. “You
never told me if you were single or not.”
“I’m
definitely single,” I said, staring down at the tips of our shoes.
“Maybe
we should change that, what are you doing after class?”
The
bell rang.
Shoot,
I was late again.
“Detention,”
I said glumly. I pushed off the wall. “It was nice to meet you….?” I trailed
off trying to remember his name, but realizing he had never given it to me.
“Dubleton.
Dubleton Johnson.”
“I’ll
see you around, Dubleton” I said, dashing down the hall.
I
faintly heard him say, “You can count on it.”
***
Dephon
was back in his own body gasping for air. He didn’t know if it was the rush of
feeling his mother’s emotions or the fear of her killer being so close, but he
felt stifled, like there wasn’t enough oxygen.
Jacqueline
stood at the foot of the bed, watching him intently. “Welcome back. Are you
alright?”
“What
happened,” Dephon asked, trying to shake off his confusion.
“Had
you waited, which you must always do when presented with a magical artifact,
you would have realized that an azemeon helps you to walk in someone else’s
shoes. Literally. It was created to help people see things in a different way.
It can be a bit disorienting the first time.
I hoped it would draw you closer to Hyalee—so you wouldn’t feel so
disjointed from your mother. You don’t look like you’re feeling all warm and
fuzzy though.”`
“Something
has changed. Today my mom was supposed to meet my dad, but instead she met her
murderer. I will kill him if he touches her,” Dephon said, jumping up from the
bed. He opened his backpack of clothes and began to grab a change of clothes.
“That
is horrible, but not as horrible as you charging off without a plan. What do
you intend to do?”
Dephon
paused for a moment, looking at her. “I don’t know, but I read a thousand-page
book in ten days, I saw my best friend and my dad face down the Treptonian army
by themselves—I doubt they survived, and every night for the past 13 years I’ve
had to relive my mother’s death. I will not let her die again. This is my
chance to make it right, and I refuse to just sit around here while that creep
hits on my mom.”
“What
have you done?”
“What?”
“The
past isn’t changing on its own. You’re doing something. What is it?”
“I
don’t know! I just got here. I was followed by Valentina, got maced by Virginia
and then I ended up here with you. That’s it.”
“Ok,
but the past will follow the same course, unless something changes it.”
“Well,
I don’t know what it could be—“
Dephon’s
tirade was interrupted by a knock on the door. Without an invitation Valentina
strolled in, but with her light steps it looked more like she was gliding.
“I
felt like you needed me.”
“Well
I don’t!” Dephon yelled. He glanced at her suspiciously, “what have you been
doing all day?”
“She
stayed up half the night tossing and turning. She didn’t get out of bed until
noon, just like you,” Jacqueline said gently.
Dephon
shrugged, unconvinced, as he headed into the bathroom. Changing his clothes, he
could still hear them talking outside. He tried to focus on a plan, but his
thoughts were all jumbled. He doubted he could get the words out even when he
did find his mother. He needed someone who could convince her that Dubleton was
trouble. He needed his dad.
Fully
dressed, Dephon sprinted past Jacqueline and Valentina. He had no way of
tracking his father, but he did know where he would be right now. At the Lowell High football field.
It
took him 20 minutes to get a cab and make it to Lowell high. He dashed through
the corridors making it to the field by the time the players were streaming out
of the locker room. Dephon eyed everyone walking out. No one looked familiar.
Then
a silhouette appeared in the shadows.
Singleton
Johnson emerged from the locker room, water still glistening off his hair. He
languidly headed to his next class, a small smile playing on his lips. To Dephon
he looked so different, not just because of his age, but because of his way of
being. He looked … happy.
“Johnson,”
a guy called, jogging up the pathway. “Wait up.”
Singleton
turned around and smiled: A full-fledged grin, displaying his dimples. Dephon
stood in awe, watching the man who would one day become his father. He would have stared forever if his father
didn’t turn in his direction. Singleton’s smile faltered a bit, but he still
managed to give Dephon an uneasy nod.
Dephon turned away until Singleton and his
friend entered the main building. He didn’t need to get pepper sprayed twice in
a 24 hour period. He waited a few minutes, before trailing after them into the
building. By the time he reached inside his father was standing at his locker
alone.
“Hi,
Singleton,” Dephon said with more confidence than he felt. He didn’t know what
he was going to say, but if Jacqueline could believe him, surely his dad would
too.
Singleton
gave him another one of those uneasy glances, before returning his attention
back to his locker. “Hey,” his dad said, sticking his pencil in his mouth, to
free up his hands. Dephon realized it had the added benefit of preventing
further conversation. Singleton began loading his backpack with books for his
next class.
Dephon
summoned all of his courage, before beginning to speak. “This is going to sound
weird, but I need you to hear me out.”
His
father glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, suspicion written all over
his face.
“In
the future you marry a girl you haven’t even met yet. Her name is Hyalee Smith,
But your brother wants her too and he wants to take over the world. He kills
your mother and everyone you care about, including your wife. All that you have
left is your son, Dephon-that’s me.” Singleton’s eyebrows shot up to the
ceiling. Dephon continued, “Your brother ends up ruling the world and you end
up with nothing, but a lot of hatred and a son you neglect.
“I
know it sounds weird, but you also meet a woman name Jacqueline, who helps you
develop your powers. Your mother hasn’t told you yet, but you are descended
from a long line of magical royalty. This woman, Jacqueline, has sent me into
the past to help you and mom change everything, but things have already started
to go wrong, because you were supposed to meet her today, but you’re brother
met her instead. We’ve got to do something, dad.”
By
this point, Singleton’s expression had changed from uneasy to downright
paranoid. His pencil had dropped on the floor, because his jaw was hanging wide
open. He kept casting furtive glances around, like he was looking for backup in
case Dephon became hostile.
“I
know this is hard to believe-“
“Wait
a second let me get this straight,” Singleton said holding up his palm like he
was directing traffic. “My seventeen year old brother kills my mother, my wife,
and takes over the planet? How does he do this exactly? With his calculus text
book?”
“He
has magical powers too.”
“Magical
powers. Right. Look kid, I don’t know if this is a game or if your off some
medication, but I can’t help you. If my brother put you up to this tell him he
needs to visit a specialist, ‘cause this one was over the top—even for him.”
Singleton slammed his locker and hefted his backpack over his back, before
briskly walking away.
Dephon
ran to catch up. “O.k I’ll make you a deal. Call your mother and tell her ‘it’s
o.k., you found out about the family history and you’re not upset’. If she
doesn’t backup my story, then I’ll admit I’m crazy and leave you alone.”
“No,
you’re going to leave me alone, because I said so. I don’t know what game
you’re pulling--,”
The
bell rang signaling the end of fifth period. Ignoring Dephon, Singleton rushed
down the hall, putting distance between them.
Hyalee
emerged out into the hallway. Dephon stared at her in surprise. So did Singleton.
Her
face lit up with surprise when she saw Singleton striding toward her. She
opened her mouth to speak and then her eyes landed on Dephon. A worried
expression crossed her face. Dephon was about to reassure her, but something
was wrong. He was overwhelmed by such an unbearable heat that it had to be
combustible.
They
were getting too close, he needed to warn them. But his father was drawn to her
like a moth to a flame. Singleton took the last couple of strides toward her, and
it was too late. A cosmic ball of light exploded between the two of them.
Dephon was hurled backwards as flames engulfed the hallway. His head slammed
against a locker and he slid, barley conscious, to the floor.
Dephon
was clearly changing the past, but definitely not for the better.
The
last sound Dephon heard before slipping into unconsciousness, were the screams
of Lowell high students and the roar of fire as the building burned to the
ground.
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