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War of the Wands: The Gems of Colosoul First 3 Chapters: Free Preview

Chapter 1

The Sky is Falling

Golan was running. He was running as fast as his legs would carry him; Golan was not used to running. It was not something his people did. He was running through a stretch of trees, not large enough to be a forest. Every now and then he would look directly up at the sky. This caused him to lose his balance. He fell on his face more than once. He definitely wasn't used to running.

He fell again, and this time he rolled forward. Golan stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He was wearing a bright blue one-piece outfit. It formed to his body and gave the perfect amount of wiggle room. It appeared to be soft, almost like it was made of cotton. There was a long, thin instrument that appeared to be stuck to the front of his leg.

He wasn't running from anyone chasing him; rather he was running home to see if he could make sense of what was happening. He had been at work in the factory making plasm blocks when someone came in and told them what was happening.

Golan came outside to see what the issue was. Everyone was standing outside, looking up in disbelief. Some people were talking about it, others were silently looking. Golan saw it and, after a few moments of processing, he tried to get away. Normal transportation was being blocked by the government, so he had to run. It was very scary. They never blocked transportation. A lot of other people ran too, no one was used to it.

During the moments he spent standing and watching, he heard arguments over it. No one really seemed to know how it started or where it came from. No one was sure if it was a serious matter or some sort of prank. The only thing that anyone could seem to agree on was what they were looking at. What they were looking at was a crack in the sky. The blue sky which normally hung overhead was pierced with a thick, black splinter.

He stared at it for a few more moments before picking himself up and running again. Golan got to a sign for the Region of Larkin and stopped for a few moments to catch his breath again. He halfheartedly jogged to his home which looked like three small houses stacked on top of each other. Golan reached down and grabbed the instrument that was stuck to his leg, which turned out to be a wand. He grabbed it and tapped his shoes. Golan shot up to the second house and hovered in front the door for a few moments before tapping the door to open it.

Golan was a warlock. He lived in a magical world called Hexen. He had a magic wand, flew in egg-shaped bubbles and could conjure just about anything he wanted whenever he wanted. His world was not without its problems, however. This world was far from perfect.

Golan saw his wife, Starla, sitting on a circular chair in the middle of their front room. She was reading a book but looked up at him when he entered the house.

“Have you seen what's going on?” Golan asked, making an effort to hide the panic in his voice. Starla nodded and looked back down at her book. “What has the Chief said about it?”

“He hasn't,” she said casually. Golan bit his lip in frustration.

“You aren't worried?” he asked. She looked up at him from behind her book.

“Are you?”

“A little,” he said with a hint of annoyance. “There's a crack in the sky, it's not a minor issue.”

“We'll see what the problem is,” Starla said. “I'm sure the government is working on it.”

“They blocked transportation, I had to run here,” he said and wiped some sweat off of his forehead.

“We can't fly pods?” she asked. She put her book down. “Maybe they don't want any Hexers flying while they are checking into the sky.”

“Does this debate not scare you?” Golan asked, raising his voice now. “We are debating the sky. The sky has a break in it!”

“I'm not afraid until the Chief of Warlox says to be afraid,” she said and nodded towards the blank sheets of paper that hung on the wall. “When he decides to address us, we'll see what's going on.”

Chief Sanders was an older man with several lines etched into his face. He was standing in a backroom about to address a group of reporters. Sanders was the Chief of Warlox. He was the top warlock, running the magical government of Warlox. An hour ago, he was informed that a crack had appeared in the sky and all evidence seemed to suggest that it was in no way a hoax.

A man that seemed to be even older than Sanders, if that was possible, was standing a few feet away from him, preparing for their statement to the press. He was wearing a bright red outfit that conformed perfectly to his body. Sanders and the two witches that were supposed to appear with him were also wearing red. A few people were putting make up on him and adjusting his hair before he went to his press conference.

“What do you make of it, Yazid?” Sanders asked. The older man looked surprised at being asked. He raised an eyebrow and swallowed hard.

“The crack?” Yazid asked.

“What else?”

“Many think that it is a prank, an illusion to mess with us,” Yazid said slowly. Sanders turned and looked at him carefully.

“But that's not what you think.”

“What I think matters little,” Yazid said. “What matters is what you tell the Hexers of Warlox. You must maintain a state of calm.”

“I am going to give a prepared speech, but I wanna know your opinion on the matter,” Chief Sanders said. Yazid took a deep breath.

“I believe that it is a very serious threat and that we need our top people on it right away,” Yazid said. “The sky having a crack means there is a problem with our power source, there is a problem with Hexen.”

“The Hexen?” Chief Sanders asked. “Don't tell me you believe in all that?”

“It's not belief, it's fact,” Yazid said quickly. Sanders could tell that Yazid did not want to be having this conversation.

“Well, anyway, we do have people looking into it,” Sanders said. “I know that you're planning to run against me next cycle.” Yazid was about to retort when three people in black suits entered. Their suits were form fitting and soft-looking like the red that Chief Sanders and his team were wearing. They almost appeared to be made out of cotton. The difference was that there was a strange “K” symbol on their suits.

“Chief Sanders, we have to go,” one of the men said. The four of them stepped forward into large egg-shaped objects that were floating off of the ground.

“I thought pods were not allowed to fly,” Yazid said.

“These were created before the ban,” Sanders said. They got into their pods and flew off into the darkening sky. Through the darkness, the crack was still visible.

Golan was standing near the second-story back door of the house. He was watching the sun set and the unusual way the light responded as it passed over the crack in the sky. Walking toward the front room again, he examined the newspaper on the wall. It was still blank.

“Sanders hasn't said anything yet?” he asked. She turned around and looked at the blank paper on the wall.

“Guess not,” she said and went back to reading. Golan tried contain his frustration again. He just turned away from her.

“What are you reading anyway?” he asked. She held the book up so he could see. “Parenting tips? You know the way things are in Larkin. We don't need that stuff.”

“I wanna be a good mother,” Starla said without looking up.

“He's gonna have like 10 mothers,” Golan scoffed. “The town raises everyone.”

“I know the way the town works, I was raised the same way,” she said and then sighed. “I just wish it was a bit more personal. He's almost two years old and doesn't have a name.”

“Then run for council and change the rules!” Golan shouted. “I don't wanna debate rules with you! The more pressing issue is the crack in the sky!”

Suddenly, the sound of a baby crying could be heard from the next room. Starla stood up, slammed her book down and walked into the other room to comfort the baby. Golan put his face in his palm and sighed. Starla came back into the room with a cradle floating behind her, rocking itself.

Starla looked into the cradle at the face of their son as he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep. She looked up at Golan, who pretended not to have been looking. Suddenly, the sound of a pen scratching on paper could be heard. They both turned to look at the blank paper on the wall. Words began to appear as if being written by an invisible hand.

His excellency, the Chief of Warlox, Sanders of Larkin, speaks at the Warlox Union Building in Adler.

Chief Sanders arrived at the Warlox Union Building in Adler where the Chief lived during his term. He got out of his pod, closely followed by Yazid and the other two witches in red. They were walking down a long hallway surrounded by security. Sanders turned to Yazid. He seemed to be looking down as he walked.

“These guys never leave me alone,” Chief Sanders said, motioning towards the security detail. “Do you really want this job?” he chuckled.

“What are you going to tell the reporters?” Yazid asked, ignoring Sanders' joke.

“I'll tell them that we have people looking into it, which is true,” Chief Sanders said. “But we don't really know what the cause is at the moment.” Yazid stopped, causing Chief Sanders and everyone else to stop.

“Chief Sanders, what is the point of talking to them if you don't have anything to say?” Yazid asked. Sanders got very close to the old man until their noses were practically touching.

“Do not question me, Yazid,” Chief Sanders said. “The Hexers want to hear from their Chief in a time of potential crisis. If you think you can do better...”

“I meant no disrespect, of course,” Yazid said. “It's just that there are rumors.” He paused and thought about if he really wanted to engage the Chief.

“Rumors?”

“O-o-one h-h-hears things-s,” Yazid stammered.

“Like?”

“It is rumored that a group of loyalists or rebels are trying to break or damage The Knack to acquire some hidden magical items,” Yazid breathed. Sanders raised an eyebrow.

“Which items would they be?” he asked. Yazid looked around as if an answer would appear to him.

“There have been hundreds over the years,” Yazid said. “They would also be trying to reveal a hidden location.”

“The Beyond?”

“That's not really hidden, but that's the general idea,” Yazid said.

“I don't need to hear conspiracy theories from you. I'm going to go do this press conference and you aren't going to say a word unless I speak to you. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Yazid said with his head down. They continued forward and opened a large, black curtain to a room of reporters, all were armed with a range of different recording tools. Some had pens that wrote on their own, others had papers that wrote what you said to it, among other magical ways to record the news.

One of the men in suits stepped forward and spoke to the crowd. “His excellency, Chief of Warlox, Sanders of Larkin speaks at the Warlox Union Building in Adler.”

“Good evening,” Chief Sanders said. “As I'm sure anyone who isn't living under a rock is aware, this afternoon a large crack appeared in the sky above Warlox. At this time, we have a team of experts looking into the matter and within the next few days, I am confident we will have some results.”

“Chief,” a reporter spoke up quickly. “What are the prevailing theories as to the source of the crack, and what exactly it is?”

“We have a team of experts...” Sanders began but was cut off by the reporter.

“I know you do, Chief Sanders,” the reporter said. “But what is the prevailing theory at the moment?”

“We don't have time for speculation,” Sanders chuckled. “We are interested in the hard facts of the issue at hand.”

“Hey, Zid,” the reporter said. Yazid looked up quickly. “What do you think?”

“No!” Chief Sanders said. He raised a hand instantly. “You will address me for questions, thank you. Any more questions?”

“Why can't people fly their pods?” another reporter asked.

“We need the skies clear as we assess the problem of the crack,” Sanders said. He pointed at another reporter sitting in the front row.

“Is it true you've been blocking access to The Beyond?” the third reporter asked. “It seems like you don't want people to leave due to the crack in the sky.”

“No,” Chief Sanders laughed. He pushed his thinning hair back nervously. “The Beyond is open to any and all that wish to venture there.”

“Okay,” the third reporter said. “Because there a lot of reports of Warlox guards at the Access Points.”

“Those are fake reports,” Chief Sanders said shakily. “If there are any more questions...” A number of reporters raised their hands. “Okay, thank you.” He turned and went back through the curtain, followed by Yazid and the two witches. His security detail surrounded the four as they walked deeper into the Warlox Union Building. Sanders walked into his office and slammed both of his fists on the desk, creating a dent in the top of it.

“Chief Sanders,” Yazid began.

“Not one word about it,” he shouted. Yazid opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again. Chief Sanders sighed and sat down at his desk.

There was a long moment in which the two witches in red were looking at Yazid, hoping he’d to say something to the Chief. He finally did.

“Is there any word I should give if I am questioned?” Yazid asked.

“No, but make sure the Access Points are secure. I can't have my entire population escaping to live with the Beyonders just because of some nonsense.”

“Understood, Chief,” Yazid sighed. He turned and left the room.

“That man is such a puppet,” Golan said angrily. “He spoke and said nothing.” The words were starting to fade from the paper on the wall.

“He isn't the best,” Starla agreed. She had buried her nose back in her book. The cradle was rocking slowly in the air before her.

“And the reporter asking him questions,” Golan began. “He got cut off! Sanders wouldn't let him talk.”

“We don't know exactly what happened with that.”

“We do!” Golan exclaimed. “Sanders probably knows what's happening!”

The baby suddenly began to whine from the cradle. Starla sat up and rocked it with her hands for a few moments, rather than her wand. The baby moaned a few more times before going back to sleep once again.

“Please keep your voice down, Golan,” she said. Starla released the cradle and flicked her wand at it so it kept in motion. Golan wanted to argue but thought better of it and left the room.

Over the next few days, Golan became increasingly paranoid about the crack in the sky. The Warlox government determined that the crack was simply part of the changing world they lived in and that it was most likely another portal opening to The Beyond or a world similar.

“The Beyond?” Golan shouted to himself. No one was home. He had stopped going to work and spent most of his time wandering the house or the neighborhood, looking up at the crack. Once or twice he even stood outside and yelled at the crack in the sky. At the moment, he was pacing back and forth in his home and yelling at the papers on the wall when they reported news on the crack in the sky.

Starla came in with the baby and saw Golan yelling at the newspaper on the wall. She sighed and walked over, putting a hand on his back. He was startled at her touch.

“Golan, did you go to work today?” she asked. Golan sighed and sat down by the back door. His fitted white suit reflected the sunlight outside, illuminating the room even though it appeared to be cotton-like material “I know you're worried about the crack in the sky, I'm worried, too. You have to go to work, you have to live your life.”

“You, me, our son and everyone else out there,” he motioned out of the window. “Everyone is going to die if the sky falls, if our world ends. If The Knack die, if Hexen dies, we die.”

“What do you wanna do?” she asked. Golan stood up and began pacing again. He was looking around the room before stopping to look at his wife. After a moment, he went over and looked into the carrier where their son was sleeping peacefully.

“We need to get him out of here,” Golan said. “If they figure out what it is or fix it, we can go and get him. We can stay here in Warlox, but we have to save our son!”

“Golan, all of the Access Points are sealed off,” Starla said, “Chief Sanders has his men guarding them. The three of us would never make it through.”

Golan punched the wall and his hand went through it. He stood for a moment with his arm sticking out of the wall. He looked up and pulled his arm out. There was dust covering his arms just below his sleeves.

“I have an idea,” Golan said. Starla crossed her arms and nodded.

“Let's hear it.”

They approached the woods at the edge of Larkin. It was a very thick forest, not as spaced out as the one Golan had run through a week earlier. There were several men in black, form-fitting suits standing before one tree in particular. On the front of each of their suits was a “K” symbol. There was a bright blue light coming from the tree. Golan's eye shifted towards the glow of the tree. Starla was holding their son and walking slowly in front of him.

The three guards standing before the tree turned to look at Golan and Starla as they got closer. One of the guards brandished his wand towards them.

“What is your business here?” the guard asked. Golan revealed that he had a wand pointed at Starla's back. The guard raised his eyebrow and pointed his wand at Golan.

“I'm going to kill her if you don't let me into The Beyond!” he shouted. “Don't move!” The other two guards were about to reach for their wands but held back. Golan inched forward. The guard with his wand out held his ground.

“I have orders to not allow anyone out of Warlox.”

“You're going to have orders to clean up her guts when I blow her up,” Golan shouted. “Lower your wand. Do it!” The guard slowly lowered his wand and put his hands up.

“Let the girl go and we can discuss this like men,” he said. Golan's eyes flicked back and forth between the three guards. Other guards slowly approached.

“Get back! All of you, get back!” Golan shouted. The approaching guards stopped.

“What do you want?” the guard asked. Golan's eyes continued to shift back and forth between everyone.

“I want her to be allowed through the portal,” Golan said. The guard turned to look at the others.

“Sir, we can't do that,” he said. Golan was shaking. He was digging his wand hard into Starla's side. She whimpered slightly. The guard reached for his wand and Golan screamed at him.

“What are you doing? Do you want her to die?”

“No,” the guard said simply. “I am going to write my boss and see if I can allow you, given the circumstances.” Golan nodded and the guard grabbed his wand. He created a piece of paper and wrote a quick note on it. The paper vanished. As Golan watched the guard write, he was hit from the side with a stunning hex. A bright red light flashed and he was knocked over. The guards jumped on top of him. Starla grabbed her own wand and held it to the baby.

“Stop!” she yelled. The guards were shocked to see her holding her wand to her baby's head.

“Hey, what are you doing?” one of the guards asked.

“One way or another, I am getting through that portal to The Beyond,” Starla said. Suddenly, a piece of paper appeared next to the guard that had sent the letter. He looked at it and waved her in.

“Boss says not to let anyone get killed over it,” the guard said. “You can go. But you won't get far.” The guard flicked his wand at her. “You're being tracked.”

Starla pointed her wand at the guard and stunned him. She jumped through the bright blue portal before the other guards could do anything.

She stood in a new world. Starla had never been to the Beyond. She was shaking as she looked around the area where she had appeared. There were trees everywhere, but they were different from the ones she was used to. These trees were brown and all of the leaves were green. The ones she was used to were black and all of the leaves were different. There was no magic that she could sense in this world. She tried to create a pod but couldn't.

“Warlox's laws must still apply here,” she said out loud. Starla realized that it was raining. The water seemed to curve around her. She remained dry. She walked a short distance before coming to a road. A truck blew by her quickly. She jumped back in fear. She felt herself shaking. Starla had no idea where she was or what she was doing. She crossed the road and found herself in front of a large building. The building read, Feynman Fire Department. Underneath, it said, Congratulations, Andy and Martha Cecily on 50 Years of Marriage.

Starla stopped on the side of the building and set her son down. She created a cradle around him and wrapped him in a blanket. He moaned for a moment and then rolled over and continued sleeping. She reached into her form-fitting suit to the pocket and pulled out a necklace with a charm in the center. She placed it on top of the blanket and then created a piece of paper with her wand. Her hand was shaking as she used her wand like a marker. She wrote the word Jaxon. Her hand trembled as she tried to think.

“Jaxon, that's what your last name should have been,” Starla whispered. “Warlox has such stupid rules.”

She stood up and looked down at the baby in his cradle. He was unaware of anything that was happening around him, unaware that his mother was standing above him wondering if she'd ever see him again. She was about to turn and leave but then stopped. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she thought of leaving the baby.

“He needs a first name,” she sobbed. She looked around for inspiration and found it. She knelt back down and held her wand like a marker again. She wrote another name above Jaxon.

She placed her hand on the name and then felt the necklace.

“This will keep you safe,” she said. “You will be safe in The Beyond, Andy Jaxon.”

Starla stood up and turned to walk away. She crossed the street and headed back to the Access Point, back to Warlox to face the consequences of keeping her baby safe. She headed back to her own world and away from baby, Andy Jaxon, who was completely unaware of what his fate might be. She hoped it would be a lot better than hers.

Chapter 2

Survivor's Guilt Trip

Andy opened his eyes quickly and looked around. For the first few seconds, the light was too blinding to see anything properly. He closed his eyes and then blinked a few times. His hearing was superior to his sight at the moment. Andy put his head back down and listened. The beeping and humming of machines could be heard; he listened closer and could hear two women speaking close-by in hushed tones.

“It's just so sad,” the first woman sighed. “No matter how long you work in a hospital, you don't get used to losing patients.”

“I know, sweetie, I've been here for almost 18 years,” the second woman replied. “It's amazing how badly they were hurt, because the kid is almost untouched.”

“The car was destroyed, but he must have been in the perfect spot to survive,” the first woman said. She sounded as if she was holding back tears. “I guess we'll have to tell him when he wakes up.”

“Yes, it's only fair,” the second woman said. “And he's so young, too.”

Andy listened to these words carefully. He no longer had the desire to open his eyes, or do anything else for that matter. Andy knew that he was going back to the orphanage again. His eyes began to fill with tears at the thought of returning. He also regretted deeply that the first home he truly enjoyed was gone. The first time he really felt ‘at home’ was with the Riggs'. And now they were dead, but somehow he survived. Andy fiddled with the charm on his necklace and wept silent tears.

Andy Jaxon was 15 years old and was average height for his age. He had always been fairly thin, with light brown hair that he occasionally had to push out of his eyes. He had never known his real parents. Before he could talk, they had left him at a fire station in Feynman, New Jersey. It was a town that stretched through most of the Pine Barrens. He was taken to St. Carl Edward Orphanage where he had lived most of his life.

At the age of six, one of the head nuns sat him down and explained to him why he was there.

“Sometimes, mommies and daddies can't afford their child.” Sister Mary said. “It doesn't mean that they don't love you. But sometimes things like that happen.” Andy didn't fully understand. They sat in her office at her small table. There were decorative napkins and salt shakers in the center. Andy fiddled with the shakers while they spoke.

“What did they say when they brought me to you?” he remembered asking. Sister Mary tried to explain that he had been left at a fire station with only his necklace and a note saying his name. “When are they coming back?”

“I don't know if they are,” she said sympathetically. “I only know that we will take good care of you, as we have. If a couple wants to adopt you, you can choose to stay if you want.”

Andy tried to understand all of this. It took a few years to really get it. Once it really sunk in, he felt very depressed. He felt unwanted. Sister Mary explained that a lot of orphans feel that way and she always offered an ear if Andy wanted to talk. An offer that Andy accepted on more than one occasion. There were several nights that he spent crying in her office.

A little over a month after his tenth birthday, he was finally introduced to a nice couple in their thirties that were unable to have children of their own. They visited St. Carl Edward nearly everyday for three weeks before finally adopting Andy. They told him a week before the paperwork was to be signed. He was so excited to finally be going home to a family.

The week couldn't go fast enough. He was happy to finally have a home. But it didn't last long. Strange things would happen around Andy. His foster parents, Shirley and Leonard McCreevy, would notice these odd things about Andy.

Andy was walking towards the lunchroom at the elementary school that he attended. He noticed a very large kid was beating up a much younger one. Andy tried to ignore this, but the victim saw him and cried out.

He ran over but didn't know what to do. Andy yelled at the bully to stop.

“Cut it out!” he yelled. He shoved the larger kid. Andy immediately regretted his actions. The bully’s attention was now on him.

“That twerp owed me money, but I guess I can just as easily take my anger out on you,” the boy said. Andy had never fought in his life and there was no one around besides the previous victim. Andy braced himself as the bully prepared to hit him as hard as he could. The bully aimed for Andy’s stomach, but the hit never came. At least Andy didn’t feel it. He watched himself take the hit.

The bully grabbed his hand in pain. “Do you have an iron gut?” He fell to the floor, crying. Andy felt his stomach and it felt like normal skin. Somehow, his body prevented injury and caused it to someone else.

Andy was grounded for a week for fighting. He tried to explain that he had been defending someone, but it was no good. In his week-long penalty, he pondered just how he had hurt that bully. It wouldn't be the only red flag that went up about Andy.

A few months later, Andy received an awful haircut. The young woman was shaving his sideburns when the razor short- circuited and she let it go. It went directly through Andy's hair, creating a lop-sided Mohawk. Apologizes were given, the haircut was free and so were his next several. The problem was that hats were not permitted at school. So for the entire weekend, Andy dreaded going back to school.

When he woke up on Monday morning, he looked in the mirror to find that his hair had filled itself in. To his horror, it was bright green. Andy ran to Shirley to show her that his hair had grown back. She was about to yell at Andy but realized that there was no explanation for how his hair had grown back. She felt it. It was his real hair. They went to the store that night and bought hair dye. His hair was black for a while until it faded and his original hair color returned.

Shirley and Leonard were getting nervous about Andy. Several more strange things happened. Things would move on their own, even go missing, only to turn up in unusual places. Andy would swear up and down that he had nothing to do with it. They didn't believe him. Andy didn't understand what was happening.

The last straw was on Christmas morning. Andy had really wanted a video game system. He honestly didn't care which one. He just wanted to play video games like his friends did. He begged and begged for one. He even wrote to Santa Claus. It didn't help.

On Christmas morning, he woke up with that same excitement that every kid in the world does. Andy raced into his parents’s room for his first ever family Christmas. He woke them up and they went into the living room to open gifts. Andy tore through the carefully wrapped presents. After nearly 45 minutes of everyone exchanging gifts, Andy had some new clothes, a few books and a few movies. What he didn't have was any kind of video game. His foster parents said that video games just weren't good for a growing mind.

It was all that he wanted. He felt sorrow at not getting one. A rage burned inside of him. He started to cry. As he did, he felt the rage burn hotter. It was so hot that he actually felt heat. He turned around to see the family Christmas tree was on fire.

Shirley screamed, causing Leonard to turn and look. He ran and grabbed the fire extinguisher. Leonard put the fire out and then yelled at Andy.

“You freak!” he screamed at him. “I don't know what witchcraft or voodoo you're pulling but you're getting out of my house!” He grabbed Andy's jacket and some of his clothes and put him in the car.

There was silence as Andy sat in the car with Leonard, his soon to be ex-foster father. Andy began to weep silently. Leonard saw this and, instead of becoming sympathetic, he got angry.

“Don't cry in my car,” he shouted. “You'll end up setting it on fire.”

Andy was returned to the orphanage. He felt even more unwanted than before. It took him weeks to come out of his room. He often refused meals. Andy would sit and go over in his mind what had happened. He simply didn't understand what went wrong. He felt upset about not getting his game. Andy remembered feeling the heat inside of him and the next thing he knew, he actually felt heat behind him. It didn't make any sense.

It was almost two years before another family showed interest in Andy. Andy had begged the nuns not to tell his next family about his last. He begged for the chance to start fresh. His request was granted.

Andy sat up in his hospital bed at Feynman. He had gained back some strength. He sat up and saw the pitcher of water and cup by his bed. Suddenly realizing his thirst, he grabbed the cup and poured water into it. He enjoyed the cold, refreshing feeling of water spilling down his throat. Andy took a deep breath and refilled his cup. This time he spilled a bit down his front, too.

He breathed heavily for a few moments. Andy put his head back down on the pillow and listened to the humming machines around him.

He looked at the small television hanging from the wall. It was flickering with images of a news anchor. They were showing highlights of a soccer game. Seeing the ball being kicked around brought Andy back to the day he was adopted for a second time.

The orphanage had a very nice area for outdoor recreation. There was a large field for soccer or baseball and they even had tennis and basketball courts. Andy dug through the box of equipment and found a soccer ball. Andy and another boy were kicking it back and forth when the car pulled up. Mr. and Mrs. Brady got out of the car and walked over to see Andy. They had spent the last month meeting him.

They were an older couple with a lot of money. Andy guessed that they were probably in their late fifties. All of their kids had moved out into the world and they wanted another chance to raise a child. Any grandchildren that they had were scattered around the country.

Andy was twelve years old now and was ready for his second chance at having a real family. This, however, was not meant to happen. The Brady family was very religious. They made Andy get up every Sunday morning for church. He was forced to pray before eating, sleeping or anything else it seemed. This quickly wore on young Andy.

“Never too early to start your relationship with God,” Mr. Brady would say anytime Andy seemed upset. Andy had no real response for this claim; he just nodded.

If talking to some invisible person that never talked back was how he was going to keep his new family, he was fine with that. Another thought that occurred to him was how rich the Bradys were. When they died, Andy would be set for life.

Andy did his chores without much of a problem. The mansion they lived in had maids so Andy only did very light housework. His school work was the main concern of Mrs. Brady. He had it very nice; Andy finally had a home. Or so he thought.

Odd things were still happening around Andy still. It was as if something within him was manifesting, though he didn't know what.

A few times, Andy would wake up in another part of the house. He didn't know if he had sleepwalked but it would startle him. Once, he even woke up to find himself floating in his room. Andy quickly dismissed it as a dream.

Mr. and Mrs. Brady spent little time with Andy so they rarely noticed. They spent so little time with Andy that, he often wondered why exactly they adopted him. Perhaps it was the future satisfaction of raising another successful child.

Once or twice, the Bradys would notice something happen, but dismiss it. The day it became a problem was about three months into his time with the Bradys. It was a Sunday morning. Andy had had a difficult time getting to bed the night before. He was extremely tired and struggled through getting dressed.

“Can I please stay home, just this once?” he begged. He complained about how tired he was. They weren't having it.

“You cannot skip church while you live in this house, Andy,” his father said sternly. Andy sighed and finished tying his shoes. As they drove towards the church, he felt the gentle rocking of the car lulling him to sleep.

“Can I at least have some coffee, please?”

“Caffeine is the Devil's drug,” Mr. Brady said as he pulled into the parking lot of the church.

When they arrived at the church, they found the pews that they normally sat in and prepared for the service. Andy found himself drifting off to sleep, and he decided to give in. He wondered if they would believe him next time he said he was too tired for something.

Andy felt weightless. He remembered a time in his early childhood, a memory he had forgotten. He was in a bright blue balloon and he was flying in the air. Andy closed his eyes and felt free but then he heard several screams.

Andy opened his eyes and looked down at his foster parents. He quickly looked around and found that he was floating. Without any thought, Andy landed quickly but softly back in his seat. People were running from the church and screaming. The priest came over and threw holy water on him. He just wiped the water from his face.

“This boy is the Devil,” the priest shouted. “Don't ever bring him back!” Andy tried to protest, but was pulled into the car and driven away. They left him outside while they grabbed his things and left them on the curb. A taxi came an hour later and took him back to the orphanage.

“Back again, Andy?” Sister Kelly asked him when he walked back in with his suitcase. Andy looked up at her and she could see the tears streaming down his face. She walked over and wiped the tears from his cheek. “You'll be all right, don't you worry. We'll find you a home.”

“I hope so,” Andy sighed. He dragged his things back to his old room. Andy just sat on his bed and cried for a while. It might have been a minute or an hour. He just remembered being completely empty of tears.

Andy sat up in his hospital bed when he heard the younger nurse walk in. She noticed him sit up and looked happy that he was awake. The nurse asked him if he was hungry. Andy nodded and asked where he was.

“You're at Feynman Hospital,” the nurse said slowly. “You were in a bad car accident.”

“Where are Kayla and Donnie?” he asked. The nurse looked very uncomfortable. Her eyes darted away quickly as if she really didn't want to discuss it. She took a deep breath and walked closer to Andy.

“They didn't make it, Andy,” she said slowly. “They most likely died instantly and felt no pain. You somehow survived. It's amazing actually.”

“Okay,” Andy said simply. He didn't know how else to express what he felt. He already knew they were dead but hearing it from someone else somehow made it real. The enormous pain within him was like a stinging that didn't go away. Andy didn't cry at first. The nurse left the room after a few minutes. Andy just sat in his bed, thinking about them. The first family that he ever really had was gone, the first one to actually like him for who he was. Odd things still happened around Kayla and Donald Riggs but they thought it was interesting, not scary.

The day they came to the orphanage, Andy hit it off with them right away. Mr. and Mrs. Riggs were hippies and artists. They were in their late twenties and Andy was fourteen.

Once, Andy had been playing video games and accidentally lost control of the remote. It went flying into the new television. He was terrified to tell them.

“Kayla, can you come here for a second?” he called. Andy's heart was thumping as he heard his foster mother approach. She saw the television and immediately turned to make sure Andy was okay. This was only about a month after he came to live with them.

“We can buy a new one, I'm just glad you're okay!” She hugged him. Andy felt a deep love developing. He had never had someone care so much for him. She went to get her keys to return the television.

Andy felt bad about ruining the TV, but selfishly was happy to have seen how much they really cared for him. By the time Kayla had found the receipt and come back out into the living room, the shattered screen was perfect. She laughed.

“The screen is fine,” she said. Andy looked up and to his amazement. The screen was perfect and the remote was sitting next to the game system. Donnie came home and laughed about it too.

Andy couldn't believe how well they took it. He admitted to them that odd things had been known to happen around him.

“I once accidentally set a Christmas tree on fire,” he said bashfully. The Riggs laughed and asked how. “I honestly don't know. I turned around and it was on fire.”

“Interesting,” Donnie said. That night, he painted a picture of Andy with fire coming out of his hands. Andy framed it and hung it in his room.

For over a year, Andy delighted in his home. Still more odd things happened.

Donnie and Kayla would only eat from small restaurants to support local business. This often cost them because they got sick. Andy, however, never once got sick. Donnie and Kayla got very bad food poisoning once and Andy took care of them.

Once they were feeling a bit better, Kayla wondered why Andy never got sick. He never got headaches unless he actually hit his head and never got colds, never sneezed or coughed. Andy said that he simply never had illnesses. He had never had any in his life. Kayla once joked that maybe Andy was an alien.

Life went on. Andy did very well in school, though the Riggs' never pressured him. “Just do your best and we'll be happy,” Kayla would say. Andy did try his best to impress his parents and they were thrilled with him. Andy had lived with them for just over a year.

On Andy's birthday, Kayla baked a large cake for Andy and bought him his own computer. A few weeks later, they took him to a fair. It was in the parking lot of 'Feynman's Fine Deals', a large department store. They had a great time on rides, playing games and eating cotton candy.

Like with everything in Andy's life, his joy was about to turn to sorrow. They got into their car and prepared to drive home. As they pulled out into the intersection, a car came speeding at them and made contact at full speed. He saw everything happen in slow motion.

Andy saw the van collide with the passenger side and the door crumpled inwards. He couldn't hear the screams over the sound of metal scratching against metal. Andy closed his eyes and waited for death. He felt a burning heat on his chest as his necklace smacked against his skin. The deafening sounds were magnified with his eyes closed and they only got worse until, mercifully, Andy lost consciousness.

“I got one!” a voice yelled. “Oh my God, there's someone else in here.”

“Get the Jaws, get him out!” another voice called. “Can you get a pulse?”

“This one's alive!” the first voice said. The two EMT's were able to move part of the car to get Andy out. They quickly strapped him into the ambulance and drove him to the nearest hospital. They drove him away from his now deceased foster parents and away from the best life he could have hoped for. What they were taking him towards, he could not have possibly imagine.

Chapter 3

Not So Lucky

After only a few days, Andy Jaxon was released from Feynman Hospital and sent back to Saint Carl Edward Orphanage. Now at the age of 15, he had lived with three foster families. Any hope of having a normal life dwindled with each last name he acquired.

The depression deepened as he thought about Donnie and Kayla. He would cry for long stretches of time. The more he missed them, the more it occurred to him that he didn't miss any of the other families. Never had he known love like he did with them.

One day at lunch, a younger boy named Jimmy approached him. A lot of the children that Andy had grown up with had been adopted long ago. He knew very few of the orphans now.

“I heard your foster parents died,” Jimmy said quietly. “I'm really sorry.” “Me too,” Andy said as he buttered his roll. “What's your name, kid?”

“Jamie,” he said. “But I think that sounds like a girl’s name, don't you?”

“I guess it could be either,” Andy said with a stony expression.

“I prefer to be called Jimmy,” he said. Andy took a bite of his roll and didn't answer. “Your name is Andy, right?” Andy nodded. “If you need a friend, I could be your friend.”

Andy looked down at the table and then really looked at Jimmy for the first time. He smirked. “I sure could use a real friend right about now.”

“Did you know your real parents?” Jimmy asked. Andy shook his head and held his hand up.

“I've had so many families over the years, I don't want to talk about them please.”

“Okay, I'm sorry, Andy,” Jimmy said. He looked around quickly for something to talk about. Andy turned part of his attention back to his meal. Andy patted the seat next to him for Jimmy to sit down. The boy eagerly took the seat.

“So how long have you been here?”

“About eight months,” Jimmy sighed. “My father went missing and my mother went crazy.”

“How old are you?”

“Eleven.”

“What do you mean your mother 'went crazy'?”

“Well,” Jimmy took a deep breath. “My dad went missing and my mother reported that men in cloaks came and took him.”

“What's crazy about that?”

“She said that they had magic wands and flew away with him,” Jimmy said quickly. He realized it sounded even crazier when said out loud. He looked slightly embarrassed.

Andy put his arm around Jimmy. “Don't worry about it, Jimmy. I've seen some strange things, too.”

Over the next several months, Andy and Jimmy became better friends. Andy turned sixteen during this time. Jimmy turned twelve. Andy made an effort to look out for Jimmy. Jimmy was adopted a few weeks after his birthday. It left Andy feeling more empty inside.

He started noticing changes on his body. Hair was growing in unusual places and he really had no one to talk to about it. At school, they learned about these changes in health class but he felt funny asking the teacher. Andy started to notice the girls at school more. It never occurred to him how attractive some of them were. He found it a bit more difficult to focus on his studies.

Andy felt ashamed. He knew better than to ask any of them out. Who would want to date the orphan boy? He tried to put it out of his head.

At the orphanage, Andy stayed in his room more and more. When Jimmy left, he found no reason to leave his room besides meal time.

It was nearly two months before Andy even ventured out to the basketball court. He decided to try and shoot to take his mind of girls. It didn't work as there were plenty of girls out by the basketball courts playing tennis. He tried to make sure they didn’t notice him watching. His eyes darted away quickly.

Andy tried not to allow the girls to ruin his fun. He played for a little while and even invented a new game. After some time, he decided to head inside. Just as he approached the door to go inside, a car pulled up. Andy took a deep breath and shook his head. Not getting my hopes up again.

He went inside, drank some water and tried to cool off. Feeling adventurous, he decided to go into the television room. There were a few kids there that he didn't know. He gave a weak smile to the few that turned to see who had entered the room. He sat down and tried to see what was on. An older couple walked in and the mood of the room turned.

The younger kids got up excitedly and ran towards the couple. The old woman seemed very sweet as she spoke to the children. Andy's attention was hooked on the movie he’d found on television. The old man walked past the small children and sat down next to Andy.

“Hi,” he said politely. Andy nodded., “Do you live here? Are you an orphan?” Andy had never been asked such a blunt question. He turned to face the old man.

“I am,” he said shortly., “But I've been chewed up and spit out enough that I don't go running when a couple comes into this place.”

“Well, I'm sorry,” the old man said. He stuck his hand out for Andy to shake. Andy slowly took it and shook. “I'm Henry.”

“Hello, Henry, I'm Andy,” he replied. Andy released Henry's hand.

“Well, Andy, I'm going to be frank with you,” he said.

“I thought you said your name was Henry,” Andy seemed confused.

“It's an expression,” Henry said quickly.

“I know,” Andy said. “It was a joke.” Henry smiled.

“We're not looking to change diapers or hold hands in the mall anymore,” he started. Andy turned his body completely to face Henry. His eyes widened. “We're looking for someone older that we can take care of that maybe in a few years can take care of us.”

“Henry, I don't know...”

“We certainly don't have a fortune, but we live very comfortably,” Henry said. “I'm a high school teacher and Olga works a few days a week at a department store. But she was a lawyer and I have been with the school district for thirty-eight years and coached the boys’ soccer team.”

“I don't really care about money,” Andy started. He suspended his disbelief for one moment and allowed his emotions to show. His eyes grew misty. “What I really want at this point is a family.”

“All that and more, Andy,” Henry said. He stood up. “Let's take a walk.”

They walked outside around the perimeter of the property. Andy took another look at the girls playing tennis. Henry and Andy talked. They talked about life, sports and movies. Henry really felt he had Andy on his side.

A few weeks later, Henry and Olga Luck returned to Saint Carl Edward to finalize the paperwork to get Andy. He was happy to be given yet another chance but he didn't get his hopes up. As Andy drove away from the orphanage, he watched it get smaller and smaller. An odd feeling came over him.

This will be last time I ever see this orphanage. The thought was nice, but again he didn't want to get his hopes up. The radio was playing relaxing music and Mr. Luck hummed along to it.

Andy felt unsafe in the car. He was remembering the day that he was in the car accident. It had been some time, but this was the first time he had been in once since. Andy tried not think about it. He focused on the music on the radio. They drove deep into the Pine Barrens.

The car turned into an opening in the wall of trees. They passed a mail-box and went down a winding driveway. Andy watched the trees and plants that overwhelmed the sides of the dirt road. They finally came out to a clearing with a large house with an enormous lake behind it.

The house was like a box but it had three levels to it. It was made of dark red bricks and had a bright yellow roof that didn't sit completely straight. Andy got out of the car and marveled at the house. He grabbed his bags and started walking towards the house.

There was a front door and as Andy walked towards it, Mrs. Luck yelled at him. He turned around to see that they were heading towards the back of the house.

“Can't you see us over here?” she yelled. Andy was off put by the way she said it but he grabbed his things and headed to the back where there was an addition with a storm door. He went in and looked around. From the inside, you could tell that they lived in the woods.

There were piles of fire wood, a large, glowing fish tank, an enormous gun rack and a large trophy case. Andy put his bags down and looked at all of the trophies. He saw that not only did Mr. Luck coach the soccer team for the school, but he won quite a bit. Andy was about to compliment his foster dad on his trophy case when he heard Mrs. Luck scream again.

“Your dirty, filthy shoes are tracking dirt all over my floor!” she screamed. Andy looked down to see a very small amount of dirt where he had walked. He opened his mouth to apologize but was drowned out by her screaming. “We take our shoes off when we enter this house!”

“Okay, I'm sorry,” he said quickly. He removed his shoes and placed them by everyone else’s near the door. He grabbed the broom and swept up the dirt. Olga watched him carefully as if waiting for him to make a mistake. “See, it's clean now.” Andy gave a smile that was not returned.

He was shown his room. It was about the size of his room at the orphanage but at least he didn't have to share it with three other kids. Andy felt a sadness as he put his clothes in yet another closet in yet another home. Each time, his clothes got bigger and so did he. He sighed as he thought about the way he was already being treated. He hoped that Olga was simply having a bad day.

Andy put his head down on the bed and looked out the window at the lake behind the house. He thought about the times he had gone fishing with Kayla and Donnie. He felt the pain of how much he missed them, It swelled inside of him and he felt hot tears stream down the sides of his face. He closed his eyes and saw their faces.

Their faces vanished and were replaced by the sound of rustling leaves. Andy was running and he heard people yelling. They sounded like they were fighting. He looked down at the leaves and then up at trees. The trees were black with colored leaves. Andy stopped to look closer at one of these trees. The leaves were fantastic colors but before he could look further, the sound of people fighting got closer to him. He turned to run and suddenly he woke up in terror.

Andy blinked several times as the sun rising over the lake cast its rays into his room. He got out of bed and realized that he had slept in his clothes. Andy walked out of his room and found a piece of paper taped to his door.

It was a list of about thirty-five chores to do. He felt his mouth drop open as he looked up and down the list. Everything from cleaning the bathrooms, washing the kitchen floor to mowing the lawn. He went downstairs to find Olga in the kitchen making coffee. Andy asked about the list.

“There's a lot here,” Andy said. “Is this for the week?”

“It's for today.” Olga sipped her coffee. “You'll get a new one each day.”

“What about when school starts?” Andy said. “I go back in a few weeks.”

“You'll get a slightly smaller list.” Olga stood up and got very close to Andy, her coffee breath invading his nostrils. “You will get straight A's or you will pay the price. We don't accept anything less than the best in this house.”

“Okay,” Andy said. He got to work cleaning the house, mowing the lawn and he even had to cook dinner. Andy made pasta and sausage. He served it to the Lucks when Henry got home from work.

“We didn't ask for sausage,” Olga said plainly.

“I just thought it would add some flavor,” Andy said slowly. Olga stood up and threw her plate across the room. It hit a painting and shattered.

“I disagree,” she said. She then pointed at the mess she made. Andy went over and cleaned it up.

“It's okay,” Henry said. “We can call out for dinner.”

Andy finished his list around 11:30 that night. He finally got to his room and into bed. His feet felt heavy like bricks and his arms were like jelly. Tears once again guided Andy to sleep as he began to wonder what he had ever done so wrong to deserve his life.

Life went on like this until school started. Every day, Andy woke up to find a new list of chores. He did them, got very little sleep and then got up and did it again. Andy was starting to feel strained from all of the work and no rest. He didn't get ill as he expected to. He half hoped he would drop dead of exhaustion but it never happened. Instead, he was taken out to get school supplies the day before school.

Olga took him to the store and bought him books and pencils. He started his junior year of high school and his misery grew. Not only did he do a ridiculous amount of chores everyday but, as promised, he was also expected to get perfect marks.

Andy had been written up for falling asleep in class about a month into school. Henry tried to hit him with a hanger. The hanger snapped in half when it hit Andy. Mr. Luck was confused.

Andy had received a B on his report card for the second marking period. He was not allowed to eat for the entire weekend. This went on for months. He feared reporting them because returning to the orphanage wasn't an option. He accepted what was happening to him. His feeling of worthlessness made him think that somehow he deserved it.

For the science fair, Andy built a working volcano. On the diagram he had drawn the magma chamber in the wrong place, otherwise he would have won. Olga threw a radio at him, giving him a large welt on his head for weeks.

For his seventeenth birthday, Henry got him a hat for the team he coached. “This should cover that lump on your head,” he laughed.

Once, he had made a wooden car in school and brought it home. Olga had tried to break it with her bare hands. She broke a bone in her hand while doing it and Mr. Luck's wrath was awful. He hit Andy with a hanger about six times before it snapped.

It occurred to Andy that when they adopted him, they singled him out because they knew his spirit was already broken and that he wouldn't fight back. They were right. Andy was sitting in room one night, crying and thinking about running away.

Where would I go? Who wants me? No one… no one cares for me and they never will. Andy made a habit of crying himself to sleep and this night was no different.

On Saturday, he got up and had to mow the lawn before he would be served breakfast. He started the mower up the same way as he always did. This time, it didn't start. Feeling his stomach rumbling, Andy tried to figure out why the mower wouldn't work. He turned the mower on his side and saw that a very thick clump of grass was stuck it in. Without thinking, he reached to pull it out. The mower started instantly with Andy's hand still in it.

Andy yelled in pain as the blade smacked against his hand. An amazing thing happened. The blade hit his hand and stopped. It did not tear his hand off as it should have. He pulled it back quickly and the blade started spinning again. He looked at the cut on his hand, not nearly as bad as losing it. Andy shook his head in disbelief but decided it must not be a great mower. He mowed the entire property of grass which stretched along the lake.

He told Mr. Luck about it while he was eating. Mr. Luck got angry at his mower being insulted.

“I spent four hundred bucks on that thing last summer,” he said through gritted teeth. “The blades are just fine. Be happy that your hand wasn't cut off.”

“Trust me, I am,” Andy said. His father picked up his newspaper and started reading it again.

“Nothing more useless than an orphan with one hand,” he laughed. Andy quietly finished his breakfast and prepared to go and complete his list of chores.

He walked towards the sink to wash his plate and cup. As he did, he suddenly felt himself falling. Mr. Luck had tripped him. He fell to the floor with a loud crash as the plate and cup hit the ground. Luckily, they were both plastic. Andy tried to get up quickly as Mr. Luck stood above him.

“This should teach you not to mess with my tools,” Mr. Luck said angrily. He removed his belt and prepared to strike Andy. Andy closed his eyes and waited for impact. The belt went flying out of Henry’s hands and hit the wall. Mr. Luck looked very confused. “Well, clean this crap up.”

“Okay.” Andy sighed.

“I don't need the attitude,” he said. “I'm going to the store to buy steaks for you to cook tonight.”

“Yes, sir,” Andy said. He miserably cleaned the kitchen floor and did his dishes.

A few hours later, he found himself power-washing the sidewalk. He sighed as his clothes were ruined by the splattering dirt from the cement.

Olga insisted that he remove his clothes before coming inside because they were so caked with dirt. Andy felt nothing but embarrassment and shame as he walked around to the trash can and back, naked. Even though there was no one around, it didn't feel right. He went inside and showered. When he was dressed, he was told to cook the expensive steaks Mr. Luck had bought.

“How do you want them?” Andy asked. He had to duck to avoid the television remote hitting him.

“You should know by now how we like our meat!” Olga screamed. “Now get the remote.” Andy picked up the pieces and handed them back to her. He went into the kitchen and started preparing the steaks.

He went through his normal routine of making dinner. Andy wiped sweat from his forehead a few times as it was very hot in the kitchen. He had both steaks cooking and he stepped out of the kitchen to cool off. It was almost as hot in the rest of the house, being that it was almost summer.

Andy went back in and realized that he forgot to flip the other steak. He quickly grabbed the tongs and turned it over. A crisply, black layer of burned steak glistened in the grease. He turned the stove off and called Olga into the kitchen.

She walked in and he pointed at the burnt steak. Andy opened his mouth to explain what happened. Olga grabbed the pan and tried taking a swipe at Andy. He jumped out of the way and ran out of the kitchen. Andy ran upstairs and into his room. He felt his heart pounding in his chest as he tried to gather anything he could. I have to get out of here!

Andy had no money, no way to transport anything and no one in the world that cared about him. He grabbed a pair of shoes from his closet and quickly tried to put them on. Andy heard Olga screaming and yelling downstairs. He took a deep breath and ran downstairs.

He looked into the kitchen and saw that this time, Henry had the frying pan. Henry saw Andy and yelled at him.

“You ruined my steaks!” he screamed. Henry threw the frying pan at Andy. Andy caught the frying pan and faked like he was going to throw it back at him. Henry flinched. But then Andy saw the glint of the trophy case out of the corner of his eye. The shining trophies that Andy had had to polish so many times. He threw the frying pan like a Frisbee into the case. The glass shattered and the shelves collapsed on the trophies.

Andy ran out of the front door and into the woods. He had no idea what he was running towards but it had to be better than what he was running away from.

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