CHAPTER I

      Blood stained Rowan's chin as he stumbled back. The bully before him, Gaven Hillsire, smirked down at him as he ran a free hand through his brown hair. "What's wrong? Big, stupid and weak. That's what!" He barked as the other five boys jeered and laughed. Their voices echoed in Rowan's mind as he ran his wrist across his mouth.

        "But, I didn't do-"

        Another flash of pain as Gaven's knee sent Rowan's head into the brick wall. "You can't shut your mouth about stupid legends!" Gaven spat back. "On and on about bigfoot and lizard people! Just shut up! No one cares!"

        The blood seeped into Rowan's charcoal hair as he sat there, the warm life force trickle down the side of his nose, his back to the wall, and tightening his lips together, despite the pain. He knew Gaven was wrong for saying what he said. People deserved to know what was out there, even if it made Rowan seem a little crazy. Perhaps more crazy than he thought himself to be. Okay, very crazy, but people still deserved to know what was real, and Rowan Chayse knew for a fact that there were things that hid just out of sight, in the dark places where no one could easily find them. But try to explain that to a group of boys who wanted nothing more than to make the lives of those weaker than them more miserable than their own. As the beating continued, Rowan curled into a ball, his arms to the sides of his head, his knees protecting his chin and face as his shins covered his groin.

        Gaven and his cronies swung mercilessly before they heard another voice. This one was more familiar to Rowan, and even though it brought him joy and relief, it also brought him another pain; a pain to his already decimated pride and his torn heart.

        "Hey! Dill-wits! Get off my brother!" Zane screamed as he pulled up in a dark blue Tuscon and leapt out of the driver's seat. He sprinted at the group, catching one boy by the shoulder and throwing him off. He slowly made his way to Gaven's five foot eleven inch form before bringing a knee up and burying it into his side. "Piece of crap! Get off him!" Zane roared again.

        Zane was Rowan's little brother. Not only standing at five foot nine inches, but also in order of birth, which was only a minute after Rowan came. So, not only were they brothers, they were twins. Even when they were tiny babes, when anyone separated the boys, Zane would scream octaves louder until they reunited. Even at their ages, Zane and Rowan had been thick like thieves, and while the bigger brother pursued education, even to elevate his knowledge in the paranormal, Zane took to continuing his own abilities. One of his favored pastimes was Taekwondo.

        Gaven clutched his side as he glared at Zane, rearing back and swinging with a backhand that Zane caught. "You want to catch these hands, too?" He yanked to get free, but Zane held tight.

        "I'm not gonna tell you again, Gaven. Leave Rowan alone. Or next time-"

        There was a piercing whistle and the boys all stopped, turning to see the campus police. They pried the boys apart and barked orders; hands behind heads, getting down on the ground, all while they held tasers and mace at them. They even detained Rowan as he looked over at a struggling Zane as he continued talking. "They keep messing with my brother and I'm gonna fight them! Lemme go now! Lemme go!"

        The campus police took the boys' stories, and when the six bullies gave theirs, they said Rowan was talking crazy, trying to hurt anyone he came across. None of the cops would believe Zane. "Check the cameras!" He insisted.

        Rowan stayed quiet. The cop interviewing Rowan sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he looked at the boy. "We checked the security feeds like your brother wanted. You may press charges." He said. Rowan just shook his head, and after a few more questions, the police escorted the six bullies away, leaving Zane and Rowan.

        "Ya know... I don't always gotta jump in and save you." Zane said as he helped Rowan to his feet.

        "I know... But thanks."

        "I mean... You're six foot one, for crying out loud. You should really flex that on them!"

        Rowan trudged to the passenger side of the Tuscon and opened the door. "I just... I don't want to hurt people. I'd rather get hurt than to hurt others," he said as he got in.

        Zane pulled himself back into the driver's seat and pulled the door closed. "Yeah, but people like that always get messed with and picked on. There's nothing wrong with that kinda thought process, but you gotta be ready to protect yourself..." Zane said, then shook his head. "Whatever. Let's just go home..."

        "You mean work?" Rowan asked. Zane let out a loud, exasperated groan.

        "Yes! Fine! Work! Let's go!"

        In Dawson County, Georgia, in the most rural parts of the county, stood Kipher, a small town where people know everyone and news traveled fast. This was mostly because of the local meeting spots. One of these spots, funny enough, was a pizza parlor called Doria D'Talia's Pizza and Subs. This building predated time, or so Zane claimed. Everyone knew D'Talia's for their handmade pizza, along with the bombastic manager named Arturo Doria. The same Arturo Doria that had forced Zane to bust tables for the night.

        Thankfully, the night was slow, and the younger twin could grumble and complain as his older brother washed the dishes. He didn't notice anyone coming up to the property as he imagined glaring holes into the table.

        Life sucked, and Zane growled under his breath. Perhaps being late was his fault, but at least that greasy f**k could be a little more lenient. Even if this were more like the fifth time, Zane was late. There was no need to go after Rowan like that. "If that fatso yells at me one more time, I'm gonna break his face with my-" The door chimed as Zane groaned out, "Welcome to Doria D'Talia's," then muttered under his breath, "where my balls sweat and the food's crap..."

        "Rowan!" The growly voice of Arturo rang from the back. "Set those down and tend to the customer!" The sound of his voice was grating Zane's ears, and he clenched his teeth as he scrubbed at the table again.

        Rowan had been thinking, as he usually did, while doing the menial tasks around the restaurant. The idea of the strange, the unexplainable, the paranormal and cryptids filled his brain. It made him jump when Arturo screamed at him. He calmed his exhausted heart, dried his hands and walked to the counter to see a round-faced girl with blue hair. Dyed, he thought as he tried to switch over to the boring mode of real life. "Welcome to Doria D'Talia's. What can I get-" He eyed her. "You look familiar..."

        "Hi, Rowan," the girl said with a small smile. "I'm here to think and work again. Can I get two slices of the usual?"

        It was strange, this girl just suddenly assuming he knew what she liked. "I'm... Sorry, I don't-"

        "Okay, so we go over this every time I come in here. I know I was gone for a couple of weeks, but I swear you know me. It's Fuyuko. Fuyuko Ida? Remember?"

        Rowan blinked in response.

        Fuyuko sighed. "Hawaiian," she said as she finally found what she was looking for; an anime wallet, which she popped open, pulled out some folded cash and started thumbing through it when she looked up. Her somewhat frustrated expression morphed. "Holy crap, Rowan! What happened?!"

        Almost immediately, Rowan spun and left. "I'll have it out!"

        Fuyuko shook her head, took a seat at a table, and pulled her laptop out as Zane grumbled more. "Hard night tonight, Zane?"

        "Stupid manager, but what else's new?" He grumbled. Zane looked up to see Fuyuko peeking over a barrier wall with fake plants in the direction of the cashier counter. "Looking for Rowan?"

        "I saw him... What happened to him?"

        "Three guesses. If you get it right, you get a cookie." Zane pushed harder at a table and huffed.

        Fuyuko returned the glare. "Gaven Hillsire?"

        Zane nodded, not stopping his work. "Yeah. That dip-doodle."

        She looked at her laptop, trying to suppress what she saw and the anger against the man responsible. Then back to Zane. "Yeah. Someone should do something about him, that prick."

         Zane growled again, louder this time. "Look, I know. But the cops on campus already took care of things, so there isn't anything else I can do. Ya know. Until he starts his crap again." He let out a huff, straightened up, and looked at her. "So, besides Rowan, I guess you wanna talk about that stuff..."

        "I think I found something interesting-"

        "Cool story, bro. I don't care about the 'pair-abs-normal'-"

        "Paranormal."

        "Whatever. And crypt-keeper stuff." He scrubbed another table.

        "Cryptid."

        "Woo! Spoopy!" Zane waved his hands to stress the stupid substitute word for "spooky" and went back to work.

        Fuyuko shrugged. "You're just being a p***y because I know you think that stuff's fake." She bit into her pizza, chewed on it, and gave it some thought. "If it's so fake, why wouldn't you want to disprove it?"

        Zane gave her a sideways glance. "Because it's a waste of time. Like this job. Only difference is that I get paid to do this crap. Besides, I'd be sealing the deal with so many ladies right now."

        Fuyuko's mind splintered at the sound of "deal". She didn't want to think about it. Unfortunately, the thought of something as embarrassing as being stood up and being recorded in photographs was nothing short of ideal. Of course, even Zane had thought it embarrassing, but Fuyuko's heart plummeted when she found out someone from their college, the same someone that agreed to a night of secular bliss, realized she got the wrong twin.

        It had only now gotten better between her and the blond, short twin. "Could you... Not?" she asked, audibly trying not to return her dinner back on her plate from her stomach.

        "Pike off!" Zane hissed. "I know exactly what you thought, and I'm as good a make-out session as any. You should be happy I even let you-"

        She gagged. "Seriously, stop. I was hoping to forget during the trip out of town, but you're too goofy to not remember."

       "Yeah, sure." He sighed and moaned. "I should have called out tonight..."

        "Maybe. But then, how would you come out with me and Rowan to Foster Lake if you were in town with the ladies, lady-killer?" She rolled her eyes. While he was the least favorite of the two, Zane was still a good person, keeping such a secret to the grave, and from the way he kept his voice down during the entire conversation, she could tell he had yet to say a word of it to the twin she favored more.

        The shift ended, and the twins rode in their Tucson out the long way from Kipher. Zane's fingers pulled his face down as he cursed at himself. "Why are we going to Foster Lake again?" Rowan asked.

        "Because Fuyuko said to..." Zane sighed.

        "The... Blue haired girl-"

        "That's right here, yes!" Fuyuko flicked the back of Rowan's head. "Dude, keep up!"

         The older twin rubbed the pain away. "You said you saw something there on your way back into town?"

        "Yeah. It was super quick. Even in the afternoon time, I saw a green blur cross the road. I didn't get enough time to get a good look."

        By now, the sun was gone. The moon cast its light on the main road in and out of Kipher. The small town had soon given way to dense woods, many with the leaves falling, save for the evergreens that dotted here and there. This stretch of road lead toward highway 53, leading toward such places as Atlanta Motorsports Park and Sweetwater Creek. Satellite would never pick the long stretch of road up, making the town of Kipher so old that newer technology saw it as invisible, like many old towns.

        None of that mattered to Zane. He knew what was coming and why he had to take part in this dare, even if his brother was an airhead. He looked back at Fuyuko, who gave him an evil smile and pointed to her laptop beside her. "No chance we can throw your girlfriend out, huh?" Zane asked.

        The Tucson screeched to a halt as Rowan suddenly reported, "We're here!" Then the older brother rolled out of the driver's seat.

        As soon as the door closed, Zane rolled back toward Fuyuko and jabbed a finger at her. "Look! I dunno why I feel like I have to say this, but I think it goes without saying; What happened between us never gets out."

        "The better question is why you think you have to be the one to reiterate it. I know it makes me sick to think about, but honestly, I think you're more embarrassed about it than I am," she said as Zane shoved the door open and jumped out. Fuyuko followed soon after and they both caught up with Rowan, who studied the wood line next to the ditch from the road.

         The ground crackled under their feet as they approached the border of the wild and the road, halting for a moment. "I read there were sightings of strange things. Shadow People, more than likely, but there's definitely something in here..."

        Fuyuko's eyes gleamed in the headlights of the Tuscon, and Zane let out a shudder as his spine tingled. "I don't get how you two can love that monster bullshit. That's all it is!" He said as he nudged Rowan. His older brother leaned toward the wood line, threw a foot out and continued walking deeper and deeper into the dark woods. "Hey!" Zane rushed after him, pulling his small LED flashlight out of his pocket and shown it forward. "Dumb-dumb! Don't go in alone!"

        "What's the matter?" Fuyuko smiled as she followed them both, her laptop closed and tucked away in her computer bag draped over her shoulder. "Scared the Shadow People are going to take Rowan away?"

        Zane gave her a deadpanned look. "Shut... Up."

        "I wouldn't worry anyway," Fuyuko continued, ignoring Zane. "I bet Rowan could handle them in a fight."

         But he continued to walk into the woods. He fished his own LED out and turned it on. "Why are we here, anyway?" Rowan suddenly asked.

        Fuyuko, although not visible to them in the dark, gave a wide smile. "Well! It's because-!"

        "She promised us a ghost walk!" Zane searched for her voice, glaring at her when his light landed on her. "Which you should, maybe, get your camera out? I dunno, maybe?"

        "Why were you gone again?" Rowan's voice went low as they tried not to make too much noise, but the leaves under their feet gave them away to anything out there.

        "I had a lead to follow for an essay," Fuyuko said as she drew up next to Rowan, camcorder in hand and sauntering.

        "Likely story," Zane hissed as he took up Rowan's other flank, his light cutting across his left and into the dead trees around them. "This is so freaking stupid..." He moaned.

        Rowan waited until the two of them stopped their banter before asking, "so then you must have seen something in here, right?"

        "You read the article. But yes, I saw something on my way back from my trip. It was a green blur, but it darted across the road and into the woods here."

        "Wait," Zane growled. "You just got done saying it was Shadow People at the car. Now it's a green blur?!"

        "I was f*****g with you, duh." Fuyuko sighed as she continued, "I couldn't get a good look, but that's what I saw." She said.

        Rowan listened to Zane cursing under his breath as he let her words swim in his mind. He had poured through articles, clippings, even books on the paranormal, and nothing seemed to match up. "Nothing I can think about... Maybe it's a regional thing..." He stopped, knelt and crawled up to a small hill. "We're here."

        Among the congregation of dead and evergreen trees, surrounded by the brown and withered leaves that yearned for life before passing, lay Foster Lake. The wind blew over it; the waters lapping at the shore all around, and sending a chill down the three amature hunters' spines. Each of them hugged themselves, lowering below the hill more to get out of the way of the blasted wind. "Freaking!" Zane hissed. "Shoulda brought a heavier jacket. Oh! I know! Maybe we could have not come here in the first fudging place!"

        Fuyuko and Rowan shushed him as they peered over the crest of the hill. Out on the lake, they saw nothing. They slid back down, turned on their backs as Zane hugged himself. Both Fuyuko and Rowan shared a defeated face. Their hopes of finding something in these woods dashed entirely as Zane grumbled. "There. Are we good? You two better now? Can we go the heck home? I got a double pepperoni and spinach calling my name." The younger twin stood and stumbled through the dark, cursing under his breath about the biting cold.

        Rowan sighed, stood and followed as Fuyuko followed. "Hey. I know I saw something in here. I guess we just weren't lucky tonight." She patted his arm and walked ahead with the camera. As Rowan walked behind her, he felt the wind kick up and the leaves scattered along his feet. He gave a look back, a last visual sweep in the dark before he followed Fuyuko and Zane to the car.