The Journey Begins

Chapter 4: The Journey Begins

 

Dear uncle Luis there are days where I feel like fighting. There are days where I feel like giving up. But lately those day are starting to blur together. It’s starting not to matter whether I solve this case or if it’s forgotten. It’s becoming clear to me that I can be happy as long as my family stays together, as long as we have each other.

 

“Josh, No!” Tess screams “Don’t do this!”

“What are you doing here?” says Josh. Tears begin to flood her eyes.

“What are you doing, Josh? This is not you.” Josh turns back around to the guy that he is pointing the gun at.

“S**t. This is the worst time for this.”

“What’s the matter, can’t pull the trigger?” says the guy.

“Shut the hell up,” says Josh as his face turns red. The guy backs down.

“Josh, we can talk about this?”

“Shut up Tess.” Tess wipes her face.

“I have to figure out how I’m going to get you out of this situation.” Josh looks around to the buildings, the sky, and then the ground. The guy is watching Josh intensely. He stares at Tess as she shakes and looks away. The guy smiles and tries to grab the gun. Tess screams while putting her hands over her face.

“Josh!” Josh pushes the guy back and points the gun at his face.

“Move again,” says Josh as he stares into the guy eyes. The guy backs off, raises his hands and smiles.

“You stupid brat. You not going to get away with this you know. They are going to punish you,” says the man as he points at the sky. Josh looks up at the sky.

“Tess!” yells Josh. Tess looks up and sees a red car flying in the air toward her.

“Get out the way.”

 

I remember seeing that car thinking to myself this is the end. How is it that a car is in the air? Why can’t I move? I also remember Josh yelling and the guy smiling. I remember thinking to myself maybe I should let this car hit me. The world would be better off without me. The Wright family would be no more. Mom would be the only one left. I am certain that Josh will get himself killed. Josh would get himself killed and mom would be alone… I can’t let my brother die and abandon the last of my family. I can’t just give up.

 

Tess stares at the car as it gets closer.

“Tess!” screams Josh. When Tess tries to look at Josh, she cannot see him. Everything is in slowmotion. Josh is screaming at her.

What is he saying. “Move. Move. Move!” Tess snaps out of her daze and tries to run away. But it is too late for her to move. The car is just about to hit her.

“Noo!” yells Josh. The car crash and explode on impact. A huge fire spreads in the alleyway. The impact shakes the neighborhood like an earthquake. The guy runs off. There is nothing but black smoke left.

“Are you ok.” A creature is holding Tess in his arm walking away for the crash. Tess is staring at the sky.

“What- what- how-”

“Try not to talk.”

“What the- what the- ! hell is going on. Get away from me,” Tess says as she fights him off making him drop her. Tess struggles to get her footing and falls back on the ground. The creature tries to help her up but she pushes his hands away. Tess tries to get up again but falls to the ground.  

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to walk.”

“What the-”

“Oh yea you are looking at this. It’s me, Josh.” Josh eyes are a haunting blue. His body is completely covered in a blue grey like smoke and parts of his hair is white which reaches to his hips. His ears are pointed and he has very small fangs. He has grey pants with a blue jacket. At the center of his being is a diamond that is glowing a bright blue. Tess looks this creature up and down and starts to focus on the diamond in its chest. As she stares more deeply into it she sees tiny little lights spinning inside the diamond. Then it is covered as he zips up his jacket.

“This is very hard to control.”  The creature reaches his hand out to Tess. “Come on, Tess, we really have to leave.” Tess slaps his hand.

“Get away from me.”

“We don’t have time for this. We must leave now.”

“Who are you? Where did my brother go?”

“It’s me Josh.” Tess pauses and look closely into his eyes.

“Josh?” Josh smiles.

“Tess-” Josh stops and start shaking as if he is staring death in the face. Tess stops looking at Josh and sees two figures walking out of the black smoke. It is two gigantic men. They both are wearing the same thing, which is a black sleeveless jacket and leather pants. On the front of the jacket are angel wings but on the back are bat wings. They are also bald and has an earring of a cross on the left ear. They look like ordinary bikers to Tess but she looks deep into their eyes and they are red. Tess tries to talk but cannot. Tess tries to move but cannot. Tess looks at Josh and sees that he cannot move either.  When Tess looks back at the men she see a shadow that is three times the size of the men walking behind them.

“What on earth is this.” Tess thinks to herself. Then a light flashes and removes the shadow. Josh quickly grabs Tess and starts running.

“He made it just in time,” says Josh.

“What’s going on?” Josh jumps in the air and starts to hop from building to building. Tess screams the whole time.

“Hold on.” Tess start to fight off Josh. “Be still.” Josh throws her over his shoulders.

“I said hold on d****t.” Tess stops fighting when she see building being destroyed behind them. Lightning is striking from the ground and building are falling down. The wind starts to calm down and Josh keeps moving.

“Looks like we got away.” As Josh continues to jump, he begins to soar through the sky. Tess continues to watch the lighting stick as she see a flock of birds flying next to her. The birds sings a melody as Tess eyes widen. The sun shines in them as her soul starts to glow. Josh lands on the ground and looks around to see if anyone is watching. He walks up to an abandoned building that's in the heart of Chicago. It’s an old fenced up factory. The building itself is not tall but wide. It’s grey and is hollow. It has forklifts and cranes tipped over in the front. There is also a small neighborhood to the right of it. The building has rust falling off of it as the dust blows in Tess’s face.    

“Hey, are you ok?” Tess shakes her head up and down. “Alright let’s go.” Josh and Tess walk into the abandon building and then down some stairs to the basement. Tess continues to shake as her heart starts racing.

 

I don’t know what I am about to see nor do I want to know. I wanna go back. Mother earth why did I leave Jack? He is probably looking for me right now. I have to find away to get out. So why am I not running? Why am I walking to this dark place with a man that claims to be my brother? Maybe It’s because I always been in the dark. I not walking to a dark place;I’m walking farther in.

 

Josh opens the door and Tess sees two men that look like they are the same age as Josh standing in a room that has anything that a man could wish for. There are large tvs on each wall with a games hooked up to them. There are also pictures of half-naked women hanging on these walls. There is a mini bar at the back of the room with empty bottles sitting on the counter. There is also a pool table in the middle of a pool off to the left of the room. In the middle of the room is a circle of chairs with a small bookshelf where the two men are standing. Tess looks at one of the guys starting from his head. She stares at his blonde hair and his black lipstick. She timidly hides behind Josh as she begins to stare at this guy’s chains, tattoos, and piercings. She stops when she sees a tattoo of the upside cross on his hand. The other guy stands up from the chair that he was sitting in and walks over to the emo guy. Tess eyes widen as she stares at this guys chest. He stands over everyone in the room like a mountain and has massive muscles. He’s only wearing pants and has tape wrapped around his hands and feet. He scratches his white hair as he points at Tess. Tess stares at him as she focuses on the scar on his right cheek.
“Is that her, Josh?” says the emo kid as his chains move back and forth while he is walking towards Josh. Josh pushes Tess back.

“Wait Carl,” says the strong looking guy. “Josh is acting weird.” The strong looking guy opens his fist and moves his body towards Josh. “Are you betraying us Josh?”

“Never!! Who do you think you are talking to, Ron?” Josh eyes starts to turn blue.

“What are you guys doing,” says Carl.  

“Shut up Carl. He is protecting Q. That foul woman,” says Ron. Blue flames starts to flow from his hand. Tess falls to the ground as Ron looks at her. Tess is shaking uncontrollably to the point that her things were falling out of her pockets.

“This is not her. This is not Q Ron.” Josh starts to transform into the creature that he was before.

“Then who is that?”

“That’s his idiot sister,” says Peter as he storms in through the door. Tess looks up and see Peter standing over her.

“Pe- Peter.” Peter winks at Tess and put his finger over his mouth.

“What is the meaning of this Peter” says Ron as he put his flames away.

“It is exactly as I said. That is mini Josh. Only she is ugly and unwanted.”

“Screw you Peter.”

“Shhh! Please the adults are talking so if you can - you know,” says Peter as he puts his finger over his mouth.

“You don’t tell me to shut up you stupid boy. I put it on god that I hate you Peter. I’m tired of all the things you put me through. If I could put a spell on you I would. Ugh!”

“Nah nah nah nah nah!” says Peter as Tess is talking.  

“Will you two shut up,” says Josh as he turn back to his human state. Peter licks his tongue out at Tess and she rolls her eyes.

“Josh you have a sister,” says Carl as he is smiling. “Wow that’s great. Guest I get to kill her.” Carl runs towards Tess and Peter jumps in the way.

“Whoa slow down there where you going?”

“You know the rules.”

“Whose rules, mine or Q’s?”

“We the phantoms are suppose to discontinue being with our families and if we cannot then we must kill them.” Josh eyes starts to change again.

“Wait! What! You are the phantoms. You killed uncle Luis!” Tess runs toward Carl but Josh catches her. “Let go of me.”

“Wait Tess what do you mean killed uncle Luis?”

“This is not the first time you heard of the phantoms,” says Ron. “What have you been telling her?”

“I didn’t tell her anything.”

“You girl, tell us what you know,” says Carl.

“The only thing I know is that you kill my uncle.”

“Tess, what do you know?” asks Josh.

“Why are you asking me that? Did you hear what I just said? The phantoms killed uncle Luis.” Everyone stares at Tess.

“He is asking you that because everybody in this room is a phantom except you,” says Ron.

“Let’s go to the pin house so I can go to sleep,” says Peter.

“Lazy bum.”

“Wait, you all are phantoms. Josh! It’s doesn’t make sense. We were kids. Did you kill him, with your powers?”

“Tess, why would you think that? I loved him too.” Tears start to form in Josh’s eyes.

“Jack told me. There is a case where the symbol of the phantoms is carved in the chest of dead people.”

“Jack,” says Carl. “He’s here.” Carl starts to laugh.

“You know him.”

“Do I? Me and Jack go way back. What does he call himself these days?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh you don’t know, then let’s not spoil it for you then.”

“Ok that was creepy. So who is this Q?”

“You don’t want to know,”  says Peter.

“She is the one that I think killed uncle Luis. She is the leader of the phantoms,” says Josh.  

“So you just going to tell her about us,” says Carl.

“She is not just going to forget what happened today and she is Josh’s sister, which means she’s is in as much danger as any of us,” says Ron.

“What do you mean?” asks Tess.

“I mean that you are a phantom as well. We are born not made.”

“Josh, what the hell is he talking about?”

“We were born into this secret, a secret that defines this world,” says Josh.    

“The story of the phantoms is a long one,” says Ron. Tess sits down. “Well the history of the phantoms starts with the gods. A god named Terra is the creator of this world. She loved this world so much that she left the other gods to live here but that ended very quickly. It’s has been said that another god looked to destroy this world and nearly killed all of man. Terra then destroyed him but ended up breaking one of the rules for the gods and that was to never harm another god. So she went into hiding so that she wouldn’t be destroyed. So in order to protect earth she created a group of soldiers. That would be us.”

“This is phantom folklore, of course.” says Carl.

“Shut up you,” says Ron.

“What does a thing like god have to do with the phantoms,” says Tess.

“It doesn’t,” says Peter.     

“Enough with the fairy tales,” says Carl.

“Come on guys let's stop playing around. We were picked to protect the world from Ghost,” says Josh. “This is what dad taught me, when I was younger. That there are these evil spirits that walks the earth and kill everything in the way. That’s why we the phantoms have to be ready when they come.”

“I thought I said no more fairy tales,” says Carl.

“What do you think Carl,” says Peter.

“We are special. We are here to enjoy our lives.”

“I can drink to that,” says Peter. Peter and Carl point at each other.

“I still don’t understand. How do you become a phantom?”

“Unlike Ron who thinks that you have to be born in it in order to become a phantom, I think that you just  have to pass the rite of passage. You have to ask yourself if we are born then who gives birth to ghost,” says Josh.

“We never seen a ghost so I’m betting on my theory,” says Ron.

“I don’t know, we did all meet the Queen,” says Carl. The room becomes silent.  

“Carl, shut your mouth,” says Ron.

“Rite of passage? Ghost? What are you talking about?”

“Here this is all you need to know.” Josh hands Tess one of her dad’s old journals. “That’s enough talking for now. We need to get you home.”

“We are not done talking here.”

“Of course, when we get home I will explain everything to you.”

“I did not come here alone. We can go get Jack and you can explain to him why his son is dead.” Carl slaps his leg laughing.

“What are you laughing about?”

“You are funny.”

“Josh.”

“I agree with you. Jack seems like a good guy so let’s help clear things up for him. I promise. Right guys?” Everyone stands up.

“I don’t want to,” says Carl. Ron grabs Carl by his shirt.

“We keep our promises.”

“Ok ok I got you. Let’s go get him and leave.”

“Stay by my side.” Josh whispers in Tess’s ear.       

Josh takes Tess by her hand and walks towards the back of the room and the others follow. Josh opens the door to see nothing but darkness and squeezes Tess’s hand tightly. They walk through the door and walk the dark path for about a minute until light starts to show. There is a big blue truck in the middle of a massive rocky basement. There are computers and tvs surrounding the room. There is also another mini bar towards the back of the room. The are other cars of different models but they are all blue. On the wall in front of them there are four door with everyone's names on it. The wall to the left leads to a waterfall.  

“You have a basement with in a basement?” asks Tess.

“Hell yea. And that my room over there.” says Peter.

“Like I would care.” Peter gives her the finger.      

“Alright let’s go.” says Josh.  

“I call shotgun,” says Carl as he start running toward Tess. Peter slams him against the car in front of Carl and shakes his head.

“You guys are no fun.” Everyone gets into the truck and Carl is the last one in sitting in the back. Josh starts the car and drive through the waterfall.

“That was disappointing… I thought we were going to fly,” says Tess.

“You joking, right?” says Peter.   

“You know what nevermind, can you tell me more about this Q person?”

“Don’t worry about her,” says Josh.

“So she’s a woman. That’s good. I’m guessing she is a powerful woman?”

“Very powerful,” says Carl

“Shut up”, says Peter as he slaps Carl across the head.

“Okay so y’all are scared of her,” says Tess as the car becomes quiet.

“She used to be apart of the fraction before the war began,” says Josh.

“MAN,” says Peter.

“It’s okay I know the rules but they are her rules. Q was the leader of our own fraction of phantoms.”

“Fraction,” Tess says while scratching her head.  

“Yes, we are like branches of a tree. There is a main body and then there are branches. We are all here for the same thing but some people are royalty. Q was appointed as the leader because of her connect to the main body. A lot of us didn’t like that. It caused our fraction to split. Thus, begun the war between us. I believe that Q is the one that murdered dad and maybe even uncle Luis. The war didn’t start until after.” Tess’s eyes opened wide.

“You mean you knew all this time who the killer was and you didn’t tell me? You let the town drive me crazy. You let people hate me!”

“Tess,” says Josh as Tess cuts him off.

“No! Shut up. I spent my life trying to find the answers to his death and you knew all along. What type of brother are you.”

“A good one,” says Peter. Tess looks back at Peter frowning to the point of her face hurting. “You can look at me all you want but it’s true. You’re a little self centered.” Tess takes off her seatbelt and jumps back towards Peter.

“Hey,” says Josh.  

“Oh you want some,” says Peter.

“I’m going to kill you.” Ron pushes Tess back up front.

“Stop it Tess,” says Josh.

“Let her man. She so self centered she doesn’t even care that her dad is dead.” Tess looked at Josh. “He is trying to tell you that he think your dad was murdered,” says Peter.  

“She killed dad, how-”

“Actually she didn’t,” says Peter.

“What?”

“Josh has no proof to back his claim. That what we were trying to get before you so rudely interrupted us early today. But as it stands we still have no proof. And on top of that Q is going to kill us for betraying her.”

“She betrayed us,” says Josh

“You ! Don’t! Have! Proof! So thank you for this death sentence.”

“Screw you Peter.”

“Are you in trouble?” says Tess as Josh looks at her and looks away.

“I’m good. Here we are. Let’s hope he is still here.” Josh pull into the hotel parking lot parking next to Jack’s car.

“See he is still here. Let me go get him and y’all can wait out here.”

“Tess get out the car,” says Josh as everyone leaves the truck. Tess rolls her eyes as they all walk into the hotel.  

“Hello welcome to the,” - said the man at the counter.  Josh walks up to the front counter.

“Hey, me and some friends are going up to check on a man that came in here earlier,” says Josh. The man at the counter stares at Josh.

“You know, the man that came in here with this young lady.” The man at the counter stares at Tess as he trembles.

“Hello-,” says Tess.

“Tess move back,” says Josh.  

“Well if it isn’t one of Q’s many rats,” says Carl.

“What did you do with Jack,” says Peter as his hands start to glow.

“I don’t know what you are talking,” says the man at the counter before he was cut off.

“Haha! Now I know you wouldn’t lie to me,” says Peter as his eye start to glow blue. The blue ghostly smoke starts to cover Josh’s body.

“Look I don’t want any trouble,” says the man at the counter. He is now shaking.

“Let’s just kill him for good measure,” says Ron.

“Wait, Wait! I don’t do that anymore,” says the man at the counter.

“Start talking,” says Peter.

“I was trying to protect that young lady right there,” the man points at Tess.

“What are you talking about?” says Tess.

“That man you were with, that was Jack the Slayer. He killed his whole family and then some. Pretend to be a detective to cover up his tracks. Then became this wanted man when he didn’t show up for his hearing a couple of months ago.”

“I don’t believe that crap. What did you do with him?”

“I called the cops on him and they took him. They are probably going to kill him.”

“You monster!”

“He is the monster little girl.”

“Stop lying. Jack is the only one who believed me. That wanted to solve the case as much as I do. So you can take that crap and go to hell.”

“You heard the lady, time for you to die,” says Peter.

“Once a rat always a rat,” says Carl.    

“Look what I just found,” says a man with long white hair in a black suit with a long brown trench coat as he is walking into the hotel. Everyone looks over at this man as he takes off his hat.

“Nick,” says Josh as he and everyone powers up. Josh returns to his form with the fangs and the pointed ears and his chest begins to glow. Ron’s fist begins to burst into blue flames and his eye's are glowing a blue. He raises his fist in the air and takes a boxing pose. Carl chains are now floating in air and are moving like snakes. His eyes flashes gold. Peter eye’s are a blue and his hair is glowing as well as his hands as streams of lightning flow from them.  

“Do y’all really think y'all can take me on? Haha! You kids are funny. You think that you can attack us and not pay for it,” says Nick.

“Damn,” says Josh.

“So the boss man told me to come down here and do two things. You ready?” Nick sits down. First I came here to kick you little s***s’ asses. Gary was a nice guy, why would you attack him? I don’t care to know but I do care when little brats forget their place. So who wants to go first.” Josh walks up to Nick.

“Very well but first give this to your sister.” Nick hands Josh a letter.

“The hell you want with my sister?”

“I can care less about your sister.” Nick holds his hands out towards Tess. Josh walks to Tess and hands her the letter whisperimg in her ear.

“Run.” Tess stares at Josh intensely as she shakes her head. Josh touches Peter on his shoulder as he takes a deep breathe.

“Come on now, I have to eat dinner,” says Nick.

“Alright let’s do this,” says Josh.

“Finally.” Nick throws his fist towards Josh as flames flood from his fist. Josh hits his fists together creating a shield of energy that takes the form of a sphere. The flames engulf the hotel as they move around the shield. While Nick is pouring flames towards everyone, he steps toward Josh one step at a time laughing.  As Nick moves forwards he pushes Josh and everyone back. Veins are popping out of Josh’s head and his nose starts to bleed.

“Woah, this is going to be quick,” says Nick.

“Now,” says Josh as he takes a step forward. Peter grabs Tess throwing her over his shoulders and runs away from the fire into the lot of the hotel.

“No,” screams Tess. “Take me back. You have to help Josh.” Peter throws Tess on the ground. Tess gets up and starts to run back to the hotel.

“I’m sorry Tess.” Peter hits Tess in the back of her head. Tess falls to the ground as the building explodes. Peter throws Tess back over his shoulders and begins to run.    

Dear, Tess

 

I know you don’t know me but I need you.

You have something that I need to save the lives of many people.

I know this seems crazy but you have to trust me.

I knew your father. He was a great man. I can help fill in the gaps if you like.

See you soon.

 

With Love, Q   

 

Uncle Luis, I spent the next couple of days reading this letter. What does this woman want from me, why am I special to her. Why would she hurt my dad and you. That is the question that is on my mind. I can’t eat or sleep. I’m just waiting for my brother to get back.

 

Tess is folding her clothes in her room as she stares out of her window. Her phone rings and vibrates off of her bed. She continues to fold her clothes. Jen kicks in the door with her phone in her hand stares at Tess intensely.

“Hello!” yells Jen.

“Hey,” says Tess carelessly as she continues to fold her clothes.

“Do you not see me calling you?”

“No, I didn’t get your call.” Jen walks in the room looking around it. She opens up her draws and checks under her bed. She walks next to Tess and looks back at the bed to see Tess’s phone on the ground. She picks it and steps next to Tess. She unlocks Tess’s phone and goes through it.

“Ten missed calls. You didn’t see, ten missed calls?”

“No.”

“What the hell is wrong with you? You leave with Jack and you come back with Peter. On top of that you have been cleaning this room for the last two days. Tess you need to leave this room.”

“I’m not going anyway. It’s not safe. You should stay.” Jen knocks her clothes on the ground. Tess stares at the ground.

“This is how I'm feeling right now.”   

“Do you ever wonder if there is more to this life than this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well like this. Look at these people walking around as if everything is okay. No worries at all. They don’t even know the danger that they are in because they are blinded with this fake happiness.”

“Don’t listen to her, she hit her head pretty hard,” says Peter as he leans on the door. Tess rolls her eye and turns around.

“Is Josh back?” says Tess.  

“No he isn’t but I have to talk to you anyway.”

“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”

“Could you give us a minute,” asks Peter. Jen gives Peter a dirty look and walks out of the room. “Tess I need you to go back to school.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you went missing for a couple of days, scaring your mother and when you do get back you drop out. You seem to forget that this is a small town and my dad will come here and get you, throwing you in jail, and locking away the key. You need to act normal.”

“Let him come.”

“Are you crazy?”

“Why do you care?”

“Because you are one of us. If Q is after you than that makes you one of us. Come on, let's go enjoy life.”

“I have to stay here. You go get Josh.”

“Well that’s cool and all but I’m not strong enough to go against them.” Jen knocks on the door.

“You better not touch her.”

“No I’m not.” Peter walks out of the room.

“What did the creep want?”

“Nothing really. Hey, do you think you know what this mean?”

“What are you talking about Tess?”

“Well I’ve been reading my dad’s journal and it is filled with a lot of crazy s**t but there is something wrong.”

“Like what?”

“Well the journal skips around. Like here it talks about the the family tree. Where we came from. Then it skips to the family purpose the next page.”

“I didn’t know your dad was a writer.”

“Jen stay with me. Then there is this page that says here lies a soul.”

“Pretty freaky, can I see it?”

“Sure.” Jen takes the journal and start rubbing the pages together. “What the hell are you doing.”

“I saw this in a movie once.” The pages unfold under one another. Jen gently rubs the corner of the page.

“Your dad even glue them. That’s weird.”

“Give it to me.” Tess looks at the first page intensely. It’s a list of names.  When she unfolds it there is one word written in red and that is Tezza. She begins to read the note under the name.

 

My father used to always tell me that we came from a great family. I just didn’t believe that it would be one of the great ones. In my research I discovered that there are six major families that make up the body of the tree. Tezza, Arken, Zoton, Tituba, Levi, Naomi. The family I’m connected to is Tezza. The power that flows from their well is endless and we have the ability to tap into it. Our power is like a plant and, like any plant, it can create its own food as long as it has energy. That is why they must treat the phantom member like that of a tree. In other for there to be spirits there must be an endless source of energy that carries them on. The only difference between us and them is that they know the source of energy. I believe that all phantoms get their power from somewhere. From a continuous form of energy. The energy source is called mother earth. She fills our own souls with the power that we have. The only question to ask is why.    

 

“Are you reading this Jen?”

“Yea your dad is talented, why would he want this to be a secret?”

“Is my dad saying that souls are real and that the earth is feeding them energy?”

“Tess, you don’t believe this do you?”

“No, of course not. I’m just trying to connect with my father. Jack was thinking that he has something to do with all these murders by this group called the phantoms.”

“Oh.” says Jen as she nods her head.

“Oh that’s all you have to say.”

“I mean Oh! That crazy with your father.” Jen shakes Tess.

“Why are you acting weird?”

“I’m totally not.” Jen paces back and forth.   

“Ok, I have to show Peter this. Maybe this will help.”

“So you will leave the room for Peter but not for me?”

“Jen we don’t have time for this… Look back in Chicago somethings happen that I myself still don’t understand, so when the time comes I will tell you everything.” Jen nods her head as she plays with her fingers.

“Let’s get out of here.” says Tess as she closes her dad’s journal.  

“Okay.”

Tess and Jen walk downstairs as they run into Dee and Mr. Jones. Dee has on a white dress that’s covered in flower patterns. She has on high heels and white gloves on. She also has curly hair like Tess. She is playing uno with Jen brother and sister.    

“Mom, what are you doing?” Dee turns around, smiles and hugs Tess.

“Baby it’s so good to see you. Last time I was here you were nowhere to be found. I thought you ran away.”

“No, I wouldn’t do that to you.” Tess looks her mom up and down while taking a deep breath. “You smell amazing. You look great. You look sober.” Dee spins in her floral dress and smiles. “Why is he here?”

“I’m here because you miss so many days of school. You are falling behind,” says Mr. Jones.

“Ok well am going back to class. Today.”

“Good to hear. I’m glad that whatever phase you were going through is over.”

“Hi Mr. Jones,” says Jen.  

“Hey, how it’s going Jena?”

“It doing great.”

“That’s great to hear as well.” Mr. Jones looks at Tess. “Oh yes I almost forgot. Here is a folder of all the work you missed.” Mr. Jones reaches in his suitcase and takes out a folder.

“Okay, see you Mr. Jones.”

“Well I’m not going anywhere.”

“What do you mean,” says Tess. Mr. Jones pulls Dee towards him and kisses her. “What! What are you doing?”

“I wanted to wait and tell her,” says Dee. Tess storms out of the house and Jen follows. Tess runs all the way to the lake. Tess is sitting there when Jen finally shows up.

“I can’t believe her, that witch.”

“Calm down.”

“No, dad hasn’t even been dead for a week and she is with a new man.”

“Well.”

“Well what?”

“Well I’m pretty sure they were going out before that. I mean, where is your mom all the time?” Tess rolls her eyes and kick at the ground.

“I don’t like that man.”

“Yes, you do.”

“You are so weird?” Tess screams in her lap. “There is something I want to tell you Jen.”  

“What is it.”

“Well it’s a family secret type of thing.”

“Well I’ve been living with y’all for years so I guess I’m family.”

“Well-”

“Well what Tess?”

“Is that Thomas?” Jen looks in the same directions as Tess. Thomas jumps out of the other end of the lake.

“Yea, that is mystery man. And yes he does have the body of a god,” says Jen as she falls to the ground. Tess rolls her eyes as she stares at the lake.

“Maybe you should go after him.”    

“Do you see that?”

“See what?” Jen looks the same direction as Tess. “It’s a body floating in the lake.”

“Wow this lake is becoming popular.”

“Jen I don’t think he is swimming.” Jen looks at the body intensely. Jen takes off her clothes and jump into the lake.

“What are you doing Jen?” Jen swims toward the body and brings it back to the shore. “Jen are you ok.”

“Yes,” says Jen as she catches her breathe.

“O MY GOD.” Jen screams at the top of her lungs. The man has zombie like skin. His eyes are a green with black in them. It look like the life was taken from him. It looks like Tess’s uncle.

“Tess what is that.”

“They’re back. They’re back.”

 

In Chicago in the basement of the police station, Jack is sitting in a cage. It’s dark and wet with no windows. He is nailed to the wall with his arm spread open like christ. His legs are also nailed to the ground spreaded apart. Jack face is purple and covered with blood. He can only open one eye to see a light appear from a door opening. His partner John walks into the room and stares at Jack. He kicks Jack’s leg and spits on him. Jack screams though the tape that covers his mouth as his leg begins running with blood.

“You knew I loved Amy but you took her away from me you son of b***h. I was going to marry her but you- you had beautiful children with her. They should have been my kids but then you go and carve her up like some crazed animal. You kill your family that you steal from me. Well, you will know how it feels to die slowly,” says John as he kick Jack’s other leg. Jack screams as John laughs. John turns around and begins to walk out of the door and stops. Jack looks to the at the air to see a water drop frozen in the air. Jack starts to breath heavily.

“Hello,” says a woman. Jack looks in front of him and he sees a woman in a long purple cloak that is moving like the wind is blowing but there is no wind. As Jack stares at the cloak he begin to see stars and galaxies in the cloak. Jack looks towards her face but it is covered by the hood of her cloak. He look over to John and he is standing still.

“Do not be afraid of me my Slayer. I am here to help you.” says the woman.

“I not a slayer.” Jack mumbles.

“I know you didn’t kill your family but that is not what I am referring to.” Jack stares at the woman.

“I’m sorry Jack but I don’t have time to explain myself so I’m going to ask this once. Do you want my help?” Jack looks at John as a tear falls from his eyes and he look towards the woman and nods.

“Very well. Let’s get you out of here.”