chapter 2

Chapter 2

After the bell tolled the halls were a mass of bodies all trying to get out of school. I made it to my locker and collected all my needed books. I step back and closed the door of my locker Troy was standing behind me as I turned around.

“That was some catch,” he said with an odd look in his eyes.

“What about it?” I say puzzled.

“Nothing, it was just a good catch,” he said and I could have sworn his eyes flashed with an ice blue lustre as he walked away. I felt strangely unnerved about this conversation with Troy.

“Michael, I just heard... hey what’s up?” Leah comes to stand beside me.

“Huh oh nothing, what were you saying?” I say as I start to move towards the door with Leah hurrying close behind.

“Oh um, I just found out that you’re going to be my tutor,” she said putting on a fake laugh.

“Oh crap, sorry, I completely forgot,” I say slapping myself on the forehead.

“It’s ok, we don’t start till tomorrow,” she said putting a hand on my arm, before running down the steps and across to the parking lot.

“What is going on here?” I say rubbing my temples and shaking my head.

I slowly descend the steps leading out of the school and start to cross the lawn to the parking lot. As soon as my feet hit the pavement of the car park, I feel multiple sets of eyes locked on to me. I cast a sly glance around the lot and catch sight of Troy and the gang watching me. I just kept going, making it to my car to see Joe leaning against the hood.

“Come on Michael we got to get to work,” Joe said in a bored tone.

“Joy,” I say fishing into my pocket to find the keys.

After climbing into the car I pull out of the car park and out of the corner of my eye I see Troy still watching me. That unnerved feeling starts to come back, but quickly fades as we put distance between me and the school.

After a few short minutes of driving we pulled up in front of ‘Gateway through the Veil’, one of the town’s larger book stores. The store smelled of dust and something strange that never used to be there, yet it smelt oddly familiar. I just push the thoughts out of my head and say, “Hey Miram sorry we’re late”.

The elderly lady behind the counter lifted her grey eyes from her book for only a second, looking us over before saying, “A new shipment arrived this morning, you can start unloading that.”

With that Joe and I walk into the office and drop off our bags, before starting to unload the shipment. The boxes were filled with all kinds of books from fantasy to romance, it took Joe and me almost an hour to empty the boxes

“Joseph, follow me, Michael man counter” Miram said walking past the two of us, me and Joe just shrug and followed the orders. I make my way to the counter as the bell above the door rings. “Welcome ‘Gateway through the Veil’ can I help you,” I say as I come up behind an older man, he turned around and as he did I court sight of three long scars running from just above his wrist, past elbow and under the sleeve of his shirt. I realized that I was staring when the man turned to face in the direction of the door. “No, I was told to meet my daughter here,” he said with a stern tune.

“Sorry, but you’re the only costumer we’ve had all afternoon, but your more than welcome to stay and wait,” I say as I start to move back to the counter.

“Young man, have we meet before, you seem very familiar,” the man says with an almost worried look in his eyes

“No I don’t think so, you may have seen me around here,” I say slightly put off by the look in his eyes.

The bell sounds and once again I hurry away from the man and greet the new customer. “Hey Michael, where’s Jo?” Rachel said while carrying half a dozen shopping bags from the stores just down the road and looking around the store. She spots the man standing in the back of the shop. “What’s with the creepy old guy” she says in a hushed whisper.

I just shrug walking back to the counter. Four more people had entered the store and were all looking around. “Rachel go damp that stuff in the car,” I say handing her my keys. She grabs them before trotting out the door. As she exits who should come in but none other than Leah.

“We just can’t seem to keep away from each other can we,” she says as soon as she sees me sitting at the counter.

“It seems not,” I say smiling as the creepy older man walks over towards us.

“Dad I said quarter past five not quarter to five,” she said as soon as the man was within a few feet.

“Oh well you’ll get over it,” he said as an almost growling laugh escaped from him.

“Well let me have a look around and I’ll meet you at the car,” Leah says to the man as he just rolls his eyes and leaves the store. Two of the other people who were looking around come over to the counter with a few books. By the time I finish serving those two, the shop was empty except for Rachel who had come back in a few moments ago and Leah who was walking towards me. “Just these today,” I say with a smile, looking over the titles. None stood out except one, ‘Children of the Moon’. I quickly scan the book and slide them in to a bag.

“That will be $58.97,” I say as she holds out a bankcard.

I was just about finished Leah’s purchase when Miram yells at me, “Michael close up when you’re done.”

“Sorry about that, here you go,” I say handing back the card. She just smiles, waves and walks through the door.

I walk over to the door and turn the sign over. Walking back toward the office a sudden sharp pain hits my chest. It felt like a knife had just been plunged in and was being twisted. The world grows dark, and then in a bright flash I was standing in a clearing looking out over a large mountain range that I couldn’t recognise. There’s a noise in the forest behind me. I spin around as three giant wolves walk in to the clearing. The white wolf at the lead glares at me with bright golden eyes, a black famine looking wolf slowly moves to the right not taking its blue eyes off me and the chestnut coloured wolf moves to my left with watchful green eyes. A voice sounds loudly in my head, “Your awakening draws closer my child, and when it takes place you must remember the past, to fight the coming war before it starts.” With that all three of the wolves appeared to be turning in to smoke. “Remember” was the last thing I heard before the white wolf vanishes. The black wolf comes to a stop in front of me and says, “We will always walk beside you.” With that the black wolf was no more. The last wolf comes to a stop in front of me, raising it head towards to moon high above. “The moon is rising, the beast is howling, the wolves will run the darkest path, to rid the world of the moonlit curse, the hunt has began... you will learn to live by this just as all the others have learned to live by it.” With that the last wolf was gone. I look up at the moon which seem to grow brighter and brighter. The next thing I know I’m staring up at Joe and Miriam’s faces. “Welcome back to the land of the living, buddy,” Joe says helping me to my feet.

“What happened,” I ask putting a hand on the side of my head to stop it spinning.

“We don’t know we just found you laying on the ground, out to it,” Miriam says.

“You’re not driving like this, I’ve still got the keys anyway,” Rachel adds as Joe starts me walking to the door.

After we all make it to the car park Rachel throws Joe the keys. We all get into the car as Joe starts it up. After about fifteen minutes Joe pulls up in to the carport at my house. Rachel moves around the boot and grabs all of her bags and kisses Joe before walking off towards the fence line between our respective homes. Joe just says, “You ok now mate?”

“Yeah I'm fine,” I reply as Joe throws me the keys.

“Cya tomorrow then,” Joe say as he starts to walk off down the drive way.

I just make my way inside and straight up to my room. I fall back on the bed and close my eyes for what felt like a second, but when I opened them I had Emma jumping on my bed yelling, “Its tea time, and its tea time”. I just stand up grab hold of Emma and tuck her under my arm as I walk down towards the dining room.

As I open the door to the kitchen I get hit with the smell of rosemary and mint which only served as a reminder that I hadn’t eaten since lunch.

“Did someone loss something?” I say sitting Emma down into a chair.

“So that’s where she got to,” my uncle says bringing a large dish to the table.

After the last plate was put onto the table we all start digging in. It wasn’t long before everyone was finished, the table was cleaned and the family had moved in to the lounge room to watch some T.V.

 The clock on the wall chimed eight o’clock which meant that it was time for my aunt to take Em to bed. “Come Em bed time,” my aunt said holding out her hand which Emma took being lead off to her room. My aunt returned about five minute later saying, “She’s waiting for you Mich.” I just smile as I get up and start to walk to Em’s room. I find her sitting up in bed watching the door

“What is it today?” I say with a smile.

“Ponies,” She says as I lay her down.

“Ok, ok how’s it go again,” I say as I sit down on the edge of her bed.

“Oh that’s right.”

“Hush-a-Bye
Don’t You Cry
Go To Sleep My Little Baby
When You Wake You Shall Have
All the Pretty Little Ponies

In Your Bed
Mamma Said
Babies Riding off to Dream Land
One By One
they’ve Begun
Dance and Prance for Little Baby

Blacks and Bays
Dapples and Grays
Running In the Night
When You Wake
You Shall Have
All the Pretty Little Ponies.”

Reviews

[SarahJo McKenzie]

There are a lot of phrases and words that are off putting. But you do have a really great story and if you could just smooth it out, it would be amazing the description in the earlier chapter with him catching the football and the scene with the three wolves from the prologue visit him were amazing. I really hope to see you turn this into something great. It certainly could go there.

[StillShorterThanYou]

I like the song at the end, and the relationship that the main character, Mich, has with Emma, it's so cute :D