I yawned as my mother shook me awake.

“C’mon Seph you’ve got to get to school!” She exclaimed fighting for my blanket from me.

“Can’t I stay home today?” I groaned. She had finally ripped the blanket away making my eyes sear with pain as the sun tore through my eyes.

“You know you can’t; now get up; I’m late for work.” She said. I studied her face. She was never late.

Her eyes shown that she had been sleep deprived and her body language was clearly careless. Her hair was down looking as though she’d just gotten out of bed without brushing her hair which also never happened.

I decided even though I had just turned fifteen last night that I wouldn’t give her a hassle today.

“Fine, just get yourself to work; don’t worry about me.” I sighed. She smiled genuinely kissing me on the cheek then running off down the stairs.

I yawned again turning to see my alarm clock seeing that it was seven thirty. I jumped out of bed realizing I had only eight minutes to get ready and to the bus stop.

Finally grabbing my backpack I flew out the door with one minute to spare.


“Hey Seph, just in time!”

I grinned greeting my best friend Jet. Jet with his brown eyes and blond hair made him look like his older brother’s twin. It’s a miracle they weren’t. This school couldn’t take two Roberts in a grade. Only god knows what would happen then.

Jet was always the class clown in the grade until just recently when his father had returned home from a very long war. When his father had heard about his fooling around he put a stop to it immediately. Poor Jet had no idea what would occur then.

“I couldn’t let you fill in my seat today!” I exclaimed.
He chuckled pushing past me onto the bus. That morning would be the end that we once worshipped.


“Joseph Parker!”

I looked up from my notebook. Mr. Smith threw a death glare at me waiting for me to say something.

“Yes?” I questioned him.

“You have no idea what we’re talking about, do you?” He questioned me. I grinned sheepishly. He sighed shaking his head.

“Call your mother; I think it’s time we had a talk.” He said. My heart sank.

“But Mr. Smi...” I started.

“Now.” He glared at me. I got out of my seat slamming the door behind me. I punched in the numbers furiously then leaning back against a locker.

“Yes, what is it Seph?”

Hearing my mom’s voice made me bite down on my tongue.

“I’m sorry mom you have to talk to Mr. Smith.” I said. I heard the exasperation in her breathing.

“When?!” She snapped.
The anger seeped out at the seams and that was just over the phone.

The door opened showing a broad shouldered man. Mr. Smith had his glasses rest on the tip of his nose and his dark brown hair shown a man of a different life.

“Let me see the phone.” He said. I nodded slowly handing it to him.

“Hello, Mrs. Parker?” He said.

“Yes, this is Mr. Smith.” He said after a minute.

I shook my head in disgust. Mr. Smith was definitely my least favorite teacher.

“After school is fine, but that’s in twenty minutes.” He said.

“I’m sorry for the inconvience.” He said.

“Bye.” He said pulling the phone away from his ear.

“Looks like you’re going to wait with me here for half an hour.” He said handing me the phone. I sighed angrily. Of course this would happen with my luck!

“Can’t you just let me go home?” I asked.
He shook his head.

“Can’t; your mother is going to be here to have a discussion between us three.” He said.

“Shouldn’t we get back to class?” I asked. He smiled.

“We should.” He said staring into my eyes.


The bell rang making me want to jump out the window and losing myself in the winter. I did not want to stay another minute with Mr. Smith than I had to.

“Joseph, I’m gonna have you do something for me.” Mr. Smith said.
I snapped out of my trance.

“What’s that?” I asked. He smiled.

“You see that old text book?” He questioned me.
I looked past his pointing finger.
A dusty old think book sat on an unused desk.

“What do you want me to do with it?” I asked.

“Read it; if you’re not going to listen to me in class you can study from the book.” He grinned. I gasped.

“But Mr. Smith!” I exclaimed.

“When your mother gets here you can stop reading.” He said.
The anger enveloped my heart and I clenched my jaw walking back to my desk.

“This is why you don’t have a friend.” I mumbled. Mr. Smith glared at me.

“What did you say?!” He questioned me. I could tell I struck a nerve. I hadn’t meant to say it that loud.

“Nothing, Mr. Smith.” I said. He got up from his desk and sat next to me.

“You don’t understand this now, but to give someone such disrespect could ruin your life, remember that.” He said grabbing my wrist and squeezing it.
I glared into his eyes as he did mine.

“Turn to page 133 and start copying words from that section until I say you can stop.” He said backing away.

I looked up suddenly hearing beeping.
Its reoccurrence began to agitate me as it got louder and louder as I was trying to concentrate.

“Can’t you shut off your phone!” I snapped. Mr. Smith looked at me in confusion.

“I don’t have my phone here today, I forgot it this morning.” He said. I looked around the room finding a faint blue flicker of light.
I got up ignoring every single ounce of my better judgment. I grabbed a black newer looking phone.
Its slick back showed no scars. It looked like it’d only been here for a few hours, but it was already dying.

“Its a phone over here.” I turned saying it to Mr. Smith.
He picked up my phone that I had sat down on my desk a few moments ago.

“What are you doing?” I questioned him. He looked up from the phone.

“It started ringing, it was the ringing you were talking about.” He said. I looked back over to the desk seeing that the phone had disappeared.
I closed my eyes then reopened them to see that it was still gone.

“Your mom is here.” He said. I shook my head. I must be really tired.

“Come sit down, its time.” He said.
I yawned looking down at the paper I’d been writing on for so long.

I sank down in my seat as my frantic mother walked into the room giving me the death glare. Mr. Smith pounced at her as soon as she walked into the room.
I guess he needed some company. With the way he walked around all arrogantly it didn’t surprise me that he pounced on the first women he saw. He was definitely not going to be my second daddy.

“Nice to meet you Mrs. Parker.” Mr. Smith said pushing his hair back and taking off his glasses.
I guess her preferred golden brown haired women.

My mom forced a smile flinging her suitcase to the floor taking millions of pounds off her back.

“What’s this meeting about?” She questioned him staring me down.

“Let’s sit down.” He said motioning for the seat next to me. She clearly saw through his charm. Go mom!

My mom started to sit down as Mr. Smith pushed the seat behind her.

“Allow me.” He said pushing her in to the table.

Was it me or was he putting the moves on her?

“What did you do Seph?” She asked me.
I sank down further as her ice burned through me.

“Go on, Joseph.” Mr. Smith ushered me. I stood up straight.

“Nothing bad.” I said. Mr. Smith sighed.

“He hasn’t been paying attention for weeks, I know Joseph is a good kid, but he hasn’t been himself lately and his grades have dropped.” He explained. Jerk.

“I’m a little concerned about him.” He finished staring me in the eyes.
My mom looked at me with a worried expression, but there was also something else, something I couldn’t quite pull out.
Both of them began staring at me. I shrugged.

“What do you want me to do?” I snapped.
My mom looked hurt.

“What’s going on, Seph?” She asked me.

“It’s nothing.” I said.
My mom began crying then as quick as that Mr.
Smith reached across the table holding her hand.

“It’s all right, ma’am.” He said. My mom grabbed his hand back. This was ridiculous.

“Why won’t you tell me what’s wrong?” She cried. I sighed.

“Joseph it’s very unhealthy to bottle everything up.” Mr. Smith said. I glared at him.

“I’m fine!” I snapped. He glowered at me.

“Let’s talk about this nicely.” My mom said straightening up and pulling her hand away from Mr. Smith’s.

“Joseph Ray Parker, no more dodging the questions.” She scolded.
I twisted my head as I fought back the anger building inside.
My heart was urging me to get up and snap, but I didn’t want to.

“ Tell me what’s going on, Seph.” My mom said laying her hand onto my shoulder.
I flew back away from her as if her touch was acid.

“ No, mom I’m fine!” I snipped turning my head.
My throat was tightening and it was getting unbelievably hot in here.

“ The more you hold it in the harder it’ll get to fight your feelings.” Mr. Smith said.
I jumped out of the chair pacing back and forth turning my back to them.

“ I’m sorry about whatever this is, but Seph if you don’t tell me I’ll have to get some help.” My mom said.

“No don’t!” I snapped with tears bursting through my defense system.

“Then sit down now!” She yelled.
I knew it was going to come out. I sat down calming down a bit. Mr. Smith looked as cold hearted as ever.

“It’s just that....” I started.
Suddenly the door burst in with men in women in Police uniforms pointing guns at us.

Mr. Smith stood up taking off his glasses and whipping them across the room. This was unsettling.
People with guns burst in the room and he wasn’t panicked.

“What’s going on?” My mom questioned them.

“Congress has ruled, every child is to be taken away from every adult in the country, you no longer have custody over your child.” One of the men said.

My heart leaped. I didn’t want to be taken away from my mother, this had to be a joke. The police didn’t look like they were joking. I looked from the man to my mom.
The blood drained from her face and tears already turned her eyes blood shot.

“Come along, son.” The man said kindly.
The man’s appearance didn’t help the fear of being taken away.
He wore black shaved hair with a slight beard going on around his chin, but his eyes were menacing as he ushered for me to come over.
I was so scared that I could almost feel the urine drizzling down my leg.
I swallowed down hard.

“Come now, we’ve got other stops.” He said. I looked to Mr. Smith for help. He stood up straight.

“Jack, he’s scared, let me talk to him.” Mr. Smith said. His eyes seemed almost gentle now.
I know that I was fifteen now, but that didn’t do anything to help my fear. Mr. Smith bent down to my height.

“Everything is going to be all right, Joseph we’re just going to take you to some place for the best of your health.” He said. The fear dissipated.

“We’re?!” I snapped. His face turned harder, but still gentle.

“Joseph, I’m not a teacher as you thought, I work for the government.” He said.
This was unbelievable! An undercover agent here! All the hope I had once had was gone. I sat in the desk with a blank stare. Nothing could get worse.

“What were you doing here?” I asked. He sighed.

“I had to study the kids here to gain some evidence, what better place to study the children than a school.” He said. That made sense.

“We’ve got to go.” Jack said.

“I knew there was something off about you.” I said. He smiled.

“I knew you did, but what can we do?” He said.

“We need to leave now!” Jack snapped. Mr. Smith grabbed my arm.

“You’ll see that your life will change for the better.” He said.

“If you were an undercover cop then why the sudden interest in me?” I asked. He turned looking over at the others.

“You are different from the others, Joseph; you’re like I was.” He said. I shook my head. The gentleness left his face completely. He was done being friendly as he now pulled me up by my arm and whipped me around into his arms. I tried to pull away to get to my mom, but here was nothing I could do.

“Don’t take him!” My mom snapped. Jack pointed his head at my mom and instantly two policemen started marching towards her.

“Let her be!” I cried out. I struggled to get out of Mr. Smith’s arms, but he held me there knowing what I was trying to do.

“Don’t take me away, she hasn’t done anything!” I shrieked. My muscles felt as though they were going to give out. I was trying to get ahold of his arms so I could rip free of his grip. He knew that I was trying this so he twisted my arm around making me cry out in pain in doing so.

“Joseph, my baby!” My mom cried. The policemen had her held up against the wall pinning her there. I was just now grasping the reality, they were going to take me away without a doubt.

Mr. Smith shoved me over to Jack whom got ahold of me right away. Jack’s grip was a lot stronger than Mr. Smith’s. I felt this as he squeezed my shoulder making me cry out.

“So you have feelings for the boy.” Jack said to Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith nodded slightly.

“Why don’t you take this job?” He offered Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith stared down at me.

“I’ll think about it.” He said.

Jack started to turn me around when Mr. Smith put his hand on my shoulder.

“Listen to the guards and you’ll do just fine.” He whispered in my ear. I reared my head back hitting him hard in the nose. I heard a crack as he pulled back.

Jack whipped around to see what happened. Mr. Smith held his nose with blood gushing out of his nose. My heart filled with triumph.

Mr. Smith pulled away his hand from his nose and glared at me.

“You’re pushing my patience!” He yelled. Jack let go of me shoving me forward.

“I could do so much to you that would cause you so much pain, but I’ll spare you the pain.” He said walking to my mom. My mom watched in agony as he pulled her away from the others.

“The congress states that we have to protect the kids; they said nothing about the parents.” He said holding his arm back.

“Don’t hurt her!” I yelled. He stared at me thinking about this. Suddenly his hand went down.

“As you wish.” He said. The anger left his face.

“Go, Jack, take him.” He said. I looked over at my mom as she stood in pure terror. No, not even standing, she was balling her eyes out sliding down the wall wailing for me.
“Mom!” I cried out as I took one last look at her.

The cold wind pushed across me stinging every part of my body. My shirt had been ripped when I tried to get to my mom and my sweatshirt was still in the classroom.

Jack shoved me into a big black van and got in with me handcuffing my hand to a bar in the back.

“Why is this happening?” I questioned him. He sighed.

“The parents of America have been deemed unworthy of taking care of their kids.” He said.

“How?” I questioned him.

“America is the top country with the most obesity and has been for years; we have done all we can to protect the children and parents continue to be ignorant.” He started.

“So what.” I said.

“Children continue to roam the streets without protection, without rules and we have no obedience.” He continued.

“Still...” I started.

“You endanger yourselves, you have lost the right to rule yourself; the government has taken it into their own hands.” He said.

“That’s going against everything the constitution says!” I snapped. He shook his head.

“The founders would’ve never thought this would happen.” He said.

“You’re all crazy!” I yelled.

“You’ll soon understand, goodbye Joseph.” He said slamming the door shut.

The dark soon surrounded me making even my shadow disappear from my life. How alone I felt.

“I miss you already mom.” I muttered. I closed my eyes.


Suddenly the light pierced my eyes waking me up from my dream. Screams and cries entered the vicinity and soon more children joined me. Jack and three others climbed into the truck locking more kids up inside this hollow place. Six children total entered the van all of whom seemed to be younger than me. All of them were crying for their parents as Jack and the others finally locked all of them into place.

As Jack started walking past me I did something I didn’t think I would do. I stuck my foot out tripping Jack. I soon realized how much of a mistake that was. Jack stood back up as he had the others hold me up.

“Raymond might be too weak to cause you pain, but I’m not!” He snapped. I pushed back but my handcuffed arm kept me from dodging.

Jack stood up straight then rushed forward slamming his fist into my eye. My knees buckled letting myself fall in the others arms’.

The kids started screaming louder giving me a headache. Jack grinned.

“Next time you’ll learn.” He said laughing as he climbed out then shut the doors.


The screams were starting to get to me as well as my eye which began swelling.

“Shut up!” I yelled. The kids looked at me in shock. I hadn’t said a word since they’d gotten on here, but this was too much. They weren’t younger than six so all of them could shut up.

“Crying about this won’t do anything so you might as well save yourselves the headaches.” I said. Each of them looked at me.

“Why don’t you introduce yourselves?” I asked. The one and only girl stood up.

“I’m Natlie, but call me Nattie; I’m ten years old.” She said. The boys smirked. The youngest looking boy stood up next.

“I’m Nick, I’m twelve.” He said. Nattie smiled. Nick’s longish brown hair cut off at his neck and his eyes glowed green.

Nattie’s brown skin matched her hair along with her eyes.

The next boy to stand up was an eleven year old called Eddie. I guess his blonde hair was the only thing that stood out. He had the same colored eyes as the Nattie.

The other three boys looked like triplets at the ages of thirteen, ten and nine. All of them had red hair and green eyes.

Suddenly the door opened again burning all of our eyes and bringing nine other kids.

The door closed as quickly as the next run bringing another twelve kids which filled the back of the van.

“To the academy.” Jack said as he shut the door. I looked around at kids of all ages now most of them being my age. None of them meant much to me as I didn’t know them, but in those moments we could’ve become best friends.



The door opened quicker than it did the other times as each kids was thrown out of the van. I had been the last one when the riot broke out. The kids had started to beat up on the nine policemen that stood there, but soon reinforcements came. The policemen took out the guns and began shooting at each kid that stood. I was smart enough to dive behind the van, but the others weren’t so lucky as nearly everyone hit the ground within a few seconds. There were at least thirty men out there, but there were only twenty seven kids. We stood no chance.

I pushed back against the truck hearing the last of the thuds as the other kids hit the ground. I didn’t waste my precious energy sneaking peeks at the men, no I used my ears.

“Twenty six, we’re missing one!” I heard Jack exclaiming. I slid under the van and started scooting down to the front of the truck. I had to get out of sight.

“Start searching!” Jack exclaimed. I heard footsteps as men ran past me and held my breath in.

I wondered what they had shot the other kids with.

“He couldn’t have gone far, the gate’s closed!” Jack yelled. I finally got to the end of the truck and crawled out from under the truck.

“There!” I heard from behind me. I jumped up finding myself surrounded by five other men. I slid to the side sliding through the gap between to men.

I was running then I was being pummeled to the ground as someone pinned me to the ground. Jack peered down at me with a gun pointed at my neck. I pushed my arms up trying to free myself as the breath was knocked out of me.

Jack kneed me in the stomach making me gasp for air.

“Nighty-night.” He said as he shot the gun. I instantly flew away from the scene and into my dreams.

I awoke next in the whitest room I’d ever seen. All of the walls were white as well as all the furniture. I started to sit up but wasn’t allowed to. I looked to my hand in response finding that I was handcuffed to the bed. These people were too handcuff crazy. Its as if they couldn’t live without handcuffs.

“I see that you’ve woken up.”

I looked around searching for the invader. Smith stood in front of me in different apparel. Instead of wearing a suit and glasses he wore a dark navy blue shirt with golden letters on the top left. His hair was brushed back like Jack’s and he looked a lot more intimidating.

“What is this place?” I asked. He stood firmly.

“This is what we call the academy, but it’s actually called the Westward Hospital.” He said. That made no sense at all whatsoever.

“Why are we at a hospital?” I asked. He sighed as if I should know this.

“Didn’t Jack tell you?” He asked. I thought about what he had said.

“He told me that congress ruled that we weren’t in charge of our lives anymore.” I said.

“Continue.” He said. I thought about some more then it clicked. Of course.

“He said that we were endangering ourselves too much, that we were too big, so this would be the perfect place to monitor our health.” I said. He smiled.

“See you’re smart.” He said.

“Why is it called the academy?” I asked.

“We’re going to raise you here.” He said.

“Every kid in the world?” I asked. He shook his head.

“In places posted around the world just like this.” He replied.

“This is so wrong.” I said. He sat down next to me.

“In the constitution it says, “We the people.,” not we the government.” I said. He yawned.

“It says that we must protect the people, this is what we’re doing.” He countered.

“And their rights.” I said.

“The founders wanted the people protected above all, this is what we’re doing, they never could’ve imagined what has happened.” He said.

“America is the home of the free!” I snapped.

“Fine then think of every citizens citizenship responsibilities, they haven’t been completed in years.” He said.

“That’s not relevant!” I snapped.

“I’m not going to argue this with you, its already been made up.” He said.

“And who are you to treat me as your kid!” I snapped. He stood up.

“I’m your guardian.” He said. My heart dropped. Guardian?

“Guardian as in parent or...” I started.

“Yes, I am in charge of you from now on; you are my kid.” He said.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I snapped. He glared at me.

“This is ridiculous.” I said.

“Stop.” He said.

“Is this everywhere?” I asked.

“Every child has been assigned a proper guardian chosen by the government.” He said.

“That’s insane; you’re stripping away all of our rights!” I snapped.

“Stop.” He said again.

“What happens to the parents?” I asked.

“They’ve been put under comas to live healthier for the rest of their lives.” He said.

“You’re...” I started.

“Stop!” He yelled. My heart was pounding unhealthily and loud.

“Why must they be put under comas?” I asked.

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” He said simply.

“Can’t you let me out?” I questioned him.

“Assuming you can behave yourself.” He said. I remembered something.

“So when Jack asked you if you wanted to take over the job he was asking about me?” I asked him.

“More or less.” He said.

“What do you mean?” I asked him.

“When Jack said that he knew he was going to be a guardian for one of the kids he found, just wasn’t sure who.” He explained.

My arm was starting to ache and I couldn’t stand laying like this another minute.

“Let me out.” I said. He glared at me.

“That’s not your decision.” He said. Why couldn’t anything be easy?

“Fine.” I said.

“Glad you’re seeing it this way.” He said.

“If Jack was going to be my guardian then why did you take over for him?” I asked. He sat down again.

“Like I said before, you are different than everybody else, you show something rare.” He said.

“And that would be?” I questioned him.

“A heart that hasn’t been corrupted, you remind me of myself.” He said.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“It means I’m your guardian.” He said. I didn’t like the way this was going.

“What will it take to get you to let me out?” I asked him.

He seemed to think about this.

“I’ll let you out if you obey me.” He said. Oh, this has got to be great!

“Fine, now let me out.” I said.

“Not quite yet.” He said.

“Why not?” I asked. He picked up some kind of pen. This pen was clearly not normal as it looked a lot more tech looking. It was covered in silver except for glowing green.

The green serpented around as if they were snake like veins with green goo swimming through the veins.

“What are you doing?” I asked as he came at me with the pen.

“What we’ve all been forced to do.” He replied. He pushed the bottom of the pen.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked. He brought the pen up by my shoulder then ripped my shirt at the shoulder and pushed the pen down. I cried out as he pushed down and the green goo seeped down into my arm.

“I’m marking you as my child in case anything happens.” He said. The pain stopped as he pulled the pen away.

“You forgot to tell me that it was going to hurt.” I said looking at my shoulder. He smiled.

“No I didn’t.” He grinned. He pulled out a key then I soon felt the handcuffs loosening.

“That’s it?” I asked. He shrugged.

“So what happens now?” I asked. He sighed.

“We start you off with a test to determine where you’ll be going next.” He said.

“A test?” I asked. He nodded.

“We’re going to change this world for the better.” He said.

“What kind of test?” I asked.

“An aptitude test, at least most of it, but the rest will be your interests.” He said.

“So, let me get this straight; you’re separating us into groups by this test?” I asked him.

“Pretty much, some will be put in from what we think they’ll be good at.” He replied.

“That’s insane!” I exclaimed.

“Not if unless we say so.” He said.

“I don’t even know your real name!” I exclaimed standing up away from the bed.

“I’m Richard Smith.” He said following me. I looked at my shoulder again trying to figure out what it was.

“Are these numbers?” I questioned him. He smiled.

“You’re changing the subject.” He said, “but yes they are numbers.”

“Why do I have numbers on my shoulder?” I asked.

“You’re number is my number; you’re going to be known as mine from now on like I said.” He replied.

“This is ridiculous.” I said.

“You’ve said that already.” He said.

I turned away from him thinking of my chances of escaping. So I had already been marked, I had a broad shouldered crazy man behind me and I was trapped in some unknown place. Odds were stacked against me, but could I do it anyway?

“I know what you’re thinking Joseph, but don’t do it.” Smith said behind me.

“My mom is alone, Richard.” I said. He put his hand on my shoulder.

“It’s a war zone out there and your mother is not where you once lived.” He said. I turned facing him as it finally set in.

“She’s alone and I need to get to her!” I snapped. He started squeezing my shoulder making me wince at the pain.

“We’ve already taken her to assigned building; I saw to it that she got there myself.” He said. I felt the adrenaline pumping through my veins as the pain whirled through the black hole.

“Let go of me!” I yelled pushing away from him. He looked at me with a grim face.

“Joseph I’m trained for things like this, don’t open that door.” He said. His eyes were fierce as they bulged out of his skull almost making me reconsider going against him. It didn’t matter what he looked like. My mother was my top priority and I wasn’t going to forfeit her.

I turned knowing I couldn’t fight him without losing and ran for the door.

“Joseph!” He exclaimed. I smiled feeling the rush come on. I grabbed the door handle opening it as it felt as if the door handle were fighting against me.

Looking through the door I saw dozens of other doors gazing back at me as the adrenaline began to withdraw. I ran through the farthest door peering through with satisfaction. I figured that in case anybody were to try to escape they’d make the door the furthest away.

“Red alert!”Smith yelled from behind me. I heard static and knew it was a walkie talkie.

I slid down the curving rails that lead down the stairs. Of course I knew that every hospital had stairs probably to make people more fit as they were here all day. Multiple footsteps sounded off a few feet ahead of me and I dashed to the left as they ran following me. Looking around I saw that thousands of other kids laid in front of me in very enclosed containers. It was a kind of machine that reminded me of an MRI machine except a lid covered the top and sides of the machine. Kids laid there with an oxygen tanks connected to them and down their mouths. It was alien to me as I had never seen this before. Unconscious kids with tubes down their throats. I shivered at the thought of being put in there as I was claustrophobic.

“Male, 15, Joseph Parker!” A man shouted behind me. These people were changing everything with rules multiplying or disappearing for them.

“Jenkins the doors now!” I heard from behind me.

I slid past as someone dove for me. These people were appearing left and right. The doors were within my reach. I pushed past the doors feeling the hope overpower my head then evaporating. The skies filled my soul with loneliness as no traffic filled the streets. No people crossed the streets and no lights polluted the sky. It was truly a ghost town. Correction, city.

I stopped running and dropped down to my knees. There would be no rescuing today. There would be no one there to help or shelter me from the lunatics behind me.

I felt the strength of a manly grip as I was knocked over wit h a hard blow to my temples. I turned seeing three guys in front of me one of them being Smith. I believe they were men, but with my vision blurring I wasn’t sure at the moment.

“To the tank then?” One of them asked. Smith nodded

“He needs to sleep and be fed.” He said. Nothingness took over and voices ran from my radar.

I opened my eyes seeing nothing but plastic and my heart pumped harder sharing the news that I was up for everyone else to hear. I pushed with all of my strength against the lid over me then noticed the tube shoved down my throat. My worst fears had come true rendering me defenseless. I didn’t have enough elbow room to fight against this unknown cover above me. I looked around doing all I could to see outside this contraption, but no matter how much I tried it wasn’t going to work. I tried yelling help, but it mostly came out, “he...he...he...!”

Suddenly the cover opened blistering my eyes with heat and light. This didn’t help my confusion and state of fear especially five seconds later a hand plunged down into my throat ripping out the tube. Next I was thrown over a shoulder and moved around as my vision tried to clear. A minute later Smith stood in front of me with a wicked grin.

I wasn’t able to talk just yet feeling as though my throat was swollen and ached with such intensity. Instead of showing how angry I was I shared my anger by showing him how mad I was. This went on for about another ten minutes as I cleared my throat.

“Do you need anything?” He grinned. I made sure my body language told it all.

“What was that?” I snapped. He stood up making his way to me.

“That was your bed, you like it?” He laughed. My heart sped up.

“You’re kidding right?” I asked. He shook his head.

“That was pretty entertaining.” He said.

“That can’t be my bed!” I exclaimed.

“Why?’ He asked.

“I... it just can’t!” I exclaimed. He sat there until a minute later his eyebrows arched and his mouth made an “O”.

“You’re claustrophobic!” He exclaimed. I took a deep breath.

“It just won’t work.” I muttered.

“Well, you’re going to have to get over that.” He said. This was useless, but as I understood that my stomach talked to me.

“When are we going to eat?” I asked. His smile returned.

“You already have.” He said. I didn’t understand his head.

“I think I would remember if I ate.” I said. He shrugged.

“Not if you were unconscious.” He said. I couldn’t believe it.

“You fed me when I was unconscious!” I exclaimed.

“Not exactly.” He said.

“Then how?” I asked. He sighed.

“It was decided that when we were to take you kids that in order to stop the obesity we would put it through your bodies instead of you mouth.” He said.

“You’re taking away the enjoyment and comfort of food.” I said. He nodded.

“Of course we’re doing that; if we were to take away the feelings that go along with eating wouldn’t the obesity go away?” He said.

“This just isn’t the right way.” I said. He nodded.

“It is as right as any other solution we’ve come up with in the past.” He responded. I didn’t see how they slept good at night knowing what they’d done.

He looked up then sighed.

“Time for the testing.” He said.

“You’re seriously going to make me go through that stupid testing?” I whined. He nodded.

“This is how things are going to work from now on; I tell you to do something and you do it.” He said. No matter the reasoning I couldn’t think of how this would do the society any good.

He pulled me up.

“Let’s go.” He said then hesitated staring down at my apparel. My clothes consisted of a tattered shirt and ripped jeans as my shoes seemed years older than just a few months old. He raced over to a dresser clinging to the wall and pulled out clothes three times smaller than he was. I figured they were for me as he stared at my clothes right now with disapproval.

“Wear these.” He said tossing me clothes.

“Put them on.” He said. I looked around the room for a bathroom.

“Where?” I asked. He smirked.

“Right here.” He said. I cleared my throat.

“Here?” I questioned him. He nodded. I felt my face get hot.

“Now; we’re going to be late!” He exclaimed.



I looked at the mirror in certain disapproval. I was dressed in navy blue from head to toe and the worst part was that my head was shaved! My head felt cold before he forced a hat onto my head, but now I just ridiculous as my look alike stood next to me. The only difference between my shirt and his was that his shirt said Staff in golden letters. Unlike Smith’s mine said kid which sent my head fuming about it. I was a teenager not a kid!

“Time to go.” He said grabbing my arm pulling me away from the last shred of dignity I had.


After making our way around the different obstacles that popped up around us we walked into a gigantic room. Children of all ages sat in rows of desks alone wearing the same clothes as I. I wondered who’d win the look alike contest.

Smith pulled me along finally getting to a desk in the front of the room and shoving me down as men gathered behind him. Smith turned around setting everything into play. The men saluted him as he backed away doing the same. I wondered what rank he had as everyone seemed to be awaiting his order.

Smith looked around the room at the kids then to me. His eyes had shown an unwillingness to seize his emotions. Everything changed when he was around other adults as he stood as inhuman as possible and peered down at me.

“Begin.” He hollered. I looked around at the desk to find it rumbling as a new passage gave way bringing with it a thick stack of paper and a pencil. I guess they didn’t trust us to use technology.

“What if we don’t?” Someone asked from behind me. I turned finding a girl about as old as I. Her voice was very feminine as it was high. She had radiant blue eyes and golden brown hair pinned back in a braid. She was beautiful and as matched as I was with Smith. A woman glared at her then looked at Smith embarrassed.

“Then you will be put in confinement and trust me; that’s not something you want to go through.” He said. The woman stood in front of Smith.

“I’m so sorry sir, we’ve been having some issues.” She apologized. He looked at her sternly then sighed.

“Don’t worry; we all have our problems.” He said. She smiled thinly and stood back.

“Begin now.” He told us all. I looked back at the girl behind me finding her stare at me. Then her face flushed and she quickly stared down at the test. I smiled looking around the room. All of the kids had begun the test, but I hadn’t intended in doing that so easily. I stood up and yawned as Smith glared at me.

“Joseph.” He grumbled. I took a deep breath.

“Start now.” He commanded. I looked back at the others. The girl had stood up.

“We’re not to be bossed around.” I said. I looked back again. This time more kids stood up following us. They wouldn’t be able to punish us all.

“We are not to be bossed around.” The others began to chant.

Smith looked around furious and the others armed themselves.

“Sit down and begin the test!” Smith yelled. No one listened. He rushed over to me with fury on his face.

“There’s a lot worse than that tank.” He said. I almost thought about standing down, but then I remembered the others.

“You’ll see that you’ve gained more than you’ve bargained for.” I told him. He grabbed me by the shoulder and flung me to the floor.

“Let’s go.” He said between clenched teeth. I looked back again seeing most of the other kids stand down, bt not the girl. No she was much stronger than that. She caught my eyes and winked as she was also yanked away.

I woke up next in some kind of other confined space. It was yet again another tank, but instead of a tube down my throat I felt something around my ribs. I peeled around at my shirt not being able to see what was happening to me as it suddenly got freezing in here. Feeling the regret coming on I tore my shirt in order to see what was going on. My ribs began to tighten causing excruciating pain. I took deep breaths in seeing a contraption around my chest. Three thin wires forked around each of my separate ribs clinging to them with eagerness. It made me feel so claustrophobic. Smith was right when he said I had to get over it. This would be used against me every time I acted out.

I looked around finding myself in a smaller tank than the one I had been in before. The wires ran from my chest to the tank which held me in. I had no idea where they got these ideas from. I kicked up, but in reaction to kicking up a got a stabbing pain coming from my chest. I bit down on my tongue and tried to focus on what I remembered.

I remember being thrown out of the room and dragged down a narrow hallway away from the other kids. Smith had thrown me over his shoulder after an eternity of fighting to get away. I had been taken into a dark room and torn away from Smith. After that I felt a sharp prick on the back of my arm then I fell to the ground with mysterious shadows gathering above me. After that my memory went blank.

Thinking of this actually calmed me down. Ha! Their plan hadn’t worked on me. I pushed my hands up determining how high up it would allow me to get up. From my approximation it wouldn’t be enough to sit up so I laid down again waiting for some sign that it would soon be over.


I don’t know how long it took before I saw some light again, but it had been enough to make me alien to the light. My eyes seared with pain as the wires were torn in two and I was pulled away.



I coughed until it felt as though I was going to cough out my lungs with some regurgitation. Smith stood in front of me once again this time with a very different expression. It shown a mixture of anger and pity. I wasn’t sure which had the majority.


“Are you done yet?’ He asked. I cleared my throat that suddenly filled with mucus. Yum.

“What happened to that girl?” I asked. He tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

“You’re wondering about the girl?” He questioned me. I nodded.

“She didn’t get hurt did she?” I asked. He shook his head.

“Just confinement.” He said.

“What was it that I was in?” I asked.

“Something specially made for you.” He said.

“And that was?” I questioned him.

“A new type of machine.” He said. I yawned exhausted.

“I think it’s time for the test.” He said. I nodded. This was going to have to be. He threw me more clothes clearly annoyed with what I’d done with the ones I was wearing.



“It’s you again.”

I turned around to see the girl from the first session.

“It is me again.” I said. She sat down next to me holding out her hand.

“I’m Ella.” She said. I shook her hand.

“Seph.” I said shaking her hand.

“That’s enough, Gabriella.” The woman from before said. Ella glared at the woman. Smith stood behind her giving me the same glare as Ella was to the woman. I shrugged.

“Test.” He grumbled. Ella stood up then glanced back at me.

“Hopefully I see you again.” She said. I nodded.

The table rumbled again bringing with it the test and a pencil once again. Instead of sitting there alone Smith sat next to me making sure I did the test right as Ella was moved to the other side of the room. I hoped I got a chance to talk to her again.



The test tested my ability in every way. I gotta say that they did a tremendous job on this test. It was anywhere from math to interests like Smith had said.

Every once in a while I found Smith watching me pick my answers with admiration. I think he wanted me to ace it or go into some occupation that he liked. It was odd.

Finally after finishing what seemed like a fifty page test I yawned from exhaustion and looked over at Smith whom stared at me with anticipation. He grabbed the test and held it there for a moment then began reading it. Something odd was definitely going on around here. I searched around for Ella. She sat at a table still finishing the test. I guess I made good time. Smith grinned and pulled me up.

“We’ll have the results tomorrow.” He said. I yawned once again. I must’ve been pretty tired.

“And it’s time we’ve got you to your tank.” He said. I shook my head.

“Not again!” I exclaimed.

“Would you like to go back to the other tank?’ He questioned me. I shook my head.

“You’ve got to go to sleep and be fed.” He said. He grabbed my arm pulling me away as I got my last glance at Ella. Her hair reminded me of my mom’s which saddened me deeply.

The nervousness of having the tube down my throat returned as I woke up. I was in the stupid “tank”, but it was more like a prison. I didn’t care what they used it for. It was a prison for all of us kids. Instead of freaking out immediately again I took deep breaths to try and control my stress.

I sucked in air through the tube and felt a little better, but the tube constricted some of my breathing.

The tank opened and I sat up as the tube was ripped away giving me back my own lungs. Thank goodness. I stared up trying to see who it was, but my eyes weren’t clear enough to tell. Somehow I just didn’t think it was Smith.

My eyes cleared showing a different unknown man. He looked different from the rest. Not intimidating nor was he wearing the same outfit as the others. I felt the bags under my eyes as he cleaned my chest. I felt the water soak into my skin making me feel clean. I yawned. Glasses sat on the tip of the man’s nose and he wore a tux.

“Who are you?” I asked the man. He looked into my eyes then sat back.

“I’m a doctor.” He said. A doctor? What was a doctor doing here?

“Why are you here?” I asked.

“I was sent to clean you up amongst other things.” He replied. I looked down at my chest. For some reason it looked bruised.

“What happened?” I asked. He looked into my eyes.

“That doesn’t matter; I’m supposed to tell you your results.” He said. I squinted.

“Why you?” I asked. He shrugged.

He grabbed a file then looked back at me with a strange look.

“You’re classified.” He said. He closed the file. I sat up.

“What, what do you mean?’ I questioned him.

“You’re classified; there’s nothing I can read to you.” He said. I got off the bed and looked around noticing new scenery. Instead of the old room with just the white bed there was color. In the room I was in there were many different kinds of accessories. A dresser stood next to me with a chandelier above holding all of the great treasures this room had. On the other side of me a tank sat with a name etched into it. I couldn’t tell who or what it was meant for, but it definitely looked important. On the other side of the tank sat another tank. I+* saw movement on the side of my eye and turned. Smith now replaced the doctor who’d been here a minute ago. He somehow looked different now. Instead of his normal outfit he wore a fancier outfit which consisted of black clothes. The clothes looked very expensive especially with the badge on the right upper corner of the shirt.

“You look different today.” I said. He nodded.

“Where’d the doctor go?” I asked him. He placed his hand on my shoulder.

“It’s time that you’ve heard the results.” He said. Shivers ran down my back and up around my arms.

“Why are they classified?” I asked. Smith shook his head.

“He wasn’t supposed to come here; he must’ve gone before we could tell him.” He replied.

“Just tell me already!” I snapped. He looked around as if checking for intruders.

“Sit down.” He said.

“You are much more important than I believed you would be; you must become a gatekeeper.” He said. My confusion protruded.

“What?” I asked him.

“You are a very important part of our nation as you protect us all.” He said. He left me hanging.

“What’s a gatekeeper?” I asked.

“A gatekeeper is much more than it sounds; these people have existed for decades protecting us in secrecy.” He explained.

“The gatekeepers a trained men and women which of whom are above the law acting as guardians to us all.” He said.

“And what is that exactly?” I asked.

“There are... things that cannot be handled by law which gets handled by the gatekeepers who take care of those situations; they work as judge and jury.” He started. I nodded.

“They erase corrupted leaders from the face of the world and of which are the smartest of us all; they have unique abilities.” He continued.

“They aren’t a literal meaning; they hold many secrets that we cannot explain and contain so much information that if they were to fall into the wrong hands then...” He cut off.

“What are you saying?” I asked. He sighed.

“You are not who you thought you were.” He said. I walked into a brick wall as the wind was knocked out of me. I’m not Joseph Parker?

“What are you talking about, I’m definitely Joseph Parker?” I questioned him. He sat next to me.

“You don’t get what I’m saying; you’re not human.” He said. I looked back at him. Was he kidding?

“I have thumbs, two hands, two legs with feet; I think we’re safe saying I’m human.” I said full of sarcasm.

“But you’re not you’re different from us.” He said frustrated as it oozed out at the seams.

“How?” I questioned him. He grabbed my arm then pulled up my sleeve until my shoulder peeked out at us.

“See this mark; it’s the mark of the gatekeeper.” He said pointing at my birth mark.

“That’s my birth mark; that’s human.” I said. He pulled out a phone then turned it to me. On the phone showed a picture of another birthmark exactly like mine in the same exact place. The birth mark spiraled around just like mine did. It had the same kind of rough texture I did. The birth mark sunk in exactly like mine.

I sat there starting to feel unsure of myself. My birth mark was unique, but not the only one in the world. So what, right?

“This was taken from the previous gatekeeper and this was from the one before that.” He said flipping through other pictures of the same exact birth mark.

“So what, people have the same birth marks.” I countered. He smiled.

“Then explain your past.” He said. My blood chilled thinking about it. It took me back to another time.


“Seph... Seph!”

My sister’s voice echoed in my ears. I turned pushing my hair to the side. My sister sat there shaking me. I watched the scene play out over and over again.

My eyes turned green then back to blue again. My golden brown hair like my mother’s hung to the clutched to my temples.

My eyes tore through the wall as my sister stood there shaking me.

“Seph... wake up from it!” She yelled.

My heart began speeding up pulsating as my veins felt as if they were becoming alive. My mom ran into the room.

“He’s doing it again!” My sister exclaimed. My mom bent down and looked into my eyes.

“It’s alright, hun.” She said rubbing my head. My mind went else where into something more... distant.

Darkness snatched me up and took me into a place filled with dreams. A flash came over me and the room filled with light.

Dreams that didn’t belong to me filled my head with sorrow and peppiness.

Women being raped and kids being kidnapped made my heart stop. Then I came across her. A girl about my age with golden brown hair whom stared back at me.

“Why are you here?” She asked me. I looked around finding myself in a pink room. The girl sat on the bed. She stood up.

“Are you in my dream?” She asked me.

“I... I don’t know.” I replied.

My sister’s scream brought me back to the real world. I fell over then sat up hearing my mother’s whimpers.

My sister was on the floor with a pool of blood soaking her in among it.


“How do you know about my past?” I questioned him. He shrugged.

“That’s of no importance.” He said. I shook my head.

“We told no one about that night.” I said.

“I never said anything about a night.” He said.

“But you know about it!” I raised my voice. His face turned expressionless.

“How do you know about it?” I asked.

“I have my sources.” He said.

“The point is you know there’s something special about you; you’re different from the other kids.” He said.

“That doesn’t prove anything.” I said.

“The gatekeepers talk about being able to go into the minds of others of being in a dark room.” He said. My blood chilled. He did know about that night.

“They talk about feeling different from the rest of the kids, about noticing things others didn’t.” He continued.

“Okay!” I snapped.

“Do you get what I’m trying to say?” He questioned me. The life had been sucked out of me as all of my excuses evaporated.

“How do you know I’m not human?” I asked.

“No human can do that.” He said.

“So what do I do?” I asked him. He yawned.

“You wait ‘til we can get the gatekeepers here.” He said. My heart stopped.

“The gatekeepers?” I said. He nodded.

“There’s no way we can train you without them.” He said.

“I don’t want to be a gatekeeper.” I said. His face turned hard.

“You have to; there’s no choice.” He said. I swallowed hard.

“Can’t you just give me some other occupation?” I begged. He shook his head.

“What are they going to do?” I asked.

“You’ll be staying in here as they teach you to become like them.” He said.

I didn’t want to be a gatekeeper. I didn’t even want to be here! I flung myself on the bed.

I didn’t want to exist. I didn’t even want to have been born.

“I’m surprised you haven’t asked about her yet.” Smith said. I stared at the ceiling.

“Her?” I mumbled.

“Gabriella.” He said. I sat up remembering the girl that stood up to the people as I did. Ella. Her dreamy blue eyes and her luscious golden brown hair.

“What happened to her?” I asked. He smiled.

“Well that’s just it; She’s a gatekeeper.” He said. My mind flickered to the girl from my past. Could that have been her? We had taken sudden interests in each other right away.

“Where is she?” I asked. He pointed to the tank farthest away.

“See for yourself.” He said. My legs lured me over to the tank where I saw Ella laying there. Her eyes were closed and she looked peaceful.

“Go ahead and get her out.” He said. I looked over at him.

“Does she know?” I asked him. He shook his head then put his hand on the back of my neck.

“Before you do that you’d better know something.” He told me.

“What?’ I asked.

“There’s more than just you and her; there are four others.” He said. My eyes widened.

“Four other gatekeepers?” I asked. He nodded.

“Has there ever been this many?” I asked. He shook his head.

“Gatekeepers are rare especially in kids.” He said.

“How old are the others?” I asked.

“Your age or a year younger.” He said. Okay, so we’re all fourteen or fifteen. I’m glad I don’t have to change any diapers.

“Where are the others?” I asked. He cleared his throat.

“Awaiting you.” He said.

“Why?” I asked.

“Joseph you all may be gatekeepers, but you are the leader.” He said. I didn’t want to be the leader. I didn’t even want to be a gatekeeper!

“What if I don’t want to?” I asked him.

“Then this world will end.” He said.

Again with this end of the world crap!

“You are born and bred a leader, Joseph as was your namesake.” He said.

“Who?” I asked.

“Did you ever learn about Joseph Smith?” He asked me. I shook my head.

“Joseph Smith predicted the end of the world from corruption of the U.S. government; after Smith told the world this we went into deep thought.” He started. I nodded.

“At about that same time the thought process ended the first gatekeeper was discovered bringing new promises.” He continued.

“Thanks to Smith’s prediction the first gatekeeper was used to end the corruption and to prevent the end of the world.” He explained.

“And in doing this everything came into place as the gatekeepers eliminated corrupted leaders and brought us peace, but lately a problem has arisen.” He said.

“The gatekeepers are getting fewer and fewer as they aren’t producing offspring or the human host takes the dominant hand in the child’s genetic code.” He said.

“How many gatekeepers are left?” I asked. His face turned grim.

“In the total population there are about eight grown adults.” He said. A certain question popped up in my head.

“Was my mom a gatekeeper?” I asked. He laughed.

“Of course not; we wouldn’t imprison a gatekeeper!” He chuckled.

“Then how did I become a gatekeeper?” I asked. He raised his brow.

“Well your father of course.” He said. Just thinking about my birth father filled my mouth with acid.

“Do you know who he was?” I asked. He shook his head.

“That secret is hidden within the other gatekeepers.” He said. Suddenly meeting those gatekeepers didn’t sound like a bad idea. I went my whole life wondering about who I should blame for our unstable income. It sounds like I’d find out after all.

I looked over at Ella.

“Go ahead.” He said. I felt as though I knew her. Looking down at her like that depressed me so I flung the tank open. Steam flew around me as it opened up and brought he aroma of peroxide with it. I pulled the tube out of her mouth as gently and quick as possible. Just watching made me want to throw up in my mouth. I took a deep breath in and pulled her out of the tank.

Smith grabbed my arm and stared into my eyes.

“There’s one other thing I forgot to tell you about.” He said. I looked down at Ella.

He grabbed her from me and set her down in the tank then turned back to me.

“You’re not Joseph anymore; when we recruit gatekeepers their names become irrelevant.” He said.

“Are you saying I don’t have a name anymore?” I asked. He sat me down in front of him.

“If your identity ever got in the hands of rivals then everything would be at risk; secrets would be spilled and lives would be lost.” He said. Way to drop a bomb!

“Then do I have a name or not?” I asked. Taking away my name took my whole identity away. It took everything I knew myself to be away. It took my life away. This was idiotic. It made me feel inferior as if I weren’t human.

He looked at me with a mournful expression.

“You’re Night Stalker.” He said. My face morphed into a glare. He was even taking away my dignity.

“This is stupid!” I snapped and began to pace back and forth.

“You call me nonhuman then you say I don’t have a choice in what I want to do and now you’re even taking my identity away!” I yelled. His body language shown anger and I knew if I didn’t calm down I wouldn’t be up for much longer.

“Nigh....” He started.

“You’re not even certain I am a gatekeeper!” I hollered. He stood up and grabbed me by the shoulders.

“You’re a gatekeeper, if you don’t believe me then you’ll see when they get here!” He snapped. His brow furrowed making him look more and more intimidating.

The door flung open and four tall figures stepped into the room. They were cloaked in black as their aura’s illuminated with blue. I swallowed down gawking at the people in front of me. Their cloaks shown their shoulders bearing the birthmark. My birthmark. Each of them stood in a stance that scared the crap out of me. I could almost feel the urine trickling down my legs.

Smith stood back making way for them. The bearers. The gatekeepers.

The tallest figure pushed past Smith glowering down at me. He stood five inches taller than I with muscles bulging at the seams. His face had shown scars running down his cheek bones and age with hair shaved to a crew cut as his hollow eyes frightened me. I gulped.

“Joseph Parker.” He said. His voice was a low tone that fit the rest of his body.

“You have been determined a gatekeeper.” He said. I sat down. The gatekeeper turned to Smith.

“You’re sure he’s the one?” He questioned Smith. Smith nodded. The gatekeeper turned back to me lifting my sleeve and glancing down at my shoulder.

“There’s a lot you’ll have to learn.” He said. I had to get ahold of myself.

“And you are?” I asked. He gestured for the other gatekeepers to come.

“Kells.” He said. His name resembled him as he said making it sound like, “Kills”. Kells moved from side to side as the others joined him in doing so. They all reminded me of zombies in those old movies they played in the 90’s. As in 2090’s. I cleared my throat.

As they moved from side to side their legs strode toward me with long strides as they half leapt over to me then stopped and I felt myself warming up.

Smith gasped and smiled.

“He is your gatekeeper.” He said. The way he smiled churned my stomach with all kinds of agitation. I sniffed the air with new found senses and heard with new born ears. They had done something to me, but it felt wonderful.

“You have the power to purify the world.” Kells said. I looked around rampantly as the others circled around me. My eyes felt blotted as they moved around in a circle and my mind disappeared from my body which hadn’t been done in years.


The blackness surrounded me as it did as I was a child making all of my childhood resentment return with it. My hand felt warm and the light flashed whirling me into the white climate. I screamed remembering my sister’s pool laying on the floor that night. Sweat rushed to my face clotting my skin. The whirlwind called gatekeepers unlocked my hidden memories and forced them upon me and appeared in my head around me. Kell stepped forward and pulled me up as I had been laying on the floor. A gate stood in front of us locked. The gate held sigils of the spiral wrapping around my shoulder black and steel.

“In order to unlock the gatekeeper in you we’ve got to get your past locked inside of you; that gate has got to be closed.” He said lingering on the c part of closed.

“I can’t!” I exclaimed. He shook his head.

“That’s not good enough.” He said. I closed my eyes forcing the memory out of my head. The images of the red disgusting floor flickered through my mind.

“You are a gatekeeper; the holder of secrets!” Kell snapped. The images flickered faster as Kell’s anger dug deeper into my soul.

“Gatekeepers are warriors of secrets; they protect the nation as one!” He yelled. I shook my head.

“I’m not a gatekeeper; I’m Joseph Parker!” I argued. Anger flickered across his face.

“Gatekeepers let go of their pasts, of their future.” He said. My hair blew into my face.

“Let it in the gate!” He yelled. This was unbelievably hard to fight them. The others kept circling around me chanting some unknown language.

“I...I have a choice in my destiny!” I echoed. His eyes filled with blue light.

“You are gatebound!” He yelled. I lost control of my head. The memories shot through the gate exiting my existence. The flickers of the night flew from my mind. The memories of my mother and friends followed by showing the years of my life growing up. Riding my bike, coming home with my first report card, teaching the dog to sit, having my first detention, the spelling bee of 98, the middle school orientation and the first day of my freshmen year of high school. A light flashed and those memories disappeared into the abyss called gate locking behind it.

The gatekeepers disappeared one after the other and I stood up. Looking around I ran to the gate pulling on it with no luck. I didn’t have the key. I looked down and the floor shattered beneath me. I fell and kept falling.


I opened my eyes feeling the sweat dripping from my face. Kell smiled. He smiled nicely, but it creped me out beyond measures. It didn’t suit him making it seem odd. I sucked in the clean air and looked around. Smith leaned against the wall with kids sitting next to him. Five kids all looking my age. Ella stood up wearing different clothes then she’d been in when I carried her out. She now wore a black cloak just like the adults standing before me.

She leapt into my arms rubbing my neck.

“You did good, Night Stalker.” She whispered into my ear. Something seemed different about her. Something that wasn’t there when I’d met her earlier. She looked the same with her golden brown hair. She walked the same way, but something was definitely off. I pushed her off me.

“What?” She questioned me. Her expression almost seemed hurt. This wasn’t right. I didn’t know her enough for her to be so attached to me. I turned to Kell.

“You’ve done something.” I said. Smith grabbed my arm.

“You don’t look so good.” He said. I pushed him off me.

“We are not in reality.” I said. Kell snapped his fingers and the kids pounced on me pinning me to the ground. Fear seemed to be on my bad side today. I was terrified as the kids beat on me. I wasn’t able to get up and Smith was coming at me with a knife. I kicked out, but was held there.

“You are wrong, this is reality.” Kell said. I shook my head.

“This is not.” I argued. Kell stood above me.

“This is reality without gatekeepers; the corruption even grows deep in the young.” He said. Smith had the knife above my heart now.

“We can change this.” I said. He winked. The kids backed away forcing Smith away.

“You can depict the lie.” His voice echoed. I relaxed.


My eyes snapped open finding myself back in the dark room with the gate. The gate now sat open. Kell handed me a key.

“Close the gate.” He said. I stared down at the key. Engraved into the key was the word “memories” with the insignia of the gatekeepers around it. I looked back up at Kell.

“You’re telling me to lock away my memories.” I said. He nodded.

“Gatekeepers hold the secrets of Man’s mind, but we cannot do that with our memories blocking the way.” He said.

“I will be locking away all of my experiences, the love I lived through, the family I had.” I said. He sighed.

“This is what we must do to keep the Earth corruption free.” He said. I gazed down at the key.

“What will this do?” I asked him.

“This opens your mind to other ways of thinking.” He said. I sighed. This key literally held the fate of the world.

“What happens if I don’t?” I asked.

“The world ends as it tarnishes to nothing.” He said. I swallowed. I knew I had to do this. I had to do this for my mom, for the kids of America. My legs lead me to the gate. I closed my eyes as the jingle of the key wiggled around in the hole. I turned the key and opened my eyes. The key disappeared as did the gatekeepers.


I opened my eyes finally back in the room. Oddly enough I was on the floor with crossed legs. Smith leaned against the wall and the gatekeepers stood around me. Kell pulled me up staring me in the eye.

“This is only the first part of your fate.” He said. I nodded. The other gatekeepers stood there silently.

“You hold great promise; don’t waste it.” He said.

“Are one of you staying with the boy?” Smith asked. Kell turned to him.

“We have our skilled gatekeeper coming.” He said. Kell snapped his fingers and the gatekeepers walked away. I felt the secret to my father slipping from my grasp.

“Wait!” I exclaimed. Kell turned to me.

“I must know, who is my father?” I questioned him. He nodded.

“In time you will find that secret this is not the time.” He said. I frowned.

“Secrets must unweave themselves, Night Stalker.” He said and left the room. I turned to face Smith whom was still behind me.

“I take it you believe me now.” He smirked. It was amazing how much clearer the world was now that the key was locked away. I could see every little detail on his face. The wrinkles that had aged, the veins on the side of his face that stuck out, the cuts. It was astonishing.

“Where’s Ella?”I questioned him. He pointed over to the tank where he’d left her.

“Is there anything else you need to tell me?” I asked. He nodded slightly.

“Now that you’ve been through the uprising don’t let it get to your head; we still have ways of punishing you.” He said. I thought of how they had gotten into my head. They had caused illusions. Could I do that to people? What was it they did?

I began walking in a circle as I saw the gatekeepers doing before. Smith laughed.

“That won’t work.” He said. I felt foolish and stopped moving around.

“Can I get Ella now?” I asked. He nodded. I rushed over to the tank. Ella laid down in the tank lifeless. I grabbed her as her body dangled in my arms. She was tiny feeling as though she didn’t weigh anything. I laid her down on the bed waiting for her eyes to open.

“What does this mean for me?” I asked. Smith leaned next to me.

“It means that you will be watched.” He said. I cleared my throat. He looked over at the bed. Ella sat up with confusion.

“Seph?” She said.

I rushed over to the bed.

“What are you doing here?” She asked.

I had no idea what I was doing here. I just felt some connection to her. It was like...I had to. This was awkward.

“I...uh....” I started. I looked over at Smith.

“I thought you already told her!” I mumbled. He snickered as did Ella.

“Am I missing something here?” I asked. Her grin widened.

“I’m just messing with ya.” She said sitting up.

“So you know about...” I started.

“Yes I know about the gatekeepers; you know you were the last one.” She said all matter of factly. I felt as the embarrassment took over my face. I had no idea what I was embarrassed about, but...

“You’d better get ready for the trainer; he’ll be here soon.” She said. I felt myself wondering how she knew about that. As if she read my mind she started to answer my question.

“It seems as though they’ve gotten into your head.” She said. I whipped around to face Smith as he ushered her to keep quiet.

“You were in my head!” I exclaimed. He sighed. He was obviously trying to keep this away from me.

“It was the machine they put you in, Seph.” She said. I sat there in disbelief.

“You mean, you dug into my head!” I snapped. Smith sat down.

“You’re a little unpredictable and that’s dangerous for young gatekeepers to be.” He said. You’ve got to be kidding me.

“It was an experiment.” He said. As if that was supposed to make me feel any better! Social skills were not his area of expertise.

“I’m not an experiment!” I exclaimed. He shrugged my outburst off and let his arm hang off to the side. Ella stood up and put her hand on my shoulder.

“We must not stoop down to their levels anymore.” She said. I turned to face her. Since when was she the calm one? I wonder if they’d done to her on what they’d done to me.

“Why are you so calm at a time like this?” I questioned her. She smiled showing her pearly white teeth.

“Because I trust you.” She said. So it just wasn’t me feeling the connection. Like I knew her.

“You feel it too, don’t you?” She questioned me. The thought of letting another detail slip into Smith’s ears shut me up.

“I feel like I’ve known you for my whole life, Seph.” She said. My heart stopped. I snuck a glance at Smith whom was standing on the tip of his toes trying to hear the details. Spying was one of my pet peeves and if I could’ve I would’ve went berserk with my fists.

“Ella...” I started.
Smith pulled me back. There was something he didn’t want me to know. Maybe Ella was trying to tell me something.

“Well, I think it’s time to get you two into uniform.” He said.
Of course, he would. Only when it got to me speaking did he think we should stop.

“Ella someone will come in and take you in a few minutes.” He said.
I sighed. Maybe I could try the mind thing the Gatekeepers had done to me.
“Everyone knows you’re ready to become our Gatekeeper, don’t worry about impressing us.” Ella smiled.
I took a deep breath in. It was a much-needed one. With all that I had gone through, I needed to.
I turned to Smith with the fire burning within. I would put my emotions away, for now. This was not over. Not even, close. I gritted my teeth letting my arm jerk forward without a fight storming abroad.
The uprising seemed to have strengthened my mind. There was something new there. Something that hadn’t been there before.

Smith stared at me in surprise. Nothing had slipped through my mouth and my arms remained at my side.

“What’s wrong with you?” I questioned him.

His mouth opened, but nothing came out. This happened several times.

“This uprising has made you anew.” He gaped.

I nodded understanding where he was coming from. I was feeling more… sophisticated. I could hear my senses more clearly without having to focus on the pesky emotions all the time. With less time worrying about everything, I could think about decisions closely.

“I suppose you’re going to take me to the tank, if so, take me now.” I replied.

His mouth literally hung open like an idiot. I pointed this out heading for the tank. This was unfamiliar territory, but somehow I managed to figure it out.

“This uprising seems to have really done the job; I see why it is so essential for the Gatekeepers to go through.” He commented.

I shrugged carelessly. If he didn’t care about me I didn’t care to listen so I zoned out exploring the minds of others.

I watched as Smith led me into the tanks made special for those like me. I watched in third person then eventually lost interest disappearing for a while, while my body rested.
The blackness covered me in twines of anger, fright and sadness. Then the familiar light appeared with the symbol of the Gatekeeper in front of me.

I shielded my eyes from the light shining at me from all angles. Millions of doors emerged from the ground uncoiling into its form.

Voices of the minds around me screeched in my ears. I tore away my hands from my eyes covering my ears in recoil.

The voices made my senses multiply by thousands, which by the way, wasn’t fun.

Suddenly, a light flashed behind me. I turned in surprise. Who would zap here?

As I turned, the answer withdrew its secrecy. Ella waved to me in admiration.

“You learn quickly, I was told that you would.” She beamed.

“And you don’t?” I questioned her.

She shook her head. Her hair flailed back and forth flawlessly wrapping around her head.

“The Gatekeeper is here; he will appear in… three… two…now.” She said.

As if on cue, a dark figure appeared. The cloak shrouding him in shadow didn’t look any less intimidating as they had been in real life.

Two dark purple eyes gleamed through the cloak at me. His features weren’t any less menacing than the cloak. His cheekbones sunk in making his face look hollow. It looked as though just a thin layer of skin covered his skull. His mouth was the worst. Not a word would be able to slip through them because there was no mouth. Stiches covered where his mouth should be. I didn’t want to know what happened to it.

I gulped. He dashed forward standing in front of me.

“You will find that most of us will never speak a word.”

My eyes widened with that sentence. The sentence that had been communicated through minds.

“You have already begun to explore your abilities successfully, this is good.” He said.

“You will find that this will indeed come easy to you, not many are purebreds, but those of who are, are the best.” He continued.

“How are you doing this with…you know…” I questioned.

A smile appeared in my head. I don’t know how it happened, but a smile literally formed in my head. I could see it!

“Just as you are talking to me through my head, you just do.” He replied.

This seemed weird, but I could see the words form in my head and he was right. I didn’t exactly know how to do all of this. I didn’t even know that I had been communicating through his head as well, but I did it. I just knew how to.

A thought occurred to me. Purebred?

“How am I a purebred if my mother is human?” I questioned him.

“Your mother is not, she carries Gatekeeper blood.” He replied.

This guy had the wrong information. Smith already told me they would never cage a Gatekeeper in.

“She is an unlucky sod, few are born with that disability; your mother is Gatekeeper, but she is unable to use her power; it is locked within her blood, never will she be able to access it.” He responded to my reaction.

So Gatekeepers had disabilities too. I guess every species had its flaws. It went to show you that the world isn’t perfect.

Ella stepped forward.

“Okay, I know you guys are having an important conversation and all, but I need to go.” She said.

The Gatekeeper waved her away annoyed. Obviously, he didn’t like intrusions.

“We will carry this on once your body is refueled.” He said.

Soon after both of them disappeared I went along with them.


It was different waking up this time. I didn’t feel the chest tightening as I awoke to a tube down my throat. I didn’t pound on the sides of the tank trying to get out. The panic didn’t come to visit me.
I patiently lay staring up into the clear glass. It was interesting awaiting Smith’s return. I could feel my mind swirling in different directions. I felt the thoughts of others around me. I felt the emotions surround me. It didn’t even overwhelm me. Nothing seemed to anymore.
Once the dark shadow of a hand flung the tank door open I sat up feeling a little queasy. The weight of another man’s strength pulled me out setting me down gently on the floor.
This was new. Rubbing my eyes, I looked up. Smith looked down at me with gracious eyes. I didn’t know what it was, but he just looked grateful to be there. Something happened to him that made him happy.
“You have done tremendously well so far.” Smith said.
I stood up pushing away from the bed. Now that I had recovered, I could continue listening. Yet, there was a fogginess that continued to cover up my mind.
“This is your guide, Night Stalker, Burns.” Smith pointed behind him.
I stood up straight with the fog clearing. The man from before stood there in the flesh. He looked even more intimidating standing in front of me. Now that he was there I could see all the details. Each individual stitching across the thin layer of skin where the mouth should’ve been. His eyes seemed more hollow.

I cleared my throat. He stood there waiting for me to say something.

“Did we really just…” I started.

“Yes we did.” Burns replied.

I couldn’t believe this is what had become of my life.

“Where is Ella?” I asked Smith.

“She is talking with the other young Gatekeepers.” He replied.

“It is important for you to meet the newcomers. You may be a newcomer to, but they need your guidance.” Burns said.

“Why am I responsible for them?” I whined.

“You are a purebred. You have been handpicked by our creators to lead our species.” He said.

I understood what he was talking about. Even though I didn’t want to be this lead Gatekeeper, I knew that I had to be. I knew that this was the logical way.

“I understand. I will go to see them.” I replied.

I didn’t understand why I had just sent the message telepathically or how I did, but I did. The Uprising had brought something more to me than I knew. Something of a leader and not a whiny teenager.

“Take me to the others.” I demanded to Smith.

He clenched his jaw for my commanding, but didn’t say anything. Maybe it was because he now understood that I was much different now or maybe it was because Burns stood right there. Either way, he opened the door and led me there.

“Once you become more familiar with your newfound abilities, you will find that you will automatically know where everything is.” Burns said.

As if proving a point, a glowing purple trail appeared in front of me. I pushed past Smith and followed the purple around the corner.

I heard and listened to my head as half a dozen voices entered my head. Teenagers echoed through my head and gave me a bit of a headache. I turned around to face Burns, who I knew would be behind me.

“Why do these voices give me such a headache?” I questioned him.

“You are still getting used to the energy.” He replied.

I clutched at my ears and took a deep breath calming my nerves. Now, I was able to focus on the voices. I could feel which ones were the closest and for some reason, which ones were the right ones. Listening to my instincts, I opened the closest door and peered through.

Ella sat in a circle with five other people. Two boys and three girls. The closest boy had rich blonde hair. His face speckled with freckles and he had literal turquoise eyes.

The other boy had dark black hair. His face was almost flawless with a beauty mark on his upper lip. He had pearly white teeth and his eyes were a rich honey brown.

The closest girl besides Ella had vibrant red hair. She had the stereotypical face with the splashes of brownish freckles and her eyes were dark green.

The girl next to the red head had cherry red highlights with dirty blonde hair. Her face was ambushed with pimples at the top of her head. Her eyes were a very light blue that was almost grey.

The last girl had strawberry blonde hair. She was smiling so I could see a dimple that sunk in when she smiled on her left cheek. Her eyes were the goldest eyes I had ever seen. They looked as though they almost glowed.

I sighed and walked in. This was the right room; I didn’t need to be told so.

As soon as I did, the group turned to me and sat up straight.

“They’ve been told that you’re the leader, courtesy of me!” Ella said.

“Thanks.” I replied.

The minds of the others echoed in my head. I shook my head and turned to Burns.

“What do I need to speak with them about?” I asked him.

“Speak about what you think you need to.” He replied.

Great, this guy was philosophical.

“So, you’ve all been told that you are Gatekeepers. That sounds great right now, but this is not something that can be taken lightly. Each of us has a destiny that determines if the world survives or not. If you do not take this seriously the world will cease to exist, now, if you take this into consideration the world will continue to survive. That is how things work.” I started.

Each of the kids seemed to listen to me whole-heartedly. I guess I was doing all right.

“I know this is a lot to take in. I almost don’t fully accept this either, but it must be listened to. I know that I am just starting off like you guys too, but give me a chance.” I continued.

I looked to Burns. He nodded.

“Now that I got that off my chest; who are all of you?” I asked.

“I’m Griffin.”

I didn’t know how I knew this, but it was the boy with dark black hair that sent it to me. I looked into his eyes. He smiled. He knew that I got it.

“I’m Valiant.” Blonde boy responded.

“Eagle.” Red head said.

“Spartan.” Cherry girl responded.

“Thunder.” Strawberry blonde said.

Now that everyone introduced themselves, I could relax.

“These abilities are cool aren’t they?” I said.

“The best.” Valiant said.

Griffin agreed.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned. Burns looked down at me.

“All of you have done very well for your first day, but now it is time to get serious. Night Stalker has done very well explaining to you the importance of being a Gatekeeper, but there is something else that all of you must know.” Burns said.

I looked around. It seemed to me that everyone got the message. How did he do that?

“We are all going to sit in a circle like you all are right now. Night Stalker, you will sit in the center of this circle.” Burns said.

For some reason I felt uneasy about this. I didn’t want to go in the middle and have Burns do something in my head. I listened to him anyway as all of them expanded the circle for Burns to join them.

“We all are going to try to slip into our minds. Now.” Burns commanded.

I looked around the circle as everyone closed their eyes. I decided I must too. As I closed my eyes, I felt the presence of my head delve into my mind.

The blackness surrounded me once again taking my body with it.

Once I opened my eyes, I found that everyone was waiting for me. Each of them was still in a circle, but Burns stood up.
“Very good everyone. Night Stalker, come to me.” He said.
I walked to him with my heart speeding.
”There is nothing to be afraid of. I am only going to how to unlock more abilities and become closer to start fulfilling your destinies.” He told me.
His appearance really didn’t do him any good. He tried being friendly, but it just seemed awkward on him.
”Listen, now. In order to start fulfilling your destinies you must unlock your abilities and to unlock your abilities you must begin to shut off your personal feelings. Night Stalker will do this to show you how it must be done. He has already shut away his memories, now he must get rid of fear. Fear keeps you from going through with every possible thing you could do.” Burns announced.
Just thinking of that made me fearful. I didn’t want to let go of anything more that made me human.
I must have looked worried. Burns put his hand on my neck and shook his head.
“You must not be scared, Night Stalker. You are the leader and a purebred. You must be the first to do this.” He told me.
I took a deep breath nodding.
“Good, now, stand right there.” He said pointing a few feet away.
He motioned for the others to circle up around me. I gulped.
“Once I start chanting repeat after me.” Burns announced.
The others nodded awaiting his orders.
“Rakna Oviyr Vrrnis.” Burns said.
The others repeated these strange words. As they did so, I felt the sweat drip down my face again. I fell to the ground as gravity pushed me down.
My heart began beating faster than I knew it could. My eyes started stinging. Everything was going wrong and then it wasn’t. I stood up and looked around. The insignia of the Gatekeeper reappeared with flashes around me. The chanting kept going and soon the gate flew open.
My eyes flickered back and images flooded my head.

My mom lay in front of me. I ran over to her and tried to pull her up, but I was a mere child. I could not support her weight. I fell back onto my butt and stood up again.
A man appeared and walked up to me holding me back from my mom. I tried pulling away, but his clutches were too strong.
“Mom!” I screamed.
Another man appeared grabbing my mother from the bed she was laying on. He pushed her up against the wall and began strangling her.
“Let her go!” I exclaimed.
The man that held onto me sneered.
“Your mother has been sentenced to death. She has committed the most severe crime, she has harbored a Gatekeeper.” The man said.
I glared at him.
“That isn’t her fault!” I yelled.
“C’mon we’re going to the Academy!” He snapped.
I kicked him making him stumble a bit.
“Do it again and she’ll have a slow and painful death.” He threatened.
I gulped and stood back.
The flashes retracted. Burns stood over me.
“Resist!” He snapped.
“I can’t!” I exclaimed.
“You have, now do it now! Get rid of the men!” He yelled.
The flashes returned and I entered the body of my child self.
“You have done this for the last time!” The man snapped.
He rushed for my mom where the other man held her. I stood there not able to focus on what I needed to do.
“Do it now!” Burns exclaimed.
My legs snapped into action and I leapt for the man. He slammed into the wall and his head smacked the corner. The blood contaminated the floor spreading all over. I backed away with my eyes widening. I just killed a man.
The shock didn’t last long. Burns was right. I needed to save my mother. I leapt for the other man, but he shoved me away. I slammed into the wall knocking my head onto the floor. I felt dizzy and knew I had to get up and I did. I had been too afraid to disobey the man, but I had to.
I punched the guy in the back of the head holding my mother. The man dropped to his knees and I kicked him in the family jewels. He fell to the ground and again the flashes retracted.

I opened my eyes feeling the fear sucked out of my soul. When I looked around, I found the others standing in the circle around me still, quietly whispering something.
I searched for Burns. He appeared next to me.
“I have something for you.” He said, “take this key.”
I stared at the key with the spiral seal. The gate awaited me. I looked at Burns uneasily.
“Go. Lock away the fear.” He said.
I wiped my face feeling the sweat pour from my face and walked to the gate. It scared me knowing that I was locking away another part of me. I was locking away another part of being human. I pushed the key into the keyhole as it jingled and twisted.

Once I opened my eyes, I could see the others around me sitting down. Burns stood up and made his way to me.
I wiped the bead of sweat that had gathered on my neck. I heard shuffling in the back and whipped around to face the door. Smith stood there trying to find a good position.
“How does it feel?” Burns asked me.
I knew the answer right away.
“Great. I feel more… free.” I replied.
I looked to the others. Oddly enough, they seemed to have heard that. They stared in awe. How did I do that? Was that the second uprising?
“By locking away another part, Night Stalker has been able to learn another ability. That is what you all must do.” Burns said.
“Did I miss something?” Smith asked.
I turned to him thinking about my reply first.
“Nothing that is part of your concern. I must say that it will be for the better.” I responded.
Whoa. I didn’t know I could sound that sophisticated or wise.
“Something else has changed, what is it Valkyrie?” Smith asked.
Ella looked away from Burns and at Smith with displeasure.
“Night Stalker has locked away another part of his emotions and brain. With this he has become more enlightened.” She said.
Smith looked a little concerned.
“That isn’t going to completely change him, is it?” Smith asked.
“No it will not. It will just give Night Stalker the information needed to make the best decision. He can always revert back to his normal self once he has locked away everything.” Burns announced.
Ella repeated this to Smith. Smith forced a smile. I don’t think he liked losing pieces of me. Pieces of me that were left there for no reason. Fear and memories only held me back.
I shook that thought away. I couldn’t completely forget who I was. I cleared my throat and shook my head.
“I think I need to sleep.” I said aloud.
Burns looked to me in agitation, but nodded.
“I would wish for you to stay and help with the others, but you do need the rest. Your thought processes have become a little dull.” He agreed.
I took a deep breath and walked to Smith.
“I am ready to rest.” I said.
He nodded and began walking. The man knew when I needed to rest, that’s all I could say.
When we got back to the room Smith sat me down. He honestly looked worried.
“Joseph, are you alright?” He asked me.
I felt a little dizzy, but nodded.
“I just need to rest. I am feeling exceptionally tired today.” I said.
He nodded and opened the top of the tank. I allowed my emotions to once again flood my head. I didn’t want to leave my body just then. I just needed to let myself crash inside my body.
“Sleep well.” He said.
I nodded and laid down as he pushed the tube into my mouth. I couldn’t believe it. There was no fear as he pushed it down my throat. The day before it scared the heck out of me. My fear seemed to be gone. After I locked the fear inside my head, there was nothing left. I didn’t want to keep going through with this Gatekeeper business if I kept losing parts of me. I had to admit though; my mind was so much clearer after I went through with them.
I closed my eyes getting rid of the nightmare that had entered my life.

I felt the darkness wrap around me. I didn’t know why it was there, I refused to go anywhere near it tonight, but it pulled me with it anyway. I guess when you learned something; you could never get rid of it.
Once the seal appeared, I looked around. I wished myself back in my head, but I just wouldn’t go. Something was holding me back.
I turned around scanning the shadows. Someone was here and they didn’t want me to leave.
“Come out!” I exclaimed.
No one appeared, but the thoughts did.
“Joseph Parker.”
I glared around at the darkness. Who was calling my name? Why would they be calling me? The voice was definitely a man’s and there was a deepness and rasp to it. It seemed to me that this man was keeping me here.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“When the time is right you will know. For now you must know about other things.” He replied.
“Just come out of the shadows!” I exclaimed.
”The time is not right. Listen when I say this, you must listen to the Gatekeepers about your duty. The world is in severe danger from the corruption. Someone has been meddling in all the government’s decisions. They set the plan in deteriorating the Constitution. You must put your hands in this. You must cleanse this situation.” He told me.
I gulped. He was just telling me that my instincts were right indeed. He was saying that the way the government was heading now, was corrupted.
“You may not know it now, but your destiny is majorly intertwined with the corruption that has taken over the United States and spreads to the near countries. Your namesake, Joseph Smith, predicted that America would bring the end of the world on us. That is now. If you fail in your mission, there will be nothing left to save.” He continued.
Who could possibly want this to happen? Who would want the world to end and what did I have to do with the end of the world?
“What do I have to do with any of this?” I asked.
I saw movement pass through the shadows to the left of me. Perhaps he was coming out.
I walked to the shadows and an arm reached out grabbing onto my shirt.
“Don’t come near me.” He said pushing me away.
“Tell me what I have to do with this.” I demanded.
“You have everything to do with this. The prophecy talks about a young Gatekeeper born of purebred blood. The boy will have to overcome his personal problems to save the corrupted world. You, Joseph, are that boy. With only a few more than a dozen Gatekeepers left, you are the only purebred boy. I must go now. Listen to my warnings!” He exclaimed.
“Wait!” I exclaimed.
The shadows disappeared with the man. The room now flashed white leaving me alone to reflect on what I had just heard.
Did I listen to the man’s warnings or did I continue with my life?

Once I opened my eyes, I noticed a presence overhead. It was a tingling sensation and it bothered me genuinely. I looked to the right where the sensation bothered me the most. Over the lid, I could see a face that alarmed me for a second. With the fogginess lifting, I could finally see that there was nothing to be alarmed about. Burns peered over the top. He seemed to be checking up on me. I looked to the left and found Smith standing next to him. I pointed up and Smith lifted the lid. I felt the construction of the tube blocking my airways, but I also felt the unnatural air entering my lungs. I tugged at the tube feeling the tube scrape against my throat. I closed my eyes grimacing at the pain.
“Stop!” Smith exclaimed.
I flung my hands down and let Smith do the work. He could get it out of my throat. Soon I felt the relief of the air flowing through my lungs and lifting my energy up. I sat up and waited for Smith to pull me out of the tank. I was never able to lift myself out of the tank when I first woke up. I got too weak for my muscles to work.
Once I lay on the bed, I was able to turn my attention to Burns. The question was why he was here.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
Burns walked over to me.
“There was an immense amount of energy released last night.” He replied.
The man. He must have use a lot of energy to keep me trapped outside of my body.
“The question that seems to stick in my head is what happened last night?” Burns said.
I looked around at my surroundings and my eyes came to a halt on Smith. Should I have him leave? Could he possibly be picking up on our conversation?
“What?” He asked.
I quickly gazed back at Burns who seemed to be impatient. He knew that I had something to tell him.
“I was pulled out of my body last night. I didn’t want to leave and tried going back. At first I thought that I had done something in my sleep, but then I was hindered with another’s voice.” I started.
Burns arched his eyes and folded his arms.
“I never saw who this person was, but I know it was a man. He told me of chilling news. He told me that the world was coming to an end unless the Gatekeepers did something about it. He told me that someone had meddled with the way things were going for Earth. Then he told me about a prophecy. Burns, you’re keeping things from me.” I continued.
Burns looked almost critical. I could see the gears turning in his head. This news was new to him.
“I believe the last ritual knocked your bolts loose.” Burns replied.
This angered me. He knew that it was over! This whole thing was about me! I had a right to know!
“Tell me Burns! Tell me about this prophecy. I know that it has something to do with me!” I exclaimed.
Burns looked defeated and if he could, I believe he would’ve sighed.
“You’re referring to the prophecy of the young purebred, yes?” He questioned me.
I nodded. Maybe we were actually getting somewhere.
“This prophecy was the last heard from Joseph Smith. He prophesized that the last of the Gatekeepers, would have a purebred, a young man. A young man of the age 14 or 15. The boy would have a destiny that would be much greater from all the other Gatekeepers. His destiny would save the world from corruption if he overcame his personal demons. If he could not do this the world would desecrate to nothing.” He foretold.
I gulped. This was my destiny? How could something so urgent be put on the shoulders of a teenage boy? I was just a normal kid. A kid that goofed with his friends about girls. A kid that flunked algebra and had to take it in summer school. Why did everyone think I was this kid? What was so special about me?
“I do sense that this distresses you. There is nothing to be distressed about. Follow our instructions and everything will turn out tremendously.” He said.
Oh great! I had never been good at following directions!
“Now, tell me of the news the intruder told you.” Burns said.
Of course, he would want to know more about the news. It did involve the whole world.
“The man told me I had to figure out who the meddler is. He also told me that the way things are going now is corrupting America. Once it spreads over America, it will spread to the other countries. If this happens, the world will have nothing left. The corruption will have destroyed everything.” I replied.
I saw the news spread over Burns’s face as the last of it spit out. His eyes for once, looked alarmed. He was afraid of this.
“Night Stalker, return to the group and explore with the rest of them. I must take this news to the others.” He commanded.
With that, he turned and walked off in a rush. I turned to Smith.
“I must return to the other Gatekeepers.” I said.
Smith looked mortified.
“Why did Burns leave in such a hurry?” He questioned me.
“Duty calls.” I replied simply.
He glared at me shoving me against the wall. I was pinned. What was his problem?
“Tell me!” He snapped.
With two parts of me locked away, I felt more free and could think better. The only flaw to that was that with the fear gone nothing stopped me from decking Smith.
I could also see the consequences more clearly. There were three ways I could handle this. I could deck Smith, I could tell Smith about the prophecy or I could scare him.
I brought all the anger built up inside together and glared at him. Smith glared back just as much as he had a minute ago.
“Get off me now! If you don’t allow me to do my job the world could end!” I yelled in his ear.
My heart was pounding so fast and warmed me. I didn’t care who he was, if he didn’t allow me to do my own job he could screw off!
“You may be a Gatekeeper, but you are first and foremost my kid! If I say to obey me you will!” He shouted.
His grip on my shirt was tightening and now he was almost pinching my chest. I almost cried out. His face was fierce and I almost thought he was going to beat on me, but didn’t. I had to calm him or I would end up in some confinement area. I forced myself to calm down. It was sure hard to suck it up, but I had to.
“Listen, I’m sorry. I know that I haven’t really been obeying your regulations.” I apologized.
He looked at me almost shocked, but still kept up the tough act.
“You have gone so far passed that line! It doesn’t matter if you apologize or not! I told you not to get a big head after your uprising and you’ve done it!” He snapped.
I let him cool down, but believe me, every time he spoke a word I wanted to knock him to the ground. That wouldn’t have been the most logical though.
“Are you done yet?” I asked.
He pulled me up by the shirt with his eyes on fire.
“Am I done yet?! You think this is funny!” He snapped.
Guess I didn’t give him enough ranting time. I hung there helplessly waiting for his arms to give out.
“I’m done with your disrespect! You will stay confinement until you can learn to respect people! I can’t believe I already have to have this conversation with you! We just had the conversation a few days ago!” He exclaimed.
I sighed. Smith must’ve been on his man period. Even after I had apologized for nothing, he wouldn’t accept it.
So, I ended up in the same tank that damaged my body the first time. I suspected they would extract some other memory from my head while I laid there and there was nothing I could do.
I didn’t pass out this time so I was able to travel freely. I had come back so early.
Once again, the blackness lifted overhead and left me to explore the land of the Gatekeepers. The sigil floated overhead blocking my sight. I covered my eyes and gazed around. The darkness pushed past me as I willed myself to see.
Burns said that I learned very easily so I would push my limits. I couldn’t allow for the world to become corrupt. I couldn’t allow them to hold the people of America prisoner. The government had overstepped their boundaries and the very people they created would fight against them.
I would see to it that it happened. They brought a formidable foe into their base.

I sat down and pushed myself into my head. I had to figure out how to get into that state of mind. Since I didn’t get to the other Gatekeepers I had to try to figure out what they would be.

I thought of the old movies where the people would sit up straight and fold their legs. They would concentrate on something. What were those words?

“Oum ouum ouuuuum.” I said.

Suddenly my head cleared. Hey, what do ya know? The movies were right!

Suddenly I felt myself lift off the ground. I gazed down at the floor beneath me. It looked so far away.

I concentrated on the thoughts that drifted into my mind. Thoughts of planning. Thoughts of justice and vengeance. Why were these thoughts in my head? Was I in need of justice?

“What do ya know? It appears that I have found you again and pushing limits too. Do you realize that you have gotten in touch with the center of being a Gatekeeper?”

My heart throbbed in my chest. He caught me off guard. I was ready to tackle someone. The man from a few minutes earlier stood in the shadows again.

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

“I am being punished. There was nothing else I could do.” I said.

The man stepped out a bit, just enough for me to see the color of his skin. He was definitely a Caucasian with the white skin. He wore a black cloak over him like the others did. He must have been a Gatekeeper himself. I just wanted to know who he was, but I couldn’t’ put a face to his body.

“Don’t obey anything they tell you. The government is now corrupt and if you follow them, you will not save us from destruction. Never follow anyone, but the new generation of Gatekeepers. Every old Gatekeeper could be corrupted.” He warned me.

I nodded sinking back down to the ground. This man was becoming very useful.

“Why won’t you tell me who you are?” I asked him.

He stepped back into the shadows completely.

“Do not test fate. You are not meant to know that yet. You must leave now. You have intruders.” He said.

The floor underneath me shattered and I was taken from the scene. That man seemed to become very useful. I just wanted to know who he was. With the records of only eight adult Gatekeepers left in the world, I needed to know who he was.

I was yanked out of the tank and stripped down to my underwear. I was shivering and the fogginess still hung over my head. Who would want to mess with me in the morning?

Once the fog lifted, I gawked at the person in front of me. Kells stood in front of me holding onto clothes three times smaller than him. Why was I stripped down?

I cleared my throat and looked around. Burns and the other Gatekeepers from earlier were all leaning against the walls.

“Um, the clothes would be mostly appreciated.” I said.

He smirked a little, which didn’t suit him. He tossed me the clothes, which were totally different from the others I had been wearing. Looking at the clothes, I recognized them. Kells wore ones exactly like that right now. All of them did.

They consisted of a black cloak and a sleeveless shirt that hid under the cloak. Long black silk pants were put under the sleeveless shirt. The only color that had been sewn into the clothes was a thin line of gold that ran around the pants.

I slipped on the clothes quickly and peered around at the other Gatekeepers. They all seemed to be watching me. It was quite creepy.

“You seem preoccupied.” Kells noticed.

Of course, I would be preoccupied! This was awkward!

“Well, considering the audience, yeah, I am.” I replied.

“You were not with the rest of the Gatekeepers.” Burns said.

“It was kind of hard. Smith became very angry after you left. He wouldn’t let me leave.” I replied.

“Why are you all here?” I asked.

Burns stood straight up. Kells stood there casually and sighed.

“Burns told me of your encounter with the other Gatekeeper. We must see it for ourselves. In order to do this we are going to need to perform another ritual, but since our numbers dwindle, we will need the other Gatekeepers. This ritual requires a great amount of power and we do not have that much.” He explained.

Oh great! The whole world could see my brain!

“You don’t know who this Gatekeeper is?” I asked.

Kells looked a bit ashamed. That told me his answer.

“Does this mean there is yet another Gatekeeper?” I asked.

He nodded. I suppose they all had a meeting or something. Kells must’ve been the leader of the Gatekeepers. That would explain the shame he felt.

“Where are the others?” I questioned him.

He shrugged and put his hand on my shoulder.

“That is for you to figure out, Night Stalker. You lead the next generation Gatekeepers and so you have to find them. Not us.” He responded.
I understood. Those responsibilities were now mine.
“The Gatekeepers are only as good as their leader. You must teach them to strengthen themselves.” Burns said.
I had one thing that was still bugging me.
“If I am supposed to save the world from the corruption our government has thrust upon us then how am I supposed to when I am deep in the middle of it?” I asked.
Kells shrugged.
“That is for you to figure out. You are the one from the prophecy. That answer lies in your head.” He said.
Well said, and it followed what the man told me. I was to only trust myself.

I focused on the voices around me. I knew their voices. They would propel me towards them. I trusted my brain. The purple light returned. I quickly followed it to my destination. I finally realized something. Before I left for rest, the others had heard my reply made to just Burns. I could communicate from my head to all of theirs. How cool was that?

After running through a few hallways, the purple light vanished bringing me to a wooden door.

“You’ve been gone for quite a while, Night Stalker.” Ella said.

“I’ve missed you guys. I know that I haven’t been around and I’m sorry. Smith, my guardian has kept me from coming here.” I replied.

“Everyone understands. We are ready for you to teach us.” She said.

I opened the door and was immediately ambushed with everyone. Ella stood in the front hugging me. What was all of this for?

“None of us know why, but we all feel some sort of connection. You are what keeps us together.” Ella said.

“I feel the same way. I need to tell you all something important.” I said peering around the group.

Each one of them stared at me waiting my news.

“All of you are going to need to help with a ritual. It is a powerful ritual so it will likely take most of your energy, but it is very important. Your energy will be used to confirm the corruption that spreads across the nation and it will be used on me.” I started.

Everyone looked like they understood. I guess I did okay so far.

“Do not worry of the risks, you will be working alongside the older Gatekeepers and if you do this correct the whole world could be saved.” I said.

Valiant looked a little concerned.

“What is this news we are searching for?” He asked.

I nodded. I knew there would at least be a little bit of questions.

“I was visited by a man last night that told of a prophecy that would come true due to a meddler in the events of choices that the government has done. The head Gatekeeper would like to make sure that this is true by going through a ritual to see it. I’m not sure if all of you will see it too, but that is what you are going to do.” I replied.

“I appreciate the truthfulness. Once we get back from this ritual, will you teach us more?” Valiant asked.

“Of course I will.” I replied.

The group looked a little spooked, but they were ready for this.

“Let’s get out of here. The Gatekeepers are waiting for us.” I said.

With that, we turned and left for the ritual. It was great to know that the group trusted me. That was all I could hope for.


Kells greeted the group as we stormed through. I bet we all looked ready to crap our pants, but this was the time. We had to save this world.

I started to walk over by Burns, but Kells pulled me aside.

“There are going to be a few complications. Before we can start the ritual, we must unlock more of your brain. If you go without having unlocked more it will be too complicated to sort through. Night Stalker, you will lose your shame and envy. Without these emotions it sets up more room for more thoughtful emotions.” He whispered in my ear.

“Why must I lose all these emotions and experiences to become a Gatekeeper?” I asked.

Kells sighed.

“If you don’t lose these emotions you will never be able to truly connect with what it means to be a Gatekeeper. Justice is what we need you to feel all through your heart. That needs to be your strongest emotion and so we have to take away everything else that blocks it.” He explained.

This made sense, but didn’t the man already tell me I had connected with it?

I sighed feeling the regret. I didn’t want to lose those emotions. You needed fear to keep yourself from danger and you needed your memories to interpret those situations. Getting rid of shame meant that I would do things without feeling bad for it. Losing my envy would be all right since it would cloud my judgment anyway, but not the others.

“Do not feel that losing these emotions makes you less human. That is not the case. It makes you a better person and that is why every Gatekeeper must go through these tests. Without them, we could be corrupted. Once you lock away all of these tempts you can revert back to whatever place you see fit.” He assured me.

That made me feel a whole lot better.

“Okay, I’m ready.” I said.

Kells smiled.

“Kids, come here.” Kells said.

My group stood around Kells.

“We must help Night Stalker lock away another part before we begin the ritual. This will be good practice for all of you. Stand around him in a circle, now.” He told them.

Quickly all of them scrambled to get into a perfect circle while leaving Kells a place to step in.

My heart rushed just like it had before. Kells stared me in the eyes.

”Relax and close your eyes.” He told me.

I closed my eyes just like he had said. A minute after I was spiraling toward another painful adventure.

The light burned through my eyes and scorched my hair. This was different from all the other times I had come here. The pain was intense and the sight was new.

A bright light shined over my head, which had originally caused me all the pain, but after a while, I imagined that Kells had begun to do his thing. I was no longer able to keep quiet as the extreme pain wiped over my body rendering me almost unconscious.

I lay on the floor crying out as the chant continued. I had never been in so much pain. Within the next few seconds I started feeling better and rolled over onto my back.

Kells hovered over me.

“This seems to be one of the last times we will go through one of these rituals. Your emotions thrust at me to leave. You will go through many scenarios today.” He said.

I stood up rubbing my neck.

“I am ready.” I said.

Kells nodded slightly and backed away.

The familiar flashes surrounded me again, taking me to a different world. My deepest insecurities flew out in front of me for the whole world to see.


I viewed my surroundings. The scenery was a very familiar place and put violent chills up my back. I was in Mr. Smith’s classroom sitting at my desk. Mr. Smith sat at his desk with his glasses on the bridge of his nose and graded papers. I turned behind me. No one sat behind me. I turned to the left. No one was there either. My heart sped up. Why was it only Mr. Smith and I?

“Oh, good. You’re up Joseph.” Mr. Smith said.

“Now that you’re up we can begin.” He grinned.

Begin what? What was I doing here?

“What are we beginning?” I asked.

He snapped his fingers and my mother appeared.

“Did you forget already? We’re doing the annual you or the world.” He stated.

I raised my brow. You or the world? Something wasn’t right here. We didn’t play this at school.

“Since when?” I questioned.

“Since a year ago.” He replied.

Now, a man appeared putting a knife to my mother’s throat. What was he doing? Next to the man stood another man. He did the same thing to a woman. Two more men stood behind him with children.

“What are you doing?!” I snapped.

“You must choose between your mother’s life and the future of the world. Choose wisely, you have two minutes.” He replied.

My heart stopped and I put a halt on my breathing. My mother. They were going to kill my mother or children. I had to choose whom to save.

“Don’t make me do this! Don’t. They’re just children!” I exclaimed.

Mr. Smith took his glasses off and shook his head.

“You know the rules. You must choose only one.” He said.

This was all wrong. I couldn’t choose between the two. I turned to look at my mom. She stared back into my eyes.

“You know what you must do. You are the Gatekeeper, son. Don’t shame the world. Don’t shame your father. I will be fine.” She said.

I frowned. I could feel the tears pouring down. It was a never-ending process, the sprinklers turned on.

“You will not make it back from this mom. I don’t want to lose you!” I cried.

She shook her head. She had always been stubborn. Even when it came between life and death.

“It will be more peaceful there, anyway. I love you Joseph. Free the children.” She said.

My heart almost broke in half. I knew what I had to do. I was a Gatekeeper and I almost forgot about it. My mother had reminded me of what it meant to be one.

“Thirty seconds.” Mr. Smith reminded me.

I wiped the tears from my face and quickly rushed to the children. I knew what must be done. I pushed the men away and turned to Mr. Smith.

“Let them go!” I hollered.

He sneered and brought the children forward.

“Very good, Joseph. Now the children must live a life far from freedom!” He exclaimed.

I glared and balled my fists.

“You said they’d have their own lives!” I snapped.

“They do. They just aren’t in control of them.” He said.

I leapt forward almost tackling Smith when the scene vanished. I collapsed to the ground and looked around.

“Very good, Joseph. You have chosen between your own happiness and someone else’s. You picked the choice that matches the way of the Gatekeeper.” Kells said pulling me up.

I felt the tears fresh on my cheeks and listened to the chanting coming from all around me. The group was still going.

“Do not worry. Your mother is not harmed in the least bit. She lies in a tank far from here.” Kells reassured me. Again.

I took a deep breath and forced a grin. Kells had saved me many times already.

“You are a great man, Kells. Thank you for the guidance.” I replied.

Kells nodded and put his hand on my shoulder.

“You are a very good person. Being a Gatekeeper is more than just getting justice for the people that can’t be taken down by laws. It is about having a great heart. That is why you are going to save this world. I have never met someone with fears like yours.” He said.

I smirked a bit. It wasn’t every day you heard that.

“It’s time for the next scenario.” He said.

I took a deep breath and braced for the heartbreak.



I lay down on my bed. Once I remembered, I shot up like a bullet. My mom grabbed a hold of my hand and smiled down at me.

“You’re alright, sweetie. You were just out for a bit.” She said.

I shook my head.

“This isn’t right, mom.” I said.

She pulled her hand away and looked at me confused.

“What isn’t?” She questioned me.

I put my hand on hers and forced a smile.

“Nothing, never mind.” I said.

I laid my head on her shoulder and closed my eyes. This is what I missed, just relaxing with my mom. She rubbed my forehead and laid down.

“I love you.” She said.

“And I you.” I replied.

We lay like this for a few minutes. Then the worst possible thing happened. The door flew open with men carrying guns.

“Freeze!”

My eyes flew open and I sat up from the bed.

“Back away from the child!”

My mom looked at me startled.

“Now!”

I grabbed onto my mom’s arm.

“Don’t go.” I said.

A man in front of me glared and yanked me away from my mom.

“Don’t take me away.” I said.

What was going on? Why wasn’t I doing anything?

“It’s time to go.” The man said.

My mom leapt up and tried getting to me. Another man stepped in front of us and threw my mom to the ground. I didn’t do anything! What was wrong with me? This was downright shameful!

The man started pulling me away and pushing me out the door.

This wasn’t right. I grabbed onto the door and held on. I wouldn’t let the man take me away from my mother! I kicked out catching the man in the shin. He dropped something and pulled me away from the door. My hands slipped and he was now taking me away.

“No! I won’t let you take me!” I yelled.

I shoved the man. His face turned bright red and he punched out at me. I ducked just in time to miss his fist, but that was only a diversion. He dove for me and knocked us to the floor. The veins in his neck popped out as he grew more and more impatient.

“Come…on….get out!” He shouted.

He now stood up and pulled onto my arms. I was fed up. I stuck out my leg as he started walking around to the other side of me. He tripped and I jumped onto him pounding on his face. He would not take me away today.

“Joseph!”

I turned around to see my mother shrilling in terror. The other man came at me with a baton.

“Move, mom!” I exclaimed.

She jumped out of the way. Just as she did I ran at the man and dove. Soon the air resistance was pushing us as we fell through the window.

My room was on the second floor. This was going to hurt. I felt the gravity force us down as the air coursed through my hair. The man fell first and his body crumpled as he came to a halt. I fell a little further away from him, but the ground shattered under my weight and I kept falling. It shattered like glass and the black surrounded me.


Kells lifted me up and took a deep breath. I looked around after the black rings disappeared from my vision. The group stopped chanting and stood straight and tall.

“Here’s one of your last keys.” Kells said forcing it into my hand.

I looked down at the small silver key in my hand. There was nothing special about it other than the Gatekeeper seal on the top of the handle.

“We’re running out of time, Night Stalker. You need to lock them away before we can get to the ritual.” Kells sighed.

I forced myself to walk to the open gate. It was always the worst part of going through with this. I had to be the one to lock away parts of my human soul.

I shut the gate and stuck the key into the hole, but I almost couldn’t bear locking it yet. It felt like there was something else I should do. I didn’t listen to that urgent rush in my blood. I twisted the key until I heard a click and pulled the key out. I opened the palm of my hand staring down at the key. That little key locked away more than enough of me. Just like it always had, the key disappeared leaving me regretting my decisions.

I fell to my knees boring down at the ground. I didn’t want to be here anymore.


Once we returned the group immediately dispersed and crowded me.

“Do not worry, Joseph. I know that you have done the right thing.” Ella said.

I felt a tear rush down my cheek and drop to the ground. This was taking its toll on me.

“I don’t. The Gatekeepers tell me to do all these things, but I don’t want to. I don’t understand why we must do these things. It just takes away our humanity!” I exclaimed.

I felt a hand run through my hair and turned my head. Ella stood there over me.

“If something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Just remember that whatever you do you’ll always have us.” Ella told me.

She motioned around at the young Gatekeepers. They waved over at me.

“Thanks Ella. Once this is over we should all disappear into the room. I will teach you all what I have to offer. I don’t trust Burns. There’s something off about him.” I told the group.

“Whatever you say we’ll go with.” Griffin replied.

I stood up hanging on to Ella. The Gatekeepers focused on me and stood around in a half circle.

“It is time to start now, Night Stalker.” Kells told me.

I walked to the middle and knelt down. The last thing I thought of was where was Smith?

The dark loomed overhead. I clenched my fists as the chant began. The pain was about to start. I closed my eyes and focused on the words Ella had said earlier. Did I truly believe that the Gatekeepers should force themselves into my head?

It didn’t feel right, but they needed this information to confirm my conversation. They needed to know that what had happened to America was corruption.

Whether I liked it or not, it was too late now. The flashes returned and were being pulled from my head. I felt as the flashes of the conversation entered someone else’s mind. It felt freaky. Like I was there, but my body wasn’t. Like my mind was blank.

I fell to the ground and forced my head up. I needed to know what was going on. The Gatekeepers were all being lifted up off the ground around me. I watched as the memory spilled out into each of their minds like a movie. The chanting stopped. If I wanted to, I could leave them here and go to my body.

I sat up and crossed my legs. For some reason, I needed to connect with those voices. I felt the urge. I was being pulled to them.

“Ouum Ouuuum Ouuuuuuuum.” I breathed out.

I did this for a few more seconds and the voices entered my head.

It felt wonderful. It felt like I should be doing this instead of the gates. I needed this. This felt like it was purifying me.

I listened to the voices.

“Joseph Parker, the purebred.” One said.

“The savior!” Another said.

“Save us from the corruption.” Another said.

“Give us justice.” The last said.

The voices repeated these over and over. I closed my eyes and kept the chant going on.

I needed this, but the more I did it, the more I needed to do something. I had to give the souls their justice. I needed to save the world. I needed to become the young man that they needed me to be.

“Night Stalker, get down here!”

My eyes flung open. I looked around. All the Gatekeepers were staring at me. I looked down and found myself high off the ground. I had to be at least twenty feet up.

I stopped the chant allowing myself to fly down. Kells stood in the front looking at me as though I were a freak.

Once I was down the young Gatekeepers ran over to me.

“How’d you do that?” Ella asked me.

“You were floating!” Valiant exclaimed.

“The Gatekeepers are looking at you like you’re a freak!” Griffin exclaimed.

I shook my head still in a daze. They were going too fast for me.

“Night Stalker, come see me.” Kells said.

I gulped. What could he possibly say? What would he say? Was he mad at me?

“Hold on a second, guys.” I said.

I pushed through the group and made my way past the Gatekeepers. Their eyes were glued to me. I finally got to Kells who stood with his arms crossed.

“Where did you learn that?” He questioned me.

I shook my head. What did he mean?

“The floating.” He said.

I guess what I had just done was not something everybody knew how to do. I had bad news for him. There was no one that taught me to do that.

“I don’t know. I guess I just figured it out.” I said.

Kells glared at me and grabbed on to my cloak.

“Who taught you?” He snapped.

My heart sunk. Why was he so insistent on someone teaching me?

“No one, I swear. It just popped into my head!” I exclaimed.

He let go of me, but held the glare.

“Do you know what you just did?” He asked me.

I shook my head afraid of his answer. He let go of the glare and his face softened.

“You’ve just done a ritual that hasn’t been done in thousands of years. You’ve just performed something that has been lost to our Gatekeepers for generations.” He replied.

Why was that such a big deal?

“The spell you’ve just done is given to someone that has dark blood.” He faltered.

I quit breathing. Dark blood? Was that bad?

“What is dark blood?” I questioned him.

“Dark blood is very rare. There have only been two other dark bloods in the entire existence of Gatekeepers. It means you can contact the spirits of other Gatekeepers. You are an Erebuseus.” He explained.

“An erbewhat?” I asked.

“An Erebuseus. It means you can contact the spirits of dead Gatekeepers. It is foretold as a very useful thing. If you are in need of guidance, you will have the voices with you to tell you. This also means that you can bring forth the spirits to help lead you to your goals.” He said.

“You mean that purple light that shows up when I concentrate on finding a room?” I asked.

“I do not know. You are the first Erebuseus I’ve seen in my lifetime.” He replied.

“What does that mean for me?” I asked.

He shrugged clearly still in awe.

“One thing is for sure; you are going to bring things to the table that haven’t been seen in centuries.” He said.

I looked down. How could I possibly be so many things?

“Now that, that is out of the way we must talk about the conversation you had with that mysterious man.” Kells said.

I looked up into his eyes.

“I have not seen or heard of this man, but he has clearly hidden in the shadows. He goes back to the ways of the old Gatekeepers and does it well. It seems that he is telling the truth. I have also sensed that what is going on in America is not right. For now, you must leave this business to the adults. Once we have figured out more we will let you know.” He said.

“But…!” I started.

Kells raised his hand to stop.

“This is not a negotiation. You are supposed to be here right now either way. The government has been keeping eyes on you and we must not mess with that right now. Just let us do our jobs.” He interrupted.

I sighed exasperated. How could they leave me behind? This was my destiny! I am the purebred!

“We will be gone for a few weeks trying to scope for the meddler. Do not try to find us. Your destiny lies here until you are told otherwise.” He ordered.

I bit down on my tongue to keep from mouthing off. Kells was the leader of the Gatekeepers and I was still just a trainee. Maybe I would find out more here.

Kells patted my back.

“You are a good kid. Teach your group to become better Gatekeepers and do not worry about the search.” He told me.

“Please take me with you. I can do so much better with you guys.” I begged.

“I do apologize. We must leave and when you return your guardians will be there. Goodbye, Night Stalker.” Kells said.

Kells was starting to fade into the darkness.

“No!” I exclaimed and leapt for him.

I was too late. By the time I leapt, he was already gone.

I snapped around searching for any of the Gatekeepers. They were all gone.

The only ones left here were my group of Gatekeepers. Ella ran over to me.

“Where did they go?” She asked.

“They left. We must return, now.” I said.

She nodded and turned to the rest of them.

Soon the darkness faded and I was flying from the unbidden place.

“Joseph, wake up.”

I bumped my head against something hard. My eyes flung open. Smith stood in front of me in a new uniform. My head was on top of his newly cleaned boots. I looked around and found myself lying on the floor. Valiant, Griffin, Ella, Eagle, Spartan and Thunder were also all sprawled across the floor, but the other Gatekeepers were nowhere to be seen.

I rubbed my head and sat up.

“You’ve been out for quite a while and you’re all full of sweat.” He said.

I guess he had never seen me after locking away a few more pieces that made me human.

“Say something.” He demanded.

He was starting to look concerned.

“What do you have in your boots?” I questioned him.

He laughed full of relief.

“It’s great to finally hear you speaking normal.” He said.

He held out his hand to lift me up. What was going on with him?

I grabbed his hand pulling myself up.

“Are you suggesting that you do not approve of my intellectual language?” I asked.

His smile faded.

“Relax, I shut that off a long time ago!” I exclaimed.

He sighed shaking his head. He transferred his gaze to the other kids. Other guardians now gathered around them. Each of them wore the same outfits as Smith. Were they promoted?

“It would be wise to let your kids rest for a while.” Smith said.

The other guardians nodded with approval and saluted Smith. The man must have been a superior to all the others. Every time I saw him with the other guardians, he was saluted and obeyed.

With that, the others piled out of the door leaving Smith and I alone in the room.

The man’s warning haunted me. Do not trust anyone, but yourself. Do not follow their rules. I kept this in mind. Boy was I in a road of trouble.

“Much has changed since you have been asleep, Joseph.” Smith said.

I diverted my attention to him.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You have made the leader of America very happy. You are on his wish list.” He replied.

I gulped. The corrupter himself. Why in the world would he want to meet me?

“The Gatekeepers have always been held in the utmost respect, but you. You are so much more.” He said.

“I have done nothing.” I replied.

“But you have. You are the purebred boy.” He said.

My heart stopped. What did they know of the purebred boy? How did they know I was a purebred?

“No, my mother is not a Gatekeeper.” I argued.

He shook his head.

“Your mother has been released. Blood tests reveal that she is indeed a Gatekeeper.” He told me.

I gasped. My mother was released. Did that mean I could be released into her care?

“Does that mean I can go with her?” I questioned him.

He shook his head.

“Your mother may be a Gatekeeper, but she is no longer a mother. She has been told that her son died.” He said.

My heart pounded. They told my mother I was dead! How outrageous! How disgusting!

“Why would you do that?!” I snapped.

I was beyond furious! I was ready to murder!

“She is my mother! I am her son! I will make you pay!” I yelled.

I tackled him punching with all the strength I had. He knocked me over with his nose bleeding. I kicked out aiming for anywhere that would hurt him. That didn’t last long. Within a few seconds, Smith had me pinned against the wall trying to lash out.

“She has done nothing to deserve this!” I yelled.

Smith looked ready to blow me up. His face was covered in blood as it spewed out from his nose. His face was red from the fury and he glared at me.

“This is for the best! Just calm down and I will not punish you. I will forget this ever happened.” He exclaimed.

I stomped my foot. How could he just tell me to forget about my mother!

“I will not forget about my mother!” I shouted.

He lost his cool. I knew he did once the last word spilled out.

He threw me to the ground and kicked my side. I grunted. He knocked the wind out of me. When I tried to punch, he grabbed onto my arm and twisted it. I cried out and knocked my head into the wall.

“Stop with the constant disobeying!” He snapped.

The fury left his eyes and he let me go.

“I told you one day you would realize how important it was to listen to your superiors.” He sighed.

I grabbed onto my arm and glared up at Smith.

“Your mother has been sent off to start a new life. She can do whatever she wants now that she doesn’t have a child. Be happy for her and let her go. Your job is now to protect the world. Hers is already over.” He mumbled.

The anger evaporated. He was right. This made me think of the prophecy. “The young boy would have to overcome his personal demons…”

“Now do whatever you wish. I will not take you to confinement. I expected at least that much. It’s what I would have done.” He mumbled.

I got up gazing at him. He seemed elsewhere in his mind. That was fine by me. He could leave me alone for as long as he wanted to.

Kells told me that I was an Erebuseus. That meant I could talk to the spirits of dead Gatekeepers. That’s what I would work on.

I sat down and folded my legs like I had done before.

With my eyes closed, I could already feel the peace enter my mind.

“Joseph, what are you doing?”

I opened my eyes. Smith had cleaned up his nose and now stared down at me confused.

“I’m focusing.” I snapped.

Smith shrugged and leaned against the wall.

I closed my eyes again focusing on the task.

A few seconds later, the voices returned.

“Joseph Parker. Erebuseus.” One said. It was a man’s voice. A voice with a monotone to it.

“What do you wish?” The man’s voice asked.

“I want to talk to the other Erebuseus’.” I replied.

“Granted.” He replied.

“Uh, Joseph.” Smith said.

I opened my eyes once again.

“What?” I snipped.

He pointed down. I looked down finding myself yet again, off the ground a few feet.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

I thought of the man’s warning.

“I’m relaxing.” I said.

“I don’t think…”

I ignored the rest of what he said. There was no reason to listen. I was tired enough.

"Joseph Parker, the next Erebuseus. What do you wish?”

Another man’s voice spoke. It was a deep voice this time. Lower than Kells.

“Could you teach me what you learned as a Gatekeeper?” I asked.

“I am a spirit. I cannot teach you anything, but I can show you.” The man said.

“What is your name?” I asked.

“Darius the Second.” He replied.

“Okay, Darius. Show me.” I said.

Soon I felt a chill surround me then enter my body. My hands began shaking and I opened my eyes freaking out. I stared out searching for Smith.

“Oh my! Joseph what are you doing? What’s going on?” Smith exclaimed.

This scared me. I couldn’t see anything.

“Do not panic. I am just going to show you.” Darius said.

“What is that? Why can’t I see?” I questioned.

“You will, just let me show you. The effects wear off.” He assured me.

I calmed down. Flashes passed through my mind. Soon I was beginning to feel too overwhelmed. I was losing consciousness. I fell over fading away.


“Joseph! Joseph Parker, wake up!”

I opened my eyes instantly sitting up.

Smith sat in front of me clearly freaking out. His hands were shaking and he was pale.

“Good grief!” He exclaimed.

“It is always too much the first time.”

I jumped.

“Darius?” I questioned.

“Yes. I forgot to tell you one thing. Once you invite me to show you something, I stay.” He replied.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean I stay with you until you die.” He said.

My heart stopped. Forever?

“Why didn’t you tell me that?” I snapped.

“Ever heard that spirits are erratic. That’s pretty much how it goes.” Darius said.

“You tricked me!” I exclaimed.

“Duh, would you want to stay there forever?” He asked.

“Are you alright?” Smith asked.

“I think.” I said.

“Good, now what were you doing?” He questioned me.

“I was trying a Gatekeeper thing.” I lied.

“Don’t do it again!” He exclaimed.

I stretched out my arms.

“Who is that?” Darius asked.

“It’s complicated.” I said.

“I’ll be here.” He replied.

“He’s my guardian picked by the government.” I said.

“Guardian?” He questioned me.

“What time are you from exactly?” I asked.

“Eighteenth century.” He responded.

Well, I guess that explained the name.

“This is the twenty third century. In place of our parents, we have people called guardians who adopt you, but just recently, everything has changed. The government has kidnapped all the children of America and forced us into a place where we are constantly watched. We have no rights anymore and guardians are picked to watch over us by the government.” I explained.

“My head hurts.” Darius said.

“You don’t have a head!” I exclaimed.

“I do too! I have yours!” He argued.

Well, my head did hurt. Darius had a point.

“So, do you being stuck here mean that you will guide and teach me things?” I asked.

“Yes.” He replied.

“Cool.” I said.

“Joseph talk.” Smith demanded.

“I’m fine.” I snipped.

“I think it’s time for a feeding.” Smith said.

“No! I’m not hungry or tired!” I exclaimed.

“You look exhausted and you haven’t been fed in three days.” He said.

“What does he mean, be fed?” Darius asked.

“You’ll find it disgusting.” I replied.

“Tell me.” He demanded.

“He means he’s going to feed me through a tube when I’m sleeping.” I said.

“That’s disgusting! How could they do that? How can they justify that?” He snapped.

“I told you” I grinned.

“You need to eat and that’s final.” Smith commanded.

I sighed. Only when I was finally left with time, did I have to be put to sleep. I held my hands up in surrender. I wouldn’t fight him any longer. I just wouldn’t follow to his commands. Smith grabbed ahold of me ready to send me away for however long he decided he wanted me to.

The Gatekeeper’s sigil still pierced the inside of my eyelids. It still haunted me and waking up to Darius wasn’t much better. He may have taught me things in the Gatekeepers’ place, but he was a hassle. The man had tricked me into giving his free pass to annoy me. I wouldn’t be doing that again anytime soon.

“Why have we left?” Darius asked.

He was upset because in the Land of the Gatekeepers he had his own body, here he didn’t have that.

“I have been woken up by my guardian.” I replied.

He sighed.

“Can’t you ignore him and go back?” He whined.

“I wish.” I replied.

Smith stood over me already pulling me up by the arms. I already felt much better. I knew that I didn’t want to be fed again anytime soon, but it did feel so much better than it was without.

“You already look so much livelier.” Smith said.

I was still quite dizzy, but I tried standing up anyway. I almost crashed into Smith, but stumbled back the other way. I didn’t want him to feel special. Things like that got to his head. The creep.

I rolled my eyes sitting on the floor. The guy really knew how to push your buttons, but I had to be logical here. Flipping out on him wasn’t the logical reasoning I needed.

“I need to go check up on the other Gatekeepers.” I announced.

Smith gawked at me. He looked at me with a stupid look. He must have finally lost it. Good, maybe I could get some privacy.

“What is going on with your mark?” He questioned me.

I moved my cloak behind me and glanced down at my birthmark.

“It’s moving!” Smith exclaimed.

It indeed was moving. The spiral moved around in a circle around my shoulder. It was freaky, but cool. I poked it and the unexpected happened. The birthmark glowed gold!

“The signs of an Erebuseus finally reaching into the depths of the underworld.” Darius announced.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“It means that you have the ability to go into the underworld, not just talk to spirits from the underworld. It means that you are no longer an Erebuseus. You are now a Dark Erebuseus.” Darius explained.

I gulped. Why did it have to be something even more unique?

“A Dark Erebuseus has only ever been told in legends. The Dark Erebuseus is supposed to be able to summon other Gatekeepers to help them fight alongside in their mission to destroy the corruption. You are able to go into the underworld itself. The first ever seen in the history of the Gatekeepers.” He droned on.

“Please tell me that this is something that the government has not been told.” I replied.

“Only the Gatekeepers know of this legend. It is told as a childhood story, nothing that is supposed to actually happen. You have the blood of a demon.” He said.

My heart stopped. Weren’t demons supposed to be evil?

“Oh, wait, sorry that was a different legend. Your blood has been conjoined with Erebus’s blood himself. Only a fraction, but enough to allow you to freely roam the underworld without death.” He finished.

How was that any better? The god of chaos!

“How is that supposed to make me feel any better?” I moaned.

“You’re so much cooler than that of a demon!” Darius exclaimed.

“That’s evil!” I exclaimed.

“Duh! “Dark” blood!” He blurted.

“All Erebuseus’ have his blood?” I asked.

This finally hit me. I didn’t want to be someone evil. I didn’t want to be some kind of Satan.

“You aren’t evil! You only have four percent more of Erebus’s blood than a regular Erebuseus and besides that; Gatekeepers have five percent of Apollo’s blood.” Darius assured me.

“That means I have the same amount of both?” I asked.

“That isn’t normal! We’ve seen Gatekeepers! They didn’t have moving marks that glow gold!” Smith exclaimed.

The horror in his eyes almost made me laugh like a hyena. He clearly wasn’t aware of what I could do if moving tattoos freaked him out.

“I…I will be back. You stay here.” Smith stuttered.

Smith backed away watching me and held out a finger. I nodded. Once he got the message, he turned and ran off.

“This is bad. They are going to freak out. They want to know what is going on.” Darius said.

“I’m not going to stay here long enough for them to poke and prod me. I will be with the other Gatekeepers. It’s about time we left.” I replied.

“Those are big words for such a little kid.” Darius teased.

I frowned. Yes, I was so little compared to all the other men, but I was a Gatekeeper.

“I’m going to the group. If you don’t mind I would appreciate the concentration.” I snipped.

Silence. Finally.

I took a deep breath and focused my eyes. I needed to be able to trace my route to the room. I opened the door, but before I could find the purple light, my feet started walking. I instantly knew where to go. Maybe I had memorized the way there or maybe it was something different. Burns had told me that I would learn to know exactly where I wanted to go.

Soon after the wooden door stood in front of me.

“Night Stalker. What are you doing here so early?” Valiant asked.

“We all need to talk.” I replied.

The door opened a fraction. Valiant stood behind it gazing around.

“Where’s your guardian?” He questioned me.

“Long story. Listen, I need to start right now.” I replied.


Valiant moved away leaving me room to slip in.

All the kids gathered around Valiant with questioning looks.

“These kids are Gatekeepers?” Darius griped.

“Yes, they are. They are brilliant kids and very loyal.” I croaked.

“What’s going on?” Griffin asked.

I looked around the room for any guardians around.

“It’s time to leave this place.” I replied.

Ella pointed up behind me. I turned noticing a camera hanging above my head. I had never realized it had been there before. I wondered if they had in my room too.

“It’d be best if we talked this way.” Ella said.

“Good job, Mr. I-know-it-all.” Darius quipped.

I ignored the remark and focused on Ella.

“This must be about the occurrence with that man. Are you sure that it’s the right time?” Thunder queried.

“Yes. You must all know that we have to eventually leave. Being here keeps us from doing our jobs. If we don’t get the jobs done then we will not survive the year.” I replied.

All of them looked at me sadly. I could tell they just wanted to enjoy themselves, but we were chosen to be Gatekeepers. Our childhoods were forfeited.

“What is the urgency of this?” Spartan asked.

The sound of her voice kind of startled me. She had never talked to me before. I noted that Spartan actually could talk.

“The government is going to try to poke and prod us. We cannot let them get any more information on us than there is now. Especially, not me.” I replied.

All of them looked at me with raised brows. Did they not understand the urgency of this?

“I’m sorry Night Stalker, but I do not think we should leave just yet unless you get more news from Kells or the man.” Griffin said.

“I’ve got to agree, Night Stalker.” Ella replied.

I sighed. Couldn’t they see that this could become a disaster?

“I think we’d just better listen to them until Kells gets back.” Valiant agreed.

“Guys, you must realize this could become a disaster!” I exclaimed.

Ella shook her head.

“I know I said that we’d follow you whole-heartedly, but this isn’t the right time. I think you are just overreacting.” Ella commented.

“But...” I started.

It was no use. They had made their minds up.

“Very loyal.” Darius wisecracked.

“Fine whatever!” I snapped.

“Joseph don’t take this personal. Just calm down.” Ella said grabbing onto my cloak.

“No! I have a right to be mad! I am the leader of this group and none of you want to follow my instincts!” I growled.

Ella sighed letting go of the cloak.

“I’m sorry, Joseph.” She cried.

I ignored her. If I had replied nothing good would have come out. I didn’t know how the Gatekeepers expected me to vanquish the corruption if I couldn’t get my team to listen to me. If they didn’t listen to my instincts I couldn’t teach them anything.

My knees buckled. My heart stopped. This was all of a sudden. I flung my head up. Smith and two others stood straight across from me.

“Joseph. I’m sorry for this, but the leaders don’t know what is up with you. You must realize this is for your benefit.” Smith said.

My breathing got harder. I grabbed my chest and looked down. Some sort of bullet stuck out from my chest. I tried clutching at it, but there was a problem. My hands were shakier than an earthquake. Once I got ahold of the bullet I ripped it out and threw it, but it only managed to fall a few feet away.

I turned back to the group. As far as I could see, they huddled together in fear. With my vision clouding up, my eyes weren’t as reliable as they once were. I felt a tug on my arms and looked up once again.

The two men had ahold of my arms. Smith stood before them gazing down at me. He knew there was something off about what my mark had done and acted on it. I hated him for it.

With that thought, I left the land of the living and entered a familiar land. The land of the Gatekeepers.


I took a deep breath prying myself off the ground. I had a rough landing this time, probably due to the fact I had been knocked out. I rubbed the back of my head turning to the passive Darius in the corner of my eyes. His dark blonde hair looked more a grey than a blonde and his eyes looked like a dusty blue with flecks of brown and grey.

“Rough landing?” He grinned.

I coughed and looked down. Sputum lay underneath my hands. I grimaced and backed away.

“This is better than going through with those idiotic rituals.” I gasped.

He rounded for me and pulled me up by my arms.

“I remember those with great venom! I don’t blame you.” He quipped.

“I’d rather not talk about them.” I moaned.

He patted my back bellowing.

“You’re alright, Joseph!” He bellowed.

I sighed.

“You’re such a pain.” I grumbled.

He laughed once again. I didn’t think this guy actually stayed serious.

“I think you’d better listen up. Someone else is here.” He declared.

I looked around. No one was in sight. How did he know that?

“There’s someone else with you.”

It was the man! How could Darius possibly have known that?

“Kind of.” I replied.

“What do you mean kind of?” He questioned.

“Well, he’s a spirit.” I replied.

A shadow moved off to the side on my left. I didn’t bother chase him this time. He had made it very clear that he didn’t want to be bothered with that again.

“So you’re an Erebuseus.” The man said.

“Almost. At least what I’ve heard from the spirit.” I said.

“Hmm. Your arm is glowing gold. Do you feel like you are a little more precise lately?” He asked.

The more I thought about I did. How’d he know?

“He’s a Dark Erebuseus.” Darius said.

The man fell silent.

“Do you or do you not feel more precise?” He questioned me.

I gulped.

“Yes, I do actually.” I said.

“So you’re a Dark Erebuseus, eh?” He proclaimed.

“I guess.” I said.

“That’s interesting. Of course, you never know what will appear out of Apollo’s hat. That just further complicates things.” He said.

“So who is this spirit?” The man asked.

Darius stood straight up.

“Darius the second!” He said proudly.

The man stopped moving.

“Another Erebuseus. Wise choice.” The man mumbled.

“How’d you know?” Darius asked.

The man began moving again.

“There have only ever been two other Erebuseus’. Both are very famous Gatekeepers. Your name has come up a couple times.” The man expounded.

“Now, young Gatekeeper I have more information for you.” The man said.

I cleared my throat. This was going to be great.

“The meddler has followed the energy that has illuminated the whole of America. He is coming to you. For some unknown reason the meddler must see you. I do not know who this person is so do be careful. You may never know who this person is until they get you alone in a room. Now that you have discovered you are a Dark Erebuseus it will be harder to keep you hidden.” The man started.

I frowned. Who would want to see me? Why would anyone want to see me?

“I am coming as well, but it will take some time. Alert the older Gatekeepers of our dire situation. I must confess; I am anxious to finally meet you in person.” The man confessed.

“Before I go, I have something for you.” He said.

Something rattled across the floor and I felt a thump against my shoe. I bent down grabbing ahold of something cold.

It was an amulet. An amulet made of steel that bore the Gatekeeper sigil in the middle of a dark red stone.

I looked in the direction the amulet flew from.

“This amulet has been in…the Gatekeeper bloodline for many generations. It has held great luck for me. I want you to keep it. Think of it as a farewell gift.” The man told me.

“Now it is time for me to leave. Apollo guide you.” He uttered.

With that, the man disappeared with his black shadows.

I looked to Darius. He seemed to be in deep thought.

“I think it’s time to wake up.” I said.

Darius gazed up.

“What?” He asked.

“It’s time to go.” I replied.

He nodded and closed his eyes. I sighed with the same thought in my mind as Darius showed.

I yawned like I hadn’t done in what seemed like months. Once I opened my eyes, I saw why. I laid on an actual bed instead of a tank with a tube down my throat. I gazed around. The room was just like the one I had been in for at least a week except a man sat in a chair in front of me. A dark colored man gazed into my eyes.

His eyes were dark green with speckles of brown around the pupil. The man was pretty young with rich brown hair that was combed over on the left. He couldn’t have been any older than thirty four. There were hardly any scars, worry lines or other wrinkles. He wore a jet-black suit with a black tie.

He definitely had authority. I didn’t know how far up he was, but there was some there.

“Joseph Ray Parker.” The man said.

I sat up bumping my head into something. I didn’t dare look back. This man seemed very dangerous and that didn’t put outcomes in my favor.

“That would be me.” I replied.

The man held a deep rough tone to his voice which scared the crap out of me.

“You are beginning to become a very interesting person. No one would’ve expected find someone of the likes of you in such a small town. I say that your mother wanted to hide you. She knew there’d be something about you that I just couldn’t resist.” The man droned.

“Why would you care?” I asked.

“Because I am one of the United States leaders and you are such an important asset. A purebred Gatekeeper, but not just a Gatekeeper, also a Dark Erebuseus.” The man continued.

I gasped. How could he have figured out?

“I know you must be wondering how I figured that out. I’ve studied my Gatekeepers and I know when they talk of a legend. I suppose that, that is no longer a legend.” He voiced.

“No, legends become the truth when proven. Now this leaves me with a provocative question. What is the importance of you?” He said.

He stared at me as though I were a piece of meat. It made me very uncomfortable.

“I wish your mother would have stayed here in the city. Maybe if I had known we could have harnessed your true potential. Without the help of the other Gatekeepers that may not happen. Truthfully, I am anxious to see what you can do.” He confessed.

“Why is that?” I asked.

I was beginning to feel more and more creeped out.

“You are a born legend. A purebred, Dark Erebuseus. Very rare, especially in this day and age.” He replied.

“So what are you doing with me?” I asked.

“That is the question. I guess I throw you away.” He said.

My heart dropped. Did he mean kill me?

He burst out laughing slapping his knee.

“I’m just kidding, my dear boy! Everything I have done is for you youngins’!” He bellowed.

I let go of a deep breath. What was wrong with this man?

“And who are you?” I asked.

“I am one of the leaders of America, Marcus Paris. Probably the most influential.” He replied.

So, this man was whom I could blame for all my problems. I sure had a bone to pick with him, but I knew it was clearly not the time for it.


“What makes you think that what you have done is for the better?” I asked.

He stood up making his way to me.

“It is better, Joseph. The world that I have created will protect millions of kids like you. You are safe. My whole job is to protect the future of America. Hasn’t that happened since you’ve been here?” He affirmed.

Marcus really believed that he was helping protect his citizens. He was no great evil. He was a genuine guy that had been strayed from the right path.

“I know your intentions are pure, but are you sure that this is the right path?” I asked.

Marcus sat down on the bed next to me.

“Of course it is. With this path I am able to protect everyone so they are at their healthiest.” He replied.

He was baffled by my question and I knew it offended him that I had asked it.

“I have done everything in my power to make sure that everyone is safe. This way I can monitor everyone’s statuses. I can start people on medication for natural causes before it gets worse.” He said.

“I don’t think you know what you have done with your plan. I am a Gatekeeper so take this in. This path is not going in the right direction. The path you are going is full of corruption. This corruption will lead to destruction like Joseph Smith predicted if you don’t do something about it.” I replied.

He frowned. I hoped I could change his mind about this plan he had for all of America.

“I’m sorry, Joseph, but you are just a trainee. You would not know of the true ways of a Gatekeeper. You do not yet understand the job fully. I looked at this plan thoroughly. I even used a Gatekeeper to make sure I wasn’t straying from the wrong path. The Gatekeeper told me that no corruption would disrupt our plans.” He objected.

The meddler. I had new news for the other Gatekeepers. The meddler was a Gatekeeper. Who could that be? And if he wanted to see me where was he?

“Who is this Gatekeeper?” I questioned.

Marcus stood up now gazing down at me. He bent down to my height and smiled.

“You will find out soon enough. Now is not the time. He is coming to see you in a few hours.” He replied.

So, the meddler would finally be here. Good, then I could try to get rid of him. The real question though, was why he wanted to see me in the first place.

“Why does he want to see me?” I questioned him.

Marcus shrugged.

“You’re a wonder even among Gatekeepers.” He suggested.

I didn’t want to be! I didn’t want to be a Gatekeeper. I didn’t want to be apart from my mother or be away from my home!

“It’s not like I want to be this way. It’s brought nothing, but misery.” I mumbled.

Marcus frowned.

“Joseph, I don’t know why certain people are picked to be these Gatekeepers, but I do know that they have picked the right boy. You have the most strength I have even seen in men. You are the right person for the job. I’ll tell you that when all of this is over, you may be able to go back and do whatever makes your life bliss.” He soothed.

I didn’t know this man and he had caused America to become corrupted, but he calmed me. There was something about him that made him right for his job. I just wished that the Gatekeeper gone bad hadn’t tricked him. This almost saddened me, which brought me back to the state of mind I should be in. I had to go back to the state of mind that I had shut off the second time I lost a part of me. The question was; how did I do that?

I closed my eyes focusing on the memory of the fear being snatched away. The way I had felt after that and the pure wisdom that had come with it. I folded my legs like I knew how and focused.

“What are you doing?” Darius asked.

“I am going to do what’s best for the world right now.” I replied.

“By losing yourself?” He questioned.

“If I do this I can think like I am supposed to.” I said.

“Joseph, I went through all of that before and trust me; it doesn’t help. Losing yourself isn’t the right way. All it does is shut yourself out.” He argued.

“In order to do the right thing here; I have to be able to think right. I need to think as a Gatekeeper.” I snapped.

Darius sighed.

“Do what you wish, but this will not do a thing.” He replied.

I gulped. If Darius who was also an Erebuseus, thought that this was a bad idea then maybe I shouldn’t.

I shut off my mind just reaching for the inner Gatekeeper in myself. The fury of justice and vengeance melded over my thoughts. The pure intentions.

I took a deep breath calming myself. I was ready. My heart beat with justice. My head filled with the wisdom of thousands of Gatekeepers. They would help me choose the best.

I opened my eyes. Marcus stood a few feet away leaning against the wall. His face was mixed emotions. He was stunned.

I stood up calculating. Marcus took a cautious step forward.

“So, you have converted yourself, Joseph. That is great. Maybe I could see what you can do.” He replied.

I thought of the best reply.

“If you wish to keep your head you would not want me to show you want I can do. I have indeed converted myself to handle this situation better. I must warn you, I am not the only one thinking through this.” I replied.

Marcus raised a brow.

“What do you mean? Who is thinking through this?” He questioned.

Marcus wasn’t thinking through this correctly. He possessed the data to figure it out.

“Perhaps you should think about it. About what I am.” I responded.

“You are using the other spirits? You have contacted them!” He exclaimed.

“In best terms, yes. Plain and simple I have become them.” I replied.

Marcus’s eyes widened. I almost thought he was going to faint.

“Take this advice from thousands of Gatekeepers. Revoke that plan of yours. It does not seem right to thousands. Would you rather trust just one over thousands?” I advised.

Marcus turned his back to me twisting his head in all nervousness. He knew that summoning thousands of Gatekeepers would have repercussions.

I felt the spirits dispersing. I had to keep them in check.

“Joseph, I think it is time for you to return to your room. I will not have you trying to trick me.” He said.

I felt the spirits of the Gatekeepers lurch in rage. Marcus had just refused to listen to Gatekeepers. Not only that, but he had just locked the corruption into place. Justice was no more.

“Marcus Paris, you vow that you will protect all of America, but you have refused! You have dishonored Gatekeepers by refusing our expertise!” I shouted.

The spirits had taken ahold of my voice. My voice was no longer there. It was thousands.

Marcus grabbed my shoulders looking into my eyes.

“The eyes of possession.” He muttered.

I felt my chest pumping up and down.

“Joseph, calm down. I am going to think about it, okay?” He added.

“Now do you believe me?” Darius asked.

I shook my head trying to knock the spirits out of my head. Their vengeful souls were getting to me. No matter how much wisdom they brought, I would not use it again.

“I should have listened. What was that?” I questioned.

“You were in the minds of the other Gatekeepers. That can be a dangerous trip. You were lucky you did not do something you didn’t want to do.” Darius replied.

“I just wanted to revert back to the second ritual.” I whined.

“You’re saying that you already reverted to your old self?” He asked.

“Yes, that was why I needed to turn it back on.” I answered.

“Hmm, that’s new. Perhaps you will not need to go through with all of them.” He said.

“Is that something bad?” I asked.

“No, no, not at all. This means that in order to get to the true Gatekeeper you will not have to go through with the rituals.” He said.

Sweet! Those made me feel wrong. Like I shouldn’t be doing it.

“It must be an ability gained by the Dark Erebuseus.” Darius muttered.

Marcus released a deep breath.

“It’s time for you to go back.” He sighed.

I stood up and nodded. He was correct. I couldn’t leave without my group of Gatekeepers and I needed to get ahold of Kells.

“I will keep an eye on you. Don’t do anything stupid.” He told me.

I huffed. The door opened bearing Smith.

Marcus turned to him with a smile.

“Thank you for bringing that to my attention. You will see the debt repaid later on. Goodbye.” Marcus smiled.

Smith looked to me.

“Is he alright?” He asked Marcus.

“Of course, he is just something more than I expected. Keep an eye on him, Smith.” Marcus said.

I shook my head. I was still here!

Smith grabbed my arm and pushed me along. I glanced back at Marcus. He was staring at me, watching as I left the room. The guy was nuts.

I sat in the familiar stance trying to flee from this world. I had urgent news for the Gatekeepers. They had to know that the meddler was coming here.

Soon, I felt the familiar calmness as my mind was whisked away to the familiar territory.

Once I landed, I turned to Darius. He looked exhausted. I didn’t understand why. He was a spirit and only in my head.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He looked to me with a dazed look.

“I am weak. I cannot do much of anything right now.” He replied.

Sweat covered his face.

“I must sit down.” He announced.

He dropped to his butt and almost fell over. I made my way to him trying to pull him up. He pushed me away.

“No. You must deliver the news to the Gatekeepers. Someone is disrupting our connection.” He articulated.

“I don’t know how to get ahold of Kells. How do you grab someone from their bodies?” I asked.

Darius sighed.

“Sit down and repeat after me.” He commanded.

I sat and looked at him.

“Vagner Rotiss Olver.” He said.

I repeated and at first, nothing happened.

“This comes from years of experience for an Erebuseus.” Darius said.

I stopped chanting and turned to him.

“Are you saying that a normal Gatekeeper cannot hold you here?” I asked.

He nodded slightly.

“Why? Is that important?” He questioned.

“Yes, very. That means I know something about the man. I am no longer the third Erebuseus.” I replied.

Darius cocked his head. A second later, his eyes widened. His mouth dropped open and he clutched at his chest.

“You must hurry. I am getting much weaker!” He cried out suddenly.

I quickly closed my eyes and repeated the words. Soon, I felt a presence. It was much more than how I felt with Darius in my head 24/7. I could feel something lurching at me as I urged the Gatekeepers. The air was being sucked from my lungs. I grimaced, but kept going on. This was nothing compared to what would happen if the meddler got his way.

An image appeared in front of me. The face of Kells. He was laying on his back with the top of his head gushing with blood.

I watched in horror. Who could have taken out the leader of the Gatekeepers? Did the meddler do this?

“Kells!” I shouted.

I wouldn’t let him die on me. I wouldn’t let the meddler get away with this.

Kells’s eyes flickered open and he peered over at me. Shock filled his face and he sat up.

“Night Stalker. How are you here?” He questioned me.

He rubbed his head then peered down at his hands.

“I am contacting you through a ritual. There’s something very important I must tell you.” I replied.

Kells shook his head.

“With who? Who has helped you with this?” He asked.

I shook my head this time.

“No one has. I am doing this myself, but listen.” I urged.

“That is impossible. That requires much experience and strength.” He insisted.

This was starting to make me mad.

“No! Kells listen to me right now! I have something very important to tell you!” I snapped.

Kells closed his mouth allowing to speak.

“Since you guys have gone I have learned very important things. First of all…” I started.

“Night Stalker. Your mark is moving. Is that glowing? What has happened?” He questioned.

“That is part of it. Kells, I am a Dark Erebuseus. We have learned of new ways to do things.” I started.

“Dark Erebuseus?” He questioned me.

He seemed a little stuck on the whole legend thing.

“Yes. All of the signs had shown up and I have been able to do things that a normal Erebuseus isn’t able to. Now, I have more information for you.” I replied.

Kells coughed erratically until his face turned purple then was able to focus on my face.

“We will discuss the Erebuseus thing when we get back. Tell me your news.” He finally said.

“I was visited by the man again. He has told me that the meddler is no longer where you have tracked him to. He is coming here. For me.” I started.

His eyes widened and he turned around shooting some kind of message.

“Night Stalker you must not engage the meddler. He is very dangerous and highly skilled. If what you say is true this can’t be good. Being visited by an enemy when you’re a Gatekeeper is nothing to be grateful for, especially since you’re a trainee. We will be back as soon as possible.” He replied.

I took a deep breath. I already knew meeting the meddler wouldn’t be in my favors. This was getting real.

“There’s one more important detail. I know this for certain. Kells, the meddler is a Gatekeeper.” I confessed.

Kells’s eyes widened beyond measures. The dark tone to his skin disappeared into a ghastly pale. This wasn’t good.

“How do you know this?” He stuttered.

“A lot has happened since you left. I have been put under study and was visited by one of the leaders of America. Marcus Paris. He is a very influential person and he is also who came up with the plan of what has happened to this country. You must get back here as soon as possible.” I Proclaimed.

He clenched his jaw glancing down.

“We’re coming as soon as we can. Do not let the meddler see you. You must not come in contact. That man is very dangerous. We are leaving now. You must hurry and wake up. Wake up now.” Kells warned me.

The Gatekeepers disappeared from sight immediately. I turned around to check on Darius. He laid on the floor staring up.

“We must leave now. The Gatekeepers made it clear that we must.” He said.

I nodded and closed my eyes once again. There was obviously something wrong with being here too long at this moment. I would listen to Kells even though I wasn’t sure what he was saying was wise. Plus, if what the man said was true he’d be here very soon.