Chapter 1: Followed

“Why are those two men following me?” I exclaimed silently, “they’ve been following me since I left for school.” I started panicking.“Even in the hallways, I saw them staring at me, Who are these people, and how didn’t anyone at school notice them?” I quickened my pace. My student badge read “Cole Archer”, I promptly put it in my pocket. I didn’t want those creeps to know who I am. They weren’t the normal creepy guys you’d see in low-budget movies, wearing black suits and shades. They wore normal clothes, which, unfortunately for me, made them blend in and look less suspicious. the reason I found them creepy is that their gaze was fixed on me, and they had a sort of robotic movement. The first guy seemed to be in his late thirties, with jet black hair and olive skin, and had a Middle-Eastern look. The second guy, however, was much older than the first, with white hair and florid skin, which I found a rather unique and fascinating combination. They were closing in on me, I quickened my pace even more. I saw the younger man whisper to the other guy, he nodded and they crossed the street and disappeared into the crowd. I let out a sigh of relief ” that was close” I thought.

After what seemed like forever I reached what I call home. It was a small apartment in the messiest part of town. I unlocked the door and tiptoed my way to my room. I closed the door after me as quietly as I can and turned around. I gasped. someone was sitting on my chair. “Where were you!” shouted my mom “mom!” I replied.“you scared me” I realized I was holding my breath. “Do I have to stay up late every night until you come back?” she yelled.

“where were you?” she repeated, “I was in detention” I muttered,

“detention till 9 o’clock?” she questioned “then I went to jake’s” I lied, jake and I didn’t talk in weeks, I was actually deep in the woods by the creek, where I could relax. she gave me a questioning look. She turned on the light. It was her time to gasp.” Who did this to you?” She exclaimed, staring at the deep gash on my forehead,” it’s nothing mom, I just fell” I lied.“No you didn’t!” mom said, “Was it Billy?” she inquired.“No Mom, I already told you, I fell, okay?”. I walked to my desk and dumped my books. She walked to me and placed her hand on my shoulders,” Cole, tell me what happened” She said softly. I slumped my shoulders, I knew I had to tell her.” He called Dad a wimp, mom, he did it right in front of me” I started to sob into her shoulders, I told her the whole story, we sat there in silence. ” You could’ve handled this in a..more adult way,” she said smoothly. I knew she was right, but part of me wanted to resent her for saying this, this was my Dad after all, how could she wave off something like that easily? Billy Johnson was the most notorious bully in our school, and I was his number one victim, we had several incidents before, but none as violent and aggressive as this. He picks on me because my father was a mythologist, and one day he left to seek some hidden item before I was even born, and never returned. We all assumed he was dead, it was 14 years already. Billy always taunts me by saying that Dad ran off because he didn’t want to see how ugly I will be when I was born (I’m not exactly prince charming). Today he said it in front of half the school, that was the last straw, I went ballistic. Although I got a nasty gash on the forehead I still managed to do some excruciating pain to his big fat face. We went to the principal’s office, which became like a home-away-from-home to me for the number of times I visit it every day. Mom just patted me on the back and told me to go sleep. I couldn’t sleep that night, I kept thinking of what happened in my mind until I fell asleep. Then i started dreaming, I was on what seemed like a cliff, I looked down and stumbled backward, all I saw was darkness, how high was this cliff? and suddenly I saw a person’s hand reach over the cliff, I stood there paralyzed, I kept telling myself that this was just a dream, and kept pinching myself to wake up but to no avail, I stared as the person pulled himself up the cliff, and fell motionless on the ground I heard wheezing, the person was clearly tired and probably hurt. I rushed to his side, as I got closer I realized that it was a man and he was unconscious, I knelt beside him and lifted his head, I nearly dropped it back, he looked familiar.... then it hit me, that man..... was my dad.