This is a fantasy/ fiction... My writings have improved by far, this is one of the more recent ones. My newest project I've started to think about I may format it into a Graphic novel.

Chapter 1
The Note

I was technically dead for a minute that night. I don’t remember much of it, though they tell me that it is actually a good thing that I don’t. From what I do remember, it was a cold dark night; I remember the rain trickling down my cheek. My mother called me over to the car, apparently we had to go somewhere for the night, people were looking for here, not cops. I get in, we drive for about an hour, speeding. I could remember her always looking in the mirror. The radio was off; all I could here was the rain falling on the car and the engine never slowing down.

The only time we did slow down was when we went around a curve. I remember that curve, it caused all of this. She was speeding, didn’t see the curve up ahead, there was a wreck there already; I could see the flashing lights on the other end of the curve. I saw something come out of the trees on the right side. That’s when she noticed, there was a guy standing in the road, she tried to slow down, but couldn’t, they later told me that the breaks went out. She grabbed the wheel tighter, swerved trying to miss the guy. At that moment another car going the other way came out. She tried to miss it, but the back end hit the front right side sending us spinning. I guess there was a hill because I remember going off it then having the car flip over a few times.

I either blacked out from pain or shock, but the next thing I knew I was in the hospital bed. I couldn’t move, my body was in a cast. It took me a while to remember who exactly I was and what was going on. I tried to scream but couldn’t get anything out. I guess a nurse walking by noticed I was awake, she opened the door. “Oh,” she said, “let me go grab the doctor I’ll be back.” She closed the door; I couldn’t tell where she went. I heard something over the intercom, then a doctor came up to the door, stopped and turned as the same nurse came up to him, I could tell they were talking, but about what I didn’t know.

I tried to move again, just as the doctor pulled the door open. “I wouldn’t try to move if I were you,” he said while grabbing my chart, “you need to save your energy…”

“Hey,” Kira said while poking my side, “you alright?” I look over, “Yeah, just day dreaming,” I answered, and then went back to trying to eat something. “Again?” she replies in a concerned tone, “you should see someone about that.” “No, it’s not…” I try to explain, and then I put my hands over my face, “it’s her again. Why did I live that night when she died?” She just looked at me. I haven't really talked about this a whole lot to her and when I do she try's to make it all better, though, she know she can't, it will never go away. I don't remember much about that night, but I do remember hearing here before I blacked out “...I will always be by your side...” I can't feel her, and the thought of it tears me apart inside. I keep thinking that I here her, though it's just my memories, I try to touch the dreams, though I always wake up when I do.

My mind is lost in thoughts of her. Kira just looks at me, people walk by, look down, and then just go back to their conversation, they don't know what's going on, and most don't want to know. Kira is the only one I have talked to about her and that night, other than a few social workers, and the psychiatrist that they force me to go to at least once a year. I try again to make myself eat something, I can only take a few bites and I have to stop. I look back up after Kira poked me again, there's an office aide standing in front of me, she handed me a note:

Mr. Johnson,
Please come to my office, immediately. There's something that must be discussed.

Sincerely,
Mr. Winn, V.P.

Ok, this is strange; usually they just call me in over the intercom. “What does it say?” I hear Kira ask as I get up and gather my stuff. “Mr. Winn needs to talk about something,” I replied, I could only think of one reason, “it will be ok Kira, I'll let you know afterwards.” They must have found it, I could only think of kicking myself for keeping it in my locker. A girl I knew in my seventh grade year, handed me this note, one day, she told me not to read it until after graduation, the next day she disappeared. Her parents asked the school if they could speak to me, but I was being transferred to a different foster care home at the time, which made things difficult. Somehow, one of her friends found out about the note and told her parents, I let them read it and they asked about it, “I don't know...” I followed what she said, I wasn't going to read it until after I graduate. They just looked at me, gave me the note, I folded it back up without even looking at what it said as they got back into their car, then I put it back in my pocket.

Walking into the office, everyone said hello as I went by, I've been in here many times, though not for disciplinary reasons, for academic. I walked up to Mr. Winn's door; there was another person in there already. “You'll have to wait just a minute,” his secretary told me, I pulled my bag off my shoulder and sat down in the chair across from his office. I hear the door open, “Ok young man, you can go in now.” Well yeah no kidding, I know the drill lady. “Ah, come in please, have a seat,” Mr. Winn says, as usual, though this time he closes the door, “how long has it been since our last talk?” Hmm. well yesterday, and it was about graduation, moron, “Yesterday, we talked about graduation,” I answered, not saying what I originally thought, I've been sick of the office calls lately at least one a day, sometimes more.

I noticed no note on his desk, “So what's this all about?” I asked, unaware of the true meaning. “Well, this is hard to explain,” he said, the rotated his chair and grabbed some file out of the drawer, “it seems that the FBI has found your father.” My father? “What?” I asked, with adding a few blinks. My father abandoned us when I was very little, my mother had to find a way to support both of us, but I take it that she didn't find the best way to do that, she took the easiest. “The FBI has informed us that they have found your father,” he said while looking over the file, “the lead investigator will be coming here in a couple of days, he has to debrief the President on the findings, then report to his headquarters.” “The President?” I said, now even more truly lost, “what exactly did my father do?”

He looked at me, closed the file, “That's all they told me,” he said, and got up, “they just wanted me to let you know so that when the agent does come it's not a complete shock to you.” Makes, sense, I'd rather hear it from someone I know and can trust, rather than a complete stranger. “When and why are they coming here?” I asked, I wasn't really sure why they would come, Mr. Winn told me what I would expect them to tell me. “Graduation day,” he said, while pulling some more files out, “they wouldn't tell me anymore than that, I asked, but they simply told me it was classified and would breach their security.”

He tried to tell me more, but his two ways radio crackled, “Mr. Winn, a fight is in progress on the second floor,” a familiar voice said. “I'm on my way,” he replied, then looked at me, “sorry Arnold, this will have to be cut short.” “I've told you that you can call me Noles,” I told him, while I gathered my things once more and stood up. “I'm sorry, but teacher to student relation,” he said while we walked out the door. I walked back the way I came in, I had to go that way to get to class, seeing as the bell just rang. I just barely walk out the door and I hear Kira again from behind, “So?” she asked, “What was it all about?” “My father,” I simply reply. She just stops, “Father?” she said, in that are you sure tone, “wha..” “Later,” I said and started to run, the one minute bell rang, “got to get to class.”

Even though it was only a few days before graduation, my teacher for my next class made us write a speech about someone we admired. I told him it was difficult for me to find someone, but then I realized, her. My mother, supporting me and herself for almost 6 years; never once letting me go hungry or not having clothes. I walked in, he motioned me to his desk, and I go up. “Did you find someone to write on about the topic?” he asks quietly, not letting the other students over hear. “Yes,” I replied. “Good,” he said, making a note in the chart, “from what I hear you're a good speaker, would you be willing to go first?” “No,” I said, a little to loud, then it got quiet. He looked around, “Class, read over your speeches, let one of your peers look over them to,” he said then motioned me to the door, “wait outside while I take roll, I have to speak with you.”

I walk out, “Figures,” I mutter under my breath. I didn't want to have to speak; I tried to tell that to him once I picked my topic. I've already had to remember that night today, I don't want to have to do it while reading in front of a big crowd. It nearly killed me to even write the speech, he gave us a month, usually I would be fine with that, but it was difficult to find the words, I would think of her, and then I couldn't think of what to write, my mind would just focus on her. I actually had to have Kira help me write the speech. I told her if I did it myself I would probably have a breakdown. He walks out the door and closes it behind him. “Is this a cry for help?” he asked me in a somewhat stern voice, “I've expected better from you, you're one of the top students in the whole school.” “I told you before that I would write it but that I wouldn't present it out loud,” I said.

“Look, I know you have been through a lot,” he said, walking from side to side, “I know writing is tough, but it is a day to day task, big companies will expect you to speak in front of the CEO's without fear. With the things I hear from your other teachers I would expect you to be able to do this one simple little task.” Anger just kept building up, no one really understands what I have had to go through, “Just writing the speech almost killed me,” I yelled, while slamming my fist into a locker, “it's about her, and you better damn well know who I'm talking about.” A little time goes by, I hear doors open down the hall, see another teacher pop their head out look at me, then close the door, I look at my teacher, he just stands there, a little shocked, I haven’t had an outbreak like this at all.

“I know I've lost my mother too...” he begins, but I cut him short. “Yeah from old age,” I say, in a really annoyed tone, “my mother was in her prime, plus, you are still here, I almost died.” “Yes but you are here...” again I cut him off. “Yeah, but there are times where I wish I wasn't,” I said, lowering myself to the floor against the wall. What a day I'm having, first remembering her and not being able to eat, then the office visit, now I'm telling my teacher that there are days I wish I wasn't among the living. Just then another one of the vice principals walked up. “Everything alright here?” he asks Mr. Lowell. “Yes,” he replies back, then to me as the vice principal walks away, “alright, now that you are calm, I'll let you go early today, just upload the speech to me.” I pull out my card and slide it through the reader, enter my number into his personal hand size computer and put my password, all my documents I have on my card load, I find the right one click it, then drag it to the upload folder, “There,” I tell him as i get up and grab my stuff, “sorry about that, I've had a rough day.”

And with that, I was off, I went down the hall, put my bag into my locker. I put the card back into my wallet; I then proceeded to the main doors, walked out. I had to shield my eyes for a moment from the sunlight as I reached into my pocket and pulled out my shades. I could hear the city, noisy, loud, not loud like where I live, but loud from all the cars, the trams and all the non stop busy crowds. I needed to get away, though I would have to go home first. I walked down to the train station, got in the one-thirty-five tram; this would take me to the outskirts of my home city, though not all the way in. I got in, pulled out my wireless ear bud headphones put them in, then I grabbed my Creative Jamster music player, played the old Joe Satriani mix I made. People just look at me, like I'm some kind of alien life form. I hear them call my stop, I'm the only one who gets up. Again people stare, I in no way look like someone who would be going here, the only reason I live here is because of the foster parents, that and the proximity to the school, all the other foster care houses would've made me have to go to a different school.

I walk into the city, open the chain link gate and close it behind me. I turn around, people on the streets, homeless, all turn to look, then go back to whatever it was they were doing, they know me after all. It's hard to believe that a person with my knowledge and style would be living here, but I'm only here until a couple days after graduation, my 18th birthday, then I'm being moved to a city with a college, I have earned the gratitude of the Foster Care Department for helping them set up their computer's also making a role model for other new children and teens coming into the system, about half follow my suite and do good in school, overcoming the hard times. They wrote me a recommendation to the city, the city replied, with a grant for college, with one condition, I would have to work as a public relations speaker for the Department for at least the minimum of a year.

I walk around the corner, I can see our house to my left, I turn off my music, start to walk up to the door, and then stop. They're fighting again; I could hear them from the other side of the street. “He's always getting calls about something; I wish the god dam school would just send letters...” Him, he was the raunchy one and she was the calm one, the one all the kids liked the best, though there were times when he would be like her, though they were very rare. “I don't know what to do with him anymore...” Ugh, figures, the school must have called them about my little outburst. I turn to the side, start walking down the street to go somewhere else when I see Zeik (zeek), one of the other kids in the same house turn the corner to come the opposite way I was going. “What did you do now?” he asks me. “God, nothing,” I said, as I hear the door open, “nothing that you should be worried about.” Zeik has always looked up to me, I'm the oldest one there. “You aren't really going to leave in a week are you?” he asks me, a little bit more emotional this time.

“Hey,” I hear Dean yells, “you get your a** over hear.” “No,” I yell back, then look back to Zeik, “it will be ok, I'll come visit you at least once a week, I promise.” “Ok,” Zeik says then looks back towards the house, “we'd better run, Dean is coming with a bat, Ashton told me that Bonnie said to stay at a friends for a couple of hours, then come, once she calls.” We were both running now, I turn the corner, see Danny coming out to see what the commotion was all about, he's the only cop in this area of the city. “Danny, help,” I yell at him, he looks, “Dean is drunk again, worst then ever.” No sooner had I said that then I hear Dean yelling behind us. I knew there would be no chance of Danny actually stopping Dean because he's a lot smaller than Dean, though I figured he could slow him down a bit. I hear a rumble behind us, and then hear Danny groan. I keep running, Zeik goes another way, to his best friend’s house, I keep going to wherever, I have no friends here.

I could hear Dean yelling at me again, though I couldn't understand a word he was saying. I finally figure out where I'm going to go; first to the tram station, then to Kira's. I turn right, run through the crowd, there was a thrift sale going on with a barbeque, I could hear people yelling as Dean pushed them down, I tried to go faster but I tripped, and skidded a few feet. Dean was right on top of me, I heard the swoosh, then felt the bat hit my arm and saw wood fly everywhere, I could hear more commotion, but it wasn't aimed at me, Dean had been grabbed by a few of the men there, I got up, held my arm and ran for a few more yards, I grabbed my transport card, swiped it through the reader and ran again up to the platform, I saw a few guards posted, “Hey,” I yelled at them, “the guy coming in doesn't have a valid transportation pass.” It was true, Dean's behavior in public and at private bars cost him his transport card and he worked in the same city so he didn't really care. They were armed with tranquilizer guns, non-killing, only armed forces departments could carry live ammo.

I hear him coming, he probably jumped the gate. I rush up to the train, just barely making it before the doors close, I hear him bang on the window behind me then hear the guns go off, and turn around just as he falls to the ground. “Hey, you ok,” I hear some lady ask me as I sit down. I tried to reply but I pass out...

I open my eyes, Kira's there, and her mom, “Oh, you're ok,” Kira's mom says, “Bonnie called me, she had to go gather the rest of the kids, she told me that the hospital called and you were here.” “Hi,” I hear Kira say to me as I turn my head and look at her, “glad you're ok.” “Yeah, I'm ok,” I answer, “Why did I pass out?” “The doctors say it was a loss of blood mixed with an adrenaline rush and a anxiety attack,” Kira's mom answers, “you luckily only got a sprained arm, but the bat was old, frayed and you got cut badly.” Yeah, I can feel that, I say to myself, I hope that Dean is behind bars. No sooner had I thought that that Kira said, “Dean is in jail, for assault on a officer, assault on a teen, also disobeying a transportation law.”

A few hours pass and the doctor comes in, “You can go now,” he says, “we've done our testing and your arm should be ok, just don't do anything over strenuous with it.” “Ok,” I reply while getting up, “um, Mrs. Holton, would it be ok if I stay with you for a few days, at least until my arm is ok?” “Yes,” she replies, picking up her purse and motioning Kira to the door, “Bonnie already said you'd ask, and she said as long as I'm ok with it then she's ok with it.” “Cool,” I say, that's what I like about Bonnie, she's one of the foster parents who actually let us go out to our friends, instead of keeping us within a proximity of the house.

--the night before graduation--
I'm in a forest, though I do not know where or how I came to this place. The birds chirping, I look around, I can see more animals, but they're running, from what? I look up to see a ton of birds flying the same way the other animals were going. Why? I hear a loud bang, and see a bright flash. I hear something coming towards me and fast. I turn around and start running, but it's too late, the shock wave knocks me down. I try to get up but I'm engulfed in flames...

“Hey,” I hear Kira says as she shakes me on the side, “time to get up.” I open my eyes, “Wow, you look like crap,” she says then hands me a towel, “I’d bet a nice shower will make you feel better.” “Yeah bet it would,” I say, taking the towel and head towards the bathroom. I go into the bathroom undress, look in the mirror, and see the bandages on my arm. I look at them then start to unravel them so I can shower. I turn the water on, and let it run for a little bit before I walked in. The water felt cool on my body, I let it run down my face, then turned to let it run down my arm for a while, and then finished up. It felt good, but I needed to get ready for the ceremony.