Chapter One
The Lady
Mike wondered why he had even woken up today. After all,
while bad traffic was a norm, the sucky weather and just
plain bad day scratched at him, screeching across his mind
until it had irritated the hell out of him. Now, as he
stood on the corner of the square, looking across as the
giant brick courthouse, he felt the bile rise in his throat.
"I hate this place," he murmured. "I hate this little
fricking hell hole."
The light changed--time to cross. He was accompanied on
this small trek by a couple other people; some ditching high
school students, a work person eating lunch, and a spry old
lady. They crossed slowly, urged to their pace by lack of
cars and a red light above them. He made it across the curb
easily, and was about to go on, when he heard screeching
brakes. Turning, he saw the old lady, struggling with her
walker as a car careened toward her, it's wheels failing to
grip the wet pavement.
He didn't know why he did it; he just grabbed the lady,
barely straining, off the pavement and onto the walk. The
car managed to swerve and avoid the walker by a hairbreadth;
the old lady would have died on contact though. He grabbed
the walker, noticing how it was stuck on a crack, and put it
down for her.
"Close one," she said.
No shit, lady, he thought, but he just nodded. She looked
at him keenly, and he thought he saw red flash across her
eyes. "Yes, mam," he said finally.
"Hmm, yes...I would have been plastered," she said, more to
herself than him. He caught a hint of her strange accent,
unlike any language he'd heard. She looked keenly at him
once more, and this time said, "What's your name, boy?"
"Michael," he replied, slightly annoyed. Too many
questions! his thoughts shrieked.
"Michael," she said, running the name over her tongue for
what seemed to him like the first time. "Michael," she said
again, then looked straight at him. "If you could take
three people to an island paradise, who would you take?"
A sudden fit of fear slammed into him, and he choked it
down as he stared at her, mind tumbling the question.
"Three people?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"Hmmm..." he said, thinking. Well, I guess...that would
work...nope, that would suck....okay! his mind thought
randomly as he selected his choices. Mind laughing softly,
he answered, "My friends Jared and Brittany, and BrightHeart
Raccoon."
"Jared, Brittany, BrightHeart Raccoon," the lady repeated.
"Yep," he said.
"Thank you Michael," she said, then turned and shuffled
off, clutching her walker. He heard her begin to mumble
some strange words, and the wind whipped up, sending chills
up his spine. He gave her back an odd look, then turned and
walked down the sidewalk.
* * * *
Nightfall fell, and Mike came home. He showered, changed,
avoided his parents and checked mail. Some from Britt and
Fox, about the usual life stuff. He tapped out short
messages to both of them, then sent them and shut down the
computer. He'd felt so tired and drained since this
afternoon, an effect he attributed to the weather being how
it was. Sudden changes in temperature were just another
symptom of the coming severe Indiana winter; he wondered how
he would drive through it.
He retired to his bed, arms clutching BrightHeart and
Reynard, at about 10:45.
At 1:45 he awoke, sweating. He hadn't been dreaming until
five seconds ago, when something bright had flashed across
his eyes and he'd woken up. He also heard a slight hissing,
like air being released from something.
His eyes scanned every corner of his room, and there were
enough corners to scan. They alighted on the nearby window,
and widened to see a slip of red light slide under it. He
threw off the blanket and jumped up just in time to face a
giant swirling red light, almost like a red tornado. He
opened his mouth to yell, to scream, to do something;
however, the tornado silenced him by flashing around him,
encompassing him.
Reynard the stuffed fox dropped from his hand.
* * * *
He was dropped soon afterward, having been twirled through
things. He hadn't puked despite the wild ride; it felt like
he was in a trance of some sort, bound to be calm despite
the bumps.
He stood up from his position on the ground and looked
around. He was standing on a yellow, sandy beach of some
sort of land--it looked to be an island, actually, judging
by the water around it. The sand was warm on his feet, and
he sank down onto it, dumbfounded.
Where the hell am I? he wondered. And, because I need more
to think about, why am I here?
His mind couldn't produce answers, and he sat and stared
out at the crystal blue water until he heard a thump on the
right and a thump on the left.
"Fox?!?" he asked, looking to the right first. There was a
boy, thin and short, with dark hair, who looked exactly like
his best friend Fox, uh, Jared.
"Rey? Mike?" asked the boy, and they stared at each other
for a second. Then, both jumped up and hugged fiercely,
laughing.
"Good to see you!" Jared said. He tilted his head, and
called, "Who are you?"
Mike let go and turned to see another figure standing
there. He was about four and a half feet tail, and purple
from head to toe except for a white belly, on which a light
bulb was emblazoned. His ears were pricked, and a small
purple tail stroked the sand behind him.
"BrightHeart Raccoon?" he asked, mouth dropping.
The animal snapped up, as if waking up, and said,"Yes,
that's me. Who are you?"
"I'm Mike, and this is Jared," Mike replied, mouth still
open. Then, "What are you doing HERE?"
"I'm on a mission, I suppose," the animal said, tilting his
head. He strode across the sand carefully, leaving small,
round, circular footprints in it. Mike just stared; alarms
rang in his head, telling him he was nuts and dreaming, but
he just stared. Then, the animal extended his hand, and
they shook, Mike feeling the warm, fuzzy, LIFE-LIKE paw in
his.
"I must be dreaming," he whispered.
"I hope not," came a voice, and he saw another person up in
a palm tree.
"Who are you? Reynard?" he asked, shading his eyes against
the star the rose above it.
"Unfortunatly, you aren't that lucky," the voice replied,
and then the person jumped out of the tree, landing harshly
on the sand. On the way down, dark brown, scraggly hair
fell behind the person.
"Brittany," Mike said.
"Smart as always," she replied, getting up and dusting
herself off.
"What is going on?" Jared asked.
"I have no idea," BrightHeart replied, his eyes turned to
the sea. "But that thing might know."
They turned away from their three sided conversation to
look at the sea. Slowly, it was boiling and bubbling before
their eyes, tiny bubbles stacking themselves on top of each
other; a large bubble formed in about five minutes.
"What the hell..."Brittany asked, and took a step toward
it, but Mike shook his head. As they watching, the bubble
floating off the water, it's rainbow shade going blue, then
green, and finally red as hellfire. The red shape flexed in,
then flashed out, color shading across it until the sharp
lines dissolved out. Finally, it hung before them, just a
red shade.
Mike swallowed, then stepped out until he was in front of
everyone. "What...who...are you?" he asked.
"I am the Guardian," it replied, the sound rippling across
the color like waves.
"Guardian?" Mike asked.
"That is I," it replied. "I am the keeper of this island,
the Isle of the Guardian. I have brought you here to repay
you, Michael, and I have brought those you requested as
well."
"Requested..."Mike whispered, and the thoughts slammed him.
"You're the old lady?"
"Correct, Michael," the Guardian said, it's voice like the
edge of a rippling sound wave.
"What kindness?" Jared asked.
"He saved my earthly form," the Guardian said, slowly
moving until it touched the beach. It flashed again,
forming into the unisex human body, and said, "If not for
him, I would have been exposed, and never allowed again into
Earth."
"So what is the island for? Is this just a dream?" he
asked, a little incredulous.
"This is your home now, Michael, and the home for your
three friend-units. You will now live here, forever and
ever. Your life is increased, of course--why sate my
loneliness for only a short time?--and you will find there
are many unusual properties of this island." It fluttered a
little, then seemed to sigh. "I have decided as well to let
you bring three things that will be necessary for you. You
may think of them now."
The four looked at each other, and then a sudden black bag
fell to Brittany's feet. "Two important books, and Blaze,"
she said, checking inside it to reassure herself.
The rest thought quickly, and three other black bags
appeared. BrightHeart nearly cooed as he checked his,
explaining,"My tools, a Caring Meter, and a bag of
unfinished inventions!" Jared just grinned as he pulled out
a roll of duct tape and several other wrapped parcels.
"Secrets," he whispered mischieviously. Mike didn't bother
to bring his items out, but rather nodded and closed the
bag.
"I, of course, will provide your other needs," the Guardian
added softly. It turned to the sea, and watched a light
spread over it. "The sun rises. You must all go," it said,
then looked at Jared. It's eyes flashed quickly, then
faded.
A sudden red particle flashed out at Mike, and he fell to
the beach. Jared went for him, as did Brittany, but both of
them flashed away. BrightHeart was whisked away as well.
The sun's rays spilled over the beach, the wind whispered, and Michael
slept.
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