The Epic Adventures of Xander Storm by Tessa Sawyers

8/3/2019 The Epic Adventures of Xander Storm by Tessa Sawyers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-epic-adventures-of-xander-storm-by-tessa-sawyers 1/47

The Epic

Adventures

Of

Xander Rae

Storm

By

Tessa Sawyers



Cover art: Ben Brown

As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, Xander pushed his checkered bedspread

away from his body. He yawned and grabbed his cell phone from the bedside table. There

was still no word from Sylvia, the girl in his economics class at Monroe High. Xander

had always found it quite interesting that the school was named after the first Play Boy

Bunny. Not that he had ever seen those magazines. Of course not! It was also rather

ironic that the mascot of the school happened to be the jackrabbit. That was just another

sample of the morbid humor in life.

He sighed; tossing his phone on the bed. “What was I thinking?” he said to

himself. “Girls don’t like the strange kids.” He twisted his lip ring absentmindedly in the

mirror. He shivered with apprehension. ‘What if she says no?’ He wished he could just

disappear and escape the nightmare. He had been called many bad names during his high

school life. A few being fag, emo, and freak… He wondered despairingly what Sylvia

thought about him.

Xander ran a comb through his long black hair. He pulled on his white jeans and

his ‘A day to Remember’ band tee shirt. He smiled at his reflection. “Go get ‘em Tiger.”

He said jokingly to his other self. He turned, grabbing his phone and iPod from the bed.

He descended the stairs two at a time and was hit by a sudden ominous feeling. Xander

cringed, feeling queasy about the day to come. He sighed, biting his lip. He knew this day

was going to be horrible. He stepped out into the sun-lit kitchen, intending to skip

breakfast for a cup of coffee. He shook his head as he observed that his dead-beat mother



had woken up early enough to set out his favorite breakfast. “Aw, isn’t that sweet.” He

said bitterly.

Pouring his Lucky Charms, he was thinking about how ironic it was to be eating

Lucky Charms on what could be the worst day in his life. He poured his cereal into the

bowl and put milk over it. He ate the marshmallows, thinking about Sylvia and

Economics class in third block. He didn’t know what he was going to do if she refused

him. It would be awkward for him. He was starting to freak out again when suddenly his

teeth came together with a clinging sound. Not knowing what it was, he spit out the

already chewed cereal to find a gold painted ring. Xander stood there for a moment,

taking in the situation. He began laughing hysterically as he placed the small ring on his

pinky finger. He cleaned up his mess and grabbed his bag from the table.

Xander pushed the door open, ready to start his car up. He stopped, because he

felt as if he were forgetting something. His face was frozen as he racked his brain for

answers. He suddenly smiled, “Oh… Chia!” He said to himself. Xander shut the door and

walked on the hideous burnt orange carpet towards the living room. “Ch-Ch Chia!”

Xander sang as he lifted the blanket off of the cage in the corner. He unlatched the front

of it and picked up the small, white bundle. “Chia, Wake up!” Xander cooed, tickling the

albino chinchilla under its chubby, little neck. The animal’s huge, red eyes blinked

sleepily at him. Placing Chia down in the cage, he poured foul-smelling feed into a small

dish. Then, he latched the cage closed and switched on the stereo, Something by Escape

the Fate started blasting through the speakers. He snickered mischievously as he heard his

mother’s door slam upstairs. Xander left the house quickly, slamming the door behind

him. He was glad to have gotten out of the house before his mother made it downstairs.



She was sure to still have a hangover from the day before, and she would most likely

chuck things at him. Once, when Xander was young, he had tried desperately to get one

of his teeth to fall out so he could buy a necklace out of the bubble gum machines at the

store down the street. His mother had immediately called him gay for wanting a necklace.

He finally got a tooth out by force, and put it under his pillow. His mother had been

drinking that night so; she didn’t realize anything when she put a twenty-dollar bill under

his pillow instead of a one. With that money, Xander bought his first pet, a turtle called

Chesby.

Xander got into his 1958 red, Plymouth Fury. He had saved up the money he got

from his father’s life insurance, two years working at Peaca Mind, which was a pizzeria

ran by a group of retired hippies, and giving guitar lessons. He was proud of his version

of Christine. Another interesting thing about Xander, other than his obsession with

naming things, was his profound love for mystery novels. So, inspired by Stephen King,

he had bought his dream car.

Starting the car, Xander felt the engine purring through the steering wheel. He

looked at the new dashboard he had a mechanic install so that he could plug his IPod into

it. The clock read 7:49. There was basically ten minutes to get to school and, then to

Latin class. “Me Mordi means bite me.” Xander muttered, putting the car into drive. He

floored it, pushing fifty miles per hour. He was about a mile from school when he heard

an annoying sound. He couldn’t figure out what it was, but when he looked in the mirror

behind him, he groaned. “You’ll never catch me live coppers!” Sadly, lacking the

audacity this early in the morning for a high-speed chase, Xander pulled over to this side

of the road. The police officer pulled over, keeping the blue and red lights switched on.



When he looked, the person looked like someone Xander already knew. He tried to place

his face somewhere. The man was more of a boy; he had longish brown hair and bright

bluish-green eyes. He looked to be around the age of 16 though, that was hardly possible.

He arrived at Xander’s window and stared. The officer tapped on the window, and

Xander rolled it down slowly.

“Erm, how are you, officer?” Xander said with a bit more curiosity than

nervousness. The boyish policeman cleared his throat his face remaining like stone.

“You were speeding,” he said simply, cutting straight to the issue.

“Let’s say I wasn’t and this was all a daydream you had at the wheel… Wanna

hang later?” Xander chuckled quietly. The officer’s grin was more of a creepy, knowing

grimace. Xander tensed as the boy’s eyes narrowed. Thinking that that he was looking at

the cans on the floorboard, Xander stammered, “They’re just Monsters, I sw-“

The strange policeman cut him off, “I think we may have to take you into

custody.” He spoke slowly, his face radiating victory.

“Bullcr-“Xander started, as a vehicle pulled up behind the police car. The officer

turned towards the truck with surprise. He paused for a second, his cold eyes settling on

Xander again, sending chills down his neck.

“I’ll just have to let you off with a warning today, Xander Storm.” His voice was

harsh, but confident. He turned, stalking towards the car and the mystery vehicle.

Without further hesitation, Xander started his car back up and pulled off the

shoulder just in time to spot the police officer standing by a white van pointing at

Xander’s car with a disgusted expression. Xander shuddered, he didn’t know if it was the

actual guy that scared him or if it was the mere scrape with the law.



When he looked at the clock as he pulled into school, it was 8:25. Xander sighed,

running his hand through his hair. He sat there for a second, thinking that a few more

minutes wouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Suddenly, he had an epiphany

and, jumped out of the car. He grabbed his batman book bag, which contained his books

for first block, from the backseat. “Operation Ghostin’ In.” Xander said, cheekily to

himself. He crouched down behind his car, scurrying to the shrubs that lined the path to

the front entrance. Trying to remember where the cameras were, he ducked his way to the

outer wall of the school. He stayed down low against the cold brick wall while one of the

janitors passed on a tractor lawn mower. He finally reached a window that was propped

partially open and lowered his backpack to the floor inside. He slithered in himself,

landing squarely on his chucks. He lifted the bag from the floor and looked around. The

janitor’s cave was empty at the moment, so he tiptoed silently up the stairs to the hallway.

He peeked in the Latin classroom.

Because Xander’s seat was in the back, near the door, he figured that he could

sneak in without much trouble if the teacher was turned around. He saw the wrinkled

baldhead of the Latin teacher, Mr. Nales. Xander had given him the name, Whales as he

was an almost blind, chubby man. Easing the door open, he thought he was on the home

stretch. He was tiptoeing towards his desk while Mr. Whales was jabbering when

suddenly Xander was on the floor with a loud clatter. The class was roaring with laughter

as he looked up into the face of Joel Brennamin. The kid was pointing and snickering at

him as he, red-faced, pulled himself off the ground. He grabbed his back muttering, “Me

mordi,” once again.



Mr. Whales looked skeptically at Xander and spoke in his gruff voice, “What was

that Mr. Storm?”

“Me Mordi,” Xander spat, glaring at Joel and wiping the blood off of his lip. He

had collided with a chair leg on the way down.

Joel was your typical jock. His muscles were almost to the point of steroidal and

he had the tough, good looks that girls seemed to appreciate. Oddly enough, he played the

field, but never had a girlfriend.

“Xander, you did your homework!” Whale said, almost gushing with excitement.

“Homework?” Xander grunted sitting down in the familiar green and grey desk.

He felt the carvings he had made under his hands. A little penguin holding a fish bomb,

grinned up at him. The drawings made him feel a small sense of security.

“Yes, Mr. Storm. Research on the vampire legends of the olden days.” Mr.

Whales cut into Xander’s reverie.

“I know how to say other naughty things in Latin also,” Xander replied with a

smug grin. His comment made a few of the kids in the class giggle.

“Do you know how to say I love boys?” Joel countered viciously.

Xander glared at him, “How could I be gay? I don’t wrestle.”

Whales ignored the raucous comments, but continued with whatever babble he

had gone on about before the interruption. Xander was still happy that he had got away

with being late but, the only thing he knew for sure was that Joel was definitely on the

bucket list.



Because of the utter monotony of Latin Class, Xander was able to think about

some things. He had not been able to check his phone since he woke up that morning so;

he pulled it out from his pocket, happy to see that his white jeans had stayed clean.

‘At least something went right today,’ he thought to himself. His phone was

scratched up a bit but, it worked perfectly. He slid the phone, to find that there were three

messages. His heartbeat increased by a few beats.

The first one read:

Hey X! ^ 4 the lounge 2nite?

Sent: 8:03

From: Cbass

Xander had forgotten that the day was Thursday. He and his best friend Sebastian

played guitar and sang at the lounge in downtown Seattle on Thursday nights to make a

little extra cash. Sebastian was a wily little fellow. That was why he loved playing music

with him; he brought life the show. He quickly texted him back telling him yes and,

asking him if he’d heard from Sylvia. He looked at the next message.

I’m not sure, X... tlk 2 u n eco

Sent: 8:10

From: Sylvia(:

Xander bit his lip, at least everything wasn’t lost. He didn’t reply but, he sat there for a

moment, playing a dream back through his mind. He drifted off for a while. Then, the

Whale’s voice interrupted, “Xander, what’s the prefix for two?”

The Whale was always attuned to the times when Xander was paying the least

attention. His eyes darted to the board. Because he already knew the answer, he was just



looking to prove the age-old adage that Mr. Nales always gave you the answers. That was

why Xander was able to pass the class by sleeping.

“Di,” he said nonchalantly after indeed, finding it on the chalkboard.

“Ahh, very good!” Whales said, treating the answer as if it was the biggest

accomplishment he’d ever witnessed. Just then, the bell rang.

Jumping up, grabbing his bag and, stuffing his phone in his pocket, Xander was

careful not to trip over anything as he made his way out of the classroom. Traveling the

hallways, he met up with Sebastian. He was a small fry, three inches shorter than

Xander’s 5’9 and just as skinny. He had swishy auburn hair and yellowish eyes.

Sometimes, Xander made a habit of singing cat songs because of Sebastian’s striking

resemblance to felines.

“Cat, He’s a kitty cat. Dance, dance, dance.” Xander sang.

Sebastian’s face crinkled as he mock-hissed, “Well, this kitty is going to get your

tongue.” He stuck his own tongue out.

Xander said, “Oh hush, you will appreciate my mouth tonight when your voice

starts cracking from singing over all the booing.”

“Wait, wait… Booing? That’s more than a lie, its suicide!” When Sebastian said

suicide, several heads turned. All of their faces screamed, ‘You’re a freak.’

It was a tragedy that the boys were judged by their looks. There was enough of a

variety of people in the building that Xander, having his lip pierced and his hair a little bit

past his ears or Sebastian, having his ear gauged and them both wearing skinny jeans

should be a big deal. The gangster wannabes never got made fun of. Neither did the

cheerleaders who dressed so provocatively that they must be desperate. Besides, what one



person called ‘popular’ was completely different from what another thought. Xander

liked to think that the so-called ‘popular kids’ seemed miserable. They had to worry

about everything such as their reputation, looks, and what they said. Xander’s small

group of friends had good, genuine fun even if they were labeled as druggies and cutters.

They were goofy without having to look stupid because, they didn’t care what other

people thought. They knew the truth.

Xander laughed, “If that’s suicide, introduce me to holy matrimony.”

With a sly grins Sebastian joked, “With Sylvia? I’d take that. Mmm tasty.” He ran

his tongue over his lips.

“Dude, what happened to guy code?” Xander mocked the jocks.

“Well, seeing as I’m a cat, as you say, codes don’t apply to animals. And, man,

am I an animal!” Sebastian fake-roared.

They continued to carry on as they both switched their books out for Social

Studies. The bell rang just as they walked into the classroom. There was a substitute

standing at the desk so, automatically, the boys were thinking of pranks. A girl called

Monica, who was sort of their friend, contributed to the plan. Because of her innocent

appearance, she was able to convince the teacher’s tradition was to start class with a

debate.

Xander raised his hand, “Meaning of life?” He said, sending everyone into an

uproar. The class knew a stall when they heard one, and they successfully wasted all but

fifteen minutes of class when, the teacher broke down and ran out of the classroom. The

room was then, utterly silent, because they knew the principal would be coming soon.

Without a visible signal, kids got out their books and worked quietly. When Mr. Barnes



came into the room, he paused. His head cocked sideways with the confused look.

Sebastian shot Xander a thumbs-up signifying that he had a plan.

Sebastian snuffled, “Mr. Barnes, I was so scared. She was talking about bats

flying around and ghost haunting her house. Is she okay?” he paused, fake-wiping his

eyes. Monica caught on, whimpering along with him, and a few other kids joined in.

Mr. Barnes shook his head, “Poor kids,” he clucked, “I’ll make sure she’s taken

care of. You guys can handle yourselves until the bell rings, yes?” With that, he scurried

out into the hall.

“Gosh, he is so gullible,” Xander said, laughing loudly.

When the bell rang, Xander found it surprising that a few kids smiled at him and

Sebastian. For the moment, he wasn’t hated. Entering the lunchroom, Xander surveyed

his surroundings. People were goofing around; eating and some were just sitting by

themselves. Xander spotted Sylvia and froze. She was rather pale, with dark brown hair.

Her hair was layered and choppy. Her bright green eyes were highlighted with the few

freckles that dotted her cheeks. Xander thought she was beautiful, in a natural way, but

the makeup she wore made her that much better. That day she was wearing a bright green

sweatshirt, black skinnies, and a pair of pinstriped chuck Taylors. She was one of those

girls who could get along with whatever group she wanted to. She wasn’t popular but,

everyone knew her. She had a good sense of humor and knew when to be silly… Those

were all the things that Xander liked about the girl. They were friends but, he didn’t think

they could ever be more.

Xander put his head down, intending to avoid Sylvia until 3rd block. He went

through the lunch line, not taking a tray but, grabbing an apple. He went and sat down



with Sebastian and Monica. They were both babbling about going to the lounge that night

while Xander was stealing glances at Sylvia across the lunchroom, but he got pulled into

the conversation.

“Do you think I could play drums?” Monica asked twirling her blonde hair

through her fingers.

“No offence, but you don’t look the part.” Sebastian said, biting his lip.

“I think the most important question is, can you play?” Xander said, putting his

two-sense into the conversation.

“Of course I can play!” Monica whined.

Sebastian grimaced, “And, looks usually don’t matter but, you are a bit too prep

for a rock band.”

“We do really need some drums though,” Xander relented.

“Meet us at 6:30, Xander’s house? We’ll test you out.” Sebastian said through a

mouthful of mango. The juice ran down his chin.

“Is that good?” Monica said as Xander laughed.

“Yep, it made my day!” Sebastian replied.

Xander was having a good time, then he remembered about the last message he

hadn’t checked on his phone. He went to open his phone but was interrupted when he felt

a poke on his shoulder. He turned his head, searching for the adversary. He saw no one.

Then, he heard a light giggle, and he recognized the enemy in an instant. Turning, he saw

the dreaded Karen Joy. Xander shuddered inwardly. The girl was massive and her

attempt to be stylish was ruined by her dandruff problem, but Xander had always been



kind to her until she became a stalker. Karen giggled again, handing Xander a slip of

paper before lumbering away.

Xander gulped, “Should I read it?” He whispered. Pausing dramatically, he put

his hand on the note. He felt another hand on his back and was about to groan. Judging by

Sebastian’s elated expression; he determined it would be safe to turn around. When he

did so, he couldn’t help but grin stupidly which Sebastian kicked him for.

“Heyya guys, how are ya’ doing?” Sylvia sang.

“Great!” both Monica and Sebastian answered.

Xander patted the chair next to him and said, “Now, I’m good.” He smiled,

attempting to amuse her. He stuffed the note in his pocket and, Sylvia sat down, not

seeming to mind sitting next to strange company. She shook her head at Xander with a

small laugh. She proceeded to make small talk.

“What have you guys gotten into today?” she asked.

“Well, I had a run-in with a very creepy policeman today.” Xander said.

Sebastian’s eyes widened, “Say what?”

Xander continued to retell the story of the morning’s happenings, emphasizing the

eerie man. When he finished, his entire, little group had astonished faces except for

Sylvia. Xander shot her a questioning look. ‘Later,’ she mouthed.

“That is so creepy!” Monica gushed.

Xander nodded, “Well, I have to go to my locker so; I’ll leave you two to duck it

out about tonight.” He rose from the table and glanced at Sylvia.

“I have to be going to check the library, chao!” she said sweetly. Sebastian raised

his eyebrows at Xander, and turned, continuing to talk with Monica.



In the hallway, Sylvia looked at Xander, her eyes were curious. “How about

this?” she said, pausing but not expecting an answer. Xander’s breathing slowed,

expecting her to say something horrible. “I’ll go to prom with you if you’ll take me on a

date first.” She finished.

Xander had to hold back from celebrating. Instead he said slyly, “Can you shake a

tambourine?”

“What?!” Sylvia said, her mouth falling open.

“You know, play the tambourine...” Xander explained.

“Have you ever heard my tambourine skills? I can sing so much better.” Sylvia

grinned.

“Oh really? We might have to take you up on that offer.” Xander said. “So, 6:30

my house? Sebastian and I have to test out Monica; so, you can come along for the ride.

Maybe we could go out for a late dinner after The Lounge?” Xander was so estatic that it

was Thursday and his mother wasn’t going to be home.

“That would be great!” Sylvia said. She started to say something else but, the bell

rang and the halls were crowded with people. Xander, unafraid of being heard, yelled in

excitement. He stopped at his locker, grabbing the books for Economics. He noticed a

note in his locker but, he didn’t grab it. Whatever it was, it could wait.

Economics passed in bliss. Xander and Sylvia carried on a whispered

conversation through class. It was set; Sylvia was even coming a little earlier to help him

make some food. He was beyond happy, he completely forgot about the police officer

incident. After being dismissed from his fourth block music class, he would have skipped

to his car if he wouldn’t have been accused of being homosexual again. He drove home



without interruption this time. When he parked his car, he saw another note on his

passenger seat. “Sheesh, someone loves me today.” Xander said. He picked it up,

stashing it in his pocket. He didn’t have time to read it now; he had to somehow make his

house presentable before 5:30.

Xander started in the kitchen, picking up bottles, dishes, and wiping countertops.

He sang songs to himself ranging from The Beatles to Framing Hanley. He moved

through the rest of the house, picking up here and there. He got to his room. He didn’t

think that anyone would be in it tonight. ‘If someone was, I’d be extremely lucky.’

Xander thought. Noticing the window open, he froze. Looking around, he realized no one

was there. He calmed down a bit, shut the window, and began cleaning the floor of

clothes. He changed from his teeshirt to a bright teal v-neck and checked the mirror to

make sure his hair was okay. He changed his plain, silver lip ring to a teal and black

striped one. He stopped short when he saw three letters painted on the bottom of his

mirror, ‘I C U.’ Xander stepped back, looking around wildly. Had someone been in his

house? He stared at the writing again. The letters were sort of like his mother’s scrawled

handwriting. Xander finally took a breath. “God, my mother is sadistic,” he said to

himself. He paused for a second, calming himself down again before, quickly spraying

down the house with Febreeze to drown out the smoky smell.

Finally satisfied, Xander opened up the closet in his living room. He looked over

the equipment he stored in there. It took him a moment but, he decided to drag out the old

drum set, his guitar, two amps, and two microphones. All of the music things he had were

an accumulation of Sebastian and his things, scouring garage sales, and working hard.

Since the boys were in fifth grade, they had been interested in music. They had taught



themselves to play together in the very same living room. Really, everything that they

owned or did was a result of hard work. Reminded of work, Xander walked to the

basement where the washer and dryer were and put his tie-dye Peaca Mind work shirt in

the dryer. Done with all the work, Xander went back to the living room and decided to

lay down for a bit.

About twenty minutes later, just as Xander was dosing off on the lumpy, blue

couch, there was a knock at the door. Still half asleep, Xander grunted and picked himself

up off the couch. He stumbled to the door, tugging it open. Standing there was Sylvia,

wearing black skinny jeans, and a yellow shirt with a bright pink dinosaur on it. She

looked good, even in the simplest of things. Xander grinned sheepishly, “Well, hello

there.” He leaned against the doorjamb, putting his hands in his pockets. She grinned, her

eyes shining mischievously through her bangs that were swooped across her face. She

held her arms out, cocking her head to the side. Xander stepped forward and they

embraced for a small second in which Xander inhaled Sylvia’s peachy scent. He gestured

into the house, “After you, Madam.” He said with chivalry.

She grinned, “Well, thank you kind sir.” She curtsied, acting goofy and, danced

into the house. Xander took a moment, breathing in the fresh air and watching her ride

drive down the street. He turned his back, not noticing the white van that followed the

car. Xander stepped in the door, pulling it behind him.

He walked into the living room. Not seeing or hearing Sylvia, Xander’s breath

caught. ‘What if someone is here…? The window was open.’ He thought frantically. He

ran his fingers through his hair, turning to walk down the hall when someone jumped at

him from the side. He was tackled to the ground. Frozen in fear, he looked for a weapon.



In a split second, he looked at the assailant. Meeting familiar green eyes with his own

turquoise ones, he let out a breathy laugh. Sylvia poked him before offering him a hand

up, “Scared ya didn’t I?” She said, winking.

“Heck yes, I thought I was going to die!” Xander said as he stood up.

“You’re overreacting. I wouldn’t kill you,” she flashed a devious smile. “Just

yet.” She finished.

“Ha-ha, very funny.” Xander stuck his tongue out, hiding the fact that he was still

a bit shaky from the ‘near death experience.’

“So, what’re we making for snacks?” Sylvia asked, following Xander to the

kitchen.

Xander turned, raising his eyebrow. ‘Gosh, she’s beautiful.’ He thought. Never in

his life had he expected for this to happen, a date with a pretty girl that was also his type.

He hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly either. Boosted with a bit of confidence he

replied, “Whatever you’re in the mood for, babe.”

Sylvia raised an eyebrow right back at him,” Getting a bit cocky, eh?”

Xander laughed “I’m sorry. And, how about crab chip sandwiches, and fruit dip?”

“That actually sounds weird…” Sylvia said, with a drifting expression. “But,

oddly amazing.”

“Well,” Xander clapped his hands together. “We don’t have to start just yet.”

“What have you got in mind, Xander Rae?” Sylvia said, slightly wary.

He grinned slightly, “You wanna see my chinchilla, Sylvia Elaine?”

“By chinchilla do you mean…?” Sylvia stopped, suddenly aware of how close

they were.



Without another hesitation, Xander ducked into the living room and went to the

cage in the corner. “Ch-ch-chia!” he sang for the second time that day. Pulling out the

little mouse, rabbit, squirrel type animal, he hugged it gently to his chest when he noticed

the bright red X painted on his back. Xander froze. ‘What is this, mess up Xander’s life

day?’ His first thought was his mom playing tricks on him again. He grabbed a napkin

that was lying on the coffee table, spit on it and wiped the marks from Chia’s fur

gently ,but seething with anger.

Sylvia walked up behind him. “Awww, he’s so adorable.” She cooed. “Can I hold

him?”

“Her... Her name’s Chia.” He said shortly. Realizing that it wasn’t Sylvia’s fault

his mom was out to get him, he chuckled. “Keep your mind above your belt, kid. What

did you think I meant by chinchilla?”

“Well, I don’t really know.” Sylvia playfully poked Xander in the side, causing

him to jump. He looked at her, before cautiously handing Chia over. Chia chattered

softly, snuggling up to Sylvia. Her pinkish eyes blinked sleepily.

“Is she really albino?” Sylvia asked, stroking the animal’s fur.

“That would be cool, wouldn’t it? If she was albino she would start squealing if

daylight reached her.” Xander explained as he cleaned the cage quickly. He emptied the

litter down into a trash bag and put down new sawdust in the bottom of the cage. Sylvia

watched him with intent.

“Ch-ch Chia!” Xander sang again, signifying that it was time to eat. Chia stood up

in Sylvia’s arms, causing Sylvia to jump. Chia climbed carefully down Sylvia’s leg and

skittered through the entrance of her cage. Xander patted her soft, white fur and poured



another scoop of feed in the bowl. He latched the cage closed for fear of his mother

defiling the poor creature again.

Sylvia looked at him, her eyes were shining. “You really do love her don’t you?”

“Yes ma’am I do.” Xander flipped on the heating pad underneath of the cage. He

also turned on his stereo, turning to grin at Sylvia. For the next half an hour they worked

on making the snacks, ending up with cream cheese on both of their faces and laughs all

around. Soon, Sebastian and Monica arrived.

Monica came bounding through the door and all that Xander could do was stop

and say, “Wow!” Sebastian must have given her some tips for she was wearing bright

purple skinny jeans and a plain black shirt. Her normally bleach blonde hair had a purple

and black coon stripe in it. Her eyes were done in the typical raccoon look. The thing

Xander noticed was Sebastian’s arm around her. Sebastian met his eyes, winking. Xander

averted his eyes, grinning, as Sylvia and Monica hugged as girls do.

Sebastian took his bright yellow guitar off of his back and said “Shall we begin?”

Monica cheered and went to the drums. She picked up the sticks, frowning for a

moment. Then, she launched into the drum part of Paradise City by Guns N’ Roses.

Xander cocked his head to the side and pursed his lips as if to say, ‘not bad.’ Sylvia took

pursuit, picking up a microphone, turning it on, and joining in on the chorus her voice

ringing strong and beautiful even on such a song. “Take me down to the Paradise City,”

she sang.

Xander picked up his own aquamarine guitar and started the complicated riffs that

made up his song. Sebastian started playing second guitar. Everything seemed to fall

together perfectly especially when Sebastian joined in with vocals. They played through



Misery Business by Paramore, Paralyzer by Finger Eleven, and a few others. Twenty

minutes passed in bliss, the music was truly amazing. Xander was sure that The Lounge

would be astounded. The small group of kids talked and ate until it was almost time to

pack up.

“Like the food?” Xander nudged Sylvia.

She licked her finger demurely, “I think it tasted better before I wiped it on your

face.”

Xander grinned, “I’ll agree to that.” That sent them laughing which made Monica

and Sebastian glance at them oddly. Looking at Sebastian, Xander was reminded of

something. “Hey, Kitty cat, where’s your brother?” he asked.

Sebastian’s little brother Aaron, who was thirteen, usually tagged along. He was

actually rather helpful; his tech skills worked wonders for their shows.

Sebastian pointed at the door, “He’s out in the car… I believe he said something

about a new stereo system in the van.”

“Oh gosh, no explos-“Xander was cut off by a loud shattering noise from outside.

“Aw, crap!” Sebastian said, pausing for a moment. When he didn’t hear Aaron

clambering in the house, his face changed. He dashed for the front door with Xander

following close behind.

Arriving at the passenger side window of the bright blue van, all Xander could see

was red. Sebastian yanked the van door open and sucked in a breath. The upholstery was

splattered with startling red splotches. Sebastian had already backed away, basically

hyperventilating. Xander stared in the van, where the young boy was slumped over the

steering wheel. His dark curly hair was soaked in blood. Xander didn’t see the normal,



rise and fall of the boy’s chest but, to make sure he was gone, Xander leaned across the

seat. All of his squeamishness of blood seemed to disappear. He put his hand on the

boy’s, neck and because he was closer, Xander saw the hole in Aaron’s head. He froze; it

hadn’t been an explosion. Someone shot him!

Xander immediately pulled his head up, just as something whizzed by his head,

slamming into the open passenger door behind him. Xander gasped, dropping to the

ground. Another of what he guessed were bullets, bounced off the ground right beside

him. Sebastian screamed, which threw Xander into overdrive. He immediately thought

the worst. Not having a real clue of where the shooting was coming from, Xander reacted

as a rabbit does when hunting dogs come. The air seemed harsh, but pumping adrenaline,

Xander got in a crouch, darting for Sebastian. He skidded, squealing loudly. He didn’t

know what damage had occurred to Sebastian so; he hoisted the boy up over his shoulder

and took off for the seemingly mile long dash for the door. Sylvia held the door wide

open; despite her desperate look of fear. Xander saw the dirt in front of him kick up again

which he now knew was someone shooting at him. He barreled through the door,

dumping Sebastian on the floor. Sylvia slammed the door closed and dead bolted it.

Xander collapsed on the floor, breathing hard.

Sylvia gulped, “What the heck was that?”

Monica whimpered along with her, “People are shooting at you?”

Sebastian lay on the floor, perfectly still with his eyes glassed over. Xander

glanced at him and didn’t spot any spreading blood. He didn’t have a clue what to do. He

looked at the girls’ faces and saw that they were just as frightened as he was. With

Sebastian out of the play, Xander knew he had to take some charge.



“Monica… Stay away from the front of the windows, but close all of the blinds on

this floor. If you can manage it, go upstairs and see if you can spot any suspicious activity

but, be careful.” He spoke swiftly, watching her scurry off into the living room.

“Sylvia, call the police and tell them we have one down. You know my address?”

Sylvia nodded, heading for the kitchen with her cell phone. Xander turned back to

Sebastian and leaned closer to him. He noticed the tear in the sleeve of Sebastian’s jacket.

It was singed black and ragged but, there was no blood seeping from the rip. Xander

breathed a sigh of relief. He sat down beside Sebastian, “Come on, kid. You got to pull

through for me… for Aaron.” Xander said, putting his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder.

Sebastian seemed to blink for the first time in the past five minutes. He cleared his

throat, “I’mma kill ‘em.” He said, raspily.

“That’s the spirit!” Xander said; glad to have his friend back on board.

“Yeah, man. Do you have a pair of jeans I can borrow?” Sebastian said, looking

down, his pinks turning a tad pink.

“Sure… you know where my dresser is. Mi casa es tu casa. Stay away from the

windows.” Xander said, noticing the wet spot on Sebastian’s pants. The cat-like boy got

up cautiously, making his way towards the stairs. Xander picked himself off the floor. He

brushed the dirt off of his knees but couldn’t remove the red smear on his thigh. He

frowned, and moved toward the kitchen where Sylvia should have been talking to the

police. When he entered the room, she was holding her cell phone, tears sliding down her

cheeks. Wordlessly, she handed the phone to Xander. There was a single message,

1 V 4 2 go

Not stopping till 0



Ull all b gone morning @ 9

Cops wnt help this time

Sent: 7:10 PM

From: 911

Xander looked at Sylvia, his heart beating nervously. “What the heck does that

mean? This time?”

“I don’t know!” Sylvia cried. Xander, having already steeled himself to the

situation, asked calmly this time, “Did you try to call the cops anyway?”

Sylvia gulped,” Yeah, it says the number is forbidden by account holder. Like my

dad blocked it or something?

“That’s beyond weird,” he replied quietly.

“What about that weirdo police officer that pulled you over this morning? Do you

think it’s him?” Sylvia asked, causing a light bulb to snap on simultaneously.

“That could be possible although, what would his motive be for all of us?”

Xander was just brainstorming aloud. He handed Sylvia’s phone back to her. “Tell me if

you get anything else, please.” She nodded, seeming to harden to the situation just as he

had. Xander pulled his own phone out, noticing the spider webbed crack situated on the

screen that had not been present before. He saw, along with a message he had forgotten to

read earlier, there were two others. He opened the message from earlier first and his heart

rate dropped.

We will be watching you

Sent: 8:12 A.M.

From:527-3626



He thumbed to the next message hoping good news would follow,

Don’t go outside. Do not open the door.

Sent: 6:45 P.M

From: -

“God,” he whispered, running his hand through his hair. The time had

been 10 minutes ago, before their lives had been threatened. He clicked to the final

message.

“2”day get thinking

Way out there

You meet it

There at the place

Watch Maple Leaves

Through Valley, bright

Sent: 7:09

From: -

Xander dropped his phone, in disgust. “What are they doing now? Writing

me love poems?” he sneered.

As Monica returned from the mission Xander had sent her on, Sylvia looked at

Xander with a confused expression. Seeing the phone laying on the floor, Monica

stooped down, picking the device up. Sebastian also chose to show himself at that

moment, wearing fresh clothes. His eyes were red and puffy, but he was alive.



Xander nodded to him and said to Monica, “Read those aloud to them, please?”

Monica nodded, flipping Xander’s phone up. She read the three mysterious text messages

and Sylvia read hers also. When everything was silent, Monica stood chewing her lip.

“Anyone make sense of this?” Xander asked.

Sebastian blinked, “Well, there are at least two different people, seeing as

the message on Sylvia’s phone is all slangy and the others aren’t.”

Sylvia said, “The second message of yours, Xander, seems like the person

is sorta on our side?”

Xander took a moment to contemplate, “Yeah, but who the heck could

these people be?”

Monica said quietly, her chin sort of quivering. “It’s in code…”

“Why do they want to kill us?” Sylvia said, obviously not hearing Monica.

Xander looked over to Monica whose mascara was slightly smeared.

“What did you say?”

She gulped looking a tad frightened. “I-I’m not sure, b-but it sort of seems like a code of

some sort?” Monica scanned the poem once again, scrutinizing the words.

Xander looked at her, “You have any experience with codes?”

Monica nodded slowly, “My mother and I used to do them all the time before she

left.” Sebastian put his arm around her, comforting his self and her. Sylvia was still

staring at the ground, wringing her hands.

Xander was secretly putting together his troop and looking for each person’s skills. One

thing his father taught him before he left for war was to never back down. He had already

promised himself and Aaron that he would get revenge. It was personal now.



Xander looked at Sebastian who was wily but, small. He had the same brains and

interests as his little brother had. He liked electronics and therefore explosives. Sebastian

had from the age of 10, when Xander met him, been making homemade bombs in his

backyard. Aaron was seven when Sebastian had successfully blown up a toad. That

moment had sparked Aaron’s interest, which subsequently ended in his death. Sebastian’s

strength had become Aaron’s downfall. Such was life.

Xander, tired of thinking negative, surveyed the girls. He didn’t know as much

about them as he did Sebastian but, he could pick up a few things. Monica, who was

gazing at the phone, seemed to be a thinker. He didn’t know if her skills at codes were

true, but she was sure trying her hardest. Even though he could tell she was frightened

beyond her own wits, she hadn’t collapsed or given up yet. That was admirable.

Xander tried to look at Sylvia and assess her fairly. He couldn’t help noticing how

she looked beautiful even with her hair messed up from running her fingers through it. He

thought back to how Sylvia had been able to sneak up on him so easily. He hadn’t heard

her or seen her, and stealth would definitely be useful. Finished with assembling his

crew, he looked back at Monica.

“Alright, Monica. Can you stay and work on that?”

Monica looked up, “Where are you going?”

“Just around the house. Don’t worry, we wouldn’t leave you.” Xander said

quickly, watching as Monica took a seat. “Guys, I have a feeling that we need to get out

of here, and fast. So, Sylvia, my mom’s room is on the left at the top of the stairs.”

Xander paused, regaining his thoughts but allowing enough time for Sylvia to interject

mischievously.



“You trying to get me in bed, Xander Storm? That’s a crummy way to do it.” The

comment was rewarded with a few nervous chuckles.

Xander grinned dashingly, “Not this time, what I want you to do is pack a bag for

you and Sylvia. My mother is about your guy’s size and, she doesn’t dress like an old

lady. Get enough supplies, clothes and stuff for at least two days. The bathroom is on the

right further down the hall. Grab some T-P and toothbrushes. Whatever you ladies need.

You’ve got five minutes.”

Sylvia looked down for a moment. “I tried to call my mom, but she didn’t

answer.”

“I called my parent too.” Sebastian said and Monica nodded in agreement.

Xander sucked in a breath, “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. Let’s just worry

about getting ourselves out of here.” Sylvia nodded and started towards the stairs. Xander

watched her go until Sebastian nudged him out of his stupor. Xander clapped his hands

together, “Alright, Sebastian, you’ve got to do the same for us. Pack and grab some

blankets too.” Sebastian raised an eyebrow, which prompted Xander to sock him in the

shoulder.

Sebastian went to work which left Xander standing in the kitchen and Monica

scribbling on a napkin. ‘Money,’ Xander thought. ‘We’re going to need that.’

Xander left the kitchen, heading towards the laundry room. He looked around

quickly before descending the stairs to the basement. Once there, he reached for a red and

blue striped bag. There were ancient wooden clothespins inside of it. He dug down to the

bottom of the bag, pulling out a tiny key. He kissed the key, raising it up to the overhead

light. “Hallelujah, dad!” he said



Xander turned, putting his back against the dryer. Grunting, he shoved the heavy

machine just a foot from the wall. He leaned in behind the dryer, putting the key into a

tiny crevice in the wall. Xander placed his hand on the wall and pushed it up then, to the

left. A small panel of wall slid away to show a dark, tunnel type crawlspace. Xander

pocketed the key, and shimmied eight feet through the blackness. With only a slight fear

of claustrophobia, Xander dropped out of the tunnel onto a pillow which was placed at

the bottom of the chute. He stood up quickly, flicking a switch. He blinked a few times,

adjusting himself to the light emitted from the bare light bulb hanging above.

The room was ten by eight, but stood only 6 feet tall. Three walls were plastered

with posters, medals and badges from the army. The other wall was a built in shelf that

held enough non-perishable food items to last a year. A small bed and toilet were

crowded into the tiny place. Xander scratched his head, trying to remember where things

were. His father had been paranoid. Having been in the army five years, his dad had built

the house on the outskirts of Seattle when Xander was six. He had been terrified of

nuclear war, thus he designed an exclusive bomb shelter. Xander’s had shown him where

the place was just before he left. Xander had been almost eight.

Xander tried to hold his breath because of the foul air. The only ventilation in the

room was four pipes delved deeply through the hard, concrete floor. Picking his way

along the wall, he ran his hand over a picture of his father. His dad’s lithe body and

strong jaw were present in his own physique. Xander grinned, “ Going to make ya proud,

dad.”

Having wasted enough time already, Xander ducked over to the cot, flipping the

mattress over. He pulled a pale, white string, unstitching the back of the mattress. Placing



his hand inside, but avoiding the stuffing, Xander extracted not one but, two rolls of

money. The first was about $500 dollars worth of tens and twenties. The second one was

pretty thick and he saw $100 on the outside. He left the remaining three rolls in the

mattress, and pulled another string to conceal it. Flipping the mattress back over, he set

the rolls of money on top. Nervously inhaling, Sebastian turned toward the opposite wall.

He knelt next to the toilet. He removed the lid and peered inside. There were two airtight

plastic bags settled on a small plastic shelf which was fastened to the inside of the toilet.

Xander lifted them from their watery grave. Once he returned the lid on top of the toilet,

he grabbed the money from the bed and put it in one of the bags. He flicked another

switch on the wall and watched with awe as a portion of the wall slid away to reveal a

honed collection of knives. Xander felt a sudden malicious twinge; he shook his head of

the thoughts coursing through his head. He unlatched a sharp, stainless steel Buck knife

for each of his comrades. He grabbed a Swiss army knife also and stuffed it in his pocket.

He jammed all of the knives into a sheath of their own, threw everything into the plastic

bags, and flicked the switches down.

Entering the kitchen, Xander found his little squad crowded around the table. Two

small duffel bags were settled on the floor along with two plastic bags with various junk

food stuffed in them. Knowing Sebastian, Xander thought that he was the culprit behind

the food. He smirked slightly, and walked over beside Sylvia, plopping the bags down on

the table.

“What have we here?” Sylvia mused, looking up at Xander.

Xander raised a brow, “Defense, Hun.”

Sebastian snickered, “What’d you do? Pull out the old paint ball guns?”



Grinning slightly, he said, “Nah, I don’t play sissy.” He rustled the bag, pulling

out a polished Colt 45 9mm in a sleek, belt holster. The gun was cold in his hand, making

him cringe. He felt the tragic possibilities that could come with a twitch of the finger.

Sebastian put his hands on the table, his face sort of shocked.

Sylvia looked up at Xander, “You aren’t planning on using that on someone, are

you?” Monica also looked up, putting the phone down.

“Nope,” Xander pushed the weapon across the table. “Sebastian is.”

Sebastian’s eyes widened drastically. “Whoa man, I mean, I used to shoot

with my parents when they were here, but…”

Xander was busy pulling out his own weapon a 9mm Glock. He slipped on his

black, Avenged Sevenfold sweatshirt which was conveniently there on the kitchen table.

He put the weapon in his pocket.

Sylvia said almost shyly, “What about us? What do we do for protection?”

Sebastian started laughing, “That’s what she said.”

Sylvia kicked him under the table, but had a grin on her face.

“Oh,” Xander grinned,” I gotcha covered.”

“Oh, yeah?” Monica interrupted, blinking seductively towards Sebastian. “I’ve

got this puzzle figured out. We’ve got to-“

At that moment, their world was interrupted with what could only be described as

a misfortunate event. There was blinding white, a concussion, and nothing more.

Sand surrounded him, and his dusty helmet was rendered useless by the simple

fact that there were no opposing soldiers out in the middle of the desert. Xander looked

at the sky and gasped in surprise when it was missing. He gazed for a while longer and



was content for the moment to remain still. He thought briefly of his friends and why they

weren’t standing around him. Trying hard to keep his focus, Xander returned his view to

his surroundings. In front of him were two tombstones half buried in the red sand, but

they were the only things around for miles other than sand. Xander stumbled forward

towards the tombstones. He wondered why he couldn’t feel his feet, but was distracted by

the fact that the white sky was turning a light grey and quickly fading towards black.

Xander found his breath becoming shallow and his feet sunk into the sand. He couldn’t

feel if the sand was hot, but he didn’t feel the heat that was usually reflected.

Xander lurched forward and saw that there were not two tombstones; there were

five. Xander neared the first one gasping for breath and fell face first into the dirt. He

spat out the gritty sand before turning his head slowly towards the tombstone. The rough

grey stone was only slightly aged. His throat was becoming raspy as it got harder to

breathe and he felt a peculiar prickling in his legs which made him glance back. Among

other creatures, were large, apparently carnivorous beetles chomping their way up his

legs. Their beady, green eyes glared at him maliciously as their pincers continued to

work speedily at his skin. They had already devoured his leg up to his knee with

ferocious appetites. His illusion of sinking into the sand had been horribly mistaken.

Then, as Xander turned toward the tombstone once again, he felt the soft tickles

on his stomach like a gentle caress. If they weren’t man-eating beetles, it would’ve have

been almost nice. His vision was turning as black as the sky was. ‘If this is how dying

feels, I like it.’ He thought almost contentedly. With one last effort, he surveyed the

tombstones, finding them blank. Xander felt himself fading out. His last thought was of

his dad, ‘Why aren’t you saving me? Daddy, Where are you?’



Hearing a small groan to his left, Sebastian’s eyelids fluttered open. His own

ginger hair swept across his face blocked his vision and he could feel the cold tile

underneath his cheek. He breathed deeply, tasting smoke on his lips. Slowly, his pushed

himself up from the floor and found himself eye to eye with Sylvia. Her bright green

eyes, which seemed cloudy, met his fierce yellow eyes. Her freckles stood out even

darker on her pale skin. She was sprawled on the floor too and had her arm pinned under

her. She used her other arm to wipe her nose which had a slight amount of blood sliding

down. “Ugh,” she said, pushing herself off of the ground.

Sebastian blinked again; he had no idea what was happening. The room that was

once the kitchen was now covered in dust and woodchips. The slight haze that still

remained around the light bulb above told Sebastian that something had indeed exploded,

and not long before he had awoken. He rubbed his head, because of his slight dizziness

which was probably from banging his head off of the ground. Sebastian racked his brain

to find out what happened. At that moment, he noticed the microwave, or what was once

the microwave was melted down on the counter. Sebastian would have thought that the

explosion was only a result of faulty wiring, but due to the vicious effect, he knew

different.

Sylvia, who had already regained her composure, had a horrified look on her face.

Even though Sebastian figured out the cause of the danger, he had forgotten the most

important thing which was looking out for his friends. Sylvia was crouched over Xander

who was lying against the wall. Due to the large lump on his head, Sebastian made the

assumption that he was simply knocked out. Monica had suffered the same fate. Sylvia



looked up at Sebastian, with a somber look on her face. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

She said in a harsh whisper.

“I’ll say we do…” Sebastian agreed, but stood still for a moment, contemplating

the consequences. “Where do we go and how do we get passed the sniper who we can’t

seem to find?”

Sylvia looked at him with hurt eyes. Her lip quivered a bit, “Run for it?”

Sebastian glanced at his two friends lying on the ground unconscious. “Erm, we

can’t leave them.”

“Doesn’t Xander have a garage?” Sylvia said, her spirits seeming to uplift a bit.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, ‘Oh, so she wants to be alone with me now,’ he

thought, using the innuendos for relief. He wiped his mind of the thoughts, intending to

focus on the present situation “Yeah, his mom’s minivan and the old cavalier are sitting

in there.”

Sylvia nodded, “Do you think the minivan has gas in it? We could just load up

and make a break for it.”

Sebastian stared at her then, broke out into a sly grin his yellow eyes glinting. “I

have a better idea.”

Fifteen minutes later, Sebastian was sitting in the driver’s seat of the cavalier. His

hands smelled slightly of gasoline and Monica was lying in the back seat, strapped in by

the middle. She was still out and, Sebastian turned around once more. He looked at her

peaceful face, and brushed her hair out of her face. He smiled slightly, but was startled, as

there was a knocking on his window. He turned to find Sylvia grinning at him. He rolled

the window down and with a slight smirk he said, “Yes, darling?”



Sylvia’s green eyes glimmered, “Oh shush, “she said, taking a pretend swing at

him. Then, she jammed a bag into the window which plopped on Sebastian’s lap. “You

know,” she said, tilting her head to the side, “Just in case we don’t make it.”

Right then, Sebastian did something completely unexpected. He tilted his head up

to Sylvia’s and, touched his lips to her cheek. He pulled back, with a sly grin on his face.

Sylvia looked truly shocked, and her face went grave. “Never again, kid.” She turned on

her feet and headed around the minivan.

Sebastian shook his head, hair once again brushed in front of his face. He gripped

the steering wheel and as he heard the van’s door slam, pushed the button on the garage

door remote. He gripped the steering wheel, urging in his mind for the door to go quicker.

With one last deep breath, he jammed on the accelerator.



Part 2



As Sylvia situated herself in the car, she muttered to herself. “What was he

thinking? He’s Xander’s best friend.” Then, she heard the garage door rumbling. Her

knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. She was worried about their half-baked

plan. Whoever the people who were after them were, had to be at least semi-intelligent to

rig up a microwave to blow up by the clock on it. The only thing she knew is that either

they were terrible shots, or the horrible people didn’t want them dead. She hoped it was a

mixture of both. Sylvia was bothered by the repetitive sound of Xander’s deep breathing

though she was happy he was alive. Monica and Xander had both been closest to the

explosion.

Sylvia leaned forward to switch on the radio on. She almost jumped out of her

seat when ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ started to play over the radio. Her heart rate spiked

and she leaned forward to switch the station. The next song that blared over the speakers

was ‘I’m Gonna Getcha Good’. Sylvia cringed, “What’s with these idiots?” She yelled at

the radio. She looked at the clock, seeing that the time was close enough to two minutes

from Sebastian’s departure. She hadn’t heard any gunshots although when Xander and

Sebastian were shot at earlier, she had been deaf to the happenings also. With a last look

over her shoulder, she eased the car forward out of the garage.

Peeling out of the drive way, she turned to the left. Her eyes flicked nervously to

the rearview mirror. She didn’t see anything in the back of the window, but that didn’t

improve her shaking. Seeing as the house was off of a main route, but completely

surrounded by pastures and fields, there was a lot of ground to cover before she could be

completely safe. Neither Sebastian nor Xander knew where the snipers were hidden

therefore, the risk was eminent. Without Xander to guide her, Sylvia found herself



swerving as if she would when running to dodge a bullet. She hunched low over the

wheel, only letting the top of her head peek over the van’s dashboard. The road was

oddly deserted which made things worse. Seeing the first turn off, Sylvia took it,

knowing that she would have to turn again soon. She thought keeping things random

would help evade any attackers. Feeling that she was well out of shooting range, she sat

against the back of the seat. The back of her neon yellow shirt was now drenched in

sweat and stuck slightly to the vinyl seats. Her mind wandered back to a memory when

she was a child.

The dark night sky stretched forever and the air was saturated in the smell of

blood. Familiar, strong hands surrounded her, protecting her. Deafening reports echoed

around, and then all she knew was darkness. She found herself huddled in the back of a

truck, the only person she knew alive, driving. Maneuvering the bulky vehicle with deft

and ease. Eluding pursuit and pursuing their own destinies

Snapping out of her flashback, Sylvia’s eyes darted to the mirror. Driving along at

an obvious pursuit distance was a black and gold car. A police car.

SEBASTIAN

Tires squealed as Sebastian whipped the wheel around in the car. He took a sharp

right turn; the smell of burning rubber tainted the street. Immediately he heard something

rip through the side of the car. He jerked the wheel instinctively before seeing the sparks

fly from a telephone pole beside the purple cavalier. The car tipped precariously on two

wheels before Sebastian righted it and gassed the car. He heard two more shots hit the

house and one shatter the rear driver’s side window. Sebastian turned his head to the left,

keeping one hand on the wheel while the other groped for the Colt45 in the passenger



seat. He flicked his hair out of his face once again, as his cat-like eyes searched the trees

across the street from Xander’s house. Taking in minute details in mere seconds,

Sebastian placed the gun in his lap, and rolled the window down a few inches while

driving. Stomping on the brake, he pulled the gun up and clicked the safety. He felt the

steel, cold in his hand. He breathed in as he squeezed the trigger, once, then a second

time. The car lurched forward, quickly reaching 20 MPH and still climbing. As he

rounded a turn, he looked in the mirror in time enough to see a man in camouflage falling

from an oak.

Sebastian grimaced before whispering to himself in a shaky voice, no more

capable of song,

‘Don't get too gay in Botany Bay,

Or else you'll surely hang.

Or else you'll surely hang," says he.

"And after that, Jim Jones,

It's high above on the gallows tree

The crows will pick your bones.’

Sebastian cocked his head to the side, as he heard rustling in the back seat, he

pulled up his gun, his heart beating rapidly. He clicked back the safety without looking.

“Don’t shoot… please, I didn’t do anything wrong.” Came the groggy voice from

the back seat.

“Monica?” Sebastian let out his stale breath, “Oh crap, I’m sorry..” He put the gun

down in his lap.



“Turn around.” Monica said, with more life. She was leaning up into the front of

the car, her hair slightly mussed up and mascara smeared quite a bit.

“Monica, I just killed a… killed a man.” His hands started shaking all over again.

“I know, kitty.. but we need to solve this stuff, whatever it is… plus we’re going

the wrong way.” She said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He sighed, but slowed the car and did a u-turn. Monica rested her head on his

shoulder.

“And god, where can we find some Advil?” she muttered crossly.

They pulled over to the side of the road near to where the tree was. Monica was

shaking as well as Sebastian.

“Do you want me to go?” Monica said, knowing that Sebastian was a wreck over

this.

“No ma’am.” He said with a forced, but sly grin. “I won’t have my lady messing

with dead things.”

Monica grinned softly, and lay back against the seat as Sebastian opened the car

door and stepped out onto the road. He took a few steps around the car, looking around

cautiously. He gripped the gun by his side and continued through the leaves towards the

tree where the man was. As he neared it, he saw…. absolutely nothing. He took off

running towards the tree; his heart was beating erratically once again. He turned his head

frantically from side to side. He made sure the tree was the right one and once he was

right under it, he noticed a small piece of paper lying beside a crimson stain on the

ground. He bent down, picking it up. His face went blank. Turning, to shuffle back to the

car, he kicked a bright green object out of the leaves. It was a wallet. He bent down to



look at it closer. It was a fox racing wallet, not uncommon at the area’s mall. Removing it

from the ground, he opened it. The driver’s license… It was all he could do not to

scream.

Sebastian heard Monica calling distantly. He felt numb; his eyes were still glued

to the wallet shaking in his hands. He closed it slowly, and jammed the wallet in his

pockets. Stiffly, he turned towards the car, his hand remained in his pocket as if he was

frightened that it would pull a vanishing act. He stumbled to the car, with his eyes glued

to the ground. Fumbling with the car door handle, Sebastian sat down and pulled the door

shut.

Monica stared for a moment “Who was it? Where are they? Are they dead?” she

fired without a breath.

“Monica, I don’t know.” Sebastian sighed.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Monica said quietly, seeming to regain her

composure as to avoid her prissy voice.

“It means I don’t know where the person went or if the person is dead.” Sebastian

spoke slowly and slightly forcefully.

“Who?” Sylvia asked once again.

Sebastian kept his gaze into the distance as he started the car, and turned down I-

90 towards Mercer Island.

CHARACTER SWITCH

“Pull over,” came a groggy voice from the back.

“Xander?!” Sylvia shouted with exuberance.



He climbed over the seat of the van and slid jauntily into the front seat. “In the

flesh, but will you please watch the yelling,” he said with a wry grin. “I have quite the

headache.”

“Do you really want me to pull over?” Sylvia asked, watching her volume.

“Yeah, I don’t think this is the same guy from earlier today.” Xander explained.

Sylvia hit the blinker, cringing at the sound of the ding, ding, turning signal. It reminded

her of a microwave. She steered onto the shoulder of the road and the van glided easily

from where the pavement ended to the gravel. She came to a stop, switching the car off.

She was kind of scared, because she had never been pulled over before. She had no clue

what to expect and it was causing her to shake. She sat on her hands, and looked at

Xander as the cop car pulled in behind them.

“How long was I out?” Xander asked, still rubbing his head.

Sylvia looked him over, and she noticed the dry wall chunks that still speckled his

shoulders and his dark hair. “Just under an hour.” She replied, checking her mirror. As

she saw the cop door swing open, her mind jolted. “Xander?” she said warily. “I forgot

my lisc-“

“DRIVE!” Xander shouted. “Go, Go, Go!”

Sylvia looked at him in confusion and slight peevishness towards being cut-off.

“Whaa?”



“GO, damn it!” Xander’s eyes looked panicked. “We have to leave!” He reached

for the keys, jerking them in attempt to start the van. The keys fell to the floor.

Sylvia grasped for the keys, bending low in her seat. She snagged them, and sat

back up straight. Frantically, she searched for the correct key through the plethora of

metal on the ring. All the while, Xander was spitting profanities with increasing volume.

Finally, Sylvia jammed the correct key in the ignition and the van squealed to life. She

jammed on the gas, flying off of the shoulder and across into the wrong lane of traffic. If

any cars had been coming, they both would have died. Sylvia righted the car and glanced

back in the mirror. A brown haired man stood in the settling dust with his arms thrown in

the air. His long, brown trench coat swirled in the debris. Just as he reached for the gun in

his holster, Sylvia was around a turn and out of shooting range.

Sylvia let out the breath she realized that she had been reserving for an unknown reason.

"Well, that was quite a rush."

"Yeah," Xander bit his lip, taking comfort in something that he normally did "but

that should put him behind a few seconds if you keep the pedal down."

"Did I ever tell you about my father?" Sylvia asked earnestly, gripping the

steering wheel with white knuckles.

“No, I can’t say you did. “ Xander replied.

“Well, you know he’s not around.” Sylvia began, still driving way above

the speed limit. “Well, he was never around much when I was little. Then, when I

turned eight, he disappeared. I’ve tried so hard to forget him, but the one thing

still sticks out in my mind. That brown trench coat.”



“You really think that was him?” Xander stared at her.

“I doubt it,” Sylvia said,”but it’s a scary thought, isn’t it?”

“It’s hard to lose a parent,” Xander put a hand on Sylvia’s leg, “I keep

hoping my father will just appear somewhere random.”

“Yeah,” Sylvia allowed the silence to creep into the van. The only sound

was the purr of the engine, coasting at 70 M.P.H.

“Where are we going anyway?” Xander interrupted.

“You should know Sebastian better than anyone… It involves food.”



“What would you like, young lady?” said the worker, peering at the little

girl whose head barely cleared the top of the counter.

“Mint Chocolate Chip, please!” came her high-pitched voice.

Monica frowned, observing the young girl from the booth in the corner. “I wish I

was that young again.” She took a slow lick of her own ice cream.

Sebastian took her free hand with his. His eyes toned down from their lion-like

ferocity as he surveyed her tired face. “We’ll get out of this… We lost the bad guys

anyway, and hopefully, Xander will show up any minute.”

“Why can’t we just talk to the police?” Monica said softly, chewing on her lip.

“Well,” he sighed. “From what I can gather, the police run-in that Xander had this

morning ties into this whole thing.”

“Did someone say Xander?” sounded a deep voice behind Sebastian.

Sebastian whirled around in the seat, and his hand went immediately to his pocket

where he held a knife. Two men in baggy pants and large hoodies stood directly behind

him. Underneath the hood of the man directly behind him, the only feature that was

discernible was a nose poking out of the shadow. Sebastian stood up, brandishing the

knife in front of him. He wasn’t afraid of defending himself, but he wasn’t one to cause a

scene.

The man raised his hands up in a surrendering position, and backed up a step. One

of his hands reached up to his hood and yanked it back, revealing a slightly nervous

Xander. Sebastian’s mouth hung agape, shocked at the fact that he had just held his friend

at knife point. He flipped the knife closed and extended a shaky hand to Xander.



“Nice to see you too,” Xander muttered, ignoring Sebastian’s hand, and nudged

his way into the seat next to him. The other figure revealed itself as Sylvia. She sidled

herself in next to Monica.

“I guess these disguises work,” Sylvia chuckled, trying to overcome the sudden

awkward silence that had dusted the atmosphere.

“So,” Xander spoke, immediately falling into the leader position of the group.

“Recount to me what happened after we split up.”

Monica turned green, and Sebastian turned his cat-like gaze to the floor. Silence

creeped on for a few moments.

“We were shot at...” Sebastian mumbled quietly.

Xander pressed on, “And then?”

“I shot back.” Sebastian whispered.

Sylvia gasped, but Xander didn’t need to ask whether the shot had hit its target.

He had played airsoft guns with Sebastian too many times to ask that question. He said

simply, “Who?”

Sebastian sucked in a breath, and withdrew something from his pocket. He tossed

it on the table; if fell open haphazardly.

Sylvia examined the object, which happened to be a wallet. It took her a second

before she recognized the driver’s license.

“Joel Brennamin?” both Sylvia and Xander exclaimed in disbelief.

“The Fudge?” Monica said, also hearing the news for the first time. “Why would

he want us dead? He’s so sweet.”

The other three kids glared at her, “What? He is.” She tried to justify herself.



“He absolutely despises me for some reason.” Xander growled.

“Could this just be a case of bullying gone mad?” Sebastian reasoned, edging

himself out of the darkness of his previous thoughts.

Sylvia clicked her tongue, “ I don’t like this… not one bit.” Just then, her phone,

previously lacking all service, buzzed. She fished it out of her pocket, absent mindedly.

“My brother is dead, because someone doesn’t like you.” Sebastian said a hint of

accusation in his voice.

Xander gulped, “Listen, I love Aaron too.”

“Loved.” Sebastian corrected, his eyes growing fierce.

Monica finally stepped in, “Guys,” she waited for the boys’ attention, “This isn’t

a game. It’s much more complicated than that… I decoded that text message from

earlier.”

“I don’t see how that changes-“ Sebastian started, but was interrupted by

Monica’s rereading of the text message.

“2”day get thinking. Way out there. You meet it. There at the place. Watch Maple

Leaves. Through Valley, bright” Monica recited.

“Sounds like gibberish to me.” Xander replied.

“Okay, the two in today that is written out, it suggests that the number two is

significant. So, I went through and picked the second word in each sentence.” Monica

explained, “It says, ‘Get out meet at Maple Valley.’”

“So we have someone on our side?” Xander inquired.

“Or we have a trap,” Sebastian countered, determined to make everyone around

him bitter as well.



Sylvia finally looked up from her phone. “They have my mom.” She choked.

“They who?” Sebastian asked, carefully.

Sylvia stared blankly ahead, “I don’t know… They say we should turn ourselves

over to them.”

Xander took her hand, attempting to comfort her. “Where, Sylvia?”

“Back home,” Syvlia blinked back to Xander, her expression still blank. “We

need to go to Maple Valley. Maybe it is help.”

Documents

The Epic Adventures of Xander Storm by Tessa Sawyers