A Misfit

A Misfit    By J.C. Reynolds     This issue is for a trio of individuals whom have impacted my life as well as this book. I would like to say thank you Bailey Dykstra for encouraging my weird and creative process, thank you Mickaylah Mahoney for reminding me to laugh and enjoy writing a book, and Catherine Leber who forced me to make this a dramatized and complicated book.           Dear reader,    This book is for pure amusement and is strictly fantasy. In no way is this based on real life. This book is an interesting read for many reasons such as: mythological creatures, different character view points, and over the top dramatics. I hope that you thoroughly enjoy the journey of the gang of misfits that struggle to fit in and rise above the challenges.     Yours Truly,   J.C. Reynolds     Prologue   Tyler Baile  The shrill cry of my mother is what woke me from my sleep, which it in turn instilled fear into my heart. I opened my eyes only to see a fist coming for them. While extreme white hot pain coursed through my every nerve, my mother called out, “Leave my son alone.”   “Mom,” I chocked out as my vision blurred. Though my sight was half gone I could still make out shapes. I saw the attacker turned to her and I heard the sound of gunfire, which was followed by the thudding of a body. “Mom,” my voice cracked as I shrieked. I lunged blindly off the couch in an attempt to crawl to the blurred shape that was my mother.   Rough hands grabbed me by the collar and forced me up to my feet. I yelped as a fist jabbed at my lower stomach. Blindly I whipped my arm out as a reflex making contact with my attack’s face. The attacker’s grip on me was lifted and I dropped to the floor gasping. “Not so fast munchkin,” the attacker called out. His rough hands grabbed my shoulders and rolled me onto my back. I came face to face with the barrel of a smoking gun that had killed my mother.   “Please don’t,” I whimpered. Click! The gun had misfired. The blurred shape of the gun was out of my face giving me the chance to slowly crawl away. I faltered as my fingertips touched a warm pooling liquid; the realization of the liquid was my mother’s blood froze me in place. I screamed in pure terror as cold rough hands snaked around my ankles and yanked me across the floor. I clawed blindly at the floor boards hoping I would grip either a blunt object or the edge of the couch. I’m going to die were the words that flashed in my mind as the hands traveled up my body to my throat. I closed my eyes as the man breathed into my face.   “Look at me boy,” he demanded. I closed my eyes tighter afraid I might not like what I would see. He grunted as he straddled me and put all of his weight on my chest. My eyes opened and he smiled eerily at me.   “Now listen well, I am going to kill you so please don’t struggle too much as I squeeze the light from your eyes.”  Tears rolled down the side of my face because, I knew he wasn’t bluffing. “Don’t cry little one after all it is only going to hurt for a little while,” and with that he began squeezing ever so slowly on my throat. I clawed at the man’s hands and tried to pry them off but to no avail. I tried to push him off and kick my legs but he wouldn’t budge. This is it! You are a goner my mind wouldn’t shut up as he continued to squeeze harder. My vision began to blacken so I just closed my eyes saving myself terror of watching everything slowly turning black. I stopped my clawing and kicking and accepted I was not going to get out of this situation.  Just as my hope dwindled to tiny sliver, the hands left my throat yet the weight on my chest remained. I cautiously opened my eyes and as I did I screamed once more hoping that someone in the hall my hear me. Then the last thing I saw before I was lost was the butt of the gun coming for my temple. My head lolled to the side and my screaming stopped, my breathing ceased but my heart remained beating. The weight was lifted off my chest and my body tingled as I began to float away. Darkness consumed and surrounded me as my body or spirit leveled. Surrounded in darkness I was left with nothing but to wait for the grand white light. I sat up and brought my knees to my chest and waited but the darkness remained. The black air pulsed and swirled around me caressing as time passed me by.   Soon my hope was gone and replaced with a fear that consumed. Am I in Limbo or am I in Hell? The thought struck horror and panic throughout my body. I sighed and lay on my side and watched the darkness. I prayed and hoped God would reconsider putting me here. Nothing happened I gave into despair and sobbed quietly, alone and in the dark. In the midst of my sobs and tears, I was blinded by a tiny orb of silver light. I smiled and quickly sat up wiping my tears away. My smile grew as the ball grew. Once it was the size of a soccer ball I reached out for it. Heaven’s light truly is beautiful, I thought to myself as it forced the darkness away. I stood up slowly, never taking my eyes off the ball of light, and squinted as I saw a woman smiling in the growing ball.   “Oh honey, you shouldn’t be here,” the woman said sadly.   “Mom, is that really you?” Tears flowed steadily as I began to run to her. When I was mere inches away from the now door sized light, I stopped. “Mom…” My words were stuck as a cold liquid settled around my feet, and strong hands gripped my shoulder. I looked away for a second and I was back in total darkness. I looked back to the arch way only to see is was nothing but darkness. “NO!” I screamed as I began falling, plummeting back down to I don’t know where. My body shuddered with pain as I hit the ground hard. I sat up gasping for air.  “Thank god!” A man’s voice said as I was wrapped into a hug. He released me and looked into my blood shot eyes; it took me a few moments to realize who this man was.   “Daddy,” I choked out as more tears ran down my face.   “It’s okay Tyler I’m here,” He said hugging me tighter.   The sound of shattering glass broke our embrace. “Run Tyler! Go find your brother!” My father shouted as he pushed me toward the door. I slipped and slid in my mother’s blood in my hasty escape. I tripped over her body but I followed my father’s orders and ran for my life. I burst out into the hotel hallway and shielded my eyes from the bright light.   “Clayton!” I called out hoping dad had rushed him out into the hallway.   “Hey munchkin, what are you doing,” The familiar voice called out. I swiveled on my heels and turned to see the same man who attacked me and my mother earlier.   “I’m obviously running for life. Considering you didn’t take it,” I mouthed off as I turned on my heels and sprinted for fire escape. I looked over my shoulder to see the man draw a stick and point it at me.   “Hesh Nue!” The doorframe shattered and splinted just as I passed by it.   I screamed as I stormed down the flights of stairs, hoping someone might hear me and help me. The door above me opened and I increased my pace down the flight of stairs. My heart was beating fast as the footsteps behind me grew louder and louder. I reached the bottom of the stairs only to be forced through the exit door by my attacker. He crashed into me and we hit the alleyway’s ground hard. “Get off me!” I screamed as he grabbed my hands and tied them behind my back.   “Shut up Tyler!” The man called out.   “Help,” I screamed hoping people on the very public street would hear me. I didn’t dare call out to my older brother for the fear of endangering his life.  The man lifted me up and launched me at a trash can creating a loud metallic bang. I whimpered as I rolled over and the man picked me up by the throat. Dazed and confused now all I could manage to do was hope either some stranger heard me or my dad would come to my rescue again.   “Hey leave him alone!” A woman’s voice called out. I looked over the big man to see a very petite girl running toward us.   “Make me girlie,” He mocked.  Last thing I could remember was seeing a large pair of pearly fangs before falling to the ground and hitting my head hard on the cement. I was surrounded in an all too familiar darkness once more before hearing the sounds of the street and a girl’s voice.   “Hey kid you okay?” She asked me as I sat up.   “I think so?” I rubbed my head, “Ouch!” I flinched as my hand grazed my forehead.   “Hey, you are bleeding pretty badly; do you want me to get you to a hospital or your parents?” She asked me as she slowly backed away.   “That’d be great except I don’t know who my parents are and who I am,” I told her. I stood up and walked to her and she instantly backed away. “What’s your problem, aren’t you trying to help me?”   “Yes but your,” she coughed, “blood is calling to me.” She ventured closer to me, showing me her smile. Something was off about it and then the two fangs caught my attention. I trusted my hands up in the air to protect myself from this creature and light exploded from my fingertips.   “Stop it! You are burning me!” The girl cried out in pain. I lowered my hands and the light vanished leaving the two of us alone in the alley. “Now tell me do you remember anything at all?”   “I remember you ripping that guy’s throat out and that is about it,” I said taking a closer at her. She looked like any other girl except her had fair skin, long flowing auburn hair and rose colored lips. Her fair skin was marred by welts and a sunburn cause by me. “Oh my god, I did that? What am I some kind of monster?” I asked her franticly.  “Wait you mean you really have no clue?”   “Well obviously!”   The girl sighed obviously trying to contemplate how to explain this whole situation out. “Huh well, um… Do you have a wallet on you?” She asked me.  “What’s a wallet?” I asked her.   “Check your butt pocket for something rectangular and possibly leather or Velcro.”   I reached behind me and dug into my right back pocket and grabbed a Velcro billfold. I handed it over to this mysterious girl. She opened it and began taking things out and reading them.  “Well according to your ID your name is Tyler Baile and you are seventeen. Oh and you are American, welcome to Paris, France,” She said the last part more to herself than me.   “Huh Tyler, I feel more like an Eric,” I joked with her.  “Ha good one, I am Anastasia Chevoff. So, Tyler Baile I would like to be the first to congratulate you on being a witch!”    “What that is…”  “Impossible? Really, how do you explain burning me?”   “If I am a witch then does that make you a…”  “Vampire, now come with me Tyler. Judging by the hand prints on your neck and the big guy attacking you, I suggest you come with me back to America.” Anastasia told me as she picked up her purse. I stood there, with my mouth open, staring at her like she was a cat with wings and a pig’s nose. “Are you coming?” She asked impatiently.   “Yes,” I said running after her without a second thought.