Ruler of the Mask

Chapter 1 - The Rise of Masked Man -

In the city of New York, United States of America, Jacob Ateara lived with Samantha Miller in a beautiful modern blue house that they bought from her brother, who was working for a real estate company. In their kitchen, Samantha was preoccupied with thoughts of Sky Miller’s breakfast. She boiled water and preheated the pan.

She halted for a moment and stared at the kitchen sink. With a long breath, she contemplated and placed her right hand on her chin.

"What should I cook for my son?" There are so many delicacies filling my head and it’s ruining my plans. How am I supposed to do this?" Samantha had to take deep breaths as she was nervous. Sky's first day of work was today, so she needed to start the day off right.

Samantha heard footsteps coming from the staircase, but she knew it was her son. She didn’t even check on him as she trusted the security of their place. No one can get inside that easily.

"Mom, I have to go to work early today. I will eat on the bus," Sky Miller uttered with a smile on his lips. He was delighted to have his stepmother supporting him every step of the way. Ever since the incident in the Algreia forest, the two have become inseparable.

"Wait. Let me cook for my son’s first day of work. Wait for my food, okay? I assure you it will only take ten minutes." Samantha was adamant and insisted on cooking for her son. She even placed her hands together and sincerely asked her son to wait. Sky smiled. He knew his mother loved him so much. He didn’t want to hurt her.

Sky checked his wristwatch; it was still 6:10 in the morning. He still has time to wait and eat with his mom.

"Okay, Mom. I’m giving you one hour. I’ll wait here," Sky spoke delightfully, and sat on the chair at the dining table.

"Okay, agent Sky," she joked, and they laughed.

Ten years had passed, and the pain of being alive alone was still tormenting the innocent Sky Miller. When Samantha heard that he was being chased by werewolves, she had no second thoughts about giving her son’s identity to a young man she barely knew. All Samantha could think was to save and care for this child. She didn’t think of any negative things that day. And they have become fond of each other’s company. Samantha being his mother, and Sky being her son. Even if blood is thicker than water, it doesn’t matter. They have developed a strong bond of family love that is stronger than blood.

Samantha applauded in triumph as she finally finished her job; cooking for her son. She placed cherry pies, fried eggs, bread, and bacon. She looked around her creation and smiled happily. Sky beamed at his mom with a mouthful of words of ‘thank you.’

"Wow, these look yummy. I can’t wait to taste them. Thank you, Mom. You are the best in the world. Sky couldn’t stitch his mouth shut as he kept on praising Samantha. Samantha then slapped his arm gently.

"Stop saying that. I know that I am a good chief. Please, enjoy your food, agent Sky," she commented back.

"I can’t do that. You have to eat with me, Mom," Sky requested sweetly.

"I will, but let me make coffee for us first. I will eat afterward. You don’t have to wait for me. You shouldn’t be late for your first day at work," Samantha reminded her son. Punctuality is important on the first day of work. Without it, you would be on the bad side of your boss.

"Yes, Ma’am."

Samantha stood up and took two black empty mugs. She filled them with hot water and poured in the coffee powder. Afterward, she handed the mug to him.

"Thank you, Mom."

"You don’t have to say that, dear."

Minutes had passed, and the two finished filling their stomachs. Sky was standing in front of a mirror while fixing his necktie. Samantha rushed in to help him, as she noticed that Sky was having a difficult time. She touched the necktie and fixed it.

"You’re not getting younger. You have to know this simple thing. We don’t want them to have a bad impression of you," she advised, and he listened.

"I will take care of this soon, Mom," Sky assured her with a smile on his lips. He couldn’t help himself but smile whenever his mom was around. Perhaps she was his safe haven.

"That would be lovely."

The necktie was perfectly done. Sky was wearing a black suit and black pants that perfectly suited his body and job. Samantha looked at him from head to toe.

"My lovely son is now an adult, and I am so proud of him," Samantha uttered. A lone tear suddenly flowed out of her right eye. Sky wiped it for her.

"My son, don’t forget your name tag," Samantha spoke while extending her hands. She was holding a name tag with the carved name of Sky Miller. "I entrust you with my son’s name and I am thankful for taking good care of it. Now, I want you to forever keep it. It’s yours now, Sky. From now on, you are officially Sky Miller, Jacob, my second son," Samantha added, with a single tear rushing down to her right cheek.

Jacob stared at her for a moment, and happiness was visible on his face.

"Thank you," he wholeheartedly said.

Ever since the day that this woman helped him, Jacob, or should we say, Sky Miller, has been thankful to her and he will never forget her kindness. Without Sky Miller as his new identity, he would’ve been killed by now by those asshole werewolves that were searching for him all around the world. He was grateful as well; after all the training he did for the past 10 years, he was finally able to hide his scent and the truth about his new identity; he knew he didn't deserve it.

"Don’t say that. I should be the one to say thank you here. So, my son, thank you. I wouldn't be able to cure my depression without you." Samantha shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn’t want to cry anymore. Crying would make her old. "You have to go now or you’ll be late," she added.

He kissed her cheeks goodbye, and Samantha bid him good luck.

Sky hurriedly stepped out to get onto the bus that had stopped in front of his house. As soon as he got in, his eyes wandered to look for a chair. He noticed a woman with short hair wearing a black blazer that showed off her cleavage and black sunglasses. She was white and had kissable pink lips. The other seats were full and the only thing left was the chair beside the mysterious woman. He cleared his throat before sitting beside her. He heard her take a deep sigh.

"Excuse me, sir. I don’t want anyone like you to sit beside me. Leave me alone, you p*****t!" The woman was shouting, causing a scandalous scene. Sky had no other way to stick his butt on the chair. Women are always right, so he must give way; that was the only thought that filled his mind.

All the people were gawking at them. He reared and stood in front of the woman. Sky couldn’t find a place to move on to as people were standing beside him. He remained silent, which annoyed the woman. She took off her glasses, which showed off her beautiful blue eyes. She rolled her eyes at him.

"What a perverted handsome man," she whispered, and crafted a smile on her red lips.

The bus came to a stop next to the police station, where he had to work with the police for the time being. He walked off the bus while the scandalous woman was still following him with her glances. He noticed it and didn’t even bother.

"Women always play the victim," he mumbled, and marched towards the entrance of the massive building.

Inspector Franco approached him warmly. He was a tall, old man with wrinkles on his face. He was wearing a black suit as well. Sky was surprised as their faces were almost kissing. He gently touched his left chest as it was beating wildly. Inspector Franco made his hair stand on its end.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome to New York Police headquarters. I am Inspector Franco James. It is my privilege to train someone like you," Inspector Franco moved beside his left ear and whispered. "To train a special FBI agent. It has been so long since we got some personnel from the FBI headquarters. Worry no more because I will take care of you," he added. He even embraced Sky, which made him confused.

"T-Thank you, Inspector James," Sky was stammering and nervous, but he controlled it.

"Come and I’ll tour you around," Inspector Franco was very accommodating, making him feel comfortable. It would not be easy for an introverted person to socialize with everyone, but thanks to his boss, Inspector Franco, it would be easy for him now.

He showed him all the police departments, and they rested inside their designated room, the Narcotics Bureau. All the members under Inspector Franco showed reverence for the rookie. Four members were watching the two men in front.

"Okay, everyone. Introduce yourselves before anything else," Inspector Franco uttered enthusiastically.

"I a-am Sky Miller. Please take good care of me," Sky said, making the first move even though he felt shy.

"I am Jonathan Mayers. Don’t worry bro, we’ll take care of you," said the white man with blonde hair. He seemed to like hip-hop fashion outfits, as he was wearing a colorful shirt with pink pants.

"Hello, I am Flora Sinclaire. I am the best tracker in this group. Please refer to me if you have someone to track," said the woman with long, shiny hair. She had pink lips and was wearing a purple suit.

"Hi, I’m Ace Denver. I know everything about martial arts," a man with a bald head and who was wearing a black shirt introduced himself. He showed his martial arts skills by splitting his legs on the floor. Everyone shouted to cheer him up, except for Sky, who was just observing everyone.

"I am Marcus Vazquez, and if you like women and clubs, you should better call me. We will go tonight and have fun," said the man wearing a white shirt with text on it saying, I LOVE CLUBBING. He seemed more like a thug than a normal police officer.

"Hey, Marcus. Didn’t I tell you to stop clubbing?" Inspector Franco asked in an unruffled tone.

"Forgive me, Inspector. I will rest tonight. You don’t have to worry," Marcus defended himself.

The inspector clapped his hands to get their attention.

"Okay, everyone. We have a new mission tonight. However, to test our rookie, Mr. Sky Miller, he will do it alone. You will all be his backup, understand? " As he uttered those words, Inspector Franco became serious and bossy.

"Yes, boss!" They said it in unison.