Chapter One

 

A hand curled around two dog tags hanging from a silver beaded necklace. The two pieces of worn and scratched metal were the most important things he owned, Jayden sadly mused as he crossed the street.

 

Beside him, cars drove by as daily routines were met. Other pedestrians rushed past, each in their own little world. Nothing was different. It was the same thing over and over again – wake up, dress, go to school with the same crowd in the same streets, come home, complete homework, have dinner, bed, and then repeat.

 

Thankfully, he had a small group of friends to break up the monotonous daily routine. They had been together since the first day of playgroup. The years had seen a lot of differences between them grow however, that meant nothing when they still felt the pull of friendship.

 

The call of his name by multiple voices derailed his thoughts. Without even realizing it, he had walked right past his friends and through the tall black gates surrounding the school. The two-story red-bricked building in the shape of an ‘L’ with cream-colored pillars holding up a balcony at every entrance stretched in front of him with doors wide open. Trees stood tall in the manicured grass, creating a nice shade away from the Spring sun.

 

“Jay, are you trying to blow us off or something?”

 

Jayden sighed at the demanding voice.

 

Kelly Ozmat stood there with arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. A sports bag was slung over a shoulder for one of the two athletic practices she had after the final bell. The amount of physical activity she willingly did, made Jayden tired just thinking about it.

 

“Relax, it’s nothing unusual,” joked Adam mid-yawn.

 

Like Kelly, Adam had a sports bag. He had the toned physic of a shooting guard in the basketball team, and with reddish brown hair styled so it was swept to the side, and a charming smile, Adam was one of those jocks that easily made those around him feel like a friend.

 

Casually, Jayden shrugged. It was too early for banter.

 

If they were stuck on a deserted island and had to evict one person in order to survive, he would instantly vote Kelly off. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her. She was actually a really good friend. However, there was something about her that ignited an old and unknown anger inside of him and it scared him. Then again, he may not even have the chance to vote, not with Adam on the island. The guy was annoyingly competitive and didn’t waste a second on those that wouldn’t help him get across that finish line.

 

“Jayden wouldn’t do that, right?”

 

Jayden’s attention snapped to the guy who had silently sneaked his way beside him. Nicholas Hindle was only a few months younger and yet he had been the one to grow up the fastest.

 

Taking in that mature face with dark brown hair and green eyes, Jayden settled with a noncommittal hum before continuing on his

way towards homeroom.

 

“Talkative as always.”

 

With her blonde hair and bright green eyes, Silena Hill was the girl everyone wanted to be. She was beautiful, full of charisma, and greeted the world with a bubbly personality. A few small customizations to the grey and white school uniform, and colored streaks through her hair made her one of the few who fashionably stood out and got away with it.

 

The loud shrill of the bell interrupted their morning greetings, and they all hurried off to class.

 

The day wore on slowly and Jayden could barely concentrate. An itch that felt like restless energy brewing inside of him. It wasn’t that much of a big deal but it was persistent enough to take his attention away from the lesson. He tried to find its source, even scratched his chest and attempted to scratch the middle of his back. But nothing. The feeling, whatever it was, wouldn’t go away.

 

He jumped back in surprise when Nicholas dropped a chemistry book on Jayden’s desk and stared at him intently.

​

“Earth to Jayden! Are you listening?”

 

As he felt the initial shock passed, Jayden glanced around, noticing others standing and leaving. Without even realizing it, two hours had passed and the class was heading off for recess.

 

“Sorry.”

 

Before Nicholas could say anything, the chimes for the loudspeaker quietened the room.

 

“Nicholas Hindle, please report to the front office, you have a call waiting. I repeat – Nicholas Hindle, please report to the front office.”

 

Jayden frowned in confusion.

 

“Are you –” Jayden trailed off when he realized Nicholas’s answer was written plain and simple on his face. Nicholas was just as confused as he was.

 

“I’ll be back,” Nicholas said.

 

Jayden was left sitting at his desk, watching Nicholas’s back retreat.

 

 

Nicholas didn’t come back to class and he wasn’t at school the next day or the day after that and Jayden found himself checking his phone more often than usual after his texts and calls to Nicholas had been left unanswered.

 

With concern growing for their friends, the four teens went over to Nicholas’s house after school.

 

All throughout the walk to the house, Jayden couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. The hairs on the back of his neck rose and Jayden glanced back down the street. There was someone standing there with black hair in black clothes and his face was covered with a black mask. To make it even creepier, there was black smoke curling around the person's legs. There were no shadows, nothing around to cause the black smoke.

 

The itch he had been trying his best to ignore the last couple of days flared. Jayden clenched his fists as he started to shake.

 

“Jay, are you coming man? What are you looking at?” Adam asked he realized Jayden was no longer with them.

 

In the seconds that Adam had stolen his attention, the masked man had disappeared.

 

Jayden glanced around, frowning before turning around to catch up with his friends.

 

An old man greeted them at the door with a welcoming smile. The usual spark in his grey eyes had dulled and there was a tremor in his hands as he gripped his walking frame.

 

While the two girls and Adam chatted with Nicholas’s grandfather, Jayden slipped away. Walking to the bedroom at the end of the hallway, Jayden was surprised to find Nicholas’s room shrouded in darkness.

 

He had maybe another two minutes before the others came barging in. Blindly, he made his way over to the bed, only tripping once. Jayden closed his eyes as he leant against the wall and waited.

 

From the corner, there was a hitch of breath and a sniff before a shoulder bumped into Jayden’s.

 

“Gramps – he’s the only family I have left,” Nicholas choked. “He’s refusing to spend any time in the hospital but his heart ...”

 

When a head dropped to his shoulder, Jayden dug out a small bracelet from his pocket and fiddled with it as he spoke.

 

“Silena, Adam, Kelly, and I will always be your family. It’s … not the same but you won’t go through this alone.”

 

Jayden reached out and took hold of one of Nicholas’s hands, pressing the small piece of jewelry into his palm.

 

“Consider it an early birthday present,” Jayden explained.

 

Blinding light and a lively conversation broke their small bubble. Shielding their eyes, it didn’t come as a surprise when Kelly and Silena started complaining about the mess. Bowls of chips and a bottle of lemonade were put on the desk in favor of piling strewn books and dumping discarded clothes into a hamper. The distraction and familiarity of the two girls were enough to tug a small smile from Nicholas.

 

With Nicholas’s attention elsewhere, Jayden took the opportunity to slip away and stand by the window. He watched as Nicholas studied the early gift – a black band bracelet with two semi-thick horizontal 8’s carved out of a sterling silver plate.

 

When Nicholas eventually looked away from the piece of jewelry, he searched out Jayden. Their eyes locked and Jayden tried to understand the silent message Nicholas was trying to convey. However, reading

 

 

Once monopoly had been brought out, Jayden chose to sit apart from the ensuing ruckus. There was a headache brewing in the back of his head and he wasn’t too keen on playing against Kelly and Adam.

 

Without even discussing it, the girls had settled on a truce in order to crush Nicholas and Adam. They made a couple of exceptions for Nicholas but Adam was left trying to stay afloat alone.

 

After half an hour of watching them play, Jayden pushed away from the wall and said a quiet farewell to his friends. He waved goodbye to Nicholas’s grandfather and stepped outside with a sigh.

 

He had hoped his friends were too busy with the bloodbath that was the monopoly game to have noticed his departure, but just as he stepped on to the sidewalk, Nicholas burst through the front door.

 

“Jay, thank you,” Nicholas said with a small smile.

 

*

 

Aged hands kept a gentle and yet firm presence against the small of Nicholas’s back as they tried to push him forward. However, Nicholas darted away with a huff and growled at his grandfather to stop pushing him towards the door.

 

“I’m not going!” Nicholas shouted.

 

It was Nicholas’s birthday, the last of them to turn sixteen. Despite it being his birthday, Nicholas didn’t want to go out. Who could blame him though? All he wanted to do was to look after his ailing grandfather.

 

That’s where his grandfather objected. Even though he was sick and needed to be watched if he didn’t want to stay in the hospital, the man was adamant that his grandson go out and have fun.

 

Jayden sighed. He had tried to reason with Nicholas but had ended up recoiling from Nicholas’s harsh glare and words to stay out of it.

 

The group had agreed to pick Nicholas up at 11:30 in order to take him out, but Jayden had arrived a little over an hour early and had heard the same argument over and over again. Things at home had turned rocky. He had learned something that he was struggling to wrap his head around. While his parents wanted to talk, all he wanted was space to think. He wished his brother was still around. Dale had a way of helping him make sense out of anything going on but now that he was dead, Jayden had to learn how to process troubling matters alone.

 

As soon as he had showered and dressed, Jayden had left home, intent on using the extra time before he had to be at Nicholas’s to clear his head. By the time he had realized it, he had already arrived at Nicholas’s house. Given that he still had a couple of hours to spare, Jayden turned back around to wander the neighborhood. However, his feet had led him back home. With a huff, Jayden made his way back to Nicholas’s and stayed there and until the others came along.

 

“Nicholas, I’m not going to drop dead today,” his grandfather growled.

 

“Grandpa, that’s not funny!” cried Nicholas.

 

His grandfather’s shoulders sagged as he let out an exhausted sigh.

 

“Nicholas, go out with your friends. Their parents will be here in a couple of hours to help me set up for your party. Don’t worry about an old fool like me, not today,” encouraged his grandfather.

 

Nicholas’s cheeks flushed pink from his desperate pleas and he struggled to meet anyone’s eyes. Jayden felt sorry for him. Family was everything, even through hard times.

 

The intense silence was interrupted by a series of knocks on the front door and Jayden took the opportunity to sneak away from the two. Sure enough, the rest of the gang had finally shown up, greeting Jayden with the big smiles and packages of different shapes and sizes that were wrapped in colorful paper in their arms.

 

“Hey, Jay,” Silena greeted.

 

“I’m not going and that’s final!” Nicholas shouted.

 

Jayden sighed and grimaced at his friends’ worried expressions.

 

“Nick and his grandad have been arguing all morning,” Jayden explained. “Nick wants to stay to look after him.”

 

“What’s his grandfather saying?” Adam asked.

 

“To go out and have fun,” Jayden answered.

​

He led his friends to the living room and frowned.

 

Nicholas had stormed off.

 

Muttering that he was going to get the missing birthday boy, Jayden left the more social lot in the living room. Barging into the room, Jayden received a pillow to his face.

 

 “Go away! I’m not leaving and that’s final,” Nicholas shouted.

 

Jayden rolled his eyes as he picked up the pillow.

 

“Can’t you respect your grandfather’s wishes? He’ll be fine. As he said, he’s not going to be alone for long.”

 

“Seriously? I’m not leaving my sick grandfather even if it’s my birthday,” Nicholas argued.

 

“What about when you go back to school? You can’t just pause everything to look after him. He won’t let you and stressing him out even more will make him worse,” Jayden pointed out.

 

Nicholas shook his head. “I need to look after him.”

 

Jayden sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

 

“Nick, listen, okay? Mum and dad will be here soon to help out with food and setting up the house for later on. Silena, Kelly, and Adam’s parents will be here as well. Your grandfather won’t be alone for long. He’ll be fine.”

 

With the answering silence, Jayden leant back against the wall and watched Nicholas angrily pace around in his room. Eventually, Nicholas sagged with a surrendering sigh.

 

“Fine. Okay. I’ll go,” Nicholas finally agreed.

 

“Thank you,” Jayden said, leaving the room

 

 

Their first stop was lunch at Café 8 – Nicholas’s favorite café located just off Main Street in town at the mouth of Ele Alley. They picked out a corner booth and ordered to their heart's content. Plates of burgers and milkshakes covered the table along with cups brimming with milkshakes abundant with flavor. Excited banter bounced between the group and whenever Nicholas looked like he was drifting off back to thoughts of his grandfather, one of them would quickly bump him back.

 

Once the plates had been cleared, one of the waitresses brought out the small cake Adam had purchased, but before they could start singing, the pale waitress smiled shyly and began moving her hands in a confusing manner. Thankfully, an older woman quickly swept in to save them from the growing awkwardness.

 

“My daughter, Artemis, relies on sign language. She was just wishing the birthday boy a ‘Happy Birthday’ and wanted him to know that she liked his bracelet,” she explained.

 

“Thanks!” Nicholas beamed. “It was a gift from Jay.”

 

As Nicholas spoke, they watched Artemis’s mother translate. As soon as her mother had finished, Artemis turned her attention over to Jayden, tilting her head inquisitively before departing with a wave with her mum.

 

Jayden frowned as he watched the girl start talking to a small group at another table. There was something in the way that she had looked at him that caused the itch to grow and paw for his attention more incessantly. As his friends started singing a loud rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’, a mug broke and it took a few seconds longer for the coffee to splash down.

 

He didn’t miss the way the group with Artemis glanced around the café nervously. Jayden checked their surroundings but he couldn’t see anything to cause any alarm.

 

After cake, the group moved on down to the cinemas. As they walked through the crowd, Jayden couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder. He was feeling restless and there was an uncertainty in their surroundings growing that a familiar street shouldn’t bring. It felt like they were being followed and it made Jayden nervous. Why was he feeling like this? A few times he had looked over to his friends to make sure everything was okay but none of them were worried or even aware of Jayden’s increasing nervousness.

 

From the corner of his eye, Jayden caught sight of the masked man standing on the edge of a roof but when he turned to get a proper look, no one was there. He glanced around, feeling the panic bubble higher inside of him. Who was this guy? What was with the mask?

 

At the last intersection to the cinema, Jayden caught sight of a tall man with dark angry eyes, broad shoulders in a leather jacket covered in straps and buckles, pushing through the crowd towards them. Jayden shifted around his friends in a bid to get between them and the man. They needed to cross the street and get to somewhere safe. He could see in those eyes that the man didn’t care that they were on a crowded street. All that mattered was the target.

 

Across the street, the masked man waited patiently.

 

Jayden felt trapped.

 

Jayden checked on the man approaching them from the side and frowned in confusion. He wasn’t there. No matter how much he looked around, Jayden couldn’t find him. Jayden sighed in relief. That was one problem down.

 

“We should –”

 

“Hey!”

 

Jayden snapped his attention back to his friends just in time to see Nicholas seized by the arm and dragged away from the street.

 

Nicholas yelped in surprise and pain and started struggling for freedom.

 

“Hey! Let him go!” Kelly shouted.

 

The man didn’t acknowledge her or anyone else and instead raised Nicholas’s arm in order to inspect the bracelet.

 

“Let me go!” Nicholas cried.

 

“Hey, buddy. Let the kid go.”

 

People walking by ended up crowding around them and a few stepped in in order to help Nicholas break free of the brute. None of them managed to break the hold around Nicholas’s arm. The guy glared at the attempts made and the next thing the helpers knew, they were flung back without a hand from the attacker being raised and a short burst of red light.

 

Glaring, Jayden bent down and picked up a chunk of cement from the gutter and flung it at the attacker. The chunk bounced off the guy’s shoulder harmlessly but Jayden was still successful in getting the man’s attention.

 

“Let Nicholas go,” Jayden demanded.

 

Jayden didn’t back down when the guy squinted his eyes and stared at him with unnerving intensity. Jayden’s dark eyes tracked the intricately patterned blue circles and lines tattooed on the man’s skin. Jayden could feel something radiating from the ink and it scared him.

 

Paranoia intensified as he held the man’s attention. A persistent voice that strangely sounded like his deceased brother kept pushing him to turn around and run. It was a little terrifying.

 

“What’s your family name, boy?” the man asked.

 

“Is there a problem here?”

 

It took a second but Jayden broke his gaze and looked towards a police officer standing to the side with a hand placed on top of his belt, body poised for any number of outcomes.

 

“Let the human go,” the officer demanded.

 

“What?” Kelly asked.

 

Jayden frowned. If he could understand the officer, then why couldn’t his friends?

 

Growing tension rose between the officer and the man and Jayden looked nervously between them. He could feel static through the air. The officer placed his hand on to his gun holster and held the attacker's gaze.

 

“Obey the rules, hunter,” the officer growled in the foreign language.

 

Jayden could see red static electricity bounce down the man’s arms. Reluctantly, he released Nicholas and stormed away, melting into the crowd.

 

 “Are you all right?” the officer asked in English.

 

Nicholas flashed the officer a grateful smile. “Thank you, officer.”

 

“Did you want to come down to the station to make a report in case you wanted to press charges when we get him?”

 

Nicholas shook his head. “No, it’s fine.”

 

“Are you sure?” the man checked.

 

“Just make sure the guy doesn’t harass anyone else,” Adam answered.

 

The officer nodded and started jotting something down on his notepad. Before leaving, he glanced at Jayden and Nicholas with a calculating look. Jayden shifted slightly to block the view of Nicholas and swallowed the lump in his throat. Despite the officer helping them out, Jayden didn’t trust him. Something weird was going on and Jayden no longer felt safe.

 

“Can you understand me?” the officer asked.

 

Jayden glanced over to his friends to see if they were paying attention before nodding. Adam, Silena, and Kelly were too busy fussing over Nicholas to care about anything else.

 

“Humans?”

 

“We all are,” Jayden answered with a frown.

 

The officer nodded before turning around and leaving as he sent out a description of the offender through his walkie-talkie.

 

Jayden stared after the man. Every day just kept getting weirder and weirder.

 

“Come on. We can get some ice from the confectionary stand at the movies,” Adam pointed out.

 

*

 

“Jayden, sweetie, what’s wrong?” his mother asked, glancing in the rearview mirror.

 

It was late and Jayden was exhausted both physically and mentally. All throughout the movie, the walk back to Nicholas’s house, and the party they held afterward, Jayden had remained hyper-vigilant. He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.

 

Jayden kept catching glimpses of the tattooed man and masked man but every time he tried to get a better look, they had disappeared. It was frustrating and nerve wrecking. He was starting to think whether or not he was seeing things.

 

Letting his head drop against the window, Jayden closed his eyes. “Just tired.”

 

Without even looking, he knew his mother was pursing her lips into a thin line as she took in the obvious lie. It made his insides clench up and the guilt burn. The last thing he wanted to do was to cause a rift to grow between him and his parents. However, right now, he didn’t know what to say or how to say it. He didn’t know how to put what he was feeling into words.

 

*

 

Sunday was spent locked up in his room completing homework. Occasionally, one of his friends would call on the pretense of wanting to catch up and to see if he wanted to study with them. No matter how much they pushed, Jayden wouldn’t budge. He needed to recharge and gather his thoughts.

 

Leaning against the cool window sill, he stared out into the street, watching as the sky slowly exploded in a ray of oranges, reds, and purples. There were a few cars pulling into driveways down the street, but barely anyone else was outside.

 

Which made spotting the men and women standing in shadows that much easier. It didn’t take any more effort to notice that something was off with the shadows. They weren’t shaped right, and they were moving.

 

“Jayden, dinner’s ready,” his mother called out.

 

Startled, Jayden whipped his head around at the sound of her voice. By the time he returned his attention outside, the abnormal shadows and the people watching his house had vanished. Jayden poked his head out of his window, searching for any trace of what he had seen.

 

Finding nothing out of the norm, he closed his window with a frustrated sigh and went downstairs for dinner.

 

*

 

Once again, Jayden’s morning started with the same routine – the same route to school, the familiarity of the cars driving past, and the crowd of people walking by. However, his mind was filled with mayhem. He wanted to know why there were people watching his house, why he kept seeing the masked man, and why there were strange shadows lurking about.

 

With a jolt of urgency, Jayden spun around and stared wide-eyed through the school gates to the streets, trying desperately to find something out of the ordinary. No matter how hard he looked, it was just your typical Monday crowd. The only thing out of place was his gut feeling telling him that something was going to go horribly wrong.

 

When a hand wrapped around his arm, he was startled back to what was happening around him. He felt foolish for flinching when he realized that it was only Silena.

 

“Jay, are you okay?” she asked, frowning.

 

Jayden blinked a couple of times. “Yes, sorry.”

 

There was barely any time to settle down in class before the first loud crash shook through the school building. Jayden stumbled around until he could grab on to a desk as Silena fell beside him. As the shaking continued, students started screaming in fear and tried rushing out of the classroom.

 

“Everyone, follow me. Now!” shouted a teacher.

 

Feeling something draw him over, Jayden wobbled his way to the cracked window. There was a line of people quickly approaching with shadows stretching out to impossible lengths.

 

Jayden swallowed down panic as his body shook with fear and his mind screamed for him to run.

 

They were coming for him.

 

Jayden faltered. Why had he thought that? Why would a bunch of complete strangers be after him? There was nothing in his life to even remotely suggest something like this should be happening.

 

“Jayden let’s go!” shouted Adam.

 

“I’m –“

 

Panic overshadowed by confusion as the entire classroom erupted in an electric blue light. Jayden stood there for a confusing second as Nicholas backed himself into a corner and doubled over in pain, screaming. Harsh red cracks splintered his skin and blood oozed out of his nose and ears. Whatever was happening, it was tearing Nicholas apart slowly.

 

Jayden took a step towards him.

 

I have to protect him.

 

Another step and another moved him closer to his friend as the same thought circled on repeat.

 

I have to …

 

As soon as his fingertips wrapped around Nicholas’s arm, a wave of blinding white light erupted, sending out a blast of gale force winds in every direction. Bodies toppled over and dragged against the floor with anything not bolted down.

 

“Nicholas! Jay!”

 

The desperate and fear fueled cries barely reached Jayden’s ears as he held on to Nicholas with all of his strength.

 

Large tar like things climbed through the smashed windows, dropping to the floor or climbing up to the ceiling. Adam, Silena, and Kelly rushed over and tried to pull Jayden and Nicholas out of reach.

 

I have to …

 

A split second later, another surge of light engulfed the classroom and an ear-splitting shriek assaulted their ears. Around them, the classroom vanished, only to be replaced by white space. Jayden felt weightless as he glided through the air but that came to an abrupt end when gravity sent him hurtling down.

 

A single thought gripped his mind.

 

I have to protect my friends!