CHAPTER ONE
THE LETTER
Caroline’s glass flew through the air, crashing into the TV. She was in a very bad mood at the moment. She was always in a bad mood. She was throwing things again, much like a child having a bad temper tantrum, and, as always, it was taken out on her nephew, Drake.
When talking with her friends, Caroline would refer to her nephew as “the urchin”. Today, however, she was too tired to say anything, or do anything for that matter. And yet, she found strength enough to throw her glass at “the urchin” from somewhere deep in her lazy body.
She had just gotten home from her job at the local bread factory. She had had what she called a “snotty” customer that day and had lost her temper again. She had yelled at the man and he had tried to be polite, making Caroline all the more upset. So the man left, mumbling about “terrible service” and “bad manners” on his way out the door, only to remember, as he walked in the door of his apartment ten minutes later, that he had forgotten his loaf of bread on the counter of the shop.
And so, here was Caroline, sprawled on the worn-out couch, and mindlessly watching TV. Unfortunately, Drake had gotten in the way during his daily chores, one of which was cleaning the community TV. He had ducked just in time, too, before the glass came whizzing past his ear and crashing into the entertainment center that he had just spent fifteen minutes cleaning.
Drake wished he could be anyone but who he was now – the target. He had always been the target. The target for his aunt’s anger, frustration, and even objects was where he always ended up, even though he didn’t do anything wrong. Today was no exception.
Drake finished his chores and headed up to his room, expecting his aunt to yell at him to come back down and do something else, just so she didn’t have to do it. Nothing happened. Drake gave a silent sigh of relief and hurried up to his room.
Drake opened the door, and headed for the closet. He needed some relax time, which he didn’t get very much of anyway. He just needed a few precious moments to himself.
He took the chair from his small desk by the window and walked over to the closet. He set the chair down gently and stepped up onto it. He looked up. There it was – the entrance to the attic. It was just a small hole in the ceiling, but it was just wide enough for drake to climb through. He climbed into the attic and flopped down onto the insulation piled up on the floor. Dust flew as he fell onto it, causing him to sneeze.
He heard a noise coming from outside. He stood up, and went over to the small, round window of the attic. It was the mailman.
O great, he thought bitterly to himself. It’s mail time. Drake hated when the mailman came. It was just another person for his aunt to yell at for being an hour late. And that was exactly what she was doing. Drake watched on, feeling sorry for the man.
The man tried his best to ignore her and deliver the mail, but Caroline was not about to be ignored. She yelled at the top of her lungs at the man, who jumped back in alarm. The man had had enough. He thrust the mail into her hand, and turned for his truck. He started the engine and drove off and away from “that wretched woman”.
Caroline was not used to having someone whom she was yelling at just turn their back and walk away. This was something new for her. Usually, she thought to herself, he stays rooted to the spot and lets me yell at him.
“Huh.” She said as she looked through the mail. She stopped. She looked up to Drake’s bedroom window, which was below the attic window. Drake ducked down to the floor. He wasn’t about to let his only hiding place be taken away from him by that woman.
Drake heard the front door open and then close. His aunt was inside. He heard someone on the stairs.
She’s coming to my room! He raced back across the attic floor, ducking his head so as not to bang his head on the beams above him. He squeezed through the hole, and landed on the chair in his closet. He carried the chair back to the desk, and sat on it.
His door opened. Aunt Caroline was carrying a small envelope, supposedly with a letter inside.
“Here, this is yours, I guess.” She handed him the envelope. She was too dumbfounded to even question him. He took it, and she left. Drake stared at the name on the envelope – Drake White. It was for him alright. The address was correct, too.
Now Drake was dumbfounded. He never got letters, not even once. And now, here was an envelope addressed to him, with no return address, which left him even more confused. He turned the envelope over. A crimson seal was holding it shut, and imprinted in it were three stars; the middle one being larger than the other two.
Drake carefully opened the envelope and pulled out a small piece of paper with a drawing of a key on it; and a very good drawing at that. The key seemed old-fashioned, with what looked like curling vines for the handle, and a pointed tip. The top part of the key was like a zigzagging maze in the shape of a small square.
Drake, puzzled at the drawing, looks in the envelope again, hoping to find some explanation as to the drawing. His wish was granted. In the envelope was a very small, folded piece of paper. Drake unfolded it, and soon had a full sheet of paper in his hand. It didn’t feel like ordinary paper, however. It was like a parchment; it looked like parchment, too.
The parchment was covered with the most beautiful writing Drake had ever seen. It curled, and flowed across the parchment. Drake read the letter with new fear growing in his heart.
Drake,
Do not be alarmed by this letter. This is not the way I wanted you to find the truth, but you must be warned. The Evil Ones are coming, and you are in grave danger. You must leave your home at once. My advisor will be at your home in a moment to bring you to safety. Now, read the following words carefully. Under the floorboards, below the window, you will find a key. Take the key into your attic, and look for an old box under the pile of insulation. The amulet that you will find in the box is of grave importance; guard it with your life. Take the key with you. Do not tell anyone but my advisor of your discovery. He will meet you outside by the aspen tree. He will bring you to safety. I will be waiting for your return. Good luck.
S. Grey
A foreboding began to grow in Drake’s heart. Who was this S. Grey?Something horrible was coming. He could feel it.
Never the less, he had a new curiosity, like nothing he had ever felt before. He wanted to do what the stranger told him to in the letter. So he did.
He ran over to the window, and began to pry the loose floorboards away. He found it – it was the key from the drawing. He raced up to the attic and tore through the insulation pile. His hand hit something hard, sending waves of pain through his fingers. He pushed the remaining insulation aside. There, amid dust and dead insects was the box. He put the key in the lock and turned it.
The moment the box was opened, a bright light shone through the sides of the box, illuminating the walls of the attic. An amulet, unlike anything Drake had ever laid his eyes on, was in his hand. It was round and silver, on a silver chain. In the center of the amulet was a sapphire, no larger than the head of a thumbtack, but its beauty was undiminished.
Suddenly, Drake heard footsteps on the stairs. He remembered the letter, “Whatever you find in the box is of grave importance; guard it with your life. Do not tell anyone of your discovery.”
He put the amulet around his neck, hid it under his shirt, and scrambled back into his room. The door opened.
“Someone’s here for you,” his aunt growled, apparently recovered from the shock of the letter.
Drake walked cautiously past his aunt, who eyed him the entire way down the stairs.
Drake remembered that he was supposed to keep the key with him. He quickly checked his pocket. The key was there.
Drake reached the bottom of the stairs, closely followed by Caroline. He turned the corner and stopped. There was no one there.
“Hey, where’d he go?” said Caroline, beginning to get uneasy.
Suddenly, a man materialized out of nowhere, appearing in thin air. Caroline let out a scream, and Drake covered his ears. Caroline scrambled to get to the phone and call 911. In that moment, Drake was seized by the arm and quickly led outside.
The door closed behind them as if on its own. They ran. Drake didn’t know where they were running to, but it seemed that the man did, so Drake followed him.
“Do you have the key?” asked the man. His voice sounded familiar to Drake, but he couldn’t remember where he had heard it before.
Drake frantically felt in his pocket. The key was still there.
“Yes, I do,” he said.
“And the amulet?”
Drake felt the slightly heavy amulet against his chest, bouncing as he ran.
“Yes.”
“Excellent. Let’s go.” The man sounded as if he was in a hurry.
“Wait!” Drake exclaimed. “I haven’t packed anything!”
“You won’t need it,” said the man.
The foreboding Drake had felt before was beginning to creep its way back inside him, and it was far from pleasant.
