The Hunt for the Ghostkeeper

Chapter 1: Triad

The wooden stage was placed in the orchard outside next to the school, which sprawled across the grounds at only one story high, making the three-floor front offices appear like a skyscraper. The old, paint chipped wood of the stage ceased creaking after its inhabitants left its platform, and were now standing in a random manner across the field, with friends and family, some lying in the ground in more casual clothes than the ones required for the ceremony, others leaning against the thick, weathered oak trees which were spread out across the grove. Everyone was laughing, talking, relaxing, simply enjoying themselves in the hot summer sun of late afternoon. It was in a unique position, the brilliant sun warmer and brighter than any other time of day, right before it escaped into the horizon and vanished into the night.

Soon, they would all leave for their parties and dinners, celebrating the end of another year, without the stereotypical cap-and-gown routine. Each of them were about to leave to embark on the next part of their education, to begin a new chapter of their lives- all except one.

Rick Johnson stood alone behind an aloof oak tree near the parking lot, waiting for his departure. He had been there for longer than he felt, yet he also felt more nervous than he should. Most people would be excited to learn that they were different, that were destined for something more than ordinary, but Rick only felt anxious.

His mother had kept his secret for the entirety of his childhood, wanting him to lead a normal life for as long as he could. But she could not hide him from the world forever- every paradise is only temporary.

Soon, a spotless, black Cadillac pulled itself up the hill and across the parking lot until it stopped along the curb. Rick looked across the field, where his mother stood silently, watching. She chose not to be with him when he left, and he understood: he had to make his journey alone.

His green eyes caught her bronze ones, and he looked into his mother's strong sight, into a color of the lightest tan, almost golden with streaks of jade, forming a sort of autumn-color, like the hues of fallen dead leaves. They shared one last look, full of emotions yet their faces were unreadable. The door shut behind him, and the car glided back across the hill.
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The sparkling waters reflected the sun's rays as it stared horizontally at the party. A tent was set up in the yard, and tables lined with food and drink lay beneath it. The children enjoyed the refreshing water as they jumped into the pool over and over again. On the patio beneath the deck, glasses could be heard knocking into one another as the friends and family toasted and drank their fill.

"To Mr. Chase Levane!" a middle aged man sitting at the end of the table said. "You're going places young man- mark my words!"

At the other end of the table sat the youngest member of the group, for whom the celebration was thrown for. Chase knew his uncle liked to drink at most, if not all, of the celebrations he attended, whether it be a wedding or a dinner party or a graduation. Most people would be happy in his situation, with school finally over and the first hot summer night beginning. Chase felt many things at that moment- he felt nervous, apprehensive- but mostly he felt excited.

He had known he was special his whole life- his parents mentioned the word "Vexor" when they spoke of it. He didn't know what a Vexor was, whether it was good or bad, common or rare. He didn't want to stand out, or be special. He just wanted to be himself.

Then, the men and women dressed in green showed up at his house last week and told him to be prepared to leave when they returned the next Saturday. Chase didn't know what to expect, or why his parents agreed to send him away, but he knew it was because he was in danger somehow- maybe even that it was he who was dangerous.

Chase saw the headlights shine on the lawn from the driveway and knew they had arrived. He got up quickly and slipped through the sliding glass door that led inside, trying not to attract attention. His parents followed him inside, his father giving him a strong hug and his mother shedding tears of pain as he left, out the garage and into the black Cadillac, into the next phase of his life.
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The bookstore was somewhat filled for a Tuesday evening. Many of the people were filtered through the many shelves to the coffee shop towards the side of the store. Others backtracked in the opposite direction to the massive magazine rack. The last light of the sun escaped under the giant window that took up an entire wall of the building, and the store slowly became darker as the artificial lights above it became more noticeable.

A teenage boy stood at the travel section, gazing across the many titles of cities and places that the world had to hold. He glanced at the Washington, D.C. section, took out a copy, and began to skim through it.

Two men dressed in black approached him and stopped in the middle of the aisle.

"Mason Grace," one of them said. "The time has come for your departure."

"Has it now?" Mason said without looking up from the book. "Remind me again where I'm going?"

"You know full well where you're going," the other one said. "Follow us, please."

Mason closed the book and looked at the two men. "Yes, I'm sure two large men in black dragging a boy though a bookstore won't attract any attention at all."

"Let's go," the first one said.

Mason reluctantly followed them. "You're paying for this, by the way," he said, handing the book to the man on the right, who scowled and slipped it inside his jacket as they walked out through the front doors and into the darkness of the night.