Karl - up to Chapter 5

Hi my name is Karl.
When you were young did you ever believe in old stories, myths or legends? Did you ever believe in magic, monsters or wizards? I expect you did; you were not wrong.
there are monsters out there. There is magic and there most definitely are wizards. I know this because I am one.3
It all started one summer, long ago. You know when you are in primary school - you look forward to being able to blow things up in a lab, to be able to dissect animals and to play with electricity without getting in trouble. You think that chemistry will be great. However when you are stuck with double physics in Lab 7 with Mr Gooner copying out of a text book, those kinds of thoughts doesn’t actually cross your mind. 4
I was 12 and had just started secondary school. It was Thursday afternoon and that meant double physics; or "Double Gooner" as we called it. The bell rang to signal the end of the lesson. James and I jumped up in synchrony and we both put our books in our bags. However Mr Gooner asked James to stay behind. I started to move slowly, hoping that James would soon join me. The sun was shining and I hated to be stuck inside. James was still being talked to by Mr Gooner and it seemed that he may be there for some time. Without really meaning to, I got shoved outside, caught in a current of human bodies heading towards the field. I looked back to try and find James but I could not see him anywhere.5
James was like any other kid, except for the fact that his eyes where pearl white. He said that it had something to do with his contact lenses.6
it was three days from the last day of term and spirits were high. Being in Year 7 had some disadvantages; like the fact that you could barely see over half the people’s shoulders and always got jostled to the back of the lunch line. I was standing on the edge of the quad, wondering whether to join the rest of my friends on the field or to wait for James when I heard a voice next to me and, as if by magic, there he was; James was standing right next to me.7
"We need to talk", he said in an urgent voice.8
"I...er...sure. But what about?"9
"I’ll tell you later. Right now we need to get out of here."10
"Should we go on the field?" I asked11
James slapped his forehead. "No I mean out of school. Preferably out of America too."12
"Are you being serious?" I asked. "If I leave I will get in so much trouble and ....." But I didn't have the chance to finish expressing my concerns before James cut me off, rather abruptly I thought.13
"Look, this is a life or death situation!" James whispered to me. He dragged me by the arm out of the school gates and across the main road. We ran into an alley where he finally stopped.14
"Ok", I said, out of breath. "What is going on that could be a life or death situation?" But before James could answer, there was a mighty explosion that blazed across the street from us. James pushed me behind a rock, as debris and school books flew over my head. There was a deadly silence. 15
"How did you ..... Did you just..... What??" Questions were coming thick and fast in my mind but the words only trickled from my mouth. 16
"Come on! We really do have to get out of here". James whistled and as if out of nowhere a black Ford Mondeo drove down the alley. I could not see the driver as he had a hood over his face. James clicked his fingers and a door swung open and James shoved me in.17
So many questions were buzzing around in my head I didn’t know what to ask first. I just stared up at James in awe.18
"Look", James said. "Before you say anything I want you to know, I am not human, I don’t come from another planet I’m just not human." As if that were supposed to clear everything up.19
James had just saved my life and now was whisking me away to another country. Everything was happening so fast my brain just could not keep up. I was aware that one of my best friends had just announced that he was not human and also that my boarding school had just been blown up. I could only hope that everyone was outside on the field when the explosion went off.20
I was thankful for James saving me, but why me? How did he know what was going to happen and most of all, why were we in such danger? 21
James and I arrived at my house just after one o’clock.23
"Pick up your stuff and get back in the car, pronto", James ordered.24
"Not until you tell me who you are, where we are going and how you knew that the bomb, or whatever it was that blew up the school, was going to…well. Explode!" 251

"Really, there is no time to explain. All I am going to say is I am not human", James replied.26
"Yeah, I think you already told me that".27
"Oh, and that you probably are not either" 28
"Not what? Not human? Seriously, do you need to sit down?" I asked with a touch of sarcasm.29
"Don’t try to be funny with me. If you remember, I just saved your life!" 30
"Ok, so what am I supposed to tell my mum? Oh, my friend from school is not human, I’m not either and we are just going out of the country!"31
"Something along those lines. Now come on"32
"Fine but how long are we going abroad for?" I asked.33
"Some time". 34
"No, I want a straight answer. Where are we going and for how long?" I was becoming exasperated with his cryptic conversation and felt that I was not getting the full explanation I deserved. 35
"Go and get your stuff, now!" James said in a way that meant if I tried asking the same question again he might just eat me.36
"Ok, I’m going. But how much of my stuff will I need?" I asked inquisitively.372

"All of it", James replied sternly.38
"How am I going to fit all of my stuff into one suitcase?"39
But just then the driver threw out a tiny handbag.40
"Oh funny", I sneered at him.41
"Karl", James said, "have you ever seen Dr Who? Because this bag is like his Tardis; it is much bigger on the inside than it is on the outside."42
I looked inside but it looked like a normal bag.43
"Right", I said, "you don’t have anything more ...er... masculine by chance? I don’t mind but I do have an appearance to keep up."44
"No", James said. "Standard campus bag only"45
"What campus? Am I going to another school?"46
"Oops, me and my big mouth. Now come on or we’ll miss the last cab."47
"But, it’s only 2 o’clock", I commented. "The taxi companies don’t shut until like 11 o’clock at night!"48
"Exactly Karl! So get packing".49
this time I did not answer50
"Don’t pack anything that is not essential like toys. You won’t need them where we’re going".51
my head was spinning; I was packing essentials to go to a mystery country with a friend that I had known for less than a year. A friend who had, this afternoon, informed me that he was not human and also added that neither probably was I! 52
I left a note to my mum saying that I was going on an unexpected vacation with my friend and that I would call her to let her know what was happening. 53
I got back into the taxi where James was waiting for me. As soon as I got in, the car jolted, the wheels started to spin and the car was hurtling down the highway at more than 200 mph! My worries started to fade and I begun to enjoy the journey. In fact, I loved it. Right up until the part when James said, "I’m sorry".54
now I was confused. I thought this was his big lifesaving idea.55
"I expect you're expecting some answers". James muttered
and I was but I had forgotten all about them while driving along.56
"Look there really is not any way to break this to you gently but your mum has died"57
"how do you I snapped back!"583

"because otherwise they would not be after you"59
"what do you mean they?" I asked susspiciously"60
"in the woods ,James pointed, can't you see them the are right behind us"
I peeled my eyes and could make out 3 hooded figures chasing after us" 61
I looked back towards the road and saw that we were heading for a cliff!62
"stop we are going to crash I screamed!"
But we did not slow, just sped up. The next thing I knew we were plummeting off a cliff into the sea! 634

Chapter 35

6

My heart filled with dread, what if my mum was really dead, suddenly I was having flash backs of all the happy me memories
that we had shared. I remembered being in Wales and going to a fun fare, just me and my mum. We had a great time there and later that night, I remember her telling me that I could stay up late with her to watch a film called "daddy day-care". 65
then I had another flash back, we were at Dover and I was standing way too close to the edge of a cliff, I saw my mum looking at me with terror in her eyes shouting at me to get back. 66
I had never really noticed but when ever she got scared her eyes changed colour to blue, when she got angry her eyes were green and when ever she was happy or calm they would be the usual chocolate brown colour.677

When we hit the water I was very surprised that we did not all die – in fact we had an easy, soft landing. The car carried on going downwards until it reached the bottom of the sea. I was speechless we should all be dead by now (don’t get me wrong, I was happy we were alive).
We spent the rest of the journey in silence. I was too sad to sad to even bother asking how we survived.
"Close your eyes" James said suddenly
I did not even bother trying to ask why or complain because I knew that I would never get a proper answer but I did not even need to ask.
"We are going to go through a barrier that will blind humans if they try and come through and I am almost sure that you’re not human but if I’m wrong then you will get blinded"
This did not exactly fill me with confidence, but I did not care now my mum and I did not know a thing about my dad.
There was a bright flash. I was relived to see that I could still see but according to James that meant I was not human.
We drove up a winded road that looked like a something off the side of a mountain. I soon found out why, it is because we were driving up a mountain. 8

I was looking out of the window when suddenly blinds, which I had not noticed before, got pulled over.
"Hey," I said "what’s going on"
"You are not allowed to see where we are going in case you decide not to join us and join them." James said as if I were expected to just let the "join them comment" go.
"Sorry, but who are they" I asked with a hint of annoyance in my voice
"All shall be reviled when you consult the master" James said sternly.
"But for now..." James clicked his fingers and that was the last I remembered.
When I woke up the first thing I noticed was the smell- it reminded me of being outside in my garden where there were so many different scents from so many different coloured plants that most of the time I could not pick out one scent in particular. I was sitting in a bedroom
With red wallpaper and an orange ceiling.
I was about to turn around when a I heard a voice from behind me
"You need to rest" and then a hand pressed against my shoulder. It was a soft voice. I turned and saw a girl of about 12. She had brown hair which hung loose around her shoulder. A red dress hung from her shoulders.
"What" she said in a sarcastic accent. I had not realised that I had been staring at her with my mouth open.
"Oh... Sorry" I mumbled
"That’s ok" she smiled. Her eyes turned chocolate brown, just like my mums had when she was happy or at rest.
"Hi I’m Karl" I said. I held out my hand
"Katelin" she shook my hand "but you can call me Kate"
"Ok, I’m going to ask the obvious question and say, where am I?"9

10

11

Chapter 412

I was woken up later by a man in brown robes and a very big grey moustache.
"Come on" he said "get up now!"
I got up and immediately had a hand on my shoulder pulling me out of the door. The man led me down three sets of tunnels and finally out into a courtyard.
Screaming, shouting and playing around were the sound that the hundreds of kids were making. Around the edge stood four great pillars as well as one massive building in the middle. As we walked past, all of the noise just stopped. I got taken inside the big house and pulled into a big room with a throne in the middle of it. On top of the throne lay a middle aged man in a slouched position.
"Another new on is it?" the man asked inquisitively.
"Yes sir," the man said "we found him just outside of Manhattan"
"Ok" the man said and stood up out of his chair in a lazy style.
"Follow me young man" he said.
We arrived in another room with an overhead projector.
"Take a seat" he gestured towards some chairs facing towards a plain white wall.
The man hit a switch and suddenly a film started to roll. 3, 2, 1 START. The film was a bit old and crackled a lot.
"Many years ago a battle started between the east world and the west world. Battles raged on and on, weapons evolved along with the fighters. At the time all men had to fight but in the last couple of millennia some have decided not to fight. In the last hundred years very little are choosing to fight and therefore do not get to know the greatness of weapons. Of course the humans are restricted of knowing about the weapons we use as they would not know how to handle them. So you are still partly human but your blood is different. While the war was raging one of the leaders of the west decided to have an affair with his wife and had children with a human. You are a relative of their children and there’s before them. One of your
Fathers wishes was that his grandson’s and daughters all got trained how to control their beasts and how to fight as the East may strike at any time. We have tried to make peace with the East many a time but we always get denied.
So you as a relative of the Westerly master, Jarrov, will get trained in camp to fight, think and negotiate. If you refuse or think this is all rubbish feel free to leave, the east will hunt down you like they did to your parents."
The film finished and I was left, once again, speechless.
"
Well," said the master "what do you think, do you want to stay here, train and help save your world from utter annihilation or would you rather go back to your normal life and risk getting killed?"
"I er, guess I’ll stay here for a while" I replied nervously.
"Ah," the master said "if you decide to stay you stay here for the rest of your school year. You see, here you will get taught the same academic skills as you would in school however as well as doing human subjects you will also be trained in other areas to help you on missions. Think of it like a boarding school – with a twist."
"Ok so where am I going to stay" I asked.
"You will have to go through a procedure first" the old man said "come with me I will show you."
We arrived at an old stable but instead of horses of whatever you would expect to find in stables, there were just rows and rows of jars and a big sack in the middle of it.
"In the sack" the master said "there are 500 pebbles all of which have a number ranging from 1- 20. What you must do is dip your hand in and pull out one pebble. This pebble will decide your weapon."
"What so if I pull out a 1, I’ll get a rubbish gun like a paintball gun and if I pick a 20, I’ll get like a tank or something?"
"Not really because your weapons can be trained up for example you could pick a number 1 but if you trained it, it would still beat a 20."
"Ok," I said "I don’t really see how I am going to be able to train a gun"
"We do not train or fight with guns" the master "you will be given an animal to train, care for and fight with, so please pick a number."
I reached into the bag. Unlike when I had previously put my hands into bags it was freezing cold and yet one of the hottest things I had ever touched. I gripped one but it was so hot in my hand I immediately had to let it go I tried to get another but that one gave me brain-freeze and I had to pull out my hand,
"Have you got one?" the master inquired.
"No sorry they all kept burning me or freezing me." I said with my hand over my head
"This is natural, try again" the master said.
So once again I dug my hand into the bag. This time when I put my fingers around a pebble it felt warm but not hot. The pebble was smooth in my hand and yet sent a tingle down my spine.
I dragged the stone out of the bag.
"Now, look at your stone and tell me what number you got." Said the master sternly.
I glanced at my number. I saw the number 21 imprinted in a blood red colour.
"Er, sorry, what number is the highest in the bag?" I asked.
"20"he said irritably
"Well, er… I got 21, I think" I said nervously.
The master snatched the pebble out of my hand
"Let me see."
There was an eerie silence and then finally he looked up at me.
"My son," he said "you must come with me, for you are the chosen one."13