Chapter One

                  The Beginning

“Wake up honey,” called Jakes Mother.

That sound would always please his sleep filled head whenever he woke up for another horrid day of school.  See, Jake hates school more than he hates a broken leg.  Don’t misunderstand his reasoning behind his disgust he really does like school.  He likes it just fine with all the studying he does and the things he learns.  This intrigues him very much, but that isn’t what bothers him about school.  It’s what, rather than WHO was at school that doesn’t strike his fancy.  Jake isn’t a very popular kid at school.  He is what many of the Popular folk call a Dork, a Dweeb, or even more popular, the ever-classic Nerd.  Because of this, the “popular” kids were always picking him on.  

For example, one time Jake had gone to see a movie with his friend Bernie (one of his VERY few friends).  They went to see A Nightmare on Aspen Street IX, which was being shone as a double feature with Conan the Barbarian.  The “Cool Kids” had shown up just as Bernie and Jake were getting in line to the concession stand, “Let’s leave Bernie, Okay?” asked Jake as he tried to hide behind a rather tall and wide man in a long trench coat.

“No way, I’m not going to let those guys scare me away, I have been waiting to see this movie for 2 years ever since I saw the A Nightmare on Aspen Street VIII!  I mean in this one he is supposed to fight that hockey mask wearing mass murderer in this one!”  Now Bernie is what you call a movie maniac.  He is the type of severest that has stayed out in the rain and freezing snow to get tickets for the next installment of Star Wars for two weeks just to make sure he could get a seat for opening night!  He wouldn’t leave that theatre if his life depended on it.  His didn’t, but Jakes did.

“Okay…” Jake sighed, “We’ll stay.”

“Great!  Let’s get some popcorn and get into the theatre!  I wanna make sure we get awesome seats!”  So they got the mega bag of popcorn and a 56 oz. coke   for each of them, and found their seats.  They had just about forgotten the “Cool Kids” when they Jake had realized he had forgotten some napkins and Reese’s Bites and noticed when he got up, that they were sitting directly behind his and Bernie’s seats.  

They were all there, all four of them.  Kevin Meeshigan, the undeclared leader of the group and Jakes arch rival. Kevin was a very large primate whose intelligence seemed to degrade those of his assumed species.  Jonny Neumann, who was Kevin’s little toady and was as tall as Kevin and as thin as a telephone pole.  He too had an IQ the equaled to mud.  Nicole Willings, Jonny’s gorgeous blonde girlfriend with very large breasts, a body that was usually clothed in the most hip, hip hop wear around and her best friend, Mellissa Gilbert.  

Melissa was probably the most beautiful girl in the entire school and the most popular. She had the long light brown and red highlighted hair of a super model that was usually put up in an intentionally hastened bun with pieces of hair framing the sides of her angelic face.  Her large full lips were like a red delicious apple that stood on the top of the freshly watered stack of fruit in an organic supermarket. She had eyes as blue as a cloudless sky in the middle of summer two days after a rainstorm and a classic hourglass shaped body that was not too thin nor too thick. She always wore clothes that were in the latest styles that were very attractive, but not distasteful.  Since her favorite color was Green, which contrasted marvelously with her very Irish features, she always wore something that was green no matter if it was a shirt, a dress, or even just a scarf or banana clip.

Because Nicole and Jonny were dating, Kevin assumed he and Melissa were dating, as did everyone in the County. Including Jake, who had a secret crush on her (although he considered her to be his true love). The four of them were the “Cool Kids” and nearly inseparable, mainly because Melissa didn’t want to be alone with Kevin for more than she had too and also because she was Nicole’s best friend.    

Jake returned to his seat and hoped Kevin had not noticed he was there.  He thought he had gone unnoticed until various items of various textures, consistencies and matter were plugging him in the head through out the entire first feature.  Long ago, Jake learned the futility of trying to make them stop, so he just sat helpless until the end of the movie with the various articles that had got stuck in his hair.  As soon as he could, Jake leapt up and ran out of his seat, hoping Melissa didn’t see him looking like the floor of the theater they were sitting in.

He ran right too the bathroom to clean himself up.  Looking in the mirror he thought he looked worse than the theater’s floor if it had not been cleaned all year.  He was able to remove most of the gum and popcorn and other disgusting items from his hair when he noticed the male half of the “Cool Kids” had just walked in.  He quickly moved to a urinal at the back of the bathroom, trying to remain inconspicuous.  Jake tried not to look scared out of his wits, which he was, as he tried to finish his mission and get out of there.  He saw that Kevin and Jonny were not paying him any mind, so he tried to sneak out before they noticed him in such a hurry he didn’t wait to tie up his sweat pants as he walked toward the door.  Unfortunately, before he had reached the door, an ape-like hand grabbed his arm, “Where do you think yer goin, bub?” said the cold voice.

“Umm, back to m-my seat?” Jake stated very nervously as the hand turned him around.

“Uh-uh,” stated Kevin, whom the ape-like hand belonged, “yer not goin’ anywhere!”

“I’m not” Jake asked trying to remain calm.

“No, yer not!” said Kevin.  Just then he heard a shrill snap come from Kevin’s fingers whish was immediately followed by an evil chuckle.  Jake was to afraid to notice the evil chuckle had come from Jonny who was suddenly standing right behind him.  He felt his sweat pants being tugged from his grasp and then heard the swoosh of them being pulled to the ground around his ankles.  After this, he was immediately spun around and shoved out of the bathroom door.  

It wouldn’t have been so bad, Jake had thought to himself, if he had been seen laying in his underwear in the lobby by the entire movie theatre.  Nor would he have cared that he landed in the middle of a group of girls from school.  Or even that this very group of girls had one Nicole Willings in it’s midst.  The thing that bothered Jake the most was that this group of girls also had Melissa, whom they were surrounding and talking about the freak with the fingers from the movie.

Jake couldn’t have believed what happened.  If it wasn’t the fact that it was one of his worst night mares come true, he had fallen on his face right in the midst of Melissa and her friends, in his tighty whiteys.  He sat up and looked straight at Melissa and just smiled weakly, trying to gather up what dignity he had left, when the Neanderthal’s who threw him outside the bathroom and put him in this predicament were just standing there and laughing hysterically at him.  Then as if on cue, everyone in the lobby joined in the harsh chorus of degrading laughter.  Everyone was laughing except Melissa. She had just stood there with a disgusted look on her face.  Jake didn’t know if it was directed at him or at Kevin.  He hadn’t really cared either.

It was times like that that made Jake get so angry he dreamed himself as Conan or any other type of action hero he looked up to and dreamt of being.  He knew he could fight back if he really wanted to.  After all he did practice fighting the monsters and villains he would imagine as he ran threw the woods and he won all of those fights.  But he would always figure that if he did fight back, he would get in some kind of trouble.  Like maybe get his nose broken and bloodied, or his femur cracked, or even worse, Melissa would see it.

“Hurry up, Jake you’re going to be late,” shouted his mother up at him!  Jake opened his eyes and lazily turned over to look at his alarm clock which read that he had twenty minutes still before he would absolutely have to leave for school.  

He never understood why his mother gave him the alarm clock seeing as she always woke him up in the morning anyhow.  She insisted that it was to make him a more responsible person. He sat up from his little twin bed that he has had since he was five.  The same cowboy carved maple bed he had for the last ten years.  He loved this bed.  The both of them had gone on many adventures together in the past.  They would go on many more in the future he thought to himself as images of Melissa with windblown hair wearing a bikini began to tread upon his bedroom wall.  He felt the warmth in his cheeks begin to fade as he put that image away in his imagination’s memory.  

He sleepily stretched away the sleep from his muscles and joints and rolled out of bed.  He leaned back on the Mickey Mouse bed sheets and flannel fleece blanket as he almost fell over. “Today, I feel, is going to be a great day!”  He spun around in place and grinned as he jumped to his matching cowboy dresser and began to find clothes in which he would dress today.  Being a bit of a husky kid, he got his favorite solid navy blue t-shirt and blue jeans on, both of which were a little baggy on him.  He liked to wear baggy clothes because he felt it hid is chunky belly a little bit better.  Afterward he went to his closet and found one of his many flannel button-front shirts and threw it on over his t-shirt.  He then bounded for the door in a little quick-step one might imagine a leprechaun make when counting his gold.

He stopped a moment and looked back at his bedroom to see if he had forgotten anything.  His bedroom wasn’t very large, but big enough for a 15 year old boy who likes to collect various sci-fi/ fantasy memorabilia.  He looked over at his sword collection he had hanging on his was which contained one Conan the Barbarian two-handed broadsword replica and a katana, wakizashi, tanto set with matching black wooden sheathes and red braided cord wrapped handles.  All three of which also had brass capping molded with faux antique Japanese designs over the pommel, hand guard, and mouth of the sheath.   The thought crossed his mind of bringing them, but he decided against it in the long run.  

He looked over at his computer desk where he most of his role-playing game books and video games were at.  He absolutely loved role-playing games, because here he could escape into a fantasy world where he could be a mighty warrior fighting evil wizards and their minions and after defeating them, take the beautiful princess as his wife-love.  Unfortunately, it was only a fantasy world his mind was almost always traveling through. He especially loved the Fantasy World of Albalia.

  Albalia was the biggest and most popular game world for the fantasy role-playing game of Fiends and Fighters.  The Game world was so popular it lead to the release of a hit television series called Zeon: Destroyer of Evil.  Which itself spawned a hit movie franchise of the same name.  Because of Zeon: Destroyer of Evil, the role-playing game, Fiends and Fighters, has nearly become a household name.  The concept was so popular that Alkazar Inc., the creators, publishers, and producers of the entire Fiends and Fighters franchise (also the name of Zeon’s evil wizard archrival) was able to merge with the popular amusement park, Bonanzo World, and created a special Zeon world themed theme park inside Bonanzo World called The Amazing World of Albalia.

Jake had every single product released from Alkazar Inc. to date.  Including every one of the Albalia novels, and he especially enjoyed the Zeon: Destroyer of Evil novels.  When he was a child he would sometimes pretend to be Zeon.  He would take his make believe long sword and shield and battle Alkazar and his evil minions in his bedroom, but his mom would yell at him for making too much racket.  So he moved to the woods that surrounded the private beach his family would often buy a membership too the beach in the summer time so they could go swimming.  There he would grab large sticks and use them as his sword and fight the trees and bushes of his make-believe foes.  Sometimes he would beat them into submission within his own mind and sometimes they would beat him, in which cases he would be “thrown” by his enemies down the muddy slopes of the forested hills.  Upon his usually triumphant return, his mother would promptly strip him and place him in the bath.  

It is actually because of this that he is considered a dork.  Because he sometimes would still go into those woods, and fight those imaginary villains.  It just happened that one day when he had finished a battle, he was found by both Kevin and Jonny coming out of the forest with his wooden sword still in his hand.  Kevin and Jonny thought he was a wild animal at first and were startled, but then they realized who it was and the incessant humiliation had continued on ever since.  Jake didn’t care, he still enjoyed the books and the games he played even if he did tend to play them in private.  One reason he didn’t care, is because it would keep him a little fit, a bit more agile and a little bit stronger than he normally would be if he didn’t play act the games he played on the table top with dice, paper and pencils.  

Fortunately, his friend Bernie also shared Jakes’ love of the Fiends and Fighters game.  Jake showed him how he would go out into the woods by the beach and Bernie thought it was one of the most awesome things he had ever done. Now they go out when ever they can, usually on weekends, to play.  

Jake realized he had almost forgotten his backpack, which was lying next to his computer desk.  His life sciences book was poking through the top of his opened backpack.  It was then the thought hit him along with the palm of his hand, “HOLY CRAP!  I forgot to do my science homework!  Man Mr. Flint is gonna get be pissed!”

He heard a shout come from downstairs, “What was that, Dear?”

“Oh! Uh… nothing ma!” exclaimed Jake as he realized he swore louder than he thought.

“If it is nothing stop your cursing then!” came the scold Jake hoped wasn’t going to come, “Don’t forget I have breakfast ready for you!” Now, Jake knew that Mr. Flint was constantly getting on Jake about everything.  Maybe because Mr. Flint was also the gym teacher and the mere fact that he nearly idolized Kevin as an athlete.  

See, Mr. Flint was an extreme sports fanatic and was the best of the best in all sports in his day here at this very School.  The reason he had gotten the job as a Gym teacher was not because he had a degree in teaching, but because his father was still on the school board (at 76) and knew his son didn’t have the brains to do anything else.  The only reason he had taken over the science class was because the old science teacher, Mrs. Sacra, was in traction from a skiing accident she went on over 6 months ago.  So Mrs. McKenzie, the school’s Principal, told Mr. Flint to take over the position and actually do something for a change.  He really hated being told what to do by an old woman such as McKenzie, but he had no choice for fear of upsetting his father and losing his only chance for employment.  

Mr. Flint, being the manly man that he is, is always showing favoritism to those kids that have athletic ability and potential more than any of the other students.  Seeing that Kevin is the most athletic of the school (one reason for his popularity) he is Flint’s little pet.  

For Kids like Jake, who has no ounce of athletic ability in there body (though the theory of Jakes not being athletic is purely one of his own creation due to his very low esteem), Jake is usually made to look the fool in any situation that has one Kevin Meeshigan in it.

Jake was worried now.  He had six pages he had to read and a worksheet that went along with the chapter summary.  He immediately threw himself at his computer desk and pulled out the homework.  It was then that he noticed something strange.  The pencil he had grabbed began to suddenly get bigger, and harder.  It started to feel like steel in his hand.  Jake looked down at it to see what was wrong with his pencil when he saw he was holding a sword that was almost as big as he was. It was very much like the one Zeon had used.  Dumbfounded, he closed his eyes quickly, “Whatisgoingonwithmewhatisgoingonwithme!” he began to chant to himself.  He opened up his eyes again and looked around.  He was still at his computer desk, but his computer desk was not in his room.  

Jake looked around at this Amazonian jungle he found himself in wondering what was happening.  He heard a noise behind him and turned just in time to see a huge wooden club with large teeth lashed to it.  He tried to react but was hit across the head.  He felt darkness start to overwhelm his vision, but knew he couldn’t go to sleep.  He focused on the sound of the man-beast who was swinging the club, but all he heard as the darkness over took him was a hideous laughter from in the distance.  From there, the only sound he heard was of wind rushing past his face and the very odd sensation of floating.  It was almost blissful if it hadn’t stopped suddenly with a jarring thump to his head and the bang of books hitting a wooden floor.

When Jake opened up his eyes, he saw his computer desk from underneath it.  He looked around him and sat up.  He had to move his chair from on top of him and pick up his pencil.  He knew this from common sense that told him to do it.  He looked to see where his pencil was when he felt s very numbing sensation in his arm.  Looking at his arm he had found his pencil, which was causing the numbing sensation as he pulled it out of his arm.  He must have landed on it when he fell.

Quickly he stood up, picking up his chair and books and rubbing his arm.  Luckily it wasn’t a very bad wound just a mere poke that just then started to bleed.  

“Jake?  What are you doing up there?  Is everything okay?  What was that loud crash, dear?” Jake could hear his mom coming up the stairs and quickly glanced that way.  That was when he noticed his Zeon: Two-Handed Sword replica lying on the floor between him and the door.  His mother hated it when he took those things down.  The only reason she let him have them was because he promised they would only be used as decoration.  Which he did use them for most of the time when his mom was home.  If she saw that it was off the wall, she would assume that he was swinging it around in his room. He heard his mom’s footsteps just outside of his door, “Jake?  You’re not playing with that damn sword again are you?”  Jake really panicked now.  He tried to think, what he could do. When the door opened up he dove to the ground, throwing his jacket over top of the sword.  

“Hi Mom!  Good Morning!”  Jake was lying on the floor in push-up position.  He commenced to start pushing up while he smiled strenuously at his mother.  

“Jake, what on earth are you doing?”

“Uh… Push… ups?”

His mom looked at him doubtfully, “You don’t do push-ups, Jake.  You don’t like to work out.  You hate working out.” She placed her fists on her hips and glared down at him.

“Well, I figure it was about time to start working out, you know?  I mean most of my friends do!”  Jake attempted to look sincere as he laid on the floor and looked up at his mother with as sincere a look as he could muster.

His mom didn’t seem to be buying it, “Is this about that Melissa girl I hear you going on about in here every night?”  That comment made Jake blush immediately.

“MOM!  You’re not supposed to be eavesdropping on me!  GOD! I am SO embarrassed!”  He got up to his knees and then too his feet as he brushed himself off.  Frowning, he looked away from his mother and started to put his homework back into his backpack.  “I don’t believe you eavesdrop on me, I am so ashamed of my own mother!  This is absolutely horrendous!”

Dismissing his running commentary with a shake of her head she turned around and headed back down stairs, not closing the door behind her.  So Jake moved to the door and closed it.  He could hear his mother saying something about not ever going to be able to understand teenagers and Jake smiled to himself.  He quickly put away the sword and packed up his stuff and continued to head downstairs after his mother.  

What was that daydream thing that has just happened to him?  He had never done anything like that before.  He remembered day dreaming a lot but not anything like what had just happened!  He didn’t remember ever grabbing the sword from the wall either.  “Well… I can’t dwell on it right now,” he thought, “I still need breakfast!” With that, he ran down the stairs after his mom.

Rounding the corner of the stairwell into the kitchen/dining area, Jake laid his stuff on the kitchen table dinette and went to the fridge to see what he could get for breakfast.  There were leftovers from dinner the night before, but he didn’t like that spinach stuff his mom made then.  He scanned for something else.  While searching, he grabbed a carton of OJ and began to drink out of it.  His mom immediately smacked him on the back of the head.  He turned to look at her and complain, but Mom’s “Eye look” seized that thought, so he closed the door and went to the cupboard.

Jake eventually found some cereal and fixed that for himself.  When he finished he kissed his mom on the cheek and headed out the door.  Bernie, who must have been waiting for him for some time now, was just outside and immediately greeted him.  “What is up, my man?   You look a bit weird!”  Jake started to freak out, thinking that he had somehow communicated the fact that he blacked out this morning.

“Wh-what… uh… do you mean?” he stuttered.  As he froze in place and began to mentally search his mind for what ever Bernie was talking about.

Bernie looked at him a moment more and then laughed at him as he moved to point at Jake’s shirt, “Dude, chill out, you must be saving this for later, huh? He he!  Cereal is that good, huh?”  Bernie then burst out laughing as he pulled him along to the bus stop where the bus was already almost done loading on the students for this stop.

Jake gave a sigh of relief and chastened himself for being so uptight.  Of course Bernie couldn’t tell what was going on in his room this morning let alone what was going on in his head.  He chuckled to himself, “Ha!  Yeah, I was saving that for later!  You know how I love Coco-Puffs!”  He and Bernie, after climbing on the bus, moved to the back of the bus.  Not noticing that he had passed by Melissa when he had grabbed the breakfast remnants off of his shirt and tossed them to the ground.  Nor did he notice Melissa smile at him as he walked by and mention something about liking Coco-puffs as well.

Melissa was nudged in the shoulder by Kevin’s elbow when he noticed what she was smiling at.  She turned to look at him accusingly and smacked his arm, “Jerk!”  Kevin, liking this kind of play with Melissa, but never understanding that she really wasn’t playing, grinned in spite of himself.  Melissa grimaced at his ignorance and gave in.  She just turned around and faced front.  She didn’t see Kevin turn back to look at Jake while gritting his teeth.  

Nor could she know that Kevin was planning a way to really embarrass Jake today.   Looking at him, one could almost see smoke coming from his ears as he thought of how to humiliate Jake that day.