Donny enjoyed walking down this path, which was now cutting into the woods that came between his house and Colmont High. It gave him time to think. But this time he wasn’t the only one there.
“Are you a Mr. Donny Rawe?” A voice asked from behind.
Donny jumped and spun around, turning to find out the owner of the voice.
“Yes. Who are you?” Donny asked looking at a man that stood stalk-still behind him.
The man was wearing a long, brown overcoat with both hands occupying its pockets. He stood about a foot taller than Donny and watched with gray, sunken eyes and messy brown hair atop his head.
“My name isn’t important right now.” He replied, “I have been waiting to meet you and your friends.”
“What do you want?” Donny asked. The man didn’t sound bad but Donny still didn’t trust him.
“I want you to have this wristband.” The man replied, pulling out a black and blue band that seemed to give off a soft aura.
Donny stepped forward. He doesn’t know what possessed him to accept but he did and before he know it the band was placed over his hand onto his wrist and was accompanied by a sharp snap as the man pulled it up and released it.
Donny cried out in surprise as the band shot his skin.
“I’m sorry but it was necessary.” The man explained then took a few steps backwards, “I will see you again soon.” And with that he vanished into thin air. Donny gasped and for some reason, didn’t seem so scared. He instead raised his arm and examined his band.
Dual Black lines ran down its center with a thin white line In between while another two lines, these ones blue, ran the top and bottom sealing the black lines.
Donny held it closer to his eyes and saw the white line separating the black ones was actually a series of dots that seemed to pulsate with his own blood.
“What is this?” He asked aloud then tried to pull it off. The band wouldn’t budge. “What! Get off!” He pulled again but only reddened his own skin.
He scoffed at it and decided to get home quickly. He took two small steps then started running off down the trail.
“Dad!” Charles said walking into through the doors and into the bedroom, “I gave those kids the bands.”
“Good. Very good Charles.” The professor replied sitting up on his bed, shoulder and upper thigh bandaged with a laptop facing his direction on a desk, “The first two are already in. They have agreed to it and have just met with Sea More.” He tapped a few keys and the screen changed. He looked at the screen and brought his hand to his chin.
“It would appear the others have not gotten the link yet.” Four names on the screen with red X’s told him that, “You did make sure to snap it on their wrists right?”
Charles nodded then looked around at the simple room with only a small bed, simple wooden desk covered in papers and spiral notebooks, and dark colored walls with a border of glass along the top that allowed artificial light into the room.
“Do you really think they can do this?” Charles asked, “I mean, they are just kids.”
The professor didn’t reply at once. He sat there thinking then said, “I hope they can. There can be no doubt on the matter. I sent Sharon to their school to give me more information pertaining to their physical abilities, mental skill, and emotional stability.”
He sighed and closed his eyes.
“Max. My greatest apprentice…doing this. I feel as though I gave the arsonist the gasoline and a match because I didn’t think about what he’d do with it.”
“It’s ok dad…” Charles began but the professor cut him off.
“No son, it’s not.” He fell back onto his bed, “I failed.”
Donny ran down the trial until he reached a long line of wooden fences. He counted the different sets until he came to a simple, but newer section of fence line. He charged the fence and with one easy movement, put his feet on the supporting beams, grabbed the top of the splintered wood then launched over the top and landed on the cool, moist grass below.
The backyard extended forward from the fence line and circled around the pale, eggshell white house in front of him. He stood up straight and walked over to the screened in porch and opened the door, quickly entering the house.
He stopped inside the doorway and looked at the band that hung on his wrist again; this thing was giving him the creeps. The tiny circles breathed along with his pulse and it only added to his worry.
“Mom!” He called closing the door, “Are ya home?” Donny could feel something was wrong. The house was unusually quiet, not even his dog Cindy was yapping at his arrival. He passed the gleaming counter tops in the kitchen with the refrigerator humming in the corner. He walked through the kitchen swing door into the dining room.
Sitting at the table, wearing a wicked grin, was a man who held Donny's labeled cup and said, “Hello son. Let's chat.” he called setting the cup down.
“Don’t you remember?” John said walking behind Bobby and Sean, “That is what I said.”
Bobby yawned, “Yeah John I remember.”
They were walking the same dirt trail though the woods that Donny had taken just minutes earlier.
“So Donny is already at your house right?” Sean asked Bobby who replied, “Yeah. He said he needed to head straight home.”
As they walked, an ever-growing presence of a follower became apparent. Then, from behind them, “Are you Bobby Rawe? John and Sean Clemont?”
All three whirled around to see the owner of the voice.
“Who are you?” Sean asked clenching his fists.
“First I need to know if you are…” The man began but Sean cut him off.
“Yes we are. Now who are you?” The man reached into his overcoat pocket and pulled out three bands, the same as Donny’s.
“You will know my name soon enough.”
“What are those?” Bobby asked, eyeing the bands uncertainly.
“Gifts.” The man replied casually, “I want you each to wear one.”
The three hesitated. Whatever force possessed Donny to accept one was not working on them.
“Take one.” He said, his voice flat but none the less commanding.
“No. No way.” Bobby stated.
The man closed his eyes and said, “I didn’t want to use force but if I have to…” His voice trailed off as he melted into the air.
The three gasped and scanned the woods as they shook their heads mouthing questions like ‘where did he go?’
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