Switchblade

Chapter 1: In the Attic

"Its just a knife!" Kale yells to his mother. "I told you ive been practicing!" With that he picked up another knife and flipped it open. His mother was just overreactting as usual. Kale suddenly turned and chucked the knife at the tree. it hit right in the center.

"Nice one." Kale hears from behind him. It's his best friend Rachel, and she is standing with her compound bow in her hand, quiver full of arrows on her back.

"Thanks, Rae. Now if you could do me a huge favor and convince my mom it isn't a worthless talent, just like your absolutely crazy mad archery skills." Kale flung another knife at the target.

Rachel bowed. "I like the compliment, but you know that there is no person in heaven or on Earth that could make her think differently."

Kale smirked and began pulling all the switchblade knives out. After they all came out he closed all twelve of the blades. "I... I wish I knew more about my dad. I don't know anything about him except his name: Matthew Johnston. Plus there is no way that I got my skills from my mom."

"Well I don't know any more than you," Rachel said as she strung an arrow and took aim. It struck the center of the archery target standing in front of a tree next to the dead and hollow one Kale had impaled over and over again. It was the only tree his mom wouldn't throw a fit over.

As Rae began to empty her quiver and shoot them at the target at an alarming speed, Kale sat down and opened a black-bladed knife. He tossed it around from hand to hand, spinning the razor sharp blade that had the potential to easily slice of more than one finger. Amazingly, neither Kale nor Rachel had ever hurt themselves with their talents.

"Hey! I got it!" Kale said suddenly. He jumped up and ran to Rachel, who was placing the arrows back in her quiver.

Before Rachel could answer, Kale pulled her up and showed her the knife he had been tossing. "I think we need to look in the attic. That's where I found most of these knives, and I know they aren't moms."

Rachel smiled. "Ok your mom won't care? Or are we going to use stealth?"

"Stealth."

"that's what I thought."

They crept into the house from the back door and jumped up the stairs as quickly and quietly as possible. The only way to get in the attic was through a small elevator in Kale's mom's closet. Unfortunately was broken, so they couldn't use it. The door slid open with ease, creaking only once. Rachel slid her bow over her head and slid into the elevator.

Kale waited until Rachel called down, "Ok I'm up. Start climbing." He then got in the elevator and pulled the door down. Being careful not to bash his head on the top as he stood up, Kale climbed up the wall. It was a short climb and Rachel pulled Kale out and put her hands on her hips.

"Where do we start? There are probably thirty or so boxes in here."

Kale pulled two knives out of his pocket and handed one to Rachel. "You take this side, I'll take the other."

Rachel nodded and ripped open a cardboard box.

They were about five minutes into their search when Rachel cut open a box that had something that would help them. "Hey over here. This is weird. It's a newspaper article, a couple knives, some shirts, and envelopes."

The newspaper article read: Matthew Johnston Murdered.

"Today at 10:30a.m., there was a shooting outside of the Johnston home. Authorities' say that the wife and son were not home at the time, and a neighbor heard yelling and gunshots so they called the police at once. Matthew Johnston Suffered from gunshot and knife wounds, but the final blow was bullet in his heart. Johnston was able to wound one of his attackers, but none where ever found due to the blood trail suddenly disappearing."

Kale could not believe what he had just read. His father had been murdered!

"What is going on? I don't get it, Mom said Dad left us after I was born." Kale looked at Rachel who had started digging through another box.

"I don't know either, but check these out," Rachel handed Kale a large envelope with his mom's name on it. The other had Rachel's mother's name on it, and she pried open the ripped edge.

Kale did the same and held his breath as he read the first few lines of the letter:

'Mrs. Johnston I warned you not to test me, and now your husband has paid the price. Your son will have great skills that would be very... valuable to me. If you test my patience once more, I will remove your son from you and you will never see him again.'

Rachel looked over Kale's shoulder, "mine says the same thing, about my dad too. What does this mean?"

"I... I'm not sure. But I do know one thing."

Rachel and Kale looked at each other, and they each looked at the knives and bow on Rachel's back. "There is more to our dad's disappearances, and our talents then we know and meets the eye..."