A Sky Full Of Stars

Chapter One

Chapter one

I felt groggily around me for my knife. I finally found it at the foot of my bed. Reluctantly I left my soft cozy blankets. I climbed down the rickety wooden staircase peering out the rain washed windows at the pewter gray sky. I just couldn’t shake off the feeling of dread as I descended the stairs.

The light flickered on when I flicked the switch upward. The room was now flooded in a dim yellowish light. I snatched my muddy sneakers from the welcome mat then slipped them on. Grabbing my rain coat from the rusty old nail, I headed out the door and into the backyard. There was the decaying fence with blue paint pealing off the edges. I gripped the knife with my right hand.

I raised the dagger, staring intently at the center of the fence. Automatically I hurled the dagger at the old boards. I watched as it soared across the yard, piercing the already split wood. Satisfied I strode across the lawn, yanking the dagger out of the board.

I remembered two years ago I had stood on this very spot. I was surprised that I could remember the day when everything went wrong.

I had only been ten when it happened. I had been out side practicing my aim when I had heard it; a sob coming from the house. I had stopped to listen. I could hear voices coming from my dad’s office but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. I had crept silently to the window and flattened myself up against the wall. “No, no. Please no!” I had heard my father plead. “I cannot do it!”

“It must be done. If you are too weak to do it I will myself.” a female voice had whispered.

I had frozen, too scared to move.

“Please show mercy, please!” my father had begged.

“No.” the voice spat. “You either you accept my task or die.”

Suddenly a blinding white light had spilled across the lawn, there had been a loud rushing sound, and then everything went silent. I had slowly gotten up, crossed the lawn to the sliding glass door and enter the house. I had met my father half way down the hallway.

“Tyson, take this. It will keep you safe.” he had said quickly, shoving a bronze medallion into my hand. I looked down. I could just make out the engravings on the coin. Strange designs had been etched into the medal.

“Keep it with you at all times! Never let it out of your sight. Promise me!” He had said looking desperately into my face.

“I-I promise.” I had said croakily. “But dad what’s going on?”

“No time to explain.” he had said sprinting down the hallway. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

I hadn’t understood at all. He had looked back. This looked like it had caused him agony.

With a tremendous effort it seemed he looked away and ran out the door.

He never came back though. Each night my mother would sit by the window and whisper his name. Finally one day she had announced that my Uncle Jack and Aunt Denise would be living with us. One year after she had made that announcement she had died. She stopped eating in the end. I tried not to think about it that often but whenever I lay awake in my bed the memories would come flooding back to me.

I trudged gloomily across the wet yard at the thought of that day. It had been a touchy subject ever since my mother’s funeral.

Unconsciously I raised my knife, still lost in thought about my dad. I heard a rustling to my left. I froze, my right hand still raised. Something was glinting in the oak tree. Suddenly it vanished. Half a millisecond later, it reappeared.