VHANDELL, Max Mayfield

I. CHAPTER 0

"The Encounter"

November 6, 2003

A 13-year-old boy lay on his stomach while looking at the pictures and reading the texts written for the nth time that he flipped through the same magazine he bought last week. He idolized the teenage hero who was starring in the magazine. Some thoughts of maybe letting spiders bite him, thinking that it would be a great idea. Though his logical side told him, that's stupid. What if he did and then instead of gaining supernatural powers he would instead lay on a hospital bed, maybe a few minutes away from death or a coma? Can't take the risk now, can he?

His thoughts were cut short when he heard his mom's call for him. "Vhan Anderson! Come down here right this instant!" The boy shook his head from his thoughts and sighed. Obeying his mother's wishes he jumps out of his bed, and quickly runs down the stairs. He staggered on his steps when he could see his mother standing at the front door, a woman standing just outside it.

"What is it, mom?"

"Have you seen Sven? Is he with you?" His mom questioned him with an apprehensive look. He peeked to his side as he descended further down the stairs revealing Mrs. Calman, Sven's mother who looked pale-sick. Her eyes looked at him with expectancy.

"Uh no...Wouldn't I tell you if Sven was coming over?" Vhan answered, with a puzzled expression as he continued to ask "Is there something wrong? Is he not home?" He asked once more, genuinely worried. Mrs. Calman's reaction was even more worrying when she took a sharp inhale. Panic was written all over her face, which only made the two Andersons anxious. They immediately came to help the woman to calm her down, questions looming over the two mother-son duo. "Wha - what's wrong Mrs. Calman?" the boy asked while patting the lady's back reassuringly.

"Sven... he - he's not home! He's been gone since he... I don't know!... School.. Did, did you see him at school, Vhan? Was he in school earlier?" She asked horrified, looking at Vhan begging for answers.

Vhan was speechless, the woman's current panic troubling him to answer straight away. So with an inhale and an exhale, he answered surely "Aunty... Sven did come to school. Really...we wen together and even planned on going to the old arcade. Uhm, The Palace Arcade?"

For a second she had a sense of relief that the boy had not gone missing at the very beginning of the day. But there was still that problem, he hadn't come home ever since the school's dismissal. Tears were now starting to pour from her eyes, and her legs were trembling to the point that she looked like she was about to collapse into the two Andersons. They were ready to catch and comfort her.

"Oh dear, Mary...come on, have a cup of water for now. Take slow deep breaths, then we can look for Sven. Okay?" The Anderson woman said while gently lifting the distressed mother with her son. Mary could only nod as a gesture and mumbled a small 'thank you.'

They sat on the stools beside the kitchen counter. It took a few minutes for the lady to recollect herself. Her breathing came back to normal, though her heart felt like it was about to burst. Her mind was screaming at her. Panicking internally she stared off into space. Her dazing was interrupted when the Anderson woman finally spoke "Mary, are you feeling much better now?"

Mary gave a tiny smile and said "Yes...I'm much better than earlier. Thank you...but I-... I'm sorry for troubling you Jane, and your son. I'm very sorry...It's just-"

The Anderson woman quickly intervened "Oh no! It's fine, Mary. Sven is like a son to me too. We'll help you find him of course." she told her reassuringly.

"Well, uh- Aunty, did you contact him with your phone?" Vhan questioned as he sat on one of the stools, cracking his knuckles anxiously before pulling a cell phone out from his pocket.