The Children of When (Complete)

Chapter Two: Raff

Raff held his breath as he tried to raise the window without making any sound. The last thing he needed was for his foster-brother, Jeb, to wake up and start asking questions in that whiny little twelve-year-old voice of his. His heart raced with excitement, as he wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans so he could get a better grip on the bottom of the window. The window inched upwards, a welcome breeze fanning his flushed face. He checked his pockets one last time to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, feeling the shape of his torch, and Jeb's pocket-knife, through the fabric of his jeans.

Stomach churning, he bent to grab the windowsill, lifting his leg out to feel for the branch below. He paused, as his totally annoying inner-voice tried one more time to talk him out of it.

You're gonna be in so much trouble if Garth finds out!

He grinned as he considered the consequences for a millisecond. For once Garth, his Guardian, wouldn't be able to punish him. Raff was turning fourteen the next day, and he'd be leaving Naissance anyway. With a carefree shrug, his foot disappeared out the window, feeling around for the branch that would lead him to adventure.

* * *

Raff crept through the dark streets of Naissance, heading for the cemetery. The houses were all in complete darkness, the moonlight casting eerie shadows that sent shivers down his spine. But there was no way he was turning back. He couldn't possibly leave the next day without his pocket-knife, not to mention his favourite hat.

He remembered exactly where he'd left them. He'd been kicking a ball around in the cemetery with his foster-brother, Jeb, earlier in the day. Most people thought them weird for hanging out in a cemetery. But then, they didn't know what awesome goal markers the headstones made.

Raff had kicked the ball between the headstones and cheered at his third goal. Hah! He'll never catch up now! he'd thought, gloating at his three goals to one lead over his foster-brother. He'd watched as Jeb booted the ball, laughing as the ball skewed off in the wrong direction and landed in a section of the thorny hedge that marked the perimeter of the cemetery. Raff had run over, and dropped to his hands and knees to retrieve the ball.

And that was when he'd taken off his favourite hat, so it didn't get snagged in the bushes. He'd used his pocket-knife to cut his way through the prickly shrubs, cursing Jeb as the branches scraped his bare arms and legs. By the time he'd found the ball, he'd been soaked in sweat and itching like crazy. He'd backed out, and dropped his pocket-knife into his hat, meaning to grab them both on his way home.

Which was the reason he was heading back to the cemetery in the dead of night. His feet slowed as he approached the entrance. It definitely felt heaps creepier at night than during the day. He took a deep breath and shone his torch towards the hedge where he remembered leaving his hat, relieved to see it still lay exactly where he'd left it.

Trying to ignore the creepiness of being in a cemetery after dark, he hurried over to grab his stuff, annoyed to find his hat overflowing with leaves, twigs and various debris. It looked like some small furry creature had decided the inside of his hat would make a perfect home.

"Well, too bad. It's mine", he announced to no-one in particular, picking up the hat and dumping its contents onto the ground. So now all he had to do was find his pocket-knife. He shone the torch on the small pile of debris, and bent to scrabble through it. He grinned when he spied the compact knife peeking out from underneath a dirty old piece of cloth in the pile. But when he reached out to push the rag aside, he realised it wasn't just a piece of cloth, but a small bag containing something solid. He picked up his knife and stuffed it in his pocket, then decided to grab the bag as well, curious to see what was inside it. He shone the beam of his torch into the bag, and discovered a rock the size and shape of a small egg.

He jumped at the sound of rustling in the bushes behind him, suddenly very aware that he was alone in a dark cemetery in the middle of the night. A shiver ran down his spine as he stuffed the bag in his pocket, jammed his hat on his head, and headed for home.

He was almost at the front door when he remembered he needed to go back in the same way he'd come out. Scaling the tree with practiced ease, he climbed back in through the window, silently closing it behind him. The deep, steady breathing coming from the other side of the room told him Jeb was still asleep.

Raff stripped off his dirty clothes and climbed into bed, turning on his torch as he upended the bag onto his bed. The rock dropped onto the bed with a soft plop.

He picked it up and checked it out under torchlight. It was smooth, like an egg, but pitch black. He scratched his head, as he always did when he was thinking, wondering how it had found its way into his hat. Had the creature intent upon setting up house inside his hat stolen it to make its home more comfortable?

He was too tired to think about it anymore tonight. Maybe he'd give it to Garth in the morning and let him try to find its owner. He dropped the rock back into the old Hessian bag and stuffed it under his pillow. He'd think up a plan in the morning, when his brain didn't feel like someone had filled it with porridge. Unable to stifle a yawn, Raff slid down under the blankets, and sleep claimed him within seconds.

* * *

Raff stood in 'The Circle' waiting for the portal to appear. The Circle Guardian had rattled off the instructions in a bored monotone, as if he had said them a thousand times before – well he probably had, he looked old enough, Raff thought, chuckling at the memory of the ancient looking Guardian.

He smiled as he felt the outline of the rock in its bag, hidden in the inside pocket of his jacket. He'd decided not to leave it with Garth after all. It wasn't as if Raff had stolen it, and it was inside his hat. Besides, the thought of giving it away had felt wrong. Who knew, maybe someone had left it for him.

Raff was snapped out of his thoughts by a small dot of light hovering in front of his face. His jaw dropped as the dot expanded, stretching into a doorway large enough for him to enter.

How cool is that! Excitement raced through his body. If this is the sort of stuff that's normal on the other side of the portal, I can't wait to get there. Without hesitation, he stepped through the doorway, so excited he was ready to burst.

* * *

Raff stood inside the portal scratching his head. He tried to remember what the old Circle Guardian had told him. Apparently, there should be a door...

Yep, there it is. One minute he'd been looking at the glass wall, and the next a door had appeared as if it had been there all along. Keen to find out what waited on the other side, he stepped towards the door. Then a movement to his right caught his eye and another door appeared.

No way, there's only supposed to be one door? He scratched his head again in frustration.

The doors were identical.

So which one's the right one? Well, the door in front had appeared first. So maybe the other one was like a decoy, only there to see if he'd been listening to the instructions from the Guardian. His teacher at school had always done that, thrown in a loop to see if he'd been listening -which he had to admit he usually wasn't.

Hah, you can't fool me, he thought, proud of himself for working out the puzzle. Reaching for the door in front of him, Raff turned the handle, and strode confidently out of the portal and into the unknown.