The Rising ~ Book 1

A shocking discovery

I woke up in my bed. No, it wasn't my bed. I was laying down on three conjoined car seats, and the van I was in was shaking, like the wheels were going over rocks every 5 seconds. I felt like I had just been hit by a bus. My entire body was aching, but most of all was my head. It was throbbing in pain like crazy. I sat up and saw the old man sitting there. 

"Aaaah!" I cried, jumping back. I grabbed the only thing that I could; my geography book. I used it as a shield. "Who the hell are you? I demand to know right now!" I shouted. "Why am I in a van! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

"Forgive me for what happened earlier, but you were acting a little harsh on your part," the old man said in a gentle voice. He was holding a small wooden cup in his hands that was filled halfway with a bright pink liquid. A cloud of steam was rising up from it. He looked very different from when I had first seen him at the bus stop. His greasy hair was combed back neatly, and he was wearing a gray business suit, with his tie neatly done. His feet were concealed by a pair of black shiny shoes. 

"On my part? You broke into my house and knocked me out!" I yelled. 

"To be fair, I didn't break in. I came to deliver your pizza. And you're the one who started that ruckus. I merely allowed myself to escape the brawl," the old man explained.

"Who even are you?" I asked. "First I see you creepily staring at me when I'm walking back home, and then you appear at my door to deliver my pizza."

"You do have quite the amount of questions, and I'll answer them all once we're there," the old man said. 

I didn't understand at all. "There? Where the hell is 'there'?"

"There will be time to answer your questions, trust me. But please, we must reach our destination without further ado," the old man said. 

I looked around. The nearest thing was a thermos, so I grabbed that and held it up like a weapon. "If you don't release me right now, I'll call the police!" I warned. 

The old man chuckled. "Yes, my dear. That would be a great threat to use if you had a phone in the first place."

He had scored a point. He knew I didn't have any phone on me, and I knew he would certainly not allow me to use his. I looked to the front of the van, where a dark man in black shades and a tuxedo was at the wheel. He looked like one of those government bodyguard spies that star in movies. He had a walkie-talkie strapped to his side. 

I sharply turned towards the old man. "Where are you taking me? Am I under arrest? Are you the police?"

The old man chuckled again. "I can assure you that we are no police, my darling girl. What we are is beyond your understanding . . . for now."

"What's that supposed to mean? What are you? Some sort of gangster organization or something, like the mafia? Oh no, are you going to kill me?" I panicked. I looked out the window. I saw nothing but grassy fields and many trees dotting the landscape, but no civilization whatsoever. No buildings, cars, or even cell towers.

"Wherever you're taking me is definitely not in my neighborhood," I said as we passed some trees. There weren't even any grazing cattle or farm animals in sight as we passed by countless empty fields. Then something struck me.

"You're the FBI, aren't you? You're secret spies who are working for the government, and you were assigned a mission to capture me because I'm critical to your—"

"For the last time, Celeste Brandon. We are nothing of the sort," the old man said, rather irritated now. I was about to continue with my theory when something hit me; he had just spoken my name. 

"My name," I said, I was utterly perplexed.

"Beg pardon?" The old man asked, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

"You said my name," I repeated, narrowing my eyes. "How did you know?" 

The old man looked at the shiny silver watch that hung on his bony wrist. "Heavens, is that the time? Winston, I think we may need to pick up the pace."

I already tried to ask him where we were headed. It was effortless. He wouldn't say anything about it, or the fact that he somehow creepily knew my name even though I didn't have any memory of ever telling him. 

Without warning, the old man pressed the wooden cup he held in his hands to my lips and poured the pink liquid into my mouth. A warm current ran through my body, like that feeling you get when you sip hot chocolate. It tasted delightful, going from tasting like piña colada to fresh-out-of-the-oven blueberry muffins. 

The old man offered me more, but I shook my head. "What is that stuff?" I asked as I watched another wisp of steam rise from the cup. 

"Rosebunt," the old man replied. "It does wonders for the body. If brewed correctly, it can have a very positive effect on the drinker. But if not—well, that can be explained when one uses the restroom."

"Okay," I spoke up. I didn't need to hear any further. "Thank you for updating me on that, but I'd rather you not keep speaking." 

The old man sighed. "As you wish." His eyes traveled back to the sight ahead. Soon, something glimmered from the corner of my eye as I looked out the window. I turned my head and saw that a sea was coming into view. It gleamed brightly as the sun's rays poured down upon it. Winston (that was the name of the bodyguard) slowly drove the van down a hill as it approached the beach. He pulled up at the dock.

"You may exit. Come on, hurry. We haven't got all day," the old man urged, ushering me out of the van. I kept my hand over my head to block out the sunlight as I looked into the horizon. 

"Where do you expect me to 'hurry' to if you won't even tell me where we're headed?" I asked, looking around. "And where exactly are we?"

"There'll be time for your answers later. Now, you must come," said the old man as he approached the water. I looked back at the landscape. If I make a run for it, I might be able to get to the forest. They won't find me there, I thought. I looked back at Winston and the old man. I wanted to know more about them and who they were just as much as I wanted to run away. Neither felt right. If I went with them, I had no clue what would happen to me. If I ran, I would get lost and maybe get discovered by some dangerous wild animal. Or, Winston and the old man would catch me. That is, if they would even think of chasing me.

To me, option 1 was sounding a lot better. Whatever happened, I would always have a choice of getting a phone off one of them and contacting the police. If cell service was even available out where I was. 

"Well, what's holding you? Let's go," the old man said. I turned back to him. "Winston, open the portal, please."

"Wait, what portal?" I asked. Great. I hadn't only been practically kidnapped by some creepy guys, I had been kidnapped by some creepy and crazy guys. Winston took something off from around his neck. It was a pendant. It was a line of small golden beads with a big pointed red gem resembling a ruby hanging at the end of it. I wondered if it truly was a ruby. That would definitely confirm that the old man wasn't homeless.

Winston reached out with the arm that held the pendant and began to rotate his arm like he was drawing a big invisible circle. And then it happened. The gem tore through the air like it was paper, creating a glowing circle. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Winston had opened up a portal. The mere presence of it was so astounding that I began to lose my consciousness. I had never seen the likes of something like that. I was engulfed by many bright lights, and before I knew it, I had blacked out . . . . . . again.