The Acolytes of Crane (Theodore Crane, #1)(43)

It was obvious we needed Dan for a number of reasons. His agility was remarkable. There was nothing like it out of all the people we knew. What he did effortlessly on that skateboard was magical. More importantly, when he saved me from humiliation, there was no need to test any further.

In a relatively short time, he had revealed his character and secured our initial readings on him. I was impressed with him and felt excited about such a prize find. He was definitely an introspective and empathetic kid worth trusting with our secret.

The rest of the kids took off to skate at this bread company’s parking ramp. Dan had some extra pants in his bag, to avoid a repeat of the dangling incident. He brought them to me, and tossed them around the trailer.

‘You know, you two dudes are straight. Man, you have a wicked kick-flip bro. You shit your pants though didn’t you?’ Dan asked as he covered his nose, ‘same thing happened to me at my grandparents’ house when I was five. Everyone gives me hell for it at family gatherings.’

Dan really enjoyed swearing. He had let every swear word fly from his lips with total disregard the whole time I knew him. It didn’t bother us, because Dan was just being himself.

He asserted that he only used swear words to accentuate his creative expression of self. At least, that was his excuse. Dan told us he was trying to quit per his parents’ request. I personally felt that swearing was a waste of breath. I stepped out from behind the trailer with Dan’s pants freshly fitted, my hands over my hips.

‘That was an awesome thing you did for me, man. Where is Lincoln?’ I asked.

‘He was making sure the other guys left. He was buying you some time, dude. That is a good friend you have there.’

I knew from experience from long car rides that if there was a window of opportunity opening, I should spit through it. If the spit flew back at my face because the window closed too fast, then I knew I made a mistake. Either way, there was nothing to lose but time.

‘Dan, if I was going to show you something, would you promise to keep it secret? You cannot tell anyone, and I mean anyone.’

‘Okay dude, chillax, you are not going to do something weird, are you?’ he asked. He was put off slightly by my pushy demeanor.

Lincoln walked from around the corner of the building. Now that we three were alone, my two friends would be given a premium view of a glorious futuristic technology that I, with my pulse racing, was about to unveil for the first time ever to people of this planet. I had a sinking feeling that if the demonstration did not work, I would be forever ridiculed. But I had to believe in myself.

‘Stand back,’ I said. In a voice quieter to myself I continued, ‘Here goes.’

I pushed off. The wheels on my board smoked, like a spinning yo-yo on a frying pan. I hit the embankment with the force of a raging bull.

I was ready to fly. Just as certain as the Earth rotates round the sun, the experiment worked. With no ramp at all, my board soared magically ten feet into the air, stunning Dan and Lincoln. It was much easier than I could have ever imagined. I felt euphoric, losing myself within the moment.

Like a maverick in flight school, I performed a difficult trick, a fly-by. By the time I returned to earth, Dan and Lincoln had dropped onto their knees in shock.

‘Dude, what the hell was that?’ Dan said covering his eyes, as if he saw something that he should not have. He was hungry for more. Action junkies are just that, addicted to excitement.

It gave me so much confidence to see Dan react in the same manner that Lincoln did. His words were exiting his mouth at an almost painful rate. I have never heard so many F-words before in my life, except during a heated fight between my parents. It was entertaining.

Despite our challenges and minor defeats, we had decisively slain our mistakes and rode our blessings to success. In the end, we had strength, courage, honor, and integrity.

“Dan easily succumbed to the wonder of our story and desired more and more details, lapping them up like a thirsty dog to a water dish. We told him everything, and he accepted it. Despite his faith in us, for the next two hours, as he strove hard to push aside all his ingrained sense of reality, he shook his head and looked at us like we were crazy. It didn’t matter. With my successful implementation of Lincoln’s plan, it seemed that a dedicated, unified and bold unit was finally taking shape. A fearless team was being assembled.”





10 THEODORE: EVIL WITHIN





“Position and ranking itself does not always command respect from followers. To be a leader, a person must also submit to integrity and discipline.”

We had to do the right thing, and I knew, in order to become a great leader, I needed to stick my neck out and bring a team together.

It was 2016, on a Sunday in October. Crisp autumn air revisited my lungs. I had a flashback, rewinding my memories to those of three years ago: sinewy, rough hands around my neck, I was only a boy, held against the wall in the hallway of a crappy apartment by a man with no conscience. Now, I was a budding teenager, tasked with the urgent quest to save Earth.

I marveled at how much had changed in the last three years. One event the day before pounded reality into my head: I actually flew. Yup, right above the astonished faces of Lincoln and Dan. Without a skateboard. It was like magic. I performed this incredible feat in a clearing out in the woods behind my grandparents’ house, where no one could see us.

After I took flight with my space boots, I decided to have Dan and Lincoln tag along to hang out at my house to discuss the next steps. Grandma Laverne allowed us to retreat privately in my bedroom, and for hours, I regurgitated everything that I learned about the multiverse to Lincoln and Dan. Bless my grandma. Sensing that we badly valued our private time together, she brought supper up to my room for all of us three. Dusk arrived early enough; it was fall, after all. After another hour, Dan and Lincoln had to go home.