"Concentrate!!"

"I'm doing it as much as I can" 

" Look, you are new here so I'm going easy this time. I'm your mentor. You do as I say if you want to live, or you leave this room and never come back. Your choice."

He nodded. Although he hated it, he knew she was right. It was do or die. 

"Good. Now concentrate!! Focus your mind on the task at hand. Think about nothing else. Let's try again."

He did as he was told. He forgot about everything but the task at hand. After a few minutes, it seemed to work. The birds stopped flying, the leaves stopped rustling. Though it was only for a few seconds, he'd finally done it. 

He'd stopped time.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mark was a normal kid. He thought he had the best life ever. He had everything. Loving grandparents who treated him as their own. Friends who were there for him wherever he needed. He never wished for anything more than what he had. He was happy.

All that changed when he met Claire. She was the kinda person who grows on you. She opened the path for him to a life he never knew was destined to have and he discovered that he was so much more than merely normal.

But now his secret is out and his life and the lives of those he loves are in danger. Now he has to choose between his family and his destiny and the fate of the world depends upon his choice.

Timeless Teenagers

Mark was a better driver than she thought. She had to remind herself not to underestimate him just because he didn’t grow up the same way that she did and treat this like any other job. He didn’t seem inclined to talk and she didn’t want to push too much. Instead, she looked outside. 


The neighborhood was very well maintained. It was the classic middle-class street, with the neatly mowed grass, the gleaming fences, and freshly minted walls. Despite that, she couldn’t understand wanting to live in such a place. It felt too uniform and planned. Then again, her whole life was like that so she wasn’t one to talk. She wondered how anyone could tell the difference between the houses. She certainly couldn’t. 


Just as she was thinking this, Mark stopped the car in front of a house, not unlike the rest. The only noticeable difference was the boy sitting idly on the front porch. He got up when he saw the car. He was dressed in a black hoodie, faded blue jeans, and black sneakers. The thing that stuck out about him was the smile on his face so early in the morning. 


He came to the car's passenger side and was about to open the door when his eyes met hers. He looked startled for a minute but then smiled at her and went to sit in the back. When he’d gotten in, Mark started the car again. He reached between the front seats, said hi to both of them, and then ignored Mark completely. 


Before she could reply, Mark interjected, “She’s just staying with us for a bit cause of a work thing.” 


It wasn’t a lie, exactly, so she didn’t interject. 


Then, Mark turned on the radio before there could be any more conversation. The song was one of her favorites and she couldn’t help but sing along softly. Fred gave her a look, laughed, and then joined her. Mark gave them a look that conveyed his displeasure but didn’t say anything otherwise. They drove through the neighborhood with the song and their voices for company. 


I'm right here if you get lonely......”


Chapter 9: Keep my secrets