The First and the Last

"No, please! Don't be frightened, I'm here..."

Levi cut into the creatures' words, "Help! Dad! No, leave me alone!"

The creature began to advance on Levi, its arms outstretched with the palms up to signify 'peace.' Though Levi didn't understand and continued to panic.

"Stay away!" Levi crouched into the corner, entering the 'fetal position.'

"Levi! What's happening?" Adam came bursting through the door.

"That thing is gonna get me!" Levi wouldn't even look up - he was too scared.

"What are you talking about?" Adam looked worried.

Levi looked up. It was just his dad, no monster. "It was here! It really was! It was this really ugly creature with claws and fangs!" Levi rambled on, but his father's expression didn't appear positive.

"Levi, damn it! I don't have time for these kids' games." He quickly stomped away.

"But dad!" Levi tried to get him to listen "I'm not lying! It was really here." Adam pretended not to hear him, and continued away. Levi sat back on his bed.

"Am I crazy?" he thought. "It was here, right here." Levi was confused, and scared. What was this thing? Where did it go? He felt insecure about being in his room, so decided to find something else to do. He finished his homework, school was tomorrow mind you. Levi didn't have any official chores, but helped his mom around the house and helped cook dinner at suppertime. Honestly, he enjoyed cooking. Though he could never take a class or anything - cooking was "Woman's Work" around his household, so anything more than avid assistance raised eyebrows. Soon, it was all ready and they sat down to eat.

"So, do both of you boys have your schoolwork done for tomorrow?" Adam asked with a mouthful of potatoes. He was the 'Man of the House' so was allowed to do so, though if anyone else did something so rude, they would get a stern lecture.

"Yes, I didn't have much." Levi mumbled. He was still upset over the incident earlier.

"Well I did," complained Samuel "math totally sucks!"

"Watch your mouth!" chirped Karen. It was getting rather tiresome; she had to tell him that constantly. It left her wondering if she wasn't being forceful enough - relying too much on Adam to be the disciplinarian. Though Levi was well mannered, so perhaps Samuel just had a sharp tongue.

"Despite your complaints Samuel, you need to keep your grades up.

Otherwise you could be kicked off the team." Adam quickly interjected.

"Why is football such a big deal?" Levi thought, but didn't say.

Questioning football was like claiming to be an atheist. He often considered trying to join the school's team - it would certainly make his father happy, but Levi just wasn't built for it. He bruised easily. Once, when he was 7, he fell out of bed and managed to break his arm. That kind of set the tone for the rest of his life. Its like, right then, his dad stopped encouraging him. Sure, Adam continued asking about homework and making him go to Church, but nothing physical. No 'playing catch' or bringing him to the gym. Whereas Samuel was always invited, even forced at times. This, of course, separated Levi even more, since he didn't fit in anyway. Levi was a bookworm, an intellectual. Well, he tried to be one, anyway. At least he had a chance at that.

The rest of the meal was uneventful. Afterwards, Levi retired to his room. He had just gotten a new Star Wars book, and was anxious to read it.

Of course, memories of the creature had him a bit shaken, but he was beginning to believe it really was just a dream. Adam and Karen went into the den. The former enjoyed reading scriptures from the Bible before going to bed. The latter earned money by sending out letters to people on mailing lists in an attempt to show them that Jesus is their Savior. Their church sponsored it out of caring for those... heathens. Adam always said they didn't deserve it, but she was more forgiving. Those people were just misinformed.

Unlike the rest of his family who were off doing constructive things, Samuel was in his room forming a devious plan....

"It'll be perfect. We could practically turn him into a slave." Samuel mused into the receiver against his ear.

"Wait a minute, I'm confused. How will this work?" Michael questioned.

"You must be brain-dead. This is so simple. I'll get him into a game of Truth or Dare, then dare him to streak. You can wait outside with a camera, then take a picture." Samuel was very pleased with the idea.

"How would that make him do anything?" Michael's brain was fogged up, and having trouble comprehending anything. Levi? Naked??? No, this can't be happening.

"God damn, man. He will do anything to stop us from showing the picture around. You know how shy he is." Samuel stated, with his voice lower. He had just heard his parents get up and head for their room. He needed to be quiet, so they didn't figure out he was on the phone so late.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Michael finished the thought just to himself "he is shy, and cute."

"Yeah. Then we can get him to do homework, chores, anything." Samuel beamed.

"Yep, anything." That thought made Michael's pants feel a bit tighter.

Levi, doing whatever he wanted. If only...

Levi soon got tired, and all that reading wasn't helping. He headed for the bathroom to brush his teeth, and then slipped into bed after stripping to his briefs. Yes, briefs. He hadn't 'moved up' to boxers yet. Honestly, he didn't even realize there was such a thing. Whenever he saw his mom doing the laundry, and going over his brothers' clothes - he thought they were all just pairs of shorts. Levi was a tad naïve.

Levi's sleep was restless that night. Dreams of that boy from the field plagued him. He seemed to flash in and out, like a strobe light. He would change positions, showing his body. Tempting Levi, but he couldn't reach out to touch the boy. Teasing Levi. The boy was so delicious. Levi knew that if the opportunity ever came again, he probably wouldn't be able to resist. He also saw visions of that gargoyle, no - that demon. It would come to him;

leaving bad thoughts, impending bad things. Warning of bad people, and something else he couldn't quite hear. The words seemed to be blocked and fuzzy.

Up and out of bed by 7. Shower, brush teeth, dress, eat, and be outside in time for his ride. Michael certainly had a hectic morning. Luckily Sam's dad gave them a lift; otherwise he would have to be up even earlier.

Michael's parents both worked. They left before he got up and arrived home after he went to bed. It was kind of lonely, but he spent most of his time at after-school clubs, and then with friends, so it didn't matter. He played football, was on a swim team at the local YMCA, and was part of a 'current events' club. They simply discussed, well, current events. It wasn't his favorite thing, but kept him social, and up to date. His parents, when they were around, liked to quiz him. They felt he 'should know what's going on in the world.' So he managed to keep them off his case. Michael was a good student, and was popular. Though, he had never had a girlfriend. He used the excuse that he was too busy, and she would get upset. It seemed to stick.

Michael wasn't necessarily against being with a female; it's just that he had fallen for someone else. On the odd chance that person showed interest, he didn't want any loose ends.

Beep Beep! Michael was running a bit late, and his ride had been forced to wait for a whole (God forbid!) minute. Sam's dad, Adam, was way too harsh. Michael quickly gulped down the rest of his orange juice, grabbed his bag, and dashed outside to the car.

"We're on a schedule Michael. You're named after an Angel, try to show it." Adam was already on Michael's case.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Batista. It won't happen again." Michael knew that excuses wouldn't help.

"No, it won't." Adam replied, smugly. Then, turning the wheel, he pulled out of the driveway and headed for school. By this time, Michael had his seat belt on, and was idly chatting with Samuel.

"Did you get all your homework done, Mikey?" Sam had a smirk on his face. He knew that on the Friday before hand, Michael had gotten totally bitched out by Mr. Johnson, their Health teacher. Mikey had completely forgot his assignment, so Mr. Johnson wasn't able to score the papers since he worked on a curve. He even gave Mikey detention. It was harsh, but no one listened to kids when they weren't agreeing with the teachers.

"Yes, I did - both days worth of assignments. It took 3 hours." Michael was checking to make sure he had it with him as he spoke. Never can be too careful.

"That's good. You missed practice over that on Friday. The last thing you need is to be kicked off the team. You know cheerleaders only go for football players, so you know who'd miss out." To accent his point, Sam gave his crotch a grope. Michael couldn't help but laugh.

"Hahaha! Yeah, not much else to live for after that!" Mikey gave that as much feeling as possible, though he certainly didn't mean it.

Sam suddenly appeared thoughtful "You know, actually, I don't think you've ever actually been with a chick."

"Oh, uh, well..." Mikey began.

"I should have known. You are pretty obvious." Sam had a very wicked grin.

"What? Huh?" Mikey babbled.

"You're shy! I remember that time when I introduced you to Levi. You looked like you were going to wet your pants. If my dumb little brother makes you nervous, chicks must be hell!" Sam was very pleased with himself for being so observant.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah." Mikey agreed with that last statement, but not in exactly the same way.

"Today, we'll get you a date. Lets see.... Lea is nice. Big tits." Sam gave Mikey a bit of a nudge to emphasize.

"Plus" Sam leaned in to whisper the last part "I heard she is really easy, and gets real wet."

"Oh, really?" Mikey felt kinda queasy, but tried to hide it.

"Look at you man! You're already excited; I can see it in your face. No need to hide it, I totally understand." Sam was clueless.

Adam surprised and interrupted the two. "We're here!"

Mikey was never more thankful to be at school. He quickly hopped out and, separating from Samuel, headed for his first period - Math. Such a terrible place to start the day. He was never totally awake and even if he was, Math was never his strong suit. Of course he did well in it (B range)

but it was mainly because his teacher gave points for active participation and attempting to understand. Otherwise, it could be a totally different story. Next was Gym - one of his favorites. Michael loved to move and be active, plus the locker-room was neat. He loved to see the guys naked. Girls too, even. Just any nudity was cool to him. No one showered, but most changed from their jock straps to boxers or briefs. Since Michael was in the top (ninth) grade, he was also the oldest group. We all know the major difference in dick size between 14 and 15 years old. Michael wasn't modest.

In fact, he liked to show off and emphasize his elder advantage. He wasn't like, huge, but certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Of course there were a few who resembled horses, but they didn't say much. Especially to Michael - he was popular, after all.

After Gym came Art class, which was very uneventful. The current assignment was to take a real photo, and draw it. He chose a picture taken of his grandparents taken shortly before his grandfather died. They were so happy together. Now his grandmother always seemed lost or confused. She wasn't senile - just incapable of accepting reality. She couldn't deal with her husband's death. However, she lived some distance away, so Michael didn't see her much anyway.

Soon the bell rang and Michael had to go all the way to the other end of the building to Health class. It was a bad coincidence that Health was so far away, because the teacher, Mr. Johnson, was a total asshole. Michael always made it just on time, but still got dirty looks. Even more so today, since the incident on Friday when he forgot the assignment. Mr. Johnson grudgingly took the homework, and then went on with the lesson plan. This was the only class that Michael shared with Samuel, so they couldn't talk much during school. Especially with a dick for a teacher constantly on their backs.

"Today, class, we're going to discuss the pros of abstinence." Began Mr. Johnson. Michael always hated this class, not only for the teacher, but they didn't really teach anything. No real information, just all the reasons you shouldn't have sex of any kind: Diseases, pregnancy, morals, ethics - just an ongoing list. Michael had no particular problem with abstinence; he just felt that it didn't entirely make sense. Of course there are diseases, but with kids his age? It was a bit unlikely. You just had to avoid the sluts. Michael decided to zone out this class and wait for lunch.

Michael casually headed for the lunchroom; it was rather close by.

Everyone always let him go ahead in line, popularity was nice, and so he quickly got some food - a salad, chili, and a pear; plus a Gatorade from the vending machine. Samuel had an earlier lunch, so wouldn't be around, but there was always the generic 'Jock Table' which took him in. Levi was in this lunch, so as he ate, Michael took to staring while adding a few comments here and there so his zombified attitude didn't show. He always wondered what Levi thought of him. They never got a chance to really talk.

If Michael was there, Sam was with. That always got in the way. Levi probably didn't like him anyway, just another tormentor. Michael did go along with Sam's ideas and plots, because otherwise Sam would get suspicious. This latest one had him particularly worried. Its positives could be just as negative - Michael was gonna get a chance to see Levi naked. Get a picture, even. What if he popped a woody? Sam would realize right away, or at least know that something was up. Well, in addition to Michael himself. He couldn't get the plan out of his mind through all of lunch, Michael was really nervous. Luckily, the bell got his attention back to school.

Michael threw away what was left of his lunch - he didn't eat much, with Levi on his mind and eyesight, and then headed for Social Studies. It was right next to Health class, so he could leisurely get stuff from his locker and still get to class on time. Michael enjoyed Social Studies. It was interesting and actually had some value. You could learn from others'

past mistakes. Plus the teacher was great. Ms. Dale was witty and really became friends with her students. Time went quickly, and soon came his last class of the day:

English was about halfway across the school, so as long as Michael didn't dawdle, he could easily get there on time. Being that it was his last class, he always had trouble concentrating. Football practice was right after school, and he looked forward to again being able to enter the locker rooms. Class went slowly. Since the beginning of the week before, the assignment revolved around a rather important book report. He spent the hour reading the last two chapters of his book, "A Spell for Chameleon."

Soon the bell rang. Michael put all his stuff away, and headed for the exits of the school. It was faster to go around, than through the building to get to the locker rooms. On the way out, he saw Levi. Levi looked a bit sad, like always. He would slowly go out the doors, walk to the corner, and then leave around the corner. Michael always wanted to run up and hug him to pieces. How could someone so special be allowed to be so depressed? Michael didn't have time to watch him anymore, as practice was about to begin.

Levi hated to walk home. It left him a bit tired. The distance was about 5 miles. His parents would never give him a ride because they felt it would help him keep in shape since he didn't play any sports. He walked slowly, even though it was a long distance. He wasn't anxious to get home, anyway. He wasn't comfortable there. Too many prying eyes and ears.

"Hey kid!"

Levi was startled; he had been walking for about two miles in a haze.

Just thinking about whatever came to mind.

"You! Kid! I'm talking to you!" came the voice. Levi stopped to look around, but didn't see anyone.

"You dumb fuck! You deaf or somethin'?!" Again, the voice. Suddenly three guys came out from a recessed doorway on a rather large building Levi had just passed. They must have been hiding out there. All three looked to be about 17. They were much bigger than Levi. Bulkier, and taller. One of them was smoking. That was a telltale sign to Levi that they weren't too nice.

"Don't just stare at us! You a fag or somethin'?" the one in the middle spoke up. He seemed to be the leader since the others stayed about a step behind him.

Levi was really scared by now and slowly backed away.

"Where are you goin'? We just wanna talk."

Levi wasn't entirely convinced, but stopped moving away. The lead one was actually kinda attractive. The idea that he may be interested in Levi as a friend is what made him stay. The three were soon upon him, and surrounded Levi.

"Do you have any money we can borrow, kid?"

"Uh, well, no." Levi stuttered.

"Nothin'? You must have something!" One of the others spoke up.

"No, I uh, really don't." Levi tried to move away but they had him enclosed.

"You trying to leave? Without paying the toll?" The third said, with a wicked grin.

"Yeah. This is our street. You gotta pay a toll." The leader chimed in.

Levi really didn't have any money. "I spent my money on lunch at school."

"Oh, fuck this. Grab his bag." Two of them held him in place while the leader rummaged through his bag, soon taking out his Game Boy.

"Look at this, boys. It should do for today." The leader looked very pleased.

"No, please!" Levi begged "I got that for my birthday last year!"

"Too bad, kid. Bring money tomorrow, or else we'll take somethin'

else." The second one let go of Levi, and looked over the Game Boy.

Levi tried to take it back, but missed.

"You crazy? Get the hell out of here before we kick your ass!"

"But that's mine! My parents would never give me another one!" Levi made another grab for it. He was scared, but that was one of favorite possessions. Again, he missed, but this time the leader punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Levi was dazed, but got back up and again reached for the Game Boy.

"Did I say you could get up?" the leader handed the Game Boy to one of the others, and grabbed Levi by the shirt.

"Listen you little punk! This is ours now. Got it?" he said, throwing Levi to ground. Levi cried out as he landed hard on his arm. He couldn't help it, this was too much - Levi started to cry. The three guys started to laugh, high-fiving each other. Levi started to get angry, and threw away all inhibitions. That was his, and he wasn't going to give it up without a fight. Still on the ground, he got hold of the nearest one and bit his leg.

"Shit! You fuck!" the guy exclaimed, dropping the Game Boy. The case cracked, and the screen split as it reached the pavement.

"You shouldn't have done that! You're really gonna get it now!" the leader was furious, "Pick him up. I want him to see me pounding his ass."

The other two quickly picked up Levi, holding him before the leader, who was cracking his knuckles in preparation. Suddenly, from behind, a man in a trench coat grabbed the leader and spun him around.

"What the fuckin'..." the leader couldn't finish - The man laid a hand on the leader's chest, somehow knocking him out.

"What did you do to him?!" one of the two screamed. Both removed their hands from Levi, and headed for the stranger. One even pulled out a switchblade, however it didn't do much good. The stranger was oddly fast. He was a blur. Quickly he managed to lay a hand on each of the guys' chests, knocking them out just like the leader.

"You are hurt, let me tend to you." The man reached for Levi, though he resisted.

"Don't worry, Levi. I am here to help you in every way I can." The man suddenly seemed very friendly and trustworthy now that he was smiling. Levi let down his resistance. The man checked over his wounds. Cuts, bruises - nothing serious.

"Hold still." The man said as he ran his hands rapidly over the trouble spots. Levi became slightly scared - it was starting to burn. The man stopped just before Levi was going to complain. Levi's eyes lit up. His cuts were sealed. His bruises had lost their discoloration. No pain.

"How did you do that?" Levi was in awe.

"Oh, I can do many such things. I'm here to protect you." The stranger's grin grew even wider. He was so friendly and comforting.

"Who are you?" Levi asked, while trying to put his stuff back in order.

"I'm your protector."

"Oh, well, yeah I got that. What's your name?" Levi was a bit startled.

"I'll be around for a while. We can discuss that and many other things in time, but right now you need to get home."

"Yeah, you're right. I don't know how I'm going to explain what happened to my Game Boy." Levi looked at the broken toy with great disappointment.

"Huh? What is wrong with it?" The man had a sly grin on his face.

"Well it cracked when it...." Levi stopped when he looked back at the now mint-condition Game Boy.

The man's smile grew even larger still. "Get on home, Levi. Don't worry, I'll be around."

"Thanks, yeah. But I have a lot of questions." Levi didn't get a response, so had to remove his eyes from his favorite object, only to see that the man had disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

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Second Chapter - Done.

The next one should be out in a few weeks, like before. I hope all the readers stay loyal, and that any who were waiting to see if I'd actually keep going will swallow their pride (you arrogant bastards! ;-) ) and email.

In fact, everyone is welcome to email. More than that, everyone is required to drop me a line. heheh Just in case you don't wanna go all the way back to the top, my address is "[email protected]" without the quotes. C-Ya next time!