The Golden Apple ( Book 1 )

(Authors note: New Character Name- Dominos - pronounced : Deh-Men-Noes)

Jude led the way to the dining hall. My mother had saved a seat for me; the smell of an assortment of foods filled my nostrils as my Family greeted me.

My Uncle no longer looked angry and my Aunt still tended to my Cousin Harris large purple nose. The room wasn’t very big; the wooden floors creaked when I applied pressure. The chandlers dangled above us, the walls were covered in yellow pattern wallpaper (My Aunt Anna chooses).
Pictures of me and my mother and other activities we shared were displayed like an art gallery. Over all the dining room was a rather nice place to sit in and I sat at my place at the table along with Jude and the prayer began.

After that everyone dug in as Jude gave me a small sly smile. We both shared a mutual look as Harris eyes burned across the table to us his siblings followed suit as they looked on with curiosity.

The Table was coated with all my favorite foods, like smoked ham, mash potatoes and gravy not to mention Cranberry’s cut up into round slices that resembled the ham. Cookies of all shapes and brands, fresh bread some coated with honey and sprinkled with sugar powder. It was a grand feast for champions and this was my favorite part of the day I actually looked forward too.

“How are things Patricia?” My Uncle asked slicing some Ham for himself.

“Well, I got a promotion today,"

My Uncle looked pleased as a small smile left his face mostly covered by that wild thing on his face he called a mustache.

“What about you boy?" He addressed me.
I
looked up from my plate, my mouth full of cranberries. I never liked my Uncle and I wouldn’t start now as I spoke

“We just learned about dieting in school sir,” I said in my best polite (Acting) voice.

“Is that so?”
He asked me his voice a bit low as his full attention was on me.

I nodded and did my best innocence acting face as I added,

“I’m so sorry about the spat me and Harris had earlier today,”

My Uncle looked at me, a suspicious look on his face as my Aunt cut in.

“Tell us what else you learned dear. I’m eager to listen to what your teachers have taught you,”

“Hush Anna, I want to listen to this apology this boy threw out of his-”

“Frank!”

Aunt Anna bellowed as my Uncles face turned red with anger.

He pointed a meaty hand at me and I made my best hurt face as he roared.

“This boy knows what he’s doing. He’s just fooling us with his skillful lies he is and he attacked poor Harris and you think for one second that I would even consider believing this…this…he’s not even blood!”

I stood up now, my anger getting the best of me as I shouted

“Who would want to be a part of a filthy family like yours?”

“I should have tossed you at an Orphanage when I had the chance, you are just like your worthless, No good, Father!”

It would only take me two seconds to jump over the table but I restrained myself and shouted

“Don’t bring my Father into this!”

“He didn’t want you! So, what better way than to dump you with us? Sure, that will make our lives a lot better!” He retaliated.

I clenched my fist, my face was turning red and I couldn’t hold it any longer and shouted

“At least I wasn’t the cause of my first wife’s death. I’m sure she was glad to die at least she could at least get away from you!”

As soon as I said it, I felt ashamed as my Uncles eyes softened. I could see tears forming in his eyes as everything got dead silent and for a moment I wanted to punch myself in the face but instead he shouted

“You ungrateful Orphan!”
My Uncles voice raged on more insults on how he was going to send me to an all-boys institute for the criminally unstable.

“Logan, “My Mother said.

She sounded more hurt that I ever heard her as my Uncle stormed out of the house. All eyes are on me as I saw my Aunt Anna eyes tear up as she refused to look me in the face.

I sat at the table as my Aunt walked out the door to fetch my Uncle, My Mother walked out soon after. No one said a word as we ate in silence. It seemed like hours before they all came in and I saw my Uncle his eyes red and puffy. He had been crying and I felt a lump begin to form in my throat as I thought about my actions. I watched my mom give my Uncle some tea. He sat on the arm chair in the living room and let out a sniff before he sipped his tea. He looked miserable as I thought of what I just did to him. I just ripped open old wounds and poured salt all over him and spit in his face. (Not literally)

Harris, Sally, and Ginger looked at me even Jude their eyes looked sad and even more guilt weighed down on me like a ton of bricks. I caught my Mothers gaze as I looked over at my Uncle and I knew after I was done we would have a long heart to heart chat on my behavior.

@@@@@
My mother undid her bun and her red curly locks fell to her back as she sat on the sofa. Everyone was soft asleep; the only thing that could be heard was my Uncles loud snores. My mother looked older much older as she rubbed her temples her eyes hard as she stared me down.

“We’ll what a day” she said slowly as if she was having trouble forming the words her face was not happy not after what I did.

“Yeah, Mom I’m-”
She held up an index finger as she sucked in a deep breath and I knew the talk was finally here.

“You shouldn’t have done that Logan. He is your Uncle and our Guest,”

“He provoked me!” I replied back.

My mother cut me off her tone firm and light as she continued

“None the less, he is a guest and as a guest he should be treated with respect. You can’t handle things when you’re angry like that and look where it got you!”

I said nothing. My Mothers words sunk in and the guilt sank in even more to the point I thought my heart would explode.

“Uncle David didn’t mean what he said,” she said as I sat and listened the events that took place still angered me a bit but what I said weighed down even more.

“He always had a temper even when we were children,”
She paused waiting for my reply and I held my tongue and she looked relieved.

“He really cares for you Logan; he was the one that took you in when you were abandoned by your father. He was the one who paid for your schooling and made sure that I was ready to raise you properly”

As she said this more guilt than I already had seemed to drown me as I replayed my actions in my head, I looked at my Mother and she kissed me, she smelled of coffee.

“I understand I’ll apologize to him in the morning" I said flatly. She got up, a kind smile left her lips as she stretched and sniffled a yawn.

“Can I sleep with Jude?” I asked.

@@@@@
I hit the pillow and drifted off to sleep. Jude slept on the other side his bug collection all around in their selective places.

“Back you mongrels!” shouted a loud familiar voice as my eyes swung open, gun shots filled my ears and Jude’s voice followed suit.

“Logan…what was-” he didn’t get to finish as My Aunt barged in the smell of smoke and screams filled the hall as my Aunt pulled us out of bed.

“Hurry children, we have to go.”

Jude struggled as tears left his eyes, his arms reached for his prized bug collection as more gun shots rang and the sound of braking glass filled the hall. As Jude and I followed Aunt Anna down the other side of the hall, a man grabbed me from behind I didn’t recognize he was dressed in funny clothes and I screamed.

“Logan!”

Jude screamed as his Mother pushed him to a door my mother stood at she grabbed him. My siblings huddled behind her in fear. I struggled to get away from the man grip as another, smoke filled my nostrils and I felt myself growing weak with each kick and scream, a Gunshot pierced my ears and the strangers grip loosened.

“Run boy!”

My Uncles shouted from down the stairs as a rifle was held in his hands as he took aim at two figures hiding behind furniture. I stumbled back up the few stairs and headed for the door my mother stood at with my cousins. She looked at me her eyes wide as she urged me to run to her arms. I stopped as I thought of the Journal and the Apple, the only possessions that I had of my father and I ran into the room.

“Logan!”

My mother’s shrilled voice called as I grabbed the Journal on the dresser and the Apple and stuffed the Apple in my pajama pocket, my Father’s Journal in my arm pit and headed for the door. Another shot was heard and I was out the door and turned my head to the right to where the gun shot rang, my Uncle fell to his knees his rifle hit the floor.

“Run…boy” he mustered before hitting the ground as I stood and stared at my Uncles lifeless body.
A man stood in front of him his eyes a blazing Ember as he looked up the stairs. His white hair smoothed back. He had a wild look in his eyes as he locked eyes with me, He looked no older than seventeen in the same bizarre clothing like the man before him who lay unmoving in front of me.

“Give me the Apple Logan,” he instructed.

My heart began to pound; I was frozen in place as the young man stared up at me. His eyes were cold as he extended his hand and spoke again.

“Give me the Apple or you will turn out like your big baboon of an Uncle…”

“Logan!”

My mother’s voice called as I looked back. My cousins looked at me as Jude pleaded me to come to them even Harris held out his hand for me.

I began to move back to my Mother and cousins. The boy with the cruel Embers eyes never left mine as he realized what I was doing. He ran up the stairs and I sprinted toward my mother a black sword gleamed in his pale white hand his face twisted in rage as he roared.

“Give me the Apple!”

An explosion soon followed as the floor board began to cave and I fell backwards. My mother screamed as the teen with Ember eyes stopped in mid-tracks.

I began to fall.

The floor that gave me support had collapsed the dining room nothing but broken wood and a bit of flames as if a huge bulldozer decided to take a stroll in my house. I held on to my Father’s Journal for dear life. My eyes looked up at the young man’s Ember eyes looked down on me as he watched me descend to my death.

I closed my eyes, and for a moment I thought it was over until a hand gripped me and an unfamiliar voice called out to me.

“I’m glad I made it on time mate,”

It was a male’s voice.

I opened my eyes to see a boy a year older than me. He had on strange golden goggles. He had chestnut skin and high cheekbones. His brown eyes looked back at mine and sparkled Gold; he had the same instinctive nose as me, the same expression when he was thinking as he looked at me.
The same facial structures that looked all too familiar like the boy with the Ember eyes.

“Lyric…" The Ember eyed boy sneered.

“Hello, Dimnos…" The boy named Lyric replied.

Lyric pulled me up and stood back to fix his goggles. He was dressed just as oddly as the teen. He had on Golden goggles that sat on top of his head. A large mechanical backpack that was also gold rested on his back as it hissed and popped. He had on a dark green jump suit and brown gloves and boots as he looked at me his eyes serious as he asked.

“You got the Apple?”

I nodded as I stood up; my mother stood dumb founded and full of fear as she stared at the boy.
The boy named Lyric smiled and waved and then turned to me.

“We’ll cousin we better get going; it’s no longer safe here. Dimnos won’t stay there for long,” he gripped my hand as I tried to process what he said.

“Leave, Cousin?”

I finally spoke as I realized I was running toward the window. He looked back at me and smiled a thrill in his eyes as he jumped. The sound of shattering glass filled my already ringing ears as I fell with this mad boy who claimed to be my cousin.
He landed on his feet as I landed face first in the cool earthy grass. He dusted himself-off as I stood up and he fumbled with the contraption that was on his wrist. The sound of guns rang through the air as Lyric just stood there.

“What are you doing?” I shouted as I stared at him bewildered. He waved his hand as he spoke,

“Calm Down, I’m almost done,”

The Gun shots were getting close as my father’s leather bound Journal was shoved under my arm pit. I pulled out The Golden Apple as it glowed brighter than ever, suddenly a massive hole began to form in front of me, it resembled a black hole as he turned to me his face in a wide satisfied grin and he extended a hand.

“Shall we?”

For a moment I looked back to see my house still burning and fear crept over me as I wonder of my family’s safety. My mind wondered to my Uncle who protected me without a second thought, now dead. Guilt washed over me as my grip tightened on the Apple, the black figures that left the house were getting closer and I didn’t have much time.
I had to make a choice.

“Don’t worry your family will be fine, trust me…”

The gun shots got louder as I took his hand and followed him into the unknown.
I took one last look back at my home and the family I would leave behind and jumped.