Everett: Revised edition

Chapter 1

It was balmy under the gray night. The lights of the city rose in a dome over the towering buildings. It was after our curfew, but we convinced each other we were old enough to stay out after dark. I followed my friends out onto the street and into town. We left our bicycles at home, so the sound of the wheels over gravel wouldn't attract attention, and if our moms or dads checked, they would see the bikes still in our garages.

My band of friends didn't have a plan, save for roaming down alleyways and feeling the rush of adventure. Honestly, though, I felt lost. I hardly recognized the eerily quiet streets as I ran behind the three of them. My heart pounded like a rabbit's hunted by dogs as it jolts down its burrow. Although, unlike the rabbit, I wasn't retreating into my home; I was escaping it. I hadn't heard where we were going, so all I could do was follow.

I had shadowed these three boys since birth. Our moms always celebrated our birthdays on the same day with Ian, Zev, Weston, and me. It was always a quiet celebration in one of our homes with a cake and some virtual games. We had a few favorites like classic virtual tag or capture the flag, but Weston's favorite was The Most Dangerous Game. Once on our birthday, when we were celebrating at Weston's house, we were hunting in a jungle in virtual reality, and thick green vines were creeping up the wall. Swimming in adrenaline as we chased prey through the jungle, I slammed my nose right into the vine-covered wall. It took my friends a while to find me lying on the VG floor. The vines on the ground almost covered me, and my friends were far too busy running from tigers to find me. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, I was saved after Weston joked that they thought the Shadow Council had joined the hunt and got me. Our parents heard him and shut down the game immediately.

Tonight, running down unfamiliar alleys felt like we were in one of those games. In the VG, we could pick any scenario and scenery we wanted. We could replay until we won the desired outcome. Our situation now was a scenario that I would not have picked. In the VG, we were safe. Out here, we may not be. Tonight, our footsteps faded as we ran, and all I could see was the back of my friends' heads. Looking at the back of their heads I thought about how this must be what the Shadow Council looked like: faceless men stalking around in the dark. The Council was only a rumor, though, like the chupacabra or bigfoot or the Old European High Council propaganda that spread around in the 1930's. They were all just scary stories we learned when we were young.

Suddenly, my friends stopped, peeking around the corner of an old, abandoned building, they had spotted something.

"Everett," Ian whispered once I caught up.

"Are you keeping up?" Zev asked. "You're going to get us caught."

"Shhhh," Weston hissed.

Around the corner, down a slight incline and only a few feet away, was a group of men who stood a good distance away from us down the darkened street. They whispered to each other in the darkness.

Weston had told us stories about rings of men staying out after dark, gambling, painting, drug dealing, and more. He also often talked about the secret societies in the cities' undergrounds. As a child, I always thought he meant they met underground in sewers like rats, but he quickly explained that these people weren't animals like society thought.

If these men were caught out after dark, they would be punished severely. But then, we would be too.

We needed to leave. Now. We should have never come out at night. We were roaches to the government, and they wouldn't care that we were just some kids. I wanted to tell my friends to turn back, but I also didn't want the men to hear me. I stood paralyzed for a moment before hearing Ian yelp and hit the ground. A high-pitched clink staccatoed as something rolled on the ground. He must've taken a step forward and rolled his ankle on a piece of broken brick. We were done for now. The men looked up to our hiding place. I was still tucked in my own hiding place around the corner of one of the abandoned buildings at the back of the group. My three friends were too close to the edge to retreat.