The Shield Of Broverold (Book 1)

Chapter 1

“Mark! Get over here now!” Fiona Crater shouted across the house.

“Coming!” I shouted back. I knew I was going to get busted. 10 minutes ago, I was sweeping the house and had accidentally broken my step-mother’s favorite vase.

 There was no way I was going to escape her now. “Mark, did you break this?” She asked.

“Um, yea I did but it was an accident-I swear!” I argued with a little hope.

“Accident or not, you broke my favorite vase.” His step-mother scolded.

“But-I” I continued.

“Don’t argue mark, you are grounded, for a week and the money for this vase will be taken from your allowance!” She finalized as she walked out of the room.

I walked back to my room and jumped onto my bed, disappointed. My thoughts wandered to the question that I have always wanted the answer to for the last 15 years of my life. My parents. Where are they? Why did they leave me here? What happened to them? My step-father, Dan Crater always told me (whenever he was in a good mood) that as a baby, I was found at the doorstep at their house after my real parents left me there. How much of it was true, I don't know. I But every time he says it, he has this gleeful smile on his face. He only does that smile whenever something bad happens to me. And something bad ALWAYS happens to me. So I figured he was telling the truth.  

My life here was weird, and of course, terrible. My step-parents never treated me like their own son. They were constantly picking on me ever since I could remember. My step-parents had their own son, Lucus Crater- My brother (ever since they adopted me). He keeps making fun of me for not actually being part of the family. Which doesn’t really hurt me because I really don’t want to be part of THIS family. Feeling out of place was a feeling I have carried all my life so I’m pretty much used to it. To be honest, strange things have also happened to me as I grew up. Things most of you won’t even believe. Like for example, recently, when I was at this park nearby, Lucus came forward and started to push me around (nothing new) and I was trying my best not to react (because so-called mom and dad have warned or rather threatened me that if I get physical with anyone, I’ll regret it). All of a sudden, a tree that Lucus was standing under dropped a huge branch on Lucus, hurting him badly. Okay fine, maybe that would have been just a co-incidence. But listen to this one, so I was outside doing shopping for mom and was walking back home when a man walked past me and snatched all the bags from me and ran away! I was totally taken off-guard and I started to run after him. Then out of nowhere, a puddle of water appeared magically on the path and the man slipped and fell! Out of nowhere the local police came to the scene and arrested the man. Now, puddles of water don’t just appear out of nowhere, do they? There was also another time when I was around 10 years old; I was taken to the Zoo with my parents and Lucus. Lucus stole a banana from the elephant’s place and whacked it on my head. When I looked back, Lucus told me that the elephant did it. I looked at the elephant with disgust for smashing a banana all over my head (I realize I must have been stupid then to believe him, but come on, I was ten!). The elephant stared at me and made this face (can elephants even make faces?) like he had realized what happened. Then, without warning, it took a whole bunch of bananas and started to throw one by one at Lucus. By the time all the elephant’s bananas were over, Lucus was covered with bananas all over his body. That cannot be coincidence can it? Finally, there was one incident when I was even smaller, this time around 7 years old. I was walking with my mom and Lucus in the park, when suddenly one bird flew towards me and asked me “How do you do?” and flew away when it got no answer. I swear that happened! These were some of the weird things that happened to me as I grew up.

“Mark, have you finished with your homework and housework?” Dan Crater shouted from the living room breaking my thoughts.

“Yes dad, I did!” I shouted back.