Duplicate Custodians

PART 1- chapter 1

PART 1- Jasper

Chapter 1

They were running from the fire. The fire was red, inflamed. The rain was pouring and the night sky was starry. The environs were polluted with the atrocious dreadful screaming of people, either in the fire or running from it. The floor and the sky were drizzling and the blazing intensity was spreading like wildfire. People tossed and faltered and then soon were curled up in the waves of petrifying heat. The figure approached with a wicked laugh and the fire blazed around his body. He wasn't being burned by the fire because he was radiating it. With his every step the world broke into a crack and then seethed in half. Arrows kept flying around him but burnt as soon as they reached him. His hoarse laugh made me shrank into a mosquito. I was a spirit witnessing this all, or I was about to be consumed by the flaming black hole, I didn't know but when two people came running around the corner calling out my name, telling me to run away, my fuel less life stubbed out.

I woke up with sweat entrenched upon the frame of my face. The knocking of my math book brought me back to reality.

There are three things you need to know before starting to read about me:

1. People don't usually come into my dream and alarm me of my eccentric impending doom.

2. My world is technical and modern. We use biological weapons and metals instead of arrows, swords, spears, or human generating fire.

3. Life's got a climax, more climax, and then more climax. Resolution leads you to the graveyard.

It was Sunday night and I was trying to memorize the science presentation speech. I especially got up at 7 in the morning to do that, but still wasn't able to focus. Everyone was either sleeping because the house was utterly and strangely silent. I kept scratching my head and kept protesting in my mind against the schooling system. It would have been better if we all would have born with a book. Already know enough of it. No more knowledge needed while we continue to run in the race of life. But, when I think of it, I don't realize I am expecting too much from my life which is dangerously dangerous for me. So clever of Lucas and Daniel, they asked me to prepare the experiment and then said, "oh never mind", they never asked. Just blabbed in front of Miss Sara that I am the best, like of course I am but this boring, serious, historic and useless and hopeless piece of paper would do no good to me. I hate it when they do it like this.

Oh, sorry. Did I introduce myself? I am Jasper Jem and I am 17. I started high school, Grade 11, this year, and believe me you would want to run into a roller coaster than memorizing this stupid speech.

Anyway, I was assigned this science experiment in our last class and Lucas and Daniel, my friends, were grouped with me. We did this wonderful magnetic experiment in which there was this speedoman and he was flying and running and saving people in a fire in the city and that was working with magnetic power. Meaning the fire blazing, the speedo man flying and working, the citizen's panic, everything was controlled by a magnetic tray beneath the board on which this project lay. So, we were given 10 on 10 and that was great until this presentation was decided to be presented in front of Miss Pump lump, our principal.

I know you don't have names of teachers sound the craziest and weird, but the logic is before we first met miss Isabella, we thought she would be this slim beauty queen but turns out she was like a real happy lady having her riches rather being spent on all sort of junk food, and pink and orange blush-on for chubby cheeks plus she has this long and fat tummy. If you have ever read Matilda and you know Miss TrunchBull, you can identify what I am trying to make you understand. So we named her to miss pump lump.

Whatever, getting to my life at home. I am not a kid you might see one with low grades, nor a nerd. I don't go on walks or to the park or ice cream with my parents as usual "family kids" do because I don't have my parents. (And because I am a grown-up kid). I live with my grandpa Julius and grandma Zoe. My grandma is really old but my grandpa looks way younger the way he is. I do admit he has wrinkles and stuffed knees, and a stick but the way he is so energetic leaves me wondering what sort of a person he would have been in his youth, once I asked my grandma about it, so she said," well son, I chose your grandpa because I foresaw his courage and bravery. The way he took decisions was so fair that I selected him as an answer compared to some wealthy migrants."

I don't know what she means but that lifts me with a smile. Grandma says grandpa has always been so great and supportive, he never let her down on her decisions. I still don't know what the history behind this is but I am afraid if I asked that won't be so energetic so I better let it be the way it is. I never asked about my parents, you would be thinking about how mean I am, but that's the truth. I don't want to make grans (as in grandparents) worrying and be sad about it nor do I want to regret not having parents after listening to what happened to them.

I only knew that they died in a car accident when they were bringing me home from the hospital because I tried to do that super jump from the balcony after a handstand and I broke my hand and got the tissues of my knees affected. I was 5 back then. I somehow survived the accident (though it was me who was most broken physically) and the people contacted my grans from my dad's phone. I don't remember a thing.

Anyway, that day when things started to get worse was still like a clip going on in my mind. As if things were childish back then. I know.

I stepped towards the main hall. I turned the doorknob, the dining room was dimly lit (really unusual), and neither grandma was there nor grandpa (utterly unusual 'cause grandma should be reading reader's digest and grandpa should be playing with his/mine video game). My little dog Jet wasn't there too when he was supposed to play ball and wait for me. The dining table was empty, the kitchen- no food cooked. I felt as if everyone took my presentation of the science experiment seriously and took my anger and pain to their hearts.

So I marched into my grandpa's room. To my surprise, I heard grandpa whispering which he never does, "I guess we should tell it to him. He is sixteen, started his teenage already. We can't just pretend to be so normal..." Normal? "He has to take things seriously if we tell the truth to him, maybe we could grow him the way he is supposed to. He has a good friends' circle, school, and life, this is the time he chooses the type of life he wants to live, and we need to tell him so he makes the right decisions." Grandpa continued. "Whatever his decision might be". A normal happy living human being's life was okay, maybe there was someone else they were talking about.

"Woof, woof", barked jet. I suddenly realized I was not supposed to eavesdrop but I was caught red-handed.

"Umm, hi Jet. What's up, man?" I fingered my finger on my lips to quiet him.

"Jasper! Do you have any work here?" Grandma Zoe looked through my guilt.

"Umm, grandma. I am sorry, I never meant to. You know eavesdrop but..." I was so stunned and embarrassed, I went out for any apologizing words. Then I felt Grandpa's hand on my shoulder. "Dear, I and your grandma have some serious talk to do. Jet, why don't you go with Jasper for a walk? And err Jasper, have this penny and buy whatever you want to. Go now". Grandpa was in a really serious mood. "Grandpa, come on you don't want to play strange, do you? Let's get some basketball matches! Grandma let's have a coke and burger for dinner. What do you guys think? You can't possibly ignore me!" That was irrelevant when your grandpa and Grandma tried to kick you out and you still wanted to stick to them, especially when they are strangely serious. Grandma gave me those horrible looks she used to give me when I was a child back then when I would make a joke of someone in my head and used to giggle between people.

I was always taught to respect and obey orders so I made a quiet move without hesitation. Jet was so happy I almost forgot he was with me. Sometimes I wonder if dogs are so lucky!