After the day before, Tyrio and Korio weren’t too happy about waking up at eight o’clock in the morning again the next day. Regardless, it was only right they went out to watch Zahkire’s basketball tournament if they had gone to Cristiano’s birthday. The ride on the train and bus would be shorter this time around. Shoving each other around the bathroom, they got ready for the day just how they always had. They made their way out of their apartment, passing Steve who had fallen asleep with an empty bottle of vodka in hand, and began their adventure of the day. Tyrio wouldn’t be playing in the tournament, but he had to make sure he was there for Zahkire either dominating or the opposite. By the time the brothers had gotten in and off the bus and boarded their needed train for the day, their haze of morning grogginess had faded away.
“Can you remind me why you aren’t playing in this again?” Korio asks as he lay across two connected seats on the train, glad the sun had finally let up a bit today.
“You know my summer team disbanded bro, if they didn’t I would be up there frying Zahkire today,” Tyrio responds, confident as ever. “Speaking of, you haven’t been occupied for a while since you stopped selling. When are you gonna get back in the ring?” he followed, eager for his brother to continue the pursuit of his dream.
Korio pauses for a moment, before showing a slight smirk and shrugging. “I will before the summer ends for sure, just need a bit of a break from it, that’s all.”
Tyrio nods. “Yeah, I feel you.”
They make their way off the train and take the ten minute walk to arrive at the recreation center where things would take place. Upon arrival, the place was booming with rowdy teenagers excited to partake in or be entertained by the activities of the day. The football field was packed with viewers and players that were looking to warm up before a game. Tyrio and Korio squeezed their way through the crowd that floated around the entrance and entered the gym. There were two courts that both contained uniformed players who were warming up with their team. As Tyrio skim through the team that sport the jersey he knew Zahkire played in, he spots his rival as the one casually throwing down a slam dunk. Tyrio jogs to the sideline.
“I better see you do that in the game bro!” Tyrio calls out, with a wide smile on his face.
“You already know,” Zahkire replies, walking over to Tyrio and giving him a smooth handshake.
“We’re gonna see, don’t wanna hold you up though we’re gonna go get a first row seat!” Tyrio replied, pointing over to the bleachers.
Korio and Tyrio took a seat on the bleachers and watched and cheered for almost three hours. In the end, Zahkire’s team lost in the championship match, by only two points. After changing his clothes and coming out of the locker room, Zahkire approaches the brothers with a slight, unworrisome limp from the game and a towel over his lowered head. He looks up at them slightly, revealing a glimpse of his furious, yet disappointed stare.
“You did your thing out there for real,” Korio says nodding with a slight smile, looking to lift Zahkire up a little. Zahkire responds only with irritated eye contact. Tyrio stood up, raising his arms to stretch.
“You already know what I have to say man, should’ve just taken more shots yourself,” He says.
Tyrio believed one of the most important things for people was having confidence in themselves. He knew Zahkire had confidence, but maybe not enough to put the game on his shoulders with a trophy on the line.
Zahkire squints. “Right. Because you would have just started making every shot or something?” he replied sarcastically.
“I wouldn’t put it past me,” Tyrio chuckles.
“I would,” Zahkire replies, still straight faced.
Korio laughs and goes to use the bathroom, but as he passes the open entrance of the building a familiar vibe enveloped his attention. He steps outside and looks around curiously, unsure of why he was feeling such strong deja vu from the depths of his soul. Passing the football field, a soccer ball bounces and rolls to his feet, followed by what he’d been sensing charge at him passionately. Korio’s neck twists quickly to see the boy who had run over to get the soccer ball, and upon making eye contact he realized that he was carrying the feeling drawing him in almost magnetically. The pieces of the puzzle shuffle in Korio’s head before completing the picture.
The soccer player in front of him carried the same mysterious energy as he, his brother, and Jared did as well. He was clearly Hispanic, with black loose curls resting on his head that hung a few inches down his head in every direction. His height was around Korio’s at five foot nine inches, with a thin, lean build that looked built for athletics. His standout feature were his glistening hazel walnut eyes, but a small nose sat between surprisingly plump freckled cheeks. As Korio passed him the soccer ball, the boy revealed his full braces bracket-filled smile.
“Thanks!” the boy says quickly, maintaining eye contact through Korio’s dangling dreadlocks.
“No problem,” Korio replies, analyzing the boy who also carried the same bizarre energy that seemed to be growing its way into their reality.
The curly haired boy nearly turned away to end the interaction, but was oddly overcome with the urge to make conversation with Korio.
The boy pauses. “You here to play anything?” he follows, extending the situation and giving a somewhat introverted Korio a sense of relief.
“Nahhhh,” Korio replies, finally coming back to his feet. “I was just here to watch the ball tournament going on,” he finishes.
The two weirdly stood together in silence for a moment as if they were not complete strangers just minutes before. Korio wasn’t the most sociable, but he could read a room with wise accuracy, and instead of breaking the ice any further he would plunge right into the arctic sea.
“I know I’m gonna sound like a weirdo but, have you been going through anything supernatural lately?” Korio asks, breaking eye contact awkwardly.
The boy hesitates and runs his hand through his hair, oddly enough not finding himself surprised by Korio’s question. He in fact had experienced a bewildering event recently.
“Actually, you could say that.” he responds slowly. “My cousin just announced he’s gonna marry my sister!” he announces, unable to conceal his smile. Korio looked at him through a squinted, baffled stare.
“Excuse me?” Korio says high pitched, unsure if he had heard him correctly.
The boy laughs. “Nah, I’m rolling your tootsie, bro,” he follows, still chuckling at his own jokes. “Seriously though, what do you mean by supernatural?”
Korio kept his eyes on the field beside them, feeling awkward tension and regret begin to rise into his throat.
“Supernatural means supernatural doesn’t it?” Korio says, finally bringing his eyes back to those of the kid in front of him and chuckling to mask his shakiness. They share another moment of eye contact, before the boy decides to spill the beans, feeling that Korio was trustworthy and possibly able to relate somehow.
“A few days ago,” the boy starts. “While I was running, I’m pretty sure I saw blue light or something begin to trail me, it wasn’t uncomfortable but felt super weird,” he explains.
Korio was now certain that the boy fate had led him towards, was someone experiencing the same fate as he was.
“Yeah, I understand. I’ve been going through something just like that,” Korio says, glad to hear confirmation of his theory.
The boy himself had not been completely sure about the inexplicable occurrence that had briefly overtaken his body, but now knew that he had not just been “trippin.” Now that he’d thought about it, that was surely the reason why Korio seemed to have such a familiarity to his presence.
“What exactly happened?” he questions Korio curiously.
Korio went on to explain the initial fight that had happened at the basketball courts where things seemed to have started for him. The boy asked a lot of questions, not just about the main concern at hand but how the fight had played out itself for his own entertainment. He was the type of guy that could find humor in nearly anything.
“This is actually wild, I don’t really know what to do though,” the boy says as Korio ends his speech. Neither of them did, but it was very soothing to meet people that could relate to their mystifying ordeal.
Korio nods once more. “Trust me I know what you mean,” he replied in a low tone, seeing his soccer teammates start to call him over for the nearing match. The boy looked over to the teammates he had been ignoring, and picked up the ball that had been resting underneath his foot.
“What’s your Kano?” he asks Korio, Kano was a popular social media app that pretty much anyone under thirty used for everything. Talking to friends, seeing what people were up to, making posts, entertainment, news, and more. He pulled out his phone and handed it to Korio, with the app already opened.
Korio types “wreckit.rio_” into the search bar, and follows his own account. After one last handshake and nod, the boy sprints towards his now furiously scolding coach. He was even faster than he looked. As Korio turns around to make his way back inside and find his brother he sees Tyrio already approaching him with a puzzled expression and smile.
“What’s up, joining the soccer team or somethin’?” Tyrio quizzes jokingly.
Korio laughs. “Maybe. You don’t feel that coming from him?” he says, pointing at the soccer number of his new Kano friend.
After skeptically looking in the boy’s direction for only a few seconds, Tyrio feels the wave of energy that was becoming so recognizable to him. Tyrio looks back at Korio with a smile and gives a nod of understanding. As they leave the grounds of the recreation center, the brothers catch a glimpse of the boy burning past the competition in his soccer game.
“He bout’ fast as hell.” Tyrio says, cocking his neck back with a squint.
“For real,” Korio agrees, nodding with widened eyes. Korio checked the speedster’s page, and learned his name was Carlos.
The brothers continue down the street, until they both have their eyes strangely hooked by a poster among an electricity pole. The bold red words “FREE CAMP” pop out to them before reeling them in closer and closer. Quickly walking over, the brothers stand next to each other reading the details in unison, not speaking a single word. It read: “FREE SUMMER CAMP ALL AGES, NEWLY BUILT FACILITY WITH FUN AND LEARNING TO OFFER!” The poster went on to list the address of the camp, which was only a short bus ride away according to Korio’s cell phone. Once reaching the final words along the bottom of the poster, an unrecognizable symbol leaped off the page at them. It was similar to a six-pointed star, but with thinner triangles and the four diagonal ones curving in opposite directions like crescent moons. Something about it mysteriously spoke to them intimately just like a good friend.
“Sounds kinda cool doesn’t it?” Tyrio says, finally breaking the silence and addressing their intrigue.
“I guess,” Korio replies, still looking at the symbol. “Pretty old for camp though to be honest,” he followed.
Tyrio chuckles. “It does say all ages though! What if we go check it out today while we’re here? Why not?” Tyrio never did mind a random adventure, and this one was strangely enticing.
Korio checks the bus schedule once more, at a nearby stop one would be coming soon that could take them straight to the camp.
“Let’s hurry up then,” Korio obliges, tucking his phone away.
The brothers walk over to the stop, and only have to ride the bus a few blocks down the street before reaching the address they were looking for. They hop off the bus, and as they walk up the street towards the camp placed in a row between other commonplace stores and restaurants the breeze blowing toward them almost seemed to carry the blissful embrace of a tender hug. Upon reaching their destination they plant their feet outside the door and take a thorough look at the place. Every brick seemed to emit another wave of comfort that swaddles the depths of their soul. From the outside at least, it looked new but simple. There wasn’t even a sign anywhere listing its purpose, or that it was a summer camp at all. It wasn’t necessarily big or small compared to the rest of the buildings along the street, which was yet another mundane trait.
Finally, Tyrio looks at his brother once more and pulls the entrance door open, moving to the side and letting Korio step in first. He quickly follows, and they are greeted with what almost resembles a living room. To their right there was a brown couch that sat in front of a large flatscreen television mounted to the wall, with an office desk in the far right corner of the room. To the left there was a large wooden dining table, with boxes strewn about it messily. Against the wall beside the table was the only thing that made it look more like a camp than a one bedroom apartment; a row of tall lockers had been lined amongst the drywall. In front of them a hall parted the room, and presumably led to the rest of the camp. The feeling that had been pursuing them from the inside finally had come close enough to reveal its true identity. Once more, although faintly, the same feeling they’d gotten from people like them struck them. Seemingly on cue of their realization, a door that was along the hall before them abruptly opened.
Out stepped a man who needed to duck his head in order to avoid hitting it on the top of the doorframe. He wore a white unbuttoned lab coat that was surely a size or two too small, with a pair of black glasses in his chest pocket. Beneath his lab coat was a simple white tee shirt, and his legs were wrapped in a pair of simple tan khakis. His white sneakers were big enough to meet a clown’s criteria, but looking as though he was inches away from being seven feet tall you’d expect as much. The man’s white skin looked clear and young, and his green eyes still stole the show even through the curtains of his naturally low eyelids. Straight, layered light brown hair lay thick all around his head with uneven bangs falling along his eyebrows. His broad shoulders were the starting point for a thin body that still had an exceptional v-taper. His jawline was razor sharp to match, and his cheeks had been sculpted inwards perfectly by the artist of his creation. In other words, he was very handsome.
“Hey how’s it going!” he greets them enthusiastically with a genuine smile. “I’m John, the owner of this place. What’s your names?”
The brothers’ were both good at reading people, and the man before them definitely put them at ease.
“I’m Tyrio,” Tyrio says, giving John a surprisingly satisfying, smooth handshake.
“I’m Korio,” Korio says. “Can you give some details about this place? Barely looks like a camp to be honest,” he followed, still studying the room.
John smiles. “Let me ask you a few questions first.” He stepped closer, even forcing a six foot one inches Tyrio to look up at him. “What brought you here?”
The brothers paused. For some reason this question was more awkward than it should be.
“Well, we saw the poster and it looked pretty interesting,” Tyrio responds, shrugging his shoulders.
“I’m happy about that, even if it was meant for people a bit younger,” John replies, still smiling. “But I must say, I haven’t only promoted this place as a summer camp for kids, online I’ve listed it as a lot of different things, hoping the right people show up.”
At this point, Tyrio and Korio were almost completely lost. Subconsciously they believed this guy may very well be just like them, but in reality their new instinct that had been growing exponentially didn’t acknowledge John as that whatsoever. One thing was certain, this place didn’t look like a normal summer camp because it wasn’t. While they’re still in thought, John goes over to the couch and takes a seat before they naturally follow and do the same.
“You’re looking at me like I’m crazy, so let me cut to the chase and see if you’re what I’m looking for,” John continues. “How did you two feel about the symbol on that poster?” he asked.
“Now that I think about it, it was pretty cool, looked familiar,” Korio says, curious to see where this was going.
“Ah! That’s perfect! Let me show you something,” John says eagerly. He walked over to the table across the room, and carefully removed a stone slab. “This is just a small sample,” he says, back still turned to the brothers.
The stone he turns around with has some sort of protective coating over it, rows of completely unrecognizable characters carved precisely into it. As John sits back down and extends the perfectly oval-shaped stone towards them, the main attraction becomes easily visible in the center of the writing. The same symbol from the poster was there, clearly meant to be the moral of an unknown story. John sat back in his original seat, and allowed Tyrio and Korio to continue analyzing the slab that looked as if it could have arrived in a UFO.
“You’re starting to get weirder and weirder my man, what exactly is this?” Tyrio asks anxiously, fully diving into the sea of his curiosity.
“Both of you,” John starts, peeling up the shiny plastic that enveloped the stone. “Touch it.”
The brothers reach out towards the stone and lay their fingers on it slowly. After only a few seconds of contact with the rough, grainy surface, the glistening green and yellow lights the brothers had become acquainted with emerged beautifully beneath their fingertips. It was a supremely mesmerizing sensation that rose along their arms and warmed them to the core.
“So…so you are…” John confirms softly through his amazement.
He burst into joyous laughter, throwing his head and entire torso at the arm of the couch and nearly falling off backwards.
“Of course I was right, let me calm down,” John told himself, still panting and wiping his tears.
“Right?” Korio asked, still holding his faintly illuminating fingers to the stone.
“Welp! I might as well give you guys the whole spill now,” says John, readjusting his tight lab coat and sitting up straight. “I’m sure you two saw a strange light in the sky not too long ago?” he asked.
Tyrio and Korio nodded.
John cheeses, still proud of himself. “I’m John Fletcher, son of Frank Fletcher. I’m sure you’ve heard of us.”
Silence.
John chuckles. “Well anyways I’m a researcher, and before my dad passed away a few weeks ago he found a lead on something huge during a trip in Morocco, that has everything to do with you. Excuse my lack of creativity but naming beyond ancient phenomenon is harder than you’d think, I just like to call them the Supersun and Darkstar, and it looks like the Supersun is the one that’s affected you. In simple terms, you’re some of the good ones, that’s not racially charged by the way.” John chuckled nervously. “Anyways! Have you had any other experiences with this—”
The entrance door abruptly slam open at that moment, cracking the drywall behind it. A man walks in slowly, with a black cloak over his head and a ninja-like mask raised up to his nose. He sinisterly unsheathes a sword that rested on his back, ominously verifying the minacious energy that was violently strangling Tyrio and Korio’s spirits.
