Frank Chap
1 A Stranger’s Kiss
Frank Freeman knew his day was going
to be bad when he awoke in the middle of the desert. He remembered falling
asleep on his Aunt’s couch in the beautiful city of Salisbury Maryland. They had
gone to church early that Sunday morning and he was tired.
Frank stood to his feet and brushed
the sand out of his curly brown hair. Then he shook his shirt temporarily
revealing his finely sculpted abs. Frank’s brown eyes scanned his surroundings
to see an eternal blanket of sand. One thing was for certain. This definitely
wasn’t Salisbury or the beach for that matter. Perhaps it was the Sahara desert
or some part of Arizona. Frank pinched himself to see if he was dreaming and
left a red mark on his fair colored skin. To his disappointment he wasn’t.
Dunes of sand were scattered around the desert. Some were so high they looked
like little mountains. The sun hung in the center of the sky and bombarded
Frank with rays of intense heat. The heat felt dry and dead compared to the
moist boiling heat of Salisbury.
Frank followed the sun west across the sky. Hot
sand filled his shoes and burned his feet. Frank pressed on. Occasionally he
stopped to empty his shoes of sand. Hours passed by and Frank’s legs grew heavy.
It was if he had one hundred pound weights strapped to them. The sun positioned
itself near the western sky. Frank guessed he had about two hours before sun
set and then who knows what would happen. His tongue hung out of his mouth and
Frank fell to his knees. The sun continued to sap every ounce of his energy.
Cups of ice cold water danced around Frank’s head. He reached out for one of
them only to find it was a mirage. He cursed the imaginary cups of water and
crawled forward. The hot sand stung his hands like angry hornets, but he
ignored it and moved slowly across the never ending desert. Squawking could be
heard from above. Frank looked up to see a cloud of vultures circling him.
Their eyes glowed bright orange and their talons looked powerful enough to tear
through bones.
Frank refused to be vulture food. He rose to his feet and a loud roar
reverberated through the desert. Fear overtook the vultures and they fled. The
ground shook violently and a huge creature emerged from the sand. Frank
believed it was an over grown human until he saw its body was made completely
of stone. The creature was easily over twenty feet tall and probably weighed
several tons. Its arms had muscles that were rock hard and its stomach had a
set of perfectly sculpted abs. Blades of freshly cut grass stood on the
monster’s head in the place of hair. Frank realized he was staring at a Golem.
Though they had just met he could tell their relationship was already on the
rocks. Before Frank could think to run the huge creature swung his fist and
knocked him one hundred feet through the air where he slammed into a dune of
sand.
Frank rubbed his jaw and said, “So that’s where they got the term
rocked in the jaw from.”
Frank rolled to the right and missed the Golem’s fist by mere inches.
Frank tried to run but the Golem spun around with unrivaled haste and swept him
off his feet. Frank’s heart pounded his chest. He spat sand out of his mouth
and flipped over in time to see the Golem snatch him up with its monstrous hands.
The Golem lifted him high into the air. Frank wiggled and squirmed in an
attempt to break loose but it was to no avail for the stone Golem’s grip was
solid. Angry yellow eyes peered at Frank and the creature opened its mouth wide
and roared. Its breath smelled like garden salad smothered in ranch dressing.
Frank coughed and said, “Ever hear of breath mints?”
The Golem must not have liked Frank’s comments for its grip on Frank
grew tighter. He started to feel like an orange in a juicer. Crack was the
sound of his ribs breaking. Agonizing pain filled his chest and his vision
became blurry. Frank let out a loud cry and his body became encompassed by a
blue light. The Golem cried out in pain and dropped Frank. Frank slowly floated
towards the ground and his body stopped glowing. A long blue sword appeared in
Frank’s right hand. The sword felt lighter than a pen and its blade looked
extra sharp.
Fear filled the Golem’s yellow eyes as it said, “Impossible. You’re a
Sword Keeper.”
A mini water spout formed around Frank’s sword. Frank swung his sword
and the mini water spout flew off it and grew bigger. The water spout swallowed
the Golem and shredded its body to a swirling pile of wet sand. Then it
dissipated. Frank’s vision faded completely. He collapsed to the ground and lye
motionless. His dream of singing a hit single on a stage in New York flashed
through his head. This scene changed to when he was a baby first learning to
walk and then nothing.
A mysterious voice said, “Why do you cling to life when your very
purpose is to die. Fulfill your destiny and rest eternal.”
“I refuse.”
The mysterious voice grew quiet and Frank felt something warm and soft
press against his lips. When he opened his eyes he saw the blurry imagine of
someone kissing him. His first thought was hopefully it’s not a man. He
immediately pushed the person off him.
“What the world is wrong with you?” said Frank as he stood to his feet.
“Sorry I didn’t mean to offend you.” said a sweet voice that melted
Frank’s heart.
His sight fully returned and he was nearly blinded by what had to be
the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Her hazel brown eyes were
purer than the finest gold. She looked about sixteen and had hair that came
past her shoulders and was evenly cut. She wore a pair of tight yellow shorts
that showed off her lovely shape. A white shirt covered her upper body with a
name tag attached to it that said Alicia. Frank figured this was her name. He
drew closer to her and found that she smelled like fresh strawberries, which
was his favorite fruit. The only flaw he could find on her was a gap between
her top two front teeth. Frank’s mom always told him that a person with a gap
between their teeth was either a liar or a singer. He wasn’t sure if that was
true or not.
They studied each other for a while longer before Frank finally said,
“So do you kiss every stranger you meet?”
She laughed, “Of course not. Conjurians have healing power in their
first kiss. How do your ribs feel?”
Frank was so mesmerized by her beauty that he forgot he had been hurt.
He pressed against his chest and felt no pain. The ravenous thirst he had from
walking through the desert had also been sated. He wasn’t sure what a Conjurian
was or what sort of kiss she gave him, but he wanted to taste her luscious lips
once more.
“Wow your kiss worked wonders. What’s a Conjurian?”
“It’d be faster if I showed you.”
Alicia spun around like a ballerina and a red light flowed from her
hands. A swirling portal formed in the sky and a creature that looked a lot
like the Golem he just fought came out of it. Once the Golem landed safely on
the ground the portal vanished. Frank realized Conjurians had the ability to
summon mythical creatures. The smell of garden salad smothered in ranch
dressing filled Frank’s nose. He peered into the Golem’s yellow eyes and
examined its fresh cut grass hair.
“Wait a second. This is the Golem that attacked me earlier.”
“Rocky may look similar but I guarantee he isn’t the same.”
Alicia clapped her hands and the Golem vanished. Frank didn’t believe
her. She didn’t make eye contact when she spoke and her eyes blinked rapidly.
He was certain it was the same Golem. Frank would have pressed the issue but
something in her eyes erased the thought. He drew closer to her and watched her
lips glisten in the sun light. They looked so smooth and soft that he had to
ask.
“Could I kiss you again?”
Alicia smiled and put her hand on her chin like she was contemplating
the idea.
“You could if you’ll agree to marry me.”
Frank laughed but the mysterious girl kept a serious look on her face.
When Frank noticed he said, “You’re serious?”
“I’m as serious as a heart attack.”
“Whoa you’re moving way too fast. I don’t even know your full name.”
“My name is Alicia Goodman and you’re Frank Freeman right?”
Frank nodded.
“How do you know my name?”
Alicia hesitated for a moment then said, “Lucky guess.”
Frank laughed, “Yea right.”
“Now let’s talk about our marriage.”
“I’m sorry, but as I said before it’s much too early to talk about
that. Why are you in such a rush to get married anyway?”
A look of fear mingled with desperation filled Alicia’s eyes.
“Listen Frank, if we aren’t married within the next three days we shall
both be executed.”
“What? Who made that stupid rule?”
“Lord Anmalrew. He is the leader of an organization known as Law.
Whatever he says transpires and those that oppose him die.”
Frank paced back and forth. He couldn’t believe some idiot would make a
law that forced two people to get married after a single kiss. What country was
this anyway?
“Where am I?”
“You’re on the continent of Comasa.”
Frank scratched his head. He had paid attention in school and was
certain that there wasn’t a continent named Comasa on Earth. Then it occurred
to him. Perhaps he was on another planet. But how was this possible? Was the
couch he fell asleep on at his Aunt’s house magic?
Alicia noticed his confusion and said, “Don’t worry I’ll explain
everything once we get back to my house.”
Alicia grabbed Frank’s hand and chanted a spell. They rocketed into the
sky and vanished.
Chap 2 The power of Law
Teleporting was a unique experience. Frank’s whole body felt as though
it had fallen asleep. His vision became blurry and they rocketed through the
air. When they finally landed at Alicia’s house Frank toppled over and nearly
barfed.
Alicia put her hand on his shoulder and asked, “Are you ok?”
“I’m good.”
Frank could tell Alicia was into him. She leaned towards him when she
talked and tried to quickly fix her hair when he looked away from her. Alicia
applied a fresh coating of lip gloss to her lips which made them look more
enticing. Frank couldn’t shake a gut feeling that told him to stay away from
her. For there was more to her than meets the eye.
Frank looked around and saw they were in the living room. Red carpet
covered the floor and filled Frank’s nose with the scent of fresh cherries. It
was a pleasant smell. In the center of the front wall was a window that was
covered in white curtains. Two feet from the window on the right was the front
door. To the left of the window was a big screen television that sat on a black
stand. The stand looked so finely polished that Frank could see his reflection
on it. On the wall across from the big screen T.V. was a leather loveseat. This
also happened to be the only piece of furniture in the living room. Either her
parents were really poor or they hated furniture. The remaining two walls had
no windows and were covered with pictures. There was the last supper, Mona
Lisa, and pictures of Alicia’s family. To the left of the love seat was an
entrance to a narrow hallway. Frank decided he’d explore that a little later.
Frank walked over to the loveseat and sat down. Tension flooded his
body. Alicia walked over to Frank moving her hips from side to side and no
matter how hard he tried to look away he couldn’t.
She gave Frank a kiss on the cheek and said, “I’ll be back. I’m going
to go freshen up. You can look around if you want.”
She left the room and Frank felt more at ease. While Alicia freshened
up he decided to take up her offer to look around. He walked down a narrow
hallway and into a room that must have been the study area. Books lined the
walls of the room and in the center of the room was a desk with a globe on it.
Frank walked over to the globe and examined it. What would have been the
Pacific Ocean on a normal globe was a huge continent called Comasa. The
Atlantic Ocean was now a place known as Humasa. The Arctic and Indian oceans
were also bodies of land called Nomenia and Ruberia. There was even a dotted
line on the bottom of the globe in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean with
a small caption that said Twelfth continent called Dimeria added recently.
Frank figured this twelfth continent had something to do with the recent
discovery of the Southern Ocean in his version of the earth.
Once Frank was done exploring the globe he decided to examine some of
the books that lined the walls. Only two books caught his Attention. The first
was called the Legend of a Sword Keeper. Ever since the Golem had called him
one in the desert he had wondered what it was. Frank simply touched the book
and he felt a flood of knowledge pour into his brain. According to the book, a
Sword Keeper could learn everything within a book in an instant by simply
touching it. Frank thought this ability would have really come in handy during
school for he could get a head start on book reports. Sword Keepers also had
photo graphic memories and could see things from the point of view of other
objects. The next book that caught his attention was the History of Aera.
Perhaps that was the name of this strange place. He immediately touched it and
was nearly overwhelmed with knowledge.
He learned about an item called the Accursed Orb that could grant any
wish you wanted and had the power to control free will. The Accursed Orb
sounded dangerous thought Frank.
He walked out of the study room and decided to take a quick peek in
Alicia’s room while she was in the bathroom freshening up. The first thing he
noticed about the room was the smell. Picture the smell of dirty socks mingled
with strawberries and that’s what it smelled like. Sure enough when he looked
inside her room he saw clothes, shoes, dirty socks, and papers scattered
everywhere. She must have owned about one hundred pairs of shoes. Flip flops, high
heels, and tennis shoes were all over the place including on her bed. In fact
when he looked behind her bedroom door there was a rack filled with at least
twenty more pairs of shoes. In the center of her bedroom was a queen sized bed.
Her blankets and sheets sat on top of it in a pile next to the shoes he
mentioned earlier. Alicia’s pillows were on the floor. The walls in her room
were pink and covered with posters of Frank. How she got these pictures he did
not know. Perhaps she was a big fan of him or some psychotic stalker. Frank
took a peek under Alicia’s bed to find more shoes. Alicia must have been
addicted to buying shoes. Frank headed back to the living room and sat on the
loveseat.
When Alicia finally came out of the bathroom she was looking good. She
had on hot pink shorts that looked as tight as the yellow ones she’d just taken
off. Her white T-shirt was replaced with a pink one that showed off a little
cleavage. She even had a pink pair of shoes to match her outfit. The more he
hung around her the more he felt like she was the flirty and fast type that his
mom used to warn him about.
“So how do I look?”
Frank smiled and said, “I’ve seen better.”
She walked over to Frank and gave him a playful punch in the arm.
“You’re a meanie.”
They both laughed. The smell of fresh strawberries was stronger than
before and entranced Frank’s heart. She sat on his lap then she flung her arms
around him. It felt somewhat awkward for someone he just met to do this, but he
just went with the flow. Her body was softer than a teddy bear.
“So are you comfortable with me sitting on you like this?”
“I’m fine. Tell the differences between Aera and Earth.”
“Aera is what we call the four floating continents that exist on the
Earth. Each one is completely undetectable by normal humans. One of the main
differences is that mythical creatures like Golem’s, dragons, and even vampires
exist. Magic is also commonplace. The city I live in is called Venice. It’s one
of the most beautiful cities on Aera.”
So Aera was essentially a world full of nightmares thought Frank. He
looked Alicia in the eyes and asked.
“How do I get back home?”
“There is an airship that can travel between the two worlds. Many
people from Earth mistake them for UFOs.”
“Will you take me to one?”
“I could but only if you’d marry me.”
Frank glared at Alicia, “There you go with that marriage talk again.”
“It’s a serious matter. If we don’t address it in three days Law will
kill us both. No one can run from Law.”
Frank loved a challenge. He pushed Alicia off his lap and said, “I
can.”
“Don’t be a fool. Marriage is the safest option. There are benefits to
marrying me.”
“Care to explain.”
“Conjurians can live for up to one hundred thousand years. If you marry
me your life expectancy will also increase to this.”
Frank’s eyes nearly popped out his head. That sounded cool. He was
almost sold on the idea until he thought who wants to spend that much time with
a stranger? Then again if he was married to her for one hundred thousand years
they’d probably know each other very well. Still something wasn’t right. He had
to know how she got all those pictures of him and why she acted so clingy.
“Sorry but I’m going to have to
pass.”
“You’d rather be executed?”
“I’m not getting executed either. So tell Anmalrew to bring on the
noise.”
Alicia’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t believe Frank was turning her
down and never had she known anyone crazy enough to defy Law.
She stood to her feet and said, “Don’t call him that. His name is Lord
Anmalrew.”
Frank tightened his fist.
“His name will be Lord Honey dew when I’m through with him.”
“You’re insane. Since you want to act so defiant you’ll have to learn
the hard way. Follow me.”
Frank followed Alicia out the front door and took in the new scenery.
Alicia’s city was a little different from Salisbury. For starters hundreds of
people could be seen walking the sidewalks similar to New York. Vendors set up
shops on the sidewalks. The smell of hot dogs, hamburgers, and pizza filled the
air. There were ice cream stands, jewelry shops, and a number of fast food
restaurants. Buildings the size of the empire state building were scattered
around the city, but they weren’t close like in New York they were more spread
apart. This gave the city a more open feel. Another difference was the quality
of the air. It was much fresher. This was because a magical barrier was around
each of the floating continents that purified the polluted air from the Earth
and blocked out harmful U.V. rays. Frank had learned that from The History of
Aera book he touched earlier. Thousands of cars moved down the highway at a
snail’s pace. People blew their horns angrily and cursed every time the traffic
stopped. On the other side of the sidewalk was a moving walkway. This was
probably for people who got tired of walking around the massive city. Frank and
Alicia stepped onto the moving walkway. Frank felt like he was on a tour bus.
The moving walkway guided them through the city in slow motion. Huge paintings
could be seen on the side of certain buildings that advertised new movies and
video games. A bridge suspended hundreds of feet above them connected one half
of the city to the other. On the side of the bridge were railroad tracks where
trains could be seen traveling. In the center of the bridge was a highway where
cars flowed freely. A chilly September
wind swooped through the area and Alicia shivered.
“It’s kind of cool out here.”
“That’s what you get for trying to be cute.”
She lightly rammed into Frank and said, “Shut up.”
A butterfly landed on Alicia’s
shirt. She shook her shirt frantically. When it wouldn’t move she let out a
scream and Frank laughed. The butterfly flew off her shirt and she jabbed Frank
in the arm.
“It’s not funny jerk. I could have died.”
“It was just a butterfly.”
“I’m scared of bugs.”
The sun set before they reached the center of the city. They stepped
off the moving walk way to see a huge fountain in the middle of the square. The
water changed a different color every five seconds. To the south of the
fountain was a movie theater. Its sign was lit with neon pink and blue lights.
The movie theater wasn’t the only place that was lit. The whole city seemed to
shine with multicolored lights. It reminded him of Vegas. Frank had gone there
for vacation with his dad when he was seven. His dad was a movie producer so
they always got to go on fun trips. He even got to see Usain Bolt run at the
London Olympics. Sadly his father vanished shortly after their trip to Vegas. It
was hard to believe it had been a full eight years since his father had went
missing. Perhaps one day he’d discovered what happened to him.
Suddenly all traffic halted like someone had pressed the pause button
on a remote. Everyone in the square dropped to their knees and bowed their
heads. Frank turned to Alicia and saw that she had dropped to her knees as
well.
Alicia said in a pleading voice, “Get on your knees now.”
“Get on my knees for what?”
Alicia didn’t answer. She bowed her head. A feeling of hopelessness impregnated the
air. A man that stood over six feet tall
walked towards Frank. His eyes were fiery red and filled with malice. He was
dressed in black armor that had a grey skull engraved on its chest plate. A
sword that looked much too heavy for Frank to carry was strapped to his back.
The man’s face was storm gray and shriveled like a prune. Confidence radiated
off his face and he showed off a sinister smile that revealed a set of rotten
teeth.
He glared at Frank and said, “You dare stand in my presence. Kneel!”
His voice was deep and powerful and no matter how much Frank wanted to
resist he was powerless before it. Frank dropped to his knees. The man’s
laughter sounded like a chorus of screams. Never had Frank met anyone so
terrifying. There was no doubt in Frank’s mind that this was Lord Anmalrew the
leader of Law. Anmalrew drew closer to Frank and paused. The smell of fresh
vomit seeped into his nose.
“Come forth Sally Morris.”
Frank’s heart skipped a beat and his body trembled. He wasn’t sure why,
but he knew that whoever he’d just called was in huge trouble. A little girl
dressed in a pink dress that couldn’t have been more than nine came forward.
Her body shook like a plane in constant turbulence.
She pleaded, “Please spare me Lord Anmalrew. I’ll never chew gum in
school again.”
Anmalrew showed off an evil smirk.
“In that regard you are correct. Chewing gum in school is a crime of
the vilest sort, a crime that can only be amended through death.”
Anmalrew touched the girl’s face and it changed blue. Then her body
crumbled to dust leaving a pink dress behind. A gust of wind blew the dress
away. Frank couldn’t believe it. Anmalrew had executed someone for something so
petty. He wasn’t going to stand for it. Frank tried to stand to his feet, but
it felt as though a hundred ton weighs had him pinned to his knees. How was
Anmalrew so powerful? Anmalrew must have noticed this for her drew closer to
Frank and placed a hand on his chin. His hand felt like an ice cube. He lifted
Frank’s head until their eyes met.
“How admirable, you have the resolve of steel.”
“How can you do this? What gives you the right to kill people for such
petty crimes?”
Anmalrew removed his hand from Frank’s chin and laughed as though Frank
had just told a joke.
Madness lit up his eyes. He circled around Frank and spoke.
“Do you not know who I am? I am the Law. I make the rules for I am the
rules. In the beginning it was disobedience that brought sin into this world.
Therefore it can be tolerated in no form. If I had let that little law breaker
go others would have felt they could’ve gotten away with similar crimes. All
crimes are worthy of death no matter how minute. This is a fate you shall also
suffer if you fail to marry Alicia within three days Frank Freeman.”
Frank trembled at the sound of his name. He wasn’t sure how Anmalrew
knew it, but he was certain he wasn’t a fan. He wanted to curl up in a ball and
hide in a corner, but he couldn’t move. Anmalrew had his body completely
immobilized.
“Listen closely.”
Anmalrew’s voice seemed to reverberate through the whole planet.
“From this day forward any person caught holding hands without a
license shall be executed. A hand holding license can be purchased at any store
for a monthly fee of nineteen ninety nine plus tax. That is all.”
Frank would have protested this as well, but he figured it was
pointless. Anmalrew snapped his fingers and vanished leaving a trail of black
smoke in his wake. Frank coughed. When the smoke cleared he was able to stand
again. Traffic had resumed once more and everybody that had fallen to their
knees earlier went about their business.
Alicia looked Frank in the eyes, “Now do you see why I’m so eager to
marry you. If we don’t get married we will both die. Nothing can stand up to
Law.”
She was right. He didn’t even have the strength to stand in Anmalrew’s
presence let alone fight him. Yet Frank was never one to give up. He had to
figure out something. There was no way he was getting married in three days.
Frank sighed. “Let’s just head back to your house. I need some time to
think.”
“That’s a good idea. I need the rest for the swordsmen cup tomorrow in
Mead.”
“What’s the Swordsmen cup?”
“It’s a tournament that is held each year in Mead. The strongest
fighters from around the world compete there for a prize of one million
dollars.”
“Oh yeah I think I remember reading something about Mead in that book
at your house. There is a 6 hour time difference between this city and Mead.”
“You are correct. It’s still day time in Mead right now. Before we go
there is something I must buy.”
She walked over to one of the sidewalk vendors and handed him some
money. He gave her a small silver square with the words hand holding license
engraved on it along with an Expiration date of 10/12/21. Frank laughed at how
ridiculous it was to need a license to hold hands. More ridiculous was the fact
you had to renew it each month. Alicia placed it in her pocket and then grabbed
Frank’s hand. Then they vanished into the night.
