No reviews for the first chapter. I guess it's okay; I'm not expecting this story to be a huge hit anyway. (but that doesn't mean I don't want reviews-that was directed to those of you who have read the first chapter)
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The area around Ross and Mike was completely strange to them. Indeed, they were no longer home, around the things that they were used to being around. They were in a much more colonial setting.
The houses were made of weaker material that wouldn't hold up too well in a storm, (except for the wealthy people who could afford more sturdy material) the roads weren't made of tar or of gravel, but were rather just paths of dirt cleared out, and there was no sign of any sort of even the slightest advanced technology in sight.
"Normally, this is where I'd crack a 'Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore' joke," Mike started, "but this is kind of freaky."
"Yeah, it is," Ross agreed.
Both kids looked around, hoping to find someone who they thought could be of some help. But there didn't seem to be too many people around at all.
Right ahead of them was a long, empty pathway leading up to a great building. Just by looking at it, you could tell it was a temple. There was a staircase of stone leading up to a giant door, but the door was also made of stone. Heck, the entire temple itself seemed to be made of stone.
Standing right outside the temple by the stairs were two guards. One was male and had a very plain, round face and a thin structure. He had one bit of brown braided hair that went all the way down to almost the back of his knees.
Directly opposite of him on the stairs was a woman. Her blonde hair glowed in the sunlight, but she had a very serious look about her.
Ross and Mike nervously started approaching the two guards to see if either of them could be of any help. But the second they got within only a few feet, both guards jumped in front of the two kids and yelled "halt!" loud enough to surprise them and make them jump slightly.
"Where are you going!" the male guard sternly asked.
"Uh…nowhere," Mike said nervously. "My friend and I…got lost, and we were seeing if any of you could help us out."
"No," said the female guard. "No one is allowed into or around the temple except for Master Maverick himself."
"Master Maverick?" Mike asked.
"Sandra. Kline. What are you doing?" came a booming voice from behind the two guards.
Sandra and Kline, the two guards standing at the stairway to the temple, turned around. Standing there was a tall man and a bit overweight. He was wearing a long, dark gray cloak that covered every part of his body except for his head. He had a round face and thinning gray hair.
"Master Maverick!" both guards yelled loudly as they got on one knee.
"What are you two doing?" Maverick asked.
"These two children tried to trespass into your temple," Sandra accused.
"What are you talking about?" Mike said loudly. "No, we weren't!"
"Sandra, Kline. I want you to leave these two boys alone. Allow them to come up here," Maverick softly, but sternly commanded.
"Yes, Master Maverick," Kline said. He and Sandra stepped far to the side, allowing Ross and Mike to freely walk up the stairs and into the temple with Maverick.
The two boys walked up the stairs and Maverick seemed to be waiting for them with a pleasant smile on his face. As soon as they were up there, he turned his back and started leading them inside.
"So, what may I ask brings you two here?" Maverick asked.
Ross and Mike cast each other a quick look and non-verbally debated on whether or not they should tell Maverick about how they really got there, or if they should make up a story. Would the guy really believe them if they told him they got warped there through a mysterious light in a cave hundreds, possibly thousands of years in the future?
"We, uh…just got lost," Ross finally said.
"I see," Maverick said. "Where did you come from?"
Ross let out a nervous laugh. "Uh…somewhere far away. We don't know how to get back."
"I see," Maverick said, still keeping his eyes ahead of him and not turning back to stare at the two teenagers. "And what might your names be?"
"My name is Ross Hamilton," Ross said. (Yes, I am aware he had a different last name in the first chapter. Don't worry; I know what I'm doing. And no, he isn't lying)
"And my name's Mike," Mike said excitedly.
"Ross and Mike," Maverick said softly with a voice full of awe. "I see."
"So, uh…what religion is this temple for?" Ross asked, trying to get to know the place they were in the best. Unlike Mike, Ross paid attention in history class, so if he knew what religion this temple was celebrating, then perhaps he could figure out where they were or what time period they were in.
"It's not for a religion," Maverick said, the tone in his voice becoming more and more serious. "This is a temple to idolize a being that is said to have the power to distort and control time."
"Really?" Mike asked. "What religion is that?"
"I believe I just said it's not a religion," Maverick said. "While we generally accept religious and creation beliefs, this temple here is for the being we call the Finis Tempi."
"The Finis Tempi?" Ross asked.
"That's right," Maverick said.
The halls on the inside of the temple were dark and were made of stone. There was only dirt for a floor and there didn't seem to be anything other than candles and torches to light the way inside. Ross and Mike couldn't figure out what was so important in here that the guards wouldn't let them come in without Maverick's approval.
Then, Ross noticed something very interesting. Something was dangling from the outside of Maverick's robe and around his neck. It appeared to be some sort of chain with a blue pendent in the middle. It looked exactly like the necklace Ross somehow was wearing earlier that day.
Temporarily losing his breath, Ross looked beneath his shirt to see if the necklace he woke up wearing was still there. Somehow, it wasn't. It was gone and somehow found its way on Maverick.
"Weird…" Ross muttered to himself.
"So, Mike and Ross," Maverick said, "you say you are lost and have nowhere to stay?"
"Yes, sir," Ross said, trying to be as polite as possible.
"Well then, look at some of the houses around here until you find one that you think you want to spend a few nights in. When you have selected, knock on the door and ask the owner to let you stay there for a few days. And if they refuse, tell them that Maverick is requiring it," Maverick explained.
"How do we know they'll believe us?" Mike asked.
"No one around here would say something like that and not be serious," Maverick said. "Understand?"
"Yeah," Ross said. "Thanks a lot."
Ross and Mike walked out of the temple and neither of them said a word until Maverick was for sure out of earshot. Mike was the first one to speak.
"Hey Ross, that thing that guy was wearing around his neck…wasn't that?..."
"Yeah, Mike. It was. That was the one I was wearing earlier today."
When the two of them were out of the temple, they walked passed Sandra and Kline again, but neither one of them said anything to the two kids as they walked out. In fact, they almost seemed embarrassed about how they had treated them before Maverick told them to let them in.
When Ross and Mike were walking through the small village, they made quick glances at all the houses they could find and debated which one they thought they'd be able to enjoy the most.
But just looking around convinced Ross and Mike that the task would not be so easy. Most of the people around looked like they belonged in the early eighteenth century of the late seventeenth.
"I don't think any of these people would want to take us in for a few nights," Mike said. "I mean, just look at these people. They're churning butter themselves!"
"Just chill out, all right?" Ross asked. "We need to find somewhere to stay. With any luck, we can find someone who'll be happy to take us in."
"Maybe we could even find someone who we could tell about how we really got here," Mike said in an upbeat way.
"I don't know," Ross said in an unsure voice. "We're going to have to find our way out of here and how to get back to our real time period while trying to cast as little suspicion on ourselves as possible."
"How are we going to do that?"
"How should I know!"
Now the two knew their true objective. They weren't here to figure out how they got there or what time period they were in; their mission was to find a way back.
As Ross and Mike continued walking, they saw someone standing outside who appeared to be doing some work. Ross and Mike couldn't see him up close at first, but he appeared to be very friendly looking.
"Why don't we ask that guy?" Ross suggested.
"I don't care," Mike casually said.
Ross and Mike followed the man and saw the house he walked in. Ross nervously went up to the door and knocked on it.
The man who greeted them was the one they had seen a little before. His hair was indeed dark, but he had an Asian look to him. Dark hair, dark eyes and tanned skin, but he looked like a very thoughtful and generous person.
"Uh…hi," Ross nervously said.
"Eh…can I do something for you?" the man asked with a confused look.
"Yeah. You see, my friend and I kinda got lost and we were wondering if you wouldn't mind letting us stay at your place for a few nights. I mean, until we figure out where we're supposed to be," Ross tried to say as confidently as possible.
The man smiled, revealing two rows of nearly perfect white teeth. "I'd be glad to have you live with me for a few days. Come on in," he said in a very friendly and welcoming voice.
Ross and Mike quickly smiled at each and then walked in. The house was pretty small, but it seemed to be comfortable enough and it looked like it wouldn't be too bad living there for a little while.
"So, what are your names?" the man asked, still smiling at his two new, yet unexpected, guests.
"I'm Ross," Ross said politely. He stuck out his thumb and pointed it to Mike. "And that's Mike."
"Ross. Mike. Pleased to meet you," the man said. "You can call me Bien."
"Hi Bien," Ross said with a wide smile on his face.
"Thanks for taking us in," Mike said, sounding a little exhausted after what they had just been through.
"Don't mention it," Bien said. "I'm always ready to help out someone in a time of need."
"Thanks," Ross said again, not knowing what else to say.
"So, where are you guys from?" Bien asked as he sat down in a wooden chair at a table.
Ross and Mike gave each other nervous looks. "We…got lost," Ross said, trying to avoid the question as best as he could.
"Yeah, we come from somewhere pretty far away," Mike said.
"Where?"
"New England," Ross said, trying his best to come up with the best answer that would make sense.
Bien started laughing. "Well, I figured as much. You're in New England now."
That was a bit of relief to Ross and Mike. At least they knew where they were now, but they still had a lot of questions lingering in their mind.
"Uh, we both have short memory," Mike spoke up. "What year is it?"
Bien looked a little confused. "It's 1729," he said a little suspiciously.
Ross and Mike had horrified looks on their faces and turned towards each other. Could they have really been warped back that far?"
"Mike, that's practically 250 years in the past," Ross whispered in a nervous voice.
"I know. What are we going to do?"
"Is there a problem, guys?" Bien asked, not hearing what Ross and Mike were whispering to each other.
"No, we're fine," Ross lied.
"You sure? You guys seem concerned about something."
"No, we're fine," Mike said. "Ross and I really appreciate you letting us stay here, by the way. We'll only be here for a few days anyway before we're back out there on our own."
Bien looked very concerned. "Are you sure?" he asked. "It's dangerous out there."
Mike scoffed. "Whatever. Ross and I have taken on a ton of enemies before. We can handle whatever is thrown at us."
"Really," Bien said in a sneaking way with a mischievous smile beginning to spread across his face. He got up and he went over to a wall. He pulled a sword off the wall that was hanging on it and pointed it at Ross and Mike. "Wanna see how strong you really are?"