Things are moving along nicely. Veerrryyyyy nicely. Things seem to be going a bit too smoothly for Kazzer. Is he gonna hit a pothole in this wonderful road he's on?


The Files of Kazdan Kalinkas

Book Three: Shadow of a Boy

Chapter Two: Here I Am


"It's a new world, it's a new start. It's alive with the beating of a young heart. It's a new day in a new land and it's waiting for me. Here I am."


I didn't sleep.

At all.

Not that night and not the night after that.

I couldn't.

All I saw was nightmares and if I fell asleep then they'd attack me and I'd wake up screaming.

I was pretty sure that my parents noticed the dark circles appearing under my eyes and that I no longer spent the night in my room. But if they did, they didn't say anything.

I was grateful for that.

It was hard enough to adjust without them breathing down my neck. I was afraid to leave the house, afraid to go anywhere outside this box of comfort. But when Tom showed up at my door, asking me to hang out, my mom practically threw me out into the snow.

"It's freezing out here!" I complained loudly, hunching my shoulders and pulling my hood low over my head. I tucked my nose underneath my scarf and shoved my hands deep into my pockets.

"It's December—almost January." Tom replied flatly, "What'd you expect?"

"This isn't the way to your house." I said as we walked around the block, "We're headed into town. Where're we going?"

"To get something hot to drink."

"There's hot chocolate at home."

"Your parents are home too." He shot me a glance out of the corner of his eye, "I needed to update you on…you know."

"Like I care anymore." I growled, "I'm never going back."

"What an about face…" Tom muttered, "I remember a time when Chaotic was like your life! I almost thought you couldn't live without it."

"That was before what he did." I snarled, kicking snow around into the street, "I don't care about that place anymore. I hate it. I hate everything to do with it." I paused, "I hid all my Chaotic stuff in my closet."

"You—wait, what?" Tom stopped to stare at me and I looked at him, "Even your cards and Code Scanner?" I nodded slowly, "What about your online account?"

"You haven't been online recently, have you?" I asked and then turned and started walking again.

"What's that supposed to mean? Kaz, what did you do? Did you delete your account?" He jogged to catch up and was soon in step beside me again.

"The site doesn't allow you to do that." I responded flatly. And then, with a sly smile, I added, "But you can make changes."

"What. Did. You. Do?"

"Oh hey, a coffee shop." I completely ignored my friend, "Wanna grab something?"

"Kaz…" Tom muttered darkly but I ignored him again and pushed my way into the café that sat between the suburbs where Tom and I lived and the actual town itself. The bell on the door clanged but it went unnoticed to most of people inside.

"Isn't it New Years?" Tom muttered, more to himself than to me, "Shouldn't this place be closed?"

"They always stay open 'till eleven." I responded, sitting down in a corner booth by the window. Tom sat down across from me. We weren't the only teenagers there but we certainly were the quietest. Nothing unusual there; this had always been a local hang out for jocks and preps.

"Take your hood off, you look like you're gonna rob the place." Tom said.

I didn't have my hair spiked or my glasses on. Maybe no one would recognize me. I pushed my hood back and shed my winter coat just as the waiter walked up. He looked bored and like he'd rather be somewhere else.

"What can I get you?"

"Two hot chocolates." Tom said as I stared out the window. When he was sure the waiter was out of range, he leaned his elbows on the table and said in a low voice, "I think the CodeMasters know what happened to you." I rounded on him and I must have looked angry because he threw his hands up in a defensive posture, "Don't give me that look! I didn't tell them!"

I glared at him for a while. The only noise between us was the hooting and laughter of the group of jocks on the opposite side of the room trying to impress their cheerleader girlfriends. Finally, I sat back against the seat and looked at him blankly. He waited, as though expecting me to erupt on him but all I asked was,

"How do you think they found out?"

"Because CodeMaster Amzen gave me a call the other day. Said he wanted to talk to me in his Drome. So I headed over there. Only—." He stopped when the waiter came to drop our drinks off. I kept my gaze down. As soon as the waiter was gone, Tom picked up again, "Only when I got there, all the CodeMasters were there."

"You're kidding." I couldn't help myself. The CodeMasters were never seen in more than pairs, and even that was rare.

"I'm not. You know how they always come out of the floor?" Tom made a rising gesture with his hand, "Well I went down there with them and there was a table and they sat me down and we…talked."

"About me?"

"About the UnderWorld." Tom said. He took a drink and licked his lips, "I think they figured out that Sarah, Peyton, and I knew who Ghost was and wanted to know if we'd gotten a Scan. I said I didn't know what they were talking about. CodeMaster Hotekk got angry at me and probably would have started yelling but CodeMaster Crellen stepped in."

"The smart one…" I muttered under my breath, taking a drink of hot chocolate. It scalded my tongue but I hardly noticed.

"He…told me to hand over my Scanner." I looked hard at him over the rim of my mug, "What could I do!? Say no!? They woulda thrown me out of Chaotic!" I didn't say anything, "I thought he was just going through my Scans but when he gave me back my Scanner he said…he said…"

"What?"

"He said "Tell KidChaor we wish to speak to him when he returns to Chaotic" and then they punted me back into the Drome…" Tom looked down into his mug, looking upset, "Kaz, I think they saw that video I took of you."

"Video? What video?" I didn't remember a video being taken. Had I been asleep?

"That…that time we ported in and you…and Chaor showed up and…when you got…" Tom seemed at a loss for words. He wouldn't look me in the eye.

I didn't know what to say. If the CodeMasters knew…well what did it matter? I wasn't ever going back to Chaotic anyway so why should I care?

But I did care.

I didn't want them to know. I didn't want anybody to know.

Worst still they had seen Chaor attacking me and what the Instant Regeneration Armor had done.

They would know I was Ghost.

Now even more so after…

"Tom," My voice was hoarse and I cleared my throat, taking a swig of the hot drink in front of me, "Tom, I changed my screen name."

"You can do that?" He asked, obviously not registering what I 'd just said.

"Yeah, players hack it all the time. The CodeMasters don't really care, they just block servers and Scanners." My thumb automatically went to my chest and I started rubbing it nervously from my collar bone to my stomach.

"So what does you changing your screen name have to do with the CodeMasters possibly knowing about you?" Tom lifted his cup to get a drink.

"Because I changed my screen name to Ghost."

Tom inhaled at the same moment he took a drink and ended up in a coughing fit. He slammed his mug down on the tabletop and started thumping himself in the chest. I reached out a hand to help him but he waved me off, eyes watering as he got himself under control and was able to breath properly again.

"Are completely insane!?" He wheezed, still trying to get his breath back.

"Up until a couple of weeks ago, yes." I said matter-of-factly, "But you didn't expect me to leave my screen name what it was, did you? Not after all that…that…" I wanted to curse, I really did, but I restrained myself and spat out, "Filthy coward!" Then I crossed my arms and sank low in the seat.

"Kaz…" I glanced at Tom but he had his face in his hands, "I just…I wanna help but I don't know what to do…" He dug his fingers into his hair, "This is all so messed up and wrong and confusing. It's not right and it's not fair. It should have been me!"

"What are talking about?"

"You're the dorky sidekick," Tom was flustered and upset, hardly thinking about what he was saying, "You're not supposed to get into trouble and get hurt, I am! I'm the best friend…I…I…" He swallowed, his face turning red, "I'm the idiot with an ego…you weren't supposed to…"

I laughed at him, "You've been watching too many cartoons!" I drank the last of my hot chocolate, "Forget about the CodeMasters, they're a bunch of dudes in suits anyway! Come on, let's go to my house."

"Happy New Year's Eve!" Tom said, handing the waiter a couple of bills and taking the recite from him. As we stepped back out into the cold he said, "You are so dang lucky I had money on me."

"That's me, Lucky Kaz." I said sarcastically as we headed back to my house, "Luck 'o the Irish, don't you know?"


"SURPRISE!" I nearly had a heart attack when I opened the front door of the house. I did backpedal and throw my arm out in a move meant to block an oncoming attack.

But there was no attack.

It was just my parents and Tom's parents laughing at the stupid look on my face.

"What?" Was all I could say and that made them laugh even more. Even Tom was laughing at me. I put two-and-two together fairly quickly and spun around to face him, "You knew about this! That's why you dragged me out of the house! You knew all about this!"

Tom couldn't stop laughing. He was doubled up on our front steps, arms around his middle, laughing so hard his face was turning red. I felt my ears burn. Everything he'd said in that café had probably been a lie to keep me busy.

That stung a little.

I had been telling him the truth when I'd said I'd changed my screen name.

"The Kaz is back!" I grunted as someone slammed into me and gave me a crushing hug, dragging me through the door. There was only one person who ever called me "The Kaz."

"M-Mike!?" I pushed his arms off me and stepped backwards a little.

"Kaz!" He shouted. Mike was a year behind me in school but he was the sort of charismatic person that everyone knew and everyone liked. Well, most people liked. I'd made friends with him the year before I'd gone to high school and had taught him how to play Chaotic. We weren't that close but we were on friendly terms.

"I just got back from Christmas Vacation a couple of days ago!" He said excitedly, "And I heard you'd come home! Where've you been!?" And he gave me another hug. This time, as he moved back, he whispered, "I've been to Chaotic and you're right—it's totally awesome!"

He grinned at me as though expecting some form of acknowledgment. I just stared at him. What was I supposed to say? Sorry I wasn't there to see your first Drome Match, I was too busy killing innocent Creatures in Perim? My stomach turned over and I swallowed.

"Uh…yeah…" I muttered, feeling stupid. I slowly took my coat off and dropped in on the floor beside the door, "What is this?"

"Your Welcome Home party!" Said another voice I recognized, "Plus a New Years party!"

"Husky!" I cried, "I thought you were going home!"

"Tricked you, boy-o!" Husky gave me giant hug and I hugged him back, smiling, "Been planning this for a loooonnnggg time!"

I looked around at them.

My friends.

My family.

My home.

"Are you just going to stand there with that stupid look on your face all day or are we going to party?" Tom asked with a grin.


There was still almost three hours to go until midnight.

Tom, Mike, Husky, and I had spent most of that time playing Road Rager games and laughing at one another. Husky had tried to get us to play and Irish drinking game—without using real alcohol, obviously—but when he'd mentioned it I'd bolted from the room and hid in the bathroom. Tom had spent a whole fifteen minutes banging on the door and trying to get me to come out. Husky was a little quieter after that.

But at around 9:20 or so, Mike brought up a topic that nearly scared me to death.

"So Kaz," He said, dealing out a handful of UNO cards. The four of us were sitting on the floor of our living room while the adults chatted away in the kitchen, "I got my Transport Code a while back and the first thing I did after I won my first Drome Match was look for you!"

"That's…nice…" I said slowly, glancing at Tom. Tom lifted one shoulder and dropped it in a half shrug.

"I mean, I didn't know you'd gone missing from here then. I thought you were home sick from school or something!" He laughed like it was stupid idea, "Skip you, Husky!"

"A pox on your cards…!" My cousin muttered in a joking manner, sulking backwards, "Your move, Majors."

Tom dropped a green three onto the pile in the center and looked at me. I glanced down at my cards. Seeing no threes, I picked a card up and set it on the pile, "Draw two, Mikey."

"Awwww!" The younger boy reached out and swiped two cards from the top of the deck. Then he kept talking, "But then I heard this story about this UnderWorlder that was totally taking out a bunch of other Creatures!" I visibly winced, "And I wanted to Scan it!"

"Good for you." I said a little too quickly, "Bet you couldn't find it, huh?"

"I found it!" Mike said and I looked around at him wildly. He didn't seem to notice, too busy watching as Husky drew a card from the deck and passed his turn on to Tom. Tom drew a card as well and gestured for me to take my turn. I didn't move.

"You found…Ghost?" The name burned the back of my throat, "That's crazy, you're lying!" I turned to Tom, "He's lying, right?"

"Am not!" Mike snapped, "I saw him in a wagon going through the OverWorld!"

My heart clenched and I swear it stopped beating. He'd seen me! He'd seen me when I'd been infected with the Virus. My hands started shaking.

"Kaz-boy? You okay?" Husky asked. I couldn't say anything. I kept my mouth shut tight, afraid that if I opened it I'd either be sick or say something stupid.

"So I tried to follow the wagon!" Mike kept talking. I looked at Tom. He was pale and looked just as scared as I felt, "And managed to get close enough to scan him!" He set his cards face down on the floor, dug into his pocket, and pulled out his golden-brown Mipedian Scanner. As he began flipping through his scans, I slowly set my own cards down and inched backwards, feeling sick. I didn't want to see this. I didn't want to—, "Here he is!"

He turned the Scanner's screen to face us.

I wanted to look away but I couldn't.

I stared.

That…couldn't…have been me…

Not that…thing.

"Mike, put that—." Tom began but I cut him off, throwing my hand out in front of him.

"Mike, I'll trade you anything you want for that Scan!"

"KAZ!" Tom practically screamed. I shot a glare at him and then looked back at Mike. He appeared startled.

"I know it's Ultra, Ultra Rare but I'll give you anything, anything! Any of my cards you want! Any of them! I don't care! I just need that Scan!"

"What are you three nutsos goin' on about…?" Husky murmured, looking from one of us to the other with a confused expression. He huffed, blowing some hair from his face, "By geez, weren't we playing cards?"

No one answered him.

"I dunno Kaz…" Mike drew his Scanner away from me, looking wary, "It took me a long time to find this guy and I haven't shown him to anybody."

Good. I thought but out loud I said, "Mike, you can have anything, I promise!"

"Even that Scan of Prince Mudeenu?"

"If that's what you want!"

"Kaz, what're you—!?"

"Quiet, Tom!" I snapped and stared hard at my younger friend, "Mike, I'll trade you any card in my Chaotic collection for that Scan. Anything! You can even have C-Chaor, if you want." The name stuttered on my tongue, "I don't care. I just want that Scan of Ghost."

"You'd trade Chaor for this guy!?" Mike's eyes got so big I could see three different shades of brown in them. He looked down at his Scanner and then back at me, "Why do you want him so bad?"

"Nostalgia." I said without thinking and when Mike raised an eyebrow at me I quickly added, "I really, really like UnderWorlders."

It was such a lame thing to say.

And it was also a lie.

"Then why do you want to trade Chaor for it?" Mike asked. I could see Husky out of the corner of my eye, humming to himself and peeking at Mike's hand of cards.

"Just…cause." I managed to say, "Look, do you want to trade or not?"

"Sure, yeah." Mike said, "I'll take that Prince Mudeenu scan you have but…do you have a scan of Tianne?"

"Tianne?" I repeated, sitting back on the carpet, "The Mipedian Muge? Didn't he disappear in the desert or something?"

"Yeah." Tom said quietly, "He did."

"Do have him?" Mike asked.

"No…" I muttered.

"I do." Tom said, "Mike, I'll give you the Tianne scan and Kaz'll give you his Prince Mudeenu scan for the Ghost scan. How's that sound?"

"Sounds good to me!" Mike said with a grin.

"Hold on, let me get my Scanner." I stood up and headed for the stairs. Tom followed me.

"Hey! Hey, why's everyone walking away from the game?" Husky called and I heard Mike laughing at him, "Oh shut it you!"

I climbed the stairs and walked into my room, pretending that my best friend wasn't following me. He whistled when he saw the inside of my room,

"Geez, you really did tear down all your Chaotic stuff."

"I wonder why that is…" I muttered sarcastically, heading for the folding door beside my desk and pulling it open. I removed the blanket that was covering my pile of Chaotic stuff and dug around a little bit, trying not to look directly at anything.

"Got it." I held up my Scanner, "Let's go."

"Kaz wait." Tom grabbed my shoulder and I looked around at him, "Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean…that's you."

"Better I have it than he does." I responded, "I don't want anyone using it…me…him…whatever in the Dromes. They could see my memories and…I don't want that." I headed out of the room, "How come you didn't notice him following the wagon?"

"It must have been when we were all asleep." Tom said, "And what were you doing so close to the back of the wagon? You were supposed to stay in the front where no one could see you."

"I wanted to watch the scenery."

"You could watch the scenery from the front of the wagon!"

"It's not the same." I responded, "Besides, I—GUYS!"

"So much for UNO…" Tom said under his breath.

The cards were scattered all over the floor; there was no way to tell the deck from our hands from the discard pile. Husky and Mike were wrestling around on the floor but they froze when they saw us. It looked as though Husky had been trying to get Mike's Scanner from him.

"Pick on someone your own age, Harold-Lee!" Tom said with a joking smile and Husky scowled at the use of his full name. But he backed off of Mike and started sweeping the UNO cards into a haphazard pile.

"Okay, let's do this." I sat down on the floor in front of Mike and Tom sat down next to me, his Code Scanner in his hand. The transaction was quick. I stared at the Creature version of myself on the screen for a second or two and then shut the device down and set it on the coffee table.

"Cake!" My mom shouted and we cleared out, wrestling with one another to get into the kitchen first.


Song: "Here I Am" performed by Bryan Adams

Well, would you look at that. Looks like Kaz is going to have it good after all. He's back home, he's celebrating New Years, he has a friend besides Tom, and he stopped anyone from ever seeing him as Ghost. Heck, life's almost gone back to normal.

Oops. I probably just jinxed him.

Anyway, I've got a question for you guys. Was Tom telling Kaz a story to keep him busy or was what he saying the truth?

I WANT YOUR ANSWERS! There will be a test! Okay, no, not really, but I would like to see your opinions on the matter.

Thanks for reading!