chptr 2

"Yo Ryan!" exclaimed a voice from behind him. Ryan was at the music store with his brother Tre. He was checking out his favorite rapper, Eminem, music trying to find music that his mom wouldn't kill him for playing. So far he'd gotten music from The Weeknd, Drake, Big Sean, lil Wayne, Skillet, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, and Jason Derulo.

"Huh?" Ryan turned around and saw his best friends Dre and Maria approaching. "Oh hey guys. What's up?" He couldn't help but notice how much Maria had changed over the course of one summer. Last school year she was just this skinny little freshman who was more like a sister to him than anything else. But now she was a developing young sophomore. He had to admit she was a cute girl and honestly had wanted to be with her for awhile, but he was content with having her as a "sister" for now. He still harbored feelings for her but he doubted she knew or even felt the same way and he didn't want to know either. He would love to be more than but he didn't want to put their friendship at risk if he fucked up and it ended badly.

"Hey. Earth to Ryan." Maria said jokingly. "What is so fascinating that you keep staring at me?"

" Uh oh my bad was I staring?" Ryan stammered. Then he put on his goofy grin and said "What am I not good enough to look at the great Mariah?" He said only half joking.

"Ha! No you were just staring and... " she sighed in frustration " Never mind." Dre looked from one to the other a few times looking confused. "Andre and I were just here hanging out. What about you?"

"Oh nothing big just hunting a couple of dark wizards on horseback, cursing leprechauns." He looked as serious as he could. "You know the usual."

"Wait...wait what?" Malina said confused.

"He was joking." Andre said laughing. He was Ryan's best friend since 8th grade when they'd both been on the wrestling team. Ryan had been the captain and their other mutual friend Chris had been Ryan's co-captain. Andre though not a captain gained Ryan's respect fairly quickly and they formed a bond that couldn't be broken. They'd been close ever since. A big guy with kind of narrow eyes that made one thing Dre might've been Asian, and a big smile Ryan was surprised Andre hadn't been with more girls. But Andre was more focused on his music, he played the alto sax, and his education.

"So I'm guessing you're wanting to know the real reason I'm in here?" Ryan said.

"Uhh yeah kinda," Maria said. Ryan was about to answer when he noticed a guy, sitting near by he had a tattoo on his right arm of some type of symbol. It looked like it was words but written in some type of ancient script.

"...so you gonna tell us or nah?" Maria joked.

"Oh...uh... yeah, I was just checking out that dude's tattoo. It looks like something I may have seen before." And even though he said he may have seen it he knew for a fact that he's seen that symbol before. He just couldn't figure out where. But he knew how to find out.

"Hey uhh excuse me sir," Ryan started when he noticed the guy did look familiar all of a sudden as if they'd met before.

"Huh? What's up?" The man said casually as if he was approached by strangers on a regular basis and was used to it by now.

"Oh I just wanted to ask about your tat. It looks really cool, and kinda familiar like i've seen it before, just can't remember where."

The man looked at him quizzically like he didn't know what Ryan was saying. During the pause as the man tried to figure out what he wanted to say, Ryan decided to get a little mental picture of the guy. He was obviously a goth or dark person as he wore a black leather jacket over a red and black shirt that looked like he made it from a net. He also wore a pair of ripped black jeans with black leather punk boots. His face was one that would make you surprised to find you couldn't remember it. He had pale skin to the point he looked as if he fell in a vat of sunscreen and it made it impossible for him to tan. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of red sunglasses, he had a pointed nose and a cunning smile as if he always was one step ahead of everyone else. He wore his hair long and shaved on one side like if Skrillex had a twisted evil twin basically that would be this guy.

"Hey uh kid?" Ryan snapped back into focus and noticed the guy had started to notice his staring.

"Oh I'm sorry go on." He said.

"It's cool i noticed you're a bit of an observer." He added, "And a damn good one to notice me sitting here." He said this with a knowing smirk.

"Huh?" Ryan was confused until he realized that his friends were gone and so was everything else. He wasn't even in the store anymore.

"Damn, not again. This is the third fucking time" Ryan had had these "trips" before, He sometimes transported his spiritual body from his physical one. He had no idea how and it was never on purpose. It just happened sometimes but usually he never remembered what happened when he returned. That is until it began to get closer to his 16th birthday. He started to remember bits and pieces of his life but not in the 20th and 21st centuries,(he was born in 1999) but before then; years, centuries, possibly millennia ago when he was someone else. He didn't know who just bits and pieces like he saw scenes of war, feelings of anger and betrayal but most of all he felt pain and sadness. Then all of a sudden as soon as it started it was over. All he could think was...what the hell is happening to me?

"...so long story short, it's a symbol of God." The man was finishing.

"Oh that's cool. Oh uhh just so it's not weird or anything I feel like you should at least know my name. Its Ryan."

"Oh well my name's Az. I'll be seein ya Ryan." And with that said, he left.

(To Those who have already started reading, I just recently added this...)Hey! Thanx for reading my book I really would like some reviews on it to help me

enhance my craft. Good and Bad reviews are welcome just if it's bad take it easy on me I'm fairly new to this

Thank you all -D. Hunter