《The Book Keeper & The Wolf》 Chapter 1 : 20th Birthday Even from the locker room, the cheering of the crowd could be heard. Almost the entire school was out on the pitch, impatiently waiting for the game to begin. It was one of the biggest match of the season; the AMK Tigers would be facing off with the YCK Bullets today. There was a lone figure sitting down on the bench in between the lockers, his towel beside him. He had a rugged look, not unhandsome but just out of the ordinary. He had a lock of rather unkempt brown hair, which covered most of his forehead and rather shaggy eyebrows angled upwards to give him a permanent brooding look. His nose was sharp, and hidden behind his thin lips was a set of brilliant white teeth. Razor sharp even, going by human standards. His height was average, but he had rather broad shoulders. But the most distinguishing feature about him was his eyes. His eyes were human of course, but instead of having the normal shades of human pupils, his was bright yellow. Doctors have diagnosed that his condition was simply that of a rare occurrence, because that was his natural eye color. Today was the finals of the annual Inter-School Basketball Competition, and Fang was the AMK Tiger¡¯s star shooting guard. As always, before any important match, Fang¡¯s pre-game ritual was to find a quiet place to settle his thoughts and nerves. He wasn¡¯t particularly nervous; it was just something he did out of routine. ¡®Fang!¡¯ a voice came from the hallway outside. ¡®The match is about to start soon. Come on!¡¯ Fang closed his eyes, and checked his other senses, making sure that his body condition was in tune with his thoughts. He was proud of his gifts; for some reason, his physique was much better than most of his friends and even the seniors from colleges are unable to match his abilities. His senses were more acute than most people, and he had great stamina and speed that was unmatched. Without a doubt, Fang was the ideal athlete. And today was his 20th birthday. ¡®Coming!¡¯ he said, as he took out his bottle from his bag before he stowed it in his locker. The entire shelf shook from the force as he slammed the locker door shut with a metallic clang. Lou was waiting outside for him, and from the quickness of his breaths (yes, Fang could even pick up on Lou¡¯s breathing!), Lou had already warmed up. He extended out his hand, something in his palm. Fang looked at it. It was a wristband of some sort. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ he asked as he took it from Lou¡¯s hand. ¡®No idea. Some sponsorship thing. We¡¯ve all gotta wear it.¡¯ Lou replied, his hands wrapped behind his head. An old habit of his when he was bored. ¡®What do you think the score difference will be today?¡¯ ¡®No idea.¡¯ Fang repeated, with a smile as he slipped on the wristband. Lou grinned and gave him a friendly punch. ¡®Come on, we¡¯ve got a game to win.¡¯ They pushed open the school doors and walked into the glaring sunlight. The cheering got even louder as they stepped out of the school compound. The match today would be held in the outdoor basketball courts as the original stadium venue was under maintenance. Needless to say, the afternoon sun combined with the humidity of the weather today would take a huge toll on the players. The harsh conditions under which the game would be played would force the players to perform at a level close to savagery as they would become desperate to outperform their opponent. And this was what the professional scouts were looking out for. Fang intended to go pro with his athletic skillset and he knew he could make it too. A quick scan around the court already told him that everyone was bothered by the extreme heat. Everyone, except him. Fang was determined to put on a show today. He wasn¡¯t just contented with winning the game; he wanted a perfect game. No misses, no turnovers and definitely no fouls. Coach Jerkins gestured to the both of them in his usual harried manner, and they jogged over to where the team had gathered in a circle around him. ¡®Now, I want a good game,¡¯ began Coach Jerkins as he looked at the faces of his boys. ¡®The Bullets are strong; but they¡¯re bothered by this heat as much as we are. I will call substitutions as soon as I see that the heat has gotten to anyone of you. Remember the game plan; keep Fang as open as much as possible.¡¯ ¡®Yes Coach!¡¯ shouted the team in unison. ¡®Now, get on the court and bring us home a medal! Hands in!¡¯ The team huddled up even closer and put their hands together on Coach Jerkins. ¡®One, two¡­ TIGERS!¡¯ And off went the starting five, along with the cheering and shouting from school supporters. Fang took his position beside Lou, and began to do some light stretching. In an instant, an explicable moment of unease went through his entire body. Fang looked up so fast that he gave Lou a fright. ¡®What¡¯s wrong, stud?¡¯ asked Lou with concern. ¡®Nothing¡­ I just felt like we¡¯re being watched.¡¯ replied Fang as he looked around, trying to determine what had caused his unease. ¡®Of course we¡¯re being watched, you idiot. The professional scouts are here.¡¯ Lou continued with his stretching and ignored Fang, who was still turning his head around like an owl under distress. ¡®Yeah¡­ You may be right.¡¯ Fang was unconvinced; he was used to people watching and ogling at how perfect he could be in sports, but this was something completely new. He could have sworn that he had never experienced that feeling before. And yet, it was somehow familiar. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The whistle blew, and the game began. Fang sprinted towards the three-point line without a moment¡¯s hesitation, and Lou, who had possession of the ball, shot a pass straight in his direction. Fang caught the ball deftly, and took the shot immediately, his muscle memory guiding his every movement. The ball went into the net, and the game¡¯s first three points went to the AMK Tigers. AMK High went crazy with Fang¡¯s three-pointer. The game had only gone into its first 5 seconds, and Fang had already gotten them a three-point lead. It was quick, but the damage was fatal. The YCK Bullets were stunned. They got back onto their feet quickly though; the shot clock went into 18 seconds and they had already gotten the ball into their offensive zone. Fang was guarding the opponent¡¯s shooting guard, and that guy had the same physical build as Fang. But a slight wheeze in his breaths told Fang that his match-up was not taking this heat well. Fang had the upper hand. The opponents were hard-pressed; although they had good offence, the AMK Tigers had impeccable defence. The shot clock went into 6 seconds, and the point guard decided to throw a pass to Fang¡¯s match-up. It was a good pass, but not good enough to elude Fang¡¯s inhumane senses. Fang burst forward and swiped the ball into his hands, gaining possession of the ball. Without hesitation, he drove the ball down the court and with no one to stop him, did a lay-up and the ball went into the net. Another two points to the AMK Tigers. The crowd went wild again. The game went on, and pretty soon, rotations went on rapidly as both coaches did their best to allow their players to get the most amount of rest. Fang was doing great; he already had 18 points under his belt, and he was performing up to his own expectations so far. But he was growing tired, and he knew it. He gestured Coach Jerkins to let him rest, and Fang returned to the bench when the next free throw came. ¡®I hope you¡¯re not over-exerting yourself, Fang. I let you decide your own substitutions because I know how capable you are.¡¯ said Coach Jerkins as he watched the game with his arms folded. Fang took a breath and said, ¡®I¡¯m fine, Coach. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡¯ The game went on into its last quarter, and the AMK Tigers were leading with a 10-point advantage. Fang was all fired up to enter the game again. ¡®This time, I have to make an impact. Or else, I am not going to be good enough to get noticed.¡¯ thought Fang to himself as he waited for the referee¡¯s call to let him in. The referee blew the whistle, and Fang jumped in. It went on quite well at first, until the weird feeling he experienced earlier came back again. Fang looked about in alarm, but it was a mistake; the ball flew in his direction and he realized it only too late. Even with his reflexes, he could not catch the ball in time and it went to his head full on. The ball flew into the open arms of his opponents, and with ease, they got themselves up by 2 points. ¡®What the hell is wrong with you, Fang? Get your head back in the game!¡¯ roared Coach Jerkins from the bench. Fang shook his head embarrassedly and stood up quickly. The game continued with the Tigers in possession. Fang had the ball, but he knew he would be doubled-teamed by his opponents the moment he crossed the half-court line. He quickly found Lou and made a face at him. Lou nodded his head. They were going to try an alley-oop. Fang passed the ball to Lou and made a bee-line for the base line. It was a simple one-two play, but the opponents were tired. Fang capitalized on that to get himself free and headed straight for the basket. He jumped the moment he saw Lou lobbed the ball towards him. At that moment, it was as if time froze and everything stopped. All was quiet. Nobody was moving a muscle. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Fang thought to himself. ¡®I finally found you¡­¡¯ A disembodied voice broke into his mind, and with it came the same, uncomfortable feeling he had been experiencing the whole day. And this time, he saw where it came from. A fully-grown wolf with fur of silver was sitting on all fours on top of the basketball board. Fang opened his mouth in horror but no sound came out. ¡®Lord Fang, we¡¯ve been waiting for you¡­¡¯ The voice definitely came from the wolf, but he was making no movement. ¡®What the hell is going on? What is this? Have I been drugged?¡¯ shouted Fang as he was suspended in the air by the frozen time. He felt stupid talking to the wolf like this. ¡®Come nightfall, seek us out in the woods¡­ We must begin our journey with haste¡­¡¯ And then, as if a magical button was pressed, time resumed. Fang, unfortunately, was unprepared and missed the timing of the ball again. This time, it sailed out of bounds and the possession of the ball went over to the Bullets once more. Angry cries arose from the crowd and at the same time, Fang felt his past, present and future coalesce and collapse around him. Dazed, he remained on the court floor and did not hear the referee¡¯s whistle. His vision went blurry as he felt himself being hoisted up and dragged off the court. But there was only one thing he could remember, and it remained clear in his mind. The wolf had the same eyes as Fang. This work is purely fictional. Any similarities in terms of names or references are purely coincidental. Chapter 2 : Gifts From The Party The party was already in full swing by the time Fang entered the manor. Despite Fang¡¯s major screw-ups in the later half of the game, the team managed to keep the point difference at 6, and clinched the title of champions. Lou stepped up the moment Fang was subbed out, and did a magnificent job covering for their loss. Truth be told, this party was more in his honor than it was for Fang¡¯s, and Fang could see it in the eyes of his ¡®ardent fans¡¯ as they greeted him in the hallway. Even though this was actually his birthday. But Fang could less be bothered by this now. He was still shaken from the events in the afternoon during the game. Apparently, what had happened from the point of view of the others during the game was that Fang just jumped up, and got blinded by the sunlight. The ball flew into his blind spot and he missed the catch entirely. But Fang knew that was not the case. He knew himself enough to be aware that everything that had happened in the afternoon was not him turning delirious from the heat. It had to be all real. Somehow. ¡®Fang! Finally, you¡¯re here! Happy birthday, bro!¡¯ It was Lou calling from the second floor, with a cup of vodka in his left hand, and Denise, his girlfriend, on his right. Fang broke out of his stupor and waved at Lou. He sidestepped a girl who was obviously drunk and climbed up the staircase. Fang wasn¡¯t particularly dressed up for the party; he had on an Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirt and a pair of brown slacks. His team mates were all there on the second floor, and judging by the amount of alcohol he could smell and the expressions on all the girls around, he knew what was going to happen later on into the night. Fang waved to Coach Jerkins, who was standing uncomfortably by himself in the corner, and took a cup of tequila over to him. They stood there next to each other in silence, observing the on-goings of the party. Already, some of the lewd activities were happening. ¡®Coach¡­ About today, sorry I mess-¡® began Fang, but Coach put up a hand to stop him. ¡®I saw the wolf today too.¡¯ Fang¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡®You saw it too?! Why didn¡¯t say anything?¡¯ asked Fang in exasperation. ¡®I¡¯m not allowed to. Look, I don¡¯t know what he said to you, but follow his instructions. You¡¯re not safe anymore. Do as he says.¡¯ said Coach as he finished his drink in one shot. He proceeded to go down the stairs, but before he went down, he turned back to look at Fang, who had been transfixed on the spot. ¡®One last piece of advice. You should leave your family. You would only bring harm to them by staying behind. I have to go. I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re a good kid, Fang. And, happy birthday to you.¡¯ And those were the last words Fang ever heard from him. He went down the stairs and left the party. Fang was completely taken aback by the bizarre turn of events. It was as if his turning into 20 was the start of all his life¡¯s greatest misfortunes. Just then, Fang managed to pick up the smell of cinder, the very same smell when fire was being started. This, however, was the intensity of no small flame. Almost immediately after the smell came, a big explosion shook the entire building. People from the lower floor started screaming hysterically and there was a mass scurry of movement. Fang could hear the angry shouts as well as the cries of help breaking out from below. Everyone on the second floor rushed towards the railing to see what was going on, Fang included. To everyone¡¯s dismay, there were flames were licking up almost all of the furniture and up the tapestries. Lou¡¯s cry was the loudest of all. ¡®My home¡­ WHAT¡¯S GOING ON?!¡¯ Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Before he could run down into the thick of the flames, Fang held him back. ¡®Control yourself, idiot. The insurance will cover all this. For the moment now, we should all get out.¡¯ said Fang as he looked around for another exit. Most people have already fled through the front doors of the manor, but all of Fang¡¯s team mates were trapped on the second floor. Fang looked about desperately, and then saw that the bedrooms towards the eastern hallway had balconies that looked over the garden outside. ¡®This way. Let¡¯s go!¡¯ he shouted over all the pandemonium, urging everyone to follow him. Lou was still sobbing on the floor. Denise had already left him behind. ¡®Come on, Lou! You¡¯re going to die if you stay here! We¡¯ll find the culprits later once we¡¯ve escaped.¡¯ Reluctantly, Lou agreed and stood up. Together, they sprinted towards the balconies. From there, it was only a matter of jumping into the pool directly. Thankfully, Lou had this ingenious idea of building himself a path to jump straight into the pool on days where he felt like it. Once everyone had leapt into the pool, Fang threw himself in. Cold water greeted his fall, and it immediately flushed out all the alcohol in his system. He kicked himself up the water, and went on to assist the weak swimmers out of the pool. A lot of the people from the party were standing around the garden, very much shaken from the fire that caught on in the manor. From the conversations, Fang could pick up that the fire had started when someone had accidentally knocked over the cigarette ash tray. Just then, a trio of men in black suits and black shades walked up over to where Lou and I stood. They had came from the front porch, and Fang intuitively knew these men weren¡¯t ordinary people. Also, they were all carrying a similar black book. Their leader, judging by his authority, stood forward and presented a piece of paper to Lou. ¡®We are from the insurance company, specially from the investigation task team to assess the situation. We would like it if you came with us. For administration purposes, of course.¡¯ Lou took the paper and looked at it for barely a moment and nodded his head. Fang was alarmed. Judging by how quickly these men arrived, these men could not have arrived in response to the fire. Rather, their timing suggested that they were already prepared for the fire to break out! ¡®Hold on. Lou, I think you should wait for your parents to come. Lou? Lou, can you hear me?¡¯ Fang shook his friend, who seemed to be staring into space. ¡®His parents have already been informed. Please let go of him.¡¯ said their leader again, with a hint of impatience in his voice. Fang snarled, and would not let go of Lou. At that moment, Fang felt his muscles seize up, and he could not move, let alone make a sound. His entire body was paralyzed! ¡®No¡­ It cannot be! Why is this happening again?¡¯ thought Fang to himself. However, this time it was only Fang who was paralyzed. Everyone else was still discussing the situation around them. ¡®Thank you for your cooperation. Sir, please come along with us.¡¯ said the leader of the men, indicating towards the front of the manor where they came from. ¡®Of course.¡¯ replied Lou, as though he had no mind of his own and was just going on with the men. Fang heard doors slamming and the rev of a car engine. The paralysis broke and Fang regained control of his body. He ran towards the front of the manor, but it was too late. The men in black suits had gone. And Lou was taken along with them. Just what was going on?! This work is purely fictional. Any similarities in terms of names or references are purely coincidental. Chapter 3 : Close Relationships Fang had no idea what to do next. He had no inkling whatsoever that his 20th birthday could have had such a major turn of events. Most of the party-goers were just leaving, and they were the least bothered that their party host had just been abducted by a group of strange men. The fire department arrived, sirens blaring and all. The fire had mostly died down after the men had taken Lou away. After uncoiling their fire hoses, the firemen went into the manor, which by now had been reduced to mostly rubble. Fang was worried. He could go over to the police, but he also knew he had virtually no proof nor any sort of evidence that could aid the police. Nevertheless, they had to be notified as soon as possible. A lot of people were in a hurry to leave the scene, and quite fortunately, news of the party turning into a fiasco had reached the network of cab drivers in the district; taxis had already lined up in front of Lou¡¯s porch. Fang got into the cab that was headed to his neighborhood. In Singapore, some of the taxis are only keen in delivering passengers to certain districts. ¡®Ang Mo Kio Police HQ, please!¡¯ said Fang as he got into the cab. The driver merely grunted, and sailed off. Fang took out his phone to see if Lou had made any contact with him. There was nothing. Vexed, he checked his Twitter and Facebook, but all he could see in the activity feed were all updates about the major fire outbreak. No one had mentioned anything about Lou. About 15 minutes later, the cab pulled up just right outside the police HQ. Fang paid the driver, and got out of the cab. The police HQ was a little dilapidated, seeing as the government funding on the law enforcement in this part of the country was a little lacking. Particularly because crime rate was low here, so there wasn¡¯t really a need for law enforcement in the first place. To Fang¡¯s slight astonishment, he wasn¡¯t particularly positive about going in. The police HQ was giving him a rather negative vibe, as though it was telling him that he would not find his prayers answered here. As he walked up the steps, he was feeling more and more uncomfortable about stepping into the building. ¡®This is crazy! Why is this place giving me the creeps?¡¯ Fang pushed open the doors and stepped into the police HQ. The interior resembled that of many other government buildings; squarish walls of the same typical color, 4 pillars to represent strength, unity, fortitude and equality, as well as the portraits of the President and his wife. Two police officers were sitting behind the desk, evidently caught up in a middle of a discussion. As Fang moved closer to them, he was appalled that they were merely just discussing which local establishment had the best steak. They didn¡¯t notice Fang was right in front of them until he cleared his throat. ¡®Yes, what seems to be the problem, son?¡¯ asked one of the police officer. His partner just got up and took his mug to the back, which Fang guessed was their pantry. Fang also noticed that instead of carrying pistols, these police officers were carrying the same books as the ones that the men who abducted Lou were carrying. Fang¡¯s suspicion level immediately rose up a notch. ¡®I would like to report a missing friend of mine. I have a feeling he¡¯s been kidnapped.¡¯ Fang said as he nervously observed the policeman¡¯s reaction. The police officer furrowed his eyebrows, evidently deep in though. Or pretending to be, at least. ¡®A kidnapping? That would be a serious case, if it were true. Do you have any evidence to support this?¡¯ ¡®Not exactly, but when I was last with him, he was taken away by 3 suspicious men.¡¯ ¡®Describe the situation for me.¡¯ Fang then went into the details of the story, recounting what had happened the entire night. As Fang continued to talk, the policeman looked more and more relaxed, as though he was already solving the entire case just by deciphering whatever Fang was saying. As Fang was about to talk about how the three men got away, the policemen put up his hand to stop Fang midway. ¡®Son, the three men you¡¯re talking about are from the Nike Insurance Group. They are a well-known and sophisticated company that has a lot of backing and reputation. They can be trusted.¡¯ said the police officer as he stood up. ¡®Well, sir, I don¡¯t believe-¡® began Fang again but this time the police officer got annoyed. ¡®I¡¯m sorry; I would love to continue talking, but the law needs me. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, please show yourself out. We are very busy here.¡¯ and with that, the police officer went to the back of the room to join his partner. Fang¡¯s hearing was acute, and he managed to pick up the words of ¡®easy¡¯ and ¡®got rid of¡¯ from the conversation. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. This was getting ridiculous. Sure, it all seemed pretty plausible considering the chain of events that had transpired so far, but whatever the three men did back there to freeze his actions as well as the wolf¡­ The wolf! He did tell me to meet him in the forest¡­ It seems like this could be my last hope somehow! But which forest? The wolf did not exactly specify which nature reserve he should go to, and there are like at least a few all scattered around the country¡­. Unless¡­. Fang vaguely remembered that, as a kid, he used to love going to this park. And there was one day while he was running around on the grass fields by himself, a strange woman had approached him and had given him a pretty necklace that had a small turf of fur. Fang never knew what to make of it, but that woman had told Fang to wear it around his neck at all times for good luck, and he had never seen the woman again. Fang had listened to her advice though, and it was only after today that he finally realised where that fur had came from. It was the fur of a wolf. Fang clutched the necklace tightly in his fist, and he had a feeling that after the meeting with this wolf, the many inexplicable things that happened in his life would somehow come to light today. Fang called a cab to the police HQ, and it arrived promptly 10 minutes later. The cab driver was a smiley old man who politely asked him where he wanted to go. ¡®Valhalla Park, please.¡¯ replied Fang as he put on his seat belt. ¡®At this time of the night, young man?¡¯ asked the old man as he turned his head to look at Fang, genuine surprise and concern written all over his face. ¡®Yes. I have a¡­ Girl to meet there.¡¯ replied Fang, thinking of a lie on the spot. The old man smiled and said nothing. He did turn up the radio though, and it was currently playing ¡®Can¡¯t Help Falling In Love¡¯ by Elvis Presley and started humming to it. It was about a 30-minute drive, and Fang was quick to pay the driver and got out. Before he could enter the park, the driver had lowered his window and called out to Fang. ¡®Yes?¡¯ asked Fang. The driver turned to look at the park, and then back at Fang again. ¡®Be careful in there. I would say you¡¯re a little lucky to have gotten into my cab, and not someone else¡¯s. Now, hurry along, boy, don¡¯t keep the girl waiting.¡¯ and with that, he winked and drove off without another word. Fang heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that the cab driver had initially wanted to stop him at first, and turned to face the park entrance. It was like most other parks; there was a man-made arch with a sign that said the name of the park. On either side were bushery that led up to the height of two men, and night mist was swirling around on the ground like white, translucent snakes. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Fang stepped in. The park was just mildly lit up by the lamp posts, which Fang noticed, was emitting blue light instead of white light, which they usually do. Also, he was beginning to pick up a whole assortment of scents from many different flowers that were all foreign and new. And then, he finally saw it. The wolf from today was sitting by the fountain, patiently waiting for his arrival. Once it saw Fang approaching, it slowly stood up on all fours, its unblinking yellow eyes fixated on Fang¡¯s own unwavering gaze. It opened its mouth to speak. ¡®Lord Fang, it really is you. We finally meet at last.¡¯ This work is purely fictional. Any similarities in terms of names or references are purely coincidental.