I added a picture I found online; I'm gonna find one for every chapter.

I strutted down the sidewalk, a bud between my lips and a bad attitude. If you look cool, you'll be cool; that's something you learn after years on the streets without any friends but a chicken-armed dork who isn't exactly right in the head. Speak of the devil, he was exactly who I was mad at at that moment; the rich little bastard went to England for the summer, came back with a hot girl, and got shipped off to a fancy rich people school last fall without so much as a how-do-ya-do; okay, maybe I'm not as mad as I am jealous, but either way, I needed to punch someone.

I crushed the butt of my cigarette under my shoe and stepped into The Stitch; a rather seedy hangout for rough folks like me. It was my lucky day; there was already a heated brawl going on, so I didn't have to start one myself.

I didn't even bother asking what the fight was even about- and I'll most likely never find out- and picked up a chair to whack some dude's back with it. He spun around and I managed to duck just before his giant fist would've caved my skull in. I came back with a punch to his throat; he pushed me down on the floor right as another guy was being pushed down; our heads collided with a loud crack that I was sure I'd be feeling in the morning.

I kept brawling for maybe twenty minutes or so without getting too seriously injured. (You might say that's unrealistic, but hey, what can I say, I'm a great fighter.)

Then I lost my balance and fell on my butt, and it took me way too long to get up; by that point a girl was standing on my ankles with a pipe in hand. I tried to throw her off or at least make her lose her balance, but she wouldn't budge; she raised her pipe and I shouted something like "hey, calm down, sweetheart; no need to get crazy!", but it was lost in the crowd and she brought it down with so much force that it tore right through my left thigh.

I'd closed my eyes and winched in advance, anticipating the unbearable pain, but that never came. When I opened my eyes, the girl was gone; no one was paying me and attention. I felt something heavy on my left thigh. When I looked down, I almost threw up; there was the pipe, sticking straight through my leg to the floor; right through the bone. The weirdest point was the fact that there was no blood, even though it'd definitely cut through a few major arteries. I was too afraid to move; if I did even a little, there would be a burst of searing pain and a fountain of blood. But what was I gonna do? Wait until someone notices me? No; that's not me. I had to at least get out of the way so I could call an ambulance or something.

The only way to get out of the way of everyone else was to scoot back about five feet to the wall, then somehow maneuver myself behind a broad wooden support. I bent my right leg and held my breath and lifted up my left. There was a moment of surprise, relief, and curiosity as I paused, no pain or blood coming from the thigh. Then I pushed myself back, and did the same move a few more times before I was behind the support.

I leaned forward and touched the pipe; nothing happened. I furrowed my brow and gripped the pipe, slowly removing it, and setting it on the floor next to me.

My stomach turned into a golf ball when I saw that there was no blood at all; where there should've been lots of blood, torn muscle, and bone, there was just skin; as if my leg was made of Playdough. "What the hell?" I whispered. I inserted my shaky pointer finger into the hole; the finger simply passed right through.

My Grandma's annoying British voice suddenly sounded in my head; "If anything... peculiar happens to you- anything at all- do not hesitate to tell me, Richard."

Dammit if this wasn't peculiar, I didn't know what was. As annoying and old-worldly as she was, I had to get to her; I had a feeling in my gut that she would know what was going on.

I used the support to help me get up, not putting any weight on my left leg. Scanning the room, I realized that there was no way I could hop on my one good leg all the way to the door in one piece; the only way to do that was to run. I cursed under my breath.

Then I decided to test my left leg; the practical side of me said that was crazy; but the part of me that was amused and curious about this made me shift some of my weight onto my leg.

I'd expected not to be able to stand up on it; there was at least an inch and a half worth of bone completely missing; the parts on either side completely separated. Yet, it felt completely normal; a sturdy foundation just as there always was; not even a wobble; and the hole kept its exact shape. I attempted to balance on just that leg; still no wobbling.

I decided I should probably get out of there, so I ran out the door, onto the sidewalk, and didn't stop until I got to my Grandma's house. It was a good thing she lived nearby; if she lived any further, I might've gone crazy by the time I got there.

My Grandma's house (or cottage, as she calls it) is different from its surrounding houses; while its the same exact shape and even floor plan as most houses on this block, (don't ask me how I know the floor plan thing) it seems very old-timey; as if you'd cut out a house from a painting of a 19th century European countryside and superglued it onto this neighborhood; the driveway was gravel and the path from the driveway to the door was made up of flat stones lined up in a row. Gardens overflowed with greens, yellows, purples, pinks, and a bunch of other springy colors, even though it was the middle of Fall. The entire house was painted a shade of paisley that almost looked white from the street. The porch was small and modest, a gas lamp hung from the ceiling; it wasn't lit right now, of course. The front door was dark wood with a complicated window design.

I pulled out the key from my pocket and opened the door. "Grandma?" I called.

"Richard!" She came out of the laundry room carrying a stack of folded bedsheets. I gritted my teeth; I hated how she called me Richard; like, I have a nickname for a reason, woman!

"Grandma, something happened." I pointed to the hole in my leg; her eyes grew wide as I told her the story of how it had happened.

She put down the sheets on a chair and crouched down as much as she could in front of me, then put her forefinger through the hole and muttered something I couldn't hear.

"So... Do you know anything about this? What's happening to me?" I was right on the verge of totally losing it.

Grandma looked at me dead in the eyes and said, "pack your bags, Richard; and tell your sister to do the same."

"What? Why? Where're we going?"

"Somewhere where they'll never find you."

This sent a chill up my spine. I reluctantly went upstairs.

My younger sister, Charlie, and I share a room when we stay at Grandma's- which was most of the time. I found her sitting on her bed, looking through comic books. Her hair was dyed white on the back of her head and a shocking violet in the front; why, I'll never know.

"Hey sis."

She looked up.

"Grandma's acting pretty weird. She wants us to pack so that we can go 'somewhere they'll never find us'."

"Who's they?"

I shrugged. "I dunno."

"Why now?"

I pointed at the hole in my leg and explained what happened.

This was enough to make Charlie cringe. "So it don't hurt or nothing?"

"No! I have no idea what's going on and it's kinda freaking me out."

"I hope you two are packing!" Grandma yelled from downstairs.

"I feel like Hansel and Gretel right now." Charlie said, then restacked her comic books and put them into her backpack.

I shuddered at the thought of our grandmother stuffing us into an oven and putting us into a pie. "We should pack anyway; I just wanna see what the hell she's talking about." I opened my underwear drawer and tossed a few pairs on my bed before selecting a few shirts and jeans from their respective drawers. By then, the hole in my leg was a starting to close and return to normal; no mark or anything.

Grandma herded us into her little SUV and shot us down the highway. I had a feeling we weren't going to see Englewood for a while.

_______________

Okay so that was horrible

I promise better quality in future chapters

What you you guys think about this story?

Love ya!

CC