“Hey.” Evelyn called out to Jake as he left the classroom, causing him to stop. This made the room go quiet, and Jake felt a bit uncomfortable.

“I lied. Go left. The fairy is lying to you, there’s no wish. There’s no gold. I’ve seen this in so many books before. Right is just suffering.” Her voice cracked slightly but she was determined, showing how much thought she had put into them. It probably took everything she had just to say hey. Jake smirked and placed his hand softly on her head.

“Is that so…? Thanks for the advice, Evelyn.” He gave her a grin, then went to practice. Following the motions, he went through the positions and did his part. Passes, catches, ground balls, practice shots, drills, and finally a shower. After, he found himself standing outside with Evelyn waiting for him.

She held up a hand to stop him, and said “you’re planning on going right, aren’t you?”

“Left is normal, left is boring. Correct?” Jake crossed his arms and leaned back against a tree he had stopped beside.

“Left is safe. Left is home, family, people who care for you. Right is lonely and dark. It’s the path all of the villains take.” Evelyn clung to a book she held and squeezed it to her chest. “There’s no happiness if you go right.”

“But there is glory, yes?”

“Glory isn’t glory if you end up as a name on a headstone. It’s just a price you pay to get that headstone,” her retort came quick. Jake chuckled as he realized she planned this. He stood up and walked close to her, even leaning down so he could whisper softly.

“Will you stop me?” He asked. She met his gaze, stared into his eyes, and her lips quivered. But this was where her courage ended. Not another word.

Jake walked by her and left school, left home, and left his life behind. He returned to the park and sat down at the bench to watch the horizon. The sun was already halfway gone. The clouds had gathered to conceal the bleeding sky, but the few remaining rays of sun broke through in some places. Jake leaned back against the wooden planks behind him, then let out a heavy sigh. Today was tough. For the first time in a while, he made a decision he didn’t think he could make. But now, with the sun fading, he felt secure in his choice. He’d take the red pill, drink the Kool-Aid, and follow the fairy. Even if it was the path to death, his curiosity was scratching at his skull.

Just after the sunset, the woman returned. Dressed the same, demeanor unchanged, cigarette between her ruby red lips. She didn’t sit. Jake stood up and handed her the manila folder. She didn’t open it. She blew out a puff of smoke, then lit the folder on fire. Once it caught, she tossed it into the middle of the stone path and turned.

“Let’s go.”

“How’d you know my answer?” Jake asked, watching the papers burn there. He also wondered why she had done that, since those were the only documents with his signature binding him to his choice.

“Those papers were a game, boy. If you really didn’t care, you wouldn’t be here. You waiting like a puppy dog for two hours was enough. Now walk, or I’ll drag you.” Her voice began to fade as she continued to walk. Jake huffed and jogged to catch up, abandoning his backpack and the last few pieces of stuff that bound him to his life. He didn’t even bring his phone.

“Your name is no longer Jake Furrow. Get in.” At the base of the park and in a parking lot, the woman began to speak. She flashed the lights on a black, unmarked car and unlocked the doors. Without missing a beat, she slid into the driver seat. Jake sat down on the opposite side as she started the engine.

“And for the time being, you have no name. You’ll get a new one once we get to the City.” The vehicle slid into gear as she kicked off her heels and worked the clutch. Jake stared at her feet and her hands. Manual? These days?

“So what am I known as until then?” Jake leaned back into his seat, made himself comfortable, and held on tight.

“Nothing. You’re just a ghost. If I want you, I’ll get your attention somehow.” The car rumbled and accelerated fiercely. With grace and a fierce purr, the woman drove through the sleeping city and out into the country side.

“I lied,” she spoke up after some silence. “You’re a dog, not a ghost. That’s an insult to the paranormal.”

“And who are you?” After being in the dark about her name, or even who she was, Jake finally asked the question he had dared not ask until now. Part of him regretted speaking after his mouth closed back up.

“Call me, Master. It always makes me feel hot when you cute, innocent kids call me that,” her hellish grin made Jake shiver. He unconsciously shifted away from her in his seat.

“So you’re the reason parents say don’t talk to strangers,” he scoffed. She laughed, shifted, and slid around a winding turn with ease.

“No. I’m the man-eating auntie that gobbles up men who don’t pay attention and causes divorces for fun,” she said as she licked her lips.

“Why does that sound worse?”

“Because it is. Now hush. This is the fun part.” The long, slender legs and delicate-looking fingers turned the vehicle into a drifting ping pong ball. Jake clenched his teeth and his stomach as she flung the rear end left, right, left, and right again. Back and forth she slid the car through the winding country roads until they plunged into the mountain range beyond. There she was even more daring. From start to finish, she focused on the road and Jake made his first plea for his mother as they swirled through the terrain.

For three hours, the woman threw Jake around in the car until they finally came to a long, open road. They drove for half of its distance before a helicopter appeared out of the dark, landing dead center of the road.

“Our ride is here,” she said. Jake lurched and swallowed, working hard to keep his stomach from turning upside down as he sat up.

“They couldn’t have picked us up earlier?” He asked. He felt light headed.

“Too many eyes back in the city. Plus, there’s other players we wanted to keep away from.” Of course, there’s always more than one team. Jake groaned and controlled his breathing, relaxed, and shut his eyes until the car came to a stop.

“Come on, boy. Time to start the next leg,” she left the car running as she stepped out. Her heels clicked on the pavement and beckoned Jake to follow. He rolled out of the car and stumbled after her. Eight men in black, armed with high powered rifles and geared up like a true military force, surrounded the helicopter. When the two approached, two men moved out of the circle to lead them in. Once Jake and the woman were strapped in, the men in black collapsed and returned into the helicopter. Another man, who Jake hadn’t seen, sat down in the black car and drove it back towards the mountains as the helicopter lifted off.

The ride was relatively short and lasted only an hour. The next part was a jet plane. Jake was escorted on board and found himself sitting down in quite the luxurious seat. However, this was also when he realized he wasn’t alone. Four other pairs of adults and teens were scattered throughout the cabin. They sat in silence. Well, until Jake’s ‘Master’ stepped on board.

“Oh look, she finally got one.” A man with faded red tips to his spiked hair chuckled from his seat. He sat up from his lounging position and grinned wildly. The teen he was with, a dark-clothed woman who looked extremely brittle and ghastly because of her skin tone, shot an odd glance at Jake. Her eyes looked hollow. Jake almost thought she was a skeleton with skin until she blinked.

“One joke and I already want to cut out your tongue,” Jake’s Master spat. She leaned into the cockpit. “Let’s go.” The plane rumbled to life in response and the door to the outside was pulled in by one of the soldiers who also boarded. Jake was strapped in and the woman sat across from him.

“Take a nap. We’ve got a long trip ahead.” She flashed him a seductive smile and Jake caught a sleep mask she chucked at him.

“No food?” He asked, putting the mask on.

“Sleep for a bit while the cook gets comfortable. Once he’s done, I’ll have you fed. For now, sleep. Get it while you can,” she said, and he didn’t argue. Jake pulled down the sleep mask over his eyes and flinched as she placed some sound-blocking headphones over his ears. Soft music started to play and he found himself drifting to sleep fairly quickly.

Three hours on the dot, Jake was awakened by a hard shake. He took off the sleep mask and saw the woman standing beside him. A plate of food was put before him along with a glass of water. Instructed to eat, he listened and dug in. Chicken, some vegetables, apple pie in a small cup, and a banana. Meager and filling, but lacking in the juicy flavor of a home meal. Jake enjoyed his food, but found himself slightly envious of the others. One had steak, another had barbecued ribs, and the other two had a mix of what looked to be some foreign dishes. His seemed utterly bland, but he assumed that was due to the fact that he had slept and the others could put in a proper order. His first lesson; make a choice, give up an option. He sucked it up, and cleaned his plate. Afterwards, he went to the bathroom then returned to sleep. For the remainder of the flight, he lay beneath the sleep mask and stared at its back. He didn’t know when, but he fell asleep after getting tired of listening to one of the adults losing at cards.

Waking up came naturally. Jake came to life thirty minutes before they landed and found himself the only one awake, with the exception of the four armed men at the corners of the cabin. Jake pulled off his mask and stood up. He moved to the back of the plane to use the bathroom, then checked in with a guard for the time. Five-Thirty in the morning. He thanked the man then made his way to the opposite side of the cabin beside his seat. Laying down, he started to do some basic exercises to pass the time.

Situps, Pushups, planks, lunges, squats, and a wall sit. Basic motions that he was able to do in the limited space. By the time he finished his third set, the others were starting to wake up. Coated in sweat, Jake sat down against the side of the plane. Once he finished, he accepted a damp towel from an attendant. She returned with water a few minutes later.

“You exercise?” The woman who had dragged him here peeked over his chair.

“I try.” He answered before sipping on the water. He rested his eyes and let his breathing stabilize before getting up and returning to his seat. The woman smirked at him.

“What?” He asked, drinking another mouthful of water while taking in the view of the others. They seemed to be whispering to themselves.

“If I could give you one piece of advice right about now, it would be to keep exercising,” she said, the smirk unfading. Jake met her eyes and the smirk shifted into a full smile.

“When you say it like that, I feel like I shouldn’t.” He muttered.

“Well, I’ll tell you this. When we get to where we’re going, exercising will be the only thing keeping you sane.” Chills went down Jake’s spine as she spoke. He glared, then downed the rest of his water.

“Strap in. We’re landing.” A guard called out from the front of the plane, and everyone moved to listen. The guards sat down in empty seats to buckle up, and the occupants secured themselves to their seats.

The plane touched with ease and taxied to a hangar on the complete opposite side of the airport from where the main terminal was. There, each pairing was led to their own vehicle and the cars rumbled in a line out into the desert. The plane that dropped them off turned about and was slid into the discrete hangar. Jake made himself comfortable and stared out the window as the sun began to rise. He felt sleep tug at his eyes again from the monotonous landscape but didn’t bother with the feeling. He forced himself to stay awake for the entire thirty minutes until they arrived at what he suspected was their destination.