Mystery Loves Company

Walking down the street one day after school, Jason West, an 11 year
old boy, dreamed of a change in his life. He was in a hurry because the
local bully, Sam Smith, was looking for him. "Just a few more blocks
and I'll be home safe." Jason thought. Sam was always picking on him.
Sam loved showing that he could beat Jason up anytime he wanted to by
tripping him in class or shoving him into the lockers. Jason would love
to crawl under a rock anytime Sam was around. Looking behind while
walking, Jason looked for any sign of trouble. "Whew" Jason thought,
"Nobody's there." Looking forward, Jason saw the house where Jennifer
Jacobs, the most beautiful girl in school lived. Of course, Jason would
freeze into fear if Jennifer would even smile at him. The comforting
face of Jennifer filled his thoughts when a rock flew past his head.
Sam Smith stood several steps ahead of him. Jason looked around for a
quick escape and saw that all of his exits were blocked by Sam's
friends. With nowhere to go, Jason tried to walk past Sam. Sam grabbed
Jason by the arm and asked, "Now, where do you think you're going?"
Sam's friends surrounded them very closely and hurled insults at Jason.
Sam punched Jason in the stomach. "Fight, fight, fight!!!" was
exclaimed by Sam's buddies. Hunching over, Jason fell on his hands and
knees. Not knowing what to do, Jason grabbed a handful of dirt and
threw it into Sam's eyes. Sam hunched over with his hands over his eyes
while Jason made a run for home. The quickness of Jason's actions
caught Sam and his buddies by surprise. They chased him but never
caught up with him. "I'll get you for that, punk!" Sam yelled.
Jason slammed the front door of his house and panted heavily. "What has
gotten into you?" Jason's mother asked. Jason replied, "Who else?"
Disgusted, Jason's mother walked into the living room and reminded
Jason of how good friends he and Sam were in the first grade. Jason
knew that, but had forgotten after all the beatings he received from
his "good friend".
Jason was in the back yard raking up the leaves. He didn't mind the
chores that his mom made him do on a daily basis. While raking, Jason
noticed a small ring lying on the ground. He bent over to pick it up
and when he touched it he was thrown backwards in a fast swing and
landed on his back. "What in the world?" Jason muttered. He stood up
and brushed the leaves off and went to look closely at the ring again.
There in plain sight the ring showed in a ball of light. Jason
exclaimed, "This is extremely cool!" Jason wanted to touch it, but was
afraid of being knocked backwards again. He took the rake and barely
touched the ring with it, then jumped back. Nothing happened. Bravely,
Jason kneeled in front of the ring and began to touch it again. He
barely touched it with the tip of his finger, waiting for another knock
back. As he jerked his hand away, he noticed that he was still kneeling
in front of the ring. Jason reached out with his right hand and picked
up the ring. He wanted to place the ring on his finger, but was afraid
that it would blow his finger off. While closely examining the ring, a
ray of light shot through his chest and sent chills down his spine.
When Jason looked back into his hand, the ring was gone. "Where did it
go?" He asked. He looked around his feet and didn't see it anywhere. He
kneeled on the grass and brushed the blades with his fingers but found
nothing. Jason returned to raking up the yard and finished
quickly.
After dinner, Jason was in his bedroom finishing up his homework. He
couldn't believe how tired he was and it was only 7:00 p.m. Jason
finished his work and fell asleep.
The next day Jason awakened feeling refreshed. He had never slept so
comfortably in his life. While dressing for school he dreaded the usual
run in with Sam Smith. He walked down the street where his
confrontation with Sam and his goons occurred yesterday. Once again the
house of Jennifer Jacobs filled his vision. Expecting another rock to
fly past his head, something different happened. Jennifer sat in the
seat of her mother's car while it idled in the driveway. She was
dressed in her normal school clothing; a pretty blouse, a skirt, and
matching shoes. Jason looked at her like a starving man looking at food
through the window of a restaurant. He wanted her to notice him today.
When the car drove past him, she looked at him and smiled. A large lump
developed in Jason's throat and he thought to himself that she was
probably smiling at someone else.
At school, Jason was at his locker when he heard the sound of Sam
behind him saying, "After school, your mine." Of course, Sam was
speaking to him while walking by. "Great. This is just great." Jason
said softly. The day went by swiftly and the time came when his walk
home would be filled with another beating. Sam was waiting one block
from the school with his buddies. The eagerness in Sam's eyes reminded
Jason of a child who was waiting for Christmas morning. "All right Sam,
let's get it over with." Jason said. Sam replied "No problem." Once
again, the echoes of "fight, fight, fight" surrounded the area. Jason
noticed this time there were more than the usual goons surrounding
them. There were also most of the students from school including
Jennifer Jacobs. "Oh no, Jennifer's going to really think I'm a wimp."
Jason thought. Fear, which is the normal feeling felt by Jason at
during a confrontation with Sam, was not present. Instead, a warm
feeling of light filled his mind. Suddenly, Sam threw a punch at Jason
and missed his target. Jason stood in awe after moving out of the way
of Sam's punch. Sam was angered and tried to punch Jason again. But
before he moved his arm, Jason punched Sam, sending him flying back
into his buddies. A loud cheer sounded from the crowd of school kids.
Sam, shocked, stood up and ran toward Jason. Jason reacted to the rush
with a turn and Sam found himself quickly on the ground. Shock and
amazement were on Sam's and his buddies faces. He couldn't believe that
puny Jason West was humiliating him in front of the whole school. Once
more Sam made a dash toward Jason. Jason put his arms out in front of
him and caught Sam in mid stride. Sam flew backwards into a fence,
which caused him to land on his face. The fight was over. The crowd
cheered, but moved away quickly when the Principal yelled, "Hey kids,
get out of here!!" Jason ran away but noticed a smile and a wink from
Jennifer Jacobs. He had finally fought back and won.
Jason knew that his encounter with the mysterious ring had something to
do with his new abilities. He wondered to himself, "Now what do I
do?"

TO BE CONTINUED?