Realm Keepers: Episode One (A Young Adult Fantasy) (Realm Keepers Episodes)

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Author's Note

  Realm Keepers: Episode One

  A Normal Day

  The Pillars

  The Battle

  Making Time

  The Wall

  Get Book One

  Like Realm Keepers on Facebook

  About the Authors

  REALM KEEPERS: EPISODE ONE

  (First Episode of Midrealm)

  Garrett Robinson & Z.C. Bolger

  Copyright © 2013 by Garrett Robinson & Z.C. Bolger. All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events or locales is purely coincidental.

  Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited.

  The authors greatly appreciate you taking the time to read our work. Please leave a review wherever you bought the book, and tell your friends about Realm Keepers to help us spread the word.

  Thank you for supporting our work.

  Visit: garrettbrobinson.com

  zcbolger.com

  Published by Living Art Books and Story Road Books

  This book is dedicated to our families

  Who make us whole and make our dreams possible

  And to our best friends

  Our readers

  Author’s Note

  from Garrett Robinson

  Hey, Keepers.

  This note was a last-minute addition to Episode One that I didn’t realize I wanted to add until the day we were going to publish.

  If this is your first time reading one of our books, thank you. If you’ve read one of our individual books before, or our first collaboration, The Ninjabread Man, thanks for coming back.

  As unbelievable as it seems, this is the first book I’ve published since I was let go from my job three months ago.

  The idea for Realm Keepers came about before that. Z. C. and I were both writing and publishing independently, in and around everything we were doing to pay the bills—my 9-to-5, his odd jobs.

  One day, I had the idea for this story. The central concept (going to sleep on Earth and waking up in another world) was strongly inspired by two excellent fantasy novels I read in my youth: Slaves of Sleep and Masters of Sleep. The format (six high school kids balancing real life with high adventure, told from each kid’s viewpoint) was taken from my favorite series when I was a teenager (and which I still love today), Animorphs by K.A. Applegate.

  Those were the original building blocks. From there, Z. C. and I began working out who these characters were, what they did and why they’d matter to anyone. Each creative moment grew better than the last. The moment I realized that Sarah would be the leader of the group, giving the story a strong female role model, was when I first started to fall truly in love with the story. When we thought up Calvin (and named him Calvin), Z. C. and I were in glee. Raven came next, and when we came up with her first scene (containing a closeted reference to an early episode of the Self Publishing Podcast) we knew we had something special. Miles, Blade and Tess all followed suit—it’s hard to describe the creation of those characters without spoiling the later part of the series. Suffice to say, we think you’ll love it.

  So Realm Keepers was in full swing. That said, progress was slow. I had a job, after all, and I have a family: a wife, two kids, and a third on the way. Z. C. is busily running his own publishing company, promoting his first novel, writing his second and developing stories with other authors.

  At the time, our writing careers were doing okay and getting better, but it definitely wasn’t anywhere near “quit-your-job” good.

  And then, suddenly, I didn’t have a job to quit. I was laid off—amicably, but still.

  With the incredible support of my wife as well as help from the guys at the Self Publishing Podcast (especially Sean Platt—love you, man!) I became a full-time writer instead. I’d still do freelance jobs, such as book editing and website design, for extra cash wherever I could. But that was now my side job. Writing was what would (hopefully) pay the bills. It was my career now, and I gave it my all.

  Truth be told, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I knew it had to be a matter of time before things became so dire that I’d be forced to go job-hunting once more, putting my dreams on hold that much longer. And yet somehow I’ve managed to eke it out this far.

  During this time, I’ve written more than a quarter of a million words. A lot of it has been for Midrealm, the first full volume of Realm Keepers. A lot of it has been for another collaborative project with Sean. A tiny fraction of it has been for my next solo novel, Rebel Yell.

  But this book you hold in your hands (via your e-reader, probably) is the first book I’ve actually published since I became a full-time writer.

  So I really hope you enjoyed it. And I hope you’ll continue reading it with me.

  I know that our lives today are crazy and hectic. I know that you have so many options for how to spend your time, it’s a battle for anything to catch your attention. I’m thrilled you’ve decided to spend at least some of it on our book. If you go on to read all of Midrealm, we promise to do our best not to let you down.

  Z. C. and I believe that time spent on books is not wasted. Even “escapist fantasy,” as our book has been called (and almost certainly is) doesn’t mean time spent reading “in lieu of something better.” Stories are important to all of us. They're a part of who you are. They can shape your life, no matter how outlandish they seem or how implausible. You can think of examples right off the top of your head of stories that you’ve never forgotten, that still apply to your real life.

  We believe in the power of books. Not just as entertainment, but as tools to shape and enhance people of whatever age. If we didn’t feel that way, I wouldn’t be putting my family through such financial stress just to “write a cute novel.”

  Thanks again for reading. We hope to see you for the next one.

  Will we?

  Garrett Robinson

  2013

  MY NAME IS SARAH PRESTON, and I’m living a double life.

  It wasn’t always like this. I didn’t use to spend half my days here and half my days in Midrealm. There was a time—it seems so long ago—that I’d never even heard of Midrealm. If you had told me about it, I would have thought it was some ridiculous, geeky thing. The kind of thing my little cousin Calvin is always into. I would never have believed it was real. It, or Chaos.

  But I would have been wrong.

  I found out just how wrong on a normal day—or at least, a day that used to be normal before my life changed forever. Before I became something more than just another high school student. I lived in Rhode Island. I mean, I still do live in Rhode Island, but only half the time. I went to Roosevelt High, and as I came in to school that day, everything seemed perfect.

  I’d always had a pretty easy time of it in school. Not that I didn’t work hard. I did. I was the head of the debate team, assistant captain of the girl’s volleyball team, an honor roll student. I even tutored other kids on nights and weekends, kids who wanted to get into college and needed help with their studies.

  The only thing that was different about that day was that we were finally going to hear the results of the student election. I was running for student body president. I was so nervous. I wasn’t sure if I’d win.

  I think back to that time often. Back when the biggest problem I had was whether or not I’d win a
student election. It seems so unimportant now. But back then I was a big ball of nerves.

  My mom dropped me off in the lot on the side of the high school like she did every day.

  “Kiss good-bye,” she said. “For luck.”

  I rolled my eyes, but I leaned over and gave her a kiss. Sometimes my mom can be embarrassing. I guess everyone’s mom can be like that. But she was a really good mom. Even back then, I knew how lucky I was. Not everyone had a family as good as mine. Even back then, I was grateful.

  “Thanks mom,” I said. “See you tonight.”

  “Have a good day!” she called as I got out.

  I walked around the corner of the building toward the huge front doors. There were some students here and there, but not too many. I usually got to school a lot earlier than most people. I never had problems waking up on time or getting there before the bell. Dad calls me his little over-achiever.

  As I got closer to the front doors, I smelled something. A strong, acid something. Someone was smoking, and I thought I knew who. I looked over and sighed.

  Raven was sitting in a tree along with three of her friends. No, Raven wasn’t her real name, it was Ester. Ester and I used to hang out a lot—she was my best friend. We hadn’t had a fight or anything, but a few years ago she had started hanging out with some other kids in the school. Goth kids. It wasn’t long before Ester went totally goth herself. That was when she started making everyone call her Raven. We sort of drifted apart after that. It made me sad when I thought about it, so I tried not to. Raven was a really good person, and really smart. We just didn’t have that much in common any more.

  I walked to the tree. Raven looked down as I came over, her eyes covered with mascara and her hairstyle jutting out like a pixie’s: black with pink streaks. It would have been cute if it were a little longer. She raised her eyebrows in greeting.

  “Guys, you might not want to do that on the front lawn,” I said. Raven was eighteen, so it wasn’t illegal, but smoking was against the rules at school. I knew that her friends weren’t eighteen, but didn’t say anything about that.

  “What, are you gonna tell on us, little miss valedictorian?” sneered one of her friends. I was pretty sure her name was Ember. Her goth name, anyway. That was one of the reasons Raven and I had drifted apart. Most of her new friends were really rude, seemingly for no reason.

  “No,” I said, trying to keep my voice pleasant. “I really don’t care, but the faculty will be showing up pretty soon. I just don’t want you guys getting in trouble.”

  “Life is trouble, princess,” said Raven’s other friend. I rolled my eyes.

  Raven surprised me by butting in. “Knock it off, guys,” she said, frowning at the other two before looking at me. “Thanks for the tip,” she said. “We’ll clear out in a few.”

  “Cool,” I said nonchalantly. “Good to see you, Est—Raven. Sorry.”

  “It’s cool,” she said, and she actually smiled. That was the Raven that I missed.

  I went on my way, entering the school and pushing through the slowly-forming crowd to my locker. I was dialing in the combo when I thought I heard someone say something behind me. I turned. A younger girl with dark brown hair covering one of her eyes was standing there. She was kind of looking at me, and kind of not. She’d look up at me for a moment before looking nervously back down at the floor. I smiled, trying to be encouraging.

  “I’m sorry, did you say something?” I asked.

  “Good luck in the election,” said the girl in a tiny voice. I had to lean in to hear it. “I voted for you.” Immediately she turned and headed off down the hallway before I could answer. I didn’t even know the girl’s name.

  That was nice, I thought. Weird, but nice.

  “Hey, Sarah,” said a voice behind me. I knew that voice. I smiled and turned.

  Kurt Masterson was, without question, the cutest boy in Roosevelt. He had always seemed to have everything going for him: captain of the football team, decent grades (though not as good as mine) and super popular. He was popular in a way that I wasn’t. I was friendly with everyone, and everyone was friendly with me, but people wanted to hang out with Kurt. I wanted to hang out with Kurt.

  And recently, the feeling seemed to be mutual. Sometimes he’d sit with me at lunch, even though every time he did, I didn’t know what to do with my hands and could barely hold a conversation. On breaks and after school, he had started coming around and chatting with me as well.

  It’s possible I may have had a tiny crush on Kurt.

  “Hi,” I said. I tried to think of something else to say, something smart, something funny. I couldn’t.

  “Good luck in the election today,” he said, flashing that million-dollar smile. “Although, everyone knows you’re going to win, so I guess you don’t really need any luck.”

  “I guess we’ll see,” I said, immediately thinking that was a stupid thing to say.

  “Well, see ya,” and then he was gone, walking down the hallway toward his first class.

  My mind was a buzz for the next half hour. I could hardly think about anything besides the election results and Kurt’s smile. I barely arrived on time to my first class, advanced calculus. I plopped down in my usual spot in the front of the room. I knew some kids made fun of me for always sitting in the front row, but it was because I wanted to see what the teacher was doing. I really like learning. I know that’s not how a lot of people feel about school, but I love it. And besides, I had to keep my grades up if I wanted to get into Stanford.

  Soon I was buried in numbers, variables and equations. It was hard. It shouldn’t have been; I’d spent the last two nights studying up on calculus. But math was always the hardest subject for me. I had to force myself to learn it.

  Half an hour into the class, there was a crash as the door flew open. My head jerked toward the sudden noise.

  In strolled Blade. Blade wasn’t his real name, of course, just a nickname. He was one of those kids who was always getting into trouble and didn’t seem to care. You know what I said about how lucky I was to have the family I had? Blade was the opposite. I didn’t know exactly what his home situation was like, but I had heard rumors. But Blade didn’t seem angry all the time, like you would have thought he should. If anything, he seemed to act like the whole world was just a big joke and he was the only one who got the punch line. He was pretty new at our school. Apparently he and his family moved around a lot. I actually felt sorry for him most of the time. I thought it must be pretty hard to make any real friends if you were at a new school every few months.

  Our teacher, Mister Roberts, looked up from his papers and let out an exasperated sigh.

  “Honestly, Mister Frederickson, I don’t know why you even show up after missing half the lesson. Care to tell us what was so important that it made you late for class—again?”

  Blade grinned that crooked grin he usually wore. “Explosive diarrhea.”

  Most of the class behind me exploded in laughter.

  “It was bad,” Blade continued, enjoying the reaction. “Too much hot sauce. That’s the last time I steal your lunch, Mister Roberts.”

  Mister Roberts glared at Blade, but he looked more disappointed than angry. Most of our teachers just seemed to write Blade off as a constant troublemaker and didn’t bother trying any more. That, too, made me feel sorry for him.

  “Well,” said Mister Roberts, “you can get caught up on the lesson after school in detention, Mister Frederickson.”

  “As long as I have access to a toilet,” said Blade, still lounging in the doorway. “I may get the squirts again.” There was another burst of laughter from the class.

  Mister Roberts’ eyes narrowed, his temper finally rising. “Take your seat, Winston.”

  The smile dropped from Blade’s face immediately. Suddenly I felt nervous. Blade wasn’t angry all the time, but when he did get angry, it was scary. The class fell silent behind me.

  “My name is Blade,” he said. “Get it right, moron.”


  Mister Roberts stood. “Excuse me?”

  “What? Problem?” said Blade insolently.

  “Sit down, Mister Frederickson,” grated Mister Roberts. “And you’re in detention for a week.”

  Blade held the gaze for a few moments, but finally he strolled over to his seat and dropped into it loudly. The tension in the room eased. I found myself releasing a little whoosh of breath I hadn’t known I was holding.

  I turned to look back at Blade for a second. He looked like he was staring at the ground, but I had a feeling he wasn’t looking at anything at all. He started to look up as he noticed me staring, but I quickly looked away.

  The rest of first period passed quickly. Second and third blew by in a rush. It seemed like the day should be taking forever as I waited for the election results, but instead it was passing in a blur. Maybe it was because I was afraid I’d lost and was nervous to find out. If I’d been realistic with myself, the chances of that were slim, but it didn’t stop my nerves from getting frazzled.

  Fourth period looked to be passing as quickly as the first three, but then the loudspeaker clicked on.

  “Sarah Preston,” came Principal Jones’ familiar voice, “please report to the principal’s office.”

  The room fell dead silent. Slowly, all eyes in the classroom turned to me. I felt heat rising on my neck and ears, even though I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong.

  What did he want? Had I done something wrong without realizing it? A million possibilities flew through my head, but none of them made sense.

  I left the class with a hall pass and silence from everyone in the room, even the teacher. My lonely footsteps echoed loudly in the hallways as I wove through them to the big black door of Principal Jones’ office. By the time I’d reached it, the only thing I could come up with was that he was going to tell me who’d won the election. They weren’t supposed to announce that for another hour. If I’d won, he’d just wait for me to hear the announcement. I must have lost, and he was calling me into his office to break the news. He wanted me to brace myself before getting all of the sympathy from the rest of the school. That had to be it. My heart had dropped into the bottom of my stomach as I knocked on his door.