Phantom Keys: by Vernon Scott (if you give a mouse a cookie read aloud txt) 📕

a walk around the house to think about life. I got out of bed and began walking towards the door. I opened the door and turned around to close it so that it didn’t make a loud enough noise to wake Marcus. Once I closed the door I turned around to see my mother staring at me.
I was once again in that realm. I turned around and saw Gigi looking at me as well. The door was no longer there. It was as if I was never at Marcus’s house to begin with.
They continued to stare at me so I asked, “What are you guys looking at?” In unison Giovanni and my mother both pointed downward. I looked down to see that I wasn’t wearing any pants, just a top and underwear. “I’m so embarrassed. Please tell me you have some clothes mother.”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” she replied. “I have some for you too Giovanni.”
She reached out her hands and two outfits appeared. She handed one of them to both of us and said, “These uniforms represent your abilities.” I looked at my suit and it was a very dark red with a bright red strip going down both sides. Gigi’s was the same except his was a very dark blue with a very bright sky bluish color going down its sides. “For Gwen,” she continued, “red. It represents strength and the never surrendering light. And Giovanni, you have blue, which is flamboyant and lucid. It flows smoothly just as wind and water does.”
“Mother why are we here,” asked Giovanni.
“I was getting to that,” she replied. “Your five year training starts today—”
“Five years,” I questioned with astonishment. “What about our lives in the human world mother! What about the facts that I’m suppose to get married?”
She cleared her throat, “Maybe if you stop interrupting, I might be able to tell you.” My mother had then repositioned herself. “The flow of time is altered in this realm. Time goes past much faster here then it does on Earth. During the five year period you two will learn how to master your abilities. You’ll learn how to control your energy flow and you’ll learn how to defeat the savage monsters that come to this world. Your training will begin now.”

Chapter 11
Training for Destiny

The first twenty months, Gigi and I both worked on our main powers. Mother told us that our powers will unlock themselves gradually as we prosper in our training. At the end of our first twenty months, I mastered my power over fire and Giovanni mastered his power over wind. Our training was vigorous. We had to search high and low for a thing that goes by the name of “Elementum Vox” and from my knowledge of Latin; I believe it means “Elemental Power”. Mother said that we wouldn’t be able to find it unless we’re truly connected with our powers.
During my second twenty months my brother and I finally unlocked our next level to our powers. Giovanni’s new ability was to manipulate water and mine was the power over earth. We had to once again search for yet another Elementum Vox. I found mine in a cave in which I had created to escape the outside world. As for Gigi, he found his in a pond that he had created for relaxation. Mother appeared before us both simultaneously to inform us that our final twenty months will be coming to an end. She also told us that we had one more ability to master. It was said to be a mixture between the powers that we possess. The last thing she’d told us is that we’ll have to figure that power out on our own and all ways of communicating will be halted until the end of our third twenty month time period.
Today was the last day for me to find my final Elementum Vox. I discovered that when I mix my two abilities together and time the reaction right, I can produce metal. But that wasn’t all that I needed to find out because if it was, I would have been able to master my powers by now.
I decided to think about all possible things that I could do with my powers. Out of anger I punched the grounds. The task of conquering my abilities was finally pressing down on me because I had a certain amount of time to master my abilities.
I looked down at the sand that was in my hands. I screamed at the top of my longs. “Why must this be so aggravating? I made steel for goodness sake, what more can I do?” As I continued to yell the ground below me began to shake. “As if I hadn’t tried my best,” I continued to yell. “What good is it to have these abilities if you can’t truly master them? If I had some way to contact Giovanni, I bet he would have mastered all of his abilities.” I felt steam rise up behind me. I looked at the dirt that was once in my hand and found that it was no longer there. Instead of dirt I found a diamond. I turned around to see where the steam was coming from and saw that I’d created my very own volcano.
I saw something glistening inside the lava and decided to retrieve it. I thought about how the diamond appeared in my hand which brought about a brilliant decision. A diamond is made by subduing molecules of dirt under a large amount of heat and pressure. I called for dirt to cover my entire body. My first layer of protection from the immense heat of the volcano was a steel coat. And my final layer was made of diamond.
I forced myself to jump into the burning lava to retrieve the glistening item which to my eyes somewhat resembled an Elementum Vox. The lava began to tear my outer layers apart one by one. By the time I reached the Elementum Vox I noticed that my layers were completely burned away, yet I survived. I should have realized that since I’ve mastered my power over fire, it would no longer burn me. Once I grabbed the Elementum Vox I some how was back at the mouth of the volcano. I looked down at my hand to see them glowing red. The volcano that I created somehow lowered to the ground and disappeared. All of the images around me began to get blurry and fade away. It was as if two realities were beginning to mix themselves. I turned around and saw that I was in the same spot that I was in when my mother brought Gigi and I to this world the first time. I turned back around and got the surprise of my life.

…

I saw Giovanni wearing a blue robe standing on a huge bolder with a face that spoke of great dignity and responsibility. As I looked at him, the ground beneath my feet began to rise but this time without me manipulating it in any way.
I was now eye level to Gigi. “Giovanni, what’s up with the robe?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” he replied. I looked down and saw that I was wearing a red robe. It actually looked stylish but it wasn’t for me at all.
“Hello, my children,” said mother and Mrs. Chambers in unison.
“You two are now officially guardians of this realm,” said mother. “You, Giovanni, have conquered all of your abilities, the power over water, wind, ice, and thunder. As for you, Gwendolyn, you’ve conquered all of your abilities as well, your power to manipulate fire, earth, metal, and crystal. From this day forward we are equals in this world.”
“Mother not to seem as if I’m not grateful,” I said, “when do I get to leave because I truly miss Marcus?”
“You shall leave momentarily,” said Mrs. Chambers. “There are some things I must talk to you about. Gwen, you musn’t let your guard down at anytime because you are foremost the guardian of this realm. And Gigi, whenever your sister may call you do not feel as if the tasks at hand are not important. If you are in the middle of an important heist and Gwen needs your help, you must come to her rescue.”
“I understand,” Giovanni and I stated in unison.
“But I have a question,” continued Gigi, “What is the name of this realm?”
“Oh I’m so sorry,” said mother, “I cannot believe I forgot to tell you two the name of this realm. It is Ayeguam. And Gwendolyn, I will not be sending you and your brother home this time. You must discover how to get back on your own. To be completely honest, you should know how to get home. I believe it is called instinct.”
At that moment my mother and Mrs. Chambers left. I thought about it for a while and looked over at Gigi. As soon as I looked over at him he too disappeared. I decided to concentrate on all that my mother has told me. She said that I know how to return home based on instinct.
I closed my eyes and when I opened them I was in Marcus’s room. In the exact spot I was standing in before I went off to improve my skills. Marcus was still in his bed sleeping. I looked at the clock and realized that only ten minutes had passed since I had left.

Chapter 12
Infiltrating the Enemy

Now that I was done with my training to become a guardian, now I can prepare my first heist. I planned to do something that is quite easy. My plan was put into effect last night. The only thing left for me to do was to put everything into action.
I drove to Chuck’s shop so I could pick up a costume that I had preordered. It was a policeman’s uniform. I was going to pose as a policeman for a while, in order to do that I needed to have a uniform.
I had my alias covered. I was posing as a NYPD transfer officer. I was practicing law enforcement since I was sixteen. I was awarded five metals of duty by the age of nineteen. And to put at least one drastic measure into my phony transfer papers, I added that my ‘chief’ was transferring me because my longtime best friend and partner had been shot in a cross fire between myself and many gang members. For a final touch I put that the ‘Chief’ thought it would have been better for me to be away from New York or it might cause some psychological problems and affect my job performance.
Everything was going as planned. I was expected to arrive at the station at two o’clock. I was to be welcomed by no more than ten police officers, which made it so much better for me to go through with by plan.
I drove to Mrs. Chambers’s mask shop and picked up a special mask that I ordered. It was a fake face; well it was someone’s