 
# Tell Me A Story:  
Amazing Tales to Captivate Your Kids

* * * * * * * *

The Superhero Chronicles: Birth of Moonlight

Josh Kilen

Published By Josh Kilen at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 Josh Kilen

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

# Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Preview The Tales of Big and Little – Doom of the Three Stones

Preview of Sean Ryanis & The Impossible Chase

Preview of The Lost Princess in Winter's Grip

About the Stories

Some Storytelling Advice

Copyright Information

More Titles By Josh Kilen

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# 

## Chapter 1

Billy watched as the fist quickly approached his face. The impact knocked his head back and he heard the sickening crunch of bone from the bully's fist against his jaw. After that, everything went completely dark. When he came to, Billy was on the floor staring up at the Vice Principal, Mr. Davis.

Mr. Davis did not look happy.

Reaching down to help Billy up, Mr. Davis shook his head. "Getting into more trouble I see." Billy's head felt woozy and he had a hard time standing up straight as the school hallway spun all around him.

"No Mr. Davis, I was trying to stop Rick from picking on Jasper, the new kid."

Mr. Davis looked at Billy sternly, "That's not what I heard, in fact no one was willing to say that you didn't start the fight. You'll have to come with me. We need to call your parents." Mr. Davis supported Billy as they walked to the main office.

"Not again," Billy said to himself. He looked up at Mr. Davis and said aloud, "Honestly, I was just trying to help. Rick and his friends were going to pummel him."

But Mr. Davis didn't say anything else as they made their way slowly through the hallway.

Safely in Mr. Davis' office, Billy slumped down in the chair across from the large desk as the Vice Principal calmly sat down behind it. He considered Billy carefully, "Billy, I want to believe you, but this is the third time in three months. I think that you should consider backing off. If there is any bullying going on in this school, the administration will take care of it. You need to let us do our job."

Billy wanted to laugh at that, but he knew it would only make matters worse. Every kid knew that Rick and his gang of bullies ran the school, but the Principal and his staff didn't do anything to stop them. No one was willing to say anything against them. No one except Billy that is.

"I'm sorry Mr. Davis, I know it's your job but if I see someone in trouble I can't help it, I have to help." Billy stared down at his feet dangling off the tall chair he sat on.

Pity crossed Mr. Davis' eyes and he glanced over at the phone, "Maybe we don't need to call you parents, this time. But if I see or hear of you getting into any more fights, I'll have no choice but to suspend you. Got it?" Billy nodded his head.

A simple nod wasn't good enough for Mr. Davis, "Billy, do you understand me?"

"Yes Mr. Davis, I understand."

Mr. Davis looked happy and began writing on the small white tablet next to his phone, "Excellent. Here's a hall pass to get back to class. Now, I don't want to see you in my office again, Okay?"

Billy took the note and shoved it in his pocket. "Yes Sir, thank you Mr. Davis." And he headed back to class.

He knew he was going to have a nasty bruise later, so Billy was thankful that the fight had only been one punch. But no matter what Mr. Davis said, Billy felt good that he stood up to the bully squad. Rick and his thug friends couldn't intimidate him, even if they had the rest of school running scared.

As he walked through the hall to his next class, English, Billy took a deep breath. Rick and all his goons were in the class too. He opened the door and the teacher was sitting at his desk while the rest of the class was busy writing. "Oh no," he thought, "I hope it's not a quiz or something."

His English teacher, Mr. Marconni looked up and Billy immediately saw disapproval on the teacher's face. He walked up and silently handed the hall pass to Mr. Marconni. The teacher looked at the note and then back up at Billy, saying out loud, "I see you've been fighting again." All the kids heads popped up and Rick smiled wickedly.

"Billy, I don't care if Mr. Davis gave you a pass, I won't condone this sort of behavior from my students. You get a zero on the quiz today, and I want you to think about how to improve your behavior. Now go sit down." Mr. Marconni pointed to the open seat in the back of the class. Billy walked past all the other kids, some snickering, some whispering, and he slumped down in his seat. Unfortunately it was just behind Rick and his posse.

Billy heard Rick whisper to him. "You're not gonna get away with what you did today. Me and the guys are comin' for you next." and Rick turned to give him an evil smile.

Billy laid his head on the desk. How could this day get any worse?

## 

##  Chapter 2

The class bell rang and Billy left the classroom, his head drooping low. He walked to his locker slowly. He was dreading the last period because he knew that right after school got out he was done for.

Waiting at his locker, as always during this time of day, was his best friend Grace. She and Billy had been best friends since they were little kids and she was the kind of girl that would rather punch you in the arm then act all weird and girly. He knew Grace would be able to get him out of this predicament; she was pretty smart.

When Billy came to the locker Grace was staring at his bruised eye, "I heard something about a kid getting picked on in the halls, shoulda figured you were involved somehow." Billy saw that she was worried about him.

"I'm fine, just Rick and his goons, the were picking on Jasper and, well, you know me..." Grace just nodded her head, she knew Billy very well. In fact, his willingness to stand up for people in need was what she liked most about him.

Billy continued, "Now, they want to beat me up after school. I don't know what to do."

Grace looked up to the ceiling, thinking really hard. Then she snapped her fingers, as a huge smile came to her face. She told Billy, "I got it, meet me in the girls bathroom five minutes before the last bell. See ya there," and she ran away as the bell rang.

Billy hurried to his science class, but for the rest of class couldn't pay attention to anything the teacher said. He was distracted by thoughts of being beaten to a pulp, but he was also curious to see what Grace had in mind.

The last bell couldn't come fast enough. With ten minutes to go, Billy raised his hand and asked to go to the bathroom.

The Teacher looked surprised, "I think you can wait 10 minutes Billy, put your hand down."

Billy made his best 'I have to pee REALLY bad' face, "I'm sorry but I have to go really bad, like REALLY bad." Billy figured that no teacher wanted to a student to pee in their class.

He was right.

His science teacher sighed, "Fine, go, just be quick." Billy grabbed his books and raced out of the class. After a quick stop at his locker to get his bag, he made his way to the girl's bathroom. He knocked on the door softly, but didn't hear anything. Suddenly a deep voice behind him said, "What do you think you're doing?" Billy's heart sank as he turned around.

Grace giggled at his shocked expression. "I do a pretty good Mr. Davis huh?" Billy blew out a deep breath and lightly punched her in the arm, which she returned. Billy noticed that she had a pile of clothes in her arms.

"Come on in," she told him as she pushed her way into the bathroom. Stiffly, Billy walked into the girl's bathroom for the first time ever. Once inside, he noticed right away that it smelled better and was a lot cleaner than the boys bathroom. He thought it was pretty unfair that the janitors would clean the girl's bathroom but not the boys.

Grace shoved the clothes at Billy, "Here you go, put these on." Billy took the clothes and looked at them. They were kind of ratty, but clean and they didn't have stains. "What are these for?" he asked.

Grace rolled her eyes, "Disguise, duh? You gotta sneak by Rick somehow." Billy put on the pants and a hoody over his regular clothes. When he saw himself in the mirror, he looked a lot different.

"Do you think it will work?" he asked. Grace just shrugged her shoulders, "Don't know, but it's better than nothing. Don't worry, you don't look anything like yourself." Just then the last bell rang; it was time to leave school.

Both Billy and Grace took a deep breath and Billy pulled the hood over his head. As they walked out of the bathroom, they made sure no one was looking in their direction. They made it to the front door of the school and Grace tugged on Billy's arm, "OK, you walk ahead and I'll be behind you, if I whistle then it means they spotted you somehow and you need to run." Billy just nodded.

They walked casually onto the main street and Grace noticed that Billy was taking a different route home than usual. "Good job," she thought to herself. She put some distance between Billy and herself so it wouldn't be too obvious that she was following.

Minutes later she heard footsteps behind her. Rick and his goons passed right by Grace, and she started to whistle loudly. She just hoped Billy could hear her. He did, and turned to look. When he saw Rick, Billy took off in a sprint. Rick and his buddies were not far behind. Grace yelled out, "Run Billy! Faster!" as she tried to follow. "How did Rick know where Billy was?" she thought to herself.

The Bullies were starting to gain on Billy, who was moving as quickly as he could. He knew it was only a matter of time before they caught him so he tried to lose his pursuers. At an intersection, Billy ran into the road, right in the middle of traffic. A red pick up truck came to a screeching halt right in front of Billy as the driver leaned out shouting, "What do you think you're doing?!"

Rick and his bully friends stopped on the corner and smiled at Billy, there was no where to run now.

Just then, the red truck shot forward, as a much larger freight truck slammed into the back of it. The freight truck tipped to the side, and barrels of steaming, bubbling liquid tipped over onto the road.

Right on top of Billy.

## 

##  Chapter 3

As Billy haltingly woke up, he felt waves of surprise, excitement, and relief. The only problem was that the feelings didn't seem like his feelings. It was almost as if they were coming from someone else. Billy slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was in a hospital room. His Mom, Dad, and a doctor were standing around his bed.

He tried to shift positions in his bed but every muscle in his body hurt, like he was one big bruise. Even his eyelids hurt as they made every effort to adjust to the light.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Oh honey!" his Mom said, "You were run over by a truck!"

"Now Sheila," his Dad chimed in, "It wasn't as bad as that. But you did have a pretty nasty accident Son, and when the truck flipped over, all the chemicals it was carrying, sort of, well, fell on you."

Billy's eyes finally adjusted, and he looked down at his arms. As he held them to his face it was clear that the skin was melted off in some places. The red blotchy patches turned his arms in a marbled mess. He felt a stab of grief in his head, but again it didn't feel like it was his grief. Billy was certainly sad about being burned and scarred but nothing that intense.

The doctor stepped in, "For what it's worth son, you should be OK. The skin was badly damaged but I think you'll heal up just fine. Your parents love you very much, they've been here around the clock."

Strong, worried emotions flooded into Billy's brain. He had to close his eyes because it was so overwhelming, like having a headache in your heart. Billy looked up at his parents and they had worried looks on their faces. "Was there a link between the worried looks on his parent's faces and the worried feelings in his head?" He thought to himself.

"I'm sorry for making you go through this," Billy said slowly, "I was trying to stand up for this kid at school who was being picked on, I thought maybe if I stood up other kids would too..."

His Dad put up a hand, "It's okay, Grace told us the whole thing. Both your Mom and I think that what you tried to do was a very noble thing, and we're proud of you. But, well, we're a little worried that you can't go back to school now. The school's Vice Principal didn't think the bullying was a problem, but he would look into it. I'm not sure it would change anything, so your Mom and I were thinking that maybe you would like to be homeschooled or maybe try another school. You don't have to go back to that school is what I'm saying."

The overwhelming emotions of concern attacked Billy's head again, and he couldn't think of anything else. He was slowly able to push those feelings back out and take control of himself again. "What was going on?" he asked himself.

Billy looked up at his Dad, "I have to go back Dad, I can't back down. And didn't you tell me to always finish my fights?"

Billy's Mom looked over at his Dad with a deeply disapproving look, but Billy felt like he was the one giving his Dad the look. His Dad shrugged his shoulders and just gave her a sheepish smile, "I did, but really didn't intend for him to get into a fight. It was more a life philosophy and such which."

"Life philosophy!?! What kind of life is fighting!" His Mom was getting really upset at this point. "Now our son is off getting into fights and trouble and we have to move to a new school and what will people think? What will we do? We can't keep moving..." She was going beyond upset to hysterical.

The emotions and feelings were swirling around Billy's head like a bee swarm, it was too much to take. Billy looked up, right into his Mom's eyes, and said loudly, "MOM, CALM DOWN! You need to relax, don't worry about me." Instantly her body relaxed and she stopped talking.

She looked over at Billy's Dad and said evenly, "Well, he seems fine. I'm sure he'll be out of the hospital in a few days. Where do you want to get some dinner tonight?"

Both Billy and his Dad looked at her like she was crazy.

## 

##  Chapter 4

Billy's Mom walked over to the chair and picked up her coat, "Bill, are you ready to go." she asked Billy's Dad.

He looked at her like she was nuts. "Sheila, are you okay? Just a few seconds ago you were getting hysterical and now... you're acting like nothing's wrong?"

She walked over and kissed Billy on the forehead, calm and peace radiated off of her. There was no worry to be felt. "I don't know what you are talking about Bill, Billy seems fine, I'm not worried about him. In fact I expect the hospital will take good care of him. Then he'll come home. Did you decide on dinner yet?"

Bill looked apologetically at his son, "Billy, I'm sorry, we need to sort this out. Just hang tight and we'll be back to pick you up tomorrow. Isn't that right Doc?"

"Yes, that's right, but I want you on bed rest for the next few weeks. Those chemical burns are going to take some time to heal." The Doctor left the room, but not before taking one last curious look at Billy's Mom.

Billy's Mom was tapping her foot, "Bill, are you ready to go?" she looked over at Billy, "Honey, I love you and we'll see you tomorrow. I know you'll have a great night."

Billy's Dad grabbed his coat and left with a quick good-bye to Billy, chasing his wife down the hallway. Did he somehow make his Mom stop caring about him? "How did this happen?" he thought to himself as he fell back to sleep.

Periodically Billy would wake up when a nurse came into his room. They always had smiles on their faces, but somehow Billy could tell which one's were the friendly ones and which one's really didn't want to be there. Once again, the emotions from the happy nurses washed over his mind, and he felt great when they were there. But the other nurses were a different story. Billy's head hurt when they came in, and he felt angry and upset.

As he fell asleep for the last time, he prayed that all of this was a dream, that his Mom would love him again, that he would stop feeling these crazy emotions, and that everything would be back to normal.

When he woke up the next day, Billy saw his Mom and Dad packing his belongings in boxes.

"Mom, Dad, what're you doing?" he asked.

"Honey, you're awake." his Mom said, "That's wonderful, we're packing you up to take you home, remember?"

Billy slowly nodded his head, "Oh yeah, that's right."

"Didn't sleep too well last night?" his Dad asked.

"Not really. I'm really looking forward to going home."

"And we can't wait to take you home," his Mom said.

Billy's heart leaped out of his chest. Maybe last night had been a dream? Maybe he had made it all up? His Mom seemed fine and he could feel... then it happened.

As the fog began to clear, he could feel them again. The calm happiness of his Mom, the relief of his Dad, but now he could sense the hallway too. There must be a scared patient passing his room, and also a frustrated nurse or something. Billy sunk back in his bed, defeated. This was terrible.

As his parents wheeled him out of the hospital, Billy shut his eyes and tried his hardest to close his mind to the swirl of emotions that surrounded him. It felt like everything was crushing down on his head, he almost couldn't take it anymore. At least when they started to drive home, they moved fast enough it was easy to ignore all the people out on the sidewalks.

His Dad looked at Billy in the back seat, "Son, you doing okay?"

"Oh Bill, you worry too much. I'm sure he's fine." his Mom chimed in.

Billy's Dad gave her a worried look, but decided not to say anything else.

When they got home, Billy went straight to his room. He told his parents that he needed to rest, but really he had some thinking to do.

What was happening? He changed his Mom somehow, and it was obvious that he could feel other people's emotions. But how?

"It must have been the truck chemicals," he thought. In fact, now that he was away from all those weird emotions and feelings, it was much easier to think.

"Okay," he told himself, "So, it seems like you can sense people's emotions and feelings, but not their thoughts. You can feel them at a distance, but you can't change them at a distance. And if you do change them, you have to be careful about how you do it. I don't know if Mom will ever be the same." And at that thought, Billy started to cry a little.

He realized that he was still really tired, laid down, and fell into a fitful sleep.

When Billy woke up, his Mom was busy in the hall. Billy knew this because he could feel the calm, happy dedication that had now become the hallmark of his Mother's emotions. Billy took a deep breath as he raised himself from his bead, the burns all over his body were healing but still hurt when he moved.

As terrible as this new power seemed, it was still pretty cool to have a power. He desperately wanted to tell someone about it, to confide in someone about what's going on. He couldn't tell his Mom or Dad because then they would find out what he did to Mom and he would be in big trouble. He had to find a way to fix Mom before anyone found out.

Just then Billy felt concern and excitement followed by a soft knock on his door.

## 

##  Chapter 5

"Ya, come in." Billy said as he laid down.

Grace poked her head in, then ran over to Billy and threw her arms around him. He felt her concern wash over him.

"Owww, watch it!" Billy said as her arms dug into his burns.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just so worried, about you." she said shyly and stared at the floor. The emotion changed from concern to something else, but Billy didn't know what it was exactly.

"Ya, well, I'm okay. I, um, I have something cool to tell you." Grace nodded, curious.

Billy started slowly, "This is going to sound crazy, I even think that I'm nuts, but somehow that accident changed me. I'm able to read people's emotions and I can change them too."

Grace looked at Billy like she didn't quite believe him, "What do you mean?"

Billy closed his eyes and he felt her curiosity but under that was a lot of fear, "Like right now, you are curious but you are also very scared. I can't read minds or anything, so I don't know why you are scared but I just know that you are."

"That's incredible!" Grace yelled out, then quickly covered her mouth. "That's amazing Billy, and you can change minds too?"

"Ya, but I don't want to, I'm not sure how to control it yet." and Billy told her about his Mom and how she didn't care anymore.

"So you told your Mom not to worry about you, and now she doesn't? Wow, I mean I'm sorry but, Wow! What else can you do?"

"I don't know Grace, this is all pretty new. I'm not even sure I want this ability."

She looked at him like he was crazy, "Of course you want this ability, think of all the people you can help if you're able to push people's emotions one way or the other. Jasper will never get bullied again."

Billy shook his head, "I told you, I just can't do that anymore, I can't push people. I just don't know if I can control it."

Grace smiled easily, "That's why you practice silly."

For the next few weeks, as Billy healed, he and Grace practiced using his abilities. They found some very curious things. They found that squirrels, dogs, and cats have feelings. But for some reason, no matter how hard he tried, Billy couldn't change their emotions. Grace said they were probably speaking different brain languages.

They also found that Billy could sense emotions from at least a house length away, but as he healed up from the accident and kept practicing, his range increased.

They started to go on walks after Billy was feeling better and began to practice pushing. Billy was reluctant at first. "I just don't want to hurt you, Grace, or anyone for that matter. It's just too dangerous."

Grace got a very serious look on her face, "Look here Billy, you aren't going to hurt me. I know you'll be gentle and I'll be fine. You gotta do this. If you can control your power then you can be sure not to have another accident, right?" Billy had to agree.

Grace would try to feel some emotions, like being scared or happy, but they were never genuine and so always seemed a little fuzzy in Billy's brain.

He said, "I guess they have to be real emotions for it to work."

This gave Grace an idea.

She ran over to a tall, narrow fence post and climbed up. Billy immediately felt her fear, "Grace, come down!" But she just stood on top, swaying back and forth.

She looked down at him and said, "Make me not scared, but go easy. Like gently touching with your fingers but in my brain or something."

Billy concentrated very hard and tried to go easy at the same time. He massaged the fear, but that didn't work. If anything Grace looked even more afraid.

She yelled out, "Billy, whatever you are doing stop. I'm really scared now!"

Billy backed off and tried to increase her confidence. Again, it only slightly worked and brought her back to her previous fear level. Billy tried it again but her fear wouldn't budge, so Billy tried speaking, "Grace, it's OK, you don't have to be afraid." He spoke softly, but nothing happened.

Then Grace looked in his eyes.

Suddenly Billy felt a connection, "Grace, you are just on a pole, stop being afraid of this." And almost instantly he felt the fear reduce to almost nothing.

This was incredible!

Grace smiled and jumped off the pole with ease. "That was great, but what if you changed me for good? We have to test." And she marched Billy off to a tall concrete wall. Grace was naturally afraid of heights so this was a real challenge.

She climbed up to the top of the wall and looked over the edge. A crippling fear gripped Billy's mind and he fell down into a ball, shaking and screaming. Grace back peddled and moved away from the edge, running down the embankment to see if Billy was okay.

She found him, curled in a ball, whimpering.

When Billy finally came to, he realized that this was not his finest moment. He shakily picked himself up, but Grace had to come over and help him up, "What happened Billy?"

Billy shook his head, "I don't know, it was like all the fear you had went right into my brain and it was too much. It felt like my head was going to bust open."

Grace gave him a slap on the arm, "Hey, one more thing to keep in mind. At least you know right? So just don't get around someone with really strong emotions. Do you think there's a way to block it?"

Billy shook his head, "Not that I know of, at least it didn't feel that way. I think I need to lie down." He and Grace walked slowly back to the house.

As they were about to turn a corner into an alley, there was a loud scream. They peeked around the corner to see Rick and his goons picking on a little kid. As Billy and Grace spied on them, he felt a storm of rage and fury building up from far away.

Then Rick began to glow bright red.

Grace gasped. "Billy, what's going on?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," he said through the pain. The anger and fury made him shake and now it was difficult to even keep his eyes open.

They looked again and Rick was lifting the little kid in the air like it was nothing. He was shouting something, it sounded pretty nasty, and then he threw the kid down the alley. Rick must have thrown him the length of two houses as the kid came skidding to a stop, right in front of Grace and Billy.

Grace immediately went to help and Billy tried to stop her but it was too late, Rick and his goons had already spotted her. They began to walk quickly toward them, Billy almost passing out from the strong emotions.

## 

##  Chapter 6

Rick didn't need to run. His prey was within sight, and his goon squad was right behind him. Billy fought back in his head against the intense feelings of anger and fury that threatened to overwhelm him, but it was too much.

Billy fell toward the ground but Grace caught him just in time. Billy turned his head toward his would-be attackers, looking them in the eyes, and mustered up enough inside him to yell out, "You are not interested in us, you are happy and content with who you are." Billy felt the changes take place in each of the goon's heads. But not in Rick's. The anger and fury lessened but it was not gone.

Rick's goon friends stopped in their tracks and then walked away, all smiles and whistles.

Rick stopped and shook his head, then he stared at Billy with even greater anger. The strong emotions began to overwhelm Billy's head again, and he told Grace they needed to go. Grabbing their new friend, they made their way out into traffic and across the street.

Billy glanced behind. He saw that Rick couldn't follow them fast enough.

They ran all the way to Billy's parent's house. Out of breath, but his head feeling much better, Billy thanked Grace for catching him.

"No... problem... any...time," she said between breaths. Looking down at the kid, "You okay there?"

The little kid smiled, "Thanks to you guys, I thought that bully was going to kill me or something. Man, wait until my friends hear about this!" and he ran down the sidewalk.

Grace looked over at Billy, "Do you think that will be a problem?"

Billy considered it, "No, he's just a little kid, no one is going to take him seriously. I'm more concerned about Rick."

Grace nodded, "Maybe you aren't the only one with super powers? Rick saw you though, I think you should watch your back from now on. He doesn't seem the type to let things go. This could get messy." She looked down at her watch and Billy felt her get anxious, "Hey, Billy, thanks for a great day but I really got to get home for dinner." She waited there a little awkwardly.

Billy didn't understand why she was acting weird, "Umm, ya, thanks again for helping and everything. See you tomorrow?"

Grace looked a little disappointed, "Sure, tomorrow. See ya. Hope you feel better."

As she turned to walk away, Billy felt anger coming from her and he couldn't figure out why, "I wish I could read minds instead," he said to himself.

As Billy walked into his house, his Mom was baking cookies and smiling to her herself. "Hi there honey," she said, "would you like a cookie?"

Billy was covered in sweat and he looked like he was sick but his Mom didn't seem to notice, "Not right now Mom, I'm not feeling too well."

His Mom kept smiling, "All right sweetie, they'll be here if you want them." And she went back to her baking.

Billy shook his head. His Mom didn't seem to notice that he wasn't feeling good, she still wasn't worried about him. He had to do something about this.

He looked his Mom in the eyes. He used his powers to look at her feelings and they felt like an ocean his mind, with different colors representing different emotions. In his mind's eye he saw some calm spots in the "Ocean of Emotion" and tried to change them. "Mom, it's okay if you are worried about me. I'm not always okay." He saw the calm areas start to ripple with movement as his Mom became agitated.

She looked at him and said, "I know honey, but I'm not worried about you, you are usually okay." She went back to baking, smiling away, and the ocean became calm again. Billy frowned and went back upstairs. Maybe it would take a long time, but he vowed to himself that he would fix his Mom, no matter what it took.

Back in his room, Billy went over every thing that had happened. He had these amazing strange powers and so far he hadn't been very careful with them. In fact he had caused more harm than good. Who knows if his Mom was ever going to get better? He would try to fix her but he didn't know if he could, or if it was even possible.

The only bright spot was that he had helped the little kid in the alley. He stopped the bullies but who knows how long it would be before they struck again, and he didn't know if the changes he made in Rick's goons were permanent.

"I'm going to learn to use my powers for good," he vowed to himself. Though he had no idea how.

Billy heard a the door close downstairs and went down to see who was there. As he made his way down the stairs, he heard his Grandpa's voice. His Grandpa had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and he was in pain all the time. Billy could feel his pain from the stairs and decided to help.

Billy ran down and gave his Grandpa a great big hug. He felt a surge of pain run through his Grandpa and Billy back off. Looking right at his Grandpa, he said, "I hope you are feeling better today, in fact you look like you are feeling better." Instantly he could sense that his Grandpa's mood improved and the pain lessened. Billy smiled, this was what he needed to do.

The rest of the day went normally, but as his Grandpa and Grandma were leaving, Billy could feel his Grandpa's pain come back and his mood dip again. It seems that small changes didn't stick, but big changes were there for good, or at least very hard to change back. He improved his Grandpa's mood again before he left.

The next day Billy was ready to go back to school. His Mom made a lunch for him and his Dad made a big deal about him being ready to go back.

Billy looked at him, "Dad, I'll be fine. I should get back to school." His Dad nodded and drove to the school.

The day went pretty smoothly until the end. Billy was late to his last class. When he turned the corner, he saw Rick and his goons picking on Jasper again.

Billy had enough.

He walked up to them and called out, "Hey, stop that!"

Rick and his gang looked up, Rick smiled, "Now you're going to get it."

Billy stood his ground waiting for the fight to come.

## 

##  Chapter 7

Jasper was laying on the ground, whimpering, while Rick got up and stalked toward Billy, goons following.

Billy braced himself as he opened his mind to the raging emotions coming from Rick, but his goon squad felt dulled and unresponsive, like they were doing this against their will.

Billy looked right at the group and said, "You don't need to do this, you feel like you don't want to, you feel loyal to ME."

The goons stopped, looked at Rick, then at Billy, and smiled at Billy.

Rick turned around and yelled at his former minions, "What are you doing! Come on!"

One of the bullies, Tom, said, "No, we don't have to do what you say anymore. Billy's our friend now."

Billy felt the rage in Rick start to mount, threatening to overwhelm Billy's mind. How was Rick able to avoid his commands?

Rick turned to Billy and pointed a finger, "You're gonna pay for this. Better watch your back." He turned and stormed away. Billy felt a cold hatred surrounding him.

Mr. Davis walked up behind Billy, "What's going on here Billy?"

Billy turned and saw a strange look on Mr. Davis' face, "Ummm, nothing. We were all just helping Jasper." And Billy walked over to Jasper and helped him up off the ground.

Mr. Davis didn't seem convinced, "Okay, well, get to class. Now. And don't let me catch you in the halls after class again." He said in his sternest voice.

Billy and the former Goons nodded their heads, Jasper responded weakly, "Sorry for the trouble Sir."

They picked up Jasper and moved slowly towards class. Mrs. Jenkins was waiting for them at the door and she did not look happy. Billy looked her in the eye and said, "You look like you're happier today Mrs. Jenkins."

Instantly her face lightened, and the frown turned quickly into a smile, "Why yes Billy, I do feel pretty good. Now you boys get in here, and sit down, we need to start class."

Billy grinned as he walked past, maybe school wouldn't be so bad after all.

During the next several weeks Billy used his powers sparingly. Small pushes to only the worst teachers, making them much nicer. Life couldn't have been better.

Rick didn't bother Billy, or anyone else for that matter. He sulked through the halls, giving everyone angry glances, but he wasn't a bully anymore. Billy felt the cold hatred growing, but never like the pure rage he knew Rick was capable of. After a few weeks, Billy didn't even see Rick anymore. Rumor had it that Rick had dropped out of school.

After everything that happened, Billy was very happy that things were working out so well. He didn't get picked on, bullying in the school had stopped all together, the teachers and students were all happy. Life was great.

One day Billy came home from school, and his Mom and Dad were sitting at the kitchen table. Billy felt a tension around them that surprised him. His Mom looked over and he felt genuine worry for the first time in weeks.

Billy had slowly been making changes in her, a little bit every day, and this was the first time that he'd seen any difference. This meant that the changes might not be permanent! Maybe he could fix his Mom! He smiled and his positive mood affected his parents, but only slightly. "Something must be really wrong," he thought.

His Dad looked at him and said, "Billy, we need to tell you something. Sit down over here, between Mom and I."

Billy sat down hesitantly, wishing once again that he could read minds too. Just knowing what they were feeling without knowing what they were thinking was maddening. His Mom reached over and took his hand, trying to give him a reassuring look.

Billy's Dad said, "Son, we have some news, and it's a very good thing, but it means some change." Billy was worried, parents only talk like this when it's bad news. His Dad continued "Well, I got a promotion in my job, which is a really good thing for us, but it also means that we have to move. And not a close move. We'll be moving far away."

Billy's mind was in turmoil, he asked, "How far? When? What about Grandpa? I was just starting to like school and everything... you can't be serious?!?"

His Dad merely nodded at him, "Yes Son, we're serious. And we have to leave within a week."

"Where do we have to go?" Billy asked.

"We're heading to a small fishing village in northern Alaska so I can study the indigenous people and take some samples of their soil and plants. It's a great opportunity but it does mean we'll be isolated for a while. I know this is hard but I'm sure we can make it work. And don't worry about Grandpa, Grandma will take good care of him." Billy's Dad looked hopeful.

Billy sat and thought. Away from all his new friends, from Grandpa, from Grace? And his Mom and Dad didn't know that Grandma needed help, her feelings and mood were not always the best. Billy could help with that.

Something else was nagging him, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. If he was alone in a village in the middle of nowhere, how could he help people? Would that really be where he was mean to be? Then, Billy had an idea...

Billy asked softly, "Could I stay here with Grandpa and Grandma? I could help them out."

His Dad looked uncertain. He obviously hadn't considered that possibility, but Billy detected a feeling of relief and he tried to enhance that. "I think that would make it easier for you two as well."

His Mom reverted to her changed self, "Bill, I'm sure our Billy will be just fine. There's nothing to worry about." Billy's Dad gave her a look that said he wasn't so sure about that.

Just then, Billy decided what he must do. With a tear in his eye, he got up and looked at both parents.

Using his powers he said, "Don't either of you worry about me, I will be fine. You can leave me here with Grandma and Grandpa and everything will work out. You can be certain of that."

Billy could feel his Dad becoming sure, and his Mom was even less worried. He told himself that it was for the best, Billy now had a plan.

After a week of packing and helping his Grandparents find room for him, Billy's parents were ready to leave. They each gave him a hug and a kiss on the top of the head, but that was it. Then they were gone.

Billy started to cry and ran up to his room. He had done a very good job of adjusting his parents, too good, now only if he could adjust himself.

## 

##  Chapter 8

When Billy woke up the next Monday morning, he saw his Grandpa standing over him smiling. As the weeks went by and Billy learned more about his powers, he had been able to help his Grandpa feel less pain. It was the least he could do.

"Up and at 'em champ," his Grandpa said, "I know you miss your folks, but you still have to go to school."

Billy glanced up from his covers, "Grandad, can I stay home today, I'm not feeling too well." Billy tried his hardest not to adjust his Grandpa to get his way.

His Grandpa looked down with sympathy, "I know you've had it tough the past few days, but... well. . . okay, just this once. I'll call the school, tell 'em you don't feel too well, which is true enough." He reached down and put his hand on Billy head, "It will get easier, even though it doesn't feel like it now."

When his Grandpa left, Billy laid in bed thinking about his next steps. He sent his parents away was to protect them, and so he could stay to protect his Grandparents. Billy realized that he needed to do more with this gift, he wanted to help more than just making his teachers nicer. What if he could make an even bigger difference?

Billy wanted to fight crime.

Grace came over after school to give him his homework and see how he was doing. Before she even came to the door, Billy felt her concern, but also that bubbly enthusiasm that seemed to be part of Grace's personality.

She burst through the door, "Hey there sleepyhead, wake up you sicky," she said with a smile and a song in her voice. Billy couldn't help but smile. Grace filled him in on the days activities. Apparently Jasper was becoming popular now that he wasn't being picked on. Billy was glad to hear that, but he wanted more, and decided to let Grace in on his plan.

When he told her, she looked him like he was nuts. "Wait, so your plan is to walk around at night, look for people committing crimes, and then try to change their minds?" Billy shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head.

Grace couldn't believe him, "That's stupid, dangerous, and reckless." Billy could feel her anger growing.

"It'll be all right, you feel better," he said trying to make her calmer. Grace began to relax, then all of the sudden her emotions snapped back in the other direction. Her eyes got very narrow, "Don't you DARE try to adjust me Billy. Never, you got it?" Billy nodded his understanding and watched as Grace stormed off.

"Sheesh, I was just trying to help," he thought.

Later that night, Billy felt the concern and bubbliness come back to his door and she knocked softly. He told Grace to come in and she silently entered the room with her backpack. She set it on his bed and started pulling things out of it. "My Dad was a cop until he got hurt on the job, so he has a bunch of old stuff in the basement. I figured you could use some of it." She pulled out an old police scanner, a bullet proof vest, a taser, an extendable baton, and some mace. Billy couldn't believe his eyes.

"Wow Grace, I don't know what to say. Thank you, this is awesome."

She gave him a cold look but Billy felt very deep concern, "It's not awesome, but I figured you were going to do this anyway so I want you to be as safe as possible." She put the pack away and showed him how to use the equipment.

The next night, Billy snuck out of the house to find some evil-doers. Dressed all in black, he tried to stay in the shadows, but he kept his eyes out for any suspicious activity. For the last hour he'd been on his bed, listening to the police scanner for criminal activity but hadn't heard anything close to his house, so he decided to patrol the neighborhood.

Just down the street, Billy saw some movement around a house. From across the street he could see three men, also dressed in black, trying to break in. Billy remembered that the couple who owned that house was on vacation, so these definitely weren't the owners.

At that moment, it occurred to Billy that he never thought about how he would stop criminals, just that he would make them feel different somehow. But in order to change them they had to look at him and hear his voice. That meant getting closer than was safe.

Grace was right, this was pretty dangerous. But he couldn't just sit back and let some crooks steal these people's stuff.

Billy carefully crossed the street, relieved that the street lights seemed to be out. The crunch of broken glass under his feet made him think the robbers had something to do with that. The crunching sound also made them stop and listen. Billy hid behind a fence and kept very still.

"You hear something," once voice whispered.

A more commanding voice snapped at him, "Naw, you're just being jumpy. Get back to work."

Billy moved quietly across the lawn, inching closer to the robbers. He could tell that they were almost inside and it might be too late by then. Still in the shadows, but looking right at them, Billy said, "Psssst."

"Now I know I heard something over there," and the robber pointed and looked over at Billy. This was his chance. In his best deep Batman voice he said, "You are scared right now, very afraid of being caught. So afraid..."

The robber screamed like a little girl. He ran down the street as fast as his legs could carry him.

The other two burglars looked in Billy's direction, "Who's out there...?" they asked but Billy was already talking, "You are afraid of being caught, the fear is too much, so scared of the night, of this house, of the police."

More little girl screaming, more running, the other two robbers took off down the street.

Billy couldn't have been happier. He found that it wasn't easy but at least he knew he could do it.

For the next few weeks Billy patrolled the neighborhood and used the police scanner to find any crimes in progress around his Grandparents house. Mostly he patrolled the streets, looking and feeling for anyone trying to hurt others. He stopped everything from house robbery to muggings and he even made some drug dealers stop dealing.

One night Billy was stalking behind a bank when he stopped abruptly. Moving in the shadows around the bank, four dark figures were trying to break in. Billy walked behind them and while still in the shadows he whispered, "Psssst." There was no reaction from any of the robbers. He tried it again to no avail.

Then one of the robbers heads turned right toward him. He had night vision goggles on, and from the look of it, their ears were covered. Billy got up to run but the robber was too fast and caught him.

Holding his hands behind his back, there was no way Billy could get to his weapons. He was stuck. When the other robbers noticed the commotion, the lead robber pulled out a gun and pointed it right at Billy's head.

## 

##  Chapter 9

One bank robber had Billy's arms pinned and another was coming at him with a gun. Billy had gotten in over his head.

From out of the shadows, a rope wrapped around the robber with the gun and pulled him into the darkness. Billy heard a soft thud and then nothing.

The other two robbers stopped and looked around in a semi-panic. "What was that?!?" one asked. Billy heard a 'zip' sound off to his right and the robber holding him was no longer holding him. Billy turned around and peered into the shadows, but couldn't see a thing. He felt someone's emotions though. It was a cold determination and hatred like he had never experienced before.

The last two robbers pulled off their masks and took out their ear plugs, but quickly pulled out their guns as well.

They called out for their friends, "Jim, Larry, you guys there." They walked toward Billy, pointing their guns in his face, "Okay, Kid, tell us what you did with our friends!" But this time he had eye contact and they could hear him.

"Nothing is wrong, everything is okay," he told them, "You feel happy, content, you feel like everything is right with the world. Don't worry about your friends." The robbers stopped, lowered their guns and looked at each other.

"You want to go grab a burger?" One said to the other.

"Ya, sounds good. I think the McDonald's on Pearl Street is open all night." The second robber said.

"Sweet, Big Mac here we come." the first said as they walked away.

Billy watched them leave but was startled by a voice behind him, gruff and old, "That's a neat trick."

Billy backed up as a figure stepped out of the shadows. He was tall and looked to be dressed in black leather from head to toe, a mask covering his face.

The stranger in black held up his hands, "Whatever you did to those guys, there's no need to do that to me. I think we're on the same team."

"Who are you?" Billy asked.

The masked figure chuckled to himself, "I don't have a name out here. Just tryin' to stop the punks and thugs in this town from causin' anyone more trouble. The real question is who are you, and how did you make those guys walk away like that?"

Billy eyed the tall man carefully, "You expect me to tell some guy in a mask. What's your name?"

The masked figure cocked his head to the side, like he was sizing Billy up, "The name's Walter," he said as he took off his mask. He held out his hand for Billy to shake. Walter had a firm handshake, and his piercing blue eyes never left Billy.

"Nice to meet you Walter, I'm Billy. Are you a crime fighter or something?"

"Something like that. I ain't no fancy superhero or anything, I just come out here and try to make a difference. How old are you anyway?"

Billy got defensive, "Old enough to be out here."

Walter asked, "So, you going to tell me what did you do to those guys? Cause I know they weren't thinking about McDonald's or burgers, then you said something to 'em and off they go, happy as anything."

Billy took a deep breathe and explained the accident, the hospital, and his powers to Walter. Something in his gut said that Walter was trustworthy, that he wanted to help Billy. Plus he didn't detect any feelings of deceit. After he was through, Walter let out a deep breath. "Well, I never thought this kind of thing could happen but I just seen it for myself. It must be true. Kinda got yourself into a pickle though, sometimes your powers don't work?"

"I have to be able to see their eyes and they have to be able hear my voice in order to adjust people. Those guys were all suited up and I didn't realize it till it was too late. I'll definitely have to be more careful next time."

Walter laughed, "Next time! Ha, you got some grit in you son, that's for sure. How about next time you have someone watching your back?"

Billy opened his senses fully so he could be sure to detect any trace of a lie or deceit. Nothing, only admiration and a desire to help. Walter was a good man, but there was a pain and deep sadness as well.

Billy asked, "You mean like fighting together?"

Walter rolled his eyes, "O'course that's what I mean, geez kid. Little thick ain't ya. One of these days you're gonna jam yourself pretty bad and I'll have to hear about it. Don't want that on my conscience. So I'll tell you what; you let me train you in combat and superhero stuff, and in return you don't go wandering out at night without me. Deal?"

## 

##  Chapter 10

Billy thought about what Walter said. He didn't detect anything wrong with Walter, in fact he seemed very honest. Billy decided that some training and backup would be a good idea.

"We can work together, but I want to know why you're fighting crime like this."

A surge of sadness and anger filled Walter's mind, "Honestly Billy, that's none of your business. I'll watch your back, but no questions, okay?"

Billy shook his head, "No dice. Look, I can feel your pain and hurt, I can help. I trusted you, now it's time for you to trust me."

Walter stared down at his shoes, "Guess you're right," he looked up, "You know, you remind me of my son. Long time ago, the gangs round here killed him, just shot him in the street like he was nothin'. Police couldn't do a thing, too scared or whatever. So it was up to me, I decided to stop 'em myself. Been doing it a long time, but this is the first time I've ever seen a person with super powers, much less a kid. Derek would have liked you."

Billy looked at Walter, "I'm real sorry about your son. I promise, I won't go out at night anymore without you, at least not until you say I'm ready."

Walter smiled, "Good, glad to hear you have some sense in that head of yours," he began writing something down on a piece of paper, "Here's my address, meet me there tomorrow after school and we'll get started."

Billy took the paper and put it away in his pocket, "Okay, deal. What're you going to teach me anyway?"

Walter laughed out loud, "Well, you'll just have to see. But I promise, after we're done, no petty criminal is going to take you down. See ya tomorrow kid." And just like that Walter was gone, into the shadows. Billy could still feel Walter's emotions, but disappearing like that was still a cool trick.

The next day went by very slowly as Billy waited for his training. Classes seemed to take forever, but when the last bell rang Billy was first out the door.

He rushed over to Walter's address, and stopped to sense out the place. Walter seemed like a good guy but a kid can't be too careful. He sensed Walter inside, feeling kind of excited, but Billy didn't sense any trouble. Walter was a good guy.

Billy went up to the door and knocked twice, no answer. He knocked again and nothing. Just then he felt a twinge of emotion, heightened excitement, somewhere behind him. Billy spun and there was Walter about 5 steps behind him.

Walter smiled, "Pretty good, did you sense me?"

"Ya, but almost too late," Billy said.

"Well, I was tryin' real hard to keep my emotions in check but don't worry, no criminals know about your powers so you probably don't have to worry about them sneakin' up on you. I just wanted to see if you were ready for anything. Okay, time to get started." Billy followed Walter into the house.

Billy didn't know what to expect from Walter's training, but he certainly didn't expect a full obstacle course in his backyard. Walter's backyard was huge, but it was all taken up by tubes to crawl through, nets to climb, ropes to swing on, walls to scale over, and moats to cross. It looked pretty intense.

Walter pointed to the course, "This is the first part of your training. You need to be swift and agile, able to dodge attacks. If you can make it through this course in under 10 minutes I'll be impressed. Start there," he pointed over to a blue tube, "You'll figure out the rest as you go."

Billy stared at him wide eyed, "Are you serious?"

Walter became very stern, "Ya, I'm serious. You want my help or not?"

Billy ran over to the blue tube and Walter started his stopwatch. As he went through the course, Billy realized that this was one of the hardest things that he'd ever done. Only halfway through, his muscles were burning and he just wanted to give up. Then he heard Walter shouting, "Come on! Keep it up! Don't give up now."

Billy kept going. As he crossed the finish line and looked hopefully at Walter.

Walter was shaking his head, "Took you 17 minutes to run the course, that's not good enough."

Billy was taken aback, "Are you serious? How do you...I mean. . . That's nuts!"

Walter smiled, "Maybe, but it can be done and you're gonna do it. Don't worry, we'll make a ninja out of you yet."

Billy stopped, "Did you say ninja?"

Walter kept talking like he didn't hear Billy, "But first you need some martial arts trainin', come over here and get ready."

For the next hour, Billy went through martial arts training that made the obstacle course look like a piece of cake. Walter said it was a new style of martial arts, kind of a blend of everything, and only a few people knew it.

"The best part," he said, "is that you can learn to do it real fast. But you have to keep practicing, that's the only way to become a master."

And Billy practiced. After school, on the weekends, even in his sleep. More than once he would wake up to find his alarm clock on the floor because he was fighting it in his dreams.

Even Grace came over once in a while to watch. Although she disapproved of him going out at night, she was happy that he was getting the training to make it more safe. She helped him train is mental powers in addition to Walter's physical training.

After weeks and weeks of training, Walter told Billy he was ready to go out.

That night they went out and found a lone burglar trying to get into a house. He was tearing off the screen to a window when out of nowhere a rope whipped around his middle and pulled him backwards onto the lawn. Billy quickly stood over him and changed his emotions to feel content with his life, eliminating the need to steal. The would-be criminal walked away whistling.

Night after night, Walter and Billy would patrol the streets looking for criminals and law-breakers. Together they were unstoppable, no bad guy could even see what happened.

One night, Billy decided to do something different. After being stopped from mugging an old lady, the robber asked what had happened. Billy decided now was the time to give himself a name. He told the criminal, "You were changed by the Moonlight friend." The mugger smiled and walked away.

"Moonlight huh?" Walter said.

Billy became defiant, "Ya, what's wrong with that? You got something better? You don't even have a cool name."

"Nope, I don't. Don't want one either. Why call attention to yourself, you know? But I guess Moonlight fits. Kinda growin on me, Mr. Moonlight." Walter laughed.

"Shut up Walter," Billy said, then he smiled, "I like it, Moonlight. Yup, that's my superhero name."

Soon, the name of Moonlight spread. Criminal and gangs spoke of it with awe, like the boogie man was coming to get them. They said that the Moonlight will get you, make you quit the gang, and sometimes simply make you disappear. Pretty soon, only the boldest criminals would go out at night.

One gang, the Black Piranha, weren't afraid of rumors and kept up their criminal enterprises. One night they were raiding an industrial warehouse for some high end computer equipment. They were almost done loading the stolen items in their truck when the leader noticed that one person was missing.

"Where'd Leo go?" the Leader growled.

"I dunno," said another.

"Go find him, now! This ain't right."

Suddenly, two of the four men standing by the truck disappeared into the shadows. The others only heard a whizzing sound and their friends were gone. The gang-bangers immediately stood back to back, peering into the dark, trying to see their attackers. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, Billy stepped into their view.

He had given himself a costume, with a hood and a long cape. Walter thought the cape was ridiculous but Billy was adamant. "All the cool superheroes have capes," he told him.

The Black Piranha leader and his thug looked at Billy with wonder, then they smiled.

"This is no place for a runt like you. Scram kid."

Billy smiled under his hood and mask, "You are feeling happy right now, and stealing feels wrong. You are feeling content and responsible. You feel like walking."

The gang members' eyes glazed over and they walked away with smiles on their faces. When they got far enough away, Billy did the same thing to the other three Black Piranha.

As they were walking home through the warehouses, Walter asked, "Hey, Billy. Are you sure you can just control emotions? Kinda sounded like you were putting thoughts in their head..."

Billy nodded his head, "All this stuff is a lot more complicated than I first thought. Emotions are linked to so many other things, I found that I can make people feel certain ways about things. I can still only read emotions though."

As Walter and Billy moved through the shadows away from the industrial park, two shadowy figures were listening to their conversation and monitoring every move. They'd been watching for weeks and now they had what they needed.

In a dark, old, abandoned house, Rick was passing the time playing cards. He heard a knock on the back door and went to open it. Standing just outside the light coming from the doorway were the two shadowy figures that had given him his powers.

Rick's face twitched in a snarl, "What do you want?" He asked.

"We have a plan to destroy Moonlight," they said, "and you will be our weapon."

## 

##  Chapter 11

The night was like so many others. Billy and Walter cruised around the city, listening to the police scanner, and keeping an eye out for any wrong doing. Crime had slowed dramatically in the past few months, mainly thanks to Billy's ability to make emotional changes. He could literally give criminals a change of heart.

"Ya know, if we keep this up, ain't gonna be no scumbags left in this city." Walter said happily.

Billy scowled, "Walter, you know how I feel about that word. These guys are just like you and me, they just went wrong somewhere."

Walter sat up straight, "They ain't nothin' like you and me, ya hear? I don't care if they got feelings and everything, criminals are criminals. Plain and simple."

Billy let it drop, he could feel the anger rise in Walter and it started to affect his mind. Anger was still the one emotion that Billy couldn't fight against, the one that bled almost immediately into his brain. No matter what he did, how much he practiced, that was still a big problem.

The police scanner crackled, "Attempted robbery at 12th and Stevens, Hollander's Jewelers. All cars be advised."

Walter got excited, "That's just a couple blocks away. We can take care of them before the cops get there." He swerved the car down a side street en route to the crime scene and they parked in an alley just down from the jewelers. They travelled the rest of the way through the shadows on foot.

They saw flashlights waving around in the store's windows, and they went to the back door. Walter cautioned Billy, "This is going to be close quarters. Watch my back, I'll watch yours and be quick when you change someone. Got it?"

Billy nodded, "Got it. Let's do this!"

And they crept inside through the open door.

Just inside the door, Billy could sense something was wrong. There was none of the excitement or fear that most criminals have, instead everyone was calm. But there was something else, something lurking in the back. Something red, and angry, and growing.

All of the sudden Walter and Billy were ambushed. Four black figures attacked from all sides and they fought with more skill than the common criminal possesses. These guys were pros.

"Ambush!" Walter shouted.

It was then that Rick stepped out of the shadows and turned on his full rage. Billy fell down from the power of it, unable to control the fury bleeding into his brain. It was stronger than he felt before, and it was taking over his mind.

Rick glowed bright red and started tossing jewelery cases like they were toys. The closer he got, the more he glowed, the stronger he became, and the more Billy began to feel the fury changing him. Billy began to scream out loud and thrash violently, taking a few of Rick's minions with him.

"Hello Billy, or should I say Moonlight. I told you I would come for you. Now, I'm going to show you just what my powers can do. Have you ever been broken in half?" Rick said menacingly.

Rick stood over Billy as he writhed and screamed on the floor. Just as Rick bent down to pick Billy up, a rope shot out of nowhere and pulled Billy away. Walter grabbed him and ran out the door, Billy kicking and screaming all the way. It was everything that Walter could do to hold on to him.

Rick pointed at the door, "Get them!" and the minions ran after Walter. But Walter had been at this for too long and had a few tricks up his sleeve. He saw the minions pursuing and grabbed a couple of silver containers from his pocket, throwing them behind him. They hit the ground with an explosion and white smoke poured out. The minions ran through the smoke but only made it a few steps before dropping to the ground.

Walter chuckled to himself, "Sleep smoke works every time. Settle down Billy!" But Billy couldn't settle down. The Anger had bled into his brain and took over. Billy was in an uncontrollable state of rage.

Walter took Billy back to his house and put him in the basement. He ranted and raged all night, until finally his body collapsed from exhaustion.

When Billy woke up the next day, he had the worst headache of his life. It felt like small knives were stabbing his brain and then twisting around. He could hardly think. He got up shakily and then tried to figure out where he was. He looked over in the corner and saw Walter whittling some wood.

Billy spoke slowly, "What happened last night? And why can't I sense your emotions? What's going on Walter?"

Walter looked confused, "I was wondering that myself son. You seemed to be mighty angry and there wasn't much I could do to calm you down. Eventually you passed out, and I've been keeping an eye on you since. How you holdin' up?"

Billy shook his head, "Not well. My head hurts so bad I can hardly walk, and I can't sense a thing." Then Billy remembered, "It was Rick!"

Walter looked interested, "Was Rick that other kid in the store? He was a strange one, never saw nobody glow red before, causin' all kinds of mischief. You know him?"

"He used to go to my school," Billy said, "But I haven't seen him a while. He obviously has powers and is somehow able to make me enraged or something. Like his anger is transferred right into me."

"Do you think you can stop it?" Walter asked.

"I don't know," Billy said, "But if I don't figure out a way, or my powers don't come back, I don't think I can fight crime anymore."

## 

##  Chapter 12

Billy's powers came back slowly, and the headaches went away, but now Billy had to make sure that this never happened again.

Billy and Walter practiced everyday, all day long. Billy was exhausted but he was getting better at controlling his powers with every exercise. Unfortunately the one thing he still had trouble fighting back was anger and fury.

Walter was tired as well. He found it wasn't easy to go through so many strong emotions in one day. The worst for him was anger, just as it was the worst one for Billy. All Walter had to do was think about the gangs killing his son. It still made him so mad, and since Billy couldn't block out the anger, it made Billy mad as well.

The tests were pretty straight forward. Billy would stand at one end of the basement, and Walter at the other. Walter would focus on summoning up an emotion, something strong enough that it would come through Billy's defenses.

While Billy was getting better, he just wasn't getting good enough. Walter was still getting through half the time, and the excess emotions really had effects on Billy. By the end of each day he was worn out, nearly unable to move.

After a week of practicing, Walter decided to give the kid a break.

"Hey, Billy, why don't you go over and see Grace. She hasn't been around in a while. I bet she misses you."

Billy blushed a little, "Ya, I suppose. Sure you don't need me to hang around?"

Walter shook his head, "Naw, you need a break and I'm sure Grace would like to know what happened to you. Go on, I'll be here tinkering with something in my workshop."

Billy ran out the door and over to Grace's house. He hadn't seen her in a whole week and he realized that he really missed her. "That's weird," he thought.

As he ran up to her house, Grace burst through the front door, ran up to Billy, and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Billy was stunned as she also gave him a kiss on the cheek. He could sense excitement and concern all over her, as well as something else. The feeling was familiar but he couldn't quite place it.

Grace said in rush, "Where have you been? I called over to your Grandparents house and they just said you were out. They kind of sound like your Mom did, did you change them? What have you been doing? Are you okay? Where have you been?"

Billy stepped back, "Whoa, slow down there. I'm fine, just ran into a little trouble last week. My Grandparent's are fine too, I just made sure that they didn't worry about me too much. Not like my Mom but similar, makes it easier for me to train at Walter's without them asking questions."

Grace was full of concern, "What happened last week?"

Billy told her about the jewelery store, Rick and the ambush, the emotional bleeding, and how Billy had been afterward. Grace was astonished.

She gave him another hug, "I'm so sorry, do you think you can stop it next time?"

A deep worry crossed Billy's face, "I'm not sure. Walter and I have been practicing, a lot. But there are just some emotions, anger especially, that I just can't block out. They get through no matter what I do."

Grace hesitantly asked, "Can I come over and maybe watch? Just for a little while..." she quickly added.

Billy smiled, "Ya, I'd like that." Grace beamed in return and they walked back to Walter's together.

When they arrived at the house, the door was slightly ajar and there were no sounds coming from inside. Walter usually had a record playing or you could hear him banging away in his garage. But now, nothing.

Billy could hardly sense anything inside the house. It was like there was something, but it was all fuzzy. That was the only way he could describe it to himself.

Billy put Grace behind him as he went through the front door first, carefully, slowly. He was ready for an attack. Out of nowhere, the fuzziness turned into pure anger and fury. Billy fell to his knees and gripped the floor. He turned his head slightly and saw a man standing next to him.

Grace shouted, "Walter, stop it! Your really hurting him!"

The anger went away, and Billy put down the residual emotions that were building up inside of him.

Walter looked seriously at Grace, "I know honey, but you weren't there the other night. If we don't train and figure out how to beat this, Billy can't fight anymore. In fact, it wouldn't be safe for him to be in this town at all."

Grace looked shocked and surprised, "Help me get him up. He looks worn out already."

Billy looked shaken but resolved, "I'm fine, it's always like this. Hey, why couldn't I sense you right away? It was like everything was all fuzzy or something."

Walter grinned, "Guess my new helmet worked, for the most part that is." and he tapped on the top of a shiny black bowl, "It's designed to emit an electromagnetic field that interferes with the signals you get about emotions. I've been studying you and your powers and I think this helmet might help."

Billy looked at the helmet with some caution, "It looks like a biker helmet, will this help me fight the anger?"

Walter looked hopeful, "Only one way to find out..."

Billy sighed and put the helmet on, adjusted the strap, and braced himself. Walter positioned himself across the room while Grace watched from the kitchen. Walter thought about his son being killed by the gangs, and he became increasingly angry.

The helmet was working. Billy could feel the anger rising around him but he was able to keep it from overwhelming him. Then, out of nowhere, the anger found a way in and it bled throughout his brain. Once again, Billy fell to the floor. Walter calmed down and helped Billy up, setting him down on a chair.

Billy looked up with tired eyes, "Well, it almost worked. I could make it stop for just a while but eventually it got through. It's not perfect but it should help."

Walter looked doubtful, "That kid Rick is a lot more powerful than me. I don't think this'll hold him back. Here let me see it." and he took the helmet off Billy, and made some adjustments. "Okay, let's see if that helps."

Billy gravely nodded his head. He didn't want to go again so soon after but Walter was right that he wasn't safe until they figured this out. Billy put the helmet on again and set his feet. He was ready.

Walter became angry again, even madder this time. Billy held it off as long as he could but eventually the anger found a way in. Just as it was overwhelming him, he heard Grace shout out "NOOO!" and he turned his head to look at her.

Suddenly Billy was filled with other emotions, and they formed a white hot light in his head. He thought about Grace, Walter, his parents, his grandparents, and all the people he cared about. The white light in his head grew brighter and he was able to push away the anger. Anger couldn't fill his head because it was already filled with Love.

Billy straightened up and smiled at a very angry looking Walter. Walter stopped and looked curiously at Billy, "You're not on the floor. How'd you do it?"

Billy glanced over at Grace and said, "I realized that I had to feel something stronger than anger and fill my head with that so no anger could get in. I just thought about the people that I loved..." glancing over at Grace again.

Grace began to blush, "I'm, uh, glad you were able to figure that out." She stopped talking but she had a smile that just wouldn't go away.

Walter was smiling too, "Well good for you son, glad you're gettin' the hang of this whole thing. You think you can fight back?"

Billy looked back at him with a grin, "Only one way to find out."

They practiced for the rest of the day and Billy didn't fall down once, he was able to fight back every time and turn Walter's anger into contentment. He was ready to get back at Rick.

Tired, but happy, at the end of the day he looked over at Walter and said, "I think I have a plan."

## 

##  Chapter 13

The word got out pretty quickly that the Moonlight couldn't hurt them anymore. Criminals all over the city had more confidence and roamed the streets without worrying about something in the shadows, waiting for them, trying to turn them away from the life of crime they were pursuing.

And Rick was their leader.

At first, many gangs couldn't believe that this kid had what it took to lead them, but when he began to toss around refrigerators like they were softballs, those gangs payed attention.

Night after night the gangs went out into the city and pillaged, terrorizing the citizens. Police were overrun, but they did their best. Unfortunately their best just wasn't good enough.

Rick led the charge each night, attacking industrial warehouses, convenience stores, banks, whatever they could get their hands on. He was causing terror all around the city.

One night, one of his lieutenants told him about a warehouse a couple miles away from the city that was supposed to have a huge stockpile of electronics. Rick seemed interested.

"And how did you find out about this little gem?" Rick asked.

"I got my sources," the lieutenant replied, "But I checked it out myself. It's legit."

Usually Rick's gang just followed his lead, they didn't bring up jobs on their own. He was suspicious of the information but he liked the initiative this man was showing.

Rick dismissed the lieutenant with a wave of his hand, "I'll think about it. Now get out of here, I need to think."

As the door closed, out of the shadows stepped a man with no face. The Shadow Man.

Rick didn't look surprised to see him, "What do you want?" He growled.

The Shadowy Man's voice was amused, "Are you enjoying your powers Rick? You seem to be making the most of them."

Rick snarled, "Look, I'm doing what you asked. Why're you showing up now? There something else you want me to do?"

"In fact there is young man. The warehouse does indeed have the electronics your "friend" told you about, but more importantly, at the heart of the building is a vault with something of special interest to my Master. You will retrieve it for us."

Rick looked reluctant, "What is it?"

"You will know it when you see it. Just be a good boy and go get it, bring it back here. If you decide not to, I don't need to remind you what will happen..."

Rick began to glow red, "Ya, I know. I'll get it for you." The Shadow Man nodded and then disappeared.

Rick took his best men and they went to the warehouse that night. The guards were taken by surprise so it was easy to get in. Once inside Rick called in the transport trucks they had stolen the night before. He turned on the lights and saw huge shelves stacked high with boxes. There was enough loot here to live off for a long time, however, his concern was deeper in the building.

As he walked through the aisles, he felt the anger growing. It wasn't hard, he had a real good reason to be so mad. His skin started to glow red as he felt the fury build up inside of him. Just ahead of him was the vault.

The vault was solid concrete and steel, and normally would be nearly impossible to penetrate without a bomb or some serious artillery. Luckily for him, Rick's fists would do the trick nicely.

He walked up to the side of the wall and began to punch through the wall, pieces of concrete and metal flying everywhere. After a series of swings, he was able to squeeze inside. In the center of the room was a glowing ball of light inside a protective cube of glass, all by itself on a pedestal.

Rick went over to pick it up and immediately the alarms went off, blaring like an air raid horn above him. He took the cube, stuffed it in the bag he was carrying, and quickly headed back to the entrance of the warehouse.

Something seemed wrong though. Then he realized that his men weren't loading the loot onto the trucks.

That's when he saw Billy and Walter standing at the entrance, with Rick's gang behind them.

Rick laughed coldly at Billy, "So, I guess this was your doing? Nice work tricking my lieutenant like that."

Billy smiled, "It wasn't all that hard, just a simple suggestion and he seemed to go for it. It's over Rick, put the bag on the ground. The police are on their way."

Rick laughed out loud, "Do you really think I'm scared of the police anymore? There ain't nothin' they can do to me. But first I'm going to show you what I'm going to do to them." and he walked toward Billy.

The gang, now loyal to Billy, tried to stop him. They all rushed forward and fought him as a group. They weren't enough. Bodies were flying everywhere, Rick at their center, glowing bright red. Within thirty seconds it was all over and his men were all lying on the ground, not moving.

Rick snarled at Billy and Walter, "What else you got? You can't stop me. I know about your power but you can't fight my rage, it's too much. Now get out of my way."

Billy remained straight faced, "I can't do that Rick, you just have to go through me."

Rick smiled wickedly, "No problem," and he ran at Billy with fists bared for attack. As he got closer he realized that this was different from last time, Billy wasn't falling down. In fact, he seemed to be smiling.

Billy felt the rage building up all around him, threatening to take over. The helmet was working well, but it was Billy's thoughts of Grace that kept the anger from getting the best of him. He smiled as he thought of her. He looked right at Rick and said, "Stop this, you don't need to be angry anymore. Feel calm."

Rick stopped dead in his tracks. Shaking his head like he had a spider in his hair. "What are you doing? Stop it! You don't understand, I have to do this!"

Billy pressed harder, "No, feel calm. No more anger, no more. You don't want to hurt me."

The glow went away and Rick crumpled to the ground. He began to sob, tears freely falling to the ground.

Walter and Billy walked over. Walter cautioned, "Be careful, might be a trap."

Billy looked more concerned, "I don't think so, but watch my back just in case."

Billy came up to Rick and put a hand on his shoulder. Rick looked up and all Billy saw was a scared kid, no sign of the angry monster he was before.

Rick spoke through his sobs, "They're going to die now. There's nothing I can do. He took 'em and now he's going to kill them."

Billy leaned down, "Kill who Rick?"

"My parents. This guy took them away and said if I wanted them back that I had to do what he said. He even gave me my powers to make it easier. Said that he wanted a kid cause no one would be looking for a kid. He's the one who told me to lead the gangs and break into this place. But I failed, now he's probably going to kill my folks."

Billy became more worried, "Who is going to kill them? Maybe we can stop him?"

Rick shook his head, "I don't even know who it is. He hides in the shadows, pops in like a ghost. I don't even know his name. It's hopeless man." and Rick started to cry harder.

Billy looked Rick in the eye, "I promise that I will help you find your parents. If we work together we can stop this man and get your parents back."

Rick stopped crying and started to sniffle, "Sounds good, but I don't think there's anything you can do. I'm just going to take the bag back... wait where'd it go?"

The bag Rick had been carrying was missing. Rick swore out loud, "He must have got it. Guess it saves me a trip." He said, defeat thick in his voice.

Billy became more earnest, "Seriously Rick, we can find this guy and take him down."

Rick waved him off and shook his head, "No, you can try but I'm done. I ain't gonna to bother you anymore, and I'm not gonna tell anyone. Truce, okay?" Rick offered his hand.

Billy shook Ricks hand, "Sure, truce. But if you ever need me, you know where to find me."

"Ya, I know. See you around Billy." Rick ran out of the warehouse.

Walter put his hand on Billy's shoulder, "Hey, we gotta get out of here. Cops'll be here soon."

Billy nodded and they made their way out of the warehouse, with the sirens off in the distance.

Out of the shadows, two dark figures stepped out, "Very interesting. Our Master will be upset of course, but at least we retrieved the sphere." The tall one said.

"The glowing one was merely a pawn, he doesn't matter. We can make more like him. The other one, the one that can control emotions, that might be a different story. Our Master is expecting us, we should return." the other said.

And they retreated into the shadows just as the first police cars pulled up.

## 

##  Chapter 14

After the exciting night in the warehouse, life was pretty normal for Billy. He played and trained with Grace during the day, and at night went out and fought crime with Walter. Now that Rick had been defeated, the criminals in the city were a lot more cautious. The rumor on the street was that the Moonlight shined brighter than ever.

Soon, summer was ended and school started again. By now Billy had gained a lot more control over his powers, and he was able to use them wisely. He didn't really try to control teachers anymore, but he did stop the occasional bully from picking on kids.

All in all, life was pretty good.

What Billy didn't see was that he was being followed. Two shadowy figures were always creeping, following, and documenting his every move. They were gathering information to take back to their Master. By the start of school, they had enough.

The two shadowy figures move easily through the night, making their way to an abandoned house just outside town. It used to be a mansion, a great palace, owned by a very rich man who was also very cruel. When he died, he had no family and the house fell into disrepair.

The shadowy figures slithered up to the front door and whispered the secret password, "Chronos". The door slowly swung open, and the shadowy figures entered. As they climbed the stairway, they heard sounds from above. The sounds of a weeping child.

As they came to the top floor they saw a dark figure on a throne, with a cage to the side of the room. Inside the cage was Rick.

The first shadow spoke, "Master, the boy is growing in his power. He will be ready for you soon."

The other shadow nodded her head, "Oh yes, he will be ready. What else do you require of us?" and they bowed.

The figure on the throne laughed, a deep, dark, ugly laugh. Rick cringed and trembled at the sound of it. "My servants, the time will come soon, when all will be my slaves. And young Billy is my key."

The End

#  Preview of The Tales of Big and Little – Doom of the Three Stones

Available for Purchase Now!

## Chapter 1

The Pizza Crust army marched forward, raising their swords and clubs, shouting a menacing pizza-crusty roar! The soldiers in the Army of Light stood their ground, but they knew that this was the last battle. The pizza crusts attacked, swinging wildly, hacking away. The Army of Light pushed back with all their might, but it simply wasn't enough... just then a great explosion in the sky blinded everyone for a moment.... wait a minute, I'm sorry, that part's at the end of the story.

The beginning of this tale starts with two dogs, Big and Little. They were like any other dogs; they loved to play and get into mischief. They barked and howled, and rough housed and cuddled. But these dogs were in love with one thing, something they wanted more than anything else in the whole world. Cheese.

Glorious, wonderful cheese. Cheese that melts all ooey-gooey in the mouth. Cheese that tastes like heaven itself. They loved cheese so much that they searched for it every day. But lately, cows had begun to disappear and cheese was harder to find. No one knew why the cows had gone, they just went away. And everyone knows that cows make the best cheese.

One day, they were walking around the neighborhood when they came to a fence. Through the fence they could smell that wonderful, delicious smell; the one that made their hearts leap. CHEESE! They got up close to the fence and looked through. What they saw was a wonder to their eyes.

Through the kitchen door of the house, was the largest platter of cheese they had ever seen!

Big looked down at Little, a small bit of drool escaping from his watering mouth, "Oh Little,", he whispered, "I want the cheese soooo bad."

Little nodded her head toward a hole in the fence, "Look over there, we could get in and take just a little cheese. No one would notice."

They both smiled. As soon as they got to the hole and started to poke their heads through, they heard a noise.

Suddenly, two huge, mean guard dogs came out of nowhere and snapped at Little's ear, almost taking a piece off. Big and Little scrambled back onto the sidewalk.

They were both breathing hard from fright, "Two guard dogs!" Big exclaimed, "How will we get in now, Little?"

But Little was clever, and usually able to think her way through these types of situations. She walked around the perimeter of the fence and surveyed all their options. The guard dogs followed them, watching through the fence and growling ferociously.

Then she looked up. Connecting the Cheese House to the building across the street was a thick bundle of power cords. If they could get up to the top of the building across the street...

Big tried not to look down. There they were, 50 feet above the street, on their way to the roof of the Cheese House. The cord swayed gently in the wind, but if you are ever suspended on a cord far above the ground, that sway sure doesn't feel gentle!

Big whimpered at Little, "Little, I don't know if this is worth the cheese."

Little looked back, "Not worth the cheese? Just think about how good it will taste! Trust me, we'll be okay."

Big always trusted Little. So they kept walking carefully, placing one paw in front of the other. Once they got to the roof they had to find a way into the house. Luckily, the owners had left a window open in the attic and they easily slipped through. They were almost there, they just needed to get down into the house and the cheese would be theirs!

Big and Little walked slowly over to the hatch that led from the attic to the main house, creeping softly so they didn't make too much noise. They carefully opened the hatch and looked down to see if the coast was clear.

"Grr...Ruff, Ruff!!!, Bark...grrr...Bark!!!!" The guard dogs were waiting for them, making such a noise. They couldn't get down that way!

Little looked around and spotted a small hole in the wall. It looked like the only other way to get down into the house. As they crept over to the mysterious hole, a voice called quietly from behind some old boxes, "I don't know if you want to go down that hole, you never know where it will lead."

Big and Little jumped back and watched curiously as a small Gnome stepped out from behind a large box. He was smartly dressed, with a red hat and a blue coat, carrying a cane that he spun in one hand. He wore a happy smile that made the dogs want to trust him.

"Let me guess," began the Gnome, with a jolly laugh, " You're both after that cheese downstairs?" The Dogs just nodded their heads. The Gnome nodded his in return. "Aye, it's the only thing worth braving those beasts to get. I'll tell you what, if you can help me with a little problem I've been having, I will help you get the cheese." He looked from Big to Little and raised an eyebrow. "Deal?"

Big looked over at Little with pleading eyes. Cheese. Little returned his look of longing. Cheese. With unspoken agreement the two smiled, looked over at the Gnome and said in unison, "Deal!"

The Gnome jumped in air and yelling "Huzzah!" And enjoyed a brief victory dance. Then with a smile he said, "Okay, now we can go down the hole!"

The dogs looked at him cautiously. "Where does it go?" Little asked.

"Where do any magical tunnels go?" The Gnome replied with a wink. "Wherever you need them to!" He looked seriously at Big and Little, "We're off to my home, and to help me with my problem. Come on!" The Gnome jumped through the hole and disappeared.

Big and Little called out for the Gnome, but no one answered back. With a long sigh, Big steeled himself and said " A promise is a promise," He looked once at Little and then jumped through the hole. Little, not wanting to be a coward, but not trusting the hole completely, hesitated. She told herself, "If Big can do it, then I can too."

Tentatively, she put one paw through the hole. Nothing happened. With a deep breathe she took the plunge into the dark tunnel, and began to fall faster and faster down into the darkness...

## Chapter 2

Little flew from the tunnel onto a smooth, rather springy turf. The grass was the softest she had ever felt, like the silk blanket at home she was forbidden to lay on. Little wanted to roll around in it for a while, but then she looked up!

Little stared in wonder at the light pink sky which was, she thought, just like when you get to lick a candy cane and the colors run together. Next to a bright orange sun, spanning across the sky were seven moons, all different shapes and sizes. Little had never seen anything like it.

Big and the Gnome had already gotten to their feet and the Gnome was searching the horizon. Big was just standing, mouth hanging open, staring at the sky.

"They were right here when I left," The Gnome whispered to himself, but the Dogs could still hear him.

"Who are you looking for?" Asked Big.

The gnome looked at Big and said, "The Crusts."

Big and Little had no idea what that meant; they looked at each other in confusion. There was a low rumble and the ground began to shake beneath their paws.

On the horizon, marching over the hill, came an army of pizza crusts. The Gnome jumped into a battle stance, pulling out a fold-able battle ax. Big and Little looked at him in amazement. Big turned back to the advancing crusts. "What are...I don't...how did..." he managed to get out. "What do we do? Is this the favor you wanted?" Little asked.

The Gnome looked at the dogs and said, "I know that this is frightening, but I wouldn't have asked if I didn't think you were up to the challenge. I was sent to your world in search of help. Maybe you are the two of legend, the two who will save us all! We shall soon see." Pulling himself to his full, if insubstantial, height the Gnome looked from Big to Little. "Let's defeat some pizza crusts!" he roared. And the Gnome sprinted with surprising speed toward the crust army.

Big and Little, encouraged by the Gnomes words, began to charge as well, baring their teeth and growling. The attack was terrible. The Crusts were armed with clubs and sticks, though some had small knives. These weren't enough to do much damage, but they could still hurt badly.

The Dogs rushed into the crust army behind the Gnome and immediately started to bite and chew. Big took a bite of a Crust and tasted it's buttery goodness. "These Crusts are Yummy," he thought to himself and attacked with extra fervor. Dodging clubs and batting away knives with his paw, Big was starting to enjoy himself, but he was also getting very full. He looked back to see if Little was okay, just in time to see a crust jump from behind and land a heavy blow with his club. She let out a whimper and then crumpled to the ground.

"Noooo" Big cried out as he trampled through the remaining army to get to Little. He stood guard over her body, and devoured any crusts that dared come close.

The Crusts were quickly disappearing. Between strikes from the Gnome's battle ax and Big's ferocious appetite, they didn't stand a chance. Eventually the last of the Crusts ran back over the hill, shrieking in high pitched, annoying voices.

The Gnome yelled after the retreating crusts, "Go on, run you cowards! Good riddance!" and then went over to Big and Little. Big was licking Little's wounds and making sure that she was taken care of. The Gnome knelt down and laid his hands on her head. Sparks of light shot out from underneath his hands. All of the sudden Little's eyelids fluttered and she smiled up at the two. "Did we get 'em?" she asked.

"Oh yes, we got them," Big told her, and then moaned. "and I am so full."

The Gnome laughed, "Thank you my friends. I can't tell you what a treat this has been. I have a feeling this is just the beginning. Now, about your little cheese problem..."

"Wait just a minute!" Little said as she stood to her feet. "What. Just. Happened?!?" she demanded. "We were attacked by pizza crusts! How? Why?"

The gnome looked at her seriously, "I wish I could tell you the whole story, but you probably wouldn't believe me. I ask you to trust me. If you are meant to understand all of this, it will be revealed to you in due time. If you are not meant to understand, then you are probably better off not knowing. As for this little adventure, these Crusts chased me into the tunnel where I found you and I could not defeat them without help. So I thank you and ask you to trust me once again." The Gnome looked hopefully at Big and Little.

Little didn't want to believe him, but she couldn't help it. Something about him just seemed good and trustworthy. He had such a kind and wise face. She nodded her head, and Big did the same.

The Gnome jumped with joy, "That is fantastic news! Now, let's go get your delicious cheese!" And he threw himself back into the tunnel.

Big looked at Little and said, "After you".

With a last look back at the lovely grass, which still begged to be rolled in, Little smiled at Big and entered the tunnel. They were on their way back to the real world. But one thing was bothering Big: how were they going to get past the guard dogs?

# Preview of Sean Ryanis & The Impossible Chase

Available for Purchase Now!

## Chapter 1

A lone spaceship blasted through hyperspace, intent on its destination. Its captain, Sean Ryanis, stared at the view screen, tapping the console impatiently. Worry lines creased his face and his mouth was turned down into a terse frown. His co-pilot Shaker glanced over at his partner and told him to chill out.

Ryanis grumbled, "If we miss this job, I don't know when another's gonna come around. Can't we push engines any faster?"

Shaker looked doubtful, "Their already at maximum. If we push 'em harder and they break, we don't have the parts to fix them. Don't know 'bout you but I don't want to be stranded in dead space. Like I said, chill. We'll get there in plenty of time."

Ryanis fell silent, he knew Shaker was right. Their ship, the Tiberius, started out as an old junky transport until he and Shaker got their hands on it. Over the years they turned it into the best independent frigate in the galaxy. But it still wasn't a good idea to push it too far.

It had been 4 weeks since their last job and supplies were running low. They were heading to the Firnote Quadrant because they heard the local magistrate needed of a couple of ships to transport goods into dangerous territory. The Tiberius had just enough fuel to get there, so this trip was a big gamble.

Ryanis closed his eyes, leaned back, smiling to himself as he thought about the 'dangerous' situation that lay ahead of them. He didn't know what the magistrate's idea of dangerous was, but Ryanis and Shaker had probably seen worse.

The loud blaring of the Tiberius' alarm shook him out of his daydream. The paticular noise let them know that it was a local planetary distress call.

Without opening his eyes, Ryanis said, "Shaker, turn on the coms, let's see what it is."

Shaker rolled his eyes, "Need I remind you that we only have enough fuel to get to Firnote and that's it. If we take a detour, there's no more payday. And remember what happened the last time we took a detour? I believe the Duke and Dutchess on Kloxon 9 still have a warrant out for your arrest."

Ryanis smiled wider at that thought, "I know, I'll be good. Can't hurt to listen, right?"

Shaker muttered sarcastically, "Can't hurt to listen..." as he flipped on the comm switch.

The speaker crackled and a pretty voice filled the ship's cabin, "All available fighting ships, the planet Martosis is under attack by a Malogan strike force. We are taking heavy losses. More enemy ships are arriving by the second. Bounty will paid to all independents able to destroy at least 5 enemy ships. Please, help us... All available fighting ships..." The message repeated.

"Hear that? Bounty!" Ryanis began to adjust the controls and set a course for Martosis. Shaker knew better than to get in his way, especially when it came to his instinct for money. Somehow Ryanis always knew the right angle to play and they usually ended up on top.

Despite his faith in his partner, Shaker was still a little nervous, "Fighting Malogans isn't my idea of an easy bounty. In fact, it's downright dangerous." But as he spoke, Ryanis' eyes sparkled.

Ryanis reached over and slapped Shaker on the shoulder, "Don't worry old buddy, I won't let anything happen to you," he said. He punched the hyperjump control and the Tiberius entered hyperspace on route to Martosis.

The ship jumped right in the middle of a full fledged war zone. Hundreds of ships shot across the sky, laser beams shooting everywhere. Explosions lit up space like a fireworks display. This wasn't exactly what they signed up for.

Just then, two Malogan fighters locked onto the Tiberius.

## Chapter 2

The black Malogan bubble fighters closed in on the Tiberius.

Ryanis told Shaker to buckle up as he swung the ship wildly to the left. The Malogan fighters tried to keep up, but their engines weren't nearly as powerful. Ryanis looped down and back around to come in behind the fighters and Shaker took them out with the quantum cannons.

With no more ships nearby, they were able to survey the battle. Shaker studied the monitors, "Looks like the Martosis forces know what they're doing. They're focusing all of their fire power on the main Malogan Command cruiser. If a Malogan flagship goes down, the rest of their forces usually retreat."

Ryanis smiled at Shaker, "See, isn't this more fun than hauling cargo?"

Shaker sighed as Ryanis pushed the engines to maximum, streaking into battle.

Malogans are the most feared species in the known galaxy but from everything that Ryanis had heard they weren't this powerful. At least not powerful enough to assault such an advanced world. It seemed his information was incorrect.

As Ryanis sped through the battle zone, Shaker fended off the bubble fighters. The ship bolted toward the Malogan command cruiser, a huge black cylinder hanging in space. The skin of the enemy ship looked smooth, only interrupted by the intermittent launch of more fighters.

Ryanis positioned the Tiberius for firing and Shaker set the Quantum cannon for maximum power. The light blue blast pierced the command ship's hull and they saw a small explosion as they raced across the length of the cruiser.

Ryanis laughed, "That got their attention."

"Bubble fighters right behind us," Shaker growled, "And they're gaining."

Ryanis banked hard and skimmed the very surface of the command carrier, hovering inches above the smooth black surface. The bubble fighters struggled to keep up and several crashed into the cruiser's hull.

The Tiberius pulled away and prepared to make another attack run. Ryanis looked off to the side toward the planet, "Looks like more ships are landing, it's all out invasion. Never seen the Malogans quite this aggressive. Must be something down there they really want."

Shaker nodded but kept his eyes on the monitors, "Ryanis, there are too many fighters in the attack path. We'll have to circle around."

"Nonsense," Ryanis said with smirk, and gunned the engine while performing a high speed loop maneuver. The Tiberius went up and around, then swooped underneath the cruiser rocketing towards the unprotected belly. Shaker fired at maximum strength again.

The blast was blindingly bright as a fire ball erupted from the hull. The Tiberius headed strait for the cruiser, but Ryanis pulled away just in time, barely touching the hull. The loud scraping sound and Shaker's worried look reminded Ryanis to be more careful next time.

The alarms went off again, this time it was a constant ringing. Shaker quickly went to the scanners, "Two frigates on either side of us, they're locked on!" he said.

The scanners showed two red dots moving closer, then two yellow dots appeared moving even faster. The alarm turned into a screech.

"Two Ship-Ripper missiles coming right at us, from both sides." Shaker said as he stared in horror at the monitor.

# Preview of The Lost Princess in Winter's Grip

Available for Purchase Now!

## Chapter 1

The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and everything was right with the world. Annabeth strolled across the village square with a slight skip in her step, swinging a basket at her side. The smile on her face said that she loved her life and she was very content.

Her family was not the wealthiest in the village, in fact they didn't have much money at all. But they were well well respected and what they lacked in money they made up for in love.

Annabeth's mother sent her out for the weekly groceries. The day was beautiful and Annabeth was happy to help.

Annabeth lived in a small cottage at the edge of town. Her father made a living as a handyman, doing odd jobs around town. If anyone in the village needed something fixed, they went to her father. Unfortunately he was a little too good at his job, because when he fixed something it always stayed fixed.

Once someone came to him and told him that he would get more business if he just didn't do such a good job. But Annabeth's father would not compromise his values, "If I don't do my best," he would say, "then how can I look my daughter in the eye?"

He made enough to feed the family, but while they couldn't afford to go to the theaters or eat at the fancy restaurants, her family was happy to have each other. They made up plays and songs, acting them out by candle light after dinner. They played games and read the few books they were lucky enough to own. All in all, they were very happy.

Annabeth skipped up to the small, yellow front door of her cottage, "Mom I'm home," she sang as she opened the front door.

Her Mother looked up from the dishes she was washing, "Any trouble sweetie?"

Annabeth smiled, "Not a bit. Today was a beautiful day for a stroll. Where is father?"

Her mother sighed, "Out looking for new projects. God bless that man, he just works so hard."

A loud voice came from the door, "Did I hear someone talking about me?" Annabeth's father came in with a grin from ear to ear, "My two beautiful ladies. Look at you Annabeth, you're positively radiant."

Annabeth blushed and did a twirl for her father. He gave her a big hug and then went over to her mother for a big kiss. She giggled like a school girl as he tickled her a little bit. "Now you stop it," she said with a laugh,"Annabeth, help me with these dishes."

And that was Annabeth's life. Not very exciting but it was nice and usually very happy.

Later that day, just as Annabeth was finishing with her chores, there was a loud banging on the door.

"Mom, there's somebody at the door." Annabeth said.

"Well, go see who it is." Her mom shouted back.

Annabeth went to the door and looked out the peephole. She saw a smallish man standing there in fancy, regal clothes, looking rather impatient. Behind him was a large group of similarly dressed people. Annabeth backed up from the door and straightened out her handmade dress. When she thought she looked presentable enough, she opened the door.

The regal looking man smiled when he saw her, "Ah, yes, you must be Annabeth. Am I correct?"

"I am she. How may I be of service to you Sir?"

The regal man looked confused, "No, not at such. My name is Parcell, and I represent their Royal Majesties, the King and Queen. They wish to speak with you."

Annabeth was astonished, "Me? Why would they wish to speak with me? I am but one of your Majesties' humble subjects."

Parcell smiled, "Be that as it may, my masters have graced your home with their presence. Would you leave them standing out on the door like beggars?"

Annabeth noticed that in the large group behind Parcell stood two figures, taller and more beautiful than the rest.

Annabeth bowed, "Please forgive me your Highnesses, I had no idea you would be here. Our humble home is yours."

The Queen spoke with practiced grace and a honey tongue, "My dear child, of course you did not expect us. Please fetch your parents, we have much to discuss with them, and you." She and the King strode through the open door.

Annabeth's mother came into the room, "What is all this racket. Annabeth, who was at the door?" When she saw the Royal couple, she kneeled gracefully, "My apologies your royal Highnesses, I did not know you had come."

The King bellowed a deep and rich laugh, "Of course, but here we are. Please, stand. Where is your husband? The Queen and I must speak with you both."

Annabeth's mother looked over at her, "Dear, please fetch your father as quickly as you can. He's off in the woods working on one of his projects." Annabeth left without a word.

When they returned, the King and Queen and Annabeth's mother were silently standing in the living room. Her father bowed and said, "My Lords, you grace us with your presence. What can a humble tinkerer do to assist you today?"

The King looked grave, "You must have seen this day coming. You see, Annabeth is not your child. In fact, she is ours."

## Chapter 2

Annabeth's father briefly lost his composure, "What? How can that be? There must be some mistake!"

The King's eyes flashed, glowing with a ferocious intensity, "You dare to question the King? If I say this is so, then it is so. You are no one to question me."

Annabeth's father regained his bearing, "Of course your Highness, my deepest apologies. It was merely a shock. Everyone in the village knows my wife can't conceive a child so we thought it was a blessing Annabeth was left on our door step. We couldn't have known she was of such noble birth. If we had known, we would have returned her to you immediately of course."

The King's face brightened up, "I believe you would have. At the time, we were so embarrassed at the loss that we decided not to make it public. I'm sure you understand."

The Queen spoke up, "We have missed her so much these many years, and now we have found you Annabeth. You must come with us now."

Annabeth's parents both began to protest but the King held out his hand, "Please my good people, this must be done. Parcell, show them the documents."

Parcell came into the room holding a stack of scrolls in his hands, "I think that if you read these, everything will make sense."

Annabeth's parents could not read well, but they had made sure that Annabeth learned how to read and write. She went over the assembled documents and realized that they were royal birth certificates and decrees stating that she was born 16 years ago.

Annabeth looked up at the Royal couple, "It looks to me as if these records are correct, but please, my Lords, I ask you to let me stay here. This man and woman, your loyal subjects, have served you well in caring for me. I beseech you, let them continue this charge."

The King and Queen looked surprised, "Well said my Dear," said the Queen, "You will do well in the royal court with a tongue such as that. I'm afraid that you must come with us. I know it will be hard but it's for the best." The Queen looked like she was trying to make her face seem motherly, but it was such a foreign practice to her that she failed immediately.

Annabeth looked to her adoptive parents for help, but they both stared at the ground. Her father glanced over at her and sadly shook his head. She knew that there was nothing he could do.

The King smiled as he saw this, "Well, excellent. It's all settled then. Annabeth, Parcell will help you pack your things. Hurry along now."

Annabeth looked at him sullenly, "Yes...Father."

The King quickly became angry once again, "You will address me as is proper. I won't remind you again. Now be off with you." The Queen looked equally enraged.

Annabeth went with Purcell to collect her things from her room. There wasn't much, so it did not take long.

"Just think," said Parcell as he held up one of the few dresses Annabeth owned, "Soon you will have all the clothes and jewelry you could ever want. You won't have to wear these dirty rags anymore."

Annabeth snatched her worn dress from his hands and put it in the sack. Her mother made that dress especially for her, and she would keep it always to be a reminder of how much her parents loved her. Her new parents did not seem as loving.

When they returned to the living room, Annabeth's mother was sobbing into her father's shoulder. It was all Annabeth could do to keep from crying herself.

The King nodded toward her parents, "You may hug them good-bye if you wish."

Annabeth wrapped her arms around both her parents, she did not want to let go. It seemed so cruel to be ripped away so suddenly.

The Queen's face tightened and became very stern, "Come now Annabeth, we're going."

Annabeth reluctantly let go, "Yes Moth... I mean Your Highness." she said and trudged out the door. As she glanced back, she saw Purcell hand her father a rather large bag. She could only assume it contained some kind of payment. "At least they would have something," she thought to herself. But just then she saw her father refuse to take reward. She smiled to herself, she could her him saying, "If I take this, how can I look my daughter in the eye?" She hoped against hope that she could see them again one day.

They entered the Royal coach, a magnificently ornate carriage. The doors were trimmed with gold and inside there were soft cushions and silky fabrics. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

While the cushions were soft, her new parents were anything but. They sat across from herself and Purcell, saying nothing and keeping to themselves. Purcell on the other hand was full of information and talked the whole way to the castle, filling Annabeth in on the various coming and goings of the kingdom. She politely listened but her mind was otherwise occupied.

A cold wind blew through the carriage. The sun was shining brightly but the cold was everywhere, it seemed that in the past few years it was always a little colder than the year before.

After many hours of travel they came to the Royal castle. The castle was surrounded by a large town, bigger than any Annabeth had seen before. It was teeming with activity, hustle and bustle filled the streets. Annabeth was fascinated by all the people.

"Close the shades, I don't want anyone seeing us," the King commanded. It was the first time he spoke the whole journey. Purcell complied and Annabeth saw no more until they reached the castle.

Once the carriage stopped, Annabeth and Purcell stepped out followed by the King and Queen. There was a large, bowing group of people waiting for them. Annabeth assumed they were the castle's servants by the way they were dressed. In front were several large men with sharp looking spears. These must be the Royal guard Annabeth thought to herself.

The King turned to face Annabeth, "Come with me. You will now be taken to your room." He motioned for the Royal Guard to follow. The Royal couple led the way into the castle, followed by Annabeth and Purcell, and the royal guard marching closely behind them. "So much security," Annabeth thought.

Once inside they climbed up a long stairwell in the corner of the castle. It felt like they were going up a tower, but Annabeth couldn't be certain. Once at the top, they stopped in front of a large, solid looking door with two small metal slots.

"Open the door Purcell," the Queen said. Purcell pulled out his keys, unlocked the door, and opened it with great effort. The door seemed very heavy.

The Queen pointed to Annabeth, "In you go."

Annabeth hesitated, this didn't look like a room for a princess. This looked like a prison tower!

The Queen became impatient, "Guards, escort this girl to her room." The royal guards roughly pushed Annabeth through the door, causing her to stumble. Before she could turn around, the door slammed closed and the top slot slid open.

Annabeth heard the Queen's voice, "Welcome to your new home, Daughter. I do hope you will find it to your liking." The Queen spoke to the guards, "Make sure she doesn't make too much noise and feed her once a day, understood?"

The guards spoke loudly, "Yes your Highness, it will be done as you say."

Annabeth cried out, "Why are you doing this? What have I done?"

The Queen looked through the slot, "Why? You were born my Dear, isn't that enough?" and the slot closed with a snap.

Annabeth was alone, trapped in the prison tower, all alone.

# About the Stories

There are moments in life that we cherish, small seconds of bliss spent snuggling with our precious children. "Mommy, tell me a story." "Daddy, can I have a bedtime story?" These requests offer time to pause from our hectic everyday routine, a chance to share an adventure together.

My wife and I have read to our son from the time he would listen and encouraged him to read from the moment he began recognizing letters. From "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to "The Chronicles of Narnia" we have read one book or gone through a series of chapters each night.

However, we have discovered that most books are not designed or written for bedtime. Sometimes a chapter takes half an hour to read through. Sometimes one of us would fall asleep part way through, and not necessarily our son! Sometimes, a chapter was too short, or too boring, or so full of detail that it was difficult to get through.

I created this story as a brand new adventure, told in a serial fashion, so that your child is captivated throughout the entire tale. Each Chapter ends in a cliffhanger to help build excitement for the next installment. Whether you are reading before bed, during the day, on a long car trip, or while standing in the grocery checkout line, these stories are quick and customizable for your storytelling needs.

You, of course, are the storyteller and you know best what your audience will most enjoy. If you want to read two or three episodes at a time, then feel free to do so.

If at any point you become tired of simply reading the text as written, feel the need to add lib and insert your own characters or ideas.

Just remember, story time with your children is about having fun and making memories. You are well on your way to making some memories they'll never forget.

# Some Storytelling Advice

What is the key ingredient of a good story? It is the conflict and cliffhanger, the elements that add tension and throw our characters into precarious situations. A good story is thrilling, exciting, unpredictable; an adventure. What if we could spark imagination, transporting our child with us to another world?

Imagine the joy on their faces as you tell incredible, reality defying tales, throwing your arms about to emphasize a point or pantomiming an action sequence. Hear their giggles as you craft a ridiculously silly voice for the villain of your story. Create priceless memories and bond with your little ones through the power of shared experience.

Here are some tips to make things easier:

Make noises, sounds, and different voices – Depending on your kid, you might find they remember the sounds more than the story itself.

Don't feel stupid – All that matters is that your kid loves it. If they think you sound awesome, then have faith and overcome your fear.

Make gestures that extend beyond 1 foot from your body - Don't constrain your movements; make the most of your arms and legs

Make faces - When you are in character, it is definitely okay to make your face reflect the emotions or the actions of the character.

#

# More Titles By Josh Kilen

The Tales of Big and Little: Part One Doom of the Three Stones

The Tales of Big and Little: Part Two Shirlee's Revenge

The Tales of Big and Little: Part Three The End of the Worlds

Sean Ryanis & The Impossible Chase

The Superhero Chronicles: Birth of Moonlight

The Lost Princess: In the Beginning

Or get all 4 stories in one book!
