“One day, I’m going to be just like you—a badass lawyer.”
I study the pair. They look so alike, the only difference in the variation of blue in their eyes. The older one sports a pair of deep dark blues, while the younger’s are more of a sapphire blue.
The young man’s face drops. “Don’t be like me. Be better.”
“Oh, I will. You didn’t get into Harvard, but I will.”
The young man laughs. “I’m sure you will, buddy. I’m sure you will.” He clinks his glass bottle against the boy’s bottle, and they both drink.
Harvard? Shadow went to Harvard. Is this little boy Shadow? I watch the pair sit in silence. The boy looking hopeful and proud, while the young man looks troubled, even sad.
“Hey, can you make me a promise?” the young man asks the boy.
“Yeah, anything for you.”
“Promise me that when you become my age, you’ll use your powers for good. You’ll help those who need it and build them up to make the world a better place.” He looks away, a far-off look consuming his handsome features. “There are too manybad things—bad people—in this world. The world needs more integrity.”
“Like us,” the boy says proudly.
“Yeah, like us.” The young man sets his beer down and retrieves his pocketknife. “Let’s make a blood promise.” The boy eagerly places his beer down and holds out his hand.
First, he makes a cut along the boy’s palm. His smile never wavers. Then the young man makes a similar cut in his own palm. He grips the boy’s hand in his.
“Promise me that in your position of power, you will only ever do good, no matter how tempting corruption may seem. You will always stay on the right side. You will help others, build up those around you, and make them better, stronger.”
The boy nods. “I swear on my blood.” The young man kisses the back of the boy’s hand and squeezes it.
“If you break your promise, I will know.”
The boy shrugs. “I know. But I’m good for it.” The young man brings him in for a side hug.
The two of them settle into funny conversation and bond. Why am I seeing this? Confused, I slowly turn around, taking in my surroundings. There are no other boats on the water.
The young man tells the boy to come into the cabin and starts the engine, but it doesn’t start. “Hold tight. I think something is wrong with the ignition. If I can’t?—”
A violent explosion suddenly erupts, sending the young man flying backward into the air. The boy is forced back as well. Another explosion causes the yacht to descend quickly into the ocean.
I run over to the young man, who lies face down. Over half of his body is burned. Then, I check on the boy, “Get up! Wake up! The boat is sinking!” I yell.
“You can’t interfere. It’s a memory. Just watch.” That same voice as the young man speaks next to me. There isn’t muchtime. The boat sinks further. I continue to watch as my heart wrenches.
The young man groans. “Tyler,” he whispers. He coughs and sputters. Pulling himself up is too much effort for him. “Tyler.”
The boy lifts his head and looks around, dazed. With wide eyes, he shouts, “Toby! Toby!” He gets to his feet and runs over to Toby’s body. “No, no, no, no. Toby!” He bends down, grabbing his arm. “Please be okay—please be okay.” Tears form as he turns Toby over.
“Get help,” Toby mutters between coughs. “Use your magic and get out of here.”
Tyler shakes his head. “I’m not leaving you.” He grips the hand not burned by the explosion.
The yacht shakes and begins to tip over. “Get out of here!” Toby wheezes.
The boat flips, tossing them into the icy ocean water. Tyler clings to Toby, desperately struggling to swim to the surface, but his brother’s much larger body starts to drag Tyler down with him.
A speedboat comes into view and slows down near the wreckage. One man grabs his head in disbelief, while the other man shines a spotlight in the water. “Strap! Strap! Get your shit together man and call for a rescue.” He nods and searches his pockets for a phone. The other man jumps into the water. After Strap ends the call, he too jumps in to help search.
Eventually, both men bob, gasping for air before they head back down again. Helicopters in the distance permeate the air, along with a rescue boat.
I hold my breath in anticipation. Strap emerges and swims toward the boat, carrying a lifeless boy’s body. He clings to the side of the boat with one arm and hangs on to Tyler with the other. Strap yells, “Help! Help! Over here! Help!”
