Excerpt from the novel: James Yeun and the Ethereal Bloom Prologue On the 14th of March, two babies were found bundled up on the steps outside of the Boston Public Library, which, unfortunately, would not have been entirely unusual save the fact that the two stone lions that had stood tall on their pedestals on either side of the stairs inside the building for more a century were now curled around the boys as if protecting them. This puzzled the people of Boston, seeing as stone did not normally move in this plane of the world, but to those watching these events transpire, it was in no way unusual. Eventually, the whole event was chalked up to vandalism, because, nine times out of ten, people would rather blame any abnormality on crime rather than even begin to ponder the impossible. The two boys were taken to a local orphanage. When unwrapped from their blankets, the only identification on the very clearly newborn babies was two matching necklaces, each a gold pendant inscribed with an illuminated ‘J.’ ‘J Yeun’ for the dark-eyed baby, and ‘J Robinson’ for the blue-eyed one. The orphanage workers, who were not paid enough to name little loose babies off the streets, gave them the first two names that came to mind: James, quite unoriginally, and Jason, as the second worker had been on a bit of a Greek mythology binge recently. As the years went on, no one came forward to claim them, and they grew up together in the orphanage, side by side. It was clear they were not related by blood, as Jason grew to be a strapping, blondhaired blue-eyed confident, friendly child while James stayed small and
scrawny, with dark, almond-shaped eyes and a distinct distaste for social interactions and an affinity for science. Despite their differences, Jason finding fun in sports and theater- his first love performances of all kind- and James sitting on the side of the recess yard under a tree with a good book and even better thoughts, they stayed close friends, intrinsically linked by the subject of their birth, but beyond that, the bond of brothers. Every night, as they lay in the cramped attic space Jason had charmed the old lady who ran the orphanage into letting them renovate into a private room, they talked about all the theories of who their parents were: leaders of a mafia or a secret society, wizards, or gods. James had always found fantasy impractical, but the light their stories brought was prize enough for him. Jason never thought their existence was normal- how could he? Two babies, the babies who moved lions of marble- it was too good to be true. He held himself with importance, and his pride showed like gold. James, on the other hand, was always skeptical. The reality was disappointing, why hope for magic only to be met with disappointment? But both boys could always feel the energy in the world around them, whether it was when they lay silent in bed with the lights off or hurrying home through the city as the sunset on the horizon. The darkness always seemed to watch them, waiting, listening, poised to strike. That was the one thing Jason could never feel optimistic about. It was the one thing no amount of reason could overcome for James. It was an unspoken understanding between them when the light darkened and their hands slipped together, squeezing as they walked faster and faster, jaws tight
and hearts pounding. While others dismissed it as a child’s fear of the dark, James and Jason both had an indescribable understanding of that danger in the shadows. Unbeknownst to them, their intuition was right. Nothing is more dangerous than the void. Chapter 1 Ah. March. Home of both the coldest and warmest days of a thawing spring. Unfortunately for James, whose hands were constantly as cold as ice, it was the first. He and Jason were on their way home from school after another grueling day of sixth grade, a day as bland as any other, save for the fact that it was their shared birthday. Unfortunately, the weather of Boston didn’t seem to think this was worth celebrating, nor did anyone else in the world. The streets were wet and icy, dirty snow and slush piled up on the edges of the sidewalks. The sky was grey and overcast, the sun hovering over the horizon, and the air a biting 18 degrees. The day was nothing special, but James could only smile at the thought of their birthday celebration. They had saved up all their meager allowance for two cupcakes and a movie, and their annual tradition of pillow forts and staying up past midnight never failed to bring warmth to James’s chest. Beside him, Jason chattered on like the air was eighty degrees and the world was bright and sunny. Despite everything, he radiated heat- a stark contrast to James, who was bundled in as many coats and sweaters as he owned. “You know James, I get that you hate intermediate school, but we’re so close to being finished! Just a month or so more, right? Then we’re off to middle school- we’re gonna be so big and responsible and we’ll get to a world where 43
