THE GATE KEEPER

Jules Gabriel

Description

Sixteen-year-old Phil Smith is an athlete thriving for excellence while being confronted by bullies at seemingly every turn. But everything is about to change when a stranger makes a brief introduction into his life, partially revealing a future revelation about Phil. As the teen and his single mother try to determine the stranger’s identity and why he knows Phil’s darkest secret, a chain of unexpected events unfolds.
When two detectives show up at Phil’s door and ask him to accompany them downtown for an interrogation, nothing is as it appears to be. As his reality is altered on the way there, every step forward becomes risky. While Phil embarks on a quest to learn more about his future in order to better understand his current situation, danger lurks at every corner as he travels through an unknown futuristic world. As he relies on his martial arts skills and instinct to survive, he must do everything in his power to save himself, uncover the reason why he is enduring this ordeal, and return to his own time.
In this thrilling tale, a teen journeys into a futuristic world where he must first attempt to survive and then somehow find his way back to his former life.

Sujets

• Thrillers
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Xlibris UK
• Date de parution: 25 juin 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664117938
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE GATE KEEPER
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jules Gabriel
 
Copyright © 2023 by Jules Gabriel.
 
Library of Congress Control Number:
2022911444
ISBN:
Hardcover
978-1-6641-1792-1
 
Softcover
978-1-6641-1791-4
 
eBook
978-1-6641-1793-8
 
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
 
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
 
Scripture quotation marked “KJV” is taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Public Domain).
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
Rev. date: 06/19/2023
 
 
 
Xlibris
UK TFN: 0800 0148620 (Toll Free inside the UK)
UK Local: (02) 0369 56328 ([phone] from outside the UK)
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CONTENTS
Prologue
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
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
 
 
 
 
 
To the two special people in my life—my mum, who inspired me to read and escape into the magnificent world of fiction and my daughter, who inspired me to be a better dad by simply being a part of her life.
 
 
 
 
‘That Christ may dwell in your hearts and faith; that ye,
being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend
with all saints what is breadth , and length , and depth , and
height, and to know the love of Christ, which possess knowledge,
that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.’
—Ephesians 3:17–19 Saint Paul
PROLOGUE
High school, 2012
Frightened I was for sure. It wasn’t that I had exercised my right to become a criminal but for the sake of dating my dream girl. I couldn’t turn around to face her or talk to her. My gut feeling that the class knew the truth haunted me. Though it was a warm Monday, not yet hot, I felt sweat dripping down my back, and under the pressure of her unanswered promise, it became worse.
It was already afternoon and still no answer from her. She promised to at least give me an answer. I confronted my thoughts. I had made a gamble to spill my guts for the price of love rather than to sit and never at least try to be a man for once. Though fourteen years old, I knew I had to put childish things to the past and try to start a new chapter towards becoming a man.
Two days ago, at home, Dan had told me about the girl he fancied from school. ‘Come on, dude. You can tell me. I told you mine. Now it’s your turn,’ he’d said as he teased me.
‘Well you know her,’ I said.
‘No, dude. I’m in the dark here,’ he teased. ‘Help me out.’
‘Hailey,’ I responded.
‘Is it Hailey Lace?’ he asked.
I gave him a nod. He made an expression of excitement, which I could not yet comprehend. ‘Oh my God, dude. You must be kidding. She’s fit. I mean she’s great!’ he exclaimed.
Surprisingly, I had to respond and seek for reason. ‘Dude, calm down, she’s not my girlfriend.’
‘That’s why you gonna buzz her, dude!’ Dan exclaimed as he combed through the yellow pages. ‘Awesome choice, dude!’
He then searched for the Laces’ phone number based on the possible address matches. We both knew where she lived. She was approximately five blocks down the road. Hailey had to take the main public road that went straight between our family’s house and the school. She had done so since we were in kindergarten. That was when I had first gotten a chance to know her. My love for her had started as puppy love and grown into a teen crush. I became her secret admirer. She was the one I felt I would love for a long time.
‘And what do you suggest I say to her?’ I asked, sounding inexperienced and dumb.
‘The truth, dude!’ he responded excitedly.
He examined the addresses closely and found only three that might belong to her mother and father. He took a gamble and phoned one. As it rang, Dan handed over the phone to me. He held his left ear close to the receiver, kept quiet, and listen to the ring tone along with me. It rang once, and we waited. On the second ring, I wanted to hang up, but he hold the phone firm and slowly shook his head, from left to right. Gesturing not to end the call.
I agreed. After the third ring, we heard, ‘Hello,’ in a voice that belonged to an adult female.
Dan smiled and gave me a friendly tap on my shoulder.
I inhaled and exhaled, searching for the right words and said, ‘May I speak to Hailey, please?’
The voice from the other end seemed concern and asked, ‘Hailey?’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ I said nervously, wondering if we’d actually gotten the right number.
‘One moment please,’ the person at the other end said.
Jackpot , I thought.
We waited patiently. I tried to free my mind from the pressure of fear. I thought about the words she would want to hear from me. Surrender was not an option, especially when I had the presence of a good friend backing my emotions and witnessing my brave act.
‘Hello?’ a young, soft female voice said. She sounded confused.
An unexpected call, I thought . I let out a deep breath. Then I responded to the unforgettable, lovely voice. ‘Hailey?’
‘Yes,’ she said, still sounding puzzled.
‘It’s me, Phil,’ I said.
‘Phil Smith?’ Hailey confirmed.
‘Yes,’ I respond fearlessly.
The line went silent. An answer—a reason I was calling—was what she wanted.
Not wasting time, I pulled myself together. ‘I phoned you to tell you that I like you,’ I said.
The line stayed quiet.
‘I would like for us to be more than friends,’ I continued. ‘And I would also like to meet you, possibly at my place if you want?’
The line remained silent.
‘I would like to know what you think,’ I said, feeling uneasy. ‘And maybe you could give me an answer.’ The fear of a negative response was in my head. I wanted to avoid an embarrassment, but it was futile. The deal was in motion.
‘I’ll give you an answer on Monday morning,’ Hailey responded, her voice, being strict and calm.
Excitement faded, and a chill of fear kicked in as my subconscious realised I was still in the class waiting for a sign of what her decision might be. My classmates murmured among themselves as we waited for the next subject teacher to make her entrance. I was speechless, sweats of fear dripped over my body as I waited for an answer from Hailey.
This morning, I went straight for her. I had conquered my fear and walked towards her. She was with her friends. She looked stunning, with her long black hair, brown eyes, and beautiful light brown skin. It was the mix of Indian and Caucasian blood that gave her, her unique beauty, which I had innocently fallen for.
‘I came for your answer,’ I said.
Her friends didn’t feel my presence. They were sharing the weekend news of their private lives.
‘I’ll talk to you later,’ she said, her manner friendly.
All I had wanted was to make her my girlfriend. Even if I was young and I had never been in a girlfriend-boyfriend relationship, I was willing to make it work. She would be my first love. My intention was purely teenage companionship with a member of the opposite sex—someone to share my heart with. Then in the long term, we would become more than friends. Perhaps in the long term, there would be a possibility of a mature relationship, though I knew the future was uncertain. It could neither be controlled nor mended.
She gave her word that she would give me an answer , I reminded myself. My mind fought the clouded thoughts that ran through it. I couldn’t comprehend or accept the delay. Must have been compromised, my inner self said quietly . It can’t be. She’s not that type, I thought.
The class was no longer murmuring. Most were talking aloud. Amid the drone, I could hear some whispering.
‘Tell him,’ said a girl at the back of the room.
Have I been betrayed? I searched for a lonely answer from within. Still frightened, I sat still and listened, trying to make sense of the whispering amid the loud conversations.
‘Yes, tell him,’ another girl from the back said.
‘Phil Smith!’ a female voice shouted at me.
I recognised the voice instantly, and I could not believe it. The tone felt a bit too harsh and cold. Unbelievable , I thought. It was Hailey, the one my heart longed to be with. She had brought the noise of the class to a halt.
Busted , I told myself. You need to face this and take it like a man. I turned towards her like the rest of my classmates had.
There she was, beauty in disguise and both of her hands resting on her hips as she said aloud, ‘Don’t you ever, ever phone my house again!’
‘What happened?’ someone from the back asked.
My heart raced with adrenalin, fear, and utter embarrassment—all of it was a shock to my system. Pathetic, uncontrollable shivers of shyness took control of my body. I wanted to get away, but I couldn’t. I con