That Place

"To hell with the rules!" Tyler slammed his fists on his desk as the teacher gasped at his outburst. "Why are they making us go there? Don't we have a choice?!"

The teacher suddenly changed her expression, leaned forward and glared at Tyler, "One more, young man, and its detention! I'll say this again; I have talked it over with everyone's parents and obtained permission for me to do so. Anyone NOT going will automatically fail!"

Tyler slumped in his chair defeated; softly grumbling to himself. He was sure his parents knew of 'that place' but he had thought it was optional to attend, but no, Tyler and his classmates were being forced against their will to go to 'that place'.

Tyler was lost in thought, when the Teacher interrupted him. "Mr. Gibbs, I suggest you pay attention to the rest of today's lecture. There are several key topics that will be discussed on the test." Upon hearing 'test', his eyes shot up, as did the rest of the class. "Excellent! Now that I have everyone's attention! I'm sure plenty of you have wondered how I got permission from your parents. The answer is simple; I requested this field trip quite some time ago and they all agreed it would be 'educational'." Several moans broke out from the students in the class, but the teacher quickly shut them up. "Continued whining and moaning will get you detention. Last warning!" There was a long pause before she continued, "Before time runs out, your weekend assignment is to write a 5 page research paper on the place we are visiting on Monday. You can find the assignment at the door on your way out."

The teacher then sat down in her big wooden chair eyeing every student in the classroom to find any sign that would give her an excuse to use 'detention' on them. The room was deathly quiet, not a sound was being made. Suddenly, the bell rang, causing the entire class to jump. The teacher suppressed her chuckle as she watched the students depart.

Once Tyler was outside, he nervously opened the assignment packet, which he had been eyeing for a few seconds. His eyes carefully read the terms and conditions of grading before finally reading the topic. He fully expected to see the name of 'that place' but still he hoped against all hope. His attention was diverted to the sounds of gasps and 'oh my gods' as the rest of the class looked over the assignment. Tyler stood there staring with his green eyes focused on some of the reactions. He almost chuckled, but suddenly remembered how he first felt when opening the assignment.

"Ugh, what a bitch. I swear she is a witch of some sort, like she can read our minds." Tyler spoke into the wind out loud, but not loud enough for anyone else to hear.

"I agree, Ty." Tyler jumped and turned around with his eyes wide. He was staring at his best friend Will, who shared the same class, but attended it at a different time."Geezus, Will, you scared the shit out of me!"

Will crouched down to check for leakage but found none. When he stood back up, Tyler was looking at him like he was an alien.

"Hahahahaha, just makin' sure nothing was leakin' out."

Tyler whined, "Not funny! But please don't scare me like that."

"Sorry, but ya should have seen the look on your face. It was... priceless!"

Tyler rolled his eyes and much to Will's amusement, he giggled some more. The giggling abruptly stopped when Tyler asked Will what his thoughts were on the homework.

"It creeps me out to think of going there. I don't know about you, but something tells me I don't completely trust Ms. Dent." Will looked around some before moving towards Tyler to whisper in his ear, "Tell ya what, follow me and we can talk more." Tyler simply nodded and the two boys walked towards their homes. One of the nice things about school was being able to walk or ride your bike a short distance. Tyler and Will were both the same age at 14 and shared many similarities. One would think they were twins, seeing them side by side; however they were not directly related. They had been best friends since grade school and had many happy memories together. They each had a secret they wanted to share, but they weren't sure how to tell one another.

It was a few blocks from their homes when Will put his arm around Tyler's shoulder. Tyler looked at Will and smiled. Will returned the smile and frowned.

"What's wrong Will?" Tyler was trying to figure out why Will suddenly frowned. "I don't know, I have a bad feeling about Monday. I know, it'll be October 31st and all, but that shouldn't scare me." Will had a hard time trying to find the right words to say as he turned to look straight ahead. He withdrew his arm from Tyler, swiftly put his hands in his pockets, then looked down. Tyler was sensing will was feeling uneasy and unsure of himself.

When Will's house was finally in sight, Tyler pointed out a note on the front door addressed to Will. Will groaned and looked up at the note thinking it was probably a list of chores for him to do for the weekend. "Ugh, not a great way to start the weekend."

"No, guess I'd better get going too. Catch ya later!"

Tyler ran off to his house, which was 4 houses down from Will's. Will wanted to say something, but no words were forming. Instead, he looked down and slowly walked towards his house. When he reached for the note, he felt an unusual presence coming from the note. This was a first for Will, as he had never felt it before. It usually felt warm with love, but this one felt dark. He looked up, reached for it, pulled it off the window, and opened the note.

Dearest Will,

We will be away on a business trip. We made arrangements for you to stay with Ty's parents for the weekend. Don't worry about the chores, they can wait till Monday. See ya Monday, kiddo. Love mom and dad.

Will thought this was unusual of his parents to simply put the chores off for a later date. The business trip however was predictable. Will turned to run towards Tyler's but Ty was already running back towards him. They met between the two homes.

Tyler was obviously excited, yet he had a hint of sadness about him. "Did you get a note about...?"

"A business trip?" Will finished the sentence for the both of them. Tyler frowned, "Oh, do you have your key?"

"Yeah, do you?

"No."

"Its ok, Ty, I'm sure no one would mind." Will placed his arm around Ty and hugged him. Tyler sighed and looked at Will with a smile. "Thanks man, it means a lot."

"Don't worry about it. Maybe we can do homework together."

"Cool! I was about to ask the same thing!" Will looked at Tyler and giggled. Both boys headed back to Will's house and entered once the door was unlocked and opened. The house opened up to a hallway with the stairs on the left and living room to the right. Further ahead was the kitchen with a dinning room right next to it. Will's mom always tried to keep the house clean and tidy, but for some reason, there was a small mess of papers scattered on the kitchen floor. Will and Ty went to investigate, as it was the only mess they could find. Most of the papers contained documents, which mentioned the place they were going to on Monday. Everyone would go at once for an all day field trip, something Ms. Dent suggested in order for the school to save some money. All other students not in her class stayed at school.

"Ooookaay, this is getting weird." Will looked around then finally at Ty. "Something bothering you?"

It took a while for Tyler to finally realize Will was talking to him. "Uhhh... feels like a dark presence was here."

"You feel it too?!" Will exclaimed. "Yeah, why, did you?"

"YES!" Will shouted. "I don't understand any of this. Didn't you feel it when you touched your letter?"

"No, my parents are almost always gone on weekends. Something usually comes up and they are hardly around when I need them the most."

Will wanted to say something, but instead, he gave Tyler a hug. This wasn't any normal hug, it was affectionate, and a first for Will. He never showed any affection towards Tyler till now. He had been wondering why, but he was sure he liked Tyler a lot, possibly beyond 'best friends'. The problem Will struggled the most with, was how to tell his best friend without Tyler hating him for his actions. However, all Will's self-doubt was put to rest as Tyler's next move surprised him beyond his greatest expectations.

Will's shoulder suddenly felt wet and he wandered why. When he separated himself from Tyler, he was surprised to see him crying silently. Tyler had never cried in front of Will, so this was a first. Will wasn't sure what to do, instead of just standing there watching his best friend cry. He embraced him in another hug that lasted for a few minutes. When the hug was broken, both boys were staring into each other's eyes. Something clicked and Will finally knew he didn't have to worry anymore.

"I -- I - I'm sorry. I'm such a baby cryin like this." Tyler looked down towards his feet fearing Will would make fun of him.

"No, don't be. It's ok." Will's soft voice was soothing and relaxing. It caused Tyler to slowly lift his head. Tears were still flowing and Will wiped them away with his thumbs.

"Y -- y -- you don't h -- h -- hate me?

"Ty, com'on, how could I?" Will then pulled Tyler in another hug, which lasted a minute before silence was broken. "I love ya man, I always have."

Tyler broke the hug with a surprised look on his face and a weak smile forming. "I think I love you, too. I've always felt warm and fuzzy when I am with you, and all alone when I'm not. It's like we can finally read each other's thoughts. I know you can read other's thoughts as well as I can, but for some reason I was never able to read yours."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, me too. It was weird at first, but after a while, I just ignored it because it was givin me headaches for trying to figure out what you were thinking. So I gave up."

"My parents never had time for me; they raised me, but didn't really spend time with me. It sucks and it makes me jealous of others when I see my friends havin fun with their 'rents." Tyler showed some signs of breaking down in tears again. Will moved in for another hug and this time, both boys were holding each other as if it were their last. Once the hug was broken, they paused and looked into each other's eyes. Slowly they moved in and their lips parted. Their first kiss felt like fire as both boys poured out as much love as they held for one another into it.

A few minutes later, the kiss was broken up by the ringing phone. Will sighed and smiled. He figured he'd try to open his thoughts. **I love you, Tyler Gibbs.**

Tyler smiled, **Love ya too, William Wyatt.**

******Minutes later******

Will sighed as he hung up the phone. It was his parents saying they'd be back Sunday morning at the soonest. They were sorry they didn't get in touch with Tyler's parents, but Will couldn't help but think it was some sort of setup. The tone his parents used on the phone was unusual, as if it wasn't really them. It still puzzled him as he wasn't sure what to make of it. The boys exchanged thoughts for a while before coming back to their homework assignment. They decided the computer office was the best place to work after grabbing some leftovers from the fridge. It took them a few hours to conduct their research, with chills running down their spines a few times, as they came across several mentions of witchcraft and the like.

"This doesn't look good." Tyler was still looking over several pages of their research and continued as if Will hadn't said anything. "Ty? Earth to Tyler..." Will was getting a bit worried, as Tyler seemed to ignore him. He reached over, touched his hand, and gasped. Waves of visions filled Will's head as he struggled to pull his hand away from Tyler, but nothing was happening. Panic began to take over and Will was squirming in his chair. The visions were overwhelming when he finally realized what was happening and pulled away, but not before getting several glimpses of the visions.

Tyler quickly moved closer, sat beside Will, and held him in a vise grip. "Will? Are you okay?" All he got was a slight nod.

"I'm sorry, I think I read a spell that tells the future, and somehow I got stuck... till you touched me."

Will's eyes were wide open and his face was pale. "I -- I -- I think we shouldn't go to school Monday."

Tyler tilted his head and just stared at Will. "Huh? Why?"

Will knew Tyler blocked the visions and shook his head, but Tyler was having none of that. He closed his eyes in an attempt to read Will's mind, but the trouble was, Will wasn't ready to share the information just yet. He did however, let a few images slip by which caused Tyler to gasp and cry. He finally understood why and both boys vowed to somehow call in sick when Monday rolled around. The events of that day were exhausting and the boys went to Will's room to sleep.

******Sometime late morning, Saturday.... or so they thought!******

The sun was shining and its powerful rays brightly illuminated Will's room. The boys groaned as they struggled to get out of bed. Will was first to the bathroom followed by Tyler. Once their morning routine was finished, both boys silently walked downstairs to the kitchen in their boxers. Neither was shy around each other, nor their parents. Will went through to the living room and decided to put the TV on to Saturday morning cartoons before he left the living room to join Tyler. At first he thought he was hearing things when he grabbed the cereal and poured himself and Tyler a bowl. The TV wasn't loud, however

Will's hearing was very good. His eyes shot up and he made a dash to the living room leaving Tyler all alone in the kitchen.

"Hey Ty! Get in here, quick!" Will called out from the living room. It was only a few seconds before Tyler joined him in time to see the Sunday morning news.

"What the...." Both boys exclaimed in unison.

"No way, not possible! We couldn't have fast-forwarded a day! The spell I read wasn't even related to time!" Tyler made sure to think back and review what happened on Friday, after his statement out loud.

Will turned to look at Tyler, "If not you, then who?"

A few minutes passed as the boys struggled, trying to figure out who, but there was only one person who always stood out in their minds. It was too impossible to even be her, but everything pointed in that direction.

"It can't be her! No way, not Ms. Dent! She's not that evil!"

Will looked at Tyler with wide eyes. "Ty, you should read the rest of my mind."

Tyler appeared confused, but suddenly remembered what Will was talking about and closed his eyes. He spent quite a few minutes before collapsing on the couch in tears. Will hurried to his side to comfort him, but the tears kept flowing. Will felt helpless, he finally gave in and hugged Tyler sideways. They stayed in embrace for several minutes.

Tyler broke the embrace and looked at Will, "It all makes sense now. I am not willing to believe it will happen that way. Hell no! She needs to be stopped! But...how?"

"I don't think anyone would believe us if we said something. I mean my parents might believe it, but they're not here and its Satur.... err... Sunday morning." Will sighed and slumped further into the couch, "I dunno. I wish my parents were home right now."

As if on cue, the sound of the front door unlocking could be heard, startling the two boys. Two adults entered the hallway with luggage in their hands. The woman turned to look in the living room and smiled. "Hi Will, honey, is everything ok?"

Will's expression was priceless, he couldn't believe a simple wish brought his parents home. "Hi, mom! Things are ok, I think."

Mrs. Wyatt thought it was odd for Will to say that, as she never heard her son speak to her with such confusion in his voice. Mr. Wyatt sensed some confusion in the air and decided to break silence. "Well, I suppose we should talk about what's on our minds." He decided a change in subject sounded good so he shifted his attention to Tyler, "Hi, Ty, are your parents home yet? How was the weekend with you two?"

Tyler turned to look at Mr. Wyatt then Will, then to the TV. "I'm not sure. But the weekend

was... unusual." Will elbowed Tyler in the ribs earning him a gasp and a groan.

"The weekend was fine, how was your trip?" Will knew he had to quickly change the subject, as his parents wouldn't drop anything unusual.

Will's parents looked at each other and Mrs. Wyatt began, "Well, boys, go wash up and come back down, then we'll talk." The boys were about to protest, but she was having none of that, "I'd withhold serving lunch if you two don't stop complaining." Before she could speak any further, both boys bolted past Will's parents and up the stairs.

Mr. Wyatt chuckled, "Dear, I thought you knew better than to get between a boy's stomach and food!"

"Well, it worked, didn't it? Anyway, I somehow suspect there are more than a few things we need to discuss regarding them two. I think its time."

"I agree. Lets get this stuff put away so we can have 'the talk' with the boys." Mr. Wyatt picked up the suitcases and headed up the stairs, followed by Mrs. Wyatt.

******One hour later*******

Everyone gathered around the large dining room table with Mr. Wyatt at the head of the table and his wife next to him, the boys sat next to each other, like they always did.

Mr. Wyatt was silently staring at the boys for a few minutes, before he finally spoke, "So, who wants to tell me what's going on?"

Both boys looked down as they were expecting to get scolded. Mrs. Wyatt saved them.

"Aw, Ben, go easy on them will ya? Sure, while we may know of a few possibilities on what's happening here, you can't just jump down their throats."

Ben stared at his wife for a second then sighed. "You're right, Barb. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, say it to them." Barb nodded in the boy's direction to indicate to her husband whom she meant.

Ben sighed, "Sorry, boys. I didn't mean it that way." Ben slumped into his chair and awaited their responses.

Will broke the silence, "Umm, well, its like this; Ty and I spent all our time around each other and this past weekend we discovered..."

Barb and Ben looked at each other, then spoke at the same time, "We know." Giggles from both adults followed.

Barb sighed then smiled, "I suppose I won't be havin grandchildren? Then again, there's always adoption."

Will and Tyler's heads shot up like lightning with their eyes wide open. Their obvious blushes gave them away, but it also made them look cuter.

"Moooooom, that's not what I was trying to say, but that part is true. Ty and I love each other. But I wanted to talk about something else." Will ran out of the living room before his parents could speak. It wasn't long before he returned with the note from Friday. Catching his breath, he handed the note to his mom, "Did you write this?"

Barb's happy expression fell as she handed the note to Ben. Ben wasn't sure what to make of it. He carefully put it down on the table and hovered his hands above it without breaking a word. An eerie green glow was emanating from his hands as Ben focused his thoughts on the paper. A few more attempts and he gave up, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Well boys, we certainly didn't write this letter, but I thought we left something explaining our sudden departure."

Will shook his head no, "I'd remember if you had, otherwise I'd be at Ty's, but he got the same note. Then there's this." Will handed the research papers and supposed field trip to 'that place'.

"What the hell? Field trip? I don't recall signing anything!" Ben slammed his fists on the table causing everyone to jump.

"Calm down honey, I don't remember signing anything either. Even with this permission slip as confirmation, it seems there is no choice, but to prepare the boys." Barb was about to start when Will spoke up.

"Mom, dad, Ty and I can read minds. We can sense bad things and understand some spells, but I think we can also see the future. Well, Ty can, mostly."

Barb and Ben sighed at the same time. They stared at each other as if they were secretly exchanging thoughts when Ben finally looked at Will. "I suppose its time you learned the truth. There is no easy way to say this, but your mom and I are expert wizards. We were supposed to be teamed up as often as possible with Ty's parents, but they disappeared on Friday, so we went to investigate that disappearance. Yes, Tyler is a wizard, much like you are, Will. The only thing you have to worry about is that teacher of yours at school. The reason why we moved here was to investigate her without getting too close. Our only solution was to send you to that school and hopefully one day, you'd come home and tell us of any weird occurrences. The only problem is, your magic is stronger with Ty, and that can only mean we'll need to start your training sooner. But with training comes a test." There was a long pause and both boys whined some then looked down as they realized what 'test' they were going to be given. Ben then continued, "I suppose you already know, but I'll say it anyway. You two are to go to 'that place' as your assignment and report back. But first, we'd need to teach you how to communicate over a distance. Time is quickly running out and..." Ben was rudely interrupted at the mention of time when Will decided to speak up.

"Wait! You said time? Today is supposed to be Saturday, but its Sunday!"

Barb and Ben gave a shocked expression as they exchanged looks. Barb decided it was her turn to speak, "But that can't be. The power needed to control time is... unless..."

Ben interjected, "No dear, we are forbidden to say that name as well as the place these boys are going to."

Barb sighed then growled, "You're right, ugh!" Everyone was awarded with silence for a few minutes before Barb softly spoke, "Want to begin first or shall I?"

"I'll go first." Ben stood up and motioned the boys to follow him. Both boys stood up and followed Ben. Barb was left alone for a few minutes before she sighed, stood and walked towards the kitchen.

******Several hours later before dinner******

There was excited chatter between Ben and the boys as they appeared out of thin air in the hallway before the kitchen. Barb was calling from the dining room that dinner was being served and everyone joined her at the table, but not before she and Ben went to get more food.

Dinner was silent as everyone was communicating with their thoughts. Once dinner was done, the adults silently put things away and cleaned up as the boys headed to bed. Everyone came to an agreement that a good night's rest was in need for the boys and there were no arguments there.

******Monday morning******

The alarm buzzed at 6am for the boys and it was time to get up and get ready for school. Sure they whined some, but Will's parents pointed out several things that they needed to keep a look out for. They did promise to be at their aid within a moment's notice should trouble arise. Sometime after the boys finished their morning routine, they headed downstairs to grab a quick bite to eat before heading to school.

Everyone was supposed to meet in Ms. Dent's room after homeroom. The bell rang, and it was time to go. Tyler hesitated, yet still found the courage to keep moving towards Ms. Dent's room. Once he arrived there, his courage surged, as he found Will standing right outside the door waiting for him.

"I thought you'd never make it." Will grinned while looking at his invisible watch. "Bite me, Will, I still don't wanna be here."

"Hmmm, you'd like it too much and besides, you ain't the only one. Seems like everyone took their time arriving here."

Tyler giggled at Will's statement and proceeded to head in the room followed by Will. After a few minutes of waiting, the tardy bell rang, and several students quickly entered the room. There were about 70 students in the room when the teacher finally walked in.

"Ok, class, hand in your research papers then we'll be off to the buses." Ms. Dent looked around the class before departing to the front of the building. Once she was gone, everyone let out a sigh, grabbed their homework, placed it on her desk, and walked out the door as instructed.

******2 hours later, "That Place"******

As everyone departed the buses, they took their time looking around while Ms. Dent went towards the mansion to talk with the tour guide for a few minutes before returning. As she approached the group of students, everyone quickly quieted down and paid attention.

"Ok, class, we'll split into two groups, the first group goes with the tour guide and the 2nd group goes with me."

There was a sudden rush of students for the first group, but sadly, those that remained were stuck with Ms. Dent, and that included Will and Tyler. Everyone groaned inwardly as they walked towards a grinning Ms. Dent. They had never seen her grin before and it was scary. As the first group entered the mansion, Ms. Dent spent 20 minutes talking about the mansion itself, but everyone knew most of what she was talking about. Ms. Dent finally announced it was time for the tour and off they went.

It wasn't till 'dungeon' was mentioned that everyone began to pale up. Still, Will and Tyler weren't sure what to make of it, but they did hear a few cries for help directed at their thoughts. Unknown to them, Ms. Dent had been keeping a close eye on those two. She had taken up an interest in them, as she hadn't seen them so close together before. As their tour continued, the boys were becoming more and more agitated and worried; they decided to call out for help for they knew it would be a while before Will's parents could get there, undetected. Their group had covered all boring points of the mansion, till Ms. Dent decided it was time to visit the 'basement'.

******Basement, minutes later******

The group found themselves in a stone style 'dungeon' with several cauldrons bubbling. They closely looked around as they descended the stairs and suddenly froze as they saw their classmates in a large holding cell. At first panic was about to take over, then they quickly turned towards the top, but only to be startled by the large door slamming shut. Suddenly Ms. Dent appeared in front of them and transformed into an ugly old witch. With one swift hand movement, the group found themselves behind a second holding cell, except for Will and Tyler.

"Aaah! That explains partially why I couldn't read you two so well. But now that I know, I have just the thing for you!" The old witch began some hand movements, but the boys were faster to counter her.

Instead of capturing the boys, she had found herself inside a jar, desperately trying to find a way out. Suddenly, things went white. There was clapping heard in the background and both boys turned quickly to face the sound. They appeared to be in a small square room with an observation window up top.

"Congratulations, you passed this test after the 200th attempt. Now, we'll move on to something else!" The man behind the glass window wore white with the company logo on his left chest, 'Area 51 Research & Development'. The boys knew of area 51 extremely well and to say they were surprised was an understatement. The man behind the glass chuckled at their reaction, "Since you finally passed the first test, the next test will be quite painful. We are going to test your ability to regenerate in every way possible."

Tyler and Will looked at each other and screamed at the top of their lungs, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO!!!!!!!!!"