The Missing Peace | Teen Ink

The Missing Peace

June 15, 2011
By ForeverKing, Clarksville, Tennessee
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ForeverKing, Clarksville, Tennessee
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Author's note: I've been writing this story since the 8th grade and it started out as a joke. Over the years though it became one of my main ways of releasing steam. Each character is a mixture of my friends and myself and the story has a treat for everyone. Enjoy!

The author's comments:
This is not the entire chapter one. Its simply all that i have done right now.

Thursday May 7th, 2015


What makes a man a hero? Is it his drive to change injustice or is it just being another face to change the public’s attention? Well me and my friends learned not to long ago that those that we call heroes are simply picking up the pieces of a true hero’s dream. But before I get too far ahead of myself let me first introduce myself. My name is Landon Bones and I am the leader of a group of people fighting for what is truly right. We are the Antiheroes. Yeah you read that right. No typo, no confusion required. We aren’t trying to be the heroes and legends of past. We’re just trying to change the world.


You see, in recent years the average man has been destroyed. His rights as a human have been taken away. And the worst part is he hasn’t even noticed because there is always a “good Samaritan” with a daring deed or a horrific disaster or fancy new useless gadget to distract him. I mean seriously, in a world run by a tyrannical king where all people are being spied on and being controlled by a corrupt system of justice, someone should notice what is happening and stand up against it. But as the quote goes, ignorance is bliss. Most people have just adjusted to the evils around them. But I refuse to, as do my friends.


So we created the Antiheroes. I wish we had a more creative name but in our case I guess it’s not truly necessary. Anyway my best friend Jimmy is my first in command in the Antiheroes followed by Alice and after Alice is my younger brother Cale. We use code-names to try and well not get caught. Jimmy is known as a hardcore rocker to the group so his codename is Axel. Alice is known as Myst because she just kinda pops up out of nowhere like some mystical mist. And Cale is known as Alboin because he not only has the honesty's of President Lincoln but also the brain of Einstein. Oh yeah, and I am known as Donny. I’m called Donny because the last letters in the name Landon are Don. But that’s enough about the Antiheroes. There is so much more to the story that I am trying to tell. This is a story that will knock you off your feet and keep you on your toes at the same time.


It all began December 25th, 2012 and while it was Christmas day it was also election year. Thanks to the hard work of Madam President Nicole Belle, peace was falling upon the world. So much peace was being spread, that many of the world’s leaders were meeting to find a way to finally globally unite. However, our Vice President Richard Marco had other plans. He “eliminated” all world leaders including the president to prove that he meant business and from there built his empire and kingdom. Honestly it seems like it was way too easy for him to take over. He accounted for all possibilities and quickly reacted to everything. Especially when in the beginning when there were people who rose up against him. They were massacred and were simply used to increase the king’s fear mongering grip. One year after the world leaders were killed, all war against King Marco ended. And the following year the Antiheroes were formed.

So you are probably wondering why at this point. What do we want? Basically, we formed the Antiheroes to administer what I call seven letter justice, but let’s be simple. I’m talking about revenge. We wanted to make Marco pay for all he had done. But more than that we wanted to be more than just voices in a crowd, we wanted to be writers of history and get our revenge or justice or whatever you want to call it. Originally, we tried to make revenge some type of plan but instead thanks to Cale it became a motto. (R-readiness E-empowers V-vigilantes E-engaging N-nightmarish G-government E-enemies.) “Hopefully, Cale said, “by having it as a motto we don’t forget the real reason we are doing what we joined together to do. Well I’ll keep updating this journal as often as possible to get this story out once it or the Antiheroes are done. For now though I need my sleep. My first day of higher education is tomorrow.

Saturday May 9th, 2015


Yesterday was a fun day. I learned where my classes were and that Alice and Jimmy both have most of their classes with me. But that is a side note. So you’re probably wondering how a simple group of teenagers can challenge an empire with the greatest and most powerful people controlling it. Faith. We can stand a chance with faith and planning. We’re not idiots. We all know what is at stake here and how much danger there is. But we have skills that make us unique and none of us will stop until this injustice is changed. Even if we are stopped there will be others if we can stir up enough trouble, and start a movement. There are many possibilities, each with its own flaws, but they all are better than this horrid future we have now. If one man could change the world into what is now, then a group of teenagers can turn it into something that our forefathers would be proud of.


If that seemed a little deep for a kid still experiencing his days you won’t be the first. People have always said that I am a thinker. I just always seem to have a provocative thought that intrigues everyone. But this isn’t about me. No this journal is about the Antiheroes. I wasn’t always the leader, and we didn’t always work in the shadows. There once was another leader and he was the true hero behind the Antiheroes. He didn’t die. He just changed. He’s older than me. He just didn’t believe in the movement any longer though. He was reformed by the government after a job gone wrong. At least he didn’t rat any of us out. He is part of the past of the Antiheroes so I would have felt wrong to not mention him. Even though I didn’t say his name in this journal, I feel it’s better that way; safer. Well anyway I have some important Antihero work to do so I’ll get back to filling in this notebook later. It’s just hard balancing the work of a school kid and a terrorist. I know that may sound crude and vulgar but that’s what they call the Antiheroes on the news. They call the things we do acts of terrorism. No one appreciates a hero when they need them the most. It’s kind of ironic, but messed up all the same. But what can we do. I’m out peace.

Sunday May 17th


Wow, reading over that last entry is hard. It's been a week and a day since then but not much has changed. So, now is as good a time as any to let you get a better mental picture of the Antiheroes.


Jimmy is a tall guy, and crazy fit. Just to help with your mental image I’ll let you know Jimmy is black. His dad goes by Jim. It’s just a side not but I feel it’s important to put the truth out. Most the time people don't even believe that he's only 15. He has a shaggy look to himself, but he cleans up nice, when he chooses to. Like I said before he is a rocker to the group but to the rest of the world he is a hip hop and pop boy. He is an A/B student, but that's only because he doesn't always give 100%. He's my best bud, and no one is nearly as loyal as Ole' Axel.


Then there is Alice. How do you describe Alice? Well she is a 5 foot flat. She has green eyes, and she has been my friend ever since she moved to our town 4 years ago. Alice just has the type of personality that draws people toward her. When she talks people listen and she isn't afraid to speak her mind. Alice is truly magical and leaves her mark everywhere she goes. I know what you are probably thinking. Landon must really like Alice and have a crush on her. Well the truth is I don't. We are just friends. I thought I liked her once but sometimes I get my overall respect and admiration for her with emotions. Plus, no one can really be with Alice because she feels it ties her down. Myst just kinda floats through life enjoying all she can.


Moving even further, we reach my little bro Cale. He's a little on the chubby side but he's still growing. Still for a 150 pound 7Th grader, he is beyond his age when it comes to wisdom. He's gifted, and he never lets anything stop him. That's the main reason he's part of the Antiheroes. Because he believes we can make a difference and he is the driving force behind us. The one thing that has changed in the past week is that Cale's nickname has changed from Alboin to Samurai. One reason was because Samurai is easier to say then Alboin and the other is because Cale did some research and that name fits him better.


Then lastly there is me. You don't get to know me. You don't get to know my likes my dislikes, my eye color, my skin color, nothing. Why? Because it will affect how you view this journal. And I won't allow that. We Antiheroes have worked too hard for anyone to ignore our message just because of the author. So you know my name is Landon Bones aka Donny. That's all you need to know.


I'll try to dedicate more time to this journal but life is hectic. I can’t write much more because let’s just say in hypothetical terms that if I don’t see this tiny beam of light then Myst will need to jump a rooftop without any help, and then what type of friend would I be? Until next time…















Peace

Sunday May 24th

I feel like there hasn’t been much to write about lately. But I promised you a story worth hearing, a legacy hidden beneath the lies and trickery of the government. But this isn’t just some comic book, or a story that unfolds in the hands of some writer, aged and experienced in storytelling. This is my life. To people of your world this may be fiction. However, to me this is life. So lose you plans for what will happen. We don’t know who wins at the end, because no matter what all true stories end in death, and sometimes a new life carrying the story of another. However, I did just mention something I want to talk about.

Comics, which give us our dreams of heroes and villains, of good and evil, are what helped shape the Antiheroes. Even if we are destined to be the heroes that no one wants, that people don’t support yet, in the deepest roots we truly are heroes. At least in my eyes, we grow seeking to reach the status of the flyers, the super strong, the magicians, and the not-so-average Joes. As we grow older we are supposed to lose these dreams, and become functioning members of society. Seems simple enough, right? So we lose the very thing that made us work so hard, the dream that pushed us to become the best in the world, and then move on in life.

In my opinion that is a social fail. We crush creativity. We fight imagination. Yet, we continue to try and get people to think they can do anything they want. That isn’t true and never has been. We all have our roles in the world, and that’s even more evident now. It’s not like I’ll grow into the next ruler of the world. My role in the world has been decided, by people other than me, by the world that I am part of. I need to fit in my piece of the global puzzle in order to make everything fit right. Before I can fit into my place though, I need to reconstruct the original puzzle by opening people’s eyes to this world they have chosen to live in.

But life is more than just a puzzle. It’s more than a game, more than a song, more than words can describe. So, we can’t just pay attention to our outer role. We have to look inward to our affect on those around us like a flower bed or a classroom of 5th graders. We can change those around us, those we care about and those whom care about us. Sometimes we help them become better people, but other time we are their hindrance, their obstacle. And we don’t always realize that we are in the way of their desired change, because we just see them the way we like them to be. Maybe this obstacle will help grow a better tomorrow, or it will lead to destruction. Who ever really knows?

You’re probably wondering where I’m going with this blog like rant. One reason is the moral and mental test the test to keep your mind working and pondering. Even if you don’t agree with me at least you started thinking instead of letting the world think for you. The other reason is that my role in the Antiheroes is more than just the leader. I am the face when it falls down. I am the speaker, the planner, the martyr if necessary. So I need to hold true to my dreams, for those moments when I am alone, and push for change in all moments for us all. One day this ragtag group of kids will be history, and hopefully we will be remembered as the leaders of the movement into tomorrow.

Wednesday May 27th

The journal of a criminal is a special thing. It’s where I take my notes such as passwords, maps, records, and plans, or where I remind myself of the past. Surprisingly, there are pages in this notebook that will not be published, because they hold things that are important to me. Notes of the first day I met the people I trust the most and this made me wonder. Wonder about what the evils in the world truly do. Do they take detailed notes, or do they bury the history they want to keep hidden? I’m done only letting the occasional bit of the personal life of the Antiheroes slip because by now you have to be bored, so this is our story, day by as often as I can write more. This is our beginning to our end. This is the journey I hope will strike a string in your heart, and make you believe in something more than just what you are told. I want this story of my life to make you believe in yourself, and learn to love your faults because they are what make you, you.
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With one final look at his leather-bound journal, Landon pulled out the drawer of his desk. Then pulling out the false bottom, he placed the journal inside and pulled out the tools of the night; one ankle sized lock picking kit, some papers, and night-vision goggles. Looking at his alarm clock he saw 7 blinking towards him. It was time to get to work. He reached under his bed and grabbed his school bag and began to run down the stairs. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Cale looking toward him. Through glances the brothers had a conversation on whether Cale could travel alongside Landon on this mission. With each expression Landon conveyed a stern brotherly no. Cale defeated, returned to his room as Landon continued the perilous descent downstairs. While he had escaped placing Cale in danger for the next job, he still had to get pass the most fearful obstacle of the night; his parents. Landon reached the bottom and saw the door within reach. He pondered where each parent was. However, the answer came to him quicker than he hoped. “Hey Landon, where are you headed in such a hurry?” Landon’s mother asked. Mrs. Bones was a highly distinguished lawyer and on any other night would have been busy preparing for a case. “I’m just going over to Alice’s to help with some homework,” Landon replied and continued heading out the door. “Not yet you aren’t.” The voice of Mr. Bones carried this message all the way from the kitchen. Mr. Bones was a chef who owned his own restaurant and loved to come home and try new recipes on his family. “Tonight I made a breaded teriyaki shrimp stir-fry that will knock your socks off. Now go get your brother and let’s have a nice family dinner.” “Sorry Dad, maybe next time. I’ve really got to go get this homework explained to me or I’ll fail Pre-Calc.” Without waiting for an answer from his parents, Landon rushed out the door of his house and to the window of Alice’s room. As Landon reached Alice’s home he looked at his cell phone to find out if he was in trouble. To his delighted surprise he had a text from his mom which read,” Be home by 10 o’clock and say hi to Alice for me.” Now that a deadline for return was set it was time to get the team in motion. Landon tossed a few rocks at Alice’s window to get her attention. Alice returned fire by throwing her bag of supplies out the window to Landon. Then in an instant she was down next to him. “How do you move so fast?” Landon jokingly asked. “Trade secret darling” Alice stated. With a quick smile Alice began walking toward to meet up with Jimmy in the hideout; Landon had shot him a text, informing him that it was time to get working. The Antiheroes convened in their hideout, an old warehouse that was partially buried in the forest, a short 10 minute walk from the city. Once there plans were laid out as Landon emptied the contents of his bag. Inside were the objects he got from his desk and a few others that never left the bag even when it was being used for school. The objects, a lock picking kit, a pair of night vision goggles, maps, matches, and the custom watches for the team, presented part of Landon’s character. He never wanted to lose sight of an objective hence the goggles and maps; he had a fiery passion, and never let anything get in his way. On a separate table Alice unloaded her bag which consisted of a pair of black gloves, homemade smoke bombs, a stun rod, and 25 feet of nylon rope. These tools allowed her to do everything from climb up buildings, tie people up, and bungee jump away. Lastly, Jimmy carefully unpacked his bag which had his laptop, his webcam, his drumsticks, two night sticks, and some spray paint. Jimmy never missed a beat no matter if he was using his drum sticks or night sticks to get the job done. “So what are we doing tonight Donny? A simple smash and grab, data “recovery”, what?” hounded Jimmy. “Nothing quite that simple tonight I’m afraid,” said Landon with a grin, “I don’t want to spoil the surprise though. That’s the job of a samurai.” Hearing his cue, Cale steered his webcam RC out of the shadows and joined the meeting. With a flurry of typing on his keyboard, Cale took control of Jimmy’s laptop and began his briefing. “Tonight’s job is going to be a little different than others we have approached, he began. You all will have to work separately but as one big group for this to work. First, Alice, you have to shadow a man by the name Dylan Bryant. He will lead you into a facility where if we can access their files will practically give me access to everything there I to know about anything in the kingdom of the world. Landon, it falls on you to provide surveillance from the rooftop nearby. I have no doubts that you’ll be able to get there without a problem. Jimmy are the backbone and back up for this heist. That means you may have to work two jobs Job one has you making sure no security gets to Alice if things go a little off plan. Job two has you catching Alice from the first story if she has to jump because things really didn’t go according to plan.” “So there’s a lot of room for error on this one.” Stated Alice pensively. “It wouldn’t be fun if we didn’t have to risk it all some of the time.” Joked Jimmy. “No, Alice is right, this job is very risky and could fall apart anywhere. However, I know we can do it. I know we can because we have to.” Even as Landon said this though he had his own doubts. He had the safest job next to Cale on this one. He would be a building away while his two best friends risked it all. “Cale, I think we should change the plan some.” Landon said with a new plan forming in his head. “I know just how to pull this all off with little to no chance of anything going wrong. “



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This book has 1 comment.


on Jun. 16 2011 at 10:57 pm
SarcasticPersonInTraining BRONZE, Woodbury, Minnesota
3 articles 0 photos 48 comments
i find the idea of ur novel very interesting! just a suggestion: try writing it in first person. it will make it a little more interesting to the reader so u can know Landon's thoughts a bit better. it will be easier to get to know the main character. otherwise it seems a little too factual and stiff. but i really like some of the phrases and metaphors you have! they are very unique! also edit a little there were a few things to be edited. but overall good job keep it up! please check out my book Last Note and comment and rate please id loe to hear your feedback! :)