Vaughn’s Story
A League of Ascenders Short Story
By
Spring Hellams
A Lucky Bat Book
Vaughn’s Story
A League of Ascenders Short Story
Copyright 2011 by Spring Hellams
All rights reserved
Cover Illustration: Kreg Mebust
Published by Lucky Bat Books
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook / short story is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook / short story may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
1. VAUGHN’S STORY
“Smack!”
The blow to the back of Vaughn’s head came from the heavy hand of his teacher, Hortence.
“What did I tell you about running inside!” Hortence barked.
Vaughn said nothing, but ducked his head down to avoid any further punishment and resumed his way down the dark and dingy hallway, this time walking.
Vaughn never got used to the smell of the long corridor; it always seemed to reek of urine—no doubt the work of the many disrespectful kids that resided at Brown’s Orphanage for Boys.
Vaughn had been on his way to the bathroom because he had spotted the beautiful, wild, black stallion that all the men in town had been trying to capture, out his second story window. Vaughn wanted to be the first one outside to gaze upon him.
It was early, and the sun had barely peaked over the horizon. The only other person up so early was Hortence, and luckily he had his own bathroom.
Vaughn made a habit of getting up earlier than everyone else because, if he didn’t, he would always have to be last in line for the bathroom. Not because he was the last one to get in line, but because everyone was bigger and stronger than him, and they would all push him to the back of the line just because they could.
Vaughn washed up quickly, and just before he slipped his shirt over his head, he stepped in front of the mirror, stared at himself in dismay, and groaned.
“Skinny arms, skinny legs, and no muscles anywhere. That’s okay, because I’m going to be huge and strong one day!” He smiled confidently at the thought and ran out the door.
Outside, he closed his eyes as he smelled the brisk morning air and grinned approvingly. Vaughn looked left and then right for the horse, but saw no sign of him now. Where did he go? He sighed and took off running in the direction where he’d seen him earlier.
Vaughn didn’t usually bother with walking. He loved to run. The smack Hortence had delivered him that morning was not the first one he’d ever received. He was often scolded in this way, and it almost always was for running indoors. But outside, he could run as fast and as much as he wanted.
He preferred running to walking because walking just wasn’t fast enough. Vaughn was intrigued by things that went fast, and he dreamed of riding fast horses, driving fast cars, and flying fast jets.
“One day I’ll go fast like the wind,” he said aloud.
Getting as far away as possible from the orphanage was Vaughn’s main goal every day. Each morning, he couldn’t wait until he’d run so far that he could turn around and no longer physically see the awful place he was forced to call home.
He ran for two minutes and turned around to see if the orphanage was still in sight. “Darn, still there.” He turned back around and continued running.
He had been at the Brown’s Orphanage for Boys for almost four years and had come there after an old man had found him naked on the rooftop of a twelve-story building. He had no memories of his childhood before that day and often wondered if he was the son of some poor teenage mother who was unable to take care of him. But it didn’t haunt him; he only hoped that whoever she was, that she was all right.
It was always the same at the orphanage for Vaughn—no friends to bond with, and not much to do. Even his schoolwork didn’t keep him occupied for long; it took him no time at all to finish it, and he couldn’t get a bad grade if he tried.
On several occasions he even purposely slept through entire lectures, yet still managed to get perfect scores on his exams. At times he was even tempted to correct Hortence when he knew the teacher had gotten his facts wrong. He did so only once, and in return he’d received a quick slap to the back of his head and a threatening scowl on top of that just as a reminder in case he ever thought of doing such a thing again.
He didn’t know where all the many facts and figures in his head came from, but he knew they had to have come from somewhere. He surely hadn’t learned them from the below-par educators at Brown’s Orphanage where they taught in-house, and hired the worst teachers on the planet. His teacher was not only stupid, but had the stupidest name. Why would someone name their kid Hortence? Vaughn thought.
Vaughn had thought the name sounded like something one would name their pet pig. And Hortence even looked like a pig with his nose that went up too much at the end, and his nostrils that were way too large. It probably didn’t help that his skin was pinkish, and he had big ears.
Now that he’d known Hortence, Vaughn decided that if he ever had a pet pig, that he’d never do the pig the dishonor of naming him Hortence.
Vaughn stopped and turned around again to see if the orphanage was still in sight. He could still see a corner of it. “Darn it!” He turned and kept running.
A teacher was supposed to be a scrawny kid’s best ally, yet Hortence teased and bullied Vaughn right along with his peers. They all pointed, laughed, and ridiculed. ‘Look how short and skinny he is!’ the kids would jeer. ‘Yeah, no wonder your mama didn’t want you!’ Hortence would join in. Vaughn couldn’t believe that an adult could behave in such a way.
On top of being short and scrawny, Vaughn was also strange. There was just something different about him, and no one could quite put their finger on it—not even Vaughn himself. People were known to stare at him sometimes, as if they were trying to figure him out.
Without friends or much school work to keep him occupied, Vaughn spent much of his time talking to Jesus, who became his best friend in the whole world; because even though he never heard an audible answer, Vaughn knew that Jesus would speak to him in other ways. And what was about to happen to him would be the biggest example of that yet.
Vaughn finally stopped, turned, and saw that the orphanage was completely out of sight now. He had been running as fast as he could for a full fifteen minutes or so, and wasn’t even out of breath. He smiled, satisfied now that the awful place was out of sight, and started running again.
Hortence was always baffled that Vaughn was able to run so far without getting winded. The fact that he was fast as well had saved him from many beatings from the bullies he had to live with. The mean kids knew that if they wanted to beat him up, they’d have to sneak up on Vaughn, because not one of them could catch him—not even Hortence.
Vaughn decided to push Brown’s Orphanage and its horrible memories from his mind, and shift his thoughts to the magnificent stallion that he now searched diligently for—the horse that was entirely pitch black, with a long black mane and tail, and who looked enormous.
Vaughn had overheard Hortence telling another man that the stallion looked to be a non-fading black horse, and nearly nineteen hands high! He knew that non-fading black horses were the ones whose coats did not fade to a lighter shade as they matured, and that they were rare.
Hortence and all the other men in town had been trying to catch the impressive creature since it had shown up a couple weeks before, but the stallion had eluded them time and again. The men were all making bets on who would be able to capture the beast first.
Vaughn had also overheard other kids at the orphanage daring one another to try and ride the horse. They all knew there wouldn’t be a need to get up the courage to do so, because the stallion wouldn’t let anyone near it.
Vaughn stopped suddenly. There he was—the black stallion. He was only a dozen or so yards away, eating grass. Vaughn smiled. He’d never spied such a powerful-looking creature in all his life. He wondered how fast the horse could run. He imagined himself riding him, the wind whipping through his hair, nothing but a trail of dust behind them.
The stallion stood so majestically, with his glossy coat shining in the sun. He decided to stay where he was and just watch him for awhile, so he sat down on a large nearby rock.
Over the next half an hour, the horse looked up and in Vaughn’s direction several times, and had actually moved closer to where he was sitting. Vaughn knew that he was the first one to be that close to the stallion. He made sure to stay very still and not make any sudden movements.
As the horse came closer and closer, Vaughn could better see the immense size of the animal, although, he was surprised to find that he wasn’t afraid.
The stallion finally lifted his head, and cantered over to where Vaughn was sitting. He was now standing right in front of him. He dropped his muzzle down to Vaughn’s head, and Vaughn could feel the horse’s warm breath through his hair as he blew through his nose. He seemed to be inspecting him curiously. Vaughn let him do so for a couple of minutes, and when he heard the horse sigh, he very slowly reached up and touched him gently on his forehead.
#
The sun was high in the sky now, and Hortence was on the steps of the orphanage outside, talking with some other men in town while the orphanage boys ran around and played. It was a few minutes before anyone looked up and noticed the beautiful black stallion that was slowly approaching.
The men stopped talking, the boys stopped playing, and everyone stared in the direction of the stallion. But it wasn’t so much the sight of the horse that astonished them, but the rider atop the horse. It was Vaughn—little bitty Vaughn—who had apparently broken a wild stallion in one short morning.
There was something about Vaughn that the stallion liked—that made him feel at ease—something that no one else seemed to have. Hours before, the horse had let Vaughn examine him, and touch him all over. He had jumped from the large rock and onto the horse’s back, and the horse hadn’t even flinched. He just walked Vaughn slowly around. They had gone over the hills, down to the lake, and around the trails; all morning they had simply walked around and bonded.
For a long moment, the men were all speechless. And then slowly, they started to whisper. The whispers ranged from shock, to amusement, to anger.
Hortence stood with fists and teeth clenched as he stared in disbelief at the sight of his least favorite pupil atop what he felt was his prized black stallion. He had been so sure that he would be the one to win the bet by capturing and taming the wild beast, but now this puny, snot-nosed kid had ruined it for him!
A few of the men pointed at Hortence, and laughed, for they had heard Hortence bragging for the last two weeks about his amazing horse-breaking skills.
Hortence looked around at all the men and his anger rose. “Shut up!” he spat furiously. I could have easily won that bet! But now the men mock me because of that little no-account pest, Vaughn!
Vaughn didn’t know what he had expected. He wasn’t really trying to impress anyone, upset anyone, or outdo anyone. He simply had never seen anything so beautiful, and wanted to see it up close and touch it. He hadn’t really thought of the repercussions if anyone were to see him riding the animal. But he realized now, that riding the horse back to the orphanage might not have been the best idea.
Hortence stalked up to Vaughn, reached up, and grabbed him by his collar. “Why you little ragamuffin!”
The stallion went wild as Vaughn was dragged off his back. His ears went completely flat, and his neck low and straight. The stallion bucked and roared loudly, baring his teeth and kicking.
Hortence threw Vaughn to the ground, and Vaughn landed on his back with a thud, the wind knocked from him.
The other orphan boys screamed and ran inside to avoid the flurry of kicks from the angry beast, as much as from Hortence’s fury.
The men were grabbing their equipment from their trucks, now intent on capturing the animal.
Vaughn was still on the ground trying to recover.
The stallion’s eyes were fierce with anger, and he continued to thrash about, bucking and kicking anything in his path except Vaughn.
Everyone had managed to avoid injury so far, but the horse had managed to kick through one of the men’s truck windows with his back hooves.
One man was grabbing his rope from the back of his truck, and Hortence ran over and punched the man in the face, yanking the rope from his hands.
“This is my horse!” Hortence shouted.
The man lay on the ground unconscious, and the rest of the men just ignored him, stepping over him to get to their own vehicles.
Vaughn was finally able to breathe again, and got to his feet just as Hortence was attempting to lasso the stallion. He couldn’t bear to see the horse in the hands of these evil men.
He charged at Hortence, punching him as hard as he could in the stomach. “Stop it! Leave him alone!”
But Hortence was unaffected, and pushed Vaughn back to the ground again with ease. Vaughn got back up quickly this time. He was so angry, and he could feel something changing in his body. A strange sensation went through him that he’d never felt before.
Vaughn looked around at Hortence and at all the men that were now running towards the stallion with their ropes. Something was shifting within him and he felt his heart beat—he could hear it beating in his head. A sharp and halting pain shot through his chest, and his heart began to beat faster and faster. He wondered for a moment if he could be having a heart attack. He clutched his chest, and dropped to his knees. I’m only a kid—doesn’t this only happen to older people?
His heart now raced like the rhythm of a bee’s wings, and he nearly lost consciousness. For what seemed like an eternity, everything that Vaughn could see was moving in slow motion.
He suddenly felt nothing at all, and heard nothing at all except the beat of his heart that was now beating so fast that it hummed. It struck him as strange that the inside of his body seemed to be moving at warp speed but everything outside his body seemed to be moving no faster than honey. He saw the sweat drip from his brow, the horse bucking, and the men scrambling—all at a snail’s pace; it was as if he was no longer part of the scene.
But soon his heart began to slow down, and within seconds it was back to more of a steady rhythm—yet still much faster than it had been before. The spectacle suddenly came to life once more with the crack of one of the men’s whips.
He stood up and looked down at himself. He was…different somehow, and he felt amazing! Like he could fly!
Vaughn was on a mission now, and stalked over to Hortence. Just as Hortence was about to throw his rope again, Vaughn caught it, and then punched him in the stomach as hard as he could. Hortence doubled over and coughed. After a few moments, he looked up at Vaughn and swung a fist at Vaughn’s face. Vaughn dodged it with ease, and punched the man again—right in the jaw. Hortence fell flat in the dirt. The boys that had been watching through the window looked at each other in shock.
Vaughn turned around quickly and saw ropes flying through the air as several men tried to lasso the big animal. He wasn’t surprised that the animal had not fled during the commotion. It was as if the stallion didn’t intend to leave without him.
Vaughn jumped high, catching each rope before they landed on the horse, and then threw them to the ground.
Hortence had gotten up, and just as he was about to hit Vaughn from behind, a powerful hoof caught him right in the side. Vaughn turned just in time to see it, and thought he’d heard bones crack. Quickly, he leaped onto the horse’s back, not understanding how he had done it so easily this time. The stallion then bolted with Vaughn on his back.
Hortence lay in the dirt moaning and holding his side. But he refused to give up so easily. After numerous tries, he finally got to his feet again and staggered to his truck. He grabbed his rifle and ammo from the backseat.
“If I can’t have that stallion, then no one will!”
The men all ran for their trucks, determined to catch the horse. Hortence jumped into his truck, intent on killing whoever and whatever got in his way.
Vaughn could feel the horse breathing hard, and he knew he must be getting tired, the poor thing—no, wait a second—it was anger, not exhaustion. This animal was unlike other animals; it was different—just like he was. They were meant to meet, Vaughn realized.
Vaughn held on tight to the stallion as they rode like the wind. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew he’d better think fast, as he was pretty sure Hortence and his pals would be following behind them in their vehicles.
Sure enough, within a few minutes, Vaughn spotted several trucks in the distance behind them. His mind was reeling. Don’t panic, don’t panic—just think. His mind was blank. He was desperate now. He sought his best friend for help.
“God help me—what do I do?”
There was a fence ahead of them and Vaughn prayed under his breath that the stallion would go over it.
“Come on boy—you can do it. Vaughn encouraged the horse. “Please, please go over it.”
The stallion did not slow down but kept running at full speed. When they got within several feet of the fence, Vaughn closed his eyes, hung on for dear life, and prayed that this horse could clear a fence without having been trained to do so.
For what seemed like an eternity, he heard nothing. But when he heard the horse’s steady rhythm of hoof-beats once more upon the ground, he opened his eyes again. Vaughn glanced at the fence behind them. They had cleared it!
“Yes! Thank you, God.” And to the horse he praised, “Good boy!”
Vaughn heard the loud crash behind him as the trucks drove right through the fence. Hortence’s truck was out in the front, and through the windshield Vaughn could see his angry expression, and his mouth forming words. He could just imagine what Hortence was saying, and knew at that moment that Hortence intended to kill him, and that no one would even care that the scrawny little orphan child was missing.
Vaughn looked behind them again. The trucks were closing in on them. Vaughn could not believe the stamina of the horse. He has to be one of the fastest horses in the world! Vaughn thought. As he pondered this, something whizzed past his head. Someone was shooting at him! What am I going to do?
“Jesus! Help!” he cried.
Suddenly, Vaughn could no longer hear the sound of the horse’s hooves on the ground, and he began to panic now. Had they gone off a cliff? Had a bullet struck him in the head and he lost his hearing? Was he dead? But Vaughn looked down and saw that the ground was getting further and further away. They were…flying?
He held the horse tight around his neck, thinking that if he fell, then he’d be done for. But there was something inside him that told him it was him that was making them fly.
Vaughn looked behind them and saw that the men had all stopped, gotten out of their vehicles and just watched in awe. He could see Hortence aiming his rifle in their direction, and Vaughn’s eyes widened in sheer horror.
He knew that Hortence was a marksman, and had seen him hit a moving target from three hundred yards away. It was a miracle that he hadn’t shot them already.
Vaughn willed them to fly faster, and he was surprised to find that they did. He did a double take—for a moment he thought he’d seen a glimmer of something or someone flying next to him, just for an instant, but then it was gone. He dismissed it for now, so that he could concentrate.
They were moving so fast now that Vaughn could actually see the bullets flying; he was able to maneuver the stallion accordingly. How is this possible? He didn’t know, but he was grateful, and expressed his thanks to God aloud.
Vaughn willed them to fly over a mountain. Once over the mountain they switched direction, just in case Hortence and the other men decided to try and track them. They flew as fast as a jet, high above the trees. He spotted some clouds and they flew through the white mist.
“Whoo hoo!” he squealed excitedly.
They slowed down for awhile so Vaughn could get his bearings. He delighted in the feeling of the wind through his hair. He dreamed of this! Well, perhaps not flying through the sky on a horse—but this was better than his dreams!
Vaughn looked down and could see tiny little people. Every now and again he could tell that some of them had noticed him and the horse flying through the sky. Many people pointed, mouths agape at the sight; one man actually fainted.
They flew fast like the wind. Vaughn couldn’t believe that he wasn’t afraid of being up so high. He’d always thought he was afraid of heights, but now all he felt was exhilarated and free.
After they had flown for what felt to be about five hundred miles or so, Vaughn figured he’d put enough distance between himself and his pursuers. He spotted a small town below, and set them down just on the outskirts next to a stream.
As they touched the ground, Vaughn climbed down from the horse. The stallion was surprisingly calm after all the excitement. Vaughn was amazed at how well the horse had done for never having flown before. Wait a second—I’ve never flown before either. And definitely not at the speed of sound! He laughed at himself.
Vaughn petted the horse on his neck and whispered to him softly. “Good job, boy…such a good boy. Thank you.”
The stallion nickered.
“I’m going to name you Eli.”
Vaughn walked the horse over to the stream and they both had a drink. He looked down at his reflection in the water, and ran his wet hands over his face.
What had happened to him? He even looked different to himself. Vaughn was astounded at what had just taken place; he almost started to question whether it had really happened, but he knew in his heart it was all real. He glanced over at the stallion that seemed completely unaffected by the day’s events. Vaughn reached out to pet his muzzle.
“I guess this sort of thing happens to you all the time, huh Eli?” Vaughn laughed to himself.
He shook his head trying to make sense of it all. He was grateful for it, but he had no idea what he was supposed to do now. He could never go back to that horrible place, with those horrible men, and those horrible kids. But he was just a child; how would he take care of himself?
“Lord, what do I do?”
“Bang!” The sound of an old vehicle door slamming shut rang out nearby.
Vaughn jumped at the abrupt noise, and turned to see three men getting out of an old beat-up truck and heading in his direction, each with fishing poles in hand.
#
Massive biceps flexed as Vaughn gripped the deck railing to pull himself up to his full height of six feet five inches. He stood up on the tree house deck and looked out at the horizon. Large pectoral muscles threatened to burst through a snug t-shirt as he pulled his sword, Paladin’s Prayer, from its sheath and swung it around.
He thought often, as he practiced with his sword, of the three brothers that had rescued him. They had taken him and his horse, Eli in, and fed and sheltered them. They were Godly people and Vaughn had found comfort in that. He’d told them what had happened, and even though they thought his powers strange at first, they still accepted Vaughn, without being afraid, seeing something good in him. They told Vaughn that he could stay for as long as he liked, so he did. It was almost like Vaughn was meant to meet them. He felt so blessed.
It had been years since he’d seen them, although he kept in touch. One day he would repay them for their kindness. He wished they were here now—he found that he needed some sound advice from them, as he felt so lost about love. And it would be wonderful to run off some steam on his swift horse, Eli.
Vaughn sheathed his sword, Paladin’s Prayer; leaped into the air; and landed solid with both feet on the ground twenty feet below. He then moved into a racing stance as if he was about to run a race. He took off like a shot, and moved so quickly that it seemed as though he disappeared. All that could be seen was the trail of dust behind him.
***
Read more about Vaughn in the full-length novel, League of Ascenders: Journey of the Fledglings by Spring Hellams, now available! Read about Vaughn’s adventures as he battles evil creatures and struggles in love. And learn what it was that flew next to Vaughn as he took flight on Eli, the black stallion.