The engine beneath my legs screamed as I tore down the freeway, the rubber of the wheels burning and melting. I had to get away. I had to go somewhere, anywhere. I was fucking fed up with where I was, and I would never return. My pounding heart competed with the sirens for real estate with the sirens, overwhelming all other sounds near me.

One of the police cars got rather close to me. The driver looked at me, shouting something I honestly couldn’t be bothered to even try to understand. I lifted my left hand and gingerly gave him the middle finger.

The driver snarled and swerved in my direction, pressing against my leg. I winced. Was this fucker really trying to push me off the road? I growled back and sped up, the acceleration lifting the bike into a wheelie.

"Woohoo!" I shouted as I swerved to the side, heading towards the nearby exit. The sirens died down, replaced by my beating heart and the adrenaline flowing through my veins.

I took a deep breath, slowing down just a bit. I moved around the small town that I had entered on the cycle. Okay, now to make sure I'm not caught... I sighed, looking around the corner before turning.

***

I spent about 30 minutes driving around the town, following no specific path. When it was clear that no one was following me, I turned into the parking lot of a Kooky's. I parked the cycle and climbed off, placing the helmet on the handle as I entered the store.

"Welcome to Kooky's, the home of the Kooky Burger!" The overenergetic worker manning the register flashed their rather creepy smile at me. "What can I get for you? May I recommend The Kooky Deluxe Meal?"

I looked up at the menu and sighed, pursing my lips. Puffing up my cheeks, I let out my breath. "I'll take the Kooky Deluxe Meal with the kooky cheese fries and the..." I ticked my tongue, thinking a bit,"...the kookies and cream milkshake."

"Okay! That will be $20!" The worker held out their hand. I pulled out some cash from my pocket and handed it to them. They looked at the cash, raised an eyebrow, and looked at me. "Oh, this is more than needed."

"Get yourself a snack or something; feel free to add it to my order." I took my receipt and walked to one of the booths, waiting for my order number to be called.

10 minutes passed before my number was called. I smiled as I went up to the counter and grabbed my tray, giving the worker a small smile and nod before I walked back to the booth I was sitting at. Was the food here great? Fuck no. Is it cheap for how much you get? Yup. I sighed as I pulled out my phone, running my finger across the cracked screen.

I grabbed one of the fries and took a bite, the cheese sauce oozing out from the inside. As I continued to eat, I reached for a napkin from my tray. Instead of the soft, malleable material I was expecting to touch, however, the delicate and thick paper of an envelope.

My eyes darted down to the envelope. It was cream-colored, with a pale blue wax seal keeping it closed. I turned it over. On the front was my name: Daphne Lohks-Belles. It was written in a delicate, decorated font; my best guess was that it was handwritten. Was this a joke? It had to be, right?

I slowly opened the envelope, looking from side to side. I pulled out a very ornate piece of paper that looked handmade and unfolded it, sighing softly.

After reading the letter, I came to the conclusion that this had to be a prank. It mentioned something about my father's side of the family and magic, which was total nonsense. I would know if I had a brother named Peter, right?

***

This might’ve been a dumb move on my part. I grew up watching horror movies with my mother; I shouldn’t have trusted the letter one bit.

"Hello? Is anyone here? I got your letter?" I walked into the abandoned building, tapping my knuckles against the walls.

I swear, if I die here today... I shook my head, the thought flying out of my head and onto the ground. With a deep breath, I continued to walk through the halls of this building - I’d have to assume it used to be an apartment building - and tapped my knuckles against the walls some more. If the other person was going to ask me to go to an abandoned building, I might as well play out my horror movie desires and be the monster, right?

I turned another corner. That was when I saw it: a door that was ancient, even more ancient than the rest of this building. The doorway had a stone arch and a glowing symbol above it. The symbol was a teal circle with a cutout at the top right corner and a brick of sorts - of the same color - finishing it. If anything, it kinda looked like the brick was a spaceship launching in a very simplified art style.

I turned my head to the side and jumped back a bit, letting out a slight yelp. "Holy fuck!" A person was standing there, face covered by the hood of a cloak or something.

"Hello, Daphne. Thank you for coming." I couldn’t quite pinpoint where their accent was from. It had aspects of northern France and the southern UK, with a hint of the southern United States. He took off his hood, revealing his face. We had the same pale blue eyes. His hair was coily, like mine, but black instead of dark red; that was one difference we had, at least. "I am Peter. Peter Lohks, your brother."