Volume 1: Chapter 1, The Way Forward.

"Happy Birthday Dear!" Mom yells at the crack of dawn. She stands by my bedside with her long golden blonde hair, perfectly straight, with her finest bright blue dress and her wedding ring still on the hand my father placed it on."Thank you mom but, do you have to be so loud," I saw with the crusts from my eyes not brushed away. "Oh, come on sweety it's your 18th Birthday this is a very big deal, today is the day you will become a man!" "More like the day I begin to make something out of myself." I mummer to myself. I get dressed in my most original outfit I own. A bright pink duster, deer skin vest, and my denim jeans. I walk down the stairs to my mother scrambling to finish breakfast for the family of 6 she just had to have. That sure won't be something I miss. Once I leave, I will no longer have to deal with my younger sisters and brothers since I'm the oldest child in the family.

"Here you go sweety, enjoy it this time don't just woof it down like you always do." "Thank you, mom, I appreciate it." I notice that the plate is arranged to look like the big number 18 with the food. Thanks mom. I take my time eating today as, I am not in my normal rush. I've never been this excited in a long time. The closest time I can remember would be when I kissed my long-time crush Clarie Bellmore. Which was a long time ago and she is happily in a relationship with some other nobody. I still regret not trying to go after her ever since the day I let her walk away from me. "Amazing, we might just have to check your temperature." My mother says sarcastically. "Phew, I'm feeling super faint. I- I just might need- need the doctor." "Oh, my word you're such a jokester. Well Lucas are you ready to leave the home? If you want to stay your more than welcome to." My mother has begun to cry all over her nice bright blue dress. She can't stand the thought of not being able to protect me like she did for all the years she raised me. "Yes mom, it's time for me to go. I embrace her and she begins to cry even harder, "Please, come back to me one day, ok? Just to visit your old mom." "I will." I pick up my bag and throw it on my shoulders. I wave goodbye and leave before my siblings have anything to object or say. I stand at the edge of the walkway biting my lip as hard as I can to stop from crying. In all honestly, I don't want to leave her and my family. It's what I have to do, for me, for the country. So I walk forward and don't look back as today I start my journey. My journey to greatness and fame. My journey to prove the president was assassinated.

My journey starts me towards the town to the library to read up on as much as possible about Funny Valentine. The library is creepy and old. The old Oak planks are splintered and broken all over the place. It needs a new coat of paint, or 2 coats at the rate it looks. Nobody ever really went here so there was never a need to keep it clean and pristine. The only thing I know about it is that there is a sweet old lady inside who does her best to clean out the cobwebs and keep the books looking nice. Though the place is still filthy I applaud her efforts and do my best to not track mud into the library. "Hello, there young man, how are you today?" "I'm doing well, and I wanted to know if you had any books on the president Funny Valentine?" She puts her head down and looks at some piece of paper that is so faded I can't even understand the writing on it. She then shuffles on back to the backroom and brings out a big paperback book. The spine of the book reads, "VALENTINE, THE LOVE OF OUR COUNTRY," this book looks perfect. "Here you are sir, now do you have a library card?" "Um, what is that? Her face turns sour. "You need one to checkout this book." "Well Ma'am, I just need to look at it for a little bit, I can even keep it here and read it." The old lady's face turned from sweet to sour in seconds of me saying that. I notice the lady has very poor eyesight so maybe if I swap this book with another hardback, I can just take this one without her noticing. "Ma'am do you have another book in the back? See I'm looking for a specific cookbook as well. It has lots of ways to prepare meals on the road. Do you mind checking?" Her face turns sweet again. "Of course, dear." She smiles and shuffles back to the room. I quickly sneak to the nearby bookshelf and swap this "How to kill your enemy's," book? What a strange book why is that even in the library. Doesn't matter, I swap the book for the one about the president and hide it in my bag. It feels almost wrong but, I don't know what a "Library Card" is and don't know how to even get one. "Here you go." She found the book I asked for! This is impossible. I hold the book in my hands in awe. "Uhm- Ma'am I apologize I do not need these books anymore. My mother needs me home soon." "Oh dear, I guess it is quite late. Ok I will take these back if you would kindly hand them to me." I hand her the books feeling the soft leather cover slide off my hand. "I will also take the one you were planning on stealing." "I-." My jaw drops to the floor and sweat rolls of my face and back in beads. "I- do not know what you're talking about ma'am." We stare into each other's face for minutes before she laughs and says, "Hahaha, I was only picking. Thats how I tell if people steal from me since my eyesight is so bad. Have a good rest of your evening." "Wow you sure got me. Likewise, Ma'am." God I almost fainted I was so scared.

Walking down the road I begin to notice the book begins to shake. "What the hell is going on?" I drop the book on the ground, and it begins to shake for about 30 seconds before it stops. Then all of a sudden then book opens to the middle page and an entire skeleton of a hand grabs my wrist and throws my body with incredible speed into the library that I had just exited. "What in god's name just happened!" I look down at my body still in shock of what happened. I have a large gash on my stomach and a bruise on my leg and wrist. "You stole from me." I see the old lady standing right Infront of me with some sort of monster next to her.

I looked like a book-human hybrid and seemed to obey her orders. Is this what my father warned me about! Is this what he called a "Stand?" I have a stand; he has told me multiple times even though I have never summoned it. He never explained anything to me. The only thing he told me was its name, but how did he know its name. Did he give me the stand at birth. So many questions and yet no answers.

"YACHT CLUB!" This is how I've seen him summon his stand. Nothing happens, this is it for me I'm going to be killed by an old lady. "This is my stand, Rock in a Hard Place. Do you know about stands. I assume you can see it and the reason you yelled that out loud was to summon yours." "My father always said I was a stand user even though I don't know what they are." She smiles. "Before I kill you, I will explain what a stand is quickly. A stand is kind of like a pet. They obey your ever order and most have special ability's. My stand's ability helps keep people from stealing. If you try to steal a book or something, then my stand will always bring it back to me. No matter what. It also can manifest books based on what you would like to know. Is that enough information?" "I suppose since I am about to be killed." She smiles as if this brings her joy. "Good." She raises a splitting axe that she must have had beside her the entire time. She raises it above her head, and I close my eyes. I think, "is this it, is this how I die, I will die alone, and without any knowledge at all." I open my eyes to find a monster standing Infront of me holding the axe head between his hand. It's a tall dark clothed Skeleton dressed in torn and ripped clothes draped with a desert poncho and a torn cowboy hat with the word YOT spelled in stitches. I throw the axe to the side and see how the old lady is no longer happy but, scared. As if she has already lost. This is going to be a long adventure. I can already tell.