Raymond's Nemesis

By G. Wulfing

Toby Wilson's enigmatic friend from school, Raymond, has a secret, and Wilson is determined to help him keep it. So far, he has managed to keep the fact that Raymond is a 'sort-of vampire' hidden even from his best mates, Callum and George. As far as they are concerned, Raymond is just 'unusual', or 'eccentric'; after all, so long as he can play basketball with them and Wilson, what do a strange accent, a curious eye-colour, and an extraordinary amount of poise, matter?
But then a new student arrives at their school and starts to show a discomforting amount of interest in Raymond. The new student has a bullying streak, and seems to suspect that Raymond is ... different. If he figures out what Raymond is hiding, Raymond and Wilson will be in the biggest trouble of their young lives: blackmail, lies, and difficult questions from parents and teachers could be just the beginning. Once again, Wilson finds himself in a graveyard at midnight with questionable company, and, suddenly, keeping Raymond and his dangerous secret safe becomes far more difficult and frightening than either Wilson or Raymond had imagined it could.
‘Raymond’s Nemesis’ is the second story in the ‘Raymond’ series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: G. Wulfing
• Release date: Dec 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463023846

G. Wulfing

G. Wulfing, author of kidult fantasy and other bits of magic, is a freak. They have been obsessed with reading since they learned how to do it, and obsessed with writing since they discovered the fantasy genre a few years later. G. Wulfing has no gender, and is of varying age. G. Wulfing lives amidst the beautiful scenery of New Zealand, prefers animals to people, and requires solitude, books, music, chocolate, and masala chai lattes in order to remain functional.

Book preview

Raymond’s Nemesis

Published by G. Wulfing at Smashwords

Copyright 2018 G. Wulfing

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The book cover is by the excellent DrRiptide:

drriptide.deviantart.com

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This is the second book in a series by G. Wulfing: the first book is titled Raymond.

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Table of contents:

Raymond’s Nemesis

About G. Wulfing

Raymond’s Nemesis

It was the first day of the Autumn term.

I said a polite ‘hi’ to Raymond as we passed each other in the school corridor, and he responded with his usual genteel ‘good morning’.

It was a normal first day of term. At lunchtime, I sat as usual with my friends Callum and George. George and his family had been back to Scotland for the holidays, and George told us that his uncle had taken him and his father out to look for red deer. They had seen an enormous stag with several hinds. As I munched on my sandwich, listening to George’s description of the stag, I raised my eyes to scan the schoolyard surreptitiously. Raymond was there, in his usual shady corner, wearing sunglasses and eating alone, as always.

After school, George and Callum asked if I wanted to have a game of basketball on the school court, but regretfully I told them that I couldn’t: I had something else on.

I left them at the school gate, and headed in the direction of home. Partway there I detoured, and made for the Keystone Cemetery.

The big iron gates were standing closed and silent as always. As I reached them, Raymond materialised from behind the stone gatepost, on the other side of the narrow iron side-gate. He removed his sunglasses. Through the bars, his amber eyes glowed at me in one of his subtle smiles. Good afternoon, my friend.

Hey, Raymond, I returned, opening the side gate and slipping through it to join him inside the graveyard. How are things?

Smooth, he replied. And with you?

Pretty good. I think I flunked that maths test, though.

We continued talking as we wandered down the gravel paths of the cemetery, past the new headstones with their fake flowers in vases, towards the back of the cemetery, where the headstones were old and weathered, the gravel paths petered out in the grass, and a dozen mighty oak trees stood, backed by the big dark hedge that formed the boundary of the graveyard. I glanced to the right of the trees. The old chapel was still there, with its grey stone walls and slate roof.

We sat down in our usual spot under the biggest of the oak trees.

Callum and George asked me to play basketball with them after school today, I said. It’s a pity that you couldn’t play with us. It’s always difficult trying to play with only three people. It would be a lot easier with four.

I am glad to hear you say that, Raymond responded, after a pause.

Why? I asked.

Because I have thought the same thing, many times, over the past few months.

I looked out across the graveyard, and fidgeted with the lace of one of my shoes. I keep trying to think of a way ’round it, but … I just can’t see it working. The problem is that as soon as you tell a secret to more than one person, it’s not really a secret anymore. It’s not that I think George and Callum would blab or anything, it’s just … I don’t think they’d get it.

Raymond was silent.

If the four of us started hanging out together, it would be pretty difficult to pretend that – well, that there isn’t something different about you. George and Callum aren’t stupid; they already think that you’re weird. They’d wonder why it is that I don’t mind being around you, and it would be pretty obvious that I know something about you that they don’t.