The Brothers Three: and the Shadow Hunters

By Dani Kraai

There’s nothing ridiculous about asking an 11-year old, a child at the cusp of discovering their own identity, to hide every emotion they feel, all while very obviously keeping secrets from them. Not if the survival of their race depends on it.

It all started when one brother, Brax, has an angry outburst after being humiliated when h

• Language: English
• Publisher: Danielle Kraai
• Release date: Apr 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9780578682174

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The Brothers Three

and the shadow hunters

Dani Kraai

DK Publishing

Zeeland, MI

Copyright © 2020 by Dani Kraai.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Dani Kraai

P.O. Box

Zeeland, MI 49464

www.danikraai.com

Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

Book Layout ©2017 BookDesignTemplates.com

Ordering Information:

Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the Special Sales Department at the address above.

The Brothers Three / Dani Kraai. -- 1st ed.

ISBN 978-0-5786607-2-1

Contents

Chapter 1. The Best Idea Ever 1

Chapter 2. It Can't Be................................................12

Chapter 3. Shadows in the Dark...............................18

Chapter 4. Autumn Storms.......................................27

Chapter 5. The Lumberjack Guard............................35

Chapter 6. Drumline...................................................47

Chapter 7. Forbidden Fairy Tales................................64

Chapter 8. The First Man...........................................77

Chapter 9. Melting Point............................................83

Chapter 10. To Scare a Yeti.......................................90

Chapter 11. Lightning in a Bottle...............................100

Chapter 12. Friend or Foe........................................106

Chapter 13. Abominable............................................115

Chapter 14. The Tale of The Brothers Three.............124

Chapter 15. The Deep Blue Calm.............................132

Chapter 16. Secret's Out...........................................138

Chapter 17. Good or Bad Brother..............................143

To anyone curious what yetis do for a living

The Brothers Three

and the shadow hunters

Chapter 18. Annaminis.............................................157

Chapter 19. Shadow Dancers....................................168

Chapter 20. True Prince.............................................181

Chapter 21. Kidnapping Rassi...................................185

Chapter 22. The New Principal..................................192

Chapter 23. Great Galen............................................198

Chapter 24. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?...205

Chapter 25. The Grid................................................215

Chapter 26. Don't Care............................................223

Chapter 27. True Friends...........................................231

Chapter 28. The Great Escape...................................238

Chapter 29. Make Him Proud....................................246

Chapter 30. Aurora....................................................251

Chapter 31. The First Shadow Hunter.......................258

Chapter 32. The Break In.........................................265

Chapter 33. Undercover Mermaid............................271

Chapter 34. The Glowing Orb.................................282

Chapter 35. Shadows Over Town...........................290

Chapter 36. The Best Best Friend...............................299

Chapter 1

Tree With Roots

The Best Idea Ever

No one knew who the firstborn was, but everyone knew the fate of the world depended on him. The three brothers had no idea they were the brothers three. They had no idea they were anyone at all. All they knew was right now, they had the BEST IDEA EVER. It was going to cut their travel time by a whole minute and just imagine all the stuff they could do in that minute.

That morning, the brothers sat at their breakfast nook with the sun shining brightly through the three large windows that faced the porch. Brax took a big bite into his toast with chocolate sprinkles at the same moment his father patted him on the top of the head. He was leaving for work and would likely be gone the entire day as he usually was. Owning a construction company kept him busy; he often traveled to nearby cities working on various development projects. Their father continued by, patting Bo and Bridger, grabbed his workbag from the tiled kitchen floor, and as he grabbed the door handle he turned to say, Protect your brothers, son. I’m counting on you. Then he turned and walked out the door.

This wasn’t wholly unusual; his father often gave Brax directions while leaving for work. He would say things like Keep an eye on them. Don’t let them get into any trouble, or Don’t let them talk you into any nonsense, but never protect them. This direction seemed more serious than the others. Like their father knew what Bridger had in mind and it was up to Brax to keep them safe.

Bridger leaned toward his brothers and wiped a sprinkle from his cheek. Guys, I have a brilliant idea. Why do I have the feeling this is something dangerous? Brax asked.

It’s not, Bo said. Well, it is a dangerous idea, but I already planned it to perfection. Leaving only a small probability that we will get hurt.

Brax didn’t like the sound of any of this. As usual, Bo and Bridger had decided on an adventure without asking Brax first. Brax glanced over both his shoulders, hoping to find someone on his side, but Uncle Nick was nowhere in sight. It was Brax versus the two of them.

Brax let out a big sigh. What’s the plan?

You know how everywhere we go while we are in town we have to cross the creek...?

Except when we go to the old ski hill, Bo said.

Yeah, except then, Bridger said.

Yes, Brax responded.

Well, I was thinking, what if we could go over the creek instead of around? Bridger asked.

We don’t know the first thing about building bridges, Brax answered.

Technically, I do, Bo said. But that’s not the idea.

If not a bridge, then what? Brax started feeling queasy, and he knew it wasn’t because of the sprinkles.

A ramp, Bridger said as he folded his arms and leaned back against his chair.

A ramp? Brax asked.

I already put the specs together. It will work, Bo said.

This sounds like we will end up getting hurt, said Brax.

Well, we’re doing it, Bo and I already decided. Bridger had his usual smug grin.

Now, you just need to decide if you’re coming with us, Bo added. He folded his last piece of toast in half and shoved the whole piece in his mouth. After chewing quickly, he chugged his entire glass of milk.

Brax took a deep breath. He was still feeling queasy, sick of being thrown into Bridger’s crazy ideas, but he knew he had to go. He’d promised his dad.

The brothers frequently went on adventures in their town of Moorisel, Michigan. Moorisel was a small town now trying to be a city. The farms that once filled the streets became shops, restaurants, and new homes. If you traveled far enough out of town, you could still get a sense of what life once was. The outskirts maintained the old farming houses, but new developments peppered the streets. The brothers lived in one of those developments.

A couple of miles out of town, after traveling past the old schoolhouse and beyond the last farm, you would hit a barn on the corner of Burners Road and 72nd Street. Take a left on Burners Road and you would quickly run into Hardewik Subdivision. There were nine new homes on their street filled with people who wanted the solitude of the country but the social life of city folk. The brothers lived in the corner home. Their backyard lined up perfectly with the land housing the barn. Their father had purchased it when they moved there.

Brax led his brothers by bike out of the subdivision, past the barn, and into town. They made their typical morning stop at the candy store to buy Tootie Frooties, before stopping at Mr. Harvey’s shop to steal a piece of wood for their big idea. After that, they grabbed some water bottles at the corner gas station, rode back past their house and through the woods on the south side of town. They traveled through rows of live oak trees, over leaves that fell before fall, and along the stream that led to the lake. They picked the perfect spot to bring their idea to life. It was a space of twenty yards between two giant oaks that edged the cliff to the creek that separated the farmlands from downtown. The land was flat, perfect for building a ramp. If there was no way out of it, Brax needed to make sure it was as safe as possible.

He was checking the ground one last time when their neighbor Chelsea came up behind him.

You’re going to die, Chelsea said, pushing back her hair that stuck to the side of her face. Her thick black waves accented her native brown eyes that were intense with concern.

The brothers had agreed not to invite Chelsea this time, but that’s the thing with small towns; the neighbors always know what you’re doing. Besides, Chelsea was Brax’s best friend, and she always followed him. It only bothered Brax when his brothers whined about it.

No, we’re not, Bridger said. You always say that.

Because you always do stupid things! she said.

The three boys stared at her in bewilderment. Their ideas were brilliant. And most times they worked out.

Come on, Chelsea, just let the men do men things, Bo said as he took his t-shirt off. The sweat rolled off his chin and down the rolls of his stomach.

Chelsea rolled her eyes. Brax knew she was biting her tongue. No matter what rocks Bo threw at her, she always acted like he would break if she flung a rock back at him.

Brax wiped the sweat from his forehead but kept his shirt on. He didn’t want to scratch his stomach up with the branches. It was the right decision; it only took one trip for Bo’s stomach to turn red as a strawberry. Bo threw his wood down at Bridger’s feet, wiped his stomach, and walked back to the woods. Bridger kicked the logs off his feet and followed closely at Bo’s heels.

Brax placed his pile down and took a minute to catch his breath. It wasn’t easy breaking branches off trees. Sweat soaked his silky black hair, and his bangs stuck to his forehead. He paused for too long, and now Chelsea was standing behind him.

Brax, you know this is a bad idea, she said. She was so close he could feel her hot breath on his ear.

Brax knew Chelsea was right. He couldn’t stop thinking about it since they started, but it was too late to back out now. This is how things went: Bridger came up with the idea, Bo developed the plan, Chelsea expressed her concerns, and they all agreed that Brax was the best to try it out. It happened so many times now they told him it was good luck for him to go first. He knew that wasn’t true. The truth was they were chickens. But Brax had the task of watching over his brothers. So years in this cycle made Brax leader of their pack, whether he liked it or not.

No, it’s not. Why are you so worried? Brax asked. He grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt to wipe his face. He blinked a few times, blinded by the sun streaming through the treetops. The salt from the sweat dripping down his face stung his ocean-blue eyes.

I just don’t want you to get hurt! she said with tenderness in her voice.

I’ll be fine, he huffed.

Chelsea was his only friend. He had some teachers at school who were rather nice to him, but they never talked to him outside of school. The other kids looked at the brothers like they were aliens, and Chelsea went to boarding school in another country. So, they had one friend, a summertime friend.

When the brothers first showed up in Michigan and went to the school in kindergarten, they were like kings. No one had seen triplets before. But the novelty wore off quickly, and the kids at school started questioning them once they realized they looked nothing alike. Brax and Bo had matching ice-blue eyes, but that was the only thing any of them shared. 

Not only did they look nothing alike, but they could not answer any of their classmates’ questions. Most new kids could tell people about everything that had happened at their old schools. The brothers couldn’t; they had no memory of it. Their father was no help either. He was always gone, and when he was around, he dodged any questions they asked about their past.

It wasn’t the children’s fault. Kindergarteners would hardly know to question three brothers with no resemblance. It was their parents. Every time the kids would see classmates in town, their parents would grab them and scurry off. They tried not to make it evident that they were avoiding the brothers, but it didn’t matter, the boys could tell, and their Uncle Nick would always say Don’t pay them any attention.

Every time Uncle Nick said that, it felt like they should pay attention to it. 

The brothers learned to lean on each other and became their own best friends. Brax was tall and stout with dark brown hair that was short and coifed above his head. Bo was short and chubby with long, wavy, blond hair that touched his shoulders. And Bridger was tall and lanky, with sandy brown hair and dark chestnut eyes.

The brothers were great friends, but Bridger and Bo were careless. Bo didn’t realize the strength of his muscles hidden in his massive body and ran through things like a tornado. Bridger only cared about two things, Batman and fishing. They couldn’t check on Brax; they could hardly take care of themselves. Brax realized at a young age that he would need someone else to lean on. Then he met Chelsea, the nice girl next door whose parents didn’t rush her away when the boys came by.

Chelsea looked out for Brax, and Brax looked out for his brothers. Right now, with Chelsea by his side, Brax couldn’t stop thinking about them. They had wandered off again. He hollered their names but didn’t get a response. Turning his ear up to the air and listening intently, he heard, wafting through the breeze, heavy grunting.

Brax followed the sounds of grunting to locate Bo. He turned to find Bridger and Bo teeter-tottering on a log.

Come on, man, we need help! Bridger said.

Yeah, we’re not heavy enough, Bo said.

Well, he is, I’m not, Bridger said.

Bo pretended it didn’t hurt his feelings. Very funny. Brax hopped on the log next to Bridger and the three brothers jumped on the count of three. His weight added to Bridger’s forced the log to crack in one swift motion. The brothers went tumbling down into a pile of leaves and twigs. Bridger huffed and rubbed his side, where a twig had jabbed him. The other two stood and brushed the debris from their sweaty limbs.

Bo and Brax grabbed their respective halves of the log and carried it to the river’s edge as Bridger supervised. Their ramp was now complete. It stood three feet high and two feet wide. They secured the logs with twine they borrowed from their barn on their way to the woods. Then covered it with the flat piece of wood they took from Mr. Harvey’s shop.

Brax walked up the ramp to ensure the logs were stable. He even jumped a little to mimic the weight of him on a bike.

Come on, man, said Bo. How many times you gotta bounce? It’s good quality. I’m just making sure, Brax replied.

We built it, and we don’t do shoddy work, Bo added.

"Stop trying to talk like Dad. You’re not him and you do shoddy work all the time," Bridger said.

"You all do shoddy work all the time!" said Chelsea.

No one asked you, woman, Bo said.

Come on, man, don’t say things like that to her, Brax said over his shoulder.

Ooooh, Brax has a girrrlfriend, he replied.

Brax, still hopping on the ramp, ignored his brothers, and stared down at the creek below. The brown muddy water floated slowly past. Across the creek was another edge of land that was the same height as where he stood. The ground looked hard. Like it would hurt if he didn’t land right. Brax had no idea how to make this jump with his bike, but he knew the attempt would happen. It was the only way he could protect his brothers. It would be better if he came home hurt instead of them. He’d get yelled at and given the speech about not letting others talk you into doing stupid things. Still, Brax would always prefer his father’s yelling over his face of disappointment. Brax had one task today, and he wasn’t going to fail.

Bo interrupted Brax’s thoughts. So, are we going to do this or what? Yeah, go get your bike.

Brax turned and walked back down the ramp. He felt a ball of heat travel up his throat. For a second, he thought his brothers might try going first.

Ha! We already voted, and you’re going first, Bo said.

You two always vote without me, Brax said. His fingers burned with anxiety.

The brothers continued arguing amongst themselves, not noticing the action behind them. By the time they saw, Chelsea was midair, halfway across the river and diving towards the other side. Upon landing, the springs of the wheels whipped up, and the tail end of the bike skidded around, whipping her 180 degrees. She turned towards the three brothers and gave a little smirk.

Like a girl! she yelled back to them.

Bridger and Bo turned to each other and let out a loud cackle. Brax’s eyes darted between the two boys and back to Chelsea, eyebrows furrowed. The ball of heat from his throat traveled throughout his body.

Why was that funny? Brax asked.

Bo attempted to talk through his laughter, pointing at Brax: You … you … you… Bridger stood up straight, still holding his side. You were. You were too scared to jump, so a girl had to do it for you.

What? No, I wasn’t! Brax protested.

Yeah, yeah, you were, Bo said.

Brax was so angry he could feel a fire burning in his chest. Just look at them, he thought, laughing and holding each other up. They always gang up on me. It turned out it wasn’t because they thought he was strongest or toughest. They just know I’ll do whatever they say.

He felt the fire in his chest getting hotter, hot chocolate lava spreading through his veins. Typically, Brax could manage his frustrations with his brothers, but this time it felt different. He wasn’t just being ganged up on by his brothers; this time Chelsea joined. Brax had never felt anger this strong before. The laughter was ringing in his ears and vibrating down to his toes.

Shut up! he yelled. Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

Brax’s protesting only made them laugh harder. Brax could feel the anger building pressure inside him like he was going to explode. And he did.

A flash of purple light sprang from his body as if he were a purple bomb. It spread through the woods, vibrating the forest bed. The water in the river boiled on impact, and black charred the live oaks.

Brax’s body cooled immediately after the sparks left him. He no longer felt angry. He stared down at his hands in disbelief. He looked up at his brothers, whose jaws dropped to the ground.

He turned to Chelsea. Her eyes were big, but like she wasn’t surprised.

CHAPTER 2

Surprised face outline

It Can’t Be

The moonlight illuminated the pitch-black of Burners Road as Brax biked slowly on the fresh pavement. He sat on his bike but didn’t pedal. His feet kicked at the ground, propelling him forward. He’d lost sight of his brothers a while ago. They were so excited to get back to tell their dad and Uncle Nick. It was the first time he wasn’t leading the pack; he wasn’t part of the pack at all.

Burners Road was lined with several oak trees that turned a dark green and glistened in the moonlight. A fall breeze wafted through the trees, creating a creepy jingle with the shaking branches. Brax stared at the barn the entire time he pushed past it. His feet moved more quickly by instinct. He looked back over his shoulder as he biked past and noticed his own shadow. At first, it startled him until he realized what it was. He’d never seen his shadow in the moonlight before. For a moment, it helped ease his nerves.

Brax took the opportunity of calm to clear his head. He wanted to get back as quickly as possible just like his brothers; he needed to find out what had happened to him. But he also knew that he couldn’t just go into the house shouting. His father was too smart for that. Brax needed to know what questions he wanted to be answered. And in what order. If he didn’t have a tactical plan with his questions, he wouldn’t learn anything at all. 

And he wanted to know a lot. Like … was that fire? Or was it electricity? Why didn’t his brothers die? Or Chelsea? Why did it happen? Was he always able to and just didn’t know it? Could his brothers do it? Could his dad and Uncle Nick? And if they could, why did they never tell him?

The more he let the questions fill his mind, the less he thought about a plan. Strategy went completely out the window. Soon he was at his front steps staring at his dog Sophie through the front screen. He could hear his brothers—they sounded like chirping cockatoos—and he followed their shouts into the kitchen. His father and Uncle Nick were standing together in the doorway of their study, not paying them any attention. They spoke quietly and out of the sides of their mouths, never taking their eyes off Brax.

It can’t be, his father said.

No, Uncle Nick responded.

There’s no way.

No.

It’s just not possible.

No.

Unless…

Maybe.

Could it be true?

I suppose so.

But it’s never happened before.

No.

Has it? Never.

But it did! both Bridger and Bo shouted.

Hush now, Uncle Nick said while patting the air over their heads.

"You boys go to