Bindings Read Free

ever seen. Heavy stuff. Needless to say, things changed pretty radically after that.
    These men—the Trenchcoat Brigade, as he called them—took him to other worlds. The one known only as the Stranger brought him into the past. Tim witnessed the sinking of Atlantis, saw ancient civilizations, and even met Merlin. Then John Constantine took him to America and introduced him to other magic types of the present day. Tim’s favorite part of the trip was meeting Zatanna, a lady magician he had admired on TV. She turned out to be even cooler in person. Next, it was on to Faerie, a magical realm that seemed straight out of a storybook.
    Faerie had been amazing. It wasn’t just that it was probably the prettiest, most spectacular place he’d ever seen. It was where he felt like magic was real. More than that—that magic was natural, everyday, and ordinary but in an extraordinary way. He had met talking animals, nasty little creatures, and beautiful fairies who could fly and sing, and even the air there made him want to dance—if he were keen on dancing.
    He almost wound up a prisoner there, when the Queen, Titania, tricked him into accepting a gift. But he managed to find a way out and was able to return home. Then, of course, no adventure would be complete without an attempt on one’s life. And Tim had been there, done that, too. His creepy tour guide, Mr. E, took him into the future, to the “end of time,” and then turned on him and tried to drive a stake through his heart. It was a bizarre miracle that Tim had made it back alive.
    Throughout all the journeys, it seemed like there were always people trying to kill him or take his magic. John Constantine, the bloke Tim liked best of the crew, had explained that Tim’s magic could go either way—good or evil—and that there were powerful forces who wanted to be sure his magic went the way they wanted it to—or didn’t go at all. In other words, if Tim wasn’t going to work for the bad guys, they wanted him dead!
    Am I still in danger? Tim wondered. Since the Trenchcoat Brigade had deposited him at home that rainy night a little over a month ago, exhausted and confused, nothing unusual had happened. In a strange way it was a little disappointing. Now what? What do I do with this information?
    Even though Tim had spent the whole time scared stiff, it was the most alive he had ever felt. Maybe because so many times I thought I was about to be dead , he reasoned .
    Tim thought about things he’d seen and magic he’d done . When they first met, Dr. Occult, the one who had shown Tim the land of Faerie, had turned Tim’s yo-yo into an owl. At the end of time, when Mr. E had attacked him, Yo-yo flew in front of the stake that had been intended for Tim. Yo-yo’s sacrifice had saved Tim, but killed the owl. Back at home after the Trenchcoat Brigade had left him, after Tim had rejected magic, frustrated and disappointed and alone, Tim had managed to somehow turn his yo-yo back into a bird. How did I do that ? he wondered.
    But the bird had flown away. And Tim missed him.
    A movement overhead caught Tim’s eye. He squinted up and saw a large bird circling above him. “Yo-yo?”
    Just then he felt a thud against his ankle and glanced down. The football sat beside his foot. “Oh,” Tim said. “I suppose I should do something with that.”
    â€œYikes!” he cried, as the opposing team thundered toward him. Oh no! His teammates were heading straight toward him, too!
    Tim tried to kick the ball away, but it had now rolled out of reach.
    Ooof! The large boy who sat three rows in front of him in Literature class slammed into Tim. Tim landed on the ground, winded, his face grinding into the dirt, as three more kids piled on top of him. Then he heard a shout. “Saunders has the ball!” Everyone scrambled away, leaving Tim sore and humiliated, alone on the grass.
    Slowly, Tim sat up. He