Dragon Dreams Book I: Paths of the Wise One by Rob Garbin

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Prologue

Nigel Grayson was walking home alone from high school like he had a hundred times before. Summer break began tomorrow. He found no joy in this fact since he did not have regular friends to spend time with. He could not master the knack of fitting in with the cool crowd and was lonely and frustrated. One of the late school busses rolled down the road and passed him, churning dust and stones in its wake. From inside he could hear lewd comments directed at him by the very people he tried to fit in with. Many kids where just grandstanding to make a name and place for themselves in the ranks.
What made the situation worse was the fact that Nigel was infatuated with science fiction and fantasy and would often speak of the magical worlds and daring characters he read about. For this reason he was labeled a geek. Tossed unceremoniously in with the fanatical Trekkies and D&D losers. Nigel, while not feeling the need to label such people, believed he was much more than that particular label. He was interested in far more than the surface fluff which was the basic diet of the over the edge fan. Good story telling, well defined characters, and sound plots were more important to him than dressing up like some alien character and running around like a ten year old.
Unfortunately, there was no middle ground in high school. Either you were a jock, a freak, a preppie, or a geek. Even worse, geeks tended to be the fall guys for all of the other groups by being an easy target for raising one's status within the other groups. Because Nigel was not comfortable within himself, he took the mocking to heart and allowed it to push him away from people. He refused, or did not know, how to stand up for what he was and he began to doubt his decisions. To fit in he had to give up what he was while being himself meant life as an outcast. In Nigel's mind there was no winning side and sadness and fear began to rule his life.
Reaching home, he entered an empty house. Both of his parents worked which left Nigel too much time to ruminate about his doubts and fears and to bury himself in mounds of pain and resentment. Seeking escape, he went to his room and picked up the third book in the series he was reading. Within the bounds of the story, he could be the hero who was strong enough to stand up to the world that sought to crush him into submission. He read for long hours until his mother called him downstairs for dinner.
Nigel said little to his parents about his problems because in some ways they held the same views of him. They felt he spent too much time in his fantasy worlds and not enough time socializing. Surprisingly; however, Nigel had a hard core to him, which forced him to continue to fight in small ways for what he believed. The disdain of his peers and the prodding of his parents could not stop his love for science fiction and fantasy and as soon as dinner was over, Nigel slipped up to his room and read until he fell asleep.
Chapter 1

He was scared and alone. Something unspeakable was pursuing the young man through a dark, twisted, nightmarish maze of passages in an abandoned building.