title: Passing Through the Gate
author:  David R. Girard 
description: Born in Wichita Falls, Texas, to a Canadian father and a Pennsylvanian mother who counts herself among The Daughters of The American Revolution, David Girards life journey has included stops in countless places. They include small southern Ontario towns; the suburbs of Buffalo, New York; an extended road trip to Dallas, Texas; and an educational stay in Oxford, Ohio. Finally, he planted more permanent roots on the shores of Lake Maxinkuckee, where he has lived, worked and written since 1989. This novel draws upon Girards rich experience living and working with boys in a boarding-school setting. Their actions, dreams, triumphs, and failures  and their remarkable transformation from adolescents to young adults  provide a wealth of insights about the unique bonds forged between teenagers in a rarified setting.
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  > Chapter 1
  
  I grab Rachel’s hand and start to pull her to the end of the line. We need to
  get another Gate War in before it gets dark. It should be about 4pm right now,
  but without clocks it is hard to tell. We should be able to get one more
  battle in.
  
  The line of people waiting to enter their own Gate War has grown since we
  first entered. It makes sense, more people from around Denver are coming to
  fight at the Gate. I wonder briefly how spaced out the Gates are across the
  world. Maybe we got lucky being so close to one.
  
  The line winds itself through the Civic Center Park, not following any
  concrete paths. I push us forward faster, and we are jogging now, trying to
  reach the end of the line.
  
  “Will, wait up!” Rachel is a little out of breath from our block of running.
  This isn’t good. Rachel enjoys running for exercise, so her being out of
  breath from a jog is a large red flag. “My leg really hurts when I run. The
  line isn’t going anywhere, let’s slow down.” Rache