Luke Kornet walked into the visitors’ locker room and saw that there was something else, other than his jersey, waiting for him in his locker. Stepping closer, he saw that it was a small, resealable pouch of whey protein powder. He picked it up to investigate it closer, maybe return it to whatever trainer had accidentally left in there, when he saw there was a note on it.
“Eat this raw before the game. Trust me. -Kristaps”
Luke raised his eyebrow at this note, then re-read it as if he was missing its secret meaning. Everybody knew that protein powder was supposed to be mixed with a liquid, not ingested plain. Since he had gotten to the Knicks, they had actually put him on a muscle-building plan which involved many protein shakes.
He noticed that the pouch had already been opened, and it occurred to him that this could be an attempt to poison him. He thought for a while on the subject of who would want to poison him, especially when they could have targeted any of his higher-profile teammates, and decided that it was probably safe to follow Kristaps’ instructions this one time. Reopening the package, he cupped a small handful of the powder into his hand, took a deep breath, leaned his head back, and tossed it into his mouth.
The taste was disgusting and he almost gagged the powder back onto the floor. But he persevered, chewing slowly on the gritty powder, his saliva slowly combining with it to make it easier on his mouth. As he did this, a tingling feeling overcame his body, traveling up from his toes to his torso and then his head, and the rush of sensation left him feeling slightly light-headed. Still working on chewing the powder, he looked in the package to see if it had been mixed with some kind of drug, but he couldn’t really tell.
Suddenly, an ethereal foreign voice entered his mind and began to speak to him. “Good, Luke. You took my advice. Now, our souls are bonded, and my power is shared with you.” Just as soon as the voice had started, it departed his mind, leaving him alone again.
“Thanks Kristaps,” Luke whispered to himself, but he had the strange feeling that somebody else was listening to his words.