If only you could see the world through my eyes,
the rushing wind, the darkened skies.
And it just might take you por surprise,
to learn this life is merely a disguise.

The band continued to play on as I sang the lyrics over and over in my head. I had heard it a million times before. My best friend, Chikara Wang, wrote it and practiced it every minuto of every dia with his band. In other words, how could I not?

They were called SloMo Suicide. Chick was the main singer, not to mention composição literária most of the songs. He and his other band members stood on a platform that had been built in front of the old bank. Booths advertising games and homemade crafts stood on either side of them and continued down until the rua closed off.

Every now and then, you would stop por a vendor selling charms or talismans. Or, at least you could if you could get through the crowd. A large one had gathered around the stage, where I was standing at now. I really didn't blame them. It wasn't every dia that you got to hear a live band at a rua fair, especially one celebrating the arrival of the new Guardians of Solarice. Us.

When you look in my eyes, what do you see?
Someone who follows, never who leads.
Maybe someday i'll finally be free,
and feel the wind beneath my wings.

His voice trailed off, a violão, guitarra picking up in it's place. The band's new guitarist, Caleb, set off. His fingers glided across the violão, guitarra strings so fast they were barely visible. I remember when I use to be the band's main guitarist before Caleb replaced me. Which he mais than deserved. I was good, but there was no way I would ever be able to play that fast.

After listening for a few mais seconds, a tap on the shoulder brought me back to reality. Turning, I could see Lestari stalk past me. Her gaze met mine, the typical glare across her face. It wasn't like Lestari to get my attention. If anything, she'd rather die than talk to me. So whatever she needed, it was important.

She paused for a segundo to see if I was coming, but quickly sped up again when she saw I was following suit. Her skinny dark-clad figure faded through the crowd as I dodged from person to person, each one becoming a blur. Behind me, Chikara began to sing again, his voice only fading as I traveled further down the street.

“So, what's the happs Starry?”

I finally caught up with her stride. Her gaze remained neutral, although there was a small spark of anger in her eyes. She thought I didn't see it, but I did.

“You know I hate when you call me that.”

It was'nt so much a protest as it was a stated fact.

“I know.” I smirked. “That's why I keep doing it.”

Her expression never fell.

“Ignorance is bliss, Bane. In which case, you must be the happiest guy in the world.”

I stopped dead in my tracks and allowed her to walk por me. I was thinking of a certain five-lettered word the whole time, but felt it best not to say anything else. We traveled on in silence for awhile. It didn't last long, and after awhile, I felt the need to ask her something.

“Where exactly are we going?”

“To meet up with Brielle and Demetri.” She said, matter-of-factly.

“And?” I urged after a pause.

“And Nico.” She added. She always forgot about bird-boy.

We didn't have to look long, all we had to do was look for the girl with the bird on her shoulder and the boy that was way to wrapped up in his computer. We found them por the petting zoo. As if on que, Nico's head turned our way. The pupil inside his golden eye dialated when he saw us. Brielle turned after that, then smiled. Demetri followed, Nico alerting them both through thought-speak. Unsure if we saw them or not, Brielle started to wave.

That was the thing about Brielle, she was our group baby. Innocent, sweet, wouldn't hurt a fly. She knew everything there was to know about the animal kingdom, which is why they decided to train her as part of our team. That, and the fact that Demetri and I are her cousins. It was kind of an honor for her to be accepted a ano early. Usually you have to be at least fifteen before they'll even consider you. Then again, Brielle has always been special, and her knowledge would be something that would come in handy. It was also the reason Nico trusted her with his life ever since his little...transformation.

Lestari leaned against the metal fence beside Demetri. Both of her Katana blades dangled from the holsters around her waist, much like Demetri's labtop case did to him. Beside me, Brielle reached over and began to pet one of the horses. Now, the horse had a set of wings, but that was a different story.

We all just stood there in silence. A gust of wind rose up. I looked toward Nico, his face set straight ahead and his tawny feathers rustling in the breeze. Beside me, the same thing was happening to Lestari. Her long, jet-black hair was whipping behind her. Her eyes were closed, almost as if enjoying the moment. Our last few moments as regular kids.

“What do you guys think is going to happen from now on?” I asked.

They all turned to me now, giving me their full attention. The wind continued to flow, balancing the air on the hot day.

“A better tomorrow.” Brielle said, her voice filled with hope.

A hope that maybe in this war between good and evil will win. That magic and mortal will finally reunite. That the shield would hold and rouges would no longer sneak into the main city and attack their own kind. For a better future, a new tomorrow, for peace.

Something deep down told me that we would never be able to do any of that. I just didn't want to crush her spirit.

The truth was, even if we did live through this, we probably wouldn't even make a dent. For us to make something important to happen, we would have to be in the big leagues. Like the dominion. The soldiers that were out in Grunge valley right now fighting off these creatures. The ones undercover in the human world, trying to learn mais about them. The biggest thing we'll ever do around here is round up a rouge or two. Even then, they'll be hundreds mais where they came from.

In reality, we're nothing. But to so many creatures in Solarice, we are the new hope. We were the ones chosen to carry the burden, the ones that will end this or die trying. And, after what happened to the Guardians twenty years ago, the segundo option was most likely. That or we'll all drift apart. That was the thing that I was afraid of the most. Not the rouge vampiros and werewolves. Losing everybody. Lestari may have her bitchy moments, Brielle and Demetri may be weak, and Chikara may be to hyper for his own good, but without them, i'm nothing.

Chikara came skipping up right then and punched me on the shoulder. Shaggy black hair and Aviators covered his face. He had on a zombie t-shirt, his white hoodie with the purple lightning bolts, and mismatched shoelaces; one lima, limão green and one purple. You had to amor the guy.

“Hey, Chick. How'd it go?” I asked, referring to his band performance.

He lifted his sunglasses, revealing a pair of small brown eyes with massive coats of guyliner around them. Which I really couldn't say anything about, since mine were the same way.

“One word: Insane!”

“That's three words.”

He only ignored my comment. I crossed my arms, seeing where this was going and prepared for it. On your marks, get set, go.

“I mean, did you hear Caleb out there? Did you hear me? My God, man!”

“Sounds like you had fun.”

“Fun?” His eyes widened in disbelief. “Dude, it was mais than fun! This one girl threw twenty dollars at me on stage. It was awesome!”

My face kind of fell then. It sounded awesome.

“I'm just like, yes! Obey Chikara, king of rock!”

“Not that...we didn't rock before you left, but...”

“I only held up my hands, not wanting this to go any further.

“It's fine.”

Chikara went silent again. And trust me, Chikara and awkward moments didn't mix well. Well, actually, they did. But not when he knows he's causing them on purpose. Demetri finally looked up from his computer and over to us.

“Funny. I always though Elvis was the king of rock.” Demetri listens to enough música from the sixties that he would know that. Demetri shot him a stern warning.

“He was the king. But now he's dead.”

“You don't know that.” He said in said in sing-song. “As many Elvis impersonators as they're are in the world....”

“So, what? Your saying he's impersonating himself?” Chikara mocked. Another way to hide his confusion.

“No. I'm just saying; you never know.” He added.

“Honestly, it's Demetri. So if he thinks Elvis is still alive, then i'm siding with him.” I said, putting my two cents in.

“Your only agreeing with him because he's your brother!” Chick protested.

I tried to open my mouth to tell him otherwise. He only cut me off.

“Lestari, what do you think?” He asked.

Lestari didn't say anything. Instead, she shot him a glare that could melt the average person's skull. Chikara had always gotten on her nerves, she was just to well-mannered to say anything. So I said it for her.

“She looks like she thinks we're all stupid.” I guessed.

I knew I had a winner when her head started to nod.

“On the contrary,” She pointed toward Demetri. “he and Brielle aren't so bad.”

Yeah, because “she” never talks and you dated “him.”

“Nico, what's your opinion on this?” I asked, turning to bird-boy and my baby cousin.

Nico turned to us again, but it wasn't to face me. Or Chikara. Or Lestari or Demetri. I doubt he even heard my question. Instead, his gaze drifted past us. Past the crown and onto the dark beings perched on the roof. The ones nobody else seemed to notice. Slowly, we all turned around....

***************************************

Target sighted.

Gabriel lowered his binoculars and stared out the window of the apartment building. A layer of cobwebs gathered around the corners and glittered in the mid-day sun. How long atrás had this building been built? Ten? Twelve years ago? It looked the kind of place the Dominion would break into on a drug bust. His master always dis choose the strangest places for him to keep a look-out, but at least it had a good view. He sat on the window seal. From there he could see everything, including the Guardians.

Why his master wanted them dead so bad still got him. They were kids. Just kids. Well, technically, he was too. But his master was training him. Training him to be stronger, to be a better fighter. He was getting better everyday. A few minor bruises here and there were nothing. At least when the fantasia creatures took back the earth, he would have a fitting spot on the throne.

He zoomed in, focusing on just the group now. They were the new Guardians? This was what Solarice had to offer? Pathetic.

His gaze fell on a brown haired girl and a hawk. She was frail, petite almost. She wouldn't be a problem. Neither would the one with glasses. The kid looked smart, but he had eaten ribs with mais meat on them than that. His main worry was the blonde and brown haired boy and the two Asian kids.

The Chikara kid was special. One of the last Necromancers; a being who could control the dead. A very interesting power. Maybe if he survived, his master would like him for study.

The girl seemed fitting too. A child who was well educated in several forms of martial arts, not to mention she was a powerful sorceress. That was if she wasn't so afraid to use her powers. Fear. Weakness.

Of course, he found the last the most interesting. The boy with the dyed hair and the snakebite piercings. He had heard of him before. His name was Bane, and apparently, the kid was so bad the good league wanted him on their side. The kid was always involved in rua fights, even if he wasn't in any known gang. The city finally got so tired of it they decided to make him a fighter. They needed that kind of strength around here. If not that, then they wanted to keep an eye on him. There was something...off about the kid. Even Gabriel would admit it. He would make a good ally, if he didn't kill them all in their sleep first.

He lowered his binoculars now and leaned against the side of the window. As he did, his dark black bangs fell into his face, causing him to gently blow them away. He needed to get his hair cut again, but with everything that was going on, who had the time? Or cared?

Count your battle scars, kid. He thought. Your about to get more.

At that point, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small mirror, as well as his phone. His master had encantada the mirror into a sort of spyglass. As he looked in, he could see the army of Shadow Demons lining the roof. His phone started to vibrate in his hand. Just as he guessed, Witchmaster.

“Talk to me.” He spoke into the phone.

“Have you spotted them? Are we ready to send the troops?”

His voice sounded eager, and combined with the rasp-iness of it, it gave Gabriel chills.

“They're at the petting zoo, right near the park entrance. All yours?”

“Good.”

“Mind if I ask something before you send them out?”

There was a small pause. It lasted just long enough for him to regret asking.

“Children should be seen and not heard, Gabriel. What is it?”

“Why even go after these kids? I mean, don't you have mais important people to....”

“They may not look like much now, but if we allow them to live they'll turn into something magnificent. Something that will bring everything i've worked for come crashing down. Their group will become larger, they'll become mais powerful, primarily if we allow them to find Solarice's light.”

“You mean....”

“The girl born from a shooting star, yes. These are the children from the prophecy. They are the ones from the legends we've heard since I was little.”

Gabriel froze. He had heard tales of the prophecy before. About how the group of children will rise and unite magic and mortal. But he never imagined it was real. It was just a myth. A fairytale. It would never exist!

He closed his eyes.

But if Witchmaster said it, if he thought these were the ones, then it must be true.

“These children don't realize how special they are. And, if this mission goes well, they never will. Do you understand now why we have to do this, Gabriel?”

“Yes.”

“Then sound the alert. Make sure nobody gets out alive, and most importantly, make all of our problems disappear.”

The phone snapped off, leaving the sound of fizzing static behind. Gabriel just sat there, stunned. The girl born from the shooting star. The heir of the goddess Gossamer. One of the beings to create the world of Solarice, to seperate humans and magic. To give the magical creatures a new life, a seguro world of their own, free from worry. A new creature that could control light and dark.

Remembering the mission, Gabriel reached for his ear plugs, leaving the phone beside him and the mirror resting in his lap. He could still see the Shadow Demons. Their eyes glowing an iridescent white, the rest of their bodies were just black and transparent. He took the alert, a whistle, from around his neck and held it up the light. It only made it's silver luster mais brilliant. It wasn't real silver. If it was, his neck and palms would be scorched por now, seeing as how lobisomens were affected por the precious metal. He held it up to his lips, but stopped.

How many lives would be ruined if I did this, he asked himself. How many lives would it ruin if he allowed those kids to be attacked, beside their's.

Shadow Demons were notorious for the element of surprise. They hid in the shadows, almost invisible to the naked eye and waited for just the right moment for some unsuspecting victim to walk por before they grabbed them. Nobody knows where you go after the demon drags you off. Some say to their dimension to be held as a prisoner. Gabriel didn't know, nor did he want to find out.

The topo, início scientist in Solarice couldn't figure out how Shadow Demons, or any rouge creature for that matter, got into the city. True, their shield protected them from everything above ground, but what they neglected was the matter of the sewers and subway tunnels. Not to mention the Underground, the underground city where the vampiros use to roam. All of which was closed off since the shield blocked out most of the sun's rays. If the shield ever crashed, they would really be screwed. Again, it drifted him back to his question: How many lives would be ruined if he did this?

How many people did it take to ruin your life? The darkness inside of him challenged. How many people did it take to kill your family? The family you can't even remember? How many people did it take to send you to that orphanadge? If Witchmaster didn't come along and offer to make you his apprentice, you would be dead por now. This is the least you owe him.

Pushing all other thoughts aside, Gabriel blew the whistle, sparing no hesitation. Outside the window, the demons faded into shadows, ready to attack. Ready to destroy everything in their paths, all because of the lonely, scared, confused, teenage boy that sat in the window. His eyes closed to avoid seeing any of it.

***************************************

Demetri and I were probably the first to notice something was off. There was a new smell in the air. Smoke. After waiting a segundo we recognized it as hellfire, the scent given off once demons enter a portal from their dimension. Not good! Especially when the scent was so strong. They were close.

We caught each others gaze just long enough that I could see Demetri's brown eyes shift to yellow. Night vision. The only part of his morph Demetri dared use. I followed his lead. I soon felt my own vision increase. Night Vision wasn't that useful in daytime, but combined with raptor vision it was the perfect thing to see every dark corner of the building, which included those things.

I focused. Shadows swirled inside shadows. Large, hard muscled creatures perched on the edge of the roof. Some actually crawled down the sides, like lizards. I couldn't see any of their features, it was almost like they were a dark mass. It took a second, but I finally realized what they were. Possibly one of the only things I was afraid of.

<Shadow Demons>

Yeah, what he said.

My vision faded off the building and returned to normal. We all turned to Nico who has spoken to us. His face was dead set on the building.

“What are they doing here?” Chikara asked. “I mean, how did they get in?”

<I'm still trying to figure that...>

Whatever Nico said after that was lost. Right then, a sound ripped through the air. The most horrible, high pitched, painful sound I had ever heard in my life. My hands went to my ears, my brain blasting and aching. Beside me, Demetri did the same. He fell to his knees with his hands to his ears, as did Brielle. Nico fell from her shoulder and onto the ground beside her.

The funny thing was, i'm guessing we were the only three who heard it. Chikara and Lestari only stood there confused, unsure what was going on. Lestari finally wrapped her arms around Demetri's shoulders, trying to shake him out of it.

<Demetri! Demetri, listen to me! What's wrong?>

<Just make the noise stop!> He half-yell-half-begged.

Then, as quickly as it started, it was over. The whistling stopped and the only thing I heard now was a ringing in my ear that soon started to fade. Slowly, I rose and adjusted my vision again.

The demons were now making their way down the sides of the building. Others faded into the dark masses behind them, ready to reappear when the time was right.

“They're about to attack.”

It was mais of a statement to myself, but they heard it behind me. A look of terror filled over Lestari, Chikara, Demetri, and Brielle's faces as they looked toward the roof and watched as the sky began to gray. I only continued to stare with them, until a movement inside the building caught my eye.

A kid, probably around the same age as me just sat there. The demons climbed past him on their way down, I almost thought him lucky. I wanted to do something, I wanted to help that kid. That's when I saw the the glow of the shiny thing he held.

A dog whistle.

No wonder we were in such pain. A dog whistle affected anything with canine blood in them. The frequency is so low that any other creature can't hear it, but to us it's the most horrible noise in the world. That kid in the window wasn't in danger, he was causing this. And he had used that whistle as a signal for the Shadow Demons. Being made up of light, the noise probably just passed right through their bodies.

por now, the crowd had seen them and were now in a panic. They all started to flee, the whole area filled with screams of fear and desperation. Dominion soldiers had been patrolling the streets this whole time. As everyone fled by, they came progressivo, para a frente with armas blaring, just as the creatures reached the ground. It was no use, the bullets only went through them. It was like shooting at air.

As they came closer, a few of the soldiers fled, seeing it was no use. They needed backup and, possibly, a miracle. Still, others stood and shot. There had to be something to stop these things. With the creatures came a dark trail of smoke. As they closed in on the few left, so did the smoke until nothing could be seen. All fogo ceased. They couldn't shoot through the smoke in fear of hitting their companions. The worry didn't last long. Screams rose from inside the mass.

If you've never heard adult men scream in terror before, let me tell you, it's not something you want to imagine.

Ignoring all orders, the other soldiers ran forward. The smoke began to clear and a few wafted it out of their way. Finally, it drifted off until nothing remained. Absolutely nothing. I felt my coração jump in my throat. The soldiers that were there before were gone. No blood, no signs of struggle, no bodies. It was almost like the whole thing had never happened.

Now, something grabbed my shoulder. I drew my dagger from around my cinto, correia and spun around. Lestari stood there, my faca barely an inch away from her face. She froze, almost in fear, but tugged at my shoulder sleeve again.

“We've got to go.” She ordered.

I only broke from her grasp and looked back toward the soldiers. They needed help.

“But...they'll be killed.”

“And we'll be killed if we don't leave!”

She grabbed me again and started to drag me, this time I followed. It was killing me. Killing me to run away from a fight. To leave the helpless alone. What happened to big bad Bane? What happened to the guy that never said no?

But I had to look at the facts; we were fiercely outnumbered por a foe we had no idea how to kill. This is where survival of the fittest all came into play. If we didn't survive, if we didn't get help or figure out a plan, nobody would live. Other than the soldiers, we were the only ones able to take these things on.

It all goes down now, Bane. I told myself. Everything you leaned, now is the time to use it.

Lestari stopped running and I could now see we were in another section of apartment buildings. Three buildings lie in front of us, to our right, and to our left. We could see the docks behind them. grama overgrew the courtyard, tall enough to our knees. We were still close to the creatures, but right now, this is all we had.Immediately, Demetri set off, his labtop lay on the ground as he searched through it.

Please let there be something he could use to stop them.

Lestari drew her blades, the tips shiny and polished. Those things could cut through solid bone, but they wouldn't help us much here. I figure she pulled them out because they made her feel safe.

I looked over to the side where Chikara stood por Brielle and Nico. He had taken his hoodie off, revealing his armload of tattoos. All animals, although mostly birds. Carrying his hoodie, he walked toward me with his head down, unsure.

“Do you think...” He started.

“I don't know...” I said.

“It's worth a shot...”

Anything was worth a shot at this point. Chikara raised his arms to his sides. The dozen tatuagens lifting off his body and rising into beams of light. They then sped off, traveling through the air and toward the attackers on the other side of the street.

Chikara Wang: Rocker, rude and obnoxious friend, hyper, and controls an animal's spirit through the tatuagens on his body. Morbid? Yes. Useful. Definatley!

I was only getting impatient. We needed to do something. There were people out there being attacked, waiting for us to save them. If we couldn't find a way to stop them, we'll improvise. I walked toward the edge of the building where Chikara stood. His black hoodie with the skeleton design was now back on. As I looked past his shoulder, I could see the masses of light attacking those things.

It wasn't so much a battle as it was a distraction. Light and dark, they don't mesh well. The Shadow Demons only swung at the little specks of light as they flew around them. How long would we have until they caught onto our plan and began to attack again? Although it allowed the remaining soldiers to get away. It wasn't long before the whole block looked like a ghost town. Curious, Lestari stood por me and looked but then turned toward Demetri again.

“Anything?” She asked.

He shut his labtop with dismay and just stared at it.

“Nothing. I can't find anything other than the fact that they're affected por direct sunlight.”

As if on instinct, both Chikara and myself looked up to the sky and the swirling clouds that were now forming above the building where the demons had appeared from, blocking out everything.

“Yeah....” Chikara started. “That ain't happen'nin.”

But in spite of everything I continued to stare. Even if the clouds weren't there, sunlight wouldn't pass through the shield. The very thing that protected us might cause our demise. I'm not a scientist, so I can't explain exactly how they do it; the shield blocks out direct sunlight, but it allows the sun's warmth to come through. At the same time the invisible particles that make it up protect our city from rouges. Each one sends over one million volts of electricity through whoever touches it.

The only way out is through the bridge at the edge of the city. To get out, you have to face a dozen Dominion soldiers and have proper identification and permits to leave or enter. That's how most of our supplies get here. Most citizens don't even bother going through the trouble and use portals instead. It's something your not suppose to do, but it's not like you get heavily punished for it.

I remember somebody saying the shield was created about eleven years atrás por a group of fey scientist. It was made as a way for the vampiros to get around the main city. Up until then, every vampire lived in a place known as the Underground, an underground city located beneath Solarice. While the plan isn't perfect and the shield only stops at ground level, it's possible for them to come above ground during the day. Something that wouldn't be possible a hundred years ago. Nowadays, the Underground was a key spot for gang wars and drug runs.

It all started to come together now.

“I just don't understand how they could have gotten into the city without setting off any alerts.” Demetri looked so lost at that moment. What good was he as the group brain if he didn't have all the answers? “I mean, even if these things did use their own portals, wouldn't the shield be able to pick up some kind of impurity in the air? Like the hellfire?”

“Unless they used a spell to enchant it.” Chikara suggested. All eyes snapped to him. Had he seriously just said something smart? “Just a suggestion.” He shrugged.

“But that still doesn't explain how they got in here, or how we're going to stop them.” Demetri explained.

My mind drifted back to the boy I had seen earlier.

“I think I have an idea on that.” I started. “The Underground. The shield can't go below the ground. But if someone was to find an entrance outside of Solarice and traveled around a bit, i'm pretty sure they would find their way into the city.”

“Your saying the Shadow Demons are traveling underground?” Lestari asked, almost as if she found the whole idea idiotic.

“Not the Shadow Demons....”

I still wasn't sure if anybody else had seen the boy in the window.

“Bane, what are you talking about?” Demetri asked.

Just as I was about to open my mouth to explain, an armada of light shot past me. Chikara's tattoos. Apparently the creatures had taken as much as they could. They nearly knocked him backwards as they stuggled to find thier proper place under his clothes.

That's when I started to panic. The Shadow Demons. What were they doing now? Almost afraid, I turned from my place on the mural and looked out into the middle of the street.

They were coming straight at us.

Brielle screamed and jumped up, causing Demetri to do the same and drop his labtop on the ground. Lestari jumped in front of them, ready to defend the two at any cost. All it took was for me to break into a run and we all started. The ocean. Make sure they all get to the ocean and they'll be safe. Shadow Demons weren't that strong in water.

The demons were in hot pursuit behind us. They almost caught us once or twice, especially when a dark portal opened on the ground. Chikara skidded to a hault just in time. One actually popped out of the portal and attempted to grab his leg, before he backed up and ran around with the rest of us.

The open ocean was in view now, as were the docks and the small barco that was tied to the side. Brielle, Demetri, and Chikara were the first I helped down. Again, Brielle had Nico in her arms. Lestari just stood there and watched as I began to untie the ropes.

"Get in." She asserted.

"I'm not."

Silence.

"What do you mean your not?" She demanded.

I threw the rope toward Chikara, which he caught. I now faced Lestari, who stood with her arms crossed.

"I mean i'm not. I've got a plan."

"That's exactly what I was afraid of."

"Bane.... you can't go out there on your own." Demetri said. His face was concerned, full of brotherly love.

"He's not. I'm going with him. No matter how much he protest."

That was before I pushed her off the dock.

I gave a hard shove to her shoulders and she went flying. Her arms flew out, reaching for anything that could stop her, reaching for air.

It was a moment made of epic win. One that would live over and over in my mind forever. The one time I actually caught Lestari Wang off-guard. The poise Lestari Wang. The tough fighter, the girl that never fell!

She landed in the barco on topo, início of Brielle and Chikara. One of her thick black boots went in the water when she held her hands and her knee forward, trying to break her fall. She turned toward me, an insane look in her eye. I don't think I ever saw her that mad before.

It was awesome!

I pushed the barco off, that way they would be in the open water. To far from the docks so they didn't try to climb back on land but far away enough that they wouldn't run into trouble.

I had a plan, one that involved just me. One that wasn't guaranteed to work. My family wasn't suffering if I messed up, which was likely. I stood up and watched as the barco slowly waded off.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" A soggy Lestari yelled.

Honestly, I didn't know.

"It'll be okay. For once in your life just trust me on something!"

She yelled something out again, but they were to far away, and I was already on the mover to hear it. I made my way across the dock and back to land, morphing as I ran. All my senses increased, thick masses of brown pele, peles sprouted from my body, my muscles tensed, and now I ran on all fours.

My speed was faster now and I was able to head off the shadow demons por running around the apartment complex we had just come from. If there was a way I could get to the stage, any way at all. I might be able to stop this....