Chapter 3: Introductions

Every truth has two sides; it is as we all to look at both, before we commit ourselves to either. - Aesop

Morph runs down to the end of the free-flowing platform. His movements are silent and fluid.

The rubber soles of my shoes grip the coarse planks. Halfway down the dock, the hardwood groans under my weight. The wood giving way is predictable, another few steps and it will happen again.

Deadwater is predictable. I guess I shouldn't be surprised - nothing ever happens in Deadwater, Maine - nothing of importance, anyway. I should know, especially since I've lived here for a portion of my childhood and on into my teen years, which is good for someone with my condition, so I'm told. I may be in a club shared by 1 out of 250,000 people, but I don't dwell on the things I can't change. So, I live as a child of the night, exploring all the world has to offer when everyone else is sleeping or should be asleep.

Morph watches from the end of the dock, chirping softly.

"Yeah, I'm coming." I close the gap between us and sit down.

My legs and feet dangle off the edge, several inches above the water.

A warm nose sniffs my hoodie, searching every opening. His muzzle comes to rest on my right-hand pocket.

"Moouw!" He snorts and paws at the fabric.

"Okay, okay."

Morph climbs onto my lap and sticks his head into my pocket. He's all muscle and a big baby. Yeah, a big baby who likes to nip and drool.

"Merwoooow." Morph shifts his weight back and forth on his long hind legs.

I pull a clear bag from my pocket. "Are these what you're looking for, buddy?"

His body gyrates back and forth in anticipation.

I empty the contents onto the palm of my hand.

He picks up the soft, chewy chunks of summer sausage with his rough pink tongue.

The frosty air bites at my warm, pale hand now covered in sausage oils and cat saliva.

Treats gone, Morph lies down next to me with his head on my lap. I scratch under his chin and rub his belly.

"You miss her, don't you? I do, too."

Gwyn Simms, my best friend, used to sneak out and meet us at the pond. She was my one true connection to the daylight. It's only been a few months since she and her family moved to London, but it feels like an eternity.

Now, Morph and I are alone with no one else to talk to. Well, no one who understands, that is.

A loud cracking noise breaks the stillness of the night. I jump, shoulders tense.

Morph's ears perk up. He voices a low, throaty growl.

Three silhouettes move by the water's edge, next to the dock entrance.

A flash of light sparks in the darkness, followed by a thunderous boom.

My heart races in my chest, and I swallow a lump in my throat.

One of the three figures falls to the ground.

What the hell was that? My thoughts run wild. Oh God, was that gunfire?

My breath hitches. I freeze in place, listening to the surrounding sounds.

Morph's haunches raise and the hair on his back stands on end. "Grr." He springs into action.

Slipping through my trembling hands, he sprints off.

An icy grip grabs my right leg, just above the ankle, and jerks me downward.

Screaming, I claw at the wood. My fingers find a small open slat between the planks to hold on to.

The pounding rhythm of my racing heart beats in my chest and throbs in my ears. Pulling with all my might, I lift myself partially onto the edge, but my feet are still in the frigid water.

Something latches onto my ankle.

Kicking with my left leg, I yank free of the tight grasp and roll onto my hands and knees.

A third of the way down the dock, two men stand. One of them raises an odd-looking handgun.

Morph leaps several feet into the air.

A cracking sound rings in my ears.

Morph yelps and falls into the water.

"Morph." I jump to my feet.

"I'm sorry about your pet, Sarah, but I promise, he'll be okay," says a dark figure in the night.

"How do you know my name?" A tremor washes over my body.

"We've been watching you."

"You didn't have to hurt him." I fight back the tears threatening to spill over the threshold of my eyes.

"He's only stunned. My associate will extract him."

"You mean like how he tried to pull me into the water?"

"No, what are you talking about?" The man takes a few steps forward. His eyes widen. "Look out." He fires two rounds that slice through the night.

The bullets whiz past my head and shoulder.

A solid object slams into me. The force knocks me off the dock and into the icy water below. A rush of cold water filling my mouth and nose, silencing a scream.

Clawing, I break the surface for a frigid breath of air. My chattering teeth start a chain reaction, shaking my body from head to toe.

"Sarah," the man yells.

Dog paddling, I cough and sputter. Water rushes up and over my nose, making it hard to breathe. I listen for any sound or movement because I know I'm not alone in the water. Whatever knocked me off the platform is still here, somewhere.

Turning around, I spot the man on the dock.

"Swim to me." He's kneeling at the water's edge.

"Why? So, you can shoot me, too?"

"It's not what you think. You're not safe in the water."

"Well, I'm sure as hell not safe on the dock. I saw you shoot . . ."

Arms wrap around my upper body, immobilizing my movements, and I'm pulled underwater before I can finish speaking.

Thrashing side to side, I struggle to break free. But the iron grip intensifies.

The image of the moon overhead moves further out of reach the deeper I'm pulled into the depths of unknown darkness.

Turning around, I come face to face with my captor.

Two green glowing orbs peer back at me, inches from my face.

My screams of terror bellow under the waves of the water.

'Do not be afraid.' The words softly echo in my head.

'What?' Every hair on my body stands on end.

'Sleep, Sarah. Close your eyes and sleep.'

'No.' I scream the word in the recesses of my mind.

Twisting and rocking back and forth, I finally free a hand. Raking my nails across my captor's face, he releases me.

'Please. You do not understand.'

My lungs ache, screaming for air. Breaking the surface, I gulp a ragged breath of air. Dog paddling with stiff and trembling limbs, I swim toward the bank.

The being grips my left leg at mid-thigh, and I'm yanked below the water. Arms encase my waist, drawing me into a firm embrace.

'No, please.' My thoughts reel, and I'm once again face to face with the glowing orbs.

'Relax. Close your eyes, Sarah. Close your eyes and sleep.'

Humanlike features come into focus. His lips aren't moving, and we're underwater. So, how the hell can I hear what he's saying?

'Telepathy.'

'Wait. You can hear my thoughts?' My heart pounds, keeping a steady cadence.

'Yes, just as you can hear mine. Now sleep.'

Long spindly fingers touch my eyes, lowering my lids.

I jerk and twist in his arms, but he only tightens his hold. My body's numb, and my mind clouds over.

'Am I dying?'

'No, but you must sleep.'

Darkness invades my thoughts, and my consciousness slips away. The orbs of his glowing green eyes burn into memory.

Drifting off, only one thought lingers, 'Is this what it feels like to die?'