ã€ŠThe Monster I met that Dayã€‹


 Chapter 1

    As Jacob Thistle laid down on the back porch of his family¡¯s new house, he realized three things.

    The first was that clouds could look like anything given enough time and boredom. The second was that an ice cream sounded really tempting in the blistering summer heat. The last, and most pressing, was that his parents had either lied to him or were lied to by someone else.

    Their words echoed in his head. ¡®You¡¯ll love the place before you know it¡¯ and ¡®You¡¯ll have so much more fun in the country then here in the city. Just wait and see, Jacob, you¡¯ll be making friends and having fun before summer ends.¡¯

    It had been three days since they had moved in, and he couldn¡¯t remember a time in his life more boring than right now. They had spent the first day just driving around, getting to know the tiny little town in the middle of nowhere. The plan had been for that to take up most, if not all, of the day.

    They had been done by lunch.

    With nothing much else to do, they had headed ¡®home¡¯ and gotten to work setting up all the furniture. With the exception of a single meal with the next door neighbors, an older couple whose kids had already moved out, nothing much of note happened.

    And now they were done, for the most part at least. There were still plenty of boxes to unpack, including the one that had a good chunk of his stuff in it. So now he had nothing to do but lie with his back on the porch and watch the sky. He let out a sigh as his legs dangled over the edge, and yawned.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll put the pool over there.¡± Jacob snapped out of his drowsiness and saw his mother standing over him and looking over the backyard. People told him he looked just like her. They had the same shaggy, black hair, tanned skin, and high cheeks. ¡°You know, the big elevated ones, like the kind your Tio Hernando has. Always wanted one of those.¡±

    Jacob couldn¡¯t help but smile at his mother¡¯s words. She had wanted to own a pool as far back as he could remember. Not only because she was jealous of her older brother who had one, but because she just loved swimming. Now that they no longer lived twenty minutes from the beach, she would have to find some other way to engage in her favorite form of exercise.

    ¡°Well,¡± he pushed himself up and sat at the edge of the porch. ¡°It¡¯s not like you would have to move anything around to fit it in.¡± He looked over the mostly-empty square of grass, taking in the barren sight. They had always lived in apartments before now, so they didn¡¯t exactly have a hoard of lawn ornaments. The only things in the yard besides the grass were a few bushes scattered around, mostly near the back.

    ¡°True, but I still think it would look best in the back right corner. Would have to get rid of those bushes though. I¡¯ll talk to your father about it,¡± she pointed out before her eyes suddenly widened slightly. ¡°Oh right, I just remembered. I need to call him to pick up some eggs.¡±

    ¡°He went out?¡± Jacob asked.

    ¡°You remember the small grocery store down the street on the corner?¡± He nodded as his mother dug into her pocket for her phone. ¡°He decided to go grab a few things to help make dinner tonight. I figured some boiled eggs would go well with it.¡±

    She tapped her phone and placed it up to her ear. They waited for a second or two before they both heard a ringing phone from inside the house. Mother and son both sighed as Jacob got to his feet and walked past the sliding glass door into the house. In front of him on the living room table was his father¡¯s phone, left behind and forgotten.

    He picked it up and answered his mother¡¯s call.

    ¡°I think Dad may have left his phone behind. Not too sure though, just a hunch,¡± he spoke into the phone as he looked at his mother from across the glass door. He heard her hold back both a groan and a laugh as she hung up and put the phone back into her pocket.

    ¡°That sass of yours is going to get you into trouble someday, I swear,¡± she walked into the house and slid the door closed behind her.

    ¡°As much trouble as Dad¡¯s in for forgetting his phone for the seventh time this month?¡± He pointed out with a cheeky smile. Of course, he already knew full well the answer to the question, as did his mother.

    ¡°No, not today at least,¡± she finally said. ¡°Now go give your dad his phone and tell him to buy a carton of eggs, a small one,¡± she told him before making sure he knew where he was going.

    A few minutes later, Jacob found himself walking down an empty dirt road, his father¡¯s phone in pocket. He looked around, a frown on his face.

    ¡°No one my age in sight,¡± he muttered as he thought over the two possibilities. Either this was a town with no children, or a town where everyone kept their children inside all day.

    For Jacob, both options would be nightmares, but nightmares which would have to be handled differently. Either he would have to make his own fun, or find a way to track these kids down.

    He came to a stop, both in terms of walking and plotting, as he reached the shop.

    Jacob winced at the size of the place. Even the smallest store back home had this place beat. Was his hometown of North Palm City just bigger than this place in every possible way?

    He shook his head; he couldn¡¯t keep thinking that way unless he wanted to drive himself crazy. He had to think about other things, like the green bike parked on the bike rack outside of the tiny store.

    ¡°Am I going to need a bike?¡± he asked himself as he searched his brain for any memories of seeing a bus stop since coming to town. He came up empty.

    He walked into the store, ready to give his father his phone, the message about the eggs, and ask about getting a bike.

    ¡°Jacob what are you doing here?¡± his father asked as he stood at the corner of the store, talking to a slightly older man.

    Instead of explaining himself, Jacob just walked forward, got his father¡¯s phone out of his pocket, and handed it over without a word. It was strange watching his father¡¯s face switch from so many emotions. Starting from confusion, then heading to realization, then to panic, before finally settling on resignation.

    ¡°So what did your mom want to talk to me about?¡± His father asked, skipping through the parts of the conversation both of them already knew.

    ¡°Small carton of eggs,¡± he looked down at the shopping basket in his hand. He had enough space to fit some eggs in there.

    ¡°Forgot your phone again, Steve?¡± the older man who his father had been talking to asked while sporting a knowing grin.

    ¡°Pretty much,¡± he said before putting the phone in his pocket. ¡°So Jacob, I might as well introduce you. This is Daniel Miller. Call him Nick if you want, everyone else does.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t call me that,¡± Daniel told him, both of them accepting his father¡¯s attempt to change the subject. The older man reached his hand out for him to shake, and he saw the slight annoyance in the man¡¯s eyes. Jacob¡¯s father thought he was a funny man, and giving people nicknames they didn¡¯t like was a common gag for him.

    Feeling sympathetic, he took the man¡¯s hand and was about to greet him with his real name when his father opened his mouth one more time.

    ¡°Nick here is an old friend of mine and your mom,¡± he explained. ¡°He moved from North Palm while you were still a baby. He¡¯s actually the one who got me the new job that moved us out here.¡±

    Any sympathy Jacob had for the man evaporated like a drop of water on a red-hot iron.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Nick.¡± He shook the man¡¯s hand, the sympathy steam already drifting away in the wind. Silently, he vowed to forget the man¡¯s name as quickly as possible and to only call him Nick from then on.

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    Nick let out a long suffering sigh before wishing them well and walking out the door with a carton of milk.

    ¡°Alright, anything else?¡± His father asked as he grabbed a carton of eggs from the shelf and placed it in the basket.

    ¡°Do you think I should get a bike?¡± he said, deciding on the indirect route. Instead of just asking his father straight up, he would introduce the idea by asking if he should ask at all. ¡°Mostly because I haven¡¯t seen a single bus since we drove into town.¡±

    ¡°That is a good point,¡± he said, mulling the idea over in his head. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to your mom about it.¡±

    Jacob bit back his grin as the idea of getting a bike planted itself into his father¡¯s head. All had gone exactly as planned.

    ¡°Got it. I think I¡¯m going to go walk around town for a bit, see what¡¯s around,¡± he said, mostly so he could later say getting around would be a lot easier on a bike.

    His father told him to stay safe and soon he was on the empty roads once more.

    ¡°There is just nothing here,¡± he said to himself as a summer breeze blew past him. Coming from a town where movie theaters, parks, stadiums, shopping malls, and more were all just a short bus ride away, this place was stifling.

    ¡°What kind of town has one mini mall in the center of town and a single ¡®shopping street¡¯ anyway?¡± he asked, remembering the tiny strip of shops they had driven past in a few minutes the day they arrived.

    He wandered around for a little while longer before reaching the edge of town. Past the street he was standing on, there was nothing but dense forest as far as he could see. The forest wrapped around most of the town actually, including his house. On the other side of the wooden fence marking the edge of his backyard, there was nothing but woodland.

    As he looked at the green maze in front of him, his eyes were drawn to a nearby sign painted yellow and covered in big, black letters. On it was written ¡®Warning: Bears Ahead,¡¯ along with a picture of a bear underneath.

    ¡°Thanks for the warning,¡± he muttered before hearing something coming from his right. He looked over and saw a small wooden structure hidden among a few of the trees. Now that he was listening for it, he could hear voices coming from inside.

    Young voices.

    He tried to contain his excitement as he approached the structure, the voices slowly becoming clear as he got closer.

    ¡°I heard it was bought by a witch,¡± a voice that sounded like a kid his age trying to sound tough said.

    ¡°Well I heard it was a creepy old man with one eye,¡± said another voice, sounding like a tomboyish girl.

    Jacob smiled as he listened in. It sounded like there was a creepy old house somewhere in town. It wasn¡¯t much, but in a town like this he would take any kind of entertainment.

    ¡°Okay, now you guys are just making stuff up,¡± a third voice that sounded like it was coming from a different girl said. ¡°Listen, my older brother saw the car that came into town. It¡¯s a family of three, two parents and their kid. Plus, a while back I heard my mom say they were going to hire some expert from the city to work at the mineral mine. One of the adults is probably them,¡±

    Jacob started dying inside. The most interesting thing going on in town at the moment was him moving in. Still he had to wonder if rumors his parents were witches was going to cause any trouble in the future.

    ¡°Still, if he¡¯s moving out here from the city, I feel a little bad for him,¡± another voice said. ¡°Not only is he probably bored out of his mind, but he has to deal with living in ¡®that¡¯ house.¡±

    Jacob¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t pay me enough to sleep in that house, let alone live in it,¡± the first voice said.

    Jacob started to sweat.

    ¡°Why are we even still talking about this kid,¡± a new voice said. ¡°If he¡¯s really living in that house, then he¡¯ll be gone long before we get a chance to meet him.¡± And that sounded like the chance for him to make his entrance. Now the only question was how. He thought about it for a moment before making his choice.

    He walked up to the door and took the direct approach.

    ¡°Is someone knocking on the door?¡± he heard one of the voices ask from inside.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered from outside. He heard people moving around a bit before the door opened to reveal a girl around his age with short blond hair wearing a sundress and a straw hat.

    ¡°Hello, who are you?¡± she asked politely in the voice he¡¯d heard earlier.

    ¡°Name¡¯s Jacob Thistle,¡± he told them before smiling. ¡°I¡¯m the kid who lives in ¡®that¡¯ house, who would very much like to know why it¡¯s called ¡®that¡¯ house. If you could also tell me why I¡¯m going to disappear while you¡¯re at it, that would be great.¡±

    ¡°Were you listening in on us?¡± a kid in the back with glasses said in the voice that talked about him vanishing earlier.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t planning to,¡± he explained. ¡°I was wandering around town when I heard voices of people my age for the first time since getting here. You guys are pretty loud, so I heard you on the walk over.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that makes sense. We are all pretty loud,¡± the girl in the sundress said. ¡°I¡¯m Ellie. So, Jacob, where you from?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m from the big city of North Palm. Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Name¡¯s Carrie,¡± the tomboyish girl said cheerfully.

    ¡°Ryan, nice to meet you,¡± the boy next to Ellie said politely.

    ¡°Chip,¡± the boy in the glasses said.

    ¡°And the kid over there hiding behind the shelf is Max,¡± Ellie pointed out as a kid a few years younger than the rest of them poked his head out.

    Finally, the only one left was the tall boy who Jacob had pegged as the kid who tried to make himself sound tough. The rest of the kids all looked at him, waiting for him to say something. He just sat back and said nothing.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the city like? You¡¯re probably bored out of your mind here,¡± she asked with a sweet smile on her face that put him on edge for some reason he couldn¡¯t explain.

    ¡°You¡¯re not getting out of telling me about my house, by the way,¡± Jacob told them before he sat down and started telling the rest of them about living in North Palm, and all the amazing things that could be found there. As they spoke, he couldn¡¯t help but notice the tall guy staying silent. After long enough, he finally spoke up.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look like the kind of guy who¡¯d live in a haunted house,¡± the tall kid said with a smirk.

    ¡°For the last time, Jack, just because the last person to live in the house died in it, doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s haunted,¡± Ellie said before Jacob could say anything. ¡°Plus, it¡¯s not like ghosts are real anyway,¡± she finished, making sure to give Chip a slight glare while doing it.

    ¡°So what exactly is the story there?¡± Jacob asked, wondering if this was how his parents had gotten the house so cheap. Chip straightened and gave him a strange look.

    ¡°Are you sure you want to know?¡± he adjusted his glasses so the glare would reflect off them. The harsh light let the short boy still come off as somewhat intimidating.

    ¡°I live there so¡­ yeah pretty sure,¡± he said as Chip gave him a wide grin.

    ¡°Alright, so settle down and hear the story of Old Lady Makenzie,¡± he said with a lower voice which gave him a feeling he was going to be unable to sleep in his new house anymore.

    ¡°They say Old Lady Makenzie who lived in the old house down the lane had been around since the founding of Oakwood. She was a grouch, famous among the children of Oakwood for her icy heart. Any ball which landed in her yard was lost to time. She would never give them back and a pair of large dogs kept anyone from sneaking in for them. However, there came a young girl, new to the town. She was lonely and she wanted to make friends with the other kids in town. The other girls said she was too boyish for them, while the boys said they didn¡¯t want to play with a girl.

    She was angry and ready to prove herself to them. Just as she was about to walk away, someone threw another ball into Old Lady Makenzie¡¯s yard. The girl saw her chance; she went after the ball.

    They tried to warn her, tried to stop her. They told her of the dogs, of the crone who carried a wooden umbrella, ready for any kid who would intrude into her home.

    She didn¡¯t care, and started to climb the fence. To her surprise, the ball was right there in front of her, far away from the dogs who were tied up for the day. The dogs noticed her presence and started to leap at her, only to be stopped by a pair of rope leashes. She jumped down and walked to the ball, only for her eyes to widen when she heard a snapping sound.

    The ropes which had kept the dogs leashed were old and worn. The leaping of the dogs had finally been enough to break them. The girl grabbed the ball and ran back to the part of the fence where the other children were waiting to help her back up. She reached out to grab the outstretched hand of the boy who had mocked her. She brushed his fingers, and felt one of the dogs grab her pants leg and pull. The terrified look on the boy¡¯s face was the last thing she saw.

    Her parents were furious they¡¯d lost their daughter, the crone was angry she¡¯d to give up her dogs, the children were angry they¡¯d accidently lost themselves a friend. However, none were as angry as the girl¡¯s older brother. For he was angry in that way only the young can be.

    He was angry Old Lady Makenzie was free to live out her days, complaining about the stupid girl who had cost her her dogs. One day, about a month afterwards, he heard her speak badly about his sister with another townsperson.

    That was the final straw for him. He planned that night and for the next two nights after. On the fourth night, he entered her house with a hatchet. He slunk into her room and did the deed. Old lady Makenzie never spoke badly of anyone after that.¡±

    Jacob gulped as Chip¡¯s story came to an end. He fought back the urge to jump as the rest of the kids started to clap around him.

    ¡°Still can¡¯t believe he manages to tell it the same way every single time,¡± Ellie said as the rest of the kids nodded in agreement.

    ¡°As for the haunting,¡± Chips continued despite the applause. ¡°A lot of people have gone into the building over the years, and a lot of them have reported seeing the ghosts of both the girl and Old Lady Makenzie.¡±

    ¡°Due to the two deaths, the house¡¯s been empty for years,¡± Ellie cut in as Chip sank back to allow the more charismatic girl to take over. ¡°We all thought the place would be vacant forever, until you and your parents came around anyway.¡±

    ¡°Well I¡¯m not going to sleep tonight,¡± Jacob joked as he leaned back in his chair. ¡°Chip, you have any other stories to keep me up at night?¡±

    ¡°Nothing except some weird fireworks that appeared over the town a few months back no one set off,¡± Chip said, not getting his sarcasm. Or maybe getting it just fine and just not caring.

    ¡°And how does that one go?¡± Jacob asked, figuring he might as well hear the second story anyway.

    ¡°Not much to say there. A few months ago, there were a bunch of explosions over the woods outside of town. No one knows where they came from, and no one knows who set them off. There were also rumors of people in black suits skulking around the woods for the next few days,¡± Chip finished, leaving him feeling a bit jumpy.

 Chapter 2

    When Jacob finally got home later that day, he was unsure of how he was supposed to tell his parents about their ghost situation. It wasn¡¯t something he could just bring up in casual conversation¡­ right? The question ate at him, just as he in turn ate his dinner. Night fell, and his parents still had no idea.

    He went to bed later that night, and found he hadn¡¯t been joking about not being able to sleep after all. Every time he closed his eyes, he could hear something moving. He knew it was nothing. It could have been just some leaves outside; it might have even just been his imagination. Either way it still managed to keep him awake.

    No matter what he did, he couldn¡¯t help but imagine the ghost of the girl or of Old Lady Makenzie hovering over him. He saw them reaching out to touch him with their cold, dead hands. They would reach around his neck, and then he would spring awake at the last second.

    The strange thing was, he didn¡¯t even feel that much fear. No, what he felt was annoyance. Tonight was the first night he was sleeping in a real bed instead of an air mattress, and he wanted to enjoy it. He punched his bed, digging his fist into the mattress.

    ¡°I want to sleep,¡± he growled, flinching at the pain in his throat. He dragged himself out of bed and shuffled down the stairs, his throat ready for water. He made sure to move as silently as possible to not wake his parents.

    However, as he got to the bottom of the stairs, he noticed his stealth was unneeded. The lights were on in the living room and he could hear his mother talking on the phone from there.

    ¡°We should have the last of the stuff out by tomorrow,¡± she spotted Jacob walk into the kitchen. He gave her a simple wave before filling a glass with water from the fridge.

    ¡°Oh, our old place? We had an old friend who was moving into North Palm and needed a place to stay, so we sold it to them,¡± his mother watched him down an entire glass of water all at once, then go for seconds. He listened in as his mother talked to someone who he assumed was a relative.

    ¡°Alright, that should be all. Thank you for everything, Stacy.¡± His ears perked as he recognized the name of the realtor he had met a few times. The same one who had sold them a haunted house without saying a word. He saw an opportunity and pounced.

    He set the glass on the table and approached his mother sitting on the couch. She watched as he brought his hand to the side of his face and extended his thumb and pinkie. A sign they had in the family which meant ¡®I want to talk to the person you are currently speaking to on the phone.¡¯ A sign which came in handy strangely often.

    ¡°Give me a second, Stacy,¡± she set the phone down. ¡°You know this is the realtor, right?¡±

    ¡°I know. There¡¯s something I want to ask her about the house,¡± he said simply as his mother shrugged and placed the phone back to her ear.

    ¡°Hey, Stacy, my kid wants to talk to you about the house for a bit, that okay?¡± His mother handed the phone over to him as the plan came together in his head.

    ¡°Evening, Stacy,¡± he said into the phone.

    ¡°How you doing champ?¡± she said as Jacob cringed at the nickname she had given him the day they met. It didn¡¯t look like she was going to stop either, so he had no choice but to power through it.

    ¡°This is going to sound a little weird, but do you have a list of previous owners of the house?¡± he asked innocently. His mother raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t stop him.

    ¡°Sure I do. Give me a second,¡± he could hear the sound of rustling papers on the other end of the line. ¡°Any particular reason you want to know? You find something belonging to an old owner?¡±

    Despite her best attempts, Jacob could hear the barest hints of worry in her voice.

    ¡°Something like that,¡± he said as the papers settled.

    ¡°Here we go. List is a little short for such an old house,¡± she said, increasingly worried. ¡°There are only three names here.¡±

    ¡°There wouldn¡¯t happen to be a Makenzie on the list, would there?¡± he asked, feeling like he was allowing the guillotine to fall.

    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a Margret Makenzie. She¡¯s listed as the second to last owner before you guys,¡± Jacob grinned. She sounded like she knew the pain was coming.

    ¡°Did it say when she moved out?¡± he asked with a smirk.

    ¡°No¡­ No it does not.¡± she sighed.

    ¡°Because she died in the house?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Because she died in the house,¡± she confirmed as they fell into a short rhythm.

    ¡°Because she was murdered?¡±

    ¡°Because she was murdered.¡±

    ¡°Because she got that little girl killed?¡±

    ¡°Because she got¡­ How do you know all of this anyway?¡± she demanded, sounding more than a little pathetic.

    ¡°Because the house is famous around town for being haunted by two ghosts, something that would have been nice to know before we moved in,¡± he said before noticing his mother was making the sign for him to pass the phone back to her. He did as he was told with glee and started walking back to the kitchen, to both drink water and watch the fireworks.

    ¡°Stacy, explain,¡± she said into the phone with a glare on her face. He could hear Stacy say something over the phone to his irate mother.

    ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s true?¡± his mother demanded. ¡°Dear god, Stacy, couldn¡¯t you have at least told us? In fact, aren¡¯t you supposed to tell us stuff like this?¡± Stacy must have said something even worse because his mother¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You hired a guy to do what?¡±

    Jacob tried to quiet his laughter as he imagined Stacy on the other end of the line.

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    ¡°Cheapest house? Of course it¡¯s going to be cheap if two people died on the property.¡± His mother glared before suddenly calming down a little, and then a lot. ¡°Wait, the other choices were how much?¡±

    Jacob gave a disapproving frown. This was not going as planned.

    ¡°Well in that case, I¡¯ll tell my husband about it tomorrow and then get back to,¡± she said before hanging up the phone and turning to Jacob. ¡°Okay so good news, you have a roommate now. Her name is Sam. She died a year or two younger then you and she and Ms. Makenzie are the only reason we can afford this really nice house. Now go upstairs, make nice to your new roommate, and we¡¯ll talk more about this tomorrow.¡±

    Jacob could only stare at his mother before finishing his second glass of water and heading back upstairs. He laid down on his bed and tried to shut his eyes and go to sleep.

    ¡°Goodnight, Sam,¡± he said, trying to trick his brain this was all normal. He might have fallen asleep at that point, because when he next heard a strange noise outside his room, he could feel that time had passed. His eyes snapped open and he rushed out of bed.

    ¡°Sam¡­ is that you?¡± he asked into the empty room, not really expecting an answer but trying anyway.

    Like he expected, there was no answer.

    He started to relax, only to hear the sound of something skittering in the dark. It was above him, and since the ceiling above him was clear, then whatever it was, it was in the attic.

    He grabbed a pair of sneakers, not wanting to mess up his feet with the dusty attic floor. It was the only room they still hadn¡¯t cleaned, and they had been planning to set it up tomorrow.

    He slowly climbed the stairs to the small space above. It was almost like he remembered, an empty, dusty room with a ceiling just a bit too short for most people. In fact, there was only a single thing out of place, the one thing which drew his eye.

    Standing at the windowsill was a dark figure. In the dim gloom of the attic, he could barely make out a couple of shapes and animal parts he knew didn¡¯t go together. However, before he could say or do anything, the figure leaped out the window.

    He ran to the edge, and was just in time to see the figure scurry under the bushes next to the back fence which separated the backyard from the forest beyond.

    Jacob rushed down to the first floor, going as quickly as he could without making a sound. He slid the glass door aside and walked out into the moonlit backyard. He glanced up and saw a full moon looking down at him.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a full moon,¡± he mumbled while walking towards the bushes. Tonight was far too strange for it to be lit by anything other than a full moon.

    Still, it was pretty useful. The full moon gave off enough light to see the bush slightly rustle in place. Whatever it was, it was still here. He approached the bush slowly, not making any sudden moves.

    He stood at arm¡¯s length from the bush, frozen but ready to burst into movement. The leaves rustled again and his hands snapped forward to part the bushes.

    ¡°Got you!¡± he said in an excited whisper, only for his excitement to fade as he revealed an empty bush. He wondered how it had managed to escape when he looked deeper in and saw a hole in the fence completely hidden by the bush. It was just large enough for whatever he saw to make it though. It was also just large enough for him to squeeze through.

    He looked past the hole and saw some more bushes rustle. He wondered for a second if it could have been the wind, only to realize he couldn¡¯t feel any wind on his skin, nor hear the sound of it whistling through the air.

    The rustling died down as the sound began to distance itself from him.

    Jacob swallowed his fear and started walking through the hole into the forest beyond.

    Despite the name Oakwood, the forest was a mix of mostly slash pines and a few other trees. The thin pines surrounded him, giving him just enough visibility once he looked above the many bushes and ferns which littered the ground.

    Despite his best attempts to move silently, the leaves, needles, and branches under his feet proved to be more trouble than he expected. He made crunching sounds with every step. At the very least, it helped him leave a trail for himself to make it back home. An upturned stone here, a broken branch there, it wasn¡¯t much but it would do.

    At least following whatever it was he was following wasn¡¯t that hard. In fact, it was as bad at being sneaky as he was. It had made enough noise to wake him in the middle of the night and it was making enough noise to track it with no trouble through the woods.

    The worst part for Jacob was he could tell it was trying. The noise came and went, most from the same cracking leaves and snapping branches he was stepping on.

    The night air was a symphony of bug, frogs, bird calls, and other small animals. This thing¡¯s additions sounded like someone had decided to add an air horn into the mix.

    He must have walked for nearly half an hour by the time he could feel whatever it was begin to slow down. He was reminded of something he had read once. Humans weren¡¯t the best sprinters on earth, but they were the best marathon runners. They had more endurance than any other animal, and were capable of hunting by just walking their prey to death.

    A trick Jacob had just pulled off.

    The mystery creature came to a stop, and he took a second to wonder if he was dreaming. The night so far certainly didn¡¯t feel real, and a dream like this would make sense considering how boring the town of Oakwood was.

    Well, if it was a dream, might as well follow it through. He reached out with his arms and parted the bushes to reveal¡­ nothing.

    He wondered where it had gone when he suddenly heard the familiar sounding of cracking leaves and snapping twigs coming from right behind him. He turned around and knew he was not dreaming. He knew his imagination couldn¡¯t come up with anything like what was peeking out from the bush.

    The first thing he noticed were the teeth, a full row of sharp, dog-like teeth. Surrounding them was a Doberman¡¯s head with two glowing red eyes in their normal place, as well as two more glowing red eyes right behind them. Instead of fur, it was covered in glossy, black chitin, the stuff bug shells were made of. Atop its head were a pair of almost rabbit-like ears, twitching and swiveling around, almost like they were tracking him.

    He gulped as both he and the monster stared at each other. The two simply stood still, waiting for the other to move.

    The monster was the first to move, the leaves rustling as it began to pull the rest of its body out of them. Jacob saw legs, too many legs. Legs of too many animals which were not meant to go together like that. The exact combination he wasn¡¯t sure, he had bolted and was already dashing though the woods.

    If there was a tree root, he jumped over it. Brush and low branches were swatted to the side. Any attempt at stealth was abandoned in favor of speed, anything to put distance between him and his pursuer. And the entire time, he could hear the monster running behind him, the many legs chittering and scrambling on the ground as it tried to catch him.

    He dashed through the trees, running past an old oak tree when he realized he wasn¡¯t hearing the monster anymore. He slowed down for a second, only to hear something huge in the bushes right next to him.

    He jumped, a foolish mistake.

    He tripped on the exposed roots of the old tree and fell over. He winced as his knee landed on a sharp rock, scraping it badly. He held in his yells as he weathered the pain.

    He got back to his feet as quickly as he could and kept on running. He ignored both the pain and blood coming out of his knee the best he could as the forest rushed past him.

    None of it mattered, not the pain every time his foot hit the ground, not the small scratches on his arms from swatting branches aside, and not the incline he was running up.

    He¡¯d end up paying for that last one.

    He swatted another bush aside only to realize he was at the end of the road. He had run so fast he hadn¡¯t noticed he¡¯d been running up a hill. He only learned it now that there was a steep drop in front of him.

    Jacob tried to stop, he really did, but he was moving far too quickly. He fell as his mind went into overdrive, the world around him slowing down.

    The drop wasn¡¯t high enough to kill him, but it would hurt. He¡¯d probably break whatever hit the ground first too. Of course, if it was one of his legs then the monster wouldn¡¯t have much trouble catching him anyway¡­

    He curled into a ball, hoping it would help, and shut his eyes as he braced for impact.

    A whooshing sound from above got his attention. He looked upwards and saw the monster leaping off the cliff and diving right at him. His two eyes meet its four as he saw two long legs reach out and grab him. He started screaming as it pulled him up and covered him with its body.

 Chapter 3

    Both boy and monster hit the ground with a dull thud before slightly bouncing off the soft dirt. Jacob had stopped screaming by then, having formed a new plan in the heat of the moment. The monster had chased him through the woods, maybe it only ate live prey? Would he be safe if he just played dead?

    The monster uncurled around him as he let his body collapse as limply as he could. The creature backed away as all of his limbs flopped flat.

    Jacob hoped for the creature to go away as he tried his best not to open his eyes. Instead, the creature approached slowly and watched his torso. Its ears were drooping, and its eyes were half closed. It brought up one of its many legs and tried to nudge him from side to side. The monster let out a low whine as he failed to move on his own.

    The monster laid its head on his chest, letting out a few more pained whines which brought images of a sad dog to his mind.

    He started to feel a little bad for some reason when the monster adjusted its head and laid one of its ears right on his chest.

    Its eyes grew wide as Jacob suddenly felt just how strongly his heart was beating. Its head rose and it gave him a careful gaze.

    Jacob debated on what to do. The monster hadn¡¯t actually ¡®done¡¯ anything to him besides chase him. It had even looked pretty broken up while it thought he was dead. In fact, it almost looked like it had been mourning him. People tended not to mourn their dinner.

    ¡°Okay, you caught me,¡± he finally admitted as he tried to move his limbs.

    The monster was rushing up to him before he could move a muscle. He braced himself for the bites and claws to come, only for the monster to instead come up and nuzzle him. His arms reached came up out of reflex, accidently wrapping around the monster¡¯s head.

    Its skin wasn¡¯t what he would have expected. It was smooth and dry, nothing like the slimy texture he¡¯d been bracing himself for. It was also warm, a comfortable kind of warm which almost put him to sleep.

    ¡°Warm¡­¡± he mumbled, causing the creature to suddenly stiffen before retracting its head and putting a bit of distance between them. It shuffled around, trying not to look directly at him. Jacob took the chance to sit up and get a good look at the rest of the creature for the first time.

    It was larger than he would have thought, just a bit bigger than a Doberman, with the body to match. However, unlike its chest, none of its three pairs of legs were dog-like at all. The first reminded him of cat legs, while the second were a pair of long spider legs bent above the monster¡¯s back. Its last legs reminded him of a rabbit¡¯s legs, but hairless. The entire thing was covered in the same black chitin, making its eyes the only source of color on its body. The last thing it had was a long tail that looked almost normal at first, until he noticed something off. At the very tip, the tail split in six.

    Jacob followed the breaks and realized the monster didn¡¯t have a tail, it had six tails twisted together like a length of rope.

    Watching it move around, he started having trouble believing he had been scared of it. After it had mourned him, nuzzled him, and then shrank away in what looked like embarrassment, he couldn¡¯t help but feel like it was somewhat¡­ adorable.

    Not something he would have expected to think at the start of all this, that¡¯s for sure.

    ¡°Sorry about all that,¡± he put his hands on the ground and tried to push himself to his feet. He held in a grunt as he put weight on his foot again. He tried to balance himself, only to stumble and begin to fall over.

    The creature was next to him in an instant, allowing Jacob to catch himself on it. He noticed the creature wince a bit as it caught him, its four eyes looking up at him in concern.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m fine,¡± he looked the creature over one more time. ¡°It was my fault for running over that hill like an idiot.¡±

    It gave out a strange, noise that reminded him of laughter. Now that he had the time to calm down, he couldn¡¯t help but feel this was by far the coolest thing that had ever happened to him.

    ¡°On second thought, mind helping me back down? Don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready to walk right now,¡± he said, the monster slowly lowered its head to let him down gently.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± the monster took a step back to give him a little space. He watched as the monster stretched out like a cat, only to flinch and stop in place.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked as the creature went back to standing still. It looked at him carefully before slowly turning around a bit to show him its left side. It took him a second to figure out what was wrong, not until he noticed the monster¡¯s left spider leg lifted off the ground.

    ¡°Something happen to your leg?¡± he asked as the monster looked at him before looking straight up. He followed its gaze and tried to figure out what he was looking for. From down here all he could see was the full moon and the cliff they¡¯d both fallen from.

    The realization hit him like a thunderbolt.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s my fault, huh?¡± he forced himself to look at the monster¡¯s injured leg. He scooted closer to the monster and gently touched its leg. ¡°You took the hit for me when we landed and got hurt.¡±

    The monster let out a sad whimper as he looked the leg over.

    It didn¡¯t look broken. Of course, he had no clue what a broken spider leg would even look like. Could spider legs even ¡®break¡¯ that way to begin with?

    All these questions rushed through his head as he began to gently rub the monster¡¯s leg absentmindedly. By the time he realized what he was doing, the whimpering had died down and the monster was looking down at him.

    ¡°It was the least I could do,¡± he said as it brought its head down and he hugged it. As he held the monster in his arms, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. The monster pulled back and gave him a worried head tilt as it watched him laugh, its ears flopping to the side.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he managed to get out between laughs. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ A little while ago I was running for my life away from you, and now I¡¯m hugging you,¡± he explained before the creature started making the same breathing noises Jacob had already realized were laughs. ¡°This is not where I thought this night was going when I went up to the attic. Speaking of, I have to get home¡­¡± He tried to get to his feet again.

    The monster stopped laughing just long enough to help him to his feet and keep him steady. He placed his arm over its shoulder and got himself comfortable.

    ¡°Think you can help me back home?¡± he asked as the monster carefully nodded. It lurched forward as the two began to move forward.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Jacob said as he noticed something. ¡°The way we are, neither of us have to put any weight on our bad legs.¡± The creature preened at his words, taking a haughty air as they kept walking. It had apparently done it on purpose.

    Jacob wondered just how smart the monster was as they walked around the hill they had fallen off of. They made it to the other side and were soon following the trail the pair had left behind.

    With all of the adrenaline clear of his system, he found himself amazed at just how peaceful the night was. Between the low light from the moon, and the gentle sounds of the forest, he was in danger of just closing his eyes and heading to sleep right then and there.

    ¡°Just have to make it home, and I can sleep all I want,¡± he said as the two walked. Determined to stay awake, he started humming the beginning of a song he had heard a few times. A few notes in, the monster suddenly stopped. Jacob watched as it dipped its head and its ears drooped down.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked as the monster shook its head around and started walking again. He wondered if his humming was really that bad.

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    They spent the rest of the walk in silence. By the time they made it to the wooden fence with the hole in it, they had a fallen into a comfortable rhythm.

    ¡°This is it,¡± he said as they came to a stop. ¡°Give me a second.¡±

    The monster watched as he carefully got back onto his feet and walked through the hole and bushes. He made a quick check to make sure all of the lights in the house were off. His parents hadn¡¯t noticed he¡¯d been gone. The coast clear, he looked back into the bushes behind him.

    ¡°It¡¯s safe to come out, everyone¡¯s asleep,¡± he motioned the monster to come forward. It took some hesitant steps forward until they were both standing in the middle of his backyard.

    ¡°This is unreal,¡± he muttered as he walked over and sat on the edge of the porch, the monster following him before jumping onto the porch. It curled into a small ball and rested like a dog.

    ¡°Home sweet home,¡± he looked up at the moon and took a deep breath. ¡°Now all I have to do is get cleaned up, toss out my ruined clothes, and clean my not ruined clothes. You think I missed anything?¡±

    The creature just gave a quick breathing sound which was probably a chuckle.

    ¡°Oh right, I have to do all of it while not waking my parents up, and I have to come up with an excuse as to why I was up all night because there¡¯s no way I¡¯m not going to be acting like a zombie tomorrow,¡± he finished before leaning back a bit more. ¡°You know, saying it all out loud like probably made it sound harder then it¡¯s actually going to be. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t overthink it?¡± he asked as the monster gave what might have been a shrug. It was hard to tell with canine-like shoulders.

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I have to be confident. I gotta believe,¡± he said, ending it on a quote he¡¯d heard¡­ somewhere. He tried to remember where he had heard the line before when he was interrupted by a low, rumbling sound.

    He looked around for a bit before zeroing in on the monster as the source of the noise. It took him a second to figure out what exactly he was hearing. He couldn¡¯t help but smile as he realized what it was.

    ¡°Are¡­ Are you purring?¡±

    Whatever it was, it stopped the second he asked. The monster froze in place before scrambling to its feet and jumping off the porch. It turned back around towards him before looking away.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± he got up and tried to not laugh at the fact the monster in front of him was embarrassed of all things. ¡°I¡¯m going to go inside and do all the things I said I was going to do. You wait here.¡± He waited for the creature to look like it had understood before sliding the door open.

    He stepped inside, closed the door behind him, and headed straight for the first-floor bathroom. He smirked as he turned the lights on inside. He had laughed when he¡¯d first seen the room, thinking no one would ever use it. His parents had agreed, and had installed the washer and dryer in there to get some use out of the room.

    Now all of this stuff was going to come in handy for him. He popped open the dryer and saw someone had set a load of laundry to dry overnight. Included in the load were just enough of his own clothes to change into after this.

    He removed the clothes he already had on, trying to figure out what was too damaged to be salvaged. Between all the cuts and bloodstains, the answer was not much.

    A quick shower later, he was walking out of the bathroom wearing a set of clean nightclothes and holding a bag of bloody and ruined clothes ready for the trash can. He hooked the door to the bathroom with his foot, pulling it closed. It made a bit of noise, but not as much as Jacob made when he heard a certain skittering sound from the living room.

    He turned around and saw the monster just laying down and looking at him with a light glare. Off to the side was the now open sliding glass door.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he said in a whispered scream as he walked over and slid the door closed. The monster just looked at him indifferently before curling up on the floor and ignoring him.

    Deciding that fair was fair, Jacob ignored the monster and took a quick step outside to throw out the trash before coming back in. The creature watched him from its ball as he walked over and collapsed onto the couch.

    ¡°Still need to come up with some kind of explanation,¡± he muttered before hearing a grumbling sound loud enough to catch both of their attentions. Unlike the last sound, this one was coming straight from his stomach.

    ¡°Guess all that running built up an appetite,¡± he justified as he walked over to the kitchen, the monster following him.

    He probably shouldn¡¯t have been eating this late, but he was hungry and a midnight snack wouldn¡¯t be¡­

    Jacob stopped and looked up at the clock on the wall. It read as half past two.

    Well, a half past two snack wouldn¡¯t be the worst thing in the world.

    He threw the fridge open and saw he had two options. The first was a container filled with chicken his mother had cooked earlier that day. Surrounding it was everything he needed to make himself a ham and cheese sandwich.

    As he was deciding, he heard a skittering sound from right behind him. He looked down as the monster pocked its head out and stared at the chicken with an intense glare. He could almost see the hunger rolling off its face.

    ¡°You want some?¡± he asked as he reached for the container and popped it open for the monster to look inside. Its eyes went wild as it surged forward. He braced himself as the monster pushed into him. ¡°Hey, careful with that, you almost knocked this stuff all over the floor. The last thing I need is to clean up the kitchen and then get changed a second time¡­¡±

    He set the container on the table next to them as he reached out and grabbed the monster¡¯s face. He pulled it up to his own, which was sporting fully opened eyes and a wide grin.

    ¡°That¡¯s it. I came down here to get something to eat, tripped in the dark, hurt my knee and spilled sauce all over myself,¡± he informed the monster. ¡°That¡¯s my cover story.¡±

    Despite their solid red color, Jacob couldn¡¯t help but feel as though the monster would be rolling its eyes if it could. He frowned a bit at the apparent lack of appreciation for his genius before setting the container of chicken on the floor and grabbing what he needed to make his sandwich.

    He propped himself up on the counter, sandwich in hand, as the monster ate out of the container below him. He took a quick bite out of it and allowed himself to savor it as he felt his hunger lessen.

    ¡°Man, and to think all this started because I couldn¡¯t sleep because of some dumb ghost story,¡± he said before taking another bite. Half way through chewing, he noticed the monster no longer eating and was looking at him carefully.

    ¡°Want to know about the ghost story?¡± he asked as the monster gave a hurried nod. ¡°Well what basically happened was¡­¡±

    He told the monster about the foul deeds that had apparently taken place in the house and backyard, taking the occasional bite of his sandwich as he told the story. The monster kept its eyes on him the whole time, making him wonder if it even needed to blink.

    ¡°And that¡¯s how the story goes,¡± he said, finishing the story. ¡°You know, the only reason I even want up to the attic and saw you was because I thought you were one of the ghosts.¡±

    The creature gave him a slight glare before going back to eating its chicken.

    A few minutes later, both of them had finished their food and Jacob got to work cleaning the kitchen so his parents would believe he¡¯d done so to clean up a spill. To his surprise, he found he didn¡¯t really have to clean up after the monster that much. It was a surprisingly neat eater, and its lack of fur meant there weren¡¯t any stray hairs to pick up.

    Something to be especially happy about since the monster was currently curled up on the carpet in the living room.

    As he cleaned the container the monster had eaten out of, Jacob soundly realized there was still one thing bothering him about this whole night.

    He set the container to dry before walking back out to the living room. The monster had apparently switched from the floor to the couch at some point so Jacob sat next to it. He bent down until the two were at the same eye level. The monster opened its two left eyes and gave him a curious glace.

    ¡°Why were you in my attic in the first place?¡± he asked as the creature began to uncurl itself and get off the couch. It walked over to the sliding glass door as Jacob realized he had no clue how the monster had managed to get into his house in the first place. He had been more worried about how he was going to cover up the night¡¯s events to worry about that kind of thing.

    Now that everything was handled, he had time to learn just how the monster had broken in.

    Despite his expectation it would use one of its spider legs, it actually reached up with its tail. He wondered for a moment how it could use its tail to open the door before remembering the ¡®tail¡¯ was actually six tails wrapped together like a rope.

    Almost like it had been waiting for him to remember that particular fact, the monster split its tails apart at that very moment. Where had been one, there were now six narrow, tendril-like tails separated at the base. Two of them reached for the door handle, wrapping around it and pulling it slightly open. At that point, the other four tails reached around the door before all six pulled at once.

    The process was pretty quick, and soon the monster was standing outside and looking at him. He wondered what it was waiting for when he suddenly realized needing all six tails to wrap around the door to open it meant there was no way for it to close it. He let out a quick apology before closing the door for the monster.

    The door closed, the monster immediately crouched down and sprung into the air. He watched as it jumped high enough to make it to the still open attic window.

    He followed after it, making his way through the house as silently as he could. By the time he made it to the attic, the monster was waiting for him and motioning for him to get closer. It pointed its nose to a specific point on the ground.

    Jacob knelt and put his hand over it. It was cold to the touch. A quick glance to his right and he saw an open air vent spewing out cold air.

    ¡°Did you sneak into our house to have a cool place to sleep?¡± he asked as the monster gave him a shamelessly happy nod.

    He wanted to come up with some sort of counterargument, it had just admitted to breaking into his house. But as he looked into the monster¡¯s smiling eyes, he found himself unable to do it. Florida summers were brutal, even at night. He knew he couldn¡¯t sleep unless his own AC was on full blast.

    ¡°You know what, you can stay here,¡± he finally spit out as he took note of the window it had used to get in here in the first place. A lesson his mother had drilled into him from a young age reared its head as he walked over to it. ¡°And if you¡¯re going to be using the AC, close the window.¡±

    If he couldn¡¯t get away with doing so, then the monster wouldn¡¯t either.

    It took him a second to readjust his eyes after that, the moon having been the main light source in the attic until now. He carefully made his way to the stairs below before looking back and waving at the four red, glowing lights in the dark.

 Chapter 4

    Jacob woke up screaming, an intense pain going through his face. He grasped his face with his hands, trying to rub the agony and suffering from his eyes. When that didn¡¯t work, he grasped for his pillow and plunged his face into it.

    He waited for the pain to subside before lifting his head up and opening his eyes carefully.

    The blinding light burned him, forcing him to shut his eyes. He waited a few more seconds before trying again, moving his head until he couldn¡¯t see an intense glare through his eyelids.

    The world around him came into focus, including the sight of his mother standing with her hands on her hips and giving him an unamused stare. Right next to her was a window with its curtains thrown wide open.

    Strange considering he¡¯d been sure to close them the night before. His room faced southeast, and with no other structures to block it, the rising sun had nothing stopping it from barging in and burning his eyes every morning. The thick curtains worked as a decent shield, but not when they were sabotaged.

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to be an actor?¡± his mother asked with a sigh. ¡°A reaction like that could probably land you a job somewhere in Hollywood. The famous one in California, not the one an hour¡¯s drive north of here.¡±

    He narrowed his eyes at her. His mother knew that unlike her or his father, he was not a morning person. From what he knew of his grandparents, they weren¡¯t morning people either. That particular trait had apparently skipped a generation.

    ¡°Is Hollywood even an hour¡¯s drive anymore?¡± he questioned while cringing at his raspy morning voice. He hated early morning dry throat.

    His mother just shrugged. ¡°Probably not anymore now that I think about it. Since we¡¯re out west, I¡¯m not actually sure how you¡¯d get there from here.¡±

    They both fell into a weird silence after that. Jacob¡¯s mother was probably expecting him to respond, and he wasn¡¯t talking until he had a glass of water.

    ¡°I¡¯m making breakfast today,¡± she finally said as she started walking to the door. ¡°Come down and we¡¯ll talk more.¡±

    Despite the rough awakening, he smiled. No offense to his father, but his mother was the better cook out of the two of them. He wasn¡¯t bad, just¡­ average, while his mother was¡­

    Well, there was a reason he was learning to cook like her and not like him.

    He forced himself out of bed, wondering why everything hurt so much. He almost felt as though he really went through that crazy dream last night.

    He still couldn¡¯t believe he had managed to come up with a dream that crazy. The monster looked so weird and making friends with it and feeding it chicken was even weirder.

    Maybe it was his brain¡¯s way of telling him something¡­ But what?

    He wondered about the possible meanings as he glanced down and noticed he wasn¡¯t wearing the pajamas he had gone to sleep in.

    The first thing he checked were his arms. He pulled back the sleeve of his shirt. His arm was covered with little scratches he¡¯d gotten from the braches from the night before. He then rolled up his pants¡¯ leg and found a nasty looking wound right on his knee.

    The dream from the night before was real. He had really run through the woods after a huge dog monster, and then invited it in and fed it chicken.

    Which meant the monster was probably still asleep upstairs in the attic.

    ¡°Jacob, could you come down here?¡± he heard his mother call from downstairs. He blinked and opened the door, making his way down. His legs felt heavy as he lumbered down the stairs. He winced as his feet made a booming stomp with every step.

    He joined his parents in the kitchen, looking dead on his feet. His father watched him in concern as he shuffled over to grab a glass and started filling it with water. He waited for him to down the whole thing before speaking.

    ¡°You okay there? You look worse than usual this morning,¡± he only half joked from his seat at the kitchen table.

    ¡°And does it have anything to do why I can¡¯t find the leftover chicken I was going to use for the stir-fry today?¡± his mother asked as she held up the clean container from the night before. In her other hand was a skillet fresh off the flame and giving off a heavenly smell that almost knocked him off his feet.

    He took a seat at the table and waited as his mother set the skillet down in the center and took her own seat.

    ¡°Alright, so here¡¯s what happened,¡± he started, his voice sounding normal again after the glass of water. ¡°Finding out about the ghost thing yesterday really messed with my head, more than I thought it did. Because of that, I couldn¡¯t really sleep.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what ghost thing?¡± his father asked, clearly out of the loop.

    ¡°You were asleep when it happened. I¡¯ll tell you about it later,¡± Jacob¡¯s mother quickly explained before motioning for him to continue.

    ¡°So like I said, I couldn¡¯t sleep. Eventually I just decided to take a walk around the house in the middle of the night, in the dark. I apparently make bad choices when I¡¯m tired.¡±

    ¡°I think I have a feeling I know how the chicken links into all this,¡± his mother muttered as she glanced down at the clean floor.

    ¡°Yeah, so around¡­ I don¡¯t know, maybe two or three in the morning, I decide I¡¯m super hungry and need food. So I come down here and, for some reason, heat up the whole container. Now I should point out, the whole room is dark and the only light is coming from outside. So on my way to the kitchen table, I trip and the chicken goes everywhere. That¡¯s how I got this,¡± he started rolling up his pants¡¯ leg to show them the wound on his knee.

    The effect was immediate.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± His mother shrieked in Spanish, the shock having been enough to make her switch to her native tongue. She shot out of her seat and wrapped her son in a serpentine hug. His father just gave the wound a close look before giving his son a concerned look.

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    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he reassured them both before explaining he¡¯d spent a good chunk of the night cleaning everything up and he¡¯d barely slept the night before. ¡°That¡¯s probably why I look worse than usual today.¡±

    ¡°Jacob, why don¡¯t you go back upstairs and get in a bit more sleep,¡± his father told him. ¡°We aren¡¯t really going to do anything until after lunch.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± he said before noticing his mother wasn¡¯t letting go. ¡°Mom?¡±

    That was apparently enough for her to snap out of it. She looked down at him, and then to his knee before letting go and marching to a closet. She came marching back to the table a few seconds later with a first aid kit in hand.

    ¡°Let me see that leg,¡± she demanded. Jacob did as he was told and rolled his pants up as quickly as he could.

    A few minutes later, he walked into his room, his knee now disinfected and bandaged. As much as he wanted to be annoyed at his mother, he had to admit his knee was starting to feel better. He settled into bed and relaxed, allowing sleep to take him. His bandaged leg would make it easier to sleep in a bit before his parents woke him up to clean the attic.

    The attic which was currently housing a big dog monster who was fast asleep. A monster his parents would find with no trouble.

    His eyes snapped open as he imagined the scene. His mother would find it first and start screaming. His father would come rushing in and try to fight it off, probably with a broom. The monster would run away, never to be seen again.

    An unacceptable outcome, but the only one he could imagine if his parents found the monster. The solution was simple: they just wouldn¡¯t find it.

    He rushed out of bed and went up the stairs, heading into the attic with as much stealth as he could manage.

    He walked into the empty room, his eyes immediately going to the sleeping monster. It was still where he last saw it, curled into a ball next to the AC vent.

    ¡°Hey, get up,¡± he knelt next to it and gently nudged its shoulder. It just groaned a bit and shuffled around, forcing Jacob to back off. Once it had settled down, he knelt again and shook the monster¡¯s shoulder, a much more forceful method. This time, the monster¡¯s eyes opened slightly to give him a spiteful glare.

    ¡°My parents are going to be up here in a few minutes. If you don¡¯t want them to find you and chase you with brooms, you have to get out of here now!¡±

    The monster¡¯s eyes widened as it started getting to its feet. It looked fine at first, before wincing in pain as it put weight on one leg in particular. Jacob dashed forward to help steady it as it glanced down at the offending leg. It was the damaged spider leg from the night before.

    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to jump out of the window with your leg like that,¡± he looked at the window the creature used to get in and out. ¡°There has to be another way¡­ Alright, I¡¯ll just hide you in my room.¡±

    The monster stopped in place and gave him a worried look, like it was witnessing someone lose their mind right in front of them. It didn¡¯t take him long to notice the look being directed his way.

    ¡°What are you staring at? It¡¯s not the best plan, but it¡¯s the best we¡¯ve got,¡± he started heading for the door and motioned at the monster to follow him.

    The monster looked at the closed window, then at its leg, and then back to the window. It looked downwards and shook its head. Its eyes narrowed before it lifted its head and hesitantly followed him.

    ¡°Oh, and my room probably has the best AC in the entire house,¡± he said as an ¡®afterthought¡¯.

    He bit back a laugh as the monster almost teleported to his side and started walking in lockstep with him.

    He led the monster into his room and towards a spot on the floor under the AC and hidden from the door. Even if his parents came in, it would have time to hide.

    He watched as the monster curled into a ball again, falling to sleep.

    He closed the curtains and headed off to sleep himself.

    When he woke up, he glanced at the curtains. Based off the light coming through, it was probably around noon. He yawned, stretching his arms out, before throwing his covers off himself.

    Still half-asleep, he stepped off the bed only to step on something slippery. His eyes widened as he slipped and fell on the floor.

    ¡°Ow,¡± he grunted as he got to his feet. He looked back to see what exactly he had left on the floor to make him slip like that.

    Four unamused, glowing, red eyes looked back at him, making him gulp.

    ¡°My bad. I forgot I let you sleep here before. Sorry,¡± he apologized before the monster just huffed and tried to get back to sleep. Or at least, that¡¯s what it looked like at first glance. After a second or two, he noticed the creature pretending to sleep while watching him carefully.

    He figured it was probably just waiting for him to leave to get some more sleep. Seeing no reason to call it out, he walked to his closet. He grabbed a quick change of clothes before starting to take off his shirt.

    A sudden skittering sound interrupted him halfway. He glanced back and saw the monster now putting in effort to look in any direction but his.

    He shrugged and got changed quickly. He had to head down and see what his parents were doing. There had to be a way to get the monster out of his house, he just had to figure it out.

    ¡°Anyone home?¡± he asked as he headed to the first floor. To his surprise, he didn¡¯t get any response. He walked around the first floor, the house feeling strangely empty.

    He walked into the kitchen and spotted a sticky note posted on the kitchen table. He picked it up, his eyebrow raised.

    ¡°Jacob,¡± he said as she started reading aloud. ¡°Your father and I went out around ten or so to pick up a few things from the store we need for the attic. We should be back by one at the very latest. There are snacks in the fridge if you wake up hungry and a little bit of leftover breakfast as well. If anything comes up, call me or your father. I made sure he brought his cellphone with us this time.¡±

    He set the paper down and swung the fridge door open, finding the snacks without too much trouble. He reached in and grabbed what appeared to be a soft pretzel. His eyes widened as he bit into it. It was sweet, with a cinnamon taste on the outside and a soft inside.

    He took another bite out of it before glancing up at the clock. It was almost five minutes past noon. He had roughly half an hour to get the monster out of his house. In other words, plenty of time considering how easy it would be.

    He walked up the stairs with soft pretzel in hand, finishing it off before opening the door to his room.

    The monster looked like it was still asleep, but a careful glance revealed the truth.

    ¡°Hey, you have to wake up before my parents get back home,¡± he stood above the fully awake monster. It opened its eyes and scowled at him before getting up and stretching its limbs out.

    It followed him downstairs where he slid the door to the backyard open for it.

    However, instead of taking off for the great outdoors, the monster just stood there. The two looked at each other in silence before the monster turned towards the kitchen and gave a pleading whine.

    ¡°Food first, then freedom?¡± he asked the monster, who gave him a joyful nod while wagging its tail back and forth.

    A few minutes later, Jacob was watching the monster gulp down what should have been his breakfast.

    As he sat down, he realized that in a few minutes the monster would be out the door and the most amazing thing to ever happen to him would end. The mere thought was unacceptable, he wanted¡­ or maybe needed to see the monster again.

    The monster finished its meal and soon enough, the pair was walking into the backyard. He needed to say something now if he wanted it to come back, and he thought he knew just what to say.

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± he said as the two stood at the edge of the yard. ¡°Come back tonight after everyone¡¯s gone to sleep. I¡¯ll save you some of my dinner for you to eat if you come.¡±

    The monster just stood there for a few seconds, leaving him worried he¡¯d said the wrong thing. He tried to think of something else to say when the monster gave him a careful nod. He nodded back before it took off, rushing through the fence and into the forest beyond.

    As he watched it run, Jacob grinned so hard his cheeks hurt. That nod from the monster was all he¡¯d really needed to make living in Oakwood bearable. However, as he walked back to the house, something felt just a bit¡­ off to him.

    The monster, it was an animal, right? He only called it the ¡®monster¡¯ because he had no better name for it. He hadn¡¯t really had time to think about it¡­ but some of its actions and reactions didn¡¯t feel like it had come from an animal. For how cool and otherworldly it looked, at times it had acted oddly¡­ human.

 Chapter 5

    Jacob sat down on the couch, unsure as to what to do now. With how much stuff they had to do later, he didn¡¯t want to waste his energy on anything physical. The guy who was supposed to install the cable still hadn¡¯t shown up, so the TV was out. His phone was also a no-go, there was no internet signal anywhere in this town.

    He pulled out his phone anyway, hoping an internet connection would just magically appear. To his chagrin, there was still nothing, both in terms of his connection and messages from his old friends in North Palm.

    It was a bit strange none of them had contacted him even once in all the time since he got here. Maybe they thought he was just busy?

    He set the phone down. North Palm was still home for him, and he wasn¡¯t sure if he would ever come to think of Oakwood as the same. As his mind wandered, memories of North Palm started flooding in. The days of going out to see movies, of hanging out by the local park and just chatting the day away, or trying some new experimental recipe a certain someone had come up with.

    He shivered as he remembered a particularly vile experiment of apple and mint pizza before a smile forced its way onto his face.

    His memories were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and his name being called.

    ¡°Jacob, are you awake?¡± his mother called as she walked into the living room and saw him lying on the couch. He gave her a thumbs up before getting to his feet. ¡°You see the note?¡±

    ¡°The pretzel was delicious,¡± he said plainly as she walked over to him. They both just stood there for a moment before she reached her arms out and brought him into a sudden hug.

    ¡°Try not to have any more late-night adventures okay?¡± she said, smiling over his squawks of protest. He pretended to struggle out of her grip, knowing full well he had no chance of actually pulling it off.

    ¡°Let the boy breathe, Laura,¡± his father said holding in his laughter as he walked into the living room. He set a few bags on the ground before looking at the pair. ¡°Why don¡¯t you help me unload the car?¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say, dear,¡± she released him, who started rubbing his throat.

    ¡°Air, beautiful air. I¡¯ll never take you for granted again,¡± he closed his eyes. Despite being unable to actually see it, he knew his mother was rolling her eyes at him.

    ¡°Come on, Drama King, let¡¯s go help your father,¡± she said as he let go of his throat and followed her.

    His father was already reaching in for another bag when he arrived outside. Despite knowing all of this was for the attic, Jacob had no clue as to what exactly they were doing with the room. One box in particular caught his eyes.

    ¡°Build your own table?¡± He read aloud the packaging on the largest of the boxes. He grabbed a few of the bags and brought them inside, where his father was leaving behind his own bags. ¡°Hey, Dad, what are we doing with the attic anyway?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± he started moving outside again. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted a game room, figured the attic would be perfect for that kind of thing,¡± he explained as he bent his knees to start lifting the box.

    ¡°Need any help with that?¡± He asked. His father gave him a simple grunt, which he figured meant yes.

    A few minutes later, the car was closed, his parents were standing over the bags, and Jacob himself was off to the side, eating another pretzel.

    ¡°Alright, time to get all this stuff up the stairs,¡± his mother stretched her arms for the lifting to come. His father, on the other hand, was looking at his wife in confusion.

    ¡°I thought you were going to tell me about whatever it was that kept Jacob up last night?¡± he asked, stopping Jacob¡¯s mother mid-stretch.

    ¡°Oh right, I did say that didn¡¯t I?¡± she said sheepishly. ¡°Jacob, could you be a dear and tell your father about¡­¡± The sound of someone knocking on the door stopped her mid-sentence. She glanced back at the door and gave him a weird look. ¡°Didn¡¯t know we were expecting guests.¡±

    His father walked up to open the door. Jacob couldn¡¯t see who was at the door, but he could easily hear the familiar voice.

    ¡°Good afternoon, is Jacob home?¡± he heard Ellie ask as he met his mother¡¯s frowning eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s happening again,¡± she said to him in an exasperated whisper.

    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± he harshly whispered back.

    ¡°You went out for one day and there¡¯s already a girl at the door looking for you,¡± she said, sounding weary. ¡°I did not raise you like this.¡±

    ¡°Mom, for the last time. Just because I have a weird tendency to make friends with people who happen to be girls does not make me some sort of Casanova,¡± he argued the familiar words for what felt like the millionth time.

    He was honestly telling the truth. Jacob did not make many friends, only really having three by the time he left North Palm. The fact that all three were girls his age wasn¡¯t strange¡­ to him at least.

    His mother looked ready to argue again when his father walked back into the room.

    ¡°We have guests,¡± he declared before stepping aside to show Ellie.

    ¡°Good to see you again, Jacob,¡± she greeted before Ryan suddenly materialized from behind the girl.

    ¡°Sup,¡± he said in a simple greeting. One that seemed to stop whatever it was Jacob¡¯s mother was about to say.

    ¡°Ryan, Ryan, Ryan,¡± he repeated as he walked towards the other boy. He placed his hand on the other boy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°For reasons I have neither the time nor energy to go into, you have no idea how happy I am you¡¯re here.¡±

    The boy in question just looked at the hand on his shoulder and shrugged a bit.

    Now that he had a chance to see the two of them by themselves, Jacob had to admit they made quite a pair.

    Ellie with her minimalist and vaguely fancy looking whites and yellows. Ryan with his ¡®completely inappropriate for the weather¡¯ hoodie and jeans patterned black and blue. The two looked like they should clash completely, yet also like they were part of the same set.

    Ryan turned to look at her and gave her a stiff gaze.

    ¡°If anything happens,¡± he started before Ellie rolled her eyes.

    ¡°Yes, I know, you¡¯re throwing me at it and running for the hills,¡± she replied looking a bit slighted.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Jacob asked, despite having a suspicion he wouldn¡¯t like the answer.

    ¡°Yes, Ryan, why don¡¯t you go ahead and tell Jacob your paranoid reasons to not want to go into his house?¡± She said before walking up to Jacob¡¯s mother to talk about something else.

    ¡°Think about what you learned about your house yesterday,¡± he lifted his arms up and pointing at his face. ¡°Now with that in mind, look at my skin.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I see why you wouldn¡¯t want to be in here,¡± he looked at his face and then around the room.

    Ryan was currently the only black person in a house with two white people, one Latina, and one mixed person. Going off classic horror movie rules, he would be the most likely to die first. And was there anything more Classic American Horror then a haunted house?

    ¡°Jacob, what is your friend talking about?¡± His father asked, looking a bit concerned at the conversation that had just occurred in front of them. In his defense, without context it probably looked bizarre.

    He glanced at his mother and gave her a questioning look. ¡°We really should get around to telling him.¡±

    ¡°I was going to when your friends showed up,¡± she pointed out.

    ¡°Wait, your dad doesn¡¯t know about what happened in this house? That¡¯s messed up,¡± Ellie looked at Jacob¡¯s father in amazement from the couch in the living room. Both she and Ryan had apparently made themselves at home while the three Thistles had been busy.

    ¡°Will someone please tell me what everyone¡¯s talking about?¡± His father asked, looking absolutely done with everyone involved.

    ¡°Someone may or may not have been brutally murdered on the property,¡± Jacob put it bluntly.

    ¡°Wow, just going straight for the throat with that one, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ryan pointed out from the couch.

    ¡°Jacob, you shouldn¡¯t joke about that kind of stuff,¡± he said, sounding strangely serious. Seeing him like this was a rare sight for him. ¡°This is how rumors get started, isn¡¯t that right, Laura?¡±

    It was at this point both Jacob and his father noticed his mother was walking towards them with two glasses filled with something he was sure he wasn¡¯t allowed to drink yet.

    ¡°So about that¡­¡± she said in a slightly high pitch. She handed him one of the drinks and started leading him to another room. ¡°There was an¡­ incident a few years ago on the property.¡± They closed the door behind them, leaving him unable to hear the rest.

    Jacob turned to the two guests who were still on the couch, both of them carrying drinks he assumed his mother had given them.

    ¡°So¡­ you like the house?¡± He winced at the awkward question, but it was the first thing that had come to mind.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice,¡± Ellie said without missing beat. ¡°This is the part of town with all the nice houses though, so it would be a little weird if it wasn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Nice couch too,¡± Ryan added as Ellie took a sip of her drink.

    The three of them lingered in silence for a moment as he tried to think of something else to say.

    ¡°You guys hungry?¡± he suddenly asked. ¡°My mom bought these really good soft pretzels from¡­ somewhere in town,¡±

    ¡°Oh, are they really soft and chewy, with a weird cinnamon paste in the center?¡± Ellie asked as she suddenly sat up and gave him an intense stare. Ryan also had his head turned, his full attention on him.

    ¡°Well they don¡¯t have a paste in the center,¡± Jacob explained as he opened the fridge, a bit taken aback at the pair¡¯s intensity. ¡°But they do have a cinnamon taste.¡±

    He reached into the fridge and took the bag out. He was about to ask if they wanted some when the pair almost teleported to his side.

    ¡°Oh yeah, those are Mick¡¯s,¡± Ryan looked at the bag in Jacob¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Mick¡¯s?¡± He asked, confused. Ellie took the chance to explain it for him.

    ¡°There¡¯s a guy in town named Mick who makes soft pretzels and sells them around town. The trick is, he only makes so many in a day, so they all sell really quickly,¡± she said before biting the nail on her thumb. ¡°His best ones are the ones with cinnamon paste in the center, but you have to either get up super early, or get super lucky.¡±

    ¡°Congratulations on stumbling onto one of Oakwood¡¯s few hidden gems,¡± Ryan said. ¡°Now heat those things up in the oven.¡± Jacob did as he was told, following along as the two of them gave him the exact directions for reheating Mick¡¯s pretzels.

    The three of them stood in front of the oven, watching the pretzels heat up, when Jacob gave the two of them a side glance.

    ¡°Soft pretzels are one of this town¡¯s hidden gems?¡± he asked the pair, who found themselves unable to look him in the eye.

    ¡°When you put it that way, it does sound a little pathetic,¡± Ryan admitted.

    ¡°Well, he¡¯s from North Palm, the big city. Any tiny town in the middle of nowhere would look bad in comparison,¡± Ellie argued back, sounding like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

    Luckily for her, the pretzels were pretty much done by that point. They took them out of the oven and placed them on the table. Soon, all talk of comparing Oakwood with North Palm was forgotten in favor of enjoying the sweet treats.

    Which was, of course, the moment Jacob¡¯s parents walked back into the room.

    ¡°Good news, Jacob you have a new roommate. Her name is Sam and¡­¡±

    ¡°Mom already made that joke yesterday,¡± he cut him off, stopping him in his tracks. His mother passed him from behind while giving her husband a smug grin.

    ¡°Ha,¡± she gloated before swiping a pretzel off the rack. ¡°Twenty years of beating you to the punchline and you still think you can beat me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know, I never learn,¡± he said, defeated, before looking at the two other kids in the room. ¡°So you two came to see Jacob?¡±

    ¡°Honestly?¡± Ellie finished off the last of the pretzel she was eating. ¡°We came here because we were curious to see what kind of people buy a haunted house. The answer, it turns out, is people who had no idea it was haunted in the first place.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you came here,¡± Ryan added. ¡°I¡¯m here because you dragged me here against my will.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t that what friends do? Pull you into experiencing new things you¡¯d never experience otherwise?¡± Ellie explained as she gave them all a smile as sweet and genuine as processed sugar substitute. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Jacob?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, of course,¡± he answered, the overly sweet smile creeping him out more than the house at the moment.

    ¡°Well, it was nice of you to drop by,¡± his father said, unaware of the strange atmosphere in the room. ¡°But we¡¯re actually about to be a little busy. We¡¯re taking all this stuff up to the attic and setting it up,¡± he pointed to all the bags and boxes on the floor. ¡°But you kids feel free to drop by any time.¡±

    ¡°Oh, we can help you out with that,¡± Ellie volunteered, despite the wary look Ryan was giving her. ¡°Our parents aren¡¯t expecting us back ¡®til later anyway.¡±

    ¡°By ¡®we¡¯ do you mean¡­¡± He asked before Ellie cut him off.

    ¡°Oh come on, it¡¯ll be fun,¡± she gave him the same strange smile as before. Ryan just let out a sigh and stayed silent.

    ¡°If you say so, but maybe it would be better if you two contacted your parents just in case,¡± Jacob¡¯s mother pointed out.

    ¡°Sure thing, Mrs. Thistle,¡± Ellie said with a sloppy salute. She started walking out the door when his mother stopped her.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± she asked, narrowing her eyes at Ellie.

    ¡°To go tell my parents where I am?¡± She told her, not sure what else she was supposed to do.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just call her?¡± She demanded.

    ¡°Oh,¡± her eyes cleared up. ¡°I don¡¯t have a cellphone. Parents say I¡¯m too young for one.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Jacob¡¯s mother took her own phone out. A quick lesson later, and Ellie was calling her mother over the phone.

    ¡°Hey, Mom, it¡¯s me Ellie. I¡¯m calling you from the Old Lady Makenzie house. I met the family who moved in a few days ago,¡± she said in the most cheerful voice Jacob had ever heard from the girl. ¡°No, I¡¯m not bothering them. They have a son my age who I met yesterday.¡±

    ¡°And now I¡¯m the excuse,¡± he muttered too low for anyone to hear as Ellie spoke to her mother.

    ¡°Funny story about that, they only learned about the house today,¡± she explained to her mother, who was probably wondering what kind of people bought a haunted house. ¡°So do you mind if I stay a little longer? They¡¯re finishing up the house and I offered to help them out.¡±

    Jacob could almost hear the sigh on the other end of the line.

    ¡°Yes, Ryan is with me. Could you do me a huge favor and tell his parents about all of this?¡± Ellie added as an almost afterthought. ¡°Really? Thanks, Mom. I¡¯ll see you later,¡± she finished as she hung the phone up and passed it back to Jacob¡¯s mother.

    ¡°Everything go well?¡± Jacob asked with a half smirk.

    ¡°Looks like the two of us are clear to stay,¡± Ellie said with a big smile. ¡°So, what are we doing?¡±

    Jacob¡¯s father shrugged and passed both Ryan and Ellie some of the lighter objects they had gotten the day before. ¡°We need to get all this stuff upstairs into the attic,¡± he explained before handing some more stuff to his wife and son. ¡°Come on, the sooner we get this done, the better.¡±

    The five of them spent a good chunk of the afternoon setting up the game room in the attic. Ellie and Ryan were intrigued by the idea and had found themselves invited back to try it out anytime. By the time they were done, night had almost fallen and it was time for dinner.

    The two gave their goodbyes and soon only Jacob was left in the attic.

    It was an impressive sight. The walls had hanging shelves filled with board games, while the center of the room was taken up by a table large enough for six people. On one side of the table was a light couch used in place of chairs.

    However, for as nice as it looked, he couldn¡¯t help but notice the spot next to the AC was now filled with a chest containing more games. There was no longer a place for the monster he had met the night before.

 Chapter 6

    Jacob stood nervously on his back porch, a full bowl of food in his hands. He slightly spun the bowl around as he watched the bushes leading to the forest beyond the yard.

    It was strange, he wasn¡¯t sure if he was being too nervous, or not being nearly nervous enough. Something he figured was typical when dealing with an unfamiliar situation.

    Dealing with an impossible monster of unknown origin would certainly count.

    He glanced up to the second floor of his house, keeping his eyes open in case the lights turned on. The last thing he needed was his parents seeing the monster and contacting animal control. Between the monster¡¯s muscles, claws and teeth, that was a fight he didn¡¯t want to see.

    Of course, none of that mattered if the monster failed to appear in the first place.

    ¡°Maybe I should go back inside,¡± he said to himself in a disappointed whisper. He glanced down at the full bowl in his hand. ¡°Set this stuff aside for nothing,¡±

    He turned, ready to leave the food on the porch and head back inside. As he set the food down, he heard the familiar sound of rustling leaves from right behind him.

    He turned and smiled at the four glowing points of light emerging from the shadows. It poked its head out and looked at him before walking out into the yard. He noticed it was walking evenly, its leg having recovered from the night before.

    ¡°About time. I have your food right here,¡± he placed the bowl on the porch. The monster sped up into what Jacob might call a ¡®trot¡¯ before reaching the bowl and digging in.

    However, how exactly it was ¡®trotting¡¯ with cat, spider and rabbit legs was a question he¡¯d fail to answer if anyone ever asked.

    It still managed to earn a chuckle out of him as the monster ate the food he had saved for it.

    A few seconds later, Jacob was picking up an empty bowl. ¡°You were hungry, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    The monster shuffled its feet around a bit before turning away from him. For a being that looked like it had come out of a nightmare formed by all the world¡¯s children, Jacob noted it got embarrassed surprisingly easily.

    ¡°Just what are you?¡± he whispered, mostly to himself, as he sat on the porch with the bowl still in hand. A needless whisper it turned out, considering the way the monster¡¯s ears flicked at the words before it turned back to him. It looked at him with a vacant expression, as though it was unsure as to the answer as well.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know who you are or where you came from?¡± he asked the monster, who just shook its head.

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s alright, nothing comes from nothing. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it out someday, boy.¡±

    The monster rose to its feet and backed away from Jacob, giving him a growl.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to imply you were nothing or anything,¡± he quickly said, guessing at the issue. When the monster kept growling, he realized he had guessed wrong. He wracked his brain, trying to figure out something else.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it out one day¡­ girl?¡± he said with a gulp. However, he did guess it right this time. The creature stopped growling and was now pointing its nose upwards instead.

    ¡°Oh, sorry for calling you a boy then,¡± the creature turned back at him and showed him her teeth in what he guessed was a smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re really smart, aren¡¯t you? You look like a bunch of animals fused together, but you¡¯re a lot smarter than that. You can understand what I¡¯m saying and get angry at it and everything,¡± he moved his hand to his jacket and tried not to think about what he had in there.

    While he knew the monster was smart, he hadn¡¯t really thought about how smart until now. So when he had been preparing for his encounter with her, he had grabbed a tennis ball from his room. The kind a lot of people used to play fetch with their dogs.

    With how vain the monster had already proved to be, he¡¯d be lucky to just be ripped apart if he brought it out.

    However, the sudden movement to his pocket caught the monster¡¯s eyes. She tilted her head to the side and then started poking his jacket pocket with her nose.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± he demanded. ¡°There¡¯s nothing in there.¡±

    The Monster looked him in the eye before huffing in annoyance. She backed away, accepting what he¡¯d said as the truth.

    Meanwhile, Jacob was hiding his relief. He really didn¡¯t want to find out what would have happened if she had found the ball.

    ¡°So there was something else I wanted to¡­¡± He stopped as he felt something digging around his pocket. He looked down and saw one of the monster¡¯s tails deep in his jacket. He looked up and saw the monster giving him what he guessed was an attempted cheeky grin.

    Or at least, until she pulled the ball out and brought it up to her face. She walked up to him and held the ball between their faces, rolling it around in her tails as though she was demanding for him to explain what this object was doing there.

    Considering the attitude of the creature so far, he wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if that was exactly what she was asking.

    ¡°I thought we could play catch,¡± he said, realizing just how lame it sounded when he said it out loud.

    He watched the monster carefully, trying to get a read on her to figure out how she would react. His heart skipped a beat as she suddenly exploded into a strange wheezing noise. She collapsed onto the ground, still making the same sound as he walked forward concerned. It took him a second to figure out what exactly the sound was.

    It was laughter, the monster equivalent of a big belly laugh which had the monster literally rolling on the ground in front of him.

    ¡°Are you done?¡± he asked as the Monster started to calm down. Her laughter subsided to a weak chuckle as it got up to its many feet. Despite not liking the idea of being made a joke, Jacob figured it was better than getting eaten and took it as a small victory.

    The monster took another look at the ball before giving him a worrying grin. He wondered what it was she was planning as she backed up a bit and pulled her tails back. They formed into a catapult-like shape, with the ball in the place of the rock.

    She let out a sudden bark before flinging the ball forward. His eyes grew wide as his reflexes worked faster than his mind, reaching out with his arm to catch the ball. An idea which may not have been his best option. The impact of the ball stung his hand, and the force knocked him flat on his back.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the game,¡± he laid on the ground. He looked up and saw the monster watching him carefully. ¡°Well two can play that one.¡±

    Jacob got to his feet as memories flashed through his mind. Many years ago, his mother had signed him up for little league, mostly in an attempt to make him more friends. Not only had the plan failed, he¡¯d walked away from the experience with a bit of a dislike for most of baseball.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    However, he had found at least one part he did like.

    Jacob rolled the ball in his hand before getting into a pitcher¡¯s pose. The monster would have sworn his eyes were glowing with intensity if she could talk. Her own eyes widened as he chucked the ball at her at a speed she hadn¡¯t expecting.

    Her tails lashed out, just barely grabbing onto the ball before it could sail right past her. She wrapped her tails around it, sending it back at him at a much lower speed than either of them had used so far.

    He took a step to the right, reaching out with his hand to grab the ball. His heart skipped a beat as he realized that he felt an impact at the edge of his fingers, not his palm.

    He laughed at first, before wincing in pain as the ball dropped to the ground. He dropped to his knees, his free hand clutching his burning fingers.

    The monster dropped all pretenses and rushed to him, looking at his hand in concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he tried to wave off her concern. She growled at him before grabbing his wrist with one of her tails. She jerked his hand forward into the light, revealing just how red it was.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, really,¡± he lied again, getting another growl from the monster. He rolled his eyes at the somewhat familiar feeling of getting mother-henned before clapping his hands. ¡°See? I¡¯m fine.¡±

    It probably would have worked better if he hadn¡¯t winced in pain at the last clap.

    The truth of the matter was that he really was fine, just in no condition to take another hit like that to his fingers again. He needed to think of something which could take the impact the creature gave out¡­

    The idea came to him in a flash. There were a certain pair of objects he had finally managed to track down and unpack earlier that day which would work perfectly.

    ¡°Wait right here. I¡¯m going to go grab something that¡¯ll make this easier,¡± he said to the monster as he started heading back to the house.

    A few minutes later, he walked out with a pair of tennis racquets.

    ¡°Look at what I¡¯ve got,¡± he held the two up for the monster to see. She smiled before lashing out with two of her tails, grabbing the racquet from his hand. She let out a joyful sound as she waved the racquet back and forth.

    Jacob ran to one edge of the yard. The monster followed suit, taking her place on the other end.

    The monster hunched down with its eyes narrowed, racquet slowly waving in the air. Jacob grinned wildly as he tossed the ball in the air and smacked it forward.

    The monster¡¯s eyes sprang open as she dashed to the side, shocked by just how fast he¡¯d thrown the ball. It sailed past her, forcing her to stretch her tail back. She just barely managed to hit the ball with the edge of the racquet.

    A close call, but enough to send the ball back at Jacob.

    However, unlike the last time, he was both ready for the monster¡¯s speed, and in his element. Tennis was his game, and he felt both pride in himself and pride in his humanity fueling his limbs as he jumped back and returned the ball with all the strength he had.

    The monster, now used to his speed, narrowed her eyes as they locked on to the ball. This time she hit the ball in the dead center.

    Jacob grunted as he managed to just hit the ball back.

    As the ball sailed through the air, he saw the monster break out into a fanged smile for just a split second. She spun around in a circle, hitting the ball with all the momentum she could muster.

    Once more, instincts took hold as he reached out to hit the ball back. He swung¡­ and felt no impact. The sound of a soft ball smacking on wood a half second later just confirmed his fear.

    He looked back and saw the ball weakly bounce on the ground next to the wooden fence behind him. He went back to pick it up, trying to block out the sound of the monster¡¯s wheezing laughter.

    As he picked it up and inspected the ball in his hand, he was struck with a realization.

    This situation, playing tennis in his backyard with a bizarre nightmare monster, was the most fun he¡¯d had in a long time. Long enough he found himself not caring about the monster¡¯s laughter.

    The game went on from there. Back and forth, the two fell into what felt like an endless cycle. Neither of them was really keeping score, but they could still tell the monster was in the clear lead. He still managed to take a few points for himself though, so it wasn¡¯t completely one-sided.

    However, for as ¡®endless¡¯ as it felt, it did have to come to an end at some point.

    Jacob was the first to feel it. His muscles were getting tired, and his reflexes were starting to get sluggish. Worst of all, he was finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes open.

    The monster served, and he kept his racquet in an iron grip as he lunged to serve it back.

    His feet slipped, and soon he found himself falling through the air. His racquet likewise slipped through his fingers and into the air above.

    He hit the ground on his back, his racquet coming back down and conking him on the forehead a bit later.

    ¡°Ow,¡± he muttered as he rubbed the spot and looked over at the monster, who was fast approaching. She came to a stop right in front of him and leaned in with concern clear in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just give me a second.¡±

    The monster, apparently not taking that as an answer, dug her head under his arm and helped him to his feet.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he knelt back down to grab the racquet, the monster helping to steady him as he did so. ¡°What time is it anyway?¡±

    He mumbled it, once again forgetting the monster¡¯s impressive hearing. She walked him forward, sitting him down on the porch before glancing into the house.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± he asked as she turned back to him. She raised three of her tails before putting them back down and raising two more, then doing the same and raising two more.

    ¡°Three, two, and another two?¡± he asked as the monster gave him a quick nod. He concentrated and tried to figure out what the numbers could mean, only to let out a yawn. He rubbed his eyes, trying to keep the sleep out. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m tired. It must be really late.¡±

    That was all he needed to figure it out. He looked up at the monster and asked, ¡°Three twenty-two AM?¡±

    She looked into the house again before using her tails to give him a three, two, and three.

    ¡°So it¡¯s three twenty-three AM now?¡± The monster gave him a quick nod as he looked up at the sky. ¡°I should get some sleep before the sun comes up.¡±

    He got to his feet and opened the door, the monster following him as he closed the door behind them. The monster stood still, watching him as he went into the first-floor bathroom.

    A quick shower and change later, he walked out feeling refreshed and just a tiny bit less tired. He let out a yawn before looking at the monster, who was still standing still, looking right at him.

    ¡°Waiting your turn?¡± he asked jokingly. Despite the questions status as a joke, the monster nodded and walked past him into the bathroom.

    He poked his head in, watching the monster stare at the shower.

    ¡°You know how to use it?¡± he asked as the monster suddenly turned to him with her four eyes narrowed. She used one of her tails to grab ahold of the shower handle and pull it open, the water splashing next to her.

    ¡°Well, okay then,¡± he said, not sure how to feel about the fact the monster knew how to use a shower. He stood there awkwardly for a second before the Monster turned to him again and made a shooing motion with her tail.

    ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± he said with a slight blush as he closed the door behind him and sat on the couch. He slumped back, the couch feeling a lot more comfortable then when he¡¯d laid on it earlier in the day.

    He woke up to the sun shining in his eyes. He groaned, suspecting it was his mother¡¯s doing, only to realize he didn¡¯t remember going to sleep in his bed last night. He let out a yawn before walking over to the kitchen.

    One giant glass of water later, he noticed the sliding glass door was closed. The same sliding glass door the monster had proven to be unable to close by herself.

    She was still in the house.

    The first place he checked was the bathroom. It was exactly like how he had left it the night before, no giant dog monster in sight there.

    He closed the door as he wondered where else it could have gone. He walked to couch and jumped atop of it, his brain going through the places where the monster could both hide and sleep comfortably.

    An act which proved unnecessary if the growling and skittering noises from under the couch were any indication.

    He flipped himself over and leaned over the side of the couch until he could see what was underneath. Four annoyed red eyes looked back at him.

    ¡°Why are you still here?¡± he demanded. ¡°My parents could come down here any second. You have to get out before they find you.¡± The monster¡¯s eyes narrowed before one of her tails slinked out of from under the couch and pointed at the kitchen table.

    Jacob snatched the paper off the table and read it. His father had finally started at his new job, and his mother had apparently gone off to North Palm to deal with some last-minute complications. They had tried to wake him up when they had found him early in the morning, but he had been sleeping too deeply for that to work.

    He checked what time his father would be back, then compared it to the time on the clock. He had a few hours at least until his dad would be back for lunch.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s safe to come out,¡± he walked over to the couch. She stuck her head out from under the couch, and Jacob had a feeling she¡¯d be rolling her eyes at him if she could.

    He watched in fascination as her body shifted and changed as she got out from under the couch. In order to fit under there, the monster must have made her body flatter, there would have been no way she¡¯d have fit under there otherwise.

    Just another thing which set the monster apart from any normal animal he¡¯d had ever heard of.

    The thoughts he¡¯d two days ago began swimming in his mind. He thought about everything he knew about the monster, as a theory formed.

    He had already established the Monster could understand his speech, and it being able to nod yes or no. So the easiest way to test his theory would be to just ask her.

    ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± he asked plainly.

    The monster titled her head at him, but took no other action.

    ¡°Do you think you used to be¡­ human?¡± he let out as he watched the monster carefully.

    His eyes widened as the monster gave him a careful nod.

 Chapter 7

    The two stared at each other, neither sure what to say now.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Jacob tried to say first. ¡°How sure are you, about being human?¡±

    The monster lifted three of her tails. The first one was sticking straight up. The next two were looping around, each forming a circle.

    In other words, the monster was one-hundred percent sure she used to be human.

    ¡°Wait, I thought you said you didn¡¯t remember where you came from?¡±

    The monster shook her head.

    ¡°But I asked you if you knew where you came from?¡± the monster shook her head again.

    Jacob tried to remember what exactly he said before feeling an unwelcome sensation in his gut.

    ¡°You were saying ¡®no, I know where I came from¡¯ when I asked you last night,¡± he droned as the Monster gave him a happy nod. ¡°You¡¯re one of those people who love being difficult aren¡¯t you?¡±

    The monster just nodded even harder.

    ¡°I see how it is,¡± he allowed his anger to fade. ¡°So do you remember your name then?¡±

    The monster nodded even harder now, her tails wagging like crazy. Jacob looked at the overjoyed monster in front of him and choose his words carefully.

    ¡°But¡­ how are you going to tell me what it is?¡±

    Both the nodding and the wagging stopped.

    The monster sat down, looking down at the floor while letting out a pathetic whine.

    ¡°Hey, calm down, I¡¯m sure we can think of a way for you to tell me your name,¡± he looked around the kitchen for something he could use¡­ ¡°And I think I have an idea.¡±

    He walked over to the small stack of papers his mother used to leave him messages. Right next to it was a pen, just ready and waiting. He grabbed both a paper and the pen and walked back to the monster.

    ¡°I know your tails are good enough to open a door and hold a racquet, but what about a pen?¡± he held the pen out for her. She stood still, entranced by the writing instrument in front of her. Carefully, she snaked one of her tails toward it, carefully wrapping around it.

    She lifted it gently so the tip was pointing downwards. Jacob moved one of the chairs and placed the paper on it, turning it into a makeshift desk.

    The monster turned and shifted a bit so she could both write on the paper and also see what she was doing. Jacob watched as the pen was lowered and hit the paper. It moved slowly across the white surface, leaving behind shaky, but readable lines.

    After what felt like an hour, the Monster lifted her tail and pen off the paper. Jacob leaned forward and read the word left behind.

    ¡°EVE,¡± he spoke, somehow feeling as though he had pronounced all three of the capital letters the monster had used to write what was apparently her name. ¡°That¡¯s it¡­ That¡¯s your name, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Eve nodded, looking like she was barely able to stand still.

    He flinched back as she suddenly exploded into motion, wagging her tail, nodding, and wiggling her shoulders.

    ¡°Been a while since someone called you that, huh?¡± he asked as she grabbed the pen again and got back to writing.

    By the time their question and answer session was done, Jacob had a good idea of who Eve was and how she had gotten in her current situation.

    For starters, she considered herself a normal girl, only a year older than him to boot. She wasn¡¯t a native of Oakwood, instead being from its sister town on the other end of the forest, a small town named Willowood. She got into an argument with her parents and had run away into the woods. She had been planning to go back, when the ¡®fireworks¡¯ he¡¯d heard about happened. She claimed to have seen something fall out of the sky, and the next thing she knew, she was no longer human.

    She had spent the next few months going around the forest, living off edible plants and wild animals. She had also taken a policy of avoiding people after someone had spotted her and tried to shoot her.

    A sensible but still depressing decision if you asked Jacob.

    Her contact with him was the first positive human interaction she¡¯d had since she ran away from home. She had also gotten across how much she appreciated the chance to enjoy human comforts like cooked food and showers again.

    ¡°So now what?¡± he asked.

    Eve simply looked at him and gave a simple shrug. Jacob shrugged back as the two walked back into the living room. The pair sat on the couch and looked at the TV which still hadn¡¯t been connected to any sort of cable or satellite. He glanced down before remembering one last thing he wanted to ask her.

    ¡°Eve, can you shapeshift?¡± he asked as her ears perked up. ¡°You managed to fit under the couch with no trouble, and you¡¯re way too big for that.¡±

    She walked in front of him and laid on the ground. Before his eyes, she started to flatten into the ground. She didn¡¯t become two dimensional, not even close. But it was more than enough to fit under the couch.

    ¡°Nice, can you do anything else?¡±

    She got to her feet and looked at each of her shoulders before closing her eyes and starting to tremble. A bulb of flesh appeared on each of her shoulders, slowly growing out into a pair of tentacles. He watched enraptured, as they grew to full size and small orbs started expanding at the ends. The pair of orbs came forward and split open. Two green, human eyes looked back at him.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cool,¡± he said as the eyes backed away and looked around the room from the top of the tentacles. Eve preened under the praise before attempting to walk around to further show off. Instead of a dignified walk, she stumbled and started falling over.

    He rushed off the couch and helped steady her before she fell into something he had no way of replacing. He looked at the dull eyes on her face, and then to the dizzy looking eyes at the end of the tentacles.

    ¡°Is having the two extra eyes messing up your balance?¡± he asked before she did her typical ¡®look away and try not to be embarrassed¡¯ thing he was starting to get used to. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t feel too bad, most people can only handle two eyes. You were already managing double that.¡±

    She nodded simply as the green eyes closed and the tentacles retracted into her body.

    ¡°Still, I have to ask. Are those green eyes what you had back in your human form?¡± he asked her, who gave a simple nod. ¡°How much further can your shapeshifting go?¡±

    After a quick trip back to the writing desk, it was clear he¡¯d had finally found a question Eve had no answer for.

    As the two sat across from each other in the kitchen, Jacob suddenly realized how hungry he was. He glanced at her and figured she was probably just as hungry as he was.

    ¡°Want me to make something to eat with the breakfast my mom left me?¡± he asked only to be received by a fanged smile and frantic nodding.

    A quick use of the frying pan and microwave later, two plates of food were on the table.

    She looked at the plate¡¯s position, then at him, giving the boy a questioning gaze. He noticed the look and gave her a shrug.

    ¡°Making you eat on the floor already felt a little messed up before I knew you were human. If I did it now I¡¯d feel like a complete scumbag.¡±

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Eve ducked down and dug her head into his stomach. For some reason, he felt as though she¡¯d be crying if she could.

    However, as the two took their place, a problem quickly arose.

    ¡°Can you use utensils?¡± Jacob asked as he looked at the two pairs of forks and knives in his hands. He looked at the plate on the table and felt his face heat up a little. ¡°In my rush to be polite, I may have overlooked some minor details.¡±

    She gave him a snickering laugh before separating her tails and using two to motion for him to place the fork and knife on the table.

    Jacob did as told and set them down before sitting down to eat, watch, and maybe help if the need arose.

    As it turned out, the need did not arise, even if it was a close thing at a few points. Eve struggled to maneuver the fork and knife with her tails at first, but a few careful and experimental stabs and cuts to the food let her slowly figure it out. Considering she hadn¡¯t used either tool in months, and that she had done so with much more useful hands, it was an impressive sight.

    Or at least Jacob thought so. And since he was the only human to ever see her attempt the task, his opinion probably counted for a lot.

    Soon enough, the food was eaten, everything was clean, and Jacob was standing in the backyard with Eve as she got ready to head back out into the forest before his parents arrived.

    ¡°You ready to head back out there?¡± he asked as her gave him a solemn nod. ¡°Good luck out there, try not to get shot at by anyone,¡± he said, only half joking.

    She reared back before waving her tails around and dashing off in the forest. As she ran through the woods, the now tired scents and sounds of nature filling her mind, she found herself almost unable to wait to return to Jacob¡¯s house again.

    As for Jacob, he sat on the couch, making himself comfortable as someone knocked on the door.

    A short while later, the TV was blaring music into his face as the baseball game played out in front of him.

    The TV guy had finally shown up. He¡¯d worked his magic and when he was done, the first thing Jacob did was turn the TV on and find something to watch. While he wasn¡¯t the biggest baseball fan in the world, his little league days made sure of that, he could still enjoy watching other people play it.

    They were in the fourth inning when his father got home.

    ¡°TV guy finally got here,¡± Jacob said the second his father walked into the living room. The older man looked at the ongoing game and gave a quick smile.

    ¡°Well, it was about time,¡± he sat next to his son. ¡°How¡¯s the game gone so far?¡±

    He got into a quick explanation of the game, weaving the story together as his father went to go grab his lunch from the fridge. By the time it was heated up and ready to eat, both father and son were sitting at the table, watching TV from there.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice living so close to work,¡± he commented as the game went to commercial. ¡°I¡¯d never be able to make it back home for lunch at my old job.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got that right,¡± his son agreed. ¡°You¡¯re also going to be leaving later and getting home earlier too, don¡¯t forget that part.¡±

    ¡°One of the many reasons we moved out here,¡± his father admitted before eating the last bite of his lunch. He glanced across the table to the empty spot in front of his son. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to eat lunch?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure, Dad,¡± he rolled his eyes. ¡°I ate breakfast way too late. I¡¯ll eat lunch in a while.¡±

    His father just hummed before setting the fork and knife on the now empty plate.

    ¡°Just make sure you get your sleep back in order before school starts up,¡± he advised. ¡°Summer break is fun, but school¡¯s going to sneak up on you before you know it. You don¡¯t want to be used to waking up so late by then.¡±

    Jacob felt a chill as the concept of school wormed into his head, and not for the typical reasons it would for someone his age.

    If he was stuck in school, how was he supposed to see Eve when she came to visit at night? Most amazing thing he had ever seen aside, he would have to do something about her before the school year started back up.

    Jacob¡¯s father, not aware of the real reason why his son looked so worried, let out a quick chuckle before his eyes fell on his watch.

    ¡°Oh, I have to get back to work soon,¡± he rushed to his feet and started heading upstairs to brush his teeth. He stopped halfway before turning back to his son. ¡°Jacob, could you do me a favor and wash all that stuff?¡±

    Jacob just gave him a quick nod while picking up his father¡¯s things to wash them.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said before heading back upstairs. By the time he walked back down, everything was clean and he was back on the couch watching the game.

    ¡°You want me to record this for you for when you get home?¡± he asked his father as he grabbed a few more things on his way to the door.

    ¡°Go for it,¡± he said back as he opened the door and headed out.

    Jacob set the game to record and then waited for the sound of his father¡¯s car starting up. As the distant rumbling got even further away, he jumped to his feet and started pacing the room.

    ¡°Plan one,¡± he said aloud, hopping that hearing his words would help him figure something out. ¡°Tell Mom and Dad about Eve and hope they don¡¯t freak out about the fact their son has been letting a nightmare dog monster into their house.¡±

    He stopped in place as the sound of the announcer yelling that a player was out filled the air.

    ¡°Might work as a last resort,¡± he finally admitted before going back to pacing.

    ¡°Plan two, find some place for Eve so she can have something better than just wandering the forest. Maybe make her a shack in the woods¡­ Now how do I do that?¡± he asked as he looked down at two hands which had never made anything bigger than a gingerbread house on Christmas.

    ¡°Maybe I can ask Ryan and Ellie about the shack I found them all in that first day¡­¡± he said even as he found himself hesitant to involve other people. ¡°No, I¡¯m sure I can do this on my own.¡±

    He set that one aside and paced one last time.

    ¡°Plan three,¡± he forced himself to say even as the words filled his mouth with a vile taste. ¡°Abandon Eve and wish her the best.¡±

    He imagined himself closing the door in her face and leaving her out in the night. He didn¡¯t like it; he didn¡¯t want it.

    ¡°Plan two it is,¡± he finally decided as he looked outside into the backyard. He slid the door open and pushed the bushes aside to reveal the hole which led to the forest beyond. He crouched and walked through, finally doing something he should have done much earlier.

    Take a good look around the area outside his fence.

    The area was pretty flat, and despite his naming it ¡®the forest beyond¡¯ the area right outside his fence was somewhat sparse. If he wanted to clear a rectangular area around the hole, all he would really have to do was remove a few trees and even out some dirt. Between his athletic skills and Eve¡¯s everything, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard.

    No, the tricky part would be finding stuff to build with. And he supposed transporting all the stuff here would also be a bit tricky. And he had already realized he didn¡¯t have any experience building anything like this.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m getting ahead of myself,¡± he said as the problems began to mount. ¡°Maybe Eve already has a place somewhere in the forest and all I have to do is bring her some stuff from home so she can live a bit more comfortably.¡±

    Night fell, Jacob waited, and then learned Eve did not in fact, have a place in the forest.

    ¡°Well that makes things tricky, doesn¡¯t it?¡± he asked as he sat on the porch, Eve lying right next to him. She gave him a questioning look and soon he found himself telling her about his worries. That when summer vacation ended, he would be in a much worse position to help her out like he was now. He also told her about his crazy plan to make her a house somewhere so she could enjoy some human comforts while he was stuck in school.

    ¡°Sounds like a crazy idea, huh?¡± he asked, expecting her to start laughing at him again. Instead she jumped in place before leaning forward and wagging her tails. ¡°I take it you like the plan?¡±

    The frantic nodding and tail wagging was all the answer he needed.

    The pair walked back through the hole, Jacob explaining his findings from earlier in the day. Eve nodded along with his words, even wrapping her tails around one of the skinny trees and giving it a light pull.

    It was enough to nearly topple the tree over. The pair looked at each other and came to the quick and silent conclusion that step one of the plan was more than possible.

    ¡°Now what are we going to do about the rest of the plan?¡± he asked as the pair headed back through the hole and onto the porch. She pawed at his shoulder before taking one of her tails and mimed writing something with a pen. Seeing where she was going, Jacob went back inside and grabbed a pen and paper.

    He watched as she wrote on the paper, her words getting neater and faster with practice. Any outside observer would notice her tail writing skills were a work in progress, but it was readable and for Jacob, that was what mattered at the moment.

    ¡°Blueprints?¡± he read off the paper. ¡°Yeah, I guess we should get those first¡­¡± He trailed off as yet another problem appeared before him. ¡°You have any idea how to make a blueprint?¡±

    Eve froze before shaking her head.

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re back at square one,¡± he placed the paper down. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to be able to do anything about this today. Anything else you want to do?¡±

    She grabbed the pen again and looked at the paper carefully, weighing her options. She looked inside the house and saw something she had not seen for a long time.

    ¡°Movie?¡± Jacob read off the paper before glancing at the TV. ¡°I guess you haven¡¯t seen any since all this started. Alright, what do you want to watch?¡±

    A few more rounds of paper and pen later, and he had a basic idea of what she wanted. Mostly because Eve didn¡¯t want to watch any movie in particular, but just wanted to experience watching a movie while eating popcorn and lying on a couch.

    In short, she just wanted a normal movie night.

    Jacob scrolled through all the movies he had on demand, thankful his parents were deep sleepers.

    ¡°What about this one?¡± he asked as he came across one which looked kind of interesting. ¡°You want to watch?¡±

    She gave him a frantic nod as the pair both started to smell the popcorn from the kitchen. He walked over, opening the microwave and releasing a wave of buttery smell which filled the room. Despite the late hour, Jacob found himself hungry. Eve, on the other hand, was almost drooling at the smell.

    The pair sat on the couch, bowl of popcorn in front of them as the movie started.

    From what he¡¯d read of the description, he¡¯d been expecting a pretty standard high fantasy movie.

    Two hours later, the movie was off and both of them were fighting back tears of laughter.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe in ended like that,¡± Jacob said, wheezing. ¡°I hope they make a second one because that was great.¡±

    Eve just laughed harder, the mental image of two warriors chanting ¡®one of us¡¯ over and over again to the panicking princess who¡¯d just accidently burned down the inn playing in her head again. The fact that she had joined their band of adventures at the end only made it funnier.

    ¡°Well, time to clean all this up,¡± he announced as she hastily looked away. A tactic which had no effect on Jacob, who just looked at her before pointing to the many popped kernels on the floor.

    It took a bit of convincing, but soon enough Eve was learning she could, in fact, use a broom with her tails.

 Chapter 8

    The next day, Jacob swore to put more effort into the Eve housing plan, as they had started calling it at some point the night before. So the first thing on the list was to scope out the rest of the forest to see if there was anything to work with which could make things easier.

    To his complete lack of surprise, he hadn¡¯t found anything after a few hours of searching the woods. He wasn¡¯t too disappointed, he wasn¡¯t expecting to find anything. He just didn¡¯t want to feel stupid if he found something after building a place for Eve to stay.

    ¡°So now what?¡± he asked himself as he sat on a fallen tree. ¡°Maybe I can find a way to ask Ellie and Ryan for help¡­ But how do I do that without revealing Eve¡¯s existence?¡±

    He pondered the question for a bit before the sound of approaching footsteps snapped him out of it. He turned around and watched as a familiar four-eyed face approached.

    ¡°Oh, hey, Eve,¡± he greeted as one of her tails rose up to wave at him. His smile faltered as she suddenly shook her leg and stumbled to the ground. As he looked closer, he could make out the color red around her shoulder.

    ¡°Eve!¡± he yelled as he ran forward to inspect her shoulder. ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    On Eve¡¯s shoulder was what looked like bullet hole, with torn flesh and oozing blood. Jacob steadied her and inspected the wound, sucking in air as he winced at the damage.

    ¡°You got shot? After I specifically told you to do anything but not get shot?¡± he said as she looked away, still finding time to be embarrassed despite the situation.

    ¡°Come on, I have a first-aid kit at home,¡± he explained as he tried his best to get her on her feet and led her back towards his new house. Good thing both of his parents were out at the moment.

    He tried his best to not react too much to the sounds of pain Eve made as they walked, the wound oozing and spilling blood down her leg. After the third pained whine, he knew he had to do something to distract her from the pain.

    Not being able to think of anything else, he started humming the same song from the night the two had meet.

    Unlike the last time, Eve didn¡¯t sound annoyed at the humming. Instead she had closed all of her eyes and let out a similar hum.

    Jacob carefully led her through the forest as the sounds of their humming filled the air. It was an old song, he knew that much. A low ballad made by a group who normally sung harder rock songs. It had been a favorite of his parents, and he had the melody stuck in his head, even if he couldn¡¯t remember the name or the words.

    From the sound of it, she was in the same boat as him.

    The two kept their impromptu music show going until they made it back to his house.

    ¡°Okay, wait out here for a sec,¡± he carefully set her on the porch. He rushed in though the back door and dashed to the kitchen, grabbing some paper towels.

    If he was going to keep Eve secret, he couldn¡¯t afford to have to explain away a giant blood trail on the carpet.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try to clean it up a bit,¡± he told her as he came back out. Her eyes glared when she spotted the paper towels in his hand, as if demanding to know where the promised first-aid kit was.

    A quick explanation about the blood later, and Eve was leaning over to allow him to clean off as much blood as he could.

    ¡°That should do for now¡­ But I feel like we¡¯re going to need more,¡± Eve¡¯s tails split apart and moved toward the ground. Once they were almost there, they started moving up and down, all at different paces. The tips of the tails hit the ground for a second before coming back up.

    The first thing he thought of was rain drops hitting the ground. From there his brain went to other forms of falling water, which led too¡­

    ¡°You want to clean your wound in the shower?¡± he asked Eve, who gave an enthusiastic nod.

    Jacob led her through the door and into the bathroom, starting the shower up as she got in.

    She winced in pain as the cold water flowed past the wound as she steadied herself. She glanced back at it and shivered, like she was getting ready for something unpleasant.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Jacob said as small tendrils started growing around the wound before they dug into it. Eve started shaking in pain as they dug around the wound, before slowly pulling themselves out.

    There was a sudden pop, and a crushed metal ball clattered onto the bath. Jacob smiled as the tendrils sunk back into the skin and Eve let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°How does it feel?¡± He asked as she collapsed onto the tub and presented him with the bullet hole. ¡°That bad, huh?¡±

    She just nodded as he got up and grabbed the first-aid kit from the wall next to him. He popped it open and got to work.

    By the time he was done, her wound was dry, disinfected, and covered in bandages.

    ¡°You should be okay now,¡± he closed the box and set it aside. ¡°But maybe you should take it easy for a while? Just in case you open it again.¡±

    She gave him a quick nod before going back to drying herself off with a towel. Once that was done, she passed it to Jacob who set it to wash.

    The pair walked out into the living room and both collapsed onto the couch. They rested for a second before Jacob turned his head to Eve and asked her a question which had been on his mind.

    ¡°By the way, what exactly happened to you?¡±

    She just looked back at him before tilting her head to the side in confusion.

    ¡°The bullet, Eve. How did you get shot?¡± he asked as she brought up two of her tails before bending them upwards and making a pushing motion. ¡°Wait for a bit?¡± he guessed.

    From the way her tails collapsed and the monster herself curled up, he had a feeling he¡¯d guessed correctly.

    ¡°Alright then, rest first,¡± he reached for the TV remote and started channel surfing.

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    He still hadn¡¯t found anything several minutes later when Eve nudged his arm. He looked down at her four waiting eyes. He muted the TV, leaving it on some daytime telenovela, before setting the controller down.

    A quick trip to the kitchen later to pick them up, and he walked back with pen and paper. He handed the pen over to Eve, who took it with her tails, her dexterity with the things having improved.

    He set the papers on the small table next to the couch where he had placed the remote. Eve moved forward, putting herself close enough to use it as a makeshift writing desk.

    ¡°You¡¯re getting better,¡± he said as she wrote just a little faster this time. Her letters were still a bit rough, but she was getting there.

    She fished writing soon enough and then placed one of her tails on top paper before sliding it over.

    ¡°I was shot by a hunter,¡± He read aloud before looking at her and passing back the paper. ¡°Did he get a good look at you?¡±

    She shook her head before writing something else down. Instead of waiting for Eve to slide it over, he leaned forward and read the note as she wrote it.

    ¡°He thought he shot a bear,¡± he read before letting out a sigh of relief. ¡°Well, that¡¯s one bullet¡­¡± He paused as he noticed the still fresh bandages on her shoulder. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡±

    She just chuckled before slightly pushing his shoulder with one of her tails. He smiled at the gesture, grateful he hadn¡¯t offended her with the phrase.

    ¡°So, anything else happen?¡± he asked, more for the sake of completeness then actually expecting her to say anything.

    As she started writing, and then kept writing, and then kept writing a bit more, the pit in his stomach grew as well.

    This time, he waited for Eve to slide the paper to him.

    ¡°Hunter talking to a guy in suit. Suit asked if he¡¯d seen any strange animals. Tried to listen in when hunter heard me. Hunter screamed bear. Hunter shot me.¡±

    Jacob blinked after reading through the note.

    ¡°There¡¯s a guy in a suit walking around town looking for a ¡®weird animal¡¯?¡± He said aloud as he stared off into the distance. ¡°This¡­ this could be a problem.¡±

    Eve gave him a quick nod before laying her head on the couch.

    ¡°Why would there be someone in a suit walking around the¡­¡± he mumbled to himself as a memory from a few days ago wormed itself into his head.

    A memory of a boy in a cabin telling him about men in suits driving into town on black vans. Men who drove in right after the night when ¡®fireworks¡¯ lit the sky and Eve changed into whatever she was now.

    Whoever this guy was, he was looking for Eve, that much was clear. As he mulled it over, he could only see a single course of action.

    ¡°Eve, we have to find you a place to hide,¡± he said to the monster as she tilted her head to the side in confusion.

    A quick explanation later, and the pair were walking through the woods in search of a place for her to hide.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure there have to be a few places I didn¡¯t check last time,¡± Jacob told her as they walked deeper into the woods. ¡°Are you sure you haven¡¯t seen anything which would work?¡±

    Eve shook her head as her rabbit ears drooped to the side. Feeling the low mood, he figured he had to do something.

    ¡°So who do you think the guy in a suit was?¡± he asked, trying to distract her a bit. ¡°Maybe he was a secret agent from the CIA or something.¡±

    She shook her head before stopping in front of Jacob. She took one of her tails and made a circle in the ground. Inside the circle she wrote ¡®FBI¡¯ and outside of it she wrote ¡®CIA¡¯. The intent was pretty clear.

    ¡°CIA only works outside the country?¡± he asked which got him a simple nod from Eve. ¡°So guess it can¡¯t be them then.¡±

    He glanced upwards, thinking about who else the guy could be, when he noticed something a bit¡­ familiar.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been here before,¡± he suddenly said before leading her forward.

    The two came to a stop in front of a certain small cliff. He could still see the spot where the two of them had landed after falling off the edge.

    ¡°This is where we met,¡± he walked towards the cliff and started moving his hand over the rock. It was weirdly smooth, and the presence of the hill by itself was weird. ¡°You know, if you got rid of all the trees around, this entire forest would turn into a flat plain. This one hill is the one exception.¡±

    Eve walked forward, running one of her tails over the rock. She couldn¡¯t help but feel it was a little weird. Which was a lot coming from her.

    ¡°Hey, Eve, get over here. I think I found something,¡± she heard him call out. She turned and saw him standing next to a section of the cliff covered with a bush and some moss.

    She trotted over to him and watched as he pushed some of it aside to reveal an empty space.

    She walked forward into the cave, Jacob following after her. It was a small, round cavern which looked like it had been dug out from the hill. Despite the stone walls and floor, it looked strangely smooth. In fact, it was perfectly smooth.

    ¡°This is weird,¡± he muttered as he traced his finger over the stone. He was no cave expert, but he knew enough to know this was no natural cave. ¡°Where did this come from?¡±

    Eve made a barking sound to the effect of ¡®I have no idea¡¯ before running her tails on the smooth stone. After making a complete walk around the cave, she pulled back her tails and sat in the middle looking satisfied.

    ¡°You think this is it?¡± Jacob asked, getting a bark of agreement. ¡°Well I guess it is easier than trying to make some place ourselves.¡±

    Eve made a howling noise before trying to curl up on the floor. Her four eyes made a series of rapid blinks before huffing in annoyance.

    ¡°I guess it is missing some stuff,¡± he sat on the cold stone floor. ¡°It¡¯s still kind of early, we have time to get you some stuff to last you the night. And then tomorrow I can search around town for more stuff.¡±

    Eve let out a bark of agreement before the pair got to their feet and left the cave behind.

    ¡°You think the guy in the suit will leave if we wait long enough?¡± Jacob wondered aloud as the pair approached his house. Eve just shrugged as she kept walking. ¡°I mean, we don¡¯t really have another choice, do we?¡±

    She gave a sorrowful frown as her ears dangled limply. He didn¡¯t want to think too much about why this guy could be hunting her.

    So instead, he found himself thinking about what might have been the most boring topic he could have picked.

    Interior design.

    ¡°So what kind of stuff do you want to grab for your cave?¡± he asked. What followed was a complicated series of charades before it was decided a pen and paper might work just a bit better for this conversation.

    ¡°I think we¡¯ll have to wait until we get back to the house to¡­¡± Jacob was cut off as Eve¡¯s tail shot out in front of him, blocking him from moving forward. He looked at as she put another one of her tails in front of her snout and made a ¡®shushing¡¯ noise.

    Jacob kept still as Eve slinked carefully through the forest, her red eyes narrowing on something he couldn¡¯t see.

    He blinked, and she pounced forward. He heard the sound of something screaming for a split second as she vanished into bush.

    When he walked forward past the leaves, the ground was stained red.

    In Eve¡¯s mouth was a still kicking rabbit in its last moments. While he always figured she¡¯d taken to killing and eating wildlife like an animal, seeing it felt different. To her credit, she was looking away from him and just standing around, feeling as awkward as he did.

    ¡°Nice¡­ catch,¡± he said awkwardly as she shifted from foot to foot. ¡°I¡¯ll just leave you to your meal. Let me know when you finish so we can keep going.¡±

    He walked away, trying to not hear the sounds of ripping and tearing occurring right behind him.

    He leaned back on a tree and waited for the sounds to stop. When they did, he heard Eve walking towards him. He glanced back and saw her as usual, no red marks or stains in sight.

    ¡°Huh, neat,¡± he remarked as she just smiled at him and kept walking.

    Fortunately for the pair, they arrived at his house only a little bit later.

    ¡°Wait here,¡± he said as she stood aside to let him go through the hole in the fence. He emerged from the other side and found the house empty. The coast clear, he went back for Eve.

    Jacob went in to the house as she sat on the patio, waiting for his return. After a minute or two, he came back out of the house with certain items in hand.

    ¡°Alright, Eve,¡± he set the pen and paper in front of her. She narrowed her eyes as she picked up the pen and got to writing. Once she was done, she passed the paper back to him to read.

    She had a satisfied smirk on her face as he started reading through the list she made.

    ¡°Okay,¡± he said after getting through it. ¡°I have no idea how we¡¯re getting half the stuff on this list.¡±

    Eve whined as she deflated, her ears hanging limply from her head.

    ¡°Hey, just because we can¡¯t get stuff like a¡­¡± Jacob glanced back at the list, ¡°widescreen TV, doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t grab some of the other stuff that¡¯s on here.¡±

    Her ears perked up, and soon the pair was running around his house, looking for stuff for the cave.

    When Eve walked out later into the forest, it was with a bag full of blankets and towels for her cave.

 Chapter 9

    "I''m never going to get used to how small this place is," Jacob complained to himself as he walked down the road from his house to the main road which went through town.

    After spending a whole day really scrounging around the house, Jacob was sure they had grabbed anything Eve could want which his parents wouldn''t notice. The issue now were the few things she wanted that he either didn''t have, or couldn''t take without his parents noticing.

    It didn''t help she''d demanded a curtain to use as a door for her cave. How he was supposed to find a curtain, he had no clue.

    And speaking of, where was he supposed to find a crate either? Eve wanted one to turn into a makeshift bed, which he guessed was a good idea. She had the blankets, all she really needed was a place to put them on top of.

    So now he was walking the town of Oakwood, looking for both a curtain and a large enough crate someone had just left out in the trash.

    He let out a sigh as he passed by a house with its garbage out front. He paused mid-step as his eye caught sight of a gray cloth curtain, the exact kind he was looking for.

    "Now how do I get it?" He asked himself, ignoring the footsteps approaching him.

    "Jacob, is that you?"

    He jumped in place and snapped his head toward Ellie and Ryan, who were looking at him with mild concern.

    "Oh, hey, guys," he tried his best to act naturally. He had met the two other kids a few times since the day they had come to his house. Nothing major, just a few talks lasting a few minutes. He hadn''t had time for much else with everything going on with Eve. "What''s up?"

    "Why are you looking at Mrs. Moore''s garbage?" Ellie asked as she glanced over to the trash. Jacob followed her eyes and came up with an explanation off the top of his head.

    "I wanted to use that gray window curtain for a project of mine," he said, saying the technical truth. "But I don''t exactly want to just take it, so I''m kind of stuck."

    "Oh, don''t worry about that," she walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. A few moments later, an older woman emerged from the house and gave her a kindly smile.

    "Why hello there Ellie how are you today?" the older woman glanced up and noticed Jacob and Ryan. "And how are your friends? The one on the right looks new."

    "I''m fine, Mrs. Moore," she told her. "The new kid is Jacob Thistle. He''s new in town, his family moved into the old Makenzie house."

    The old woman let out a sigh at those last three words.

    "Dreadful business, that was. Still, I have to say, he doesn''t look like the kind of person I would have expected to live in such a dreadful place."

    "We only learned about what happened after we moved in," he added helpfully.

    "I see," Mrs. Moore said. "I imagine it must have been quite the surprise."

    "It was, I was there when his Dad found out," she added. "Oh, and before we forget, do you mind if he takes that gray curtain over there?"

    Mrs. Moore followed Ellie''s finger until she saw the curtain in question. She let out a laugh as she saw what it was Jacob wanted.

    "Sure, I was throwing it out anyway. Not even sure why I had it to begin with," the older woman said with a laugh. "You say hi to your mother for me, okay?"

    "Can do," she replied before walking back to the pair. She gave the two a smug smile as the door closed behind her. "And done."

    "Thanks, Ellie," Jacob told the girl as he grabbed the curtain. One object down, one to go.

    "Don''t worry about it," she said with a bold confidence. "So, you looking for anything else, or is that everything?"

    "Well, now that you mention it," Jacob wondered if he could get this lucky twice in one day, "you wouldn''t happen to know where I can find a large, flat crate anywhere, would you?"

    Ellie blinked, a bashful smile growing on her face as she turned a bit red.

    "Oh, no. I don''t know where you could find anything like that," she admitted to his disappointment. He figured it was what he got for relying on wishful thinking.

    "I think I have something like that," Ryan cut in before the conversation could go on. The two other kids turned to him, motioning him to go on. "It''s back at my house. We were just going to throw it away, so I guess you can have it."

    And that was how the three of them found themselves standing around a flat wooden crate placed outside Ryan''s house.

    "So how are we going to do this?" Ellie asked at the large wooden object in front of them. "Jacob, you want to try to¡­"

    "Sure," he said, trying to sound as causal as he could despite his worry. "Let me just¡­"

    He knelt and grabbed both sides of the crate, trying to lift it with his knees. He grunted as the crate slowly rose from the ground, his arms trembling as the crate started to wobble.

    "You okay there?" Ryan asked as he got a bit closer to him.

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    "Yeah," he managed to squeak out. "I''m¡­ fine. Just¡­ great."

    Instead of saying anything else, Ryan grabbed the other end of the crate and helped Jacob steady it. Despite himself, he couldn''t help but let out a sigh of relief as the pressure lessened on his arms and legs.

    "Let''s take this over to your house," Ryan told Jacob as the pair started walking.

    "With the two of you working together like this, you''ll be done in no time," Ellie stood off to the side proudly.

    Ryan and Jacob looked at each other for a second, then at Ellie, and then back to each other. A silent pact was made between the two boys.

    "Why do I have to help?" Ellie demanded as she helped move the crate a few minutes later.

    "Because we needed the help," Jacob put it simply.

    "They say helping others is a sign of a good friend," Ryan added, sounding to Jacob like he was quoting someone. Based off the way Ellie sneered at the words, he had a feeling he knew who said those words first.

    "I can''t believe you two," She huffed, sounding like her lungs were on fire.

    "Less talking, more moving," Jacob grunted back. "Almost there."

    "You kids need some help with that?"

    The three of them stopped in place, finally noticing the man who had come up to them. He was pretty tall, with shoulder-length dusty-blond hair and a handsome face hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. However, the most eye-catching thing about him was his outfit, a black suit in during a mid-summer day.

    Without even trying to, Jacob had found the guy in the suit looking for Eve.

    "Sure, some help would be great," Ellie said, taking any chance to lessen the load on her arms.

    "Alright, just move over a bit¡­" he got close and took the crate with both arms, lifting it without any trouble. "Where are you three taking this anyway?"

    "Back to my house," Jacob rushed, speaking just a bit too quickly for it to sound normal. Ellie and Ryan both gave him an odd look which sent a trail of cold sweat running down his neck. "It''s for a project of mine."

    "Sounds like fun," he said as the three started leading him towards their goal. "What kind of project?"

    "Yeah, now that I think about it, you never actually said what it was," Ellie added as Jacob''s eyes went from the man in the suit, then to Ryan, and then back to Ellie.

    "It''s¡­" he tried to think of anything. "A surprise."

    Was it a good explanation? No. But it was the best he had at the moment.

    "That''s it?" Ellie questioned, looking far from happy. "You made me help carry that thing for a surprise?"

    "I''d do it again," he pointed at her, falling back on sass to distract himself from the guy in the suit. The same guy who was trying his best to look professional and not laugh.

    "You guys are too much," he said as they reached Jacobs''s house. He glanced over at the three as they came to a stop. "This the place?"

    "Yeah, this is it," Ellie said cheerfully as the man in the suit set the crate on the ground. "Thanks for your help."

    "No problem," he said to the kids as the smile on his face faded slightly. "By the way, none of you kids have seen anything¡­ weird these last couple of months, have you?"

    "Weird, what do you mean?" She said with a gleam in her eye.

    "Anything you can think of," he refused to clarify.

    "No, I don''t think so," she looked back at Ryan and Jacob, who both shook their heads at her.

    Jacob, with maybe a bit too much fervor.

    "What kind of thing are you looking for?" Ellie asked the man in the suit, either ignoring or not noticing Jacob''s odd reaction.

    "Oh, not much," he rubbed his thumb with his finger. "A rare animal escaped from a lab in the city and fled this way. It''s nothing dangerous, but we still want to get ahold of it." He put the smile back on. "So if any of you kids see a weird animal in the woods, call the local cops and they''ll contact me right away, okay?"

    Jacob fought back a gulp as his heart started hammering.

    "And who are you?" Ellie asked, the curiosity dripping from her voice. "It''d be hard to call the police and just say ''call the guy in the suit''."

    He laughed before digging into his pocket.

    "I guess you have a point about that," He said before taking out a badge. "Name''s Richter Kennedy," He showed a badge with his name on it above the logo of something called ''D.O.S.P''.

    "What''s DOSP?" Jacob asked, his brain trying to think of a government agency with that name.

    "Department of Strange Phenomena," he quickly explained. "Don''t worry if you''ve never heard of it, it''s pretty new. So new we''re not even really sure what we do yet."

    Jacob felt himself die at the sound of the words ''strange phenomena''. There weren''t a lot of words you could use to describe Eve, but those two would be on the list.

    "Sounds like fun," Ellie said before a sudden ringing came from Richter''s pocket. He quickly stuffed the badge back into his jacket before fishing his phone out.

    "This is Kennedy," he answered as the three kids heard someone franticly saying something on the other end of the line. He narrowed his eyes. "Understood," he said before hanging up and putting the phone away. "I''d love to stay and chat, but duty calls."

    "Stay safe," Ellie said as the agent walked away in a bit of a hurry.

    The three waited until the man was completely gone before turning to each other.

    "Well that was weird," she put plainly.

    "I wonder what kind of animal it is?" Ryan wondered. "If they''re telling everyone, then I don''t think it would be dangerous."

    "You have a point," Ellie added before glancing over to the direction Agent Kennedy walked away in. "Still, wasn''t expecting it to be DOSP of all things."

    "You''ve heard of them?" Jacob asked, wanting to know more about the group apparently looking for Eve.

    "A little bit," Ellie admitted. "Dad was talking about them a few months ago when they got made. He was complaining about it being ''government waste'' or something and then I ignored him."

    "Well ''government waste'' or not, they''re here and looking for something," Ryan brought up to Jacob''s displeasure.

    "Yeah, I hope they find whatever it is sooner rather than later," Ellie added before glaring at Jacob. "And I hope you show us what the ''surprise'' is sooner rather than later."

    "I''ll be working on it," he said before bidding them goodbye and moving the crate into his backyard.

    "I sure hope she likes it," he looked at the big crate in the middle of his backyard.

    A few hours later, Eve was rolling around on a blanket-covered crate on the cave''s floor.

    "Well, I guess you like it," he said as she glanced upwards at him before looking away.

    Instead of playing along, Jacob sat on a wooden stool they had gotten for the cave. "So I have some bad news."

    Eve stopped looking away and shuffled around so she was facing him while still lying down the crate, her belly on the blankets.

    "So the guy in the suit you saw was from the government," he told her, and then explained everything he had learned about Agent Richter Kennedy. By the time he was done, Eve was staring blankly into the distance.

    "So now the question becomes, what are we going to do?" he leaned back onto the smooth cave walls. "I guess our best move is to just try to hide until the guy goes away."

    She growled, clearly not liking the plan. Jacob glanced at the pen and paper set next to Eve''s tails, expecting them to spring to life and write him up a different plan.

    But no, they stayed still.

    "I don''t like it either," he added as he reached into his backpack. "I know it won''t make up for everything, but I figured it might get your mind off some stuff."

    She watched as he took a cardboard box from the bag and laid it between them.

    "I brought a board game for us to play," her eyes widened, and her tails rose in excitement. "I see you like the idea."

    Eve gave him a nod before shuffling to the side so her tails had access to the board and pieces he was taking out and setting up.

    "Okay, so this is how the game works." She watched him carefully as he started pointing to different parts of the board and explaining what they did.

    She moved her tail forward, grabbing one of her pieces as the game began.

 Chapter 10

    "I really hope that Kennedy guy leaves soon," Jacob mumbled to himself as he walked through the woods on the way to Eve''s cave. While he wasn''t anywhere close to running out of games at his house, he was running out of small, easy to transport games he knew well enough to teach Eve with no trouble.

    Sometimes Jacob thought the only thing his father liked to collect more than table games, was big, complicated table games. It wasn''t that they weren''t fun, but he liked being able to finish a game the day they started it.

    "I hope she likes this one," he mumbled as he reached the cliff. He reached out and touched the cliff wall, a small habit he had formed recently. He ran his hand across the rock as he neared the cave.

    "Morning," he greeted as he pushed aside the bushes. He unhooked his bag and held it in one hand, then grabbed the curtain separating the cave from the outside world. "I got another new one today, plus some¡­"

    His fingers went slack and his bag hit the floor.

    Eve was gone, but the cave was not empty. In her place was a cocoon-like structure made from smooth black stone which filled up most of the cave. It was balanced on top of the blanket-covered crate which served as Eve''s bed.

    "Snacks," he half mumbled as he rushed into the cave and knelt next to the cocoon.

    "Eve, can you hear me?" he asked as he lightly touched the cocoon. It was warm, like a stone left out on a hot day. The same warmth he felt whenever he touched Eve''s skin.

    Even if she couldn''t react or even hear him, she was alive.

    "Now the only question is¡­ what now?" he asked himself he sat with his back to the cocoon. "I guess this does make it easier to hide you."

    He clenched his fist open and closed as he glanced up at the ceiling.

    "You know, things tend to change when they go into cocoons. I wonder what you''ll come out as," he felt the warmth on his back. He snickered as a thought crossed his mind. "Maybe you''ll turn into a big old butterfly. Giant wings and everything. I heard flying is cool, so you have that going for you. Give me a ride some time?"

    The cocoon gave no answer, as expected. He wracked his brain for something else to say. While he didn''t know if Eve could hear him, he didn''t know if she couldn''t either.

    "So my parents were talking the other day, and there''s a chance we''ll head back to North Palm for the holidays," he brought up. "Maybe if you come out of there looking a bit less noticeable, I can sneak you with me."

    The idea of bringing Eve along on the trip brought a smile to his face. He let himself relax as he started telling her about the city he called home. All of the things she would want to see, and all the things he wanted to show her. If it crossed his mind, he talked about it.

    By the time Jacob noticed how much time had passed, it was already dark out. He checked his phone and let out a frustrated sigh.

    "This is going to have to be it for now," he said as he got to his feet. He patted the cocoon one last time before heading out of the cave. "I''ll be back tomorrow."

    He glanced back at the cocoon one more time before reaching into his bag and taking out a pen and paper. He wrote down a quick explanation for Eve in case she came out of the stone cocoon at some point during the night. With that done, he smiled to himself and stepped out of the cave.

    It was a shame he''d left at that very moment. If he had waited just a few more seconds, he would have noticed the cocoon slightly moving.

    When he arrived back at his house, the first thing which caught his eye was an unfamiliar car parked outside of it. He glanced over to it, and took note of the license plate marking the car as being from D.C.

    The other thing he noted was what kind of car it was. It was an otherwise plain black van, like the kind government agents tended to use in movies.

    He walked past it, getting ready to see a particular man from DOSP when he opened the door.

    "So if anything happens¡­" Agent Kennedy said as Jacob''s mother nodded with a piece of paper in her hand.

    "Call you, got it," she said before noticing him at the door. "Oh, Jacob. This is¡­"

    "Agent Richter Kennedy of DOSP," he finished for her as he stuck his hand out to shake the agent''s. "Good to see you again."

    "Oh, hey, kid," he took Jacob''s hand. "Seen anything weird around town?"

    "Not a thing," he told him before letting go. "What are you doing over here?"

    "Still looking for that escaped animal," he explained with a cheerful smile. "They''re having all of the agents go door to door to get the official word out and see if anyone''s seen anything."

    "Wait, you guys are just doing now?" he asked, something feeling off about the whole situation. "Shouldn''t that have been like, the first thing you guys did?"

    "It''s¡­ complicated," he explained with a hesitant look on his face. "I can''t say much about it, but you can rest assured we''re doing our best to get the job done."

    Jacob gave the agent an unconvinced look as he went out the door.

    "Looks like we moved in at an interesting time, huh?" his mother asked, looking more like she was trying to convince herself then her son.

    "Looks like it. What time''s Dad getting home?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

    "Oh, he should be home any minute now," she answered before turning back and looking out the glass door to the backyard. "I never did think about the woods right behind the house. I guess that one''s on us."

    "Us?" He asked jokingly, knowing full well his mother wasn''t including him in that statement. She rolled her eyes, the tense atmosphere clearing away.

    The rest of the day went pretty normally for all involved. Well, with the exception of a quick talk with Jacob''s father about the government agent who had been over earlier. But other than that it was a normal day.

    The next day Jacob made his way through the woods to check on Eve. When he pulled back the curtain, she was still in the cocoon. No change he could see.

    He shrugged, sat next to the cocoon, and started talking. He chose to talk about his friends this time, and how he had ended up meeting them.

    When he went home, he noticed the few people he saw on the street looking¡­ tense. It was nothing dramatic, but they seemed to be walking just a bit quicker. One guy jumped at the sound of a tree branch breaking under Jacob''s foot.

    He went back the next day to Eve''s cave, and saw the cocoon again. Once again he set his bag down and sat with his back against the cocoon. He started talking, about some of his family this time, when he felt the cocoon start to move. His eyes flew open as he jumped to his feet and dashed to the edge of the cave. He watched the seemingly still cocoon before he noticed it.

    It was subtle, but every ten seconds, the cocoon would move. It was just a little shake, but it was there.

    He''d been expecting this would be it, but when he left later that night, the cocoon was still pulsing every ten seconds and still just making a tiny shake.

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    The same pattern held true for the next few days. The time between the pulses shortened by a few seconds, and the shakes got ever so more notable, but it still felt the same. The only noticeable change was on the fourth day. A tiny glowing orange dot started appearing on the cocoon whenever it pulsed.

    The only other change he had noticed over the days was in the town itself. No one was saying anything, but you could feel the air in the town change. It was like a spring, squished flat and ready to burst open the second the pressure let up. He saw Agent Kennedy a few times during those days, mostly while he was walking home through the town.

    Based on how dirty the man''s shoes were, Jacob had to be careful the next time he walked through the woods. The last thing he needed was to meet up with the agent near Eve''s cave.

    The next day started normally enough for him. He woke up, ate breakfast, and headed out to Eve''s cave.

    When he arrived, the cocoon was starting to rock from side to side as the entire thing glowed a bright orange.

    He looked back out before closing the curtain, blocking the view of any passersby. Whatever was about to happen, he had a feeling he didn''t want it to get back to Agent Kennedy.

    He leaned his back against the smooth stone of the cave wall and watched as the pulses kept coming at an almost constant pace. It took him a little while to notice, and even then he had to convince himself he wasn''t imagining it, but the pulses were getting slightly faster with time.

    He took a steady breath, calming himself despite the rising pace of the pulses.

    The cocoon started pulsing even faster, the orange glow getting brighter. Eventually, Jacob had to close his eyes to block out the harsh light.

    He screamed as a cracking sound erupted from the side of the cocoon. He watched as a crack appeared on the cocoon before it started to slowly split open. As the split widened, a mass of orange, slimy goo fell from the inside and landed on the floor below. Jacob tried to shuffle away as the goo spread out, but it was no good. Soon enough it was covering his shoes as the rest of the cave floor.

    "Eve?" he asked at the mass in front of him as he tried his best to ignore the stuff on his legs. "Are you okay?"

    He jumped back as he heard a strange growling sound come from the mass. The mass growled again as it started lifting up.

    The top area began shifting around, moving in a regular pattern. It morphed and shifted until parts of it began to fall away to reveal an almost human-like face. Soon more pieces started to fall away and reshape, until the mass of orange goo was in the rough shape of a human as tall as he was.

    "Eve?" He asked again.

    The human face began moving its mouth as its throat formed out of the goo. However, no matter how much her mouth moved, no sound came out. Two flappy things which could have been ears formed on either side of her head, and soon after she stopped talking. After a few more seconds, the face and neck took fully human form. At least until Jacob spotted four lines which spread open to reveal a set of familiar red eyes.

    She had a glassy expression as the rest of her goo-like body settled. With four eyes locked onto the ceiling above, Jacob could see the goo around her chest begin to shrink and expand. She opened her mouth one more time and took a deep breath, her chest expanding to fit the incoming air.

    "My name¡­ is Eve," she said as a smile crept onto her face. "I can talk again."

    If Jacob had to guess, he would have said she''d probably cry if she could.

    "Congratulations," he said slowly and carefully as to not scare her by accident.

    Something it turned out he didn''t have to worry about. She turned to him, giving him the biggest smile he''d ever seen, her form sill morphing all the while.

    "What do you think?" she asked before chuckling.

    "New look?" he joked, sending her into open laughter.

    "Yeah, I guess you can call it that," she said as an arm-like part of the goo started rising up. "It''s weird, I can feel my body¡­ and I can change it."

    Her explanation was followed up by the featureless end of her ''arm'' turning into a human hand. A human hand made of orange goo, but still impressive if you asked Jacob. Eve''s eyes narrowed for a bit before the fingers changed again into claws.

    "Can I do color?" she asked aloud as the orange goo changed into a more human-like light tan.

    "What about material?" she asked herself again, her eyes trailing to the side before her smile widened even further. The skin turned a familiar glossy black, and soon Jacob was looking at a chitin covered claw which wouldn''t have looked out of place on her old form.

    "That''s so cool," he commented which seemed to suddenly remind Eve he was there.

    "Actually, could you wait outside for a little bit?" She asked in a weird tone. He just shrugged and did as he was told. As he walked out, he noticed the goo on his shoes slowly coming off and flowing back to her. The same was happening to the rest of the goo on the cave floor.

    He closed the curtain and leaned back against the rock as he listened to the squirming sounds coming from inside the cave.

    "Are you okay?" he asked as he heard what almost sounded like a splash.

    "I''m okay," Eve called back as she started muttering. "No, not like that¡­ Maybe if I¡­"

    It went on like that for quite a bit until she finally called him back in. He pulled the curtain back and was taken aback.

    "So what do you think?"

    Standing in the cave was a girl around his age with long, black hair and tanned skin. However, instead of normal clothes, she was covered from the neck down in a glossy layer of black chitin. With the added claws on her hands and feet, she almost looked like she was wearing some sort of exoskeleton armor. Above her neck she looked pretty normal, with the exception of four glowing, solid red eyes. She had two where she should have, plus an extra pair above them.

    "Are the eyes on purpose?" he asked as she tilted her head to the side in confusion. Apparently that quirk was one she either had since before her first transformation, or one she was keeping.

    "What are you talking about?" she asked as he took out his phone and turned on the camera. He turned it to her to use as a makeshift mirror. "Oh."

    She froze up a bit, and Jacob could swear he saw her cheeks turn red for a second before she turned away from him. The chitin rose up from her neck, becoming a smooth black mask.

    Despite the strangeness of the situation, he couldn''t help but feel some relief. Despite all the changes, Eve was still Eve.

    "After all this time with four eyes, I guess I just kind of got used to it," she said half muffled from behind the mask. "Give me a second to try and fix this."

    There was a series of strange sounds on the other side of the mask before the chitin receded to reveal a pair of normal hazel-colored human eyes. She blinked twice and then got a dizzy look on her face.

    "Whoa," she tried walking forward and almost stumbled to the ground. She caught herself before she did, but when she got to her feet, a clear look of disgust and annoyance was on her face.

    "Too used to four eyes?" Jacob guessed the problem, which got him a curt nod.

    "Human eyes are garbage, everything looks blurry. Forget this, I''m going back to four eyes," the flesh on her face reshaped itself into the four familiar red eyes he was used to. She smiled as her eyes narrowed.

    "I can see everything," she whispered.

    "So how did you do all this anyway?" He asked once she''d managed to settle down. The two were sitting on the now clean cave floor. Almost all the orange goo was gone, having been absorbed into her. "You know, the cocoon, the transformation, all of it? I mean, you really took me by surprise."

    "To be honest, I don''t really know," she admitted as she hugged her knees. "I just felt really sleepy the last time you visited, so I just curled up and went to sleep. Next thing I knew, I was in this weird dream where I could transform my body at will. You were also there, and you were talking. I couldn''t really understand what you were saying, but it helped me calm down a bit, kept me from going crazy."

    "That would have been me sitting next to your cocoon all day talking to you," he admitted as his cheeks got just a bit brighter. "I wasn''t sure you''d be able to hear me, but I wanted to try and keep you company anyway."

    "Oh," she said, her cheeks getting a just a bit brighter as well. "Thanks for that. Like I said, you helped me keep a cool head while I was learning how to change my body around."

    "Don''t worry about it," he told her.

    "So as I was saying, after learning a bunch, I woke up. The first things I noticed was how I was made of goo and the cocoon breaking apart. And I guess that''s why I can shapeshift like this now."

    "Well, you were able to transform back when you were in your ''dog'' form," he pointed out, hesitating to use the term ''dog'' for the chimeric form she''d only a few days ago. Still, it wasn''t like he had any better name for it.

    "Yeah, but with that, it was harder. I had to work more to make changes. Those tentacles out of my shoulders took a lot to figure out, and now I feel like I could do it no problem."

    Eve blinked for a bit before two small buds appeared on her shoulders which quickly became a pair of tentacles waving in the air.

    "Well you made your point," He said as she called the tentacles back to her. "By the way, why''d you pick that armor to wear?"

    "Because it''s cool. I feel like some sort of superhero with this on," she explained before a certain thought crossed her mind. "But as cool as this is, there''s something else I want to try," she told him before shooing him out of the cave.

    Jacob waited outside as he listened to the sounds of Eve''s body shifting around. After a few minutes, the sounds stopped.

    "Ta dah," she announced as she walked out of the cave. Gone were her four red eyes and body suit. Instead she had her normal human eyes, as well as a set of normal-looking clothing. A simple green blouse with a pair of jeans, white sneakers, and a simple metal chain for a necklace. "Hello, I am a normal human person. It''s nice to meet you."

    "How did you¡­?" He trailed off as he tried to figure out where the clothing had come from.

    "Made it from my body," she explained as she spun around a bit. "Shapeshifting''s the best."

    "I guess it is. You look completely normal," he said as the girl in front of him put her hands on her waist and laughed.

    "Yeah I do, don''t I?" her laughter died down and a sly grin came across her face. "Normal enough to walk around a town without anyone noticing?"

    A matching smile appeared on Jacob''s face as he turned towards the direction of Oakwood.

    "Yeah, I say you look just normal enough," he looked back at her.

    "Lead the way," she said as he started walking away, Eve following right behind him.

 Chapter 11

    ¡°This feels weird,¡± Eve muttered as they approached town.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jacob asked as he looked back at her.

    ¡°Well since my ¡®shoes¡¯ are part of my body, I can still feel everything under my feet. So it feels like I¡¯m not wearing shoes, but it looks like I¡¯m wearing shoes. Feels weird,¡± she explained.

    ¡°Yeah, I guess that would feel weird,¡± he agreed.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s making it hard not to think about the fact I¡¯m technically naked,¡± she said nonchalantly. ¡°Or maybe it doesn¡¯t count since it looks like I¡¯m wearing clothes?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not think about it,¡± he said quickly before the conversation kept going in that direction. Fortunately for him, the trees around them began to thin before giving way to civilization. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re here.¡±

    The two of them emerged from the forest into the streets of Oakwood.

    Or at least, something which looked like Oakwood. All of the dusty roads and buildings were there. But the people?

    Neither of them could see nor hear anyone.

    ¡°Where is everyone?¡± Jacob asked as he glanced at a shrugging Eve.

    ¡°I think I hear something in the distance. It sounds like music,¡± she pointed down a road toward the center of town. As Jacob strained to see off in the distance, he could just make out a few bright lights.

    ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s go find out what it is,¡± he told her as the pair made their way downtown.

    As they walked down the road, they spotted a few people on the way. Jacob raised an eyebrow at the fact everyone was walking in the same direction. And the further they got the better he could make out the music in the distance. He spotted several younger kids walking along with their parents, huge smiles on all of their faces.

    Whatever it was they were walking to, the people of Oakwood had been looking forward to it.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Eve whispered as they reached the source of the lights and sounds.

    In the very center of town, there had been a decently-sized park made up mostly of a large, green field. He¡¯d only ever seen it once before, on the day his parents had driven around town. He had noted the big, empty field and forgotten about it completely.

    Well, now the ¡®empty¡¯ field was filled to the brim with people. Lines of fair stalls ran down the length of the field, selling food and offering games. Close to the edge were a few rides, a Ferris wheel and a giant slide being the biggest and easiest to see. Near the very edge of the field was a raised platform where a band was playing a pop song he¡¯d heard a few times before.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Jacob asked with lights in his eyes. He and Eve were on the other side of the street from the field, and they were already feeling overwhelmed.

    ¡°Surprise!¡±

    They both jumped at the sudden yell from behind them.

    ¡°Ellie?¡± Jacob asked as he spun around to see her and Ryan standing right behind them. She had a massive smile on her face, while he looked fine with just having a simple grin.

    ¡°You scared me,¡± Jacob steadied his breathing as Eve threw her hands behind her back. Ellie just laughed before apologizing.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said once her laughter died down a bit. ¡°But you two were just so distracted I had to.¡± She gave Eve a careful, but friendly glare. ¡°And just who are you?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s an old friend from North Palm, she¡¯s visiting for a day or two,¡± Jacob said, thinking on his feet. ¡°Eve, this is Ryan and Ellie, the two I told you about. You remember them, right?¡± he said, hoping she¡¯d play along.

    ¡°Yeah, he told me a lot. It¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± she changed her claws back into hands before anyone noticed she still had them behind her back. ¡°He talked about you a bit while I was on the way over to visit him before school starts.¡±

    ¡°Well, you made the right choice to visit when you did,¡± Ellie walked up next to Jacob and held her arm out toward the fair. ¡°Welcome to the Oakwood end of summer fair.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t either of you tell me about this?¡± He asked as he and Eve turned toward the fairgrounds.

    ¡°Well, I was going to,¡± Ryan started as he walked up next to Ellie. ¡°But then Ellie said she was going to make it a surprise. You really didn¡¯t notice everyone setting up the fair the last few days? I heard it was a pretty rough time.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Eve asked as she swung her normal human arms out from behind her back.

    ¡°Not really sure,¡± Ryan admitted. ¡°Just heard there were a few problems and the fair almost wasn¡¯t ready on time.¡±

    ¡°Which would have been the worst,¡± Ellie added as she looked at the others. ¡°Well, what are you all waiting for?¡± she demanded. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±

    She ran forwards as Jacob, Ryan, and Eve followed her. She came to a stop at the front entrance of the fair where a familiar face was manning the entrance booth.

    ¡°Hey there, Mr. Miller,¡± she greeted the reason why Jacob was in Oakwood and handed him some money.

    ¡°Oh, hey, kids,¡± Nick started rummaging around for something in his booth. ¡°Alright, Ellie, these are for you. Jacob, your dad already bought you some tickets, said to pass them to you once you got here,¡± he explained as he gave the pair two small bundles of tickets.

    ¡°Oh, thanks, Nick,¡± he said as the older man handed the tickets over with a sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯m never going to get rid of that nickname your dad gave me, am I?¡± he asked with a tired chuckle.

    Jacob was about to tell him ¡®not in this lifetime¡¯ when he thought about it. If Nick had never gotten his dad the job here, would he have ever met Eve? Probably not.

    ¡°You know what, I think I¡¯ll just forget about it,¡± he told the man as he allowed them through. ¡°See you around, Mr. Miller,¡± he called out right before they were out of earshot.

    ¡°Alright, so what do you guys want to do first?¡± Ellie asked as the other three looked around.

    ¡°I kind of want to get something to eat first,¡± held her stomach and gave a nervous laugh. Now that Jacob thought about it, she hadn¡¯t eaten anything since she came out of the cocoon.

    Ellie bowed dramatically before Eve. ¡°As you wish,¡± she said before leading them to a stall selling giant corndogs with fries. A quick change of tickets later, and Eve was salivating at the corndog in her hand. The thing was big enough to reach from the tips of her fingers to her elbow. Jacob laughed off to the side as he held his basket of fries.

    The two watched in horrid fascination as the tiny girl devoured the corndog in a few seconds. By the time she was done, the only thing left was a clean wooden stick in her hand.

    ¡°Wow, I was hungry,¡± she threw the stick into the closest trashcan. ¡°Now what?¡±

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    ¡°Now you wait for me to finish these fries,¡± Jacob told her before grabbing another of the little golden things. ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten all day either.¡±

    ¡°Well, you guys do that, I¡¯m going to try my luck at some of the games,¡± Ellie told the pair as she dragged Ryan away.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s at least follow after them,¡± she followed, also dragging Jacob with her. The boy simply shrugged and accepted it, calmly eating his fries as Eve took full advantage of her enhanced strength.

    They found her a few moments later holding a dart and carefully aiming at a wall of balloons, a wall full of prizes to her left. Her eyes were narrowed as she took careful aim. Jacob munched on another fry as he saw the board behind the booth.

    Try to hit the balloons with the darts.

    5 tickets for 3 darts.

    1 balloons- consolation prize

    2 balloons- small prize

    3 balloons- large prize!

    3 balloons of all the same color- grand prize only 1!!!

    He looked up and quickly counted six colors among the wall of balloons.

    ¡°How is she doing?¡± he whispered to Ryan.

    ¡°She got a blue one already,¡± The boy explained. ¡°She¡¯s aiming for the grand prize.¡±

    Wordlessly, Ellie let her second dart loose as it flew through the air¡­ and hit a white balloon.

    ¡°Ouch,¡± Eve said as Ellie let out a roar of frustration.

    ¡°You do realize you¡¯re already doing better than half of the people who¡¯ve already tried, right?¡± The guy handling the stall pointed out.

    ¡°What¡¯s the point if I can¡¯t get the grand prize?¡± She asked as she turned away dramatically and threw her last dart.

    Despite what were probably her intentions, she did manage to hit a third balloon, a blue one to be exact. She turned back around at the sound of the pop, her jaw hanging open.

    ¡°And we have a winner,¡± the man behind the booth walked over to the wall of prizes. ¡°Pick anything you want from below the top row.¡±

    Ellie took a quick glance at a game console on the top shelf and sighed before forcing her eyes downwards.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll take that game right there,¡± she pointed to one of the board games on the second to highest row. He recognized it from his dad¡¯s collection. It was a pretty good game from what he remembered, even if he was garbage at it.

    ¡°Here you go,¡± the man passed the box to Ellie.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep going. Next game,¡± she said as Jacob finished off his fries. He glanced over at the wall of balloons and wondered if he wanted a go. He glanced down at his tickets and decided to pass for now. Now if Eve wanted a go, that was different.

    ¡°Eve, do you want to¡­?¡± he started asking only to notice another game catching her eye. She was slowly walking toward it, and Jacob followed close behind.

    It was a punching bag hooked up to a machine. There was a small platform on the ground in front of the bag for people to step on. Above the whole thing was a sign reading ¡®test your strength¡¯.

    ¡°I want to do this one,¡± she pointed to it, slightly swishing her hips from side to side. Somehow, Jacob had a feeling her tails would be wagging if she had them out.

    ¡°Alright, go for it,¡± he tore off the tickets she would need and handed them over.

    ¡°You ready to give this thing a smack, kid?¡± the woman behind the booth took the tickets from the wildly nodding Eve.

    She walked up to the stage, stretching her arm around to get nice and loose. Once she was good and ready, she reached her arm back and made a fist. She took a deep breath and got ready to punch this thing with everything she had.

    Which, as she thought mid-swing, probably meant enough strength to break the machine.

    Her eyes widened in panic as she slowed her arm right before she hit the bag, lightly tapping it. The machine the bag was connected to flashed for a bit before giving what Eve and Jacob assumed was a low score.

    ¡°Ouch, sorry kid. You¡¯re going to have to punch a little harder than that if you want to win a prize,¡± the lady behind the booth told her with a sympathetic tone. The pity in her eyes sparked something in Eve which left her wanting to punch a hole thought the bag, and the wall behind it.

    ¡°Want to try again?¡± Jacob asked as he started separating the tickets Eve would need for a second shot.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me try?¡± a voice familiar to both of them said. The two of them turned around and saw Agent Kennedy, standing there with a smile on his face and his sunglasses tucked into his pocket.

    ¡°Agent Kennedy, what are you doing here?¡± Jacob asked the suit-wearing man who didn¡¯t exactly¡­ match his current surroundings.

    ¡°I have my reasons,¡± he explained as he smiled at the punching bag. ¡°Now why don¡¯t you two kids let an adult give this thing a try?¡±

    Jacob glanced at Eve, who looked calm enough. He steadied himself. If she could be calm while interacting with someone whose job it was to catch her, then so could he.

    ¡°Go for it, Kennedy,¡± he told him as he passed the needed tickets to the woman at the booth who gave all three of them an amused smile.

    Agent Kennedy walked up to the platform and took a deep breath. Instead of rearing his arm back, he stretched his fingers out flat and placed the tips of them up against the bag. With a quick exhale, he collapsed his hand into a fist and punched the bag with an impact all of them could hear over the music and crowd. Eve was even sure she saw some smoke come from the impact sight once he took his hand away.

    Both of them quickly noticed the score on the machine going higher than before.

    Much higher.

    ¡°How was that?¡± he asked the booth lady with a satisfied grin. Said lady was alternating between staring at Agent Kennedy¡¯s hand, and then the score on the machine.

    ¡°Well, you won the best prize we have,¡± the woman admitted like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

    ¡°Just as planned,¡± he turned toward the two kids. ¡°So what did you two want to win?¡±

    ¡°Actually,¡± Eve started confessing. ¡°I just wanted to win a prize for punching something.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Agent Kennedy said, the wind is his sails somewhat lessened. ¡°Well, do you want anything anyway?¡±

    ¡°You can have it, Eve,¡± Jacob said as the girl in question walked up to the prizes and took a careful look. Her eyes lit up as she pointed at one object in particular.

    ¡°Well, wasn¡¯t expecting anyone to grab one of these this early on,¡± the woman got up and unhooked one of the small backpacks from the hooks and handed it to Eve.

    ¡°Nice, I really needed a bag for some stuff,¡± she put the bag onto her back. She turned around and showed it to Jacob. ¡°What do you think? Cool?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I would say cool,¡± he said, and not just for the sake of agreeing with her. The bag was mostly a dark forest green with bronze lining. On the center was a bronze circle with little green vines all over it.

    ¡°Thanks, mister,¡± she told the agent hunting for her as she raised her hand for a high five.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he told the kids as he gave Eve the high five she wanted. ¡°I have to hang around here anyway in case the escaped animal shows up.¡±

    ¡°You think it¡¯ll show up here?¡± Jacob asked as he glanced at Eve, who had the ugliest smirk on her face.

    ¡°There¡¯s a chance the animal will be attracted to scent of all the food. And since almost everyone in town is out here, the mayor wanted us keeping an eye on things.¡±

    ¡°I guess that makes sense,¡± he remembered the jumbo corndog Eve had slightly traumatized Ellie and Ryan with.

    ¡°Yeah, but our scientist on staff is pretty sure the escaped animal won¡¯t risk exposure by coming out here, so you¡¯re pretty safe.¡±

    ¡°So what, you basically have the night off?¡± Eve asked.

    ¡°Well, not really. I still have to patrol for the animal in the unlikely case it does show up,¡± he glanced at the watch on his wrist. ¡°Speaking of, I should get back on patrol. It was nice talking to you Jacob and¡­ Eve, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my name,¡± the girl said, wearing the same smirk as the agent wished them goodbye and walked on.

    ¡°I feel kind of bad for him,¡± she glanced down at her hands. She walked a bit closer to Jacob, keeping her eyes on her hands, and whispered just loudly enough for only him to hear. ¡°He was literally talking to the thing he was looking for, and he had no idea.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep it that way,¡± he whispered back before looking around and speaking at a normal volume again. ¡°Now where did Ellie and Ryan go?¡±

    ¡°No clue,¡± she tried to scan the crowd around them. ¡°She did say she wanted to play more games. Maybe that¡¯s where she is.¡±

    ¡°Better than nothing I guess,¡± he said as they started walking down the games, looking for the pair.

    It took them a while, but they did find them eventually. Ryan was standing in front of a ring toss with a ring in each hand while Ellie glared at the smiling man who was working the booth.

    ¡°Get those rings around those pins, Ryan,¡± she hissed while keeping her glare right on the smiling man.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on,¡± Jacob asked as the two of them waked up to her.

    ¡°Ryan is winning this game for me so I can shove it in this man¡¯s face!¡± She yelled the last part while still glaring at the man who just kept smiling at her. He even gave Jacob and Eve a little wave.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you kids step right up and take a shot after this young man finishes up?¡± the man said in a high pitched and overly friendly voice which rubbed Jacob the rub wrong way for reasons he could not understand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can guarantee you two won¡¯t be the worst I¡¯ve seen tonight.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, ring man,¡± Ellie yelled as Ryan tossed one of the rings. They all watched as it flew over the first pin, and then bounced off the second.

    His eyes narrowed as he put the other ring into his throwing hand. Once again he threw, and this time the ring went around the bowling pin.

    ¡°Looks like we have a winner,¡± the man said while Ellie jumped in place and let out a cheer.

    ¡°In your face,¡± she said as Eve and Jacob just looked at each other and laughed.

    ¡°Want to head over to watch the concert?¡± Ryan asked as he walked over to Ellie, holding up a stuffed banana plush.

    ¡°Sure, why not,¡± she said as the four walked to the front of the fair. ¡°It¡¯ll make for a good break before we hit the rides.¡±

    They arrived just as the band was finishing a short break. The four quickly found a place to sit and watch as the music started up again. They even managed to meet up with the other kids Jacob met on his first day Jack, Carrie, and Max.

    The music was good, the food had been good, and everything felt right with the world.

 Chapter 12

    Jacob sat the table, happily eating a simple omelet he had made himself. The morning was peaceful, and the sun outside was shining. It was a beautiful day to go out and do anything.

    Too bad he was stuck inside waiting for his parents to wake up.

    He had found the two of them walking around the fair after going on the rides. It was pretty late at that point, so he decided to just stick with them for the rest of the night. He was pretty sure he¡¯d passed out from tiredness at some point, because he couldn¡¯t actually remember making it home.

    He had also woken up wearing the clothes he had worn to the fair. Another sign his parents had brought him home and had just put him to bed. Today was laundry day anyway.

    ¡°When are they getting up?¡± he asked aloud as he looked over at the two other plates of food he had gotten ready. He didn¡¯t want to leave to see Eve until he had seen his parents eat the food he¡¯d made for them.

    He leaned back, lifting the chair with his legs so only two of the chair¡¯s touched the ground. ¡°Maybe I should just wake them¡­ Who is that?¡±

    Jacob put the chair back the way it was as someone loudly knocked on the door. He got out of his chair and carefully made his way to the front door. He leaned toward the door, only for the mystery person to knock again, scaring him into stumbling onto the floor.

    ¡°Someone in there?¡± he heard a familiar voice call. He looked at the door and wondered why Agent Kennedy was knocking at his door so early in the morning. If they had found out about Eve, he doubted he¡¯d be this calm.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me Jacob,¡± he said, trying to buy time would only make things look worse. Better to figure out what it was he wanted before he had a chance to get really suspicious. ¡°Give me a second to unlock the door.¡±

    A few turns on some locks later and Agent Kennedy was sitting on a chair in his living room.

    ¡°Orange juice?¡± he offered the agent, who quickly declined.

    Jacob shrugged, putting away the juice before asking the burning question. ¡°So why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Actually thought I would talk to your parents about it before I told you. Any idea where they are?¡±

    ¡°Oh they¡¯re probably still¡­¡± he started to say before he was interrupted by the sound of two people walking upstairs. He glanced upwards before turning to the stairs.

    ¡°Give me a second,¡± he told the agent as he walked to the foot of the stairs and looked up. ¡°Mom, Dad, are you two awake?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± his mother¡¯s voice replied from upstairs.

    ¡°Jacob, is someone down there with you?¡± he heard his father ask from the second floor.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s Agent Kennedy from DOSP,¡± he called back. ¡°Says he¡¯s here to talk to you guys about something, says it¡¯s important.¡±

    ¡°Tell him we¡¯ll be right down,¡± he heard from his Mom. He glanced over at the waiting government agent.

    ¡°They say they¡¯ll be right down,¡± he explained as Agent Kennedy sat back and started to wait.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± his dad apologized as the two made their way down the stairs. ¡°My son said you were Agent Kennedy, right?¡± held his hand out for him to shake. He glanced at the hand and smiled awkwardly.

    ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t come into physical contact with you,¡± he apologized as well but kept his hands in his pockets. ¡°Has to do with why I¡¯m here.¡±

    Before he could say anything else, he dug into his suit and took out a plastic bag with a zip lock on it. He carefully unzipped it and then held it out to Jacob¡¯s dad. He looked inside the bag and shrugged, reaching in and taking the paper out.

    Jacob¡¯s mother leaned forward as her husband unfolded the paper. Both started reading it, their eyes narrowing as they did.

    ¡°Parental permission form?¡± his mother asked as he glanced at her son worriedly.

    ¡°We have reason to believe your son might have come into contact with the escaped animal we were talking about. There are a few tests we wanted to run, nothing invasive or anything like that. Just a few scans and an interview to help us narrow down where the animal could be hiding.¡±

    Jacob gulped loudly enough to get all three of their attentions.

    ¡°Hey, calm down, kid,¡± Agent Kennedy held his arms out in a calming gesture. ¡°You¡¯ll be just fine. No pressure.¡±

    ¡°Well, I suppose it would be okay,¡± his father grabbed a pen and set the paper on the table. He hovered the pen over the dotted line, his hand trembling a bit. ¡°And you¡¯re sure he¡¯ll be okay?¡±

    ¡°As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow,¡± he said with a charming smile one wouldn¡¯t expect from someone who worked for a secret government agency.

    ¡°Alright, fine,¡± Jacob¡¯s father signed the paper, his mother doing the same while glaring at Agent Kennedy. ¡°When do we go?¡±

    He looked as though he was bracing himself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can only take Jacob with me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± his screamed as she smacked her hand on the table.

    ¡°As Jacob is the only person who has possibly contacted the animal, he¡¯s the only one who I can take back with me,¡± he explained quickly, as though he had rehearsed the lines. ¡°I tried to convince my superiors to allow you to come too, but they want as few people involved as possible.¡±

    ¡°Then he won¡¯t go,¡± his father said, sterner than Jacob had ever seen the jovial man before.

    ¡°Listen, I know this looks bad, but I can assure you everything will be fine,¡± he told them with that same charming smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you try that with me,¡± his mother argued. ¡°He hasn¡¯t even said if he wants to.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Jacob cut in. ¡°I¡¯ll go with Agent Kennedy.¡±

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    ¡°Are you sure?¡± his father asked as he walked up to him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°I kind of feel like I have to,¡± he explained. ¡°The sooner they find whatever it is they¡¯re looking for, the better. Right?¡±

    It also gave him a chance to figure out what they already knew about Eve, and refusing when he had already been so friendly with Agent Kennedy before might have looked suspicious.

    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± his mother asked, to which Jacob just gave a determined nod. She took a deep breath and then put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it tight. ¡°Alright, if you¡¯re sure¡­ but you¡¯re going to listen to me first.¡±

    Jacob was hauled into another room before he could blink and sat down at the table as his mother gave him a list of do¡¯s and don¡¯ts. Mostly basic things, like not signing anything, knowing he had the right to refuse questioning and other things which made him wonder about his mother¡¯s past.

    However, questions about how exactly a housewife had a working knowledge of what to do when detained by the government would have to wait. For now, he had a mission.

    As he walked out of the house with Agent Kennedy, he felt ready to do this.

    The pair got into the front of the black van without a word as Agent Kennedy turned the keys. They drove in near silence until they reached a small lot near the edge of town where some tents had been set up. A few other people in suits were walking around, but the whole place looked pretty sparse.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be having you talk to one of our people while she administers the tests,¡± he explained as he parked the car.

    ¡°Just¡­ be ready. She¡¯s¡­ well, let¡¯s just say she¡¯s a unique individual.¡±

    Jacob gave Agent Kennedy a careful look as he followed him out of the car and toward the tents. It was mostly empty with a machine hooked up to a pod off to the side and a bench with a computer being used by the only other person in the room.

    ¡°Agent Kennedy, you¡¯re back. And you brought¡­ a kid,¡± a serious young woman with her hair done in a bun and wearing a white lab coat said as she looked down at him.

    ¡°Calm down, Kaze,¡± he held his hands up in attempt to calm the already seemingly calm woman. ¡°This is one of the kids who had the specimen traces on him, the one that¡­¡±

    Whatever he was about to say was quickly forgotten as ¡®Kaze¡¯ pushed him out of the way and marched right up to him.

    ¡°You,¡± she pointed at him. ¡°Into the lab now!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jacob said he jumped back at the woman¡¯s quick shift. ¡°Aren¡¯t we already in the lab?¡±

    ¡°Kazami, you can¡¯t just,¡± Agent Kennedy tried to protest.

    ¡°Yes, I can,¡± she interrupted again. ¡°We haven¡¯t had a lead since we got here, and now we just find two kids who have traces of the sample all over them.¡±

    Jacob froze as he heard the words ¡®two kids¡¯. They knew it was either him or Eve. He would have to be on his toes to make sure he didn¡¯t give anything away.

    ¡°Kazami!¡± Agent Kennedy barked, grabbing the attention of both of the other people in the room. ¡°Do I have to remind you we got a parental permission form for a reason? A form you have to sign too before we can begin?¡±

    Jacob held the paper out, ready for it to be taken.

    Kazami let out a frustrated click of her tongue before taking the paper and going into another room.

    ¡°Sorry about her. Kazami tends to get a bit,¡± Agent Kennedy paused as his mind went through a list of words to describe his coworker, ¡°passionate about her work.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s crazy,¡± he muttered just loud enough for Agent Kennedy to hear. ¡°Why do you even have a crazy doctor around?¡±

    ¡°Not a doctor,¡± both adults said, Kennedy with a smile on his face and Kazami with a frustrated groan. She had apparently heard him from the other room. Pretty clearly considering she kept talking even as he could hear her moving stuff around.

    ¡°Would have been a doctor if they hadn¡¯t classified the research behind my thesis right before I got my doctorate,¡± Kazami said bitterly. ¡°Just a few days away from becoming Doctor Makoto Kazami. Kid, if there¡¯s one thing you learn today, it¡¯s that the world is not fair, and it will take any chance to crush your soul into the dirt.¡±

    ¡°Kaze, stop traumatizing the child.¡± Agent Kennedy sighed.

    ¡°Never,¡± she snipped at him as she emerged from the other room. ¡°Where do we even keep the pens?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re next to your computer,¡± he pointed to a PC on the other side of the tent.

    ¡°Really? I could have sworn they weren¡¯t there anymore,¡± she grabbed a pen and signed the same paper Jacob¡¯s parents had signed just a short while ago.

    ¡°There, now can we start the experiments?¡± she pushed the paper to Agent Kennedy. She walked over to the pod and twisted a handle before pulling it open. ¡°Kid, mind standing in there?¡±

    ¡°Sure thing,¡± he walked into the pod. Kazami went back to her computer and pressed a button. Jacob looked around as the pod and the machine came to life. Lights flashed, and bleeps started coming from then. ¡°So what is this going to do?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going to scan you for any traces of the animal,¡± Kazami explained as the machine kept going. She looked up at Kennedy and pointed her thumb at Jacob. ¡°Alright, so the scan¡¯s going to keep going, feel free to start the interview.¡±

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll make this simple,¡± he grabbed a folded chair and set it up in front of Jacob¡¯s pod. ¡°I¡¯m just going to assume you haven¡¯t seen any animal that looked¡­ weird? Nothing even a little bit abnormal?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, pretty much,¡± he replied coolly. ¡°I have no clue why I would have its stuff on me.¡±

    ¡°And that brings us to our second question.¡± He took out a photo from his pocket. It was a picture of Eve at the fair, taken from a distance. ¡°This girl, Eve, who is she and where did she come from?¡±

    ¡°No clue, I met her that day,¡± he replied as he felt the first drop of sweat emerge from the back of his neck.

    ¡°I see,¡± he crossed his arms. ¡°You looked pretty close for just meeting that day.¡±

    ¡°We became fast friends,¡± he spoke back when there was sudden commotion from outside the tent.

    ¡°Agent Kennedy,¡± a man in a suit barged in.

    ¡°You have to get out there. It¡¯s the strain, it¡¯s here!¡±

    Within a second, Agent Kennedy was out of his chair and dashing outside with an intense look on his face. The last thing Jacob saw before he went outside was him reaching into his jacket.

    Jacob looked around as he started hearing a commotion from outside the tent. He flinched as he heard a few gunshots get added to the mix. He focused on the noise, following its center as it traveled around the side of the tent.

    His head turned as the noise came to a stop. He watched as the source of the sound stood still for a second before Eve ripped through the tent¡¯s wall. She landed on the floor in a crouch before her head snapped upwards to scan the room.

    Instead of wearing her normal clothing, she was wearing her black chitin armor and had four eyes again. She glared at Kazumi, who dropped to the floor, before turning to Jacob and seeing him in the tube. She stood and started walking forward, cracking her knuckles.

    ¡°Get back, Jacob, I¡¯ll get you out of it,¡± she yelled loudly, any hope he had of tricking DOSP dying right there.

    He just let out a sigh as he ducked down and waited as Eve¡¯s arm turned into a giant claw. She swung, several cracks appearing in the glass. She gave a satisfied smile before swinging her claw a few more times. She stood aside as he got to his feet and looked at the hole in the glass big enough for him to walk through.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just open the door?¡± Kazami finally screamed at Eve from her spot on the floor. ¡°It wasn¡¯t locked, all you had to do was twist the handle!¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± she yelled back as he walked out of the tube and placed his hands on her shoulders.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he hissed at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m saving you. I saw you in the car with the government guy, so I followed it to save you,¡± she said plainly as she winced and reached for her arm. ¡°Now come on, let¡¯s go!¡±

    Jacob gazed downwards and sucked in a breath as he noticed Eve¡¯s right arm. It was a stump covered in orange goo. She covered the stump with her other arm before getting in his face. ¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯ll grow back¡­ I think.¡±

    ¡°Stop right there.¡±

    They both froze as they turned to the torn tent wall.

    There, standing on the other side of the tear, was Agent Kennedy with glacial eyes. In one hand he had a normal-looking handgun. In the other he had a strange weapon with glowing green parts and an exposed part of the handle letting out steam.

    ¡°Eve, run,¡± Jacob looked at the armed man in front of him.

    ¡°What, I can¡¯t just¡­¡± she started arguing.

    ¡°Just go!¡± he screamed as Agent Kennedy raised his normal-looking gun. His legs moved faster than his mind, putting himself between the two, making the man hesitate for a moment.

    That was all she needed to escape. The chitin-covered girl leapt out through another window. Agent Kennedy ran after her, and Jacob heard a few more gun shots go off. When he came back a few moments later, he did not look amused.

    ¡°Under the authority of D.O.S.P, you are now under containment until further notice,¡± he announced as three people in suits walked in through the door to ¡®escort¡¯ him out.

 Chapter 13

    ¡°I hope you understand just how much trouble you¡¯re in,¡± Agent Kennedy walked into the interview room with several papers in his hands. ¡°And when I say trouble, I don¡¯t mean the standard parental kind of trouble. I mean the kind of trouble which ends with this town under quarantine until it¡¯s sterilized.¡±

    Jacob sat in silence, unsure what to say. He was unsure about a lot of things. For starters, where he was.

    After being led to the vans outside the tent, he¡¯d been placed in the back of one of the windowless ones. During the whole trip, he had no idea where they were going. When they let him out, he was in the parking lot of a single building, surrounded by forest on all sides and with a single road leading in and out. The building itself was a mostly flat affair which looked like it had been made out of metal boxes.

    He¡¯d taken the guess it was brand new.

    New or not, he had been taken into the building and left in what he knew was an interrogation room. He had seen enough TV to recognize the small, sterile room with a table in the center and a single wall that was just a mirror.

    He also figured whoever came in to talk to him would probably put a bunch of files on the table and then sit across from him. Despite how specific the guess was, he had a feeling it would turn out to be true.

    For some reason, Jacob didn¡¯t feel any sense of satisfaction when Agent Kennedy walked in and did exactly what he had guessed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get to the point,¡± he sat in front in of him, files already on the table. ¡°If you have any idea where the specimen has escaped to, then I suggest you tell us where it is.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not a specimen, she has a name,¡± he looked Agent Kennedy right in the eye and refused to blink.

    ¡°So this is how it is,¡± Agent Kenney muttered to himself before addressing him. ¡°Listen, despite what you might think, that thing you saw was not your friend. I know this may be hard to accept, but the girl you knew before she became that thing is gone.¡±

    ¡°I only met her after she became a big monster thing actually,¡± he succeeded at stopping Agent Kennedy in his tracks, if only for a moment.

    ¡°You met it for the first time while it was in that form?¡± he asked after taking a second to recover.

    ¡°Oh no, at first she was a lot more animalistic,¡± he explained like he was talking about the weather. ¡°She used to look like a big dog with spider legs and tentacles. The human form with chitin armor is new.¡±

    ¡°The point remains, the thing you saw that day was a dangerous monster,¡± Agent Kennedy argued, trying to get the conversation back on track. ¡°A dangerous predator that¡¯s killed a lot of animals in the forest around your town.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± He argued back as Agent Kennedy failed to get the conversation back on track. ¡°I eat chicken and beef all the time, am I a dangerous predator that has to be put down?¡±

    ¡°Well, no, but¡­¡± he rubbed his forehead in frustration. ¡°Why are you defending it like this?¡±

    ¡°Because Eve¡¯s my friend,¡± he told him. ¡°And if she really wanted to eat me, then she had the perfect chance to do it on the very first night we met.¡±

    Agent Kennedy looked at him with tired frustration. This wasn¡¯t getting him anywhere. The agent would have to go a different route. The one he didn¡¯t want to use.

    He slowly opened the folder on the desk between them and then turned it around so Jacob could see its contents.

    A small part of Richter¡¯s soul died as he watched Jacob flinch back from the scenes of blood, gore, and ooze in front of them.

    ¡°These are photos from the Angel Eye Island incident,¡± he said calmly. ¡°You ever heard of a company named Red-Stars incorporated?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t those the guys who are really famous for making a bunch of advanced medicine?¡± He asked as he thought back to ads he had seen on TV before coming to Oakwood. They were kind of hard to forget with their weird logo. Twelve red stars arranged in a circle didn¡¯t exactly scream medicine. What did a company that made medicine have to do with pictures of people who¡¯d been cut in half?

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s them,¡± Agent Kennedy pointed to the pictures. ¡°Angel Eye Island was a small island owned by Red-Stars. It¡¯s where they did a lot of their¡­ illegal research. Illegal research into creating weapons like your ¡®friend¡¯ Eve.¡±

    ¡°Eve¡¯s a weapon?¡± Jacob repeated in disbelief. Agent Kennedy shuffled some papers in front of him to show what looked like a familiar formless orange ooze.

    ¡°They called it Strain-4. A weapon designed to bond with a human host and make them incredibly strong. However, trials went sour when it turned out strain-4 had a tendency to consume its host¡¯s mind during the bonding process. The human mind was gone, and the only thing left was a monster that killed as easily as it breathed.¡±

    ¡°But Eve¡¯s not like that!¡± Jacob yelled into the agent¡¯s face. ¡°She still remembers being human. She still has her human mind. She¡¯s not a killing machine.¡±

    ¡°It moves like them,¡± Agent Kennedy argued back. ¡°Its movements, the way it jumped from place to place. She¡¯s just like the monsters I fought when I was sent in to investigate Angel Eye Island. I made it out of that research facility by the skin of my teeth. I¡¯m not about to let her put anyone else through the nightmare I went through.¡±

    The two looked at each other from across the table, eyes narrowed.

    ¡°You called Eve ¡®her¡¯,¡± Jacob said, breaking the silence.

    ¡°What?¡± Agent Kennedy replied as he also realized his error.

    ¡°You started out by calling Eve an ¡®it¡¯ then you started calling Eve a ¡®her¡¯. You know she¡¯s human.¡±

    ¡°My personal feelings are irrelevant. The point is your ¡®friend¡¯ being a clear and present danger to everyone around her,¡± he paused, stumbling over his words. ¡°It, to everyone around it.¡±

    Agent Kennedy just sighed and rubbed his forehead before pushing the file toward Jacob.

    ¡°This file contains all the information on the Angel Eye Island incident you¡¯re cleared to see,¡± he explained.

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    ¡°I¡¯m cleared to see this stuff?¡± he asked as he pulled the file closer

    ¡°As much clearance as any person who knows of the existence of Strain-4 has,¡± Agent Kennedy told him as he got up from the chair. ¡°Read over that stuff, and remember, the longer you go without telling us where Strain-4 is, the more likely everyone in this town ends up like the people in those files.¡±

    With that, he walked over to the door and left the room.

    Jacob looked up at the ¡®mirror¡¯ and let out a frustrated sigh as he started leafing through the files.

    Most of it was what he had been expecting, files explaining how a bunch of strain-4s got out, bonded to some people, and then started killing everyone. As he read over the descriptions and saw the pictures, he got the feeling someone his age was really not supposed to be looking at this kind of thing.

    He did learn the reason why Eve was in Oakwood though. One last sample of Strain-4 was saved and sent on a plane for study¡­ somewhere. Something happened on the plane, and the sample of Strain-4 somehow fell out while the plane was over Oakwood.

    From there, he figured she found Strain-4 and¡­ bonded to it without losing her mind? He wondered how that happened before realizing it didn¡¯t matter. She was still his friend no matter what, and what was that sound coming from the vents?

    Jacob got to his feet as a loud crashing sound came from the ceiling above him.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this place just one floor?¡± he asked aloud right before a large, black mass crashed through the ceiling. He put his arms in front of his face to block out the dust.

    ¡°Eve, is that you?¡± he asked as he tried to wave the dust away.

    ¡°You bet it is,¡± he heard her say as he cleared away the dust and saw Eve in her ¡®human covered in black chitin armor¡¯ form. ¡°I¡¯m here to get you out of¡­ What is that?¡±

    Jacob¡¯s eyes followed her pointing finger to the files on the desk.

    ¡°Good news,¡± he said as his head snapped back to her. ¡°I know why you have super-powers.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± she looked up excitedly.

    ¡°Bad news, you¡¯re probably not going to like it.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± She looked down in disappointment.

    The sound of someone trying to smash through the door snapped her out of it. She walked in front of Jacob and held her hand out. ¡°Stand back.¡±

    He did as he was told as Eve lifted her fist. He watched as her fist grew in size and her fingers fused together. When she punched the wall, there was a wrecking ball at the end of her arm instead of a fist.

    ¡°Hop on,¡± she yelled at him before she started changing into her dog-like form. He dashed forward and got on top of her as the door burst open.

    ¡°See ya,¡± Jacob told Agent Kennedy as she ran off with him on her back. The agent growled as he aimed his weapon on the feeling boy and monster, only to find himself unable to fire.

    ¡°I hope you know what you¡¯re doing, kid¡­¡± he holstered his gun and turned to the other people behind him. ¡°Get the rest of the team, we¡¯re going after them.¡±

    As Agent Kennedy got his team in order, Jacob told Eve what he had learned in the files.

    ¡°And that¡¯s the gist of it,¡± he finished explaining as he rode her dog form through the forest. He wasn¡¯t sure where he was taking her. In fact, he wasn¡¯t even sure she knew where she was taking him. But at the moment, the best place to be seemed to be ¡®anywhere but here¡¯.

    With not much else to talk about, he had asked Eve if she wanted to know what he had learned.

    ¡°Have to say,¡± she glanced upwards at him. He raised an eyebrow at her ability to talk in this form. She always had new tricks, didn¡¯t she? ¡°Wasn¡¯t expecting mad science of all things.¡±

    ¡°Not really sure you can call it that.¡±

    ¡°If you have a secret lab on a tropical island filled with big monsters, then you¡¯re doing mad science,¡± she argued back. ¡°So what do we do now?¡±

    ¡°Why are you asking me? You¡¯re the one who¡¯s running through the woods,¡± he pointed out.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m heading for the cave. I still have some stuff there I want to grab before we do anything else,¡± she explained as she started slowing down. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    He got off Eve as she started shifting back into her chitin armor human form. He followed her into the cave. The remains of the cocoon were still there, the pieces scattered around. She walked to the far end of the cave and grabbed the green-and-bronze bag she¡¯d gotten the day before.

    ¡°Okay, now we can go,¡± she told him with the bag in hand. He nodded before opening the curtain to reveal Agent Kennedy along with a wall of DOSP people surrounding the entrance. Every single one of them was armed with the green glowing weapons Agent Kennedy had on him earlier.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you move,¡± he demanded as he eyed Eve carefully.

    ¡°How did you even find us?¡± Jacob demanded as he suddenly noticed a weird weight in his pocket he hadn¡¯t before. He reached into it and pulled out a small metal disc. ¡°Is this a tracking device? When did you even have the time to put it on me?¡±

    ¡°Kid, start walking towards me carefully,¡± Agent Kennedy barked as he motioned for him to walk forward.

    ¡°No,¡± Jacob moved to the side and put himself in-between Agent Kennedy and Eve. ¡°She¡¯s not one of the monsters you fought. I don¡¯t know how it happened, but she managed to bond with strain-4 without losing her mind.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± he argued back.

    ¡°Yes. I do,¡± Jacob declared. ¡°I read those files, it said everyone who bonded with Strain-4 turned into rabid animals. That didn¡¯t happen to Eve and¡­¡±

    He was cut off as Agent Kennedy brought up the glowing, green gun he had used earlier.

    ¡°Kid, I don¡¯t want to do this,¡± he said in a flat tone. ¡°Just stand aside, and let the adult kill the big, scary monster so everything can make sense in the world again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, how many times do I have to¡­¡±

    Eve cut him off as she stepped forward. Gone was her chitin-covered skin, in its place was her normal human form.

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± she glared at him with her normal human eyes. She walked forward, never breaking eye contact as she did so. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you say, I¡¯m just as human as you are.¡±

    Instead of replying, Agent Kennedy kept his gun steady, even as Eve got close enough to touch the tip of it with her forehead.

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± she told him in an almost whisper. ¡°Kill the little girl who never did anything wrong. I dare you.¡±

    As she dared the agent to kill her, her bag dropped to the floor next to her. Jacob could see the contents spill out, but couldn¡¯t tell what they were from so far away. Agent Kennedy, on the other hand, could see both the bag and what was in it all too well.

    Jacob could only watch as Agent Kennedy¡¯s hand started to shake. He flexed his fingers, keeping the grip steady before slowly lifting his arm and pointing the gun away from Eve.

    ¡°Weapons down,¡± he told the rest of the agents as they dropped their guns. ¡°If she really wanted to kill any of us, she had plenty of opportunities to do so by now.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she collapsed to her knees. She chuckled as she looked down. ¡°My legs feel heavy.¡±

    Jacob ran up to her and helped her to her feet. As he did, he spotted what had been in the bag.

    A single photo lay on the ground, of a little girl who looked just like Eve next to two older people who were probably her parents.

    He wondered when she had gotten it before dismissing the thought. It wasn¡¯t important now.

    ¡°We¡¯re still going to need to take you in,¡± Agent Kennedy explained as he holstered his weapon. ¡°Run some tests and make sure you¡¯re really who you say you are.¡±

    ¡°And how do I know I can trust you?¡± she pointed out.

    ¡°It¡¯s either this or keep running for the rest of your life,¡± Agent Kennedy pointed back as Eve gave a small nod of agreement. ¡°You said your name was Eve, right? Any last name?¡±

    She started laughing while trying to not look Jacob in the eyes.

    ¡°About that¡­¡± She spoke nervously. ¡°My name¡¯s not actually Eve.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± He said flatly.

    ¡°Well, you asked me what my name was and I realized I could just call myself anything I wanted so I said my name was Eve.¡±

    ¡°Oh. You know I always thought your name was a bit too cool to be real, but I never wanted to say anything about it,¡± he said, pretending to know all along.

    ¡°So how about your real name?¡± Agent Kennedy demanded.

    ¡°Samantha,¡± Eve finally said. ¡°Samantha Evets. I¡¯m from the town across the woods.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll look into it,¡± he explained as he started leading them away from the cave. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡±

    The two of them walked carefully as they were escorted away from the cave and soon led to the woods. They got back to the road where Samantha and Agent Kennedy got in one car and Jacob got in another.

    He glanced at her one last time before the door closed and found she had done the same. He gulped as the door closed and he settled in for the drive home.

    When he got out of the car, the agent who drove him let him know Jacob would be told of any updates should he be cleared for them. Jacob just nodded as the agent closed the door.

    He watched as the black vans drove away. A heavy weight appeared in his gut as they drove out of sight.

    ¡°I hope we made the right choice, Eve.¡± he walked into his house while trying to ignore the void inside him.

 Chapter 14E

    Eve, or Samantha as she had gotten used to thinking of herself as again, sat back and watched the wall. Her cell, and it was a cell no matter what they tried to tell her, was pretty boring. It was small, about the size of her old bedroom. It was also pretty empty, with not much more than a bed, an unused dresser, an equally unused toilet, and a well-used TV.

    Unfortunately, Samantha had already gone through the limited offerings the TV had to offer. It was pretty clear that capturing Strain-whatever hadn¡¯t been the plan, let alone it turning out to be a kid. So they had just stuck her in here and hastily put all the movies rated higher than ¡®G¡¯ under a parental lock.

    She¡¯d blown through the small handful of animated movies they had and now had to pick between either watching nature documentaries or looking at the rough gray walls.

    She had already found a favorite bit of concrete sticking out from the wall. His name was Bob and he looked like a narrow cloud.

    The door swished open and she sat back up. Agent Kennedy walked in as she got to her feet.

    ¡°Am I out of here yet?¡± she asked while trying to ignore the fact that Kennedy had a gun specially made to kill her under his coat. She¡¯d gotten better at it over the course of the last few days.

    In fact the two of them had gotten to know each other a lot over the last few days. To the point the agent had told her some things the night before which she still didn¡¯t know how to feel about.

    How he still didn¡¯t know how to feel about her. How one second he looked at her and saw a normal girl who wouldn¡¯t warrant a second glance, and the next a monstrosity that had tried to kill him back on Angel Eye Island.

    He¡¯d still reassured her he was getting used to having her around, However, he also admitted he was still ready and willing to blow her head off if she tried killing people. He had also told her he was sure he¡¯d feel bad about it later though.

    Neither of them had been sure what to think of that part.

    ¡°Maybe.¡± He flinched a bit as Samantha pumped the air in victory. ¡°It¡¯s one of the things we¡¯ll be talking about after today¡¯s tests. Put on your¡­ necklace and walk with me.¡±

    ¡°Come on, Kennedy, don¡¯t try to pretend it¡¯s not a collar.¡± She laughed as she walked to the dresser and picked up a narrow silver bangle split open. She placed it around her neck and locked it into place. They waited a few seconds for it to light up green before walking out of the room.

    The second the collar was past the door to her cell, the second mechanism inside activated. Samantha could try to pull it off now, but she knew it wouldn¡¯t end well for her.

    The pair walked down the sterile, gray hallway as she once again wondered where they were. After agreeing to surrender to Kennedy, she¡¯d been led to a small van with no windows. From there she¡¯d been driven somewhere far away, and when she came out, she¡¯d been in an underground parking lot.

    From there she¡¯d been led to her room and then through some basic testing they had apparently wanted to do on her.

    The lab coat guys had been a little scared of her until she managed to convince them she was willing to cooperate with whatever they wanted. That she freely wore a collar which could kill her if she ever tried to do anything violent probably helped more than she would have liked to admit.

    But as soon as they got that, it was like the floodgates opened. They had put her through so many tests she was learning stuff about her powers she might not have ever figured out on her own.

    The pair finally came to a door which Kennedy opened for Samantha, who walked through without a word. It was all old hat for her at this point. She waited a little for him to close the doors behind her before walking down the hall. As she walked, her form shifted around. Her ¡®jeans¡¯ and ¡®blouse¡¯ flattened out and changed. She had no idea what they were going to have her do today, but it was probably going to be something athletic.

    When she stepped out of the hall, she wore a plain t-shirt and basketball shorts. The room she walked into was familiar to her by then, large and open, covered in panels and with a single wall which was taken up by a gigantic glass window.

    Behind the glass she could see ¡®almost-doctor¡¯ Kazami along with some other people in lab coats as well as¡­

    ¡°Mom, Dad, you¡¯re finally here!¡± she cried out as she ran to the glass. Up until then, she had only been able to contact them via daily video call. The first meeting had brought a lot of tears and some explanations, most of which were handled by a guy in a suit who had made her parents sign some papers before they allowed her to appear on screen.

    But she didn¡¯t care. She¡¯d been able to talk to her parents about where she had been for the past few months and what she had been up to. They had been overjoyed to learn she hadn¡¯t just run from home and was safe out there somewhere. The conversation ended with a promise they would try to get to her as quickly as possible.

    And here they were, just as promised, right behind the glass.

    ¡°Samantha.¡± The hesitation in her father¡¯s voice cut her off mid-run.

    She glanced up again and saw them both walk back a little from the microphone. It was only a few steps, but it was more than enough to hurt.

    ¡°Sorry, Sammy,¡± her mother tried to explain as they got closer again. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ in order to come here they made us watch some things¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± She rubbed the back of her head as she thought of the only thing which came to mind. ¡°Was it the videos from the island?¡±

    Instead of saying anything, they just nodded as she growled under her breath. They had shown her the same ones the day she had arrived, just to drive home to her how dangerous she was.

    She had had trouble sleeping that night. The stuff those things had done to people was bad enough. That a lot of them looked a little like her old dog or chitin armor forms made it even worse.

    It made sense why her parents would want to keep their distance after seeing them¡­

    Jacob hadn¡¯t freaked out when he learned it though. She wondered if she would ever see the boy she¡¯d come to think of as her best friend again.

    She shook her head as another voice came over the loudspeaker.

    ¡°Alright, as much as I would love to watch a classic American family crumble under the weight of illegal bioengineering, we do have work to do.¡± She scowled at the almost-doctor who just sneered back at the child.

    She guessed Kazami was still mad about her breaking into her tent and scattering the almost-doctor¡¯s stuff everywhere. Of course as one of the people technically responsible for turning her into a crime against nature, Samantha had plenty of reason to dislike her back.

    ¡°Alright, not-doc, what do you have for me today.¡± She bristled from the nickname before coughing into her fist.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to start with some basic trials for your strength.¡± As she spoke, a panel on the ceiling pulled away and a machine dropped down. It looked like a big, metal cylinder surrounded by a large frame. It settled into place as the panel underneath gave way to another panel containing a red circle.

    ¡°Please step onto the red circle,¡± Samantha heard the not-doctor explain as she found herself weirdly impressed. From what she¡¯d heard from the scientists, this testing room was brand new and practically built for her. New equipment had been added every day since she got there.

    All this money and they couldn''t splurge on more movies for her cell? What a waste.

    She did as she was told as Kazami quickly explained the idea to her. The press above her would slowly push down on her, increasing in strength over time. All she had to do was push it upwards to keep it in place. The test would end when either she couldn¡¯t keep going, or the machine couldn¡¯t push any harder.

    ¡°Easy enough,¡± she boasted as she got in place and lifted her hands until her fingers were firmly against the press. She calmly exhaled as the press came down on her and her hands spread out to catch it.

    It was easy going for a little while, the guys in lab coats saying something over the radio which she blocked out in favor of concentrating on what she was doing. It was mostly all science jargon anyway, so it wasn¡¯t like she would have gotten it if she paid attention anyway.

    After a while, she started feeling the pressure building in her arms. She still had plenty of fight in her, but her shape wasn¡¯t letting her access all of it. Months of living on her own had taught her one thing, it was that if your current shape didn¡¯t help, change it.

    Her eyes narrowed as her legs began to change. Small tendrils erupted out of them and hurled themselves onto the ground to keep her steady. Once they were in place, similar tendrils came out of her arms. They reached up and started spreading over the surface of the press, in turn spreading out the weight.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    She kept it up, feeling a bit of pain in her limbs as she started feeling the strain all over her body.

    Just as she was starting to get worried, the weight began to subside.

    Her many arms went limp, falling around her as the press came back up.

    ¡°Looks like I beat you,¡± she sneered as the machine went back into the ceiling. ¡°Take that.¡±

    Her good cheer only lasted a few more seconds until she looked back down and saw her parents staring at her. The pair were huddled together with her father holding her mother in a protective hug. She quickly glanced down at herself and her incredibly unhuman form.

    ¡°Oh right,¡± she mumbled while feeling like an idiot.

    ¡°Okay, we have a few more tests to do today,¡± Kazami loudly cut in, making all three family members jump. ¡°We just got this facility, and we¡¯re getting some use out of this baby.¡±

    The almost-doctor put the girl through a few more physical examinations, while Samantha tried her best to ignore the looks her parents were giving her.

    Which might not have been the best idea, as the pair seemed to calm down a little the longer the tests went on. The longer she kept at them, the more the pair got used to seeing their daughter shape shift. By the time the final tests rolled around, they weren¡¯t even flinching as she jumped off the treadmill and transformed back from her six-legged beast form.

    ¡°Alright that¡¯s all for today,¡± Kazami said over the microphone. ¡°Agent Kennedy wanted to talk to you and your folks for a bit so he¡¯ll be waiting for you by the exit. I¡¯d tell you to hit the showers first, but we both know you don¡¯t sweat.¡±

    Samantha glared at the almost-doctor who quickly ignored her in favor of looking over the screen in front of her. She waited a bit longer to see if she had anything else to say, but the almost-doctor kept quiet.

    ¡°Shower would still be nice,¡± she mumbled as she walked into the hallway and changed back into her more normal clothes. ¡°But, no, they can¡¯t risk me escaping via the drains, even though I can¡¯t.¡±

    She glanced down at her chosen set of clothing: a pair of long, black pants and a blue t-shirt, and found them acceptable.

    Still, a part of her wanted to change into her chitin armor. It looked cool and made her feel like a superhero. She hadn¡¯t had a chance to wear it since she got there, and despite what she wanted, she knew there were cameras on her at all times.

    The last thing she needed was to freak everyone out and lower her chances of getting out of there.

    Maybe they would let her do it if she asked for permission first and said she just wanted to look cool? A question to be saved for some other time maybe.

    She came out of the room to find Agent Kennedy patiently waiting for her there.

    ¡°Have¡­ Have you been waiting there the whole time?¡± she asked as he stood from the chair he¡¯d been sitting in.

    ¡°Patience is just one of those things you learn when you get older,¡± he spoke sagely, as though he hadn¡¯t spent the time listening to music while he watched the security footage of the tests on his phone.

    ¡°If patience means having to sit on a chair doing nothing for¡­ How long was I in there again?¡± The two fell into conversation as he started leading her down the empty hall again.

    ¡°Around half an hour,¡± he told her as he glanced forward checking to make sure everyone was following protocol. No one was allowed out in the hallway while she was there except for him.

    Less casualties in case of an incident and all that.

    ¡°Yeah, if patience means doing nothing for half an hour, maybe I don¡¯t want it,¡± she huffed as he found himself smiling despite his wishes.

    ¡°You¡¯ve spent the last few days waiting to learn if you get out of here or not, and even longer waiting to see your parents again. I would say you¡¯re already pretty patient.¡±

    She rolled her eyes at his needling as the pair came to a stop in front of another door.

    ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± he asked as Samantha gulped. ¡°The director is a powerful man, and he¡¯s pretty much going to be the one to decide what¡¯s going to happen to you.¡±

    ¡°Ready as I¡¯ll ever be,¡± she replied as they walked into the room.¡±

    At the center of the room was a small desk with two chairs in front of it. Behind it was a gigantic screen which took up most of the wall.

    The two of them quickly took their seats as the screen came to life. Three images appeared in front of the pair. On the left were Samantha¡¯s parents, on the right was almost-doctor Kazami, and in the very center was the director.

    The director was an older man with graying hair and an intense glare in his eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to finally meet you, Samantha.¡± His expression slightly softened as he looked down at her. ¡°My name is Director Freemen, Head of the Department of Strange Phenomena, or DOSP as everyone seems to keep calling us these days.¡±

    ¡°Hello, sir.¡± She forced back the gulp and sat up as straight as she could. Every single bit of politeness her parents ever taught her flashed through her brain. She was going to make as good an impression as possible, she had to if she wanted to get out of here.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get right down to business. I was speaking with your parents earlier and we¡¯ve come to a set of scenarios we can follow.¡± He reached for some papers on his desk and held them in front of him. ¡°The first and most simple¡­ we relocate you from your current location to a more permanent secure facility for you to live out the rest of your life. Your parents would have free access to see you whenever they wanted, but something tells me you might not want this option?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± she nodded as quickly as possible while trying to not think about having to live the rest of her life in a cell.

    ¡°I imagined so.¡± He shuffled the papers around. ¡°The next idea we spoke of is to allow you to go home and continue your normal life.¡±

    Samantha ears perked up as a smile grew on her face.

    ¡°Of course, this option was dismissed out of hand.¡± The director¡¯s words cut right through her even as she knew she should have seen them coming.

    ¡°Well, I sort of figured, but I still hoped.¡± She deflated a bit as a bitter taste filled her mouth.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get us wrong,¡± he started to explain. ¡°You¡¯ve been nothing but cooperative since you¡¯ve arrived. So cooperative it actually threw us wildly ahead of schedule. At first we were even worried you were some kind of new life form only pretending to be Samantha Evets.¡±

    She blinked as the idea played in her head. From the outside, it kind of made sense. Well at least she knew she was herself.

    ¡°We ruled that out relatively quickly,¡± the director continued. ¡°We¡¯ve had a team analyze you since you first stepped foot in this facility. As far as they, and by extension us, can tell, you are who you claim to be. That is, a little girl who has been through some very long and stressful couple of months.¡±

    Samantha sat up and beamed at the praise.

    ¡°In light of these facts, we have created a solution which we believe will suit all parties, a compromise between two extremes.¡± Her head snapped up and she watched as the director calmly shuffled his papers again. ¡°You will be allowed to lead a somewhat normal life, but you will be under careful surveillance. You will also have to live in a special DOSP facility currently under construction in the Willowood area.¡±

    ¡°Will I still be able to see my parents and go to school?¡± She glanced at her parents, who softened their eyes a little.

    ¡°Your parents will be able to freely visit you, and you will be allowed to attend school albeit under the heaviest of supervision. Since you¡¯ll be attending your old school, you¡¯ll have to use a new identity, a new face as well. We¡¯ll also be having our best agent on the scene in case of the worst. You¡¯ll also have to use a new version of your current¡­ neckwear. I¡¯ll leave it to specialist Kazami to explain.¡±

    Samantha raised an eyebrow at the new title as Kazami started speaking.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple. To make a long, complicated story short, we¡¯ll be upgrading that collar of yours.¡± She held up a similar-looking thin, metal ring. ¡°Unlike your current neckwear which only monitors your use of your powers and alerts us if you try to remove it, this one will give us a lot more. Not only does it do everything the old one used to do, it also tracks you and more importantly it¡¯s able to deliver a payload of enough destabilizing agent to blow your head clean off if you ever decide you want to start killing people.¡±

    The giant smile on her face as she described the way the object in her hand could kill Samantha was not lost on anyone. As soon as the almost-doctor finished her explanation, the rest of the room fell into a short silence.

    ¡°I mean, I get,¡± the girl in question finally said. ¡°But¡­ did you need to put it that way?¡±

    ¡°Of course I did, how else are we supposed to keep you in line?¡± Kazami replied as twisted the collar in her hand. ¡°If you have any other ideas besides the threat of immediate painful termination, I¡¯m all ears. You have to give us humans some sort of way of evening the¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Specialist Kazami,¡± the director interrupted as Kazami noticed the looks she was getting from the other four adults on the call. ¡°That will be all.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be on standby.¡± She cheerfully waved as though she had said nothing wrong. ¡°Farewell.¡±

    ¡°What a horrible woman,¡± Samantha¡¯s mother bristled as she glared at the screen where Kazami had been a few moments earlier.

    ¡°As difficult as she is, Specialist Kazami is both a brilliant mind and the closest thing we have to an expert on the kinds of research that Red-Stars was doing,¡± the director tried to justify, even if he looked like he was doing it for his own sake more than anyone else¡¯s.

    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t excuse her implying my daughter¡¯s not being human anymore,¡± her father argued as they hit a topic which Samantha had been thinking about for a good while now.

    ¡°I mean¡­ am I?¡± she finally said, a weight coming off her chest. ¡°Human, that is. I don¡¯t think so, not anymore anyway.¡±

    ¡°Look plenty human from here,¡± Agent Kennedy added as she shook her head.

    ¡°Yeah, and a few minutes ago I had six legs,¡± she explained. ¡°I don¡¯t think I should keep pretending I¡¯m human. I can talk to them, I can walk among them, but I¡¯m something¡­ different, I guess.¡±

    ¡°So what do you want to do?¡± Kennedy asked as the rest of the adults watched her carefully.

    ¡°I guess¡­ I kind of know how science works. If Red-Stars managed to make something like me, it means other people could make stuff like me too.¡± She nervously grasped the leg of her pants under the table. ¡°If I can¡¯t be part of humanity, then I¡¯ll just protect it instead. I want to join DOSP.¡±

    ¡°A commendable attitude, but let¡¯s wait a few years on that,¡± the director interrupted, killing the wind in her sails. ¡°As useful as you would be as an asset, the U.S. government is not in the business of hiring child soldiers.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, you¡¯d ace the physical exams as you are now.¡± Agent Kennedy clapped his hand on her shoulder. ¡°So focus on hitting those books in school to pass the written test for the next few years.¡±

    Samantha spoke a bit longer to the director before finally getting a chance to talk to her parents again. They told her some things she had missed in the family since she vanished. She had apparently missed two marriages, and a birth. After a bit, Kazami came back to inform them the meeting room was ready.

    There weren¡¯t many words when the lost daughter returned to her parents¡¯ arms, mostly crying and tears of happiness. And hugs, plenty of those.

    A few weeks later, Samantha walked out of the car along with Agent Kennedy.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe they assigned me to this cover,¡± he grumbled. ¡°It¡¯d make more sense for me to be a security guard than a gym teacher.¡±

    ¡°I think the director was messing with you when he chose it,¡± she pointed out as she adjusted her green-and-bronze backpack. ¡°And come on, I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be that bad.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I am not ready for this.¡± He grunted as she started walking away. ¡°And make sure to keep to your cover.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I went a few weeks using the name, it won¡¯t take long for me to get used to it again,¡± she told him as she headed into the school¡¯s courtyard.

    Willowood might have been a small town, but it had a pretty big middle and high school. It made sense. The town was pretty centrally located and a lot of the other tiny towns around just bussed their kids there instead of having their own schools.

    Tiny towns like Oakwood.

    It didn¡¯t take long to find him, a perk of having superhuman hearing. Plus, she had experience tracking his voice. Those days of waiting for him in a cave certainly helped.

    She quickly found her target, sitting on a bench in the courtyard slumped over and looking kind of down. With all the stealth of a future secret agent, she worked her way behind him, smiling like an idiot the whole time. As soon as she was in range, she quickly reached out and placed her hands over his eyes.

    ¡°Guess who?¡±

    ¡°Eve?¡±