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For Whom Death Comes By: Light Clark Synopsis: Owen has a plan for his summer which he hopes will make him the most popular freshman to ever attend his high school. Things start to go astray, though, when he sees a mysterious girl in white who seems dead set on throwing all of his plans into disarray. Warning: This story is 'technically' set in the Whateley universe. It uses no characters or places from that universe, just borrows a few terms and general thematics. It is certainly not canon. Chapter 01 "Ah ... finally ... summer's here," I sighed in relief, stretching my hands over my head. Up in the sky, the sun beat down with incredible heat, serving as proof for my claim. With the heat, however, came the glorious end of school for the year. In fact, the last day of my last year in middle school had just ended. Needless to say, it felt wonderful that it was finally over. "It's great. Plus, we never have to come back to this kiddie shithole again," my buddy, Ian, agreed from beside me as he leaned back on the bench we were sharing while we waited for his mom to pick us up. "Yeah, high school is gonna be so much better," I replied wistfully. "There'll be cars and parties ..." "And high school girls," Ian added with a grin. Joining in the grin, I nodded. "Exactly." "Of course, they probably won't give us the time of day. They'll be too busy hanging on the arms of seniors to notice us," Ian grouched. He wasn't bad looking for an eighth-grader, but by highschool guy standards he was short and wimpy. "Well ... maybe not you anyway," I taunted smugly. Unlike Ian, I was tall for my age and not quite as scrawny. I was planning on working on that last bit, too, by starting to weight lift over the summer. By the time school started in the fall, I expected to be ripped. Ian rolled his eyes at me. "Whatever, you're just as much of a dork as the rest of us." "You'll see," I answered confidently. "I'll have a girlfriend inside a month of school starting." "You wanna bet?" Ian questioned. I shrugged. "Sure. Why not? I could use a little extra money." "Alright, twenty-bucks says you can't get a girlfriend before ... let's say October," Ian claimed, offering a hand to me. "That's more than a month." Without hesitation, I reached out to shake on the bet. "You're on." Ian held the grip for a moment to keep me from pulling away. "And freshman girls don't count." "Yeah, sure, like I'd want some kiddie freshman girl anyway," I agreed, repeating the shake. This time, Ian let me pull my hand away after. Once the bet was made, it was Ian's turn to grin smugly. "That arrogance is gonna cost you, Owen." "It's not arrogance, it's honesty," I retorted smoothly. "Yeah, well, honestly, you're arrogant as fuck," Ian shot back. I just chuckled dismissively. "We'll see. We'll see." *********************************************** *********************************************** "Ooo, you're early today," I commented as I happened to look out the window at the neighbor's yard. My neighbors, the Alcotts, were one of the few in the subdivision to have a pool in their backyard. Many years ago, when the Kennings had owned that house, I had gone over there several times every summer to play with their son, Adam. He was an obnoxious loser that never left me alone, but it had been worth putting up with him for some water fun on a hot day. These days, that pool provided a very different kind of entertainment for me. Walking out of the backdoor of the house was Claire Alcott. She was the perfect dream girl - pretty, blonde, and curved in all the right places. The seventeen year old was dressed in nothing but a skimpy white bikini that showed off her amazing figure perfectly as she sashayed over to a lounge chair and laid down to sunbathe. That had been her habit every other day since school had let out, a habit that I had become very familiar with. Sitting at my computer desk looking out the window on that beauty, I couldn't help but sigh wistfully. It was so unfair. Even though she was so close, she seemed completely out of reach for a kid like me. "Not for long, though," I told myself firmly, before shoving myself from my seat. Quickly, I walked over to the second window in my room and grabbed the pair of dumbbells that rested on the floor there. Once I had them in hand, I got to work on doing sets of curls. As I worked out, my gaze lingered on the girl in the other yard. It was easier to motivate myself to work out when I could see what I was working for. "Maybe I should put a twenty on the window sill too," I joked as I worked my way through the first set. The only thing that would make dating Claire even better was the fact that it would mean taking Ian's money at the same time. Just as I was finishing the last rep of my first set, I saw Claire shift positions. At first, she just opened her eyes and tilted her head up a little to look at something. A moment later, she actually sat all the way up, her mouth moving as if talking to someone. Wondering who she could be talking to, I followed her gaze across the Alcotts' backyard to the house whose yard butted up against the Alcotts'. Leaning against the short wooden fence that encircled the Alcott's back yard was a girl. She was rather oddly dressed, wearing an old fashioned looking, long sleeve, white dress with a full length skirt. In addition to the odd dress, she carried a matching parasol that kept her head and faced hidden from both the sun and me. I'd never seen anyone wear anything like that in real life. It looked like it belonged in some boring, victorian era movie. Even as I looked at the oddly dressed girl, I saw her raise a hand to point directly up at me. A chill ran down my spine as I realized what the two must of have been talking about. I pulled my attention back to Claire, just in time to meet her gaze as she looked right up at me. Immediately, a disgusted look twisted Claire's pretty features. Folding her arms protectively over her chest, she got up and started toward the door to her house. As she hurried away, she tossed a glare toward me that was so icy I thought my blood was going to freeze in my veins. The moment Claire vanished through the door, it all finally hit me. Embarrassment caused my cheeks to burn like they were on fire. Joining that was as an aching emptiness in my chest from seeing Claire's disdain. Slumping dejectedly, I let the dumbbells fall from my hands to thump heavily against the floor. I didn't even notice that, though. I just turned around and flopped hopelessly onto my bed while silently wishing that God would just kill me. *********************************************** *********************************************** "So ... are you just gonna lay there for the rest of the summer feeling sorry for yourself?" Ian questioned as he looked down at me laying on my bed with my face over my hands. I nodded. "Might as well. There's no point in doing anything, anymore." "Look, I know it sucks not getting to perv on a hottie like Claire every day, but it's not the end of the world," Ian tried, poorly, to reason with me. Letting my hands fall from my face, I glared in annoyance at Ian. "Yes it is. She's never gonna talk to the creeper that used to leer at her while she was sunbathing. Everything is ruined!" Taken a bit aback, Ian just looked at me for a moment. It had been two days since the girl in white had alerted Claire to my presence. Since then, Claire had made some adjustments to her sunbathing routine. She'd changed her position and gotten an umbrella to make sure that there was no way that I could sneak a peek on her while she was out there. Meanwhile, I had done little besides lay on my bed and mope about my embarrassing mistake. Finally, Ian shook his head at me. "Nope. I don't wanna win the bet this way. You're getting up and making a comeback." I rolled my eyes at the ridiculous notion. "Yeah? And how the fuck am I supposed to do that?" Ian shrugged. "If I knew the secret of how to get Claire Alcott to date me, I certainly wouldn't be sharing it. There's gotta be something you can do, though. Something so badass that she'll forget all about you being a perverted peeper." "Maybe if it was something truly epic ..." I conceded, feeling just a faint flicker of hope inside of me. Ian snapped his fingers. "I know what we should do. Danny's brother, Charlie, is throwing a big party tomorrow night. Everybody cool's gonna be there. We should crash it." "Come on. We try that, and they'll just beat us to a pulp and throw us out," I pointed out. Ian grinned mischievously. "Not if you ... you know ..." he insinuated before pantomiming being shocked. Unfortunately, I knew exactly what Ian was insinuating. In spite of my normal appearance, I was far from normal. Six months ago, I had manifested as a mutant, specifically an energizer capable of generating electrical jolts that ranged from a mild shock to a dangerous bolt. It was something I generally kept under wraps, as I was more than a little worried how my friends and classmates would react to the news. In fact, Ian was the only one outside of my family that knew. After all, Mutants weren't exactly loved. "There's no way I'll have a chance with her once everyone knows I'm a freak," I argued. Ian shook his head. "No, you have no chance with her right now. Something like this might actually give you a chance." Rubbing a hand over my face, I let out a heavy sigh. "I can't believe I'm even considering this." "So we're doing it?" Ian asked eagerly. Not having any better ideas, I nodded uncertainly. "I guess ..." Chuckling, Ian clapped a hand on my back. "Don't worry. It's gonna go great, and we'll be legends with girls begging to date us, even girls as hot as Claire." "And if it goes wrong, I can just zap you to death and never have to show my face in school ever again," I joked morbidly. "Y'know ... maybe this is a bit of a gamble ..." Ian remarked uneasily. That comment earned Ian a punch on the shoulder from me. "Fuck you, man." Ian laughed. "Like I'd really back out and let you be the only one to become a legend." "I don't know. You are kind of a coward," I insulted. "Hey!" Ian protested. "I'm braver than anyone!" "And twice as stupid, too!" I shot back. Before Ian could retort, the distinctive chime of a doorbell echoed through the house. "Saved by the bell." A little confused, I hopped off the bed to get the door. "Who the hell could it even be? It's too late for a package, and my mom's not home." "Maybe she ordered a pizza for us or something?" Ian guessed as he followed behind me. "Maybe ..." I answered. "She usually calls to see what we want first, though." Still kind of confused by what was going on, I made my way quickly to the front door and peeked out to see what was outside. Unlike what Ian and I had guessed, there was no delivery man standing there. Instead, there was a small box resting on the ground. "Huh, guess someone is running really late on their route," I surmised as I pulled open the door and stepped outside to grab the box. The moment after I stepped out of the house, I felt something heavy and squishy plop on top of my head. An audible pop followed, right before a torrent of water gushed over my head and shoulders. Finally, with a wet plopping sound, the tattered remnants of a pink water balloon flopped onto the ground at my feet. "What the fuck?!" I exclaimed, swatting my hands at my soaked clothes as if that would get the water out of them. "Ha ha ha!" came the sound of a haughty female voice laughing in a grandiose and superior manner. "Marvel at my devious ruse, you sopping buffoon." Furious at being drenched, I spun to face the sound. I'd intended to glare, but the sight that awaited me there, earned a confused expression instead. Standing over by the corner of the house was the girl responsible for my currently drenched state. She was dressed in an absolutely ridiculous manner, however, with a baggy white longsleeve shirt, gray pajama pants, and what appeared to be a sheet wrapped around her head like a hooded cloak to hide her face. In gloved hands, she held a length of string that she must have used to spring the water balloon trap on me. When the girl saw me turn her way, she dropped the string and snatched up one edge of her sheet to hold it up in front of her like a shield. "Look upon me and despair, mortal, for I am the em-" "Are you wearing a sheet?" I cut in before the girl could finish her introduction. There was an awkward delay before the girl uncertainly answered, ".... No ..." "It is a sheet!" Ian exclaimed from behind me before bursting into laughter. "That's hilarious!" In front of me, the arm the girl was using to hold the sheet in front of her shook in what appeared to be rage. "It's not a sheet! It's a cloak! Jeez!" she blurted, abandoning the refined tone that she'd used before for one that was higher, cuter, and decidedly petulant sounding. Quickly, though, she cleared her throat and continued in the previous manner once more. "It is known as the shroud of the fallen, because I am the embodiment of death itself, she that mourns the fate of all, the harbinger of catastrophe, the-" "This name doesn't just go on forever does it?" I questioned, cutting the girl off again. From behind her sheet, the girl let out a cute little growl of annoyance. "Mock if you will, mortal, but known this. I, the Banshee, have delivered you your warning. Death comes for thee, Owen Howell!" In time with that proclamation, the girl extended her free hand to point at me ominously. "Cherish the time that remains to you." The moment she was finished speaking, the girl swirled her cloak grandly and took off, darting around the edge of the house. Left behind, Ian and I could do little besides just stare at where the girl had been standing. We were too dumbfounded by what we'd just witnessed to give chase, even though, we could hear the girls footsteps as she ran away. "Did that really just happen?" Ian questioned from behind me. Not entirely sure myself, I nodded slowly. "Yeah ... I ... I think so ..." "Wow ... crazy ..." Ian muttered before snapping back to reality. "Hey, what's in the box anyway?" "Oh ... I don't know. Probably nothing," I answered, snapping out of my daze enough to bend over and pick up the box. Immediately, the box proved me wrong as something inside rattled around. "Or not ..." "Dude, you've gotta open it," Ian told me. I tossed a dubious look at my friend. "Are you kidding? It's probably just another stupid prank." "Yeah, but we gotta known for sure," Ian replied. Shrugging, I stuffed the box under my arm and turned to back inside. "Alright, fine, I'll open it. It's not like I can get any wetter." Back inside, I walked into the kitchen to grab a pair scissors. A few quick snips and the tape that kept the box closed was dealt with and I leaned back before popping the thing open. I'd expected some spring loaded snake or pie or something to come flying out at me, but nothing of the sort happened. The only thing inside was a toy, ray gun made of orange plastic. It was the kind of thing a little kid would play with. "It's just some stupid old toy," I announced as I pulled the gun out to show it to Ian. "What? But why?" Ian questioned. I shrugged. "I don't know, man." My answer just got Ian to shake his head. "So weird." *********************************************** *********************************************** Chapter 02 Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I let out a sigh. Clothes that had just yesterday seemed plenty cool to me, now felt juvenile and dorky. I couldn't crash a high school party looking like some idiot middle schooler. No matter what I put on, though, that was what I looked like. The buzz of my phone interrupted my endless fretting. Pulling my attention from the mirror, I hurried over to check what it was. I almost wished that I hadn't, though, when I saw the text from Ian that he was almost there. "Fuck," I mumbled while nervously smoothing back my hair. "I can't do this. I'm just gonna call it off." Before I could even really start a reply to that effect, I shook my head. "No. I'm not gonna chicken out now. I need something like this. All we've gotta do is just act like we belong and there won't be a problem." I flip flopped another couple of times before finally the ring of the doorbell freed me from the endless loop of uncertainty. Forced to act, I made my way to the door, wringing my hands nervously the entire way. Somehow, though, I managed to not run back to my room like a coward. When I finally opened the door, I was treated to the sight of an Ian that looked every bit as nervous as I was. He was bouncing from foot to foot anxiously, a habit that didn't stop even once the door opened. However, he did force himself to stop wringing his hands. "Hey, Owen. You ready for this?" Ian greeted. I tried to nod as confidently as I could. "Yeah, definitely." "Good. Good," Ian mumbled, nodding his head far too many times. "Then let's get going." "Yeah, lets, " I agreed. With neither of us backing down, Ian and I started on the trek to the house of Charlie Wilmus, senior and renowned party thrower. His renown mostly came from the fact that his parents were both well off and hands off. They were often away on trips, and always made sure to leave plenty of money for Charlie when they left. Their absence combined with the money and a well-stocked liquor cabinet made throwing amazing parties a breeze. The fact that Charlie was a good looking guy didn't hurt either. Of course, Ian and I only knew about all of this because we knew his little brother Danny who always got screwed over by his older brother. Not only did Charlie hog all the cash, but he forced Danny to spend the night at friends' houses whenever it was party time. Both of us had hosted him on at least one such night, nights that were usually filled with Danny complaining about his older brother. Even though it was several blocks, the journey to the party seemed to vanish in a flash for me. It was almost like one moment I was stepping out of my house, and the next I was in sight of the Wilmus house. That was when the dread really set in. "Alright, so ... what's our move?" I asked, hoping Ian had a really good plan for making this work. "We just have to pretend like we belong," Ian replied. I nodded. "Right. And how do we do that?" "Uhm ... good question," Ian answered, all but admitting that he had no idea. "We'd better do a bit of scouting first." Ian's uncertainty only served to worsen my nerves, but I'd come too far by then to back down. Instead, I focused on the house that lay before me. If I looked hard enough, I had to be able to find a clue about how to approach. The Wilmus house looked pretty normal for the subdivision, a nice two story that had plenty of space for a family. Most of the lights in the house were on, and music was playing loud enough to be heard even down the street. There were dozens of cars parked around the place as well, the rides of the many guests that populated the party within. Even as I watched, yet another car pulled up, parking along the street. A couple got out of the vehicle and started toward the door, chatting with each other along the way. When they got there, rather than stop they pulled the door open and walked right on inside. "There!" I blurted, pointing toward the door. "What?" Ian asked. "That couple that just got here. They walked right in without knocking or anything. That's what we have to do," I explained. Nodding, Ian rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. "I see ... I think you're right. Lead on." Recognizing Ian's response for the cowardice that it was, I tossed an annoyed look his way. Rather than bother trying to argue, though, I just went with it. It wasn't like we could just stand on the street all night, so trying something made more sense than bickering. With mental fortitude greater than I knew I had, I trudged straight toward the front door of the Wilmus house. As I went, Ian followed behind me, drawing confidence from my determined stride. Within moments, we made it to the door, and I reached out with a shaking but unhesitant hand to grab the handle. Even having seen the previous couple just open the door, I was still surprised when I found it unlocked. Easily, the door opened, revealing the brightly lit foyer of the house beyond. Without the door in the way, the music's volume seemed to double, as did the sound of voices and laughter and all sorts of other things. In something of a daze, I took my first few steps step into the house, looking around in wide eyed wonder. I could see all sorts of people milling about, however, there were only a couple standing in the foyer, a pair of older boys discussing something privately. While those two were too focused on their conversation to even notice us, other people happened to glance my way, quickly adopting looks of confusion at the sight of me. "You're gawking," Ian critiqued helpfully from behind me. "Right, sorry," I muttered back to him, snapping out of the stupor I'd been in. Adopting what I hoped was a casual swagger, I made way toward the living room and the sounds of the main party. The interior of the living room was packed. Every possible seat was taken, as was most of the standing room, by various teens with red plastic cups in hand. Very quickly, people started to notice Ian and me with numerous eyes turning our way. Tall for my age at five-eight, most of those eyes still managed to look down on me. Even most of the girls could look down their noses at me thanks to their heels. No matter their gender, their gazes were heavy with disapproval, making me feel like I was literally shrinking under their stares. Suddenly, there was a tap on my shoulder followed by a gruff, "Hey, kid. What d'ya think you're doing?" Turning around, I came face to face - more like face to chest - with Charlie Wilmus who sported a rather annoyed look on his face. He was a big brute of a senior, tall and well-muscled. I had seen him several times before, but up close and angry at me, he seemed a lot more intimidating. "I ... uhm ..." I stumbled for words, cursing myself for acting like such an idiot. Mentally, I kept repeating the words, We're here for the party, trying to force my lips to vocalize them. "... W-We're here for the party." "What? You're joking, right?" Charlie snorted in amusement. "This a prank or something?" Somehow, I managed to shake my head. "No. We're freshman now, so we decided it was time to go to a real party." "Did you, now?" Charlie asked rhetorically. "Well too bad not even sophomores were invited to this party, much less freshman, so why don't you two little dorks beat it, before I make you regret going where you're not wanted." An involuntary gulp rattled down my throat as the big senior towered over me. I wanted to just nod, shrink away from him, and scurry out the door, but I fought the urge. That way was the way of social suicide. I had to stand my ground. "No," I stated with a firmness that surprised even me. "No?" Charlie questioned in disbelief. I nodded. "You heard me." My retort got several shocked hisses and gasps from the surrounding teens. At the same time, Charlie's face twitched slightly at the obvious challenge. Twisting his neck to loosen up, he raised his hands to crack his knuckles. "You sure you want to take that tone with me, little man?" Charlie asked, the threat obvious. "I'm sure I'm not gonna let some oversized blowhard tell me where I can and can't be," I shot back, shocked by my own words. Another round of murmurs rustled through the crowds as the tension built. Charlie's eyes narrowed in a glare so vicious that, even with mutant powers, it was hard to keep my knees from shaking in fear. I managed to stand my ground, though - somehow. All of a sudden, the glare vanished from Charlie's face, replaced with an easy smile and a light chuckle. "You are either the toughest or the dumbest freshman I have ever met, kid. Either way, you can stay." "Wait. Really?" I gasped in surprise, getting a series of laughs from the onlookers. "Yeah, sure. That was badass," Charlie confirmed. "Just don't act like a complete dork, okay?" I nodded. "Got it." With my intrusion handled, Charlie just turned and walked away, chuckling to himself. "Oversized blowhard ... ha." The moment Charlie turned away, the crowd lost interest in me. They returned to their own conversations, without any hint of the previous disdain. In its place was a mix of ignoring and mild acceptance. "Holy shit, dude, that was fucking amazing," Ian declared as he came over to me. "I can't believe you actually stood up to him. I would've fucking peed my pants if I were you." I shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not big deal. Just gotta have confidence." "Yeah, well clearly you've got a lot more than I do," Ian replied, before pointing back behind me. "And speaking of confidence, guess who saw the whole thing?" Following the gesture, I glanced over my shoulder to see none other than Claire Alcott standing not far away. She was with a couple of other girls, chatting away about something, but when I glanced back she was looking my way. Our eyes even briefly met, and there was no trace of the disgust from the other day. Just seeing that made it all totally worth it. *********************************************** *********************************************** "Ugh ... " I groaned as I trudged down the steps toward the kitchen. With every step I took, a stab of pain shot through my temples a repeating reminder of how much I'd drunk the night before. After getting Charlie's approval, Ian and I had had a blast at the party. We'd mostly just hung out with each other, but occasionally we got to talk to some of the seniors. When we were by ourselves, though, we passed our time enjoying our first real drinks. Sure, both he and I had had sips of things growing up, but it was nothing compared to having our own beers, and not just one either, as my splitting headache could attest. I was pretty certain that I'd had a shot at one point, too. It was all kind of hazy, though. "Good morning, sweetie," my mom greeted brightly as she saw me come down the stairs from her seat in the living room. The sound of her voice was even worse than the thump of the steps, making me feel like my eyes were going to burst. "Morning ... Mom." My weak reply got a worried look from my mother. "Are you alright? You don't look so good." "I'm ... " I began, only to have to pause to rub at my head. "I'm fine. I just ... didn't sleep well." "Okay ... " my mom replied uncertainly. "Oh, before I forget. There was a package on the doorstep for you this morning. It's on the kitchen table." "Package?" I mumbled as I shuffled toward the kitchen. "But I didn't order anything ..." In spite of my complaint, there was in fact a package resting on the table in the kitchen. It didn't have a shipping label on it, though, just a little note written right on the box that it was for me. Seeing it gave me a faint feeling of unease. After all, this wasn't the first mysterious box to show up at my door. "Don't tell me it's from that weirdo," I muttered as I inspected the box. This one did not rattle like the other had, but it didn't appear to be boobytrapped either. I was tempted to just throw it away, but even hungover, curiosity got the better of me. Letting out a sigh, I went and grabbed the scissor before making short work of the tape on the box. Inside was a pile of red tissue paper with a piece of paper laying on top of it. The paper was very neatly folded with a red circle of what appeared to be wax on the edge that it would open from. "A wax seal? Really?" I complained, unable to believe that anyone would actually use something like that. It was all the proof I needed that this had to be from the weird girl from the other night. Setting the letter aside, I dug through the tissue to see if there was anything else in the box. Sure enough, there was. Resting on the bottom of the box was an action figure of a robot with all sorts of missiles and other weapons. I remembered there was a show on about them a few years back that I'd liked at the time. "What's with this girl and kid's stuff?" I asked the empty room, before setting the action figure aside. With the box emptied, I set the game down and grabbed the letter again. Hoping there might be some kind of explanation written within, I popped open the wax seal and unfolded it. On the page were only a few lines written in a beautifully flowing cursive. "Another day has marched right on by While you and your friends danced under the sky The music has made such a merry spot But last forever the party cannot So enjoy your time until the last tune For after that song, death will see you soon." "Ugh ..." I groaned after I read the poem. Not only was it completely useless for explaining why this girl was being such a lunatic, leaving random gifts for me with creepy messages, but it was just so corny and over-the-top too. "Yeah, whatever you say 'Banshee'," I added sarcastically as I tossed the letter on top of the toy. Already sick of the nonsense, I just left it all there and went in search of something actually useful, like breakfast. *********************************************** *********************************************** Chapter 03 Taking a few steadying dribbles first, I lifted the basketball and sighted down the hoop. A slow deep breath followed just before my hands sprung into motion. The ball sailed toward the basket in a graceful arc, spinning perfectly. A moment later, there was a loud clang as it smacked into the metal ring and bounced off. "Damn it," I cursed under my breath as I turned to go chase it down. I barely managed to get a step, though, before I froze. Unbeknownst to me, a car had pulled into the driveway of the Alcott's house, and that car was exactly what the basketball was bouncing toward. It didn't have enough force to really hit the vehicle, but it did manage to roll to the feet of the vehicle's driver. That driver was a pretty brunette that I had seen several times before, Claire's best friend, Ashley. The brunette bent down to pick up the ball, looking at me as she rose back up. "Hey, aren't you that kid from Charlie's party?" Rubbing at my hair nervously, I nodded. "Uhm ... yeah ..." "Wow, Claire didn't tell me the badass freshman was the kid she'd caught staring at her while she was sunbathing," Ashley remarked. The reminder of my previous mistake caused my cheeks to flush with heat. "Well ... uhm ... the thing is ... " Ashley giggled at my discomfort. "Don't worry about it. There's not a guy at school that wouldn't've done the same thing if they'd had the chance. Not many of them would've tried to stare down Charlie, though, even if he is just a big softie." "Oh ... uhm ... " I stammered, not sure what I was supposed to say to a girl like this. "Well anyway ... here's your ball back," Ashley said, tossing the ball weakly back toward me. She started to turn toward the house, but quickly turned back. "Hey, you wanna come hang out with me and Claire? We were just gonna lay around by the pool and listen to music and stuff, but you're welcome to join us." The invitation was so shocking that even as my mind screamed yes, my mouth refused to budge. A long awkward moment passed where I was just staring dumbfoundedly at Ashley before I finally managed to say, "Yeah, definitely." "Cool, just come on back whenever," Ashley instructed, before giving me a little wave and starting toward the house again. I stood there, staring in disbelief until I heard the door click closed behind Ashley. The click of the door seemed to sync with the click of my brain as it started up again. The damn thing went from zero to sixty in a flash, filling itself with worries in an instant. Should I go over there now? Should I wait? Did I need to change? Did I need a swimsuit? Should I bring anything? Was it just a joke? Even as the questions raced through my head, I managed to have enough sense to look down. I was dressed to shoot some hoops, and had been at it a while. It was hot, so I was sweaty and probably looked awful. "I need a shower," I deduced. The moment my mind had that plan to latch onto, I sprang into motion. I raced back inside, tossing the basketball haphazardly on the couch. Then, I sped upstairs to hop in the shower. In there, I scrubbed and scrubbed, so fast and hard that my skin felt raw afterward, before hopping back out again to work on my hair. That took as long as the shower did. By the time I'd finished cleaning up and returned to my room to change, I could see Ashley and Claire by the pool from my window. Claire's seat was still mostly obscured from view, but I could tell that both she and Ashley had on bikinis. Determined to fit in, I pulled on a pair of swim trunks and my sandals and left my room behind. There was no way I was going to make the girls wait any longer than I had to. "Ah, there he is!" Ashley called out as I approached the Alcott's backyard. "What took you so long, kid?" "Uhm ... I ... was all sweaty ... so I took a shower," I explained, going with the truth since I couldn't come up with a lie. Ashley giggled at my answer. "See? Isn't he adorable?" Claire rolled her eyes at her friend. "You'd better be careful, Owen. Ashley's got a thing for younger guys." "They're so cute and eager to please. Plus, I just love teaching 'em where everything goes," Ashely confirmed, winking suggestively at me. Heat flushed my cheeks at the insinuation. "I ... uhm ... well ... " This time both girls giggled at me. "I think you broke him, Ash." "That's okay. I'll just kiss it and make it all better," Ashley told her friend, before turning back to beckon me over. "Come on over here, kid. I wanna know what crazy thing you were thinking when you decided to crash Charlie's party like that." Needing no further invitation, I hopped the short fence and hurried over to where the girls were sitting. "Well ... Ian, my friend from the party, and I were just thinking that we were ready for a real party. Besides, Charlie's not that scary." "Not that scary? You know, he once punched out a linebacker?" Claire noted. "He did it in just one punch, too." "Oh God! I remember that!" Ashley gasped. "It was just like pow, out like a light. He deserved it after calling Hannah fat like that. What an asshole." "Yeah. Charlie was awesome, though, like an enraged bear," Claire replied. "Hannah's so lucky." Ashley nodded. "Totally, but I heard last night that they might be on the rocks. There was a rumor going around that someone saw Hannah go upstairs with Greg." Gasping, Claire covered her mouth with her hands. "No way!" "That's what I heard," Ashley confirmed. "What is she thinking? Charlie is such a hottie and he buys the best gifts," Claire questioned. Ashley shrugged. "I don't know, but you know what they say about Greg." Claire nodded. "Yeah, he's something." "What do they say about Greg?" I spoke up, being quite lost in the conversation. "Well, he's known for his ... stamina," Ashley explained suggestively. "... In bed," Claire finished without modesty. Once again, I felt heat flush my cheeks. "Oh ... right ..." The girls giggled against before Ashley asked, " So, kid, you got yourself a girlfriend?" I shook my head. "No." "You ever had one?" Ashley pressed for more information. "Yeah, but we broke up," I answered. Claire perked up at that. "Ooo what was her name? Who broke up with who?" "Jen, and she broke up with me to date some punk with black nail polish," I informed them. "Aw, you poor thing," Ashley cooed. "Don't worry. We'll find you someone that will treat you right. Won't we, Claire?" Claire nodded. "Definitely. We know lots of girls. Just tell us what your type is." Yet again I felt myself blushing. "Well ... uhm ... I guess ... someone like ... you two." The girls exploded into a giggle fit at my response that took several moments to die down. It was Ashley that finally spoke, even though, she was still in the midst of giggling. "You're just too cute, kid." *********************************************** *********************************************** "Highschool sure sounds complicated," I muttered to myself as I walked back to my house after the girls had left to go hang out with some of their other friends. While hanging out with Ashley and Claire, the girls had talked almost constantly about who was doing what with who and why and when and what they should do about it in return and so on and so on. There had been some of that in middle school, but we didn't have cars or jobs or money, so it was nothing compared to what high school seemed to be like. The girls' talk had been enough to make my head spin more than once as I tried to keep up with it all. Confusing or not, I was going to have to learn it all pretty quickly if I didn't want them to think I was a total loser. A flicker of white on the edge of my vision pulled me from my thoughts and got me to look up. A few houses down, I saw what had produced the flicker of white, that girl from the other day with the white parasol. I barely had time to register who she was before she rounded the corner of one of the houses and vanished from view. "Weird ... I thought she lived across from Claire," I mused as I peered at where the girl had vanished. Of course, she could have just been walking to a friend's house or something similar. Resolving to ask Claire about her the next time I was over, I shrugged off the mysterious girl and turned back toward the back door to my house. No longer lost in thought about my afternoon with the girls, I noticed a small brown box resting on the ground in front of the door. It was a sight I was unfortunately getting used to seeing, though, this was the first time it had been left at the back door instead of the front. "Not again ..." I groaned, walking over to pick up the box. Sure enough, it had the same handwritten note on the box to say it was for me as the other two before it. Clearly, it was another gift from the weirdo in the sheet. "What the hell is with her?" Letting out an exasperated sigh, I took the box inside with me. I'd opened the other two, so it seemed reasonable to open this one too. If it had another stupid kiddie toy in it, though, I was going to vent my frustration by smashing it. After grabbing a pair of scissors, I cut off the tape on the box. Before I could even open it, though, a trio of plush snakes shot out of it, flying into the air. One of them smacked me right in the face while the other two sailed off to the sides to fall to the floor. "God ... damn it ..." I growled angrily as I rubbed at where the snake had hit me in the face. It hadn't hurt, well not counting my pride anyway, but it had made me plenty angry. Keeping my rage under check, I looked inside the box which was mostly empty this time. All that was left inside with the snakes gone was a little bit of black tissue paper and what appeared to be a video game case that was still in its plastic wrapping. Picking the game up, I saw that it was a game that had been really popular a couple of years ago. I'd wanted it really badly at the time, but had never had the money to buy it, and my mom had claimed that it was too violent. "Well this is certainly better than that stupid toy gun," I remarked as I looked at the case. Suddenly, I got suspicious. After the pranks and the other lame presents, this just seemed like too good of a gift. Sure, I'd played the game at friends' houses already, but it was nice to own for myself. That meant that there had to be something wrong with it. It looked perfectly normal, but it could not have a disc inside or have another prank waiting for me or something. Needing answers, I grabbed the scissors again and cut off the cellophane. After that, I had to peel off a sticker that held the case closed before finally popping it open. Much to my surprise, the disc rested right where it was supposed to be. The case even had that new game smell to it. "Huh ..." I mumbled, truly surprised. "Well, alright then. Thanks, sheet-girl." *********************************************** ********************************************** Sitting in my computer chair, I stared at the game case that I'd received the day before while I waited for my computer to boot. At first, I'd thought the girl in the sheet was just playing some kind of weird prank, but there had been a present every day since the water balloon incident. The persistence of it made me wonder if there was more to it than just some whacky fun. Everything about the gifts and their giving was bizarre. The items themselves were old but in good shape. Even the game, the newest of them, was from years ago. They also kept coming with annoying pranks, weird proclamations of my impending demise, or both. "It's gotta all be part of the prank, though ... right?" I muttered uncertainly. The fact that I was second guessing myself, could just be part of the plan. It could even be the reason why the girl was acting so weird from the weird way she talked, to the weird clothes to ... That train of thought derailed as something else clicked in my mind, taking the forefront. I hadn't really thought about it at the time, but I'd seen another ridiculous outfit just before I'd gotten my most recent gift. That was the outfit that the girl with the parasol wore, who I'd seen walking away from my house just before I'd found the box. The first time I'd seen that girl was when she'd ratted me out to Claire for peeping. Could she and the girl with the sheet on her head be the same girl? That old-fashioned dress and umbrella certainly seemed like the kind of thing that weirdo might think was cool. Feeling like I was onto something, I sat up and glanced out the window. Claire still sunbathed from a spot I couldn't see well, even after our little hangout the day before, but I could still tell that she was there. Once I'd confirmed that, I got up and hurried out of my house. I had never gotten a good look at the girl with the parasol, but Claire had had a much better angle, plus maybe it was someone she knew. Even just a clue would help me track the girl down and either make the pranks stop or get an explanation of what was going on. "Hey, Claire!" I called as I stepped through the back door and started trotting over to the Alcott's hard. On her lounge chair, Claire sat up to see who had called for her. "Oh ... hey ..." "Sorry to ... uhm disturb you and everything, but there was something I was hoping I could ask you," I told her as I made it over to the fence. Claire gave me a dubious look. "Uhm ... alright ... I guess." "Great," I replied. "You see there was this girl over here the other day carrying a white parasol. I was wondering if you knew her." "White parasol? Oh yeah, the girl that warned me that you were leering at me," Claire remarked. My cheeks burned at the reminder. "Yeah ... I wasn't ... I mean ..." Claire smirked at my embarrassment. "So, why are you trying to find this girl anyway? You like her? Wanna get back at her for ruining your perverted fun? What?" "No! I just think that she's ... uhm ... " I struggled to find words to explain the bizarre situation. "Responsible for a couple weird pranks someone pulled on me." Claire raised an eyebrow at that. "Pranks, huh? Maybe she likes you, then." "Likes me? No way," I denied. Claire shrugged. "Well sorry, but I don't know her. That was the first, and last, time I ever saw her actually." "Oh ... well do you remember what she looked like?" I inquired, willing to take any clue I could get. "Hmm ... not really," Claire admitted. "Just that she had really fair skin. That was probably why she had the parasol, actually. I do remember that she talked kind of weird, though. Used words like yonder and ... uh ... putrescent I think was one of them." While I couldn't say I was glad to have been called putrescent, that certainly sounded like the girl I was after. Knowing that, I gave a quick nod and a wave to Claire. "Thanks alot. That's a big help. Again sorry about bugging you." "No worries," Claire replied. "And, kid, good luck finding the girl." *********************************************** ********************************************** Chapter 04 "So why am I here again?" Ian questioned as I let him in the door. "You're gonna help me catch that weirdo girl in the sheet from the other night," I explained. Ian gave me a dubious look. "Right ... how are we gonna do that?" "Every day since that night, she's dropped a present off at my house," I began. "Really? You didn't tell me that," Ian remarked. "Creepy." I nodded. "Very. Anyway, so far today, there's been no present, so either she's stopped, which is great, or she'll drop it off later tonight. If she tries to that, we'll be waiting for her." "So what, we're just going to watch the front door all night?" Ian inquired. "Cause that sounds super boring, dude." Grinning, I shook my head. "No, no. You see, I set up an old camcorder to look out the front window, and routed its video to my mom's TV which I brought into the living room. This way, we can play games or watch movies while we keep an eye on the other screen, and when the girl pops up, we'll spring into action." "Huh ..." Ian mumbled, before shrugging. "Alright, I'm down for some video games and stalker hunting. Let's do it." With Ian on board with the plan, he and I went into the living room. It wasn't long, however, before the mission that I'd called him over for took a back seat to hanging out. We played some games, watched a movie, then played some more. The night was well on its way to being over before something finally happened. "Hey, did you see that?" Ian asked, interrupting the game we were playing. The interruption was so well timed, that I believed that it was some kind of ruse. "I see that I'm kicking your ass." "No, on the camcorder. I thought I saw something move," Ian explained. Ian's insistence convinced me to look away from the game to the other screen. At first, it seemed no different than normal, just the empty front step, lit by the outdoor light that I'd left on for the camera. I was just about to turn back to the game when something fluttered on the edge of the screen. A moment later, the girl, sheet over her head, stepped into view to place a box on the step. "She's here!" Ian gasped, surprised even though the girl's coming was the whole plan. "Go out the back door and cut her off is she tries to run that way. I'll go out the front," I instructed as I hopped up from my seat and hurried over to the door. Ian was a bit slower to move, but he followed my directions and headed toward the back. It only took a couple moments for me to dart across the living room and reach the front door. The moment I got there, I yanked the door open not wanting to waste a moment. As luck would have it, the girl was still kneeling down with the present, seeming to be working on setting up whatever prank she'd intended to be alongside this one. The sound of the door got her to look up, though, not enough for me to see more than her chin and mouth. All I could tell from that was that she did indeed have very fair skin. "Retreat!" the girl exclaimed before spinning around in her crouch and scurrying off. "Oh no you don't!" I growled, charging after the girl. "No one can outrun death, especially not those that are damned!" the girl called out manically as she fled down the street. Surprisingly, the girl was quite quick on her feet, creating a good ten foot gap thanks to the delay between her reaction and mine. As she ran, the sheet she was using for a cloak trailed out behind her billowing in the night air. While the cloak stayed on, the cowl around her head did not, falling away to reveal tresses of long hair as white as the sheet that had covered them. Seeing white hair took me by surprise, robbing me of a bit of speed as I focused too much on looking and not running. I shook it off quickly, though, putting everything I had into the chase. The girl was quick, but I was no slouch when it came to sports, and I had at least four inches on her. Having longer legs seemed to give me the edge, and slowly the gap started to close. "You're not getting away this time!" I shouted after the girl. The girl made the mistake of glancing over her shoulder at my yell to check on where I was. The move slowed her just a hair, allowing me to gain even more. "There is more to a race than who is the fleetest of foot, foolish mortal." In spite of the confidence in her voice, I continued closing on the girl inch by inch. In just a few more moments, I would be close enough to grab her cloak and drag her to a stop. Then I'd make her explain what the hell was going on. Just before I could grab her cloak, the girl glanced back at me again. As she did, she reached up to her throat to fiddle with something. The next moment, the sheet popped free floating backward into the perfect spot for me to run face first into it. Crashing into the sheet caused it to wrap around me, tangling me up enough to turn my sprint into an ungainly stagger. "Ha ha ha ha ha!" the girl laughed triumphantly, actually saying it like words rather than really laughing. "Farewell, mortal! Until death comes for you!" Furious, I stumbled to a stop and tore the sheet away from my face. The trick had created more than enough of a gap for the girl to outrun me now. She was already almost to a house that she could use as cover to make her escape. "Oh no you don't," I hissed, raising my hand and calling on my power. Thrusting out my hand, I launched a blast of white crackling energy from my fingers, intending to stun the girl before she could get away. It shot out as a sparking ball about the size of my fist followed by a long jagged tail. In spite of its appearance, it wasn't really all that fast. A lightning bolt would have crossed the distance in a flash, but my bolt cruised along at a speed that was quick, but not too fast for the eye to follow. Hearing the threat in my voice, the girl glanced over her shoulder once again. Seeing the bolt, she spun and the night seemed to deepen around her. The next moment, a swirl of darkness, like night made solid shot outward slamming into the bolt I'd sent her way. As the black went, it enveloped the white, snuffing it out without a trace. As the the bolt of energy vanished, we both just stood there, shocked, staring, and breathing hard. The white hair suddenly made a lot more sense to me. This girl had powers as well. She could even be an actual banshee like she claimed for all I knew. That dark power had certainly snuffed out my lightning easily enough. Down the street, the girl seemed every bit as shocked by what had happened as I was, at least for a moment. After that moment passed, though, her surprise quickly turned to anger. "I can't believe you tried to zap me, you ... you ... you big meanie!" she shrieked, abandoning her usual pretentious tone for the more childish one. Stamping her foot, she spun and ran off, white hair trailing behind her. I was too stunned and too far away to even try to chase after her. *********************************************** ********************************************** "So did ya catch her?" Ian asked as I trudged my way to the front door. I shook my head. "Nope. She got away." "Damn," Ian commiserated, before holding up the box that had been left behind. "Whelp, at least you've got a consolation prize." "Oh right ... " I muttered as I took the box from Ian. "She didn't booby trap it, did she?" Ian shrugged. "I don't think so. From the looks of things she was setting that up when we interrupted her." "I guess we open it and find out," I replied, stepping past Ian to get inside. Once I was back in the house, Ian and I made our way to the kitchen and once again I cut off the tape on one of those strange boxes. This time, no snakes shot out nor were there any other apparent pranks. Inside the box was just some white tissue paper covering a high quality sketchbook and several drawing instruments. "A sketchbook?" Ian asked at the sight of the thing. "Hey, weren't you talking about wanting to get one of those last year?" I nodded absently as I picked up the book. The year before, I'd been really into learning to draw. I'd spent a lot of time sketching in notebooks, and even took art for my elective in school that year. I'd looked into getting some better equipment, but it was just too expensive and I'd wanted other things more, so it had never happened. "It's gotta just be a coincidence, though, right?" Ian mused. Thinking about the gifts, it became pretty clear to me that it wasn't just a coincidence, nor was it just some silly prank. "I don't think so ... this sketchbook, the other gifts. They were all stuff I'd wanted at one point or another. It's like this girl actually knows me, but that's not possible." "Why not? I mean, how could you tell under that sheet," Ian pointed out. "She lost the sheet in the chase," I countered. "I'd think I'd remember someone with white hair." Ian shrugged. "Maybe she didn't have white hair when you knew her." That was a good point. After all, the girl had powers too, so that probably meant that she was a mutant like me. I hadn't changed much when I manifested, but when it had happened my mom had done a lot of research into mutation. It was not uncommon for mutants to change a lot. This girl's hair could easily be because of that. "Well ... maybe ... but she'd have to have known me for years to know about all of these things. There's no girl I've been that close to," I reasoned. "Apparently, there is," Ian replied. Looking at the most recent gift, I couldn't find any way to refute that claim. "I guess so ..." *********************************************** ********************************************** Chapter 05 "Oh ... hey, mom," I greeted as I came downstairs to see my mother sitting in the living room. That was an oddity in itself. It was noon ... on a tuesday. "No work today?" "There was supposed to be, but I had to take the day off because of you," my mom answered icily. Now truly confused, I furrowed my brow as I tried to think of why my mom would need to take the day off because of me. "Uhm ... what?" "Don't 'uhm what' me, mister," my mom chided sharply. "I woke up this morning to my friend calling to tell me that her daughter came home in tears because of you. What did you do?!" At first, all I could do was blink in surprise. I hadn't done anything to any girl except ... "Wait ... you know the girl that's been leaving all those weird packages?!" "Well, of course I know her," my mom stated as if that should be obvious. "Do you think I'd let you open packages left on our doorstep by some total stranger? They could be poisoned or a bomb or all sorts of terrible things." Thinking about it, while I had found most of the boxes, my mom had found one of them too. She hadn't been at all curious about it, though, which wasn't like her. Only now did I realize that was because she'd already known all about it. "Now, tell me what you did to that poor girl," my mom instructed. "I didn't-" I began to protest before my mother's glare put an end to that. "Ian and I sort of set a trap for her ... y'know to figure out who she was, but when we caught her, she ran. I chased after her, and I almost had her before she pulled this dirty trick with the sheet she was wearing, and she was gonna get away, so I sorta ... tried to zap her." My mother's eyes narrowed reprovingly. "Owen Anthony Howell, you and I talked about this. You are not supposed to use your abilities if your life is not in danger." "I know, I know," I mumbled, remembering the numerous lectures to that effect. "But I thought my life was in danger. There was some creepy girl giving me weird presents, so I thought she was stalking me or something. Besides, the bolt didn't even hit her." Sighing, my mother rolled her eyes. "Boys ... well, she's supposedly inconsolable now because of that. You're going to have to go over and apologize." "What?!" I protested briefly, only to get a glare from my mom. Clearly, I had no say in this matter. "I don't even know where she lives." "In the complex on the edge of the subdivision," my mother answered immediately. "Apartment three three four." *********************************************** ********************************************** "I can't believe I'm actually doing this," I grumbled as I reached up to knock on the door of the apartment. From inside, a woman's voice called out that she was coming. A few moments later, the door opened to reveal a short, nerdy looking woman. Something about her seemed familiar, but I couldn't place her. "Owen!" the woman chirped excitedly as she stepped forward to embrace me. "Unn ... I haven't seen you in years," she said before she released me to look me over. "Look how big you've gotten, and even more handsome than in the picture in your mom's christmas card." That greeting removed all uncertainty that I knew the woman, but I still couldn't remember who she was. I just stood there peering at her as if doing so would make her name just suddenly appear in my brain. "Uhm ... hi ... " "You don't remember me, do you?" the woman asked. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, I paused to give myself more time to think, but she just waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about. You were only nine when we moved away. I'm Mrs. Kenning. You know, from next door." Suddenly it all clicked in my head. "Oh yeah. You used to always bring ice cream home for Adam and me when you got home from work." "That's me," Mrs. Kenning confirmed, smiling brightly. "Though, ever since the divorce it's been Ms. Hershell." "Oh, you and Mr. Kenning split up? Sorry to hear that," I sympathized. Ms. Hershell once again waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine. Anyway ... you must be here to see my daughter." "Uhm ... I guess?" I replied uncertainly. "This is the apartment number my mom gave me, but I don't remember you having a daughter." "Well she certainly remembers you," Ms. Hershell replied mysteriously. Stepping out of my way, she gestured me to come in. "Her room is the one at the end of the hall with the door closed." "I'm not gonna get any more information out of you am I?" I asked. The only response I got from Ms. Hershell was grin and a shake of the head. Sighing, I shook my head as well and stepped past her, heading toward the indicated hallway. It was easy to spot in the apartment, which was pretty small. The place had a nice cozy feel to it, though, all except for the door that awaited me at the end of the hall. It possessed a sense of foreboding, like I expected to set off a boobytrap if I so much as touched it. I was going to have to, though, if I wanted to ever leave, so I mustered my courage and knocked. "Go away, Mom!" a pouty voice whined from inside the room. "It's not your mom. It's me ... Owen," I answered, feeling kind of silly. There was a brief pause before the girl meekly asked, "Owen?" "Yeah. I uhm ... I came to apologize," I explained. From inside the room, there suddenly came a bustle of noise like someone inside was tossing things all over the place. At one point, there was even a yelp of surprise followed by a loud crash. However, there was no further reply. "Uhm ... hello?" I called out, wondering if the door was ever going to open. "A moment's time, please," the girl inside responded, no longer sounding pouty, but adopting a refined, mature tone. Almost exactly a moment later, the door opened to reveal the white haired girl from the night before. In poor light and at a distance, I hadn't really been able to get a good look at her, but now I could. She was actually quite pretty, with soft, cute features that complimented her snowy coloration. Her eyes were a pale lavender in color, and might have been quite beautiful, if not for the fact that they were also puffy and bloodshot at the moment. Like I'd come to expect, though, she was dressed rather oddly in a stuffy, high neck, white dress with a matching shawl over her shoulders. "My apologies for the delay. I was just finishing up a particularly riveting chapter in the novel that I've been engrossed in," the girl rather blatantly lied. "Now, why have you disturbed me, mortal?" "Be nice, dear!" Ms. Hershell chided from the living room. "Mom! Jeez!" the girl exclaimed petulantly, before clearing her throat and returning her attention to me. "Would you perchance wish to come inside where we can speak privately?" I nodded slowly at the odd exchange. "Uhm ... yeah ... sure." Stepping out of the way, the girl gestured for me to enter. The inside of the room was rather neat, but I got the impression that was mostly because of the ruckus I'd heard before the door opened. It was also rather plain, lacking the usual posters of bands and boys one would expect in a teenaged girl's room. Once I was inside, the girl closed the door behind me. "You may sit, if you wish." "Uhm ... no thank you," I told her. "I just wanted to say that I'm very sorry for trying to zap you last night. I wanted some answers about what was going on and I was frustrated that you were getting away." The girl puffed her chest out proudly. "Well, naturally, I was going to make good on my daring escape. After all, I am the embodiment of death itself. A mere mortal such as yourself stood no chance of being able to hinder one such as I." "Right ..." I replied, finding it hard to play along with the weirdo act. "So anyway, I'm really sorry about that." The girl nodded. "Well, it wasn't necessary, but apology accepted." After being forced to come here because my mom said this girl was in tears, that reply caused me to grind my teeth a little. "Anyway ... while I'm here, could you explain to me what was with all the gifts and pranks?" "They were a warning of your impending fate, naturally," the girl answered. "I thought I explained that to you quite thoroughly on the first night." "Right, yes, you did, but those gifts, they were all things that I'd wanted once. How did you know about them?" I questioned. "For that matter, how do you know about me? I've been trying, but I can't remember the Kenning's having a daughter. I could've sworn Adam was an only child." "He .... he was ... " the girl answered cryptically, averting her eyes from me. Seeing that reaction, I suddenly felt guilty. "Oh ... I'm sorry ... did he ... uhm pass away?" The girl shook her head. "No he uhm ... that is ... you see ... " As she talked her voice got quieter and less refined with every syllable. " ... uhm ... I'm ... Adam." That last little bit was spoken so softly that I was sure that I'd must have misheard the girl. "What?" "I said, I'm Adam!" the girl blurted out. As soon as she did, her cheeks turned bright pink, and she looked down at the ground. "I mean ... I was ... until I manifested. I go by Aife now." The confirmation that I'd heard right left me dumbfounded. All I could do was stand there and stare slack jawed at the girl in front of me.