As the children trudged out of the woods Rebecca eyed the bright sky tentatively. “As a Vampire, should I be concerned…?” She gestured toward the sun.

Mr. Gray, being carried by Lewis now, chuckled boisterously. “You’ll be fine,” he said, “but sunscreen is always a good idea.”

Everyone had taken meeting the Parca in stride, though Steph was staring at him now as if he would disappear if she took her eyes off him.

It took half the remaining walk to the ferry for Josie to realize it wasn’t only Mr. Gray that had Steph so captivated. She was staring at Lewis just as much.

“What’s that thing around your wrist?” Steph finally asked.

Lewis shifted his sleeve to hide the silver coil from sight. “It’s a weapon,” he said.

Steph nodded absently. “It looked like fireworks were shooting out of your hand last night.”

Lewis readjusted Mr. Gray in his arms. “Anything I shoot with it ceases to have ever existed.”

“Oh,” said Steph. “Okay.”

Josie wondered what Lewis had been shooting at. To her, he had appeared to be firing wildly at nothing, but if she was to believe what he was saying, he had been shooting at things that no longer existed…. It was all very strange to think about.

“We don’t want to know what’s out there, do we?” asked Channie.

Rebecca shuddered. She had a better idea than the rest of them. The night terrors had fed on her.

Josie could no longer see any evidence of the wounds on Rebecca’s skin. Her stint in the time pocket had been transformative.

“What about wooden stakes to the heart or garlic?” asked Rebecca. “Or crucifixes, or silver bullets?”

Mr. Gray nodded absently. “Wooden stakes would have killed you before the Vampirism, so no change there. Silver bullets is a werewolf thing, and werewolves don’t really exist, so that’s irrelevant. Garlic might actually taste even better now to you though, so that one’s a plus. You’ll also be slightly faster and stronger than before and have a good immune system.” He waved his hand dismissively through the air. “Holy symbols are also inert. Being a vampire isn’t like it is in the movies.”

“Anything else I should know for the future?” asked Rebecca.

Mr. Gray looked contemplative for a moment. “Avoid fake banana flavoring,” he said with a slow nod of his head. “You’re mildly allergic. You usually don’t figure that one out until you’re thirty.”

“Hmm,” said Rebecca.

“Yeah. Hives,” said Mr. Gray.

“Am I gunna be rich??” asked Steph.

Channie laughed. “The priorities on this girl!”

Mr. Gray turned his head slowly to meet Steph’s gaze. “Perhaps—if you live through the day.”

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Steph’s eyes grew wide.

“I’ll do my best to help,” said Mr. Gray.

They continued on in perturbed silence as a line of cars waiting for the first ferry of the day came into view ahead. The ferry was already docked, but was still unloading cars.

“Anyone have money for the fare?” asked Lewis once they reached the terminal building.

“No need,” said Mr. Gray. “A red pickup truck will be joining the back of the line shortly. There’s a tarp to hide under. Just wait for the driver to use the restroom.”

No sooner had he spoken than the red truck appeared around a bend in the road. Their timing couldn’t have been any better. The pickup joined the short line of cars outside the ferry terminal. The driver was an older gentleman with white hair. He got out and headed into the terminal building, giving the group of children plenty of time to climb into the truck bed unnoticed.

Everyone squeezed together, shimmying beneath a blue tarp before the old man returned. Josie found herself pressed up against Lewis with Mr. Gray cradled between them like a baby. Lewis had a lost puppy-dog look on his face. He rested his hand tenderly on her hip, holding onto her.

“You guys are cute,” said Mr. Gray.

The corners of Lewis’s mouth pulled back slightly into an embarrassed grimace. His cheeks reddened as Josie subconsciously bit at her lip.

Josie felt the energy—a nervous buzz like the tingle of caffeine in her stomach. Lewis’s obvious admiration for Josie was matched by her budding curiosity in him.

He claimed to know her in the future. It sounded so absurd, and yet, she believed him. She felt safe with him, despite the omnipresent threat of inter-dimensional monsters. Even Mr. Gray’s creepy little face staring up at her couldn’t spoil the moment.

After loading onto the ferry, Channie texted her mom to ask her to come pick them up across the water in Anacortes. Mrs. Davis responded with confusion and concern, but ultimately a ride was on the way. They stayed in place at Mr. Gray’s behest, waiting until the driver of the car behind them stepped out to stretch his legs before making any moves. It was almost time for the ferry to unload. One by one they began to sneak out of the truck to join the walk-on passengers.

Everything was going perfectly to plan. Rebecca went first, nonchalantly slipping out from under the tarp and stepping gently over the passenger side of the vehicle without alerting the driver. Channie went next, slinking away just as smoothly. When it came to Steph’s turn, however, her foot caught on the edge of the truck bed and she banged against the side with a noticeable thud.

Steph ducked down as the old man glanced in his rearview mirror.

Mr. Gray’s expression shifted, flashing a hint of concern. “Wait here until I signal for you,” he said. He climbed over Lewis’s legs and hopped into Steph’s awaiting arms. The odd pair moved in tandem, Mr. Gray directing Steph on the optimal path between vehicles to avoid notice.

Lewis shimmied over and peeked out from under the tarp. By the time Steph and Mr. Gray were clear, he could already see the driver of the car behind them coming back. Mr. Gray in the distance shook his head wildly back and forth at Lewis. It was already too late. Josie and Lewis were stuck now. There was no way out that wouldn’t result in somebody realizing they’d snuck aboard the ferry.

Before they could figure out what to do, the ferry was docked, engines were starting back up again, and the truck was rolling along off the ferry and then down the road too fast for them to do anything but hold on.

Well, well. This day just keeps getting further and further off-track. I feel like a jazz musician and a circus juggler rolled into one. I had to toss these kids to the wind, but you best believe everything is still playing to the beat of my song. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the Agares are never far when the fate of our Chosen children is churning. While the Agares are not the most subtle of foes—very heavy handed in their ways if you ask me—they always seem to turn up when and where they are least wanted. Always with the destroying and Erasing. You’ll see what I mean soon. They are some of the biggest jerks of the multi-verse. One would think they might have learned some compassion during their development as a species—they are quite ancient—but their thirst for energy has made them terribly adversarial to anyone and everything that stands in their way. They’d repurpose all the energy of the entire multi-verse if left unchecked.

Keep vigilant,

-Mr. Gray