Lewis slammed his hands down on the steering wheel in frustration. He cranked the key several times trying to get the truck started again, but the ignition merely clicked without turning over. The truck wasn’t going anywhere.

“We need to get back to Edmonds tonight, or else…” said Lewis.

“Or else what?” asked Josie.

“Or else Landon is dead….”

Lewis had some more explaining to do. He inhaled deeply and then let out a sigh. “The Agares are going to erase a boy named Landon. He was a bully to me growing up, but in a previous life he was my best friend, I guess… I don’t remember being his friend—it was a life lived and now forgotten due to Mr. Gray’s time travel meddling—but I know about it because I have notes that previous versions of me left in a time pocket… it’s complicated. He ends up our friend in the future anyway, and his life is in danger today, just like yours was… or is… I’m not sure anymore…” Lewis trailed off. He was staring at Josie’s mouth. “You look like you ate a smurf.”

Josie spit into the footwell again. “What happened to that tentacle guy?”

Lewis shrugged. “I think I ran over him. I honestly have no idea what that thing even was. Some sort of shapeshifter I guess… the Agares have many agents.”

In the distance, a silver sedan was driving towards them from up ahead. To their relief, Channie stuck her head out of the passenger side window. She began waving at them frantically as her mom pulled up beside the disabled truck.

Steph and Rebecca hopped out of the back as Josie and Lewis exited the truck. Mrs. Davis’s mouth was hanging open as she stepped out as well, inspecting the damage to the vehicle.

“Oh my God. Did you hit a deer?” She rounded on Channie. “Who is this boy?? Is he even old enough to be driving?”

Rebecca ran over and gave Josie a hug. “Are you alright? What happened?”

Josie shook her head. “Do you have any water?” she asked. “I need to rinse my mouth out.”

“We have bottles in the trunk,” said Channie.

Josie and Lewis followed Channie to the back of the sedan while Mrs. Davis stared in disbelief at all the blood covering the grill of the truck and what was left of the windshield.

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Josie quickly cracked open a fresh bottle of water and immediately sloshed half of it onto her face. She swished repeatedly until all the blue blood was gone from her teeth.

Channie knew better than to ask what it was. “Mr. Gray disappeared through a hole in the air,” she said in a hushed voice so her mom wouldn’t hear.

Lewis nodded absently. “He does that.”

Mrs. Davis joined the kids at the back of her car. “Someone’s going to have to start explaining some things around here,” she said.

Lewis met her glare with a blank expression. “We need to hurry,” he said. “My friend is in danger.”

Mrs. Davis narrowed her eyes at the boy.

“Please,” said Lewis. “We aren’t safe here. I’ll explain on the road, but we need to go now.”

Mrs. Davis put her hands on her hips. “I don’t trust you and I don’t like you.”

“Mama!” cried Channie.

“Fine,” said Mrs. Davis, “but you best start talking. Damn crazy kids running off from camp!”

Everyone piled into the car. Channie took shotgun, leaving the rest of the kids to cram into the back. There was only room for three to buckle in, so Josie ended up in Lewis’s lap. Rebecca and Steph squished in beside them behind the driver’s seat.

Mrs. Davis frowned at Lewis through the rearview mirror as she started the car. Suddenly Steph came running out from behind the truck waving her arms. All eyes shifted towards the back seat where another Steph was already seated.

Without hesitation, Rebecca’s fist sprang out and smashed Steph right between the eyes. Her whole hand sunk into Steph’s face, collapsing it like a papier-mâché covered balloon. Her body deflated, morphing into the tentacle covered creature.

The car filled with screams as Rebecca whaled on the shapeshifter repeatedly. Tentacles flailed momentarily and then went limp as the creature was quickly overcome by Rebecca’s ferocity.

“I knew I smelled something off about her!” Rebecca exclaimed.

“Oh hell nah!” yelled Mrs. Davis as she hopped back out of the car.

The creature was still pulsating with breath, but it was no longer conscious. In its aquatic-looking form, it was only about the size of an Australian Shepard. Its body slumped into a pile of jelly with no bones to hold its shape.

Everyone exited the car again. They stood in silence, staring at the strange creature through the window as its tentacles twitched about, feeling around on the backseat as if they had minds of their own.

Lewis took initiative. He opened the door to the backseat and scooped up the awkward creature in his arms. “Open the trunk,” he said.

Mrs. Davis complied, using her key fob to pop the back.

Lewis tossed the creature in unceremoniously and slammed the trunk shut. “Let’s go,” he said.

Shapeshifters are glorified cuttlefish if you ask me. The Agares wouldn’t be using them if they weren’t getting a bit desperate to catch these kids. This one couldn’t take a punch, but it still managed to take a psychological toll on the children. When you can’t trust your eyes, paranoia can start to creep in. Shapeshifters may not be easy to spot, but you can certainly hear the difference—English is not their first language. It’s easier to have a conversation with a parrot. The lesson to be learned here, I guess, is always talk to the shy kid, lest they turn out to be a boneless tentacle monster. That’s probably not a very universally useful lesson, but for these kids at least, one should certainly always stay alert when dealing with the Agares.

Keep vigilant,

-Mr. Gray