CHAPTER 02

Chapter 02

*Sara Fuller*

Back and forth, back and forth. I race up and down the soccer field, my heart hammering in my ears, blood pumping through my veins, my feet pounding the freshly mowed grass.

“Sara! Sara, over here!” A sharp cry makes me whirl around.

I squint against the harsh sunlight to see a lone figure stumbling towards me. As it gets closer, I’m able to make out broad shoulders, tanned skin, and curly dark hair.

Chris. Suddenly self-conscious, I rake a hand through my long blond hair, trying to eradicate the dirt and tangles. Without success, I might add. I sigh, wipe the sweat off of my face, and jog over to face him.

“Hey, Chris, what’s up?” My voice comes out an octave higher than normal. As it always does around Chris. Ugh. I clear my throat and try again, but before I can speak up, I register the look on his face and the blood running down his arm. Earlier I’d thought it was sweat, but up close I could see that Chris was injured.

“Oh my gosh, Chris, are you okay?” I yelp, darting forward to examine his arm. Three long gashes have torn his skin. Claws? Talons? Teeth?

“Yeah, I’m fine, but you have to come with me!” Chris says forcefully, but under his “tough guy” masquerade, I can clearly see that he’s in pain.

“Whatever it is, it’s got to wait. What the heck happened?” I question him.

His face twists. “Nothing. But we have to go, now! It’s starting!”

I stare at him. “What’s starting? Chris, tell me!”

Chris sighs and says, “I’ll explain later. C’mon!” He grabs my hand and pulls me with him.

Electrical pulses race up and down my skin at his touch. My face grows warm, but Chris leaves no time for me to gawk. We’re already running at full speed, sprinting to who-knows-where.

We’ve been running for maybe three or four minutes when Chris slams on the brakes. I skid to a stop, dirt spraying over my already-tattered sneakers, but I can’t stop myself in time to keep from running into him. Or, maybe I can, and I just don’t want to.

I turn towards Chris.

“Why did we…” My voice trails off as the impossible happens. The sky had been blue and almost cloudless only milliseconds ago. Now, it was darker than black. If that was possible.

Chris curses under his breath.

“What’s going on?” I ask, incredulous.

“There’s been a breach. An escape,” he murmurs, “from the Cosmo Prison. She’s woken up. It’s only the beginning.”