For years, the planet of Anaisha (An-ā-sha), especially the continent of Enera, suffered violence. The criminal mastermind, Mr. Big, had the world in his grip, squeezing as hard as he could to bring brutality and chaos to the planet…

…until a group of junior high school students banded together and put a stop to him. Known as the Lazerblades, the four heroes—David Corbin, Carrie Green, Veronica Amorou and her brother, Sean—fought for years against Big and the other villains who plagued the land, conquering them and bringing peace in what almost became a time of war.

With Anaisha’s most dreaded criminals defeated, the teens were left to live their lives as they pleased. To embark in once forbidden relationships, to pursue careers, to achieve higher education, to take a well-deserved rest.

But what was to be a time of respite quickly became an era of confusion and instability as certain events pushed the heroes to their separate ways to walk the roads of their lives alone.

Now evil has returned in a form never seen on Anaisha, fulfilling prophecies given ages before, forcing the young champions back together again to either fight against the evil or fall into the growing darkness with the rest of the world.

From the diary of Carrie Green…

Friday, May 22, 1998

Dear Diary,

Today was it. David told me that he loves me, and it’s something I can’t handle. So, I’m leaving to South Ryshard, far away from his love and the potential disaster it could bring upon the both of us. I’ll find a job out there and hide away until someday we can see each other again.

I’m not going to tell my mother where I’m going. She doesn’t accept anything I do anyway. She crossed the line tonight, drilling me about David and my future again, and on the evening of this horrible day. Besides, Sean is leaving for Mecca soon. Veronica is going to start college for fashion design. And David…he’ll probably wonder where I went…but I can’t let him know, at least not right now. I love him so much, but I can’t do this anymore. I can’t hide my feelings from him or risk him dying because of them.

The LZR Project is shut down now, the major criminals of the world have been caught—even Mr. Big—and now there is nothing left but to start over. I hate this feeling inside me, the feeling of having to leave my best friend, Veronica, and my one and only true love, David. But this is something that has to be done.

Maybe, when things settle down and everyone has finally gone their separate ways, I can contact David and let him know where I am. Maybe then things can work, when the world doesn’t need saving. Then we can be together without looking over our shoulders to see if there is a gun pointed at our heads.

I’m not bringing you with me, Diary. I will leave you here, so when I come back someday, I will remember the things I went through, the things that made me stronger and wiser, the things that made me leave here in the first place.

Goodbye, Diary.

Chapter 1 - Chaos

Tuesday, November 10, 1998

The icy wind rushed against Kimberly Sebastien’s face, sweeping through her long blonde hair as she bounded through the vacant dirt field. The blue crescent moon lit up the ground just enough for her to see her way across the damp surface. The chilly air induced a burning sensation in the mark on her right cheek, causing it to sting more than when she received it only an hour ago.

The cell phone jostled in her hand, the blue screen illuminating her beaten face. The time on it read 6:34 p.m. She hit the redial button on the keypad, her heart wishing that this time someone would pick up on the other end. Holding the phone to her ear, she heard a steady busy signal, just as she had the last three attempts. This can’t be happening. She closed the phone and shoved it into the pocket of her jeans, glancing behind her briefly to make sure the monster wasn’t closing in on her. No one. Well, no one she could see anyway. That didn’t mean he—it—wasn’t there.

She scanned the tops of the giant trees in front of her, making out a small orange spire glowing on top of the roof of the stalus beyond. The stalus—a building designated by the government for weddings and funerals—was the only building she could hide in for miles, and she hoped it would, by some miracle, be open. Her body relentlessly quarreled with her, scolding her for pushing so hard, pleading with her to stop and rest. But she couldn’t rest, not yet, not when her life was at stake.

Plowing through the trees, thick leaves that hung from crooked branches slapped Kimberly, each one a stranger’s hand reaching out to snatch her and carry her off somewhere dark and dangerous, somewhere she would never be able to escape. She fought through them and stumbled into a parking lot, her knees meeting the asphalt with a flash of pain.

Kimberly stood to her feet, ignoring the pain swelling through her kneecaps, and pressed on across the lot, finally slamming herself into the glass doors of the building. Inhaling a deep breath, she grabbed the door handle. Locked. Panic seized her as she tried the next door and the next, all of them locked as well. She pounded madly on the glass. “Help! Somebody, help me! Open up!” Her voice came out hoarse, and she suddenly realized that wasting her breath would do no good if nobody was in there to hear her pleas.

She turned and leaned her back up against the door, clutching the burning cramp in her side. Gazing into the distance, she saw nothing but the trees reaching into the wind. Her heart throbbed, threatening to leap out of her chest while she fearfully waited for something to lunge at her. Don’t be scared, she thought. Keep moving! Get away from him! A gust of frosty air slipped through her white sweater, chilling the sweaty mess that spread itself under her tattered clothes. The chills warned her to run.

She peered through the glass at the dark lobby inside. She could see the desk where the receptionist who handled the wedding and funeral parties sat during operating hours. Stacks of flyers covered the counter, accompanied by mysterious shadows that seemed to dance around as if a party was going on in the desk owner’s absence.

Kimberly had nowhere else to go. Only orchards and farms stood between her and the city. The closest house was too far to run to, unless she wanted to backtrack, which was impossible without risking running into him.

Turning back toward the lot, she pulled out her cell phone and hit redial. Her heart skipped a beat with the brief silence that ensued, but then the busy signal droned in her ear and she sighed loudly, despair covering her like a dark blanket.

She shoved the phone back in her pocket and watched with fright as the tree branches shook vigorously in the distance. Her eyes narrowed, trying to make out the figure stumbling through the barrage of giant leaves. A face peered out, red eyes glowing in the night.

Kimberly’s voice caught in her throat.

Swinging around, she tugged at the handle again. This time the door swung open, almost knocking her off balance. A bit confused, she passed into the stalus, not stopping to ask herself questions. She pulled the door shut and turned the latch, locking it. She swung back around toward the desk to try and make out what little she could from the light that shone in from the parking lot lamps.

The large round government seal hung on the wall in the foyer. The symbol of the Enera Government—three triangles overlapping each other at different points—was etched into the stone slab surrounded by the words “SECURITY, EFFICIENCY and CONFIDENCE.” The first time she had seen the seal was when her parents died and she had been forced to come to a stalus for the funeral.

She shook the thought away and peered to the left and right of the desk, where double doors stood tall and erect—doorways to other dark places. Farther to the left and right, hallways swarmed in shadows. I should be able to hide in the main sanctuary until daylight. She approached the left set of double doors and made her way through them.

She couldn’t see anything in the sanctuary except for the red glowing EXIT signs and the doors they perched above on each side of the room. Kimberly stepped forward and bumped her leg on something hard. Reaching down, she felt the glossed wood of a bench. She knelt down and crawled underneath, creeping through the sanctuary until she figured she was in the center of the room. Lying still, her back to the floor, she closed her eyes.

The quiet stillness invited her mind to wander. Thoughts flew at her at lightning speed: Where is he? Why did this have to happen to me? I can’t believe he’s dead! It’s all a dream, just a nightmare. Tears broke from her eyes and streamed down her cheeks as her gut convulsed with torment. She wanted her family back. She wanted this man—this creature—to stop chasing her. Events rushed through her mind: the man with the dark eyes at her doorstep; the chunk of cold crystal her uncle gave her from the freezer; her uncle being broken like a toothpick in the jaws of a giant.

The vision of her uncle’s face blurred into view each time she remembered him begging her to “take this and keep it safe.” He handed her that piece of crystal, wanting her to flee with it. But the man with the dark eyes had just as quickly slapped her to the floor, knocking the crystal from her hands, taking it for himself.

Kimberly remembered getting to her feet and running from the house, the man yelling for her to come back. His face couldn’t be placed exactly, just dark and round, with an evil, hollow gaze peering out from under his bald head. He had an uncanny familiarity about him, something that seemed to have escaped from the nightmares Kimberly had when she was younger.

Only a miracle can save me now.

Her thoughts diminished and fatigue kicked in. She slipped in and out of consciousness. It was hours to daybreak, and there was no way for him to get into the stalus without her hearing him first. At least that’s what she told herself. She needed to drown everything out long enough to regain her strength for her journey to the city in the morning.

A clicking sound echoed through the sanctuary, waking her senses. Her eyes shot open as a door creaked slowly and then thudded shut. She knew it was him by the dark presence she suddenly felt seeping into the room. Kimberly held her breath. His squeaky footsteps passed the aisle she hid in. She followed that sound to the other side of the room and then back near the door he entered the sanctuary through.

She quietly bent her arms and legs, rolling onto her stomach, and shuffled out from under the bench. Moving to her knees, she glanced up at the red EXIT sign over the hallway door. That was her only escape, and there had to be only a few rows of benches in the space between.

The footsteps stopped and silence thickened. Her heart thrashed in her chest like a caged animal. She took a few quick breaths and sprung up, rushing for the door. She maneuvered and stumbled around the benches, relying on all of her instincts to get her through the maze of wood and darkness. Her body plowed into the door, and she grabbed the cold metal handle to open it.

“Kimberly.”

She turned around slowly and found herself staring at two glowing red wedges that seemed to float in the air. Her voice caught in her throat again, like she was trying to vomit up an apple. Her nails clawed frantically at the surface behind her, scraping against the hard wood, peeling away part of her fingertips.

“Kimberly Sebastien.” The man’s raspy voice released a foul smell into her nostrils as he came under the red light, the crimson eyes matching the EXIT sign’s glow. The repugnant scent turned her stomach in knots.

“Wh…wh…wh…,” her lips quivered. She turned her face to the side, attempting to avoid the stench that permeated the air between them.

“Your sssoul, Kimberly. That issss what I want.”

She closed her eyes as he moved in closer. She could feel the sensation of his breath floating across her skin. His hand touched her cheek, turning her wound cold and sending vibrations through her whole face. The wound stung and then burned like fire. She let out a yelp, and the hand retracted for a moment. She started shuffling across the wall toward the front of the sanctuary.

“Go where you want. You can’t essscape me. I am everywhere and in everything.” He moved in front of her, like an ethereal arrow, so quick. The red eyes dangled in front of her like demonic puppets suspended by shadowed strings.

She felt tears crawling into her eyes. “What do you want with me? Why can’t you leave me alone?” The tears broke out and she cupped her hands over her mouth, terror engulfing her. “Why can’t you leave me alone? You killed my uncle. You killed my uncle! What more do you want with me?”

“I need you. I need your sssoul, your ssspirit. Then I will leave. Then you can rest in peace, without the nightmares, within the darkness.”

She shook her head and fell to her knees, her face covered in a moist film. She had a boding feeling that she wasn’t going to make it out of the building alive. The doors to escape seemed so far away. This is where I’m going to die.

He reached his hand out to her again, the silence in the stalus falling on her like a ton of bricks, allowing her to experience the dreadful sound of her sobbing. The thought of her life ending here, in this place, was violent and yet comforting to her. She could be with her uncle soon…

“Stop!”

The man retracted his reach and spun around. Kimberly looked up through her blurry vision at two silhouettes in the open doorway at the back of the room. One was tall with the chiseled build of a man. The other had the thin, hourglass shape of a woman.

“You?” the evil stranger squealed.

They stepped into the stalus and allowed the doors to shut behind them, darkness swallowing everyone in the room.

“Let her go,” a female voice demanded.

Kimberly wiped the tears from her eyes and slowly started to her feet, her mind racing to figure out who these people were. Probably Anaishan Sentries. If that’s the case, they’re no match for whatever he is.

The man grabbed Kimberly from behind, wrapping his arm around her neck. His fingers moved across her throat, and she felt the cold tip of his long, sharp fingernails begin to etch their way through the tender surface of her skin.

“Show yourssselves!”

Kimberly’s neck burned, and her body drooped in his arms like a sack of manure.

The two strangers said nothing, yet their shuffling movements could be heard throughout the room.

Kimberly, a female voice whispered in her mind. We are here to help you. When he releases you, leave this stalus and go to the city of Lysallis. Wait for us there. We will catch up with you. Her eyes struggled to stay open as she tried to put together the words floating through her thoughts.

The dark man’s fingernails pressed harder into her neck, carving through the skin. She felt a small amount of blood trickle down.

“I told you two to show yourssselves. I will ssspill her blood all over thisss place!”

“Not tonight!” the female shouted. A strong force slammed into Kimberly and the dark stranger, knocking them back to the floor. Kimberly rolled to her side, her strength rapidly coming back to her, allowing her to scramble to her feet. The creature reached out and tried to grab her, but only managed to rip the bottom edge of her sweater as she escaped from his clutch and reached the exit. She grabbed the handle and swung the door open to the dark hallway.

“Go, Kimberly. We will meet again.” The confidence in the male’s voice filled her with ease. She darted out into the hallway.

Kimberly made her way to the front doors of the stalus and retreated outside. She stood in the lot for a moment, taking deep breaths and staring at the line of trees, picturing the field that stretched behind them. Across that field stood the housing community she had escaped from. I can’t go back. There’s nothing left for me there. The only place to go now was Lysallis and hope these strangers were true to their word. Doesn’t really matter.As long as they’re keeping him occupied, I have a chance to escape.

She cautiously made her way around the stalus and headed into the orchards that stood between her and the city.

***

You are cordially invited… the front of the card began. Hmm, David Corbin thought, wonder who this could be from. No return address.

A faint ringing sound droned from his black leather jacket. He pulled out his cell phone and glanced down at the caller ID, rolling his eyes when he realized it was his sister. “Hello?”

“You actually answered your phone?”

“What do you want?”

“Why haven’t you returned my messages?”

He stared at a young couple sitting under a nearby tree. They appeared to be in an argument, but from his distance, David couldn’t tell what about. The girl was crying, and the man was throwing his arms up in the air in surrender. “I’ve been busy.”

“I’ve left at least a dozen messages on your phone! You’re too busy to call your own sister back?”

“What do you need, Cybil?”

A long pause. “To borrow some credits. Nicolas and I are broke and need groceries.”

He let out a slow, deliberate sigh. “Groceries?”

“Yeah, groceries.”

“Hmm.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“You think I’m still doing drugs, don’t you?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“No, but that’s what you meant.”

David glanced up at the young couple again, just in time to witness the girl smack the guy across the face. The young man sprung to his feet and stormed off, leaving the girl there to pour out her tears. David wanted nothing more than to go over there and comfort her, but she wasn’t the reason he was at the mall tonight.

“Look Cybil, I didn’t say—”

“You don’t have to. Who do you think you are, huh? Mr. Perfect? Who are you to criticize me and my boyfriend? Do you think just because you saved the world that you can treat your family like garbage? Is that what you think? I’m your sister, for crying out loud! Flesh and blood!”

David couldn’t help but sigh again. Exhausted, his sister was only wearing him thinner. This wasn’t the first conversation like this with her. “Look, I don’t have any credits to lend you. Simple as that.”

“You don’t have any credits, or you don’t want to give me any credits?”

“Why do you ask questions like that?” He knew his sister was setting a trap for him, a trap to satisfy her thirst for a battle that he could never hope to win. “You’re not getting any credits out of me, it doesn’t matter why.”

“I see. Someday when you need help, see if I’m there for you. If only everyone out there knew the real you, they wouldn’t call you a hero. At least Mom and Dad still care about me.”

“Why don’t you call them?”

“I already did. They can’t help me because…whatever.” She sniffled. Fake, David thought. “I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

The call disconnected. David slid the phone into his pocket, shaking his head. The young girl that had been crying left. He could still see her faintly in the distance, crossing the parking lot. He felt sorry for her.

He looked toward the Jewelplex Mall and spotted Amber standing in front of the entrance. She wore a pink sweatshirt and let her blonde hair flow freely down her back. Her gaze peered out toward the parking lot, no doubt searching for him.

David shoved the invitation back into the red envelope and placed it in the inside pocket of his jacket. Glancing quickly at his watch, he saw that it was already 7:50 p.m. Amber was twenty minutes late. He ran his hands through his short brown hair, dismissing her tardiness as a small nuisance. Then he blew into his hand and checked his breath: Hmm, could use a mint…or some gum.

He made his way toward the entrance, hoping his time with Amber tonight would be less strenuous than the rest of his day had been. He glanced around the courtyard, first at the giant stone fountain in the center and then at the tall feathery trees adorned with strands of small white lights. The sound of rushing water from the fountain calmed his nerves.

Amber checked her watch and formed an irritated expression on her face. She was the late one, but David had a feeling she would try to pin the blame on him.

“Amber!”

She smiled briefly as he went in for a hug, the intoxicating vanilla scent of her perfume filling his head. She pulled away first, and when she did, her expression morphed from irritated to nervous.

“How are you?” she asked.

“I’m better now.” He went in for a kiss, and the world seemed to stop when he did. Her tender lips and the warmth of her body close to his made the last few days worth waiting through.

She pulled away again, and as if to make up for the abrupt halt to their public display of affection, she quickly grabbed his hand in hers and led him toward the front of the mall.

“It’s been a long three days.” He smiled as they reached the glass doors. He opened one, motioning for her to go first. She entered the building and he followed behind her. “And today’s been an especially long day.”

“Boy, don’t I know what you mean.”

They approached the giant stairwell that led to the second story of the mall and started up toward the food court. “This break has really helped me see things a little more clearly. You know…”

She stopped and turned to him. “Could we hit customer service real quick? I have to get a gift card for my parents. They’re out of town for their anniversary and I couldn’t think of anything else to get them.”

He shrugged. “Sure.” They started back down the stairs.

“Do you think I could borrow twenty credits, just until tomorrow? I forgot to grab some before I left the house.”

He pulled his wallet out as they turned around the bottom of the stairs and walked toward the customer service counter. “I don’t think I have many credits on me.”

“You know,” she started, hesitancy in her voice, “these past three days have helped me see things more clearly too, only I don’t think in the same way.”

He lost his calm stride at her change of tone. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean is…well…” She looked down at the tan tiles in the floor, stepping so as not to have her tennis shoes hit the cracks in between.

David’s instinct warned him where this conversation was headed, but he didn’t want to believe it. He had hoped over the last few days that if she really wanted to break up with him, she would have done it before or during the break, not after.

They approached the counter, where a young girl in a white-collared shirt greeted them. David swore he caught a brief look of recognition in the girl’s brown eyes when she looked at Amber, but dismissed it as a sliver of paranoia from his tired mind.

The girl smiled at David. “Can I help you?”

He placed his wallet on the counter, motioning to the girl that he needed a minute. He glanced at her collar, eyeing the silver name badge: Bubbles. He turned back toward Amber. “What are you trying to say?” His tone had become impatient. He attempted to calm himself by taking a deep breath as Amber looked up at him and frowned, her blue eyes revealing icicle shards hidden behind the pupils.

“What I mean to say is…well… I need some more…space. You and I’ve been seeing a little too much of each other and I…”

He took a step back. Amber took a step toward him, reaching her hand out to keep him steady. Her eyes glanced quickly at David’s wallet on the counter and then returned their gaze to him. Bubbles turned around and went back to checking log sheets for the mall baby strollers, pretending not to listen in on the conversation.

“I don’t think we should see each other anymore.” Amber wrapped her hand around his wrist and tried to tug him toward her. “I mean, we have been dating now for almost two months and I…well…you’re a little too much for me.” She winced a little, letting her last sentence hang in the stale air.

He quickly ripped his arm out of her grip. “Too much? Where did you come up with that?”

“Well, for example, you’re always calling me. You call me every morning and every night. How am I supposed to have any time to think with your voice in my ears all the time?”

“You’re breaking up with me because I call too much? Are you serious? You’re the one who wants me to call you all the time. You actually tell me when to call you!”

She grimaced, her eyes searching the random people walking the mall. “Lower your voice. It’s not just that. You want to spend all your free time with me too. We’re always going out to fast-food places, the park, the library, anywhere you can possibly think of for no real reason than for us to just spend time with each other. Frankly, I’m feeling…I’m feeling very smothered.”

“Smothered?” David gawked at her. I can’t believe she’s really serious about this.

“Smothered. Yes, smothered. Maybe even suffocated. These three days we had away from each other really helped me think clearly, David. I don’t want to be in a relationship with you right now. You’re too…dependent on me.”

His eyes widened.

Bubbles scribbled nonsense in her logbooks while peering over her shoulder at the arguing couple. When she caught David’s annoyed glare, she brushed her brown hair behind her ears and averted her attention back to the logbooks.

David turned his attention back on Amber. He tried to calm himself, but found it too difficult, especially after the day he already had. The things Amber was saying seemed to come out of nowhere, sideswiping him with a terrible force he wasn’t prepared to deal with. “I’ve treated you like a princess since the day we met. A princess. I’ve given you all my time, all my attention. I’ve poured more than two hundred percent of myself into this relationship to make it work, and you’re going to stand here and tell me that all of this is why you’re turning away from me?”

“Well,” Amber hesitated for a moment and shrugged, “yeah. Sure.”

“This is ridiculous!” he shouted, causing a few passersby to stop and stare, and Bubbles to drop her logbook on the floor.

“Please don’t make a scene.”

He heard Amber’s words but chose to ignore them. He felt the blood rushing to his head and his temperature rising like the screech in a tea kettle. She’s actually going to stand here and tell me that she’s dumping me because I gave all of myself to this relationship?

“I love the poems, the flowers, the gifts, everything you’ve given me in the last two months, but it’s not what I want. You’re not what I want.”

“But you like to be spoiled.”

She stepped back at the comment. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. You like to be spoiled.”

“I know you didn’t just say that.”

“I did. You know, I don’t get it. What is it you’re looking for? Is it muscles? Wealth? Fame? What the heck is it that you want, because the last time I checked, every other woman on this planet liked flowers, poems, gifts, time and you know, the simple things.”

“I’m not like other girls, David. You should have figured that out in the time I gave you.”

He ran his hands through his hair and took another deep breath. Stay calm. Keep control of your emotions and you’ll get through this. It’s just been a long day. Amber’s just another girl. If she doesn’t want to be with you, then that’s her loss. Just stay calm.

He stared into her frosty blue gaze and rehashed the whole day in his head. His car had broken down on him twice, he had received a call from the bank stating his account had been overdrawn because of the groceries he purchased the other day, and then he had the call from his sister—one of many in the past few days—all of them to ask for credits for things he knew she was lying about. All he wanted to do was get to the mall and see Amber. Stay calm, buddy. Stay calm. He could feel his heart bracing to jump out of his chest, ready to escape the hurt she was inflicting on him, but at the same time he wanted to rip his heart out himself and beat it up against a wall, punish it for developing such strong feelings for her in such a short amount of time.

Amber took a deep breath and refigured her posture, standing tall and making direct eye contact with him. “I’ll make it real simple for you because I know it takes you a while to look at things realistically when it comes to being in a relationship. You and I are finished. I am breaking up with you. We are no longer together. Understand?”

Sharp pains stabbed at his chest. Three days ago, he could have sworn that this break would only benefit both of them, but now he realized how wrong he had been. As he gawked at her like a deer in the headlights, he realized that she wasn’t the girl he had fallen for. The sweet-smelling hair he had put his hands through, the lips he had kissed, the body he had held so tightly during the cold nights, everything seemed suddenly foreign to him, as if none of it had been real. This wasn’t the Amber he had come to know.

A muffled ringing resounded from Amber’s purse. The anger in her face turned to surprise, and after pulling the cell phone out and checking the caller ID, the surprise changed back to the nervous glance she held when they first entered the mall.

“Hello?” she answered, stepping a few feet from David. “No, not yet…Yes…Look, I have to finish something up here. I’ll talk to you soon.” She glanced up at David and then turned around to talk privately. “All right. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye…What? I can’t…No, I can’t.” There was a moment of silence. “Fine…I love you too.” She quickly slid the phone back into her purse. “Goodbye, David,” she said as she casually started away.

“Whoa!” he shouted as he grabbed Amber’s shoulder and swung her around toward him.

A wild glare and a violent shake of her head caused him to release his grip. “Don’t you ever touch me again,” she growled. “I thought I made it clear just a minute ago that we are no longer together. Can you handle that, David? You’re a big boy. After all the adventures you’ve had in your life, I would think you could take a breakup maturely.”

“Is that it, Amber?” He held his hands out toward her, as if begging for his life. “That’s the end of us? You call for this break and then you dump me at the mall?” A moment of silence fell between them as he suddenly felt suspicion sneak in. “You were cheating on me, weren’t you?”

Bubbles gasped lightly, but not loud enough to draw their attention away from each other.

“You can think whatever you want, David. You can think whatever you want.” She frowned and then headed toward the mall exit. He could feel the anger and other twisted emotions building up inside of him, crisscrossing through his chest, racing through his veins. He didn’t want to handle this the way he knew he should. He should just take it like a man and go on his way, less one very stuck-up, snobby girl. But curiosity beckoned like a siren, luring him to find out what was really going on. He had to know who she had been cheating with. He had to know what mystery guy had singlehandedly toppled their relationship and caused him this grief.

David dashed across the tiles and reached toward her. He grabbed the shoulder strap of her purse and yanked it toward himself.

“Let go, you idiot!” Her screeching voice echoed through the mall as she tried to pull the purse out of his grip.

He dug his hand in it, fished around and pulled out her cell phone. Got it!

She swung around, pulling the purse back as his hand retreated with the desired object. His fingers fumbled with the phone’s buttons, trying to scan for the number that had just called. I know it’s here somewhere!

“Give that back to me now!” she demanded as she thrust herself at him.

He stepped backward. She lost her footing and fell, knocking the phone from his hands. She smacked into the floor as the cell crashed into the tile and shattered to pieces. People stopped and gaped as the debris scattered across the floor.

Bubbles cupped her mouth in awe while David looked down at Amber.

“You IDIOT!” Amber screamed. “You stupid idiot!”

A crowd began to gather around the two of them. Amber propped herself on her knees and pushed blonde strands of hair out of her face.

A security guard came running from the center court of the mall and grabbed David by the arm. The dark hand held tighter than a vice and made some of the reality of David’s situation sink in. He glanced up at the guard’s emotionless face and knew it would be pointless to struggle, to try to explain himself. The deed had been done, and he had done it. Simple really.

The guard turned toward Amber and his deep voice rolled like thunder. “Are you all right, young lady?”

“Yes, thank you,” she answered as she buried her face in her hands, too embarrassed to look at the crowd gathered around.

“I hope you realize that no one will ever treat you as well as I did,” David whispered with a weak voice as he watched Amber scramble for the phone pieces, shaking her head in disbelief.

“He already does,” she responded loudly without turning toward him. “Next time, why don’t you try to act your age for once and keep your emotions in check and maybe you wouldn’t do stupid things like this. This would have been a little easier if you had.”

The security guard escorted David to the glass doors of the mall exit and opened one, motioning for him to leave. “Don’t show your face here again tonight, is that understood? I don’t care who you are or what problems you guys are having, you had no right to do what you did.”

“Yeah,” he replied in agreement as he took one last look at Amber. She was getting to her feet, disgusted and perturbed. He didn’t have the strength to argue with the guard or try to explain the why of what he had done. He simply shook his head and stepped out of the mall. A nice ending to my already wonderful day. Cold air hit him as he zipped up his jacket and headed back toward his car.

Kimberly stumbled along the bumpy canals, making her way through the orchards as the moon’s light guided her path. She turned around every so often to make sure nothing—and no one—was following her. She didn’t know what those strangers did to her attacker, but she decided not to question any help they had to offer. Rubbing the front of her throat, she felt the scratches she accrued and considered herself fortunate that they hadn’t gone any deeper.

The orchards looked all alike at night. Kimberly’s feet staggered across the dirt rows, the long mounds jabbing at her heels and toes, causing her to trip and stumble occasionally. Minutes earlier, she tripped and fell face-first into a pile of rotten jewel fruit. The stench caused her to dry-heave, but she managed to pick herself up and continue on.

Kimberly emerged from the group of jewel trees and entered a field with a small house in the distance. Next to the house stood a barn, a place of rest for the night as long as she didn’t get caught. She knew farm people were notorious for killing anyone who crossed their property. It was legal of course, since the government enforced the “No Trespassing Treaty” a couple of years ago. Horror stories spread of the ways some farm people decided to kill their “crossers.”

She didn’t care to entertain those thoughts at the moment. She already had enough of a scare for one evening and was plenty worn out. Her stomach rumbled for food and her muscles ached. She knew if she had the chance, she would sleep for days, mainly to avoid thinking about what happened.

She approached the barn and couldn’t help but notice the giant tree that overshadowed it, elephantine branches clutching the building, mammoth leaves sweeping the roof. She could hear nothing but a small gust of wind blowing through the tree as she approached the barn’s huge doors. She quietly pushed against the edge of one of them as it creaked open. Pitch blackness engulfed her inside, except for a small spot of moonlight that pierced through a hole in the roof, spotlighting a section of the flat ground in a sapphire hue.

Too tired and worn out to worry about what else might be in the barn with her, Kimberly made her way to the spot of light and collapsed on the ground, resting her head on her hands. It’s safer in here than out there, she thought. Her eyes closed to the world around her, only to open to the nightmares within…

“Wake up, little girl. Wake up.”

Kimberly opened her eyes. A police officer stood over her bed, staring down at her.

“Sorry, little one. We need to get you out of here.”

“What? What’s going on?” she asked, her voice cracking.

The officer reached down and picked Kimberly up into his arms, carrying her out of the room and into the hallway. “It’ll be all right, sweetie. We’re going to get you out of here.” He walked down the stairs to the first floor of the giant house with her slumped over his shoulder. As he reached the bottom, a familiar man wearing a brown overcoat took her, putting her over his shoulder.

She rubbed her eyes and yawned. “Where’s Mommy and Daddy?”

No answer.

“Where’s Mommy and Daddy, Uncle?” she asked again, inhaling a large whiff of his musky cologne.

His bifocals slumped down the bridge of his nose, his eyes glancing at the officer. A dispirited look grew on his face.

“Um…” Uncle Grey started as he patted her on the back and set her on her feet.

She stood in her red pajamas, looking up at him and the officer, rubbing her eyes again.

“Mommy and Daddy had to leave suddenly.”

“Where did they go?”

Uncle Grey shook his head and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. She was too young to understand it all. Too young to understand the violence that had just taken place, the slaying of her parents.

Kimberly suddenly realized she was dreaming. Her young eyes glanced up the stairs she had just been carried down. The banister railing began to creak and twist as red liquid oozed out of the wooden surface.

She backed up and turned around to find nobody there. “Uncle? Uncle, where are you?”

The house’s foundation creaked loudly as the lights started to fade behind a thick black smoke filling the house. Her back slammed against the front door as her gaze moved toward the warped stairs. Her body tensed, paralyzed with fear, while her nerves waited for the scream to escape her throat.

The black smoke and the red stain spilled down the stairs and swirled together to create a black mirror or void, the central core of her darkest dreams. She peered into the void closer…closer…closer…and then the crimson eyes appeared.

“Ahhhh!” Kimberly screamed, as her eyes shot open.

She found herself lying in the darkness of the barn, the moonlight on the other side of her now. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Her cheek stung from pressing it into the dirt. She pushed her sweaty hair back away from her face and brushed the dirt from her cheek, glancing around, quickly remembering her whereabouts. The barn door remained open partway in front of her, the orchards in the distance. She couldn’t help but wonder if anyone from the house heard her scream.

Her nightmare started her heart racing as the images passed briskly through her mind, despite her efforts to push them out. She looked around at the darkness surrounding her. Goose bumps rippled down her arms and across her back as she shook the dream from her mind. She hoped to wake up to daylight but hadn’t been so fortunate.

Suddenly, she heard a door slam in the direction of the house. Oh, no!

“Who’s out thar?” a deep voice bellowed. Kimberly scrambled to her feet. Her reflexes felt sluggish as she stumbled into a dark corner of the barn behind the wooden door. Her breath came in pulses. She felt something hard near her foot and reached down to pick it up. The rough texture felt like a chunk of wood.

“Who’s thar? I’ve a gun! I’ll shoot ya!” The voice drew closer as the sound of footsteps approached the barn.

Kimberly leapt out from the shadows, swinging the piece of wood as hard as she could, striking the man in the head. She heard a grunt as the gun fell from his hands and his body collapsed to the ground. She dropped the wood and rushed out of the barn. Did I kill him? No. I hope not. Don’t really have time to check. It was self-defense, right?

She trudged through the dirt, trying to stay alert and focused on escaping the fields. He might not be the only one with a gun.

The lights inside the house flicked on as she turned her head and saw the white lace curtain open. A young girl peered at her through the window, her hands pressed against the glass, a frown on her face.

“Kimberly…” a soft voice drifted through the air.

She couldn’t tell where it was coming from. Is it the girl?

“Kimberly. They will find you and that’s when it will begin. Do not be afraid. This is all meant to be.”

Kimberly sprinted into the groves, hoping to make it to the city of Lysallis alive.

***

David sat in his car, peering through the frost-covered windshield at the mall. How could this have happened? How did things turn so suddenly?

He closed his eyes and felt the cold air around him. He remembered the incident that took place the same day he and Amber decided to take a three-day break from each other. In hindsight, it had been the turning point of their relationship, but he hadn’t seen it that way at the time. They had come to the Jewelplex Mall on a Friday night, and her behavior should have been cause for alarm…

“Okay, so do you think that pink is better on me, or red?” Amber held up two T-shirts with the word “Flirt” printed on the front.

David gave her an awkward glare. “Is there really that much of a difference between pink and dark pink?”

She looked down at the shirt she was holding up against her chest. “It’s not dark pink, it’s light red.”

“Okay. Sure it is.”

She smiled at him. “Just answer the question, silly.”

He glanced around the Girly brand clothing store. About a dozen or so other females were wandering around, some of them casting flirtatious smiles and giggles toward David. He didn’t know if it was because they recognized him or because of the fact that he was the only male there. It could have been both. “Did you notice that I’m the only guy in here?”

“Oh, that’s not true.” Amber waved her hand at him, dismissing his remark as if it was an annoying fly buzzing about her ear. She held the shirts up against her chest and glanced down at them. “Which one of these do you think matches the pink skirt I’m wearing? Do they match my pink shoes?”

He wished he was somewhere else. He should have brought Veronica with him so he would at least have someone to talk to. He knew Veronica wouldn’t let him hang in a store like this without keeping his mind off the fact that it was the most feminine store in the mall. Well, besides that lingerie store at the other end on the first floor.

“David? You haven’t answered any of my questions. Are you awake?”

“Unfortunately.” He couldn’t figure out why she was acting so…obnoxious. Then again, this was the first time they had been through a long day of shopping together.

She pouted her lips and hung the shirts back on the rack. “Fine.” She walked over and took his hand, tugging him out of the store and back into the mall. “Where do you want to go?”

Finally. “Arcade. Or the toy store. I hear they have new Super Spy 2 toys in stock.”

“How old are you, David?”

He watched two kids throwing pennies down to the first floor of the mall. One of them hit a security guard in the head. David held his laughter back.

“I don’t know. If I say I’m nineteen, you’ll ask me why I would want to go to a toy store. On the other hand, if you say I’m two, then I’ll have to ask you what you’re doing going out with me. So, how about we ignore your stupid question and go to the arcade since I’ve had to go to six of your stores in a row?”

“Fair enough.” She tilted her head and rolled her eyes, holding her hand out for him to lead the way. On her other arm hung five bags of clothes.

David took her hand, wondering why she had even asked him to go to the mall with her today. He didn’t have anything to shop for. Then again, it wasn’t like he had better things to do other than sit at home and sulk.

He led them through the eating area, shifting through the maze of tables and chairs. He turned to her at the entrance of the arcade with a big, genuine smile on his face. “I love this place. It’s kind of like my home away from home.”

“No surprise there,” she replied under her breath.

David’s smile flat-lined. “What?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Hmm.” David turned and entered the arcade. The bleeps and bloops of video games, mixed with laughter and cheers, rang through his ears. He looked over at the Chronic Fighter game and remembered when he and Carrie had played against each other the last time she was here with him.

“Hey, David.”

David turned to see his friend, Jake. He wore spiked hair and all black clothing, his usual attire. He held out his hand, shaking David’s as they both smiled. David cringed at the blue ring protruding from his friend’s bottom lip.

“I haven’t seen you in a while. When did you get the…” David pointed to his own lip as Jake nodded.

“Yeah, man. I got it the other day. Isn’t it cool? Yeah, I’ve been helping my dad build the extra room on our house for the past few months. We finally finished it the other day. How’s it going with you?”

“Okay.”

“Still haven’t heard from that Carrie girl yet?”

He shook his head and frowned. “No.”

They stood in silence for a brief moment.

“I’d like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Amber.” They turned to her, but she grimaced.

Jake held his hand out to shake hers, but she shook her head instead. “I’m Amber. That’s all you really need to know.”

“Oh. Okay.” He pulled his hand back and raised his eyebrows at David.

“Could you excuse us for a minute, Jake?”

“Yeah, man. I’ll see you around.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I’ve got some people at the prize counter anyway.”

“See ya.” David grabbed Amber’s arm and walked her back into the mall. “What is your problem?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Enough of your sarcasm, okay? All of a sudden, you’ve decided to become extremely annoying and now you won’t even acknowledge my friends. What is the deal with you tonight?”

“Oh, if by friends you mean a walking oil spill with ‘STUPID’ written all over him, then, yeah, I chose not to shake his greasy monkey hand.”

David’s eyebrows tipped inward at the insult. “Excuse me? Jake has been a friend of mine for almost a year now. Just because you don’t like the way he looks doesn’t mean he’s not human.”

Amber set her shopping bags on the floor and crossed her arms over her chest. “You know, I don’t get you, David.”

“Enlighten me.”

“Okay. You are one of Anaisha’s greatest heroes. Well, you were. Or you are. I don’t know. Anyway, you’ve fought against dozens of criminals, put Mr. Big away for life, saved countless lives and you have a ton of reward credits put away in a bank account that will be released to you in a few years. Is all this correct?”

“What is your point?”

“You’re Mr. Popular! Why the heck aren’t you hanging out with popular people? Why aren’t you on TV or doing autograph signings or having dinner parties? Why the heck are you hanging around and associating with people like Jake? Why do you insist on hanging around stupid places like the arcade? You have so much going for you, and you just choose to waste it.”

David closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Sorry, Amber, if I can’t be little Miss Pretty-in-pink-drama-queen like you, but I choose who I hang out with, what I do and what I don’t do. And I don’t choose to use my popularity for publicity. I just want to live a normal life, okay? I just wanted to come here with you tonight and have a nice, relaxing night.” His eyes opened to her hands on her hips and a look of astonishment on her face.

“Did you just call me a drama queen?”

He sneered. “If the shoe fits.”

“Whoa!” She pointed her finger accusingly at him. “You went too far with that one.”

“And your comments didn’t go too far? Are you kidding me?”

She huffed. “I think we need to call it a night.”

“Agreed.”

“I think we should take a break from each other for a few days. Maybe give us time to try and understand each other.”

“Whatever. Let’s just cool off and I’ll see you on Tuesday.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Maybe it was to his advantage that things ended. But questions still plagued his mind, questions about Amber and what had taken place at the mall tonight. He hadn’t felt that much chaos in a long time. One day, they’d agreed to work out their relationship problems, give each other a little space, and three days later she was with someone else. He had taken a chance, trusted again. But he was wrong this time. Wrong like he had been with Carrie.

It was over now. He didn’t want Amber back and he didn’t want to be held down by the emotions he still felt tugging at his heart, making it difficult to make sense of anything. He knew he had treated her right, and he knew it had all been a waste of time. He wondered if he would ever meet the right girl. He didn’t want to waste any more time or energy on these inferior relationships he found himself falling into. He wanted his soul mate. At one point, he thought Carrie was his soul mate, but that all changed long ago when she left to go who-knows-where.

His attempts each day to put Carrie at the back of his mind continuously failed. He couldn’t forget her beautiful eyes, her warm smile. She taunted him each day, like a carrot dangling in front of a starving rabbit. It had been six months since she left, and he found himself wondering where his life was headed. He didn’t have the same close friendships anymore, except for Veronica.

He missed the days when he and his team fought crime in the city of Lysallis and the rest of the continent of Enera. He missed the LZR Project and, in a spurt of irrational thinking, regretted finally locking away Mr. Big and his thugs, putting himself and his friends out of a job and shattering their circle of friendship.

David’s hand lay steady on the car key, ready to turn the ignition, but for some reason, he couldn’t pull himself away from the mall. Amber was probably still in there, filing a report against him or something. His eyes opened and he breathed out a long trail of white mist. He had to leave. He knew it was time to go.

He began to turn the key when he realized that he forgot something. He sat back and thought for a moment, then remembered that he left his wallet on the counter at the customer service station. He cursed himself for being so negligent, stepped out of the car and headed back toward the building.