“Yeah, yeah, I'm fine,” Imorean replied hastily. “Let's just get home.”

  “Okay. You go straight to bed as soon as we get there.”

  “Okay,” nodded Imorean.

  The white-haired teen felt utterly relieved as his mother turned the car around and began the drive home. Imorean couldn't resist just one glance in the wing mirror though. He instantly wished he hadn’t. Shining from within the woods was a pair of eyes. They were fiery red and seemed to glow with a light all of their own. There was something about them that seemed to bore into Imorean's very soul, threatening to devour it. All of a sudden, Imorean felt so incredibly worthless and helpless, as though he had been cast adrift into a vast ocean. A single word rose to the forefront of his mind. Marked. Imorean blinked and rubbed his eyes, hoping that the eyes would vanish. As he opened his eyes though, Imorean's heart skipped a beat. The vivid, red eyes were gone. Imorean shook his head. Was the creature gone? What had it been? The teenager swallowed hard. He had a horrible feeling that there was something following him.

  Chapter 7

  “Okay, seriously, Imorean?” asked Roxy, as they donned their caps and gowns along with the other graduating seniors. They were standing next to one another, heads close, having a quiet conversation. Imorean was glad of the other seniors talking over them, drowning out most of what he said.

  “I'm just telling you what I saw,” replied Imorean. “I know I saw something weird yesterday. The eyes were exactly like the ones the Hellhound had in the story about Valle Crucis.”

  “Don’t be such a knucklehead. Hellhounds don't exist,” said Roxy in a sing-song voice, fiddling with the tassel on her cap.

  “You wouldn't be saying that if you had seen what I saw yesterday.”

  “Imorean, I hope you know just how insane you sound,” replied Roxy.

  “I know,” said Imorean. “Believe me, I know, but I swear that's what I saw.”

  “Okay,” said Roxy, shrugging noncommittally. “So, you think you saw the eyes of a demon dog. What do you want to do about it?”

  “I don't know,” said Imorean, shaking his head. “I don't even know if I was seeing it right.”

  “Well I don't either. Hey, maybe you just saw a ghost or something, or maybe you're just going crazy, either way, I don't think there's anything you really can do about it.”

  “You're probably right,” sighed Imorean, rubbing his eyes. He had barely slept the night before. Nerves and anxiety had kept him awake.

  “Look, for now, just put it out of your mind,” said Roxy, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Summon all your remaining energy. We are about to be graduates of this prison known as school.”

  “Got it. Walk now, worry later.”

  “Exactly,” replied Roxy, clapping Imorean on the back.

  Imorean smiled at her. She always had a way of distracting him from his problems, and now, in full daylight, Imorean wasn't too sure of what he had seen the previous evening. Maybe it had just been a mirage of some sort. Imorean frowned. No, it couldn't have been. There had been too much detail. Too much... presence about the creature. Imorean placed his graduation cap on his head and cleared the frown from his face. The creature, or whatever it had been, was gone. It was too late to worry about it now. It was best that he put it out of his mind. He had other things to focus on.

  “Congratulations to our newest class of graduating seniors!” shouted the principal of Imorean's high school. The roar from the senior students was deafening as they all stood and applauded each other. They had been sitting out on the football field for several hours now, waiting for everyone to finish marching across the stage. Families and parents had packed into the bleachers on either side of the football field, cheering for their respective student.

  Imorean couldn't hold back the cheer that leaped from his mouth at the principal's words. Along with the other students, he hurled his cap into the air, watching as the black square spun in the midday sunlight. At this moment, he couldn't have felt less worried about the eyes in the woods. This was his day, and here he was, finally a graduated senior.

  “Imorean!” cried his mother, rushing out onto the football field with the rest of the parents.

  Catching his cap, he yelled, “Mom!” jogged over to her. He had to fight to get past a few other parents, but when he was finally standing in front of his mother, grandmother, grandfather, and half siblings, he couldn't wipe the grin off his face. This was one of the proudest moments of his life.

  “Well done,” said Amelia, pulling him into a tight hug.

  “Thanks, Mom,” said Imorean, returning it.

  “We're all so proud of you,” said Leanne, clutching tightly onto William's hand.

  “Thank you, Grandma,” replied Imorean, unable to stop smiling.

  “So, off to Norway in a month or so, isn't it?” asked William, clapping Imorean on the back.

  “Yeah,” replied Imorean with a nod. “I'm so excited.”

  “And we're excited for you,” said Leanne, moving to embrace her oldest grandchild. “It'll be a fantastic new experience.”

  “I can't wait,” said Imorean.

  “I'm sure,” replied William, smiling at Imorean. Imorean furrowed his brow for a moment. There was a hidden hesitation lurking in William’s eyes. As though there was something he wasn’t telling. The shadowed look was gone only seconds later.

  “Come on, everyone,” said Amelia. “Picture time!”

  Imorean exchanged a glance with his grandfather as Amelia pointed the small, digital camera at them. They both knew how carried away Amelia could get with taking pictures.

  “Ha!” shouted Imorean, reaching out and grabbing onto the black gown of a fellow senior and pulling them into the picture as well.

  “Imorean! What are you doing?” cried Roxy.

  The white-haired teenager held onto his struggling friend as his mother quickly snapped a few pictures.

  “Just thought you'd want to be in the next family photo,” said Imorean, releasing his hold on Roxy when Amelia finally lowered the camera.

  “Ah, yes, the unwilling friend desperately trying to escape being photographed will make a lovely portrait.”

  “Won't it, though?”

  “Okay, Imorean, Roxy,” called Amelia. “Let's get one of just you two.”

  Imorean looked at Roxy and widened his grin, holding onto her tightly as she tried again to dash out of the picture. He knew how much she hated being in photographs. Imorean jumped as Rachel squeezed her way in between himself and Roxy, taking a second to grin cheekily up at him.

  Just as Amelia snapped the first picture, Imorean felt something land on top of his cap. While his mother was checking the photos she had taken, Imorean ran a hand along the flat surface of his cap and swept off what had landed there. Reaching down, he frowned as he looked at the object he had picked up. It was a simple, green feather. Quickly, Imorean looked up, perhaps a mallard duck had just flown overhead. The teenager's frown deepened when he saw that the skies were clear.

  “Imorean!” called Amelia, catching his attention. “Focus, it's picture time!”

  “Sorry,” replied Imorean, looking back at his mother and allowing the grin to return to his face.

  Chapter 8

  Imorean couldn't stop his knee from nervously bobbing up and down. The past few weeks seemed to have gone by in the blink of an eye. He had been very busy sending back and forth last-minute paperwork to Gracepointe, but at last, the departure day had arrived. Amelia sat next to him in the driver's seat, and Roxy sat behind him in the backseat of the car. Her own parents had been unable – or unwilling Imorean thought was more likely – to bring her. Behind Amelia's car, Imorean's grandparents followed, bringing the twins. The day was finally here. Today, he, along with the first section of North Carolina recipients, would take the flight from Raleigh in North Carolina to Oslo in Norway.

  Imorean reviewed the details of their trip. He and Roxy would meet Gabriel Archer, their area representative for Saving Grace, at the airport and all would be flying out of North Carolina on a late flight. Imorean thought that their flight was at almost nine o'clock at night. He would have to check the ticket to be sure. They would have a six-hour layover in London to change planes, then proceed on to Norway. The last leg of their journey would be on charter buses.

  “Excited?” asked Amelia when they had passed Durham.

  “I think that's an understatement,” replied Imorean.

  “What about you, Roxy?” asked Amelia, looking in the rearview mirror at the girl in the backseat.

  “I can't believe it's finally here. I've been waiting for this day since I knew I’d gotten the scholarship.”

  “Well, I'm excited for both of you. This is going to be an adventure for you two.”

  “I'll take pictures for you,” said Imorean, grinning at his mother.

  “You know me too well,” smiled Amelia.

  Imorean's own smile faltered as he noticed the expression in his mother's eyes. Was that apprehension? Maybe even fear?

  “Rachel and Isaac are terrified that you're running away and never coming back,” said Amelia, changing the subject. There was something in her voice that made Imorean pause. He remembered what she had said about losing him, and felt a surge of sympathy. Was his mother also worried that he wouldn’t come back?

  “We'll be back,” replied Imorean. “Maybe at Thanksgiving, maybe at Christmas, depending on how long of a break we get, and definitely during the summer.”

  “Well, I'm glad I can reassure them with that,” said Amelia.

  “What about you?” asked Imorean. “Does that reassure you?”

  “A little,” replied Amelia, lightly biting her lower lip. “Only fifteen minutes now.”

  “Mom,” said Imorean, resting one hand on his mother's arm. “Don't worry.”

  “Yeah, Mom,” said Roxy, leaning over from the backseat to touch her ‘other mother’ on the shoulder. “We want this. This is a golden opportunity for both me and Imorean.”

  “I know,” replied Amelia, smiling at both of them. “I'm just going to miss you. Both of you.”

  “Well, I'm glad you'll miss me too,” said Imorean. “For a moment there, I thought you were just talking to Roxy.”

  “Oh, I'll miss Roxy more,” said Amelia, not taking her eyes off the road as she ruffled Imorean's white hair.

  Imorean snickered then swallowed hard as they turned off the highway and onto the road that would lead them the rest of the way to the airport.

  After being dropped off in front of the terminal, the pair slipped through two sets of sliding doors, heavy suitcases and backpacks in tow.

  “So where did Gabriel say he'd meet us?” asked Imorean, looking around the terminal.

  “It says here that...” said Roxy, scanning one of the many pages that they had been sent describing details of their trip. “Hold on, why aren't you doing this? You're the real brains of this outfit.”

  “I thought I'd let you flex yours for a change,” replied Imorean. “Give you something to do.”

  “Oh, thanks,” said Roxy, shaking her head.

  “So, where?” prompted Imorean.

  “It’s that airline's check-in desks,” replied Roxy, looking up and pointing across the entrance plaza to their flight's check-in area.

  Imorean followed her line of vision and, being several inches taller than Roxy, was able to easily look over the heads of most of the people in the plaza.

  “Well,” said Imorean. “I don't see him, but let's go check in and get rid of all our baggage.”

  “Leave it to students to show up as soon as I leave my post for two minutes,” said a voice, approaching from behind.

  “Mr. Archer,” said Imorean, turning and grinning at the taller man.

  “Mr. Frayneson, Ms. Daire, how are you both?” asked Gabriel, stopping next to them.

  “We're well, sir,” replied Imorean. As he made eye contact with Gabriel, the older man’s eyes seemed to shine, and his grin felt somehow contagious. Imorean found himself smiling in return.

  “Good, good. Have you checked in yet?”

  “No,” said Roxy. “We were looking for you.”

  “My apologies,” nodded Gabriel. “I'll help you both get settled. Then we're going to wait here for a couple of hours for the rest of the recipients to show up. Did you two come alone?”

  “No,” replied Imorean. “My family drove us. They're parking right now.”

  “Fantastic,” said Gabriel. “It's always good to see families helping their students. Well, let's go and get you two checked in.”

  “Yes, sir,” replied Imorean. The white-haired boy looked over at Roxy, and both exchanged a grin as Gabriel led the way across the floor to the desks.

  As their guide took Imorean's and Roxy's passports and boarding passes away to the check in desk, Imorean's family approached.

  “Well,” said William, placing a wrinkled hand on Imorean's shoulder. “The moment's finally here.”

  “I know,” replied Imorean, nodding eagerly. He grinned at his grandfather, but William’s eyes were elsewhere. They were riveted to Gabriel’s back. There was something like horror in the lines of his face.

  “We'll miss you terribly,” said Leanne, distracting Imorean as she walked forward and wrapped Imorean in a tight hug. Imorean let go of the look on his grandfather’s face. He must have imagined it.

  “I'll miss you all, too.” Imorean grinned as Leanne let him go and pulled Roxy into a hug as well.

  “When are you coming home?” asked Rachel, catching the tail of Imorean's shirt.

  “I'm not too sure, Rachel,” replied Imorean, leaning down to her height and putting a hand on her head.

  “You are coming home, aren't you?” asked Isaac, standing next to his twin.

  “Of course I am, silly.” Imorean used his other hand to ruffle Isaac's hair. “Who knows what kind of trouble you two would get into if I wasn't home from time to time?”

  “You're not leaving because of us, are you?” asked Rachel, looking down at the tile floor.

  Imorean couldn't stop his brows from rising then furrowing together in a frown.

  “No,” he said, keeping his voice quiet. “No, of course not. I'm going because this seems like the best thing for me right now. I'm coming home soon, I promise.”

  “Okay.” Rachel launched forward and wrapped her small arms around Imorean's shoulders, burying her face in his neck.

  “It's okay, princess,” said Imorean, putting a hand on her back. “I'll be home soon. I promise.”

  Rachel did not respond verbally, instead she retreated and stood behind Leanne, waiting for Isaac to join her.

  “Hey, you,” said Imorean, resting his hands on Isaac's shoulders. “You're the big man in the house now. What do you say, think you can keep those two safe?”

  “I think so,” replied Isaac, pulling himself up to his full height.

  “Good man.” Imorean grinned at his younger brother. “Thanks, Isaac. I know I won't have to worry about them now.”

  “I'll look out for them,” said Isaac seriously, drawing up his shoulders as he spoke.

  “Your sister in particular,” teased Imorean, maintaining his smile and knowing that Rachel wouldn't listen to a thing Isaac said.

  “I'll try,” said Isaac, looking down.

  Imorean smiled at him. Saying goodbye was harder than he had expected. Much harder. The reality of the moment was starting to settle in. This was the last time he would see his family for months.

  “Be good,” Imorean cautioned, pulling Isaac close to his chest. Isaac, in turn, wrapped Imorean in a tight hug. The older boy wasn't sure, but he thought he heard Isaac whimper softly.

  A few seconds later, Imorean released his younger brother, not knowing exactly when he would see him again. He hoped it would be soon. The white-haired teenager stood up and looked around for his mother, wondering where she had gotten to.

  “Will they be safe?”

  Imorean turned and saw Amelia talking to Gabriel. The teenager resisted the urge to shake his head. There was no doubt in Imorean's mind that if his mother weren't so unsettled by his departure, she would have been flirting with their escort.

  “Don't worry Mrs. Frayneson,” replied Gabriel. “They'll be safe as houses with me.”

  “It's been a long while since anyone called me Mrs. Frayneson,” said Amelia. Imorean saw a light blush color his mother's cheeks and tried not to roll his eyes.

  “Oh,” replied Gabriel, sounding taken aback.

  “I go by my maiden name, Amelia Watson.”

  “Well, I apologize, Ms. Watson. Yes, they'll be perfectly safe. Believe me, no harm will come to either of them.”

  “That puts my mind slightly more at ease,” replied Amelia, folding her arms nervously over her chest.

  Imorean smiled and caught his mother's eye. She quickly left Gabriel's side and made her way over to his.

  “I'm not worried about you, you know.” She kept her arms crossed as she spoke.

  “I'm sure,” replied Imorean, grinning.

  “Thank you. I would stay until your plane lifted off, you know I would, but I have the late shift at the clinic again tonight, and –”

  “Mom,” interrupted Imorean. He knew how much his mother hated long drawn out goodbyes. “It's okay. I understand. Like I said, I'll see you at Thanksgiving or Christmas, and failing that, during the summer.”

  “Video chat me?” asked Amelia, tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

  “As much as I can,” replied Imorean, smiling at her.

  “Okay. Let me know as soon as you get there,” sighed Amelia, her gaze dropping to the floor. All of a sudden, she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around Imorean. The boy was taken aback by her surge of strength and stumbled slightly.

  “I'll miss you, too.” Imorean smiled, in spite of the sad moment.

  “See you soon.” Amelia rubbed her eyes clear of tears.

  “See you soon,” replied Imorean, pulling himself up to his full height.

 

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