Just need to share this silly bit: I'm growing tomato plants on my window sill and they're doing so well! Yay.

Enjoy the chapter and have a nice weekend!

*

The Ride

We'd all piled into Noah's truck and headed to the McLaren home the moment Matt had disappeared into the water. I didn't know how to feel at this point, scared? Angry? On edge that an attack might happen at any moment? Probably all those things together at the same time.

Right now Matt was swimming through the ocean alone, with four Corenths out there who could ambush him before he'd even made it to the ship with the bomb. He'd gotten an approximate location for the ship but was he going to be able to find it in time? Disable the bomb without setting it off?

Likely they had someone, probably the grandfather Clayton, watching the boat with the bomb, ready to set it off the moment anyone tried to approach it. Matt would have to sneak up to him and take him out first if he wanted to safely disable the bomb.

And we were vulnerable too, there was four of us but only two guys with a gun and likely three opponents. Until we reached the McLaren house, which was a predictable move obviously, we weren't evenly matched. They'd have the element of surprise.

Of course they wouldn't know about Noah and his abilities but I wasn't certain if forcing them to tell the truth would be enough. Noah had even admitted that his gift worked better on those attracted to him and that was unlikely to be the case with the Corenths.

I also wasn't certain how I felt about being under the same roof as Josh and George. Sure they'd tried to stop the others, and warn us, but they also had a hand in that first attack. Maybe rationally I felt like I ought to let that slide, at least for them, because they conceivably could have really thought they were just helping the others to some private time to speak with me. But mostly I was just really angry at them in general, for having put me in that spot, intentional or not.

"Matt's going to be fine," Mariana said from behind me, she and Orly had taken the backseat while I was in the passengers seat next to Noah. "Yeah he is, he's done this before and knows what to do." Orly also tried to reassure me but I could tell that he was tense, he didn't trust this situation either. "When we get to the house we'll call Thorne for an update," Noah said.

We were leaving Conningsby now, turning towards the more quiet back road that would get us to the McLaren home. Feeling increasingly more restless I was craning my head around, searching for something out of place. The others were doing the same, Orly was bouncing his leg restlessly up and down in his seat and Noah had his fists clenched around the steering wheel.

Yet despite our vigilance we never saw it coming. One moment all was quiet, the next there was a thud and the windshield cracked, spider webbing out from a single point in the center. Something hissed and I had time to see the hazy white smoke coming from a small projectile stuck in the center. The next everything was spinning around me, and I had trouble focusing, the world dancing and twirling.

As if I was hearing sound from underwater I heard voices, cursing. The car was jostling wildly, something was screeching, maybe even screaming. I couldn't focus, couldn't get my eyes to track what was going or even get my brain to care.

There was a jerking, my shoulder and chest suddenly aching and some kind of crashing noise. Whoever had been cursing was abruptly silent but some of the spinning stopped. Briefly I got my bleary eyes to focus, to open enough to catch a glimpse of my surroundings in odd disjointed snapshots..

Noah, folded over the deployed airbag now deflated on his steering wheel, his face a mess of blood. The windshield completely broken, the car resting against a tree. A face at my door with this gleeful grin.

I knew I should feel panicked, should be scared, but instead all I felt was this strange disconnect. Then the world resumed its spinning and I felt blessed darkness suck me under. I should fight, I knew, deep in the back of my mind that I had to do something. Resist. But I was so tired, so dizzy.

*

I woke to the sound of voices, the sound of waves lapping against the shore. My body was so heavy that I couldn't move, couldn't get my eyes to open. My skull was pounding a heavy beat and each thump was a spike through my temple.

Where was I? What was going on? What had happened? Was Matt okay? The bomb! My disjointed brain conjured images of the bomb going off. Was that why I was hurting? Why I couldn't think? Had the bomb gone off and had I been hit?

My brain flashed me an image of Noah, lying bloody across the car's steering column. That wasn't right, the car... We'd been on our way to the McLaren's. Matt was going for the bomb but the bomb wasn't with us was it?

Everything went topsy-turvy, my head wildly spinning. Like water sloshing in my skull. I felt hands on my body, someone picking me up but I couldn't get my body to move, to obey. I was weirdly numb, they were picking me up but I couldn't even tell where exactly they were touching me. That caused panic, I could feel my heart pounding in response but I still couldn't move.

Then I was laid down again, I couldn't tell on what, not with my eyes closed. Then there was the sound of an engine, rocking motion; a boat then. That was bad, I knew that was bad. My brain was finally waking up enough to start to make sense of things. I wasn't hurt by a bomb, something had hit the car and we'd all passed out. The car had crashed.

That meant... I didn't want to think it but it had to be true. The Corenths had me. This was their boat and they were using it to get me to their ship, probably somewhere off the coast. They figured they'd be faster with the engine than taking breathing stops if they swam with me. Why else would they do it like this? Or did they think I would wake up from the water? Would try to escape?

My heart was still racing, my breathing coming faster than it should and I forced myself to calm down. If they realized I was awake they might tie me up. Right now I was just tossed onto the bottom of the boat like a sack of potatoes. I couldn't tell how many of them were around me.

Were the others alright? Had they taken them too? Probably not, they only wanted me so I had no allies on this boat. I flashed back to the image of Noah's bloody face and hoped fervently that he was alright, that Orly and Mariana were unharmed.

There was a shuffling noise and some movement above me and then I heard Gavin and Clay talking. "Do you think dad and grandpa are back yet?" "Maybe we should call them, make sure we're good to get out of here the moment we get her aboard the Berylia."

Oh, it was only the two of them. Two against one was still two too many, I couldn't fight them. But it was probably my best shot. I focused first on tensing my muscles, trying hard to make sure I had control of my body. I had to move, I had to move fast, I said it like a mantra in my head. Keeping my eyes closed for a few more seconds.

Visualizing the inside of the boat was hard but I tried. It was a small motorized one by the feel and sound of things. Clay was on one side of me, near the engine, that was good. He was the biggest one and therefore the most dangerous for me. If he was steering the boat he'd be slower to react. Gavin, the oldest of Dave's sons was right next to me, I could actually feel the tips of his bare toes against my shoulder.

The diving knife I'd had strapped to my left bicep was gone, it had been a gift from Matt and I felt a pang of sadness at losing it. Anger that I was weaponless. I was angry enough to actually use a blade if I had one.

My head was near the side, my feet tucked sideways towards Clay. I slowly started shifting them, using the rolling of the boat on the waves to make it seem as natural as I could. The two were still talking though and I had the feeling they thought I was out cold and would be for some time still.

When I had them flat against the side of the boat opposite my head I tried to calm my rapid heartbeat and breathing again. I couldn't give myself away. And I needed to escape now, before they got me so far from the coast that I couldn't find my way back.

In my head I arranged the sequence of events, roll to my knees, launch myself over the edge and transform. Swim for my life. I could do this! I counted to three and then simply did it, not allowing myself to hesitate for a moment.

I was over the edge and into the water before I took a second breath. My change went through me so easily and quick, almost instantly transformed as I hit the water. I heard their shocked screams, had only a single moment to look out across the open sea and orientate myself.

There, Sharkfell island was right ahead of me. It would have to do.

Then I swam, faster than I ever had before.

*

Another cliffhanger! Sorry guys, these last chapters are filled with them. ^.^

Vote and comment please. Where do you guys think Dani should go? What's happening with Matt?

Much love,

Robin