My first view of our destination is nothing like I expected, nothing like the pictures I’d seen in all the books we studied prior to beginning our journey. The Rock itself, as it was often affectionately called, looks as solid as ever. But gone is the stark, solid block building made even more ominous-looking by the knowledge that it served as a maximum-security prison housing the worst of the worst. In its place stands nothing more than a skeleton of the old structure, pieces of exterior wall reaching up to varying heights before crumbling away. In some places the jagged concrete sections seem no more than eight or ten feet tall, while other parts rear up almost three times that. The various outbuildings that surrounded the main prison are now little more than piles of rubble, and the distinctive lighthouse tower has completely crumbled as well.
Whether the destruction resulted simply from The Incident or occurred over the years there’s no way of telling.
I study th
We can’t help smiling at him. I can see Radar trying hard to stifle a laugh.Seeing our grins, Sneak suddenly disappears. Kai’s hand flashes out to the spot where Sneak vanished. From the claw-like position of Kai’s hand, I think he’s got Sneak by the arm. Kai’s reaction was so swift Sneak didn’t have a chance to move.“Just a minute,” Kai says. “I almost forgot.”He reaches out with his other hand and tips Dad’s canteen upside down. The water splashes over Sneaks head, outlining his invisible form as the liquid runs over his head and shoulders. Sneak sputters and reappears.“What the...?” he stammers as we Miracles enjoy a laugh. It’s not often the tables get turned on Sneak.“It’s seawater,” Kai tells him. “Like I said, the more you smell like the water, the safer you’ll be.”“Yeah, well, next time warn a guy, huh?&
When darkness descends, Kai gets ready to leave. I wish I could go down to the bay with him. I’d love to see Selene, Tamika and Colella and thank them for saving my life. Dad is having none of it, though. He’s taking no chances, keeping everyone inside the building, away from any spying eyes. He’s not going to risk divulging our presence until he absolutely has to. My expression of gratitude to my mermaid friends will have to wait one more day.“Be careful,” I tell Kai. “Like my dad said, don’t take any chances over there.”“I won’t,” Kai says, smiling. “I want to make sure I’m around for your birthday.” He leans forward and kisses the top of my forehead. “I think it’s likely to be quite a party.”The touch of his lips against my skin sends a shiver of delight through me. I have no idea what to make of the kiss. Was it just a friendly birthday peck in advance, o
Happy birthday to me.The long awaited day is here—December 21st. I’m finally eighteen. Unfortunately, I don’t feel any different today than I did yesterday. There was no midnight magic; no Power that miraculously appeared when the clock struck twelve.Yesterday was a completely uneventful day. We all stayed inside, hidden away while we waited. Pairs of Marines took turns watching Alcatraz, replaced every half hour so eyes and attention stayed fresh. No one reported seeing anything move on the island.I can think of at least a thousand things I’d rather be doing here in the early morning hours of my birthday than getting ready to venture across the bay to Alcatraz. But that’s what we’re doing. Everyone has returned their gear to their packs and readied their weapons. The entire company is now gathered in the lobby of the building that has been our home for the past two nights. At least I’ll get to see and thank Selene an
The force of the flames washes across me like a gale force wind. Surprisingly, I feel very little heat, no more than when the hot Santa Ana winds blow into San Diego from the desert. Wrapped in the plume of fire, I see the world as if looking through orange-tinted glasses. Somehow, without understanding why, I know what I need to do. The feeling is completely new to me, completely foreign to anything in my life before. Knowing without truly knowing is the best I can describe it. It’s as if a voice inside my head is whispering to me, telling me what I must do an instant before I do it. It’s not really a voice, though—it’s more like a feeling that guides me.At last, I’m beginning to understand what it’s like to have a Power.I quickly turn my head toward Kai, who is still clutching my upper arm. He’s staring at me wide-eyed, his face glowing bright orange in the fire.“Don’t let go of me,” I shout, trying to make sure he hears me above the roaring flames. “Whatever you do, DO NOT LET G
Dad pulls his eyes from the portal and looks around the huge area within the walls.“None of these machines look like they’ve worked in years,” he says. “I doubt they have anything to do with the portal now. It seems to be self-sustaining.” He looks at me and flashes a wry smile. “We could use your mom right about now. Maybe she could figure something out.”I return his smile. If anyone would know what to do here, it would be my brainiac mother. She’s five hundred miles away, though, so it’s up to us.We all move forward until we’re about twenty feet from the portal. From here, I can feel the thing’s immense energy. Nobody seems to want to get any closer, and I don’t blame them.“Maybe I can get inside it,” Lieutenant Gregerson offers. “I might see something from the other side that we can’t see from here.”Kai shakes his head. “You can&rsquo
STEFANI never wanted to be a vampire. By that, I mean I didn’t wake up one morning and think how cool it would be to be a vampire, nor did I ever daydream about becoming one of the undead. The thought never crossed my mind. In fact, when it occurred, I tried my best to prevent it, but that’s a tale I will get to presently.Make no mistake, I’m thrilled that it happened, and I would never undo it even if given the chance. I love my vampire existence. It’s not perfect—not yet, anyhow, but it’s better than anything else I can imagine. And it is especially preferable to being dead, buried and forgotten.My name is Stefan de Kula, second son of Count Ramon de Kula. I am now well over three hundred years old. I am the last of the de Kula line, and have been for more than two centuries. I do not miss my family at all. I have a new father now—Ricard, the vampire who turned me—and a new family, my coven, here in central Connecticut.How did the second son of an Italian count end up as a vampi
They scurried away into the barn to collect the other stable hands. I resumed brushing my horse, but I could feel Antonio’s eyes boring into the back of my skull. I wondered what he had in store for me, but I was not about to let him see my concern.The half dozen servants who tended to the horses and the stable gathered in front of my brother.“This is your lucky day,” he told them. “Stefan is going to be cleaning out the stables today. I want you all to watch him, to make sure he does a good job.” Antonio knew I was popular with the servants, so he added, “You are not to help him in any way, mind you, only to watch.”With that, he strode away.I never minded hard work, but shoveling horse manure—especially on such a hot, sticky day, which made the stench inside the barn all the more foul—was beneath even a second son. I had no choice, though, so I spent the better part of the afternoon mucking out th
For my companions, I chose Donatello and three other veteran hunters. We gathered our supplies and weapons and were riding from the castle within an hour of having received the mission from my father. We still had several hours before darkness would make tracking the beast more difficult, if not impossible.Our first destination was the home of the family of the unfortunate girl who had been killed. I wished to examine her wounds, to see for myself what kind of beast we might be hunting.The hut was the same as all the other peasant huts upon my father’s land. Crude and simple, fashioned of mud and rock, with a thatched roof. The door was open, but even so, I knocked upon the doorframe before stepping inside with Donatello.The young woman’s body w