Chapter 1

The dry autumn wind hit my face like sandpaper. I truly missed the wet air of spring that didn't dry my lips and hands. I wanted it to rain, badly. Life in the colony had been good the past six months. We hadn't dealt with any more murderous psychopaths, and the community has been growing quite a bit. A lot has changed since Hannah shot Valerie.

Hannah and Nathan are dating now. Paige has been mega flirting with Ryder. Axel and Ryder share laser vision as well as Hannah. The three of them have been training excessively together. Madelyn has been teaching Sage and Sarah medical procedures, the two of them accompany Joey whenever someone comes into the hospital.

We built up the town quite a bit, everyone has their own house except us teens. The cabin has been build up so we all have our own rooms now. The cabin marked the southern most part of town, nobody was allowed to build behind the cabin.

Life was good.

"How long do you think this peace is going to last?" Nathan asked softly before he lifted his fork filled with chicken into his mouth.

We were eating dinner. The table was draped in a nice dark blue tablecloth with white lace ends. Eleven dark wooden chairs framed the table, each sat a different member of the group.

"Hopefully a while," I answered, "It's been nice and peaceful the past few months."

Some wind blew in from the open window above the kitchen sink. It gently swayed the tablecloth but not enough to knock anything over.

"So..." Paige started, "The San Franciscon states send a letter today."

I put my fork down, "Please guys, No politics at the table."

Picking my fork back up I looked down at the salad I had on my plate, harvest would be soon and I slightly feared what winter would do to us. If need be we can just trade with our local allies.

The San Franciscon States were a group of colonies by what used to be San Francisco that we have had slight conflict with lately. We control everything south of the San Pablo bay including where the bay opens into the ocean. We controlled the bay and used it for fishing, this caused the San Franciscon States to get angry at us.

It's just useless drama, not a discussion for the dinner table.

It was quiet for a few seconds.

"So, does everyone know what they're voting for on 38?" Ryder asked.

I dropped my fork on my plate and stood up from the dinner table. I picked up my plate and set it in the sink before trudging out the door. I had said please and used manners and he still acted like that. It was ridiculous.

38.

It was an idea that the community had put in the idea box. A lot of community members had put it in the idea box. I resented it, but I knew I would be the only person voting against it.

I walked over to the side of the house and sat down in the dirt, leaning against the cabin. I breathed in heavily. I wouldn't be able to execute 38 properly. I was in no shape or form good at it.

I longingly looked at the forest and realized that I hadn't gone in a walk in months. Slowly standing to my feet, I wiped my clothes clear of any dirt. I whistled and started jogging into the forest. Eclipse was quick to meet my side. It looked as if he was smiling and at that moment I knew he missed this. I missed this too.

I jumped over logs and darted around trees and I got increasingly faster. Eclipse, being part wolf, was easily keeping up. He was also a dog which helped. His barks towards me were deep and ferocious. He wasn't being mean, he wanted more of a challenge.

I looked back for a second after my feet started to hit sand, Eclipse was right on my tail and I would soon lose this game of predators and prey.

"Alright buddy," I laughed as I smiled and shook my head. No way was I going to lose a game of tag with a dog.

I shifted into a lioness and ran faster. Eclipse was getting further and further behind until he just stopped. I wasnt paying much attention to where I was running, I was paying attention to Eclipse.

I rotated my body so I was looking at him. Eclipse came running towards me. His head was low and the fur on his back was pointed on edge. He was bearing his teeth.

What is going on with him?

A clicking of someone's tongue sounded from behind me. I spun my head and saw a tall, slender, light brown haired guy standing a few feet from me. He was very spindly and absolutely creepy looking.

I charged at him, head low, and teeth bared. I knew him from my vision when we were on the boat. My feet moved fast as I ran towards him, everything in my body language said that I was going to eat him whole. He didnt seem to care. He had the face of  a true psycho.

I shifted down tight as I got to him, Eclipse positioned himself so he was standing on my left, he was growling, just waiting for me to command him to attack. It was something I taught him in the past few months.

"Who are you?" I suspiciously asked, my voice was laced with aggression.

"Nobody you know," he answered with a sinister grin and a shrug of his shoulders. He throughly creeped me out but I wasnt scared.

"Well," I smiled slightly through my creeped-outness, "My name is Carla." I offered him a hand to shake but he just looked down at my hand and laughed. The kind of laugh that sends shivers up your spine because of how creepy it was.

"Oh, I know who you are," he laughed.

I did not feel any kind of okay.

"You do?"

He nodded... slowly.

"I hate to be rude but you're trespassing on Lioncan territory," I said in a stern voice, "I'm going to need to know where you came from and where you're going."

"I have to say, when you told me stories about how you became leader, you left out Valerie, and Cleo, and saving Carter."

"When did I-?"

"I'll be on my way, it was nice seeing you again, it's been a while since we talked," he eerily said before he smiled once more and walked through a swirling blue and green portal looking thing. He disappeared.

I looked down at Eclipse who was looking right up at me, he seemed just as confused as me.