In the wake of several near-cataclysmic events, humanity created the Cure, a DNA-altering antidote to death by disease and old age. But all cures come with side effects: a small percentage of the population develops a wide range of powers, some lethal to others and some lethal to the wielder.<br><br>These people are called the Estranged, hunted and shunned, safe only on the Island of Exile. It is here that Kaeva and Eddie meet ... and where they set a prophecy in motion, quite possibly sealing their own demise, and even the end of Exile.

Breaker

The walkway was as straight and clear as it looked, the stairs as sturdy and stable, and Eddie first pushed, then peered inside the front door. The interior was dark, and but for the constant tinkle of bells, it was unnervingly silent.


Just get in the house, Eddie thought, even as something else in his head woke up to suggest the shadow at the top of the ladder to the right seemed to be hulking over and watching his arrival, and the dark bulk in the middle of the small sitting room appeared to be inching closer. Rising…falling…rising…perhaps in labored yet silent breaths…


Eddie shook his head and the form solidified into nothing more serious than a chair. He was pretty sure, at least in his limited experience, that chairs didn’t suck oxygen ormove. So he cleared his dry throat, reminded himself not to watch so many old digicasts, and whispered, “Lights on.”


Nothing changed. No overhead fixtures woke with his words. No lamp flickered into brilliance.


Chapter 45