Chapter 2

Yesterday was all everyone could talk about. Danny and I were watched all day, and Morgan was followed by a group of girls, wanting to hear again how he won the fight. It was so bad that I just stopped listening to everyone's voice, focusing instead on Danny's. “Hey Amelia!” “Yeah. The fight yesterday was all because of me. And I wanted Morgan to win. Happy?” “That's not what I was going to say,” Jaime said with a surprised tone. I turned so fast I nearly fell. “Oh. Sorry, Jaime. I thought you were one of those other people.” I could hear something in the background, a voice of some kind, whispering. It was like there was another person standing by Jaime, but only I could hear it. He is not one of our kind. He must be stopped before he can hurt another person. “Amelia? Are you okay?” I blinked. “Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Sorry.” Danny was looking at me, staring, like I was different. I turned around and walked quickly away.

After third period, I went to my locker to grab my innovations notebook. Morgan was there, waiting. “Amelia.” “What do you want, Morgan? I'm kind of busy at the moment.” Morgan blinked, confused. “I just wanted to say hi. If that's okay with you.” I was taken aback for a moment. His tone was different. “I need to get to class. I don't have much time for talking right now.” Morgan waited as I searched for my phone. “Did you see my phone?” He held out his hand, my phone in his palm. “You stole my phone? When?” “I never stole it. You dropped it.” Morgan handed it back to me. I put it in my pocket, watching him closely. “When did I drop my phone?” I asked, waiting. “Yesterday. I found it on the ground and held onto it until I could give it back.” I stared. He wasn't lying, as far as I could tell. Morgan turned to walk away. “Wait,” I said, hoping to delay him. “Why are you trying to help me?” He took a deep breath before answering. “Because sometimes, the people you know can be more dangerous than the people you don't know. Always remember that.” We quickly went our separate ways.

In innovations, I opened up a chat session on my computer. Jaime, Danny, and my other friend Jake were on and waiting for me. Hey guys, what's up, I typed. Where were you, Amelia? You were like, AWOL. What happened? Jake was anticipating my answer I got cornered. By who? Danny was worried You guys, leave Amelia alone. If she doesn't want to talk about it, then leave her be. Jaime was always there for me. I looked up at the teacher, trying to pay attention. When I looked down, there was a note on my computer screen. Be careful when you pick your friends. They can be more dangerous than strangers. Morgan. Why wouldn't he leave me alone? It was starting to annoy me. I started a new chat session and sent it to Morgan, hoping to get some answers. Hello, Amelia. What are you trying to pull, Morgan? What's with the note, and being all mysterious? I only want to help you stay safe. There is no trick and this is not a prank. Trust me. I hesitated. Why aren't you helping anyone else? Why only me? Because you need it the most. I don't need any help from you. I can take care of myself. Are you so sure? What about that time at Jones Creek? How did he know about that? I never told anyone about the time I got lost up there, except Danny. Amelia, I would not lie to you. There are some people that do want you hurt. And they are not who you think they are. I thought about that voice. Danny was standing right beside me when I heard it. Okay. Let's say I do believe you. Would you tell me who it is? Thirty seconds passed before I got Morgan's answer. No. You need to find out for yourself. I closed the window, trying to be as normal as possible. Amelia? Are you okay? Yeah, Jake. I'm fine. The bell rang.

I caught Morgan at his locker. I wanted to know what was going on. “What is your problem, dude? Are you just playing with me, or what?” Morgan didn't turn around, but I could hear him just fine. “If I told you, you would never believe me.” “Tell me how you found out about Jones Creek.” He turned and sighed. “I heard about it from my mom. She lived here when it happened.” I blinked. “What are you doing here?” “I came here to live with my mom.” Morgan looked honest. But something wasn't right. “Morgan, if you are really serious about protecting me, then tell me what is going on.” He closed his eyes, pondering my request. “Meet me at Jones Creek tonight at seven. Take a walk with me, and I will tell you everything.”

When I got to the creek, Morgan was waiting. “You have your cellphone, right?” I pulled it out. “Good.” He looked at me, those twin emeralds piercing my soul. It was like he saw into my mind, like he knew everything about me. I looked away. Morgan hesitated before he spoke. “Amelia, the reason I wanted you to come with me was so that I could explain.” I waited. “That's what I wanted you to do.” Morgan held up a hand. “Let me finish. I used to live here, a long time ago. Two years ago actually.” That caught me by surprise. “I lived here last year,” I said, a hint of skepticism in my voice. “I moved before you came.” I blushed. “I guess that never crossed my mind.” He laughed, the sound of it was like a thousand bells, ringing through the night. “What did you want to explain to me?” I asked, waiting. Morgan took a deep breath before answering me. “Amelia, telling you would come with horrible consequences. For you and me both.” His voice was pleading. I reconsidered my choice. “I don't care, Morgan. You are the one who wanted to tell me.” “You won't believe me. Nobody does.” He looked at the sky, waiting for courage. “Morgan?” “Danny is not who you think. He isn't normal.” “What? Of course he is. What else could he be?” “A shapeshifter.” I shook my head. “You're lying. You can't be serious.” Morgan turned to look at me. “I am. I am being completely honest.” I backed away. “Amelia, you have to stay away from Danny. You're in danger if you don't.” I ran.