Chapter 3: August 15, 2018, 3:30 P.M.

Kiarra pressed the button on the crosswalk stoplight, watching cars speed by with Ash standing next to her, pretending to be dog by sniffing a tree nearby. Kiarra sighed as she thought about what she was going to tell her forest parents that she has yet again got herself kicked out of another school. Ash put his head against the side of her leg barely after the thought went her head to comfort her. With a sly smile playing on her lips, Kiarra petted her clockwork wolf. When the crosswalk stoplight changed from a red hand into a white stick person walking, a slightly familiar voice shouted," Hey!"

Kiarra looked over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of the new kid in her former 4th grade class walking toward her. Kiarra dashed across the crosswalk with Ash at her heels, bumping into people in her hustle to lose Shane in the crowd, so she won't have to deal with more bullying and name calling. When she reached the other side, she gradually slowed down until her pace matched the pedestrians around her, slowly blending in with the crowd, but Shane was still on her tail, a couple of meters behind her.

What does he want from me, Kiarra asked herself as she and Ash slipped in a semi-dark alleyway.

Maybe you could find out if you stopped running and hiding from him, Ash sarcastically thought back.

Shut up, Kiarra telepathically replied back with a vexed tone.

As the girl and the clockwork wolf strode deeper into the alleyway, Kiarra felt a strange sensation that someone or something were behind them, waiting patiently for them to notice it. Kiarra, with an expression devoid of any emotions, gradually turned around, glimpsing at two stilettoes slightly taller than her, the weak sunlight entering the mouth of the alleyway blended with the semi-darkness, making it difficult to identity the two strangers. Ash started to growl, baring his silver, dagger teeth as the strangers stepped into the alleyway. Surprise washed over as she realized that the intruders were Alex and James. Side of Alex's head was wrapped in bright white bandages, covering his left eye. James was grimacing in pain as he tried to stand up linear with the support the back brace he wore. Only the whites of their eyes were visible as both boys eyed Kiarra like a cat trapping a rat in the corner, preparing to feast on its dinner.

What the heck is going on?, she thought as the boys stepped toward her in unison; Ash shifting his body so that he was between them, snarling, "Get the heck out of here, Morfin!"

"Should've known he would sent his vexatious creations." James murmured to himself. Then he shouted, "Seamus! Take care of the dog!"

Alex smile a croaky smile, "With pleasure." With the wave of his hand, he lift Ash off the ground and slammed him into the wall, but at the last minute, Ash shrunk down to the size of a spider and disappearing into the gravel of the sidewalk. Alex growled in annoyance as he searched fruitless for Ash.

Meanwhile, James glare immensely at Kiarra. "I can't believe," he whispered softly, "a pathetic creature like yourself is one of them."

Kiarra gritted her teeth in anger and confusion. Despite the emotions swirling inside of her, she said calmly," What the heck are you talking both? What is going on?"

James ignored her as he pulled out a pitifully black pistol, snapped the safe off, and pointed it in the direction where Shane was standing in the mouth of alleyway, his face filled with confusion, fear, and to Kiarra's surprise, amazement.

"We can't have any witnesses," James murmured to Kiarra, staring into Kiarra's silver eyes as he pulled the trigger, the sound of the shot drowned by noises of the Chicago. At the same moment, Kiarra's emotions explode inside of her, feeling the same invisible force that injury James and Alex break free from her.

Milliseconds later, the bullet halted just between Shane's eyes and switch directions, now speeding toward James. James unfortunately couldn't avoid the bullet due to his broken back and the bullet flew linear through his forehead. James glance at Kiarra with blazing hatred before his muddy brown eyes rolled into his head as he slowly collapse on the ground. At the same moment, as Alex stare at his dead boss, Ash grew back to his original size and pounced on him, sinking his teeth into his shoulder. Alex screamed in pain, causing remorse to conquest her conscious.

Ash, Kiarra plead softly through their mind connection, Stop.

Reluctantly, Ash sprang off of Alex, daring the boy to challenge him with his intense electric green eyes and his sharp, metallic, silver teeth that was now coated with crimson red blood. Under Ash's hostile glare, a luminous white light came out of Alex's ear while another luminous white light came out of Alex's mouth. As the strange light left him, Alex's lost conscious and rested the back of head onto the ground. The welters of light gradually drifted upward until Kiarra lost them in the glare of the soft, vanishing sunlight.

"Cowards," Ash murmured under his breath. Kiarra shifted her gaze to Ash and demanded, "What just happened? What is going on? Who are Morfin and Seamus?"

Ash glance at Kiarra with a thoughtful expression as he pounded on Kiarra's questions for a moment. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shane stare at them; not with horror, not with fear, not with hatred; but instead in wonder and amazing.

Is there something wrong with him? Kiarra thought to herself as Ash began, "Kiarra...", but as soon as the word left his mouth, Ash's eyes darken.

"Ash..." Kiarra said with uncertainty as Ash hung his head onto his chest as stillness took over Ash's body.

"Ash!" Kiarra cried with surprise. Kiarra tried to remember the last time Ash broke down as kneed beside her only friend, inspecting him in vain. Shane gradually strode up toward Kiarra and her clockwork wolf, pure curiosity was painted across his face. Kiarra glare at him, telling her silently to go away and to leave them alone, but he didn't take a hint. He just asked with his sea green eyes why as he slowly advance toward them.

All of a sudden a dart sliced into the air and landed onto Shane's shoulder. Narrowing his eyes in surprise and confusion, he reach for his shoulder and pulled it out, leaving a small, red hole behind. As soon as he dejected it, his eyelids snapped shut as he also joined Alex, James, and Ash on the ground. Kiarra just stared at the dead bully, two knocked out boys, and her broken down best friend. Suddenly, she felt lethargic as a shapeless, shadowed figure appeared in the mouth of the alleyway, seeming to stare at her as she gradually dropped down her knees. What or who are you?, was the last thought Kiarra had as she crumple into the ground with the rest, closing her eyes gently.