Newfoundland

Operation: Seer

Eliza trudged through the dark forest, her path illuminated by the full moon. Her steps quickened at the sound of her wolf, howling from miles away. It was a warning – a warning that someone was following her. And they were close.

She was close too, to her safe haven hidden deep in the forest behind a waterfall. A sign covered by moss loomed ahead, the first of many signs she and Hunter had made for their secret place. That place was now a refuge for those like them – children who had been abandoned because of their gifts.

Her heart roared in her ears as the howling increased in succession. She picked up the pace, no longer walking briskly. She ran, her eyes trained on the ground in front of her, mindful of the branches and slopes she passed.

At the sound of running water, Eliza gave a small yelp of success. She was nearly there, which meant Hunter...he would know what to do with the stranger.

The familiar sound of music filled her being with serenity and peace. The beautiful lifting melody came from the mermaids who lived in the lake. They only made their presence known at night, afraid of humans who ventured to their depths during daylight.

The closest camp site was ten miles away. With this knowledge, the mermaids were free to roam and enjoy their home in the quite of the night.

Eliza went straight to the dock, her arms quickly untangling the rope that kept their tiny boat accessible to any member of the Order. The glow from the mermaids revealed the entrance to their refuge and only those who had the Sight were granted access.

This relieved Eliza. In her panic, she had nearly forgotten. These rules were in place for her (and those of her kind) safety.

Whoever had been following her would not be able to get inside, unless he/she also had the Sight.

And in that sense, they would not be an enemy, but a friend. Maybe they too, were dazed and confused just as she had been in the beginning.

As she rowed across the lake and to the waterfall, Eliza remembered the time Hunter had entered her life and turned it upside down in the best possible way.

She had been walking home one night, rain pelting her shoulders as she ran back to the orphanage to make curfew. Eliza caught sight of her reflection in one of the store front windows, hair disheveled beneath her yellow raincoat, eyes round with fear. If Lady Olga caught her sneaking in she would be on the streets! Eliza had been warned many of times and this – this was her last chance. She couldn't muck it up.

As luck would have it, Eliza tripped over something, causing her to waste precious moments. She fell hard on her knees, scraping her on the wet cobblestones.

"Oy! I'm sleeping here!"

Eliza whipped her head around, her eyes leveling with the boy's who lay in the middle of the street.

Her heart sank at the sight of him. This will be me, she thought. I will be like this if I don't get home. Even though she was dangerously close to curfew, Eliza crawled to the boy, opening up her backpack, and taking out her uneaten sandwich.

"Please, have this."

The boy's eyes blazed a brilliant blue. For a moment, she wondered if he would strike her. But it was not malice in the boy's eyes she saw. Instead, she saw awe and wonder.

The boy sat up and reached forward, taking her hands in his, the sandwich haphazardly landing between them on the cold, wet stone.

"You're like me."

Eliza cooked her head. Well, she certainly would be like him if she didn't get home on time; time she was losing here with him.

But there was something telling her stay, a small little voice in the back of her mind that caught her interest.