Liam Malone, lifelong Catholic like his wife, often said that if there was food in heaven, it was cooked by the ancestors of Rosa Guaraldi. His daughter didn't know about heaven, but she was certainly convinced that the cooking done by the Guaraldi matriarch was the best on earth. She could understand why Gianni ate so much, if this was what he got every night.

Toni, true to her word, had at least passed the entire dinner without mentioning the mark on Shannon's palm. For that, Shannon was grateful, because the last thing she needed was the entire Guaraldi family—bar Gianni—questioning her about it. Toni's older brothers had even less tact than she did and Shannon couldn't even begin to imagine what they'd say about it. She certainly didn't need them giving Toni any ideas, either.

Toni dragged Shannon to her room the second dinner was over. Shannon was pretty well convinced that her eagerness could mostly be attributed to getting out of doing the dishes. It was only fair, to Toni, that if Gianni didn't have to do anything because he was at the Puckett's, then she shouldn't have to do anything either.

Toni flopped face first onto her bed dramatically when the girls made it to the room. Shannon rolled her eyes as she sat down next to her, poking Toni in the side. Toni made a show of rolling over, groaning as if it took all of her strength to do so. She didn't sit up, but instead propped her head on her arm and looked at Shannon with a thoughtful expression.

"What do you think it's like to die?" she asked. Shannon's eyebrows shot up.

"I don't know," Shannon said, giving Toni a funny look. "I always thought it wouldn't be a whole lot of fun."

Toni shrugged. "Depends on how you go out. Jumping off a cliff could be fun, until you hit the ground."

Shannon blinked. "You must do different things for fun than I do."

"I'm your best friend," Toni said with a vaguely disapproving look on her face. "I do all the same things for fun that you do."

"I don't jump off cliffs."

"Well neither do I, dummy. I'm still here, aren't I?" Toni sat up then, seeming somewhat agitated. "But that's beside the point, anyway. I mean—what do you think it was like for Sarah?"

Shannon didn't answer right away. Toni's question unsettled her; she didn't really want to think about what it was like for Sarah. With all the whispers and the rumors that were circling around the town, it was almost impossible not to think about it, and that bothered her. She didn't want to think about Sarah's death because she didn't want to have to reason it out; she didn't want to try to understand why someone would've killed a sixteen year old girl, and she didn't want to think about what else a person like that might be capable of.

"What do you think?" Shannon responded, deflecting the question back to Toni. Toni chewed the inside of her lip and looked at the ceiling.

"I think," Toni said slowly, "that Robbie's dad is wrong."

"Huh?"

Toni sighed impatiently. "You know, what Robbie's dad said about it. That it was her boyfriend or something."

"Sarah didn't have a boyfriend," Shannon interjected, the fact just occurring to her. As it so happens, she had learned that from Mary Dent as well; a person could learn just about anything they wanted to from Mary, as long as they had the patience to listen to her and the ability to decipher when she was telling a bold faced lie.

"Even if she had had a boyfriend, I wouldn't think he had done it," Toni said firmly, crossing her arms. Shannon peered curiously at her.

"Who do you think did it?"

Toni fidgeted. She seemed to be debating her response carefully, gathering her thoughts so she could be sure to say exactly what she meant. That caught Shannon's attention immediately because Toni usually never cared enough to think before she spoke. Whatever she had to say, it must have been important, at least to her.

"I'm not sure who, exactly," she said carefully. "I just think that maybe...maybe it wasn't somebody from town."

"What do you mean?" Shannon asked.

"Well, that's what everyone's thinking, isn't it? That it must have been someone from around here. But I'm thinking that maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was somebody from out of town—Medula, maybe, or even Madison. Somewhere like that."

Shannon digested the idea. It was true that the common assumption was that Sarah's killer had to have been someone from Clearwater. No one said it outright, but it was obvious, even to an eleven year old. There was a sense of mistrust that was stuck in the air now, leaving people, it seemed, a little too eager to point the finger at friends and neighbors. Shannon saw no reason that Toni couldn't be right, though it seemed more likely that she wasn't.

"Why do you think that?" Shannon ventured, curiosity pressuring her on, despite her uneasiness with the subject.

"I don't know, really." Toni deflated a little, playing with her hands. "I just think it seems bigger than just an angry boyfriend. I mean, they destroyed the library. And Angela Carson obviously didn't recognize whoever came out of the library that night. She thought it was a monster."

"Toni, Angela's six," Shannon reasoned. "She was probably terrified."

Toni held up her hands. "I'm just saying she didn't know, is all. So I think maybe she really didn't know who it was; she wasn't just scared."

"Well, maybe," Shannon allowed hesitantly, "but it could've been someone she didn't know from town."

Toni nodded reluctantly. "Either way, I think there was some big reason for Sarah's death. I wouldn't trash the library just for fun."

"No, you'd jump off a cliff," Shannon fired back, and Toni shoved her.

"Har-dee-har."

Shannon stuck her tongue out at her best friend and Toni rolled her eyes. Her words were sinking into Shannon's mind, however. Shannon had to admit: she made a good point. Everyone had seen the library, even though the building was still under investigation. The place was a mess.

"You know," Toni said, pulling Shannon from her thoughts, "you never answered my question. About what you think it was like for Sarah."

Shannon gave her a crooked, humorless half-smile before saying quietly, "Neither did you."

Toni gave no response.

The wind was still strong outside. Tree branches knocked against Toni's bedroom window, gently scratching the pane. The sun had not come out all day, blocked by dark storm clouds. It was getting even darker now, and, for the first time, Shannon noticed the late hour.

"Oh, shoot!" she cried, taking Toni by surprise. "Sorry, Toni, I gotta go. My mom wants me home before dark. If I don't get home soon, she'll skin me alive for sure."

"Now that," Toni said, "would not be a fun way to die."

Shannon smirked in spite of herself.

"Do you want my parents to give you a ride? You know my dad loves showing off the new car."

"New" was a relative term. The Guaraldi's car was over two years old, but Marco Guaraldi still bragged about it to whoever would listen. He had not yet gotten over having a car that was able to drive any considerable distance without breaking down, something his old car had not been able to accomplish in years.

"No, that's okay," Shannon said. "I'll cut through the park and be home in less than five minutes."

Shannon liked Toni's father, she really did, but there was only so much car talk that she was pretty sure even he didn't quite understand that she could take. She'd already listened to it all the way back to Toni's house. Besides, going through Dyer's Park could get her home just as quickly.

"If you say so. You'll break my dad's heart, though."

"Sorry about that."

Toni smiled impishly. "Come on. I'll walk you to the door, m'lady."

The girls descended the stairs in silence. Toni's parents were talking in low tones in the living room when they got to the front door.

"Well, so long, Shannon, my dear," Toni said. "Don't forget to write."

"Expect a letter every day," Shannon said with a smile as she walked out the door.

"Send lots of presents!" Toni called after her. Shannon rolled her eyes and waved over her shoulder, and then Toni shut the door.

The wind whipped Shannon's hair across her face as she crossed the street, approaching Dyer's Park. Dyer's Park was the largest in Clearwater, though that was not terribly impressive, as there were only two others that were little more than glorified grass patches. Dyer's Park was all of a block, though, with an actual playground and so many trees that it resembled a self-contained forest. Over the summer it was generally occupied by dozens of children but tonight it was vacant, the wind howling through the trees and rocking the swings on squeaky chains the only sounds.

It seemed later than it was. Angry storm clouds billowed in the west. It would rain again—later, that night, while Shannon Malone spent a night of nightmare-plagued sleep as the rest of the Malones slumbered peacefully just feet away. It had not broken loose yet, though lightning was on the horizon, distant but approaching. Shannon moved quickly through the park, fixated on getting home as fast as possible. She was pushing her luck as it was, but if she could make it to her house before any more clouds rolled in to block out the sun, she might be spared some of her parents' wrath. The park was eerie when it was empty, as well, with cloudy skies as the only backdrop, and Shannon didn't want to have to be under the canopy of the trees any longer than she had to. The squeaking of the swings was loud, distractingly loud, and—

A tree branch fell to the ground at Shannon's feet with a gentle thud, missing her by inches. She let out a tiny shriek as she jumped backwards, heart pounding in her throat. She stared uncomprehendingly at the thing for a moment, waiting for her mind to slow down enough to contextualize it. A nervous laugh bubbled up from her stomach as the pieces began to fit together. She glanced upward and saw the treetops swaying in the wind.

Scaredy-cat, she chided herself. She shook her head and took a large, purposeful step over the branch. Her heart still beat uncontrollably in her chest. The sound of it pounding was so loud in her ears that she nearly missed the breathing.

Every muscle in her body tensed as her ears strained to confirm what she had heard. She stood frozen with one foot in front of and one foot behind the fallen tree branch as, somewhere off to her left, a raspy intake of breath proved that she was not alone in the park after all. Slowly—oh so slowly—she turned.

She saw nothing at first. The old jungle gym stood proudly, faded wood and metal, and a bubbler with water that always tasted like lukewarm pennies sprang up from the ground. That had all been there for as long as she could remember and certainly wouldn't be breathing. She was seconds away from shaking it off and continuing on—hearing things now—when a white flash caught her eye. Behind the slide on the playground, something was moving.

It emerged from behind the slide all at once. A scream caught in Shannon's throat as she beheld—beheld what, she didn't know. It was tall—too tall, how did it fit behind the slide?—and it was humanoid, but it certainly was not human. It was mostly limb, long arms and long legs, completely white, and it had no eyes, ears, or nose, just a mouth with razor sharp teeth poking out. It seemed to know exactly where Shannon was though, because its face was turned towards her, letting her see those jagged teeth in all their glory. It opened its mouth wide, a soundless shriek, and Shannon took off running. She didn't make it nearly far enough.

Dyer's Park was too big suddenly, much too big, and the thing was too tall. She could hear it bounding behind her and it had caught her in seconds, wrapping long, sharp fingers—six fingers—around the top of her black mourning dress. Her feet left the ground and she flew through the air, landing next to the playground, the wind knocked out of her. The thing advanced on her, gnashing sharp teeth. There were two deep caverns where its eyes should have been. Desperately, Shannon tried to get back on her feet, but she couldn't seem to make her limbs obey her. The grass was still slick from the rain, and in her terror she couldn't find enough traction to stand. She scrambled backwards on her hands, kicking up mud under her heels. The thing caught her by the ankle and pulled, dragging her underneath it. It was worse up close; she could see spindly blue veins twisting under the white skin. Its teeth were chipped and broken, and there seemed to be dozens of them. Shannon was too terrified to scream.

The thing let loose an unholy screech, face inches from Shannon's. It raised one six fingered hand and Shannon's mind flashed, unbidden, to Sarah Benadine: Sarah Benadine's smiling face, Sarah Benadine, dead in the middle of the library. Six fingers reached for Shannon's throat and she rolled to the side, a pitiful squeak escaping her mouth. She finally dragged herself to her feet, jumping out of the thing's grasp as it reached for her again. She nearly fell to the ground once again as her foot caught on something. Her ankle throbbed where the thing had grabbed her; she thought it must have cut her. A long arm sideswiped her and she stumbled to the side, but miraculously stayed upright. It was not to last; the thing hit her hard on the shoulder and she went sprawling on the grass. Her head bounced off the ground and her vision spun.

Stay alert, she thought in desperation. Poor Sarah Benadine popped into her mind once more.

The thing loomed over top of her again. It kept both hands firm on the ground this time and leaned in, baring its teeth. Panicked realization crashed over her like a wave of nausea—it's going to bite me—and she turned her face away. Her eyes fell on the fallen tree branch, what had nearly tripped her just moments before. She knew immediately it was her only chance.

Fast as lightning, she grabbed onto the branch and drove the end of it into one of the creature's eyeless sockets. A guttural scream erupted from the thing, but Shannon didn't look to see the damage she had caused. She pushed herself backwards as it recoiled from her in pain, and then she forced herself to her feet. Immediately, she began to charge towards her house, out of the park. She didn't look back, but after a moment she could hear it again, coming after her. She could see the streetlights outside of the park; she needed to get out into the open—

She felt a hand scratch the back of her neck, and then it was gone as she emerged from the trees of Dyer's Park onto the street. It was like it had never been there at all. Shannon didn't stop, though, and didn't slow until she was on the front steps to her house. There was a light on on her front porch; it had grown considerably darker outside. Una and Liam were not going to be pleased. Shannon paused for just a second, then threw her front door open.

Shannon's mother, father, and sister were in the living room. Shannon's mother locked eyes with her as she slammed the door behind her and leaned back against it, heart nearly beating out of her chest.

"Shannon," Shannon's father began after a long, exaggerated sigh, "your mother told you to be home before dark. You're pushing your luck, young lady; you know we don't make these rules for no reason—"

"Shannon, what happened to you?" Una cut Liam off in alarm. She had already risen from her chair and advanced on Shannon, looking her over carefully. "You're a mess!"

Shannon looked down at herself and for the first time noticed the mud splashed on her arms and her dress. Just as she'd suspected, an angry cut stretched across the side of her ankle. She wouldn't be surprised if there was a leaf or two in her hair.

"Well?" Shannon's father prompted.

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell them. The story nearly tumbled out in excruciating detail. The stern look on her father's face gave her pause. Looking at him, a strange little voice in the back of her head seemed to say, "They'll never believe you."

She wasn't sure she believed it herself.

"I, uh—I fell in the park," she lied, looking at her mother instead. "I was running—I didn't realize how late it was, and I—I slipped."

"Are you all right?" Una asked in concern, still looking her daughter over as if expecting to find some gaping wound. All she would find was one red line on her ankle.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Shannon said hastily. Una looked at her strangely, and Shannon was nervous she didn't believe her.

No one said anything for a moment. Shannon felt exposed under her mother's intense gaze, as if Una was trying to stare inside her and pick her apart. Shannon fidgeted uncomfortably, the drying mud on her arms suddenly very noticeable.

"Well, all right," Una said slowly. "You better go get cleaned up."

Shannon nodded over-eagerly and ran upstairs without another word. She had expected it to be worse; she hadn't thought either of her parents would have let her off so easy for being home so late. She was grateful for it though. She didn't want a lecturing, not now.

She got in the shower right away. She watched dirt and grime go swirling down the drain, and it calmed her, in a way. What had happened in the park became less real as she watched the evidence wash away. All that was left was the cut on her ankle, which would heal. The hot water smarted on it. It was a superficial wound, more than a scratch but certainly not deep. It hadn't even bled.

She sat wrapped in a towel afterwards, staring at the wall. The events of the night replayed in her head over and over again. It couldn't be real, that thing couldn't be real. She'd never seen anything like it, no animal, and certainly no human. The teeth stuck in her mind the clearest: row after row of them. Broken, many of them, which terrified her. The darkest corners of her mind couldn't help but envision what that thing could have done to damage so many teeth. What it would have done to her if she hadn't gotten away.

Angela Carson was almost abducted by an alien, Mary Dent had insisted.

"Shannon? Is everything okay in there?"

The voice was her mother's, jolting her out of her thoughts. She hadn't realized how much time had passed; even her hair was halfway dry.

"Fine!" Shannon called back, her voice a bit high-pitched. Hastily, she went about getting dressed. Dragging a comb through her hair, she stared at herself in the mirror. Haunted blue eyes on a blank face stared back at her.

Her mother was in the hallway when she left the bathroom. Una did nothing for a moment aside from gazing at her daughter curiously, pondering something. Shannon stood awkwardly, waiting for her mother to speak. When she finally did, however, Shannon was almost caught off guard.

"You cut your ankle," Una said quietly, looking down.

"Oh!" Shannon said. "Uh, yeah. When I fell. In the park."

Una nodded slowly, frowning. Shannon tried to appear nonchalant, but she couldn't seem to stop looking anywhere-but-her-mother.

"Shannon, are you sure you're all right?" Una asked. Her face was soft. For the second time that night, Shannon almost told the full story. For the second time that night, Shannon hesitated.

Never believe you.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Shannon said with a smile that she prayed looked natural. There