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Chapter One

They were here Really here

Kylie Galen stepped out of the crowded dining hall into the bright sunlight She looked over at the Shadow Falls office Gone was the chatter of the other campers Birds chirped in the distance and a rush of wind rustled the trees Mostly she heard the sound of her own heart thudding in her chest

Thump Thump Thump

They were here

Her pulse raced at the thought of htens, the couple who had adopted and raised her real father A father she'd never known in life but had grown to love in his short visits from the afterlife

She took one step and then another, unsure of the e inside her

Excitement

Curiosity

Fear Yes, a lot of fear

But of what?

A drip of sweat, ust heat index, rolled down her brow

Go and uncover your past so you els' mystical words replayed in her head She took another step forward, then stopped Even as her heart ached to solve the mystery of who her father was-of who she was and, hopefully, what she was-her instincts screamed for her to run and hide

Was this what she feared? Learning the truth?

Before coo, she'd been certain she was just a confused teen, that her feelings of being different were normal Now she knew better

She wasn't normal

She wasn't even human At least not all human

And figuring out her nonhuman side was a puzzle

A puzzle the Brightens could help her solve

She took another step The wind, as if it were as eager to escape as she hisked past It picked up a feard strands of her blond hair and scattered them across her face

She blinked, and when she opened her eyes, the brightness of the sun had evaporated Glancing up, she saw a huge, angry-looking cloud hanging directly overhead It cast a shadow around her and the woodsy terrain Unsure if this was an o faster Taking a deep breath that smelled of rain, she was poised to rabbing her sent panic shooting through her veins

She swung around

"Whoa You okay?" Lucas lightened his clasp around her arm

Kylie caught her breath and stared up at the olf's blue eyes "Yeah You justsurprised me You always surprise me You need to whistle when you come up on ue varandson, Red

"Sorry" He grinned and his thumb moved in soft little circles over the crease in her elbow Soht brush of his thumb feltintimate How did he ust of wind, now s like a storm, stirred his black hair and tossed it over his brow