CHAPTER 1

Hello. My name is Penny. I'm sorry, I can't tell you my last name or the name of the new town I live in – you see, I've taken an oath of secrecy. And though you can be sure that everything I'm about to tell you is true, well...You know those crime shows that say that some names and events have been changed to protect the identities of those involved? Well, this is one of those stories. Though I wonder if you're even going to believe me; here I am, some time after the events of the story, and I still find myself wondering if it's all happening.

You've got to understand that I've changed some things in this story from how they actually happened. I hate telling lies as much as the next honest person, but like I said, I've taken an oath of secrecy. Let's just say that until this happened, I never would have believe in alien invasions or people turning into animals. Let me rephrase the first part of that – I had always imagined that if I had met an alien, it would play out like E.T.

But this was not the case.

It all began when my father had gotten a new job on the other side of the country – we used to live in Ohio, and my father worked for the United States Geological Survey, so I guess it was only natural that we ended up going to an earthquake prone part of the country. It wasn't just me and my father, there was also my mother and my little brother Jonah. We were a pretty close-knit family, especially me and Jonah. You see, Jonah was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, cutting off his oxygen supply. The doctors gave him a small chance to live. We were all worried about him – Mom, Dad, myself – but I was the only one who stayed by Jonah's side, even after the nurses and doctors tried to usher me out of the intensive care unit. Looking at my new baby brother lying there, barely clinging to life, I had made a vow to always be there for him, to watch over him like a good big sister should.

Remember this, for later.

It was a long trip across the country, from Akron, Ohio, to...I can't say. All I'll say is it's on the coast. Which coast? That's for you to figure out, I'm afraid. God, I hate keeping things secret like this. But I digress.

It took us nearly a week to get out to the new place we were going to call home, a nice sized city on the coast. Even as we entered the city, I could smell the salty water of the bay. It almost reminded me of being at the shore of Lake Erie. We had bought a small two-story house on a street that I shall refer to as "Tenth Street" (I think you know why I gave the street an alias). The house was big enough to support a family of four, maybe five – plus one dog, the realtor had said, as if he were trying to be funny – and to be honest, I found its white paint to be a little boring. But for what Mom and Dad paid for it, I suppose I really shouldn't be complaining.

The movers arrived with our stuff the following day. By the end of the day the furniture had been moved in – a sectional sofa and recliner chair for the living room, a dining table set for the dining room, our beds and dressers and nightstands – and as night settled on that first day, we finished putting on the last personal touches to our new home.

But there were still some things to do. Sure, Dad still had his job with the Geological Survey, which paid about a hundred grand a year – rather low for a government job, but it was enough – but Mom still needed to find some work. Fortunately for her, there were some openings at the local nursing home, and then there was the fact that Jonah and I still had to be enrolled in school.

At the time, I was seven years older than my brother – he was eight, which put me at fifteen – so naturally I'd be going to the high school while he'd be in the elementary school. I kind of miss being in elementary school – recess every hour, very little homework, staying in one room all day; I get nostalgic every time I pass by one. Yeah, I know, it's a little odd to feel nostalgic about school, but I can't help it, that's just the way I am. Always have been.

Mom had taken a break from job hunting to enroll us in school. We got Jonah in first, and then it was my turn.

Now this is where the story begins, on my first day at a new school.

I was tapping my fingers on the car door as we went down the road. When I get nervous, I tap my fingers, or my foot, depending on where I am. As we went, I took in some of the sights, trying to familiarize myself with my new surroundings. I saw a mall, an amusement park called "The Gardens", a McDonald's, a car wash, and after a little while, the school came into view.

Seeing the school didn't stop me from tapping my fingers on the door.

"Penny, calm down," Mom said. "Why are you so nervous?"

"I can't help it, Mom," I replied. "I don't know this place that well. You know how I am when going somewhere new."

"I know, honey," Mom said. "But look on the bright side – soon you'll know this place like the back of your hand. You'll be able to go through the halls blindfolded. And best of all, you'll make new friends. I know you miss Jaquie and the others back home, but you can always talk to them whenever you want."

"I know, Mom," I said. "It's just, well...Maybe you're right. I shouldn't be so nervous. It's a new school, what's the worst that could happen?"

We went into the school and headed to the principle's office. And that's where we met Vice Principle Chapman.

He was an older man, mid to late forties – early fifties, at the most – about the same age as my dad, give or take a few years, tall, and slightly balding.

"You must be Penny _," he said, shaking my hand. "Nice to have you here."

"Thanks, Mr. Chapman," I said. "Though to be honest, my stomach's full of butterflies."

"That won't be a problem for very long," Mr. Chapman said. "Here, let's go do some paperwork, and then you'll get the grand tour."

It didn't take as long as I expected for me and Mom to fill out all the forms, such as for newsletters and what email address to send certain notifications to and all that. But there was one that caught my eye – it looked like it was advertising some sort of charity fund or something. I'll admit, I was a little curious.

"Mr. Chapman?" I asked. "What's The Sharing?"

"Ah, I see you found out about our little youth group," Mr. Chapman said. "It's just an organization for young folks like yourself to join if you're so inclined. We play games, hold charity events, perform community service, and provide a surrogate home for the more troubled youth around town – kids with abusive parents, kids whose parents have gone through divorce, and there are even a few kids about your age who are trying to get over an addiction like drugs or alcohol. You should really give it a try."

"Go ahead, Penny," Mom said. "You can make some friends that way."

I looked back down at the flier. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something...I don't know, wrong about it. You know that feeling you get when you think that something's too good to be true, or there's more to it than people are letting on? That's the feeling I was getting about the Sharing, and I'd only just heard about it.

But I've always been one to follow my gut feeling. "I'll think about it, Mr. Chapman," I said, trying not to let on that I had just said no in a very subtle way.

"That's fine," Mr. Chapman said. "Just let me know if you've decided to join. I'm not going to force your hand."

We finished filling out the necessary forms before handing them back to Mr. Chapman. He put the forms in a tray, no doubt so that the secretary will get to them later.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, let's show you your classes," he said.

Mr. Chapman showed Mom and I around the building, showing us the classes I would attend; showing us the gymnasium, the auditorium, the cafeteria, and after about an hour, we came back to the office.

"Well, that's that," Mr. Chapman said. "You ready to go to your first class, Penny?"

"I guess so," I said.

"Well, I guess I'll let you get to it," Mom said. "I'll see you when you get home, Penny." With that, she left.

Mr. Chapman led me back to one of the first classes he'd showed me, what he said would be my English class. He knocked on the door before pushing it open. The teacher, a man in his mid-thirties, seemed a little surprised to see us.

"Can I help you, Mr. Chapman?" the teacher asked.

"Just wanted to introduce your new student to the class," Mr. Chapman said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Penny, this is Mr. Tidwell, your English teacher."

"You're just in time, Penny," Mr. Tidwell said. "We're just about to start Act Five of Macbeth."

Macbeth. One of my favorite plays, probably the only Shakespeare play I actually like. I wonder how many people know that Shakespeare based the character in the play off the historical figure, the actual King of Scotland named Macbeth? The only reason I know that is because of the Disney cartoon Gargoyles.

"Well, I'll let you get back to your class," Mr. Chapman said as he left.

Mr. Tidwell pointed to an empty seat near the back of the class, near a Latino boy. "Take the seat back there next to Marco."

I made my way to the back row, to the empty desk, and sat down. Like I said, Marco was a Latino boy, with dark hair and dark eyes, and I'd be lying if I said he wasn't cute.

"What's up," he said. "Welcome to Boring Stories 101. Name's Marco. Before you ask, last name's not Polo."

I would have chuckled, if I found that joke funny. "Penny," I said.

It was my first day as a new student at a new school.

Things were supposed to be that simple.

Sadly, they wouldn't be that simple by the end of the day.