I walked back into the kitchen with Bridgette trailing behind. I noticed the glinting object in her hands and sighed.

"Bridgette, did you really have to bring that necklace with you?"

Yes, during the first weeks since Chris had helped us escape, he had bought Bridgette a necklace. It was made up of little light blue pucca shells. The shells had a wave design engraved into them and hanging from the necklace was a sapphire pendant lined with silver. It was Bridgette's most prized possession and she almost never went anywhere without it.

"What of it?" Bridgette mumbled through a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

I decided to leave it. As sweet as Bridgette was, she was the most stubborn of us as well.

Bridgette saw the look on my face and flashed me an apologetic smile. She knew that I absolutely hated it when one of them talked back to me.

"Sorry Court. Anyway, it's really nice put so could I maybe possibly get you to maybe consider letting me maybe kind of go down to the beach?" Bridgette pleaded and stared up at me with big pleading eyes.

I swore I felt like my blood was boiling. They knew I hated leaving the house! The more time we spent out in the open, the easier it will be for the Erasers to spot us!

I was about to retort when Trent said, "Sure, I'm up for it."

Gee, thanks Trent.

"Dude! Totally! It'll be like a party!" Geoff whooped.

I stared at Lindsay.

She was absent mindedly clapping. Heck, I'm not even sure she knew what she was even freaking clapping about.

I looked to Duncan for support, but he just gave me a look that said 'It's hopeless to argue.'

He was right. As usual.

"Fine," I sighed, "We'll go to the beach,"

The sky above the beach was cloudless, like an endless canvas of blank cerulean.

The minute the flock had arrived, they scattered in different directions.

Bridgette and Trent were sitting together near the water, talking and laughing occasionally.

Lindsay was spread out in the sand in an attempt to get a decent tan.

Geoff, being Geoff, was in the water laughing and whooping as waves crashed down on his head and pushing him face down on the ground.

Me? I wasn't even on the beach yet. Each time I put my foot on the sand, the baked dirt scorched my skin to the bone.

"Had enough already Princess?" Duncan teased as he walked pass me.

I felt my face grow hot. I moved to retort when I heard distant howling.

In a shocking instant, fully morphed erasers started falling from the sky like raindrops. There were a lot, thousands of them, too many to count. And each was smiling in sick delight.

In terror, my brain immediately went into hyper drive. Almost subconsciously, I barreled towards then Eraser nearest to me and started beating him senseless.

The Eraser let out a deep scratchy battle cry and in an instant, the other Erasers were charging for the other flock members.

The Eraser underneath me growled and threw me off of him with brute strength.

I braced myself and ironically landed in a briar patch. I pulled myself up, ignoring how the briars tore painfully into my skin, and scanned the battle field.

Geoff, being weak after almost being drowned by the waves, was sprawled out in the sand, unconscious. I ran over to him.

When I got to him, I lightly stroked his face with my hand. His left eye was swollen shut and a big gash from his cheek to his chin was oozing fresh blood. His body was covered in bruises and his right leg was unnaturally bent into an awkward position. Obviously, this battle had tragically tarnished his good looks.

The rest of the flock was about to be subjected to the same fate.

Trent was being almost slaughtered by about three Erasers while trying to protect Bridgette.

Lindsay was pinned on her belly by an Eraser and screamed as he ran a claw down her back and tore the skin.

Duncan at least was holding his own against the horde of Erasers, bur I spoke too soon. The Erasers soon brought him down too.

I muffled scream pierced through the sick smelling air.

Bridgette was being held by two Erasers with her hands bound behind her back. The Eraser covering her mouth whispered something to his partner and the other nodded and hit Bridgette on the side of her head, hard, and successfully knocked her out.

The two called to another Eraser who was holding a burlap sack. They laughed and shoved Bridgette into the sack.

That does it.

I leapt forward to help her. In midair, someone kicked me in the back and I landed on the ground. As my face collided with the earth, the metallic taste of blood erupted inside my mouth.

"Well well, if it isn't little miss Courtney?" a voice taunted behind me.

"What?" I was cut off when the person behind me shoved both arms behind my back with a popping sound.

Suddenly I felt searing pain in my right shoulder.

"Ahhhhhh!" I screamed in pain.

"Doesn't hurt to bad, does it?" The person placed themselves in front of me so I could view them. Once I did see them, I felt my jaw drop though I had the urge to clench it tight. It was Justin.

Justin turned as he heard voices call him.

He glanced over his shoulder and smirked at me.

"It appears that we have all we've came here for. So long Court, it's been a pleasure defeating you." Justin sniffed one last time and then hurried towards the other Erasers.

Despite the pain in my shoulder, the pain I felt after seeing Justin was even greater.

He was one of use, part of the flock. The School had turned him into an Eraser.