As Miles walked out the door he found himself staring into darkness. His black flip flops clicked on the blacktop of his driveway. He stopped as he took the summer air into his lungs, it rolling out of his mouth. The night sky was so beautiful in Williamton.

God, he needed to stop this. He was just so hopelessly hopeful for everything. Miles wanted everything to be back to how it was before- Just so badly. Miles had never responded well to change.

"Why are you standing there?" he heard a voice say as he turned around. Seeing none other than Emma. She had a flashlight in her hand.

"Just looking..." Miles said, turning his attention to her, one eyebrow raised. "How did you know where I live?"

"After you left yesterday, I looked in the phonebook" Emma stated, wiping something off of her white Bermuda shorts.

"And you just thought that you'd waltz over" Miles smirked.

"A waltz is a dance, Miles" Emma said, contradiction him, but in the nicest way possible. "No, I walked over."

"So I assume that you got home alright?" Miles stated, sitting down on the sand, it cooling his hot body. It was a warm night, about eighty-five degrees.

"I didn't go home last night", Emma said leaning against Mile's neighbors fence.

"Then where did you go?" Miles asked

"I found somewhere" Emma stated. "Sometimes I just can't keep trying. Sometimes I need a break."

"Trying to do what?" Miles asked, unusually fascinated with this new girl that had come into his life. He was trying to figure her out.

"Trying to forget everything that isn't the beach-" She smiled. "I love it here. Your so lucky that your parents can afford a house on the ocean. I would do anything to live here. You have a beautiful home."

"Thanks. My mom would be happy to hear that-" Miles stated, as Emma sat down next to him.

"Ahh. I am sure that she would. Don't worry, I am available for a free ego boost for your mom anytime. I'm sure that she's nice."

"Yeah, well, what about you. I am sure your parents are pretty great."

Emma avoided the question.

"Oh, your one of those girls."

"One of who?"

"Those girls who are emotional sponges. They want to hear about other people, but never talk about themselves. Those non-materialistic girls who actually have substance. Those girls who can talk about more than their nails and what to wear to homecoming. I wasn't sure if they existed.You the first one I''ve ever seen in person."

Emma looked confused for a moment. "I don't know if you are complementing me or mocking me, Miles Barnett." She paused for a moment. "I usually like to think positively, so I'll take it as a compliment."

Miles said nothing.

"You want to go swimming?" Emma asked.

"What?" Miles said, not sure if he had heard her corectally.A completely gorgeous girl asking him to go swimming with her.

"Swimming. In the ocean. In case you haven't noticed it's about eighty gazillion degrees out here."

"I don't have a bathing suit" Miles said, almost shocked.

"So. Go in your boxers." She muttered as she stood up, unbuttoning her shorts and taking off her shirt, revealing a black bikini.

God. Every fantasy Miles had ever had in his life seemed to be combined in these few seconds. She looked at him. "I am assuming that you know how to undress yourself?"

"Yeah, but-"

Emma rolled her eyes, unbuttoning the top of Miles's jeans for him and pulling them down, revealing a pair of blue plaid boxers. "I am assuming that you can do the rest-" she stated as she walked into the water, Miles fallowing.

Emma laughed as she dove into the water, splashing about. She looked live a five year old, just learning to swim for the first time. Miles looked below him, wary of the creatures that lie beneath. They had already killed three. He didn't want to make that number five. But he was pretty sure that they wouldn't attack Emma while he was around.

"Geez, Miles." Emma said "Loosen up. You act like you've never been swimming with a girl before-"

"Well. I haven't- not really." Miles said.

"What about my friend Caitlin?" Emma smiled. "I heard that you two had a little late night swim down at that aquarium."

"How do you know about that?" Miles asked.

"Me and Cait have been friends for a while. In the summer I clean toilets at the Marina, and feed fish at the Aqua center. It's super gross, but atleast I can make some money.

"That's really cool." Miles said

Emma snorted. "Yeah. If you really love the smell of urine, I guess.."

"Not that. I meant that your working."

"Don't you work?" Emma asked.

"Not by choice."

"And that's my que to vow out." She smiled as she did a spin in the water.

" That would probably be best" Miles laughed, not wanting to spoil their good time with tales of steeling cars and highschool runaways.

Emma suddenly turned her head. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Keep quiet." Emma said, then a few moments later. "Shhh.. There it is again.."

Miles heard it. A low sound, barely audible. It seemed to vibrate throughout the water. It was a chilling sound, one that cut right through you like an icy wind. It was something he had never heard before, but at the same time, seemed so familiar. Kind of like the sounds wales used to communicate.

The hair on his arms stood up, it suddenly getting cool as his eyes opened wide. Their it was again, louder. Whatever it was, it was getting closer.

He turned his head so quickly he was surprised that he didn't get whiplash when he heard a splash behind him. He saw him, looking at Emma in a way he had never seen him look at another person. It was almost like he was infuriated with her. Absolutely fuming.

"Nim?" Miles said warily as he looked at his pet. Emma looked at Miles as he let out a low growl. She looked behind her, and became face to face with a swimming lizard like creature.

"Miles?" Emma said questionly, no fear in her voice. She just looked at Nim, unsure as if to run away, to pet it, or to just stand still.

"Nim go back to my room-" Miles said becoming slightly concerned as Nim moved closer to her the angry look in his eyes increasing.

"Miles. Is he yours?" Emma said something in her voice making Miles feel excitingly uneasy as Nimrod started to swim even closer to Emma as she eyed the shore, but they were too far out, maybe one hundred yards. Emma began to swim backwards and as soon as she made that first flick of the hand, Nim charged at her.

All Miles could see was the splashing of water. No screaming or anything. Maybe Nim was just playing some game with her, but as he felt something scratch his arm he yelled. "NIM GO HOME!" Shoving the animal away.

"Emma?"he muttered as he looked around seeing Emma. Her face looked alright. "I don't think your animal likes me very much-"

"Are you alright?"

"Really not. I think I need a band aide." She said as she swam towards shore. As she set foot on the sand, she felt her knees give out.

"Emma?" Miles gasped, seeing her legs covered in blood, completely covered. He grabbed his shirt, trying to stop the bleeding.

"I'll be alright-" She muttered, obviously embarrassed about the situation, though a tear rolled down her cheek.

'"I' m going to take you upstairs-"Miles said her being so light that it was like carrying a laundry basket full of towels up the stairs. He took her into the bathroom, closing the door and getting the first aide kit out of the cabinet. He got a washcloth and put warm water on it.

She closed her eyes in pain. "How is it?" She asked.

"it's not that bad" Miles said as he cleaned some of the wounds, putting gauze offer them, rolling an ace bandage over that.

"Gee Miles, you really know how to treat a lady-" Emma stated.

"Yeah, well. What can I say?" Miles stated. "Im a ladies man-"

He jumped as he heard a knock at the door. "Miles?"

"Aren't you supposed to be out with Ross?" Miles stated as her recognized the voice of Savannah.

"Yeah. Change of plans. Are you talking to yourself?"

"Yeah. It's for a public speaking class-" Miles stated, handing Emma a painkiller, knowing that she would need it.

"You know, M. That's really weird. You don't want to tell girls that you do that."

"You have no idea-"

"Well, anyways... I am going to bed so don't bug me-" Savannah stated as Miles heard her walk away.

"You can stay the night-" Miles stated as Emma looked at him like she had just received and invitation to stay the night that Buckingham Palace. "As long as your parents wont mind-"

"They wont" he said as he helped her up off the floor and into his room, fiving him some pants and one of his old baseball sweatshirts to sleep in. It was so perverted, he knew but even as she stood their in clothes that were entirely to big for her, hurting with no makeup, she was beautiful.

"You can have the bed-" Miles said to Emma.

"No.no.no. It's your house-"She said as sh he took the blankets that he had gotten out of the closer and putting them on the floor.

"No, please-" He said but he saw her face. The one Nimrod sometimes got, and he knew that there was no winning.

"Fine" He sighed as he helped her make her little nest on the floor.

As he turned the lights off it was dead quiet as he listened to the rhythmic breathing of Emma's lungs. He closed his eyes, letting the thoughts flow. Why had Nim done that? She had done nothing to threaten him or make him feel uncomfortable. If anything she had responded better to this weird lizard than Phill or Savannah or Caitlin had. It was true, though, that ever since Miles had let him loose in the ocean, that he had acted differently, and that was a mistake on his part, but to go as far as to attack someone for no reason, let alone the most beautiful girl on the planet, just made him wonder: What else was Nim capable of.

He was still just a baby, though. Baby's made mistakes.. Maybe he was just going through the terrible two phase.

"Hey Miles. Are you sleeping?'"

"Nope."

"Oh. Just wanted to say thanks..."

"For what?"

"For being such a good friend." Every ounce of sincerity in her body contributing to that sentence.

"No problem" Miles said. There was only one problem. He didn't want to be just friends with her.