Months later, after everything, Ericka would wonder what would have happened if she hadn't gone to the lake at sunset that day, and shiver.

Her trips were always spontaneous, unplanned. She'd wake up in the late afternoon and just have an urge to go for a bit, to go to where she kept her motor boat and go to the center of the lake. Not for too long, just to clear her head a bit, watch the sunset turn the water's surface into gold, and take some deep breaths.

That'd been her therapist's idea.

(And that had been her new family's idea. Her husband saw a therapist - had been seeing one for a few years. Johnny had been the one to bring it up to him, after noticing a pattern between stress, overwork, and a few quiet panic attacks that he would insist on just pushing through.

"I wasn't sure at first, but Paula's really helped. I think you'd really like to see someone, too."

And so, for several months now, she'd been having biweekly meetings with Terrance. They went over a lot of things; her own issues with overworking as a compensation for perceived failure, panic attacks, the expected "let's talk about your childhood for a bit, how you were raised."

That last one had been painful . It turned out there were a lot more 'not normal' aspects of her life than she'd initially thought.

Ericka thought if she had a nickel for every "But I mean, all parents talk to you like that , right?" "No, they don't…" she'd been a very rich woman.)

But in any case, they'd discussed a few things she enjoyed doing, things she could do to clear her head and recharge her batteries. Her "happy places," he called them.

And it turned out, one such happy place was on the water.

She always did like going out by herself. It was a lot different, having the freedom to just go and come back when she wanted, rather than being confined to a ship in the middle of the ocean. She could be all by herself because she wanted to be, could go back at any time, and… well, she liked the water. Always did.

This water isn't right.

Where is the way out? Where is the river?

Where's home?

Too dark. Too weak. Hungry.

The sun was a bright light at the very edge of the horizon, the sky dusty purple, and her face was numb by the time she decided it was time to go back. She pulled the cord, the moto coming to life with a roar-

-and then she spotted something in her peripheral vision. Something in the distance. Something white, bobbing and sinking just under the surface. Quickly moving for the boat.

Movement! Over there!

Must be a current, get over there, hurry-

Ericka's first thought was that it was a piece of litter, a plastic bag or a chunk of Styrofoam someone had tossed and had been coaxed out to the center of the lake. But she quickly disregarded that idea. It was moving too quickly to be trash.

And she didn't know of any piece of litter that glowed.

Yes, the thing was glowing, she realized that as it came closer, still dipping and rising. The thing was supernaturally bright, nothing mundane could do that-

Suddenly her breath caught.

Nothing Mundane.

Ericka quickly turned the engine off, dropping to her knees heavily. They banged hard against the deck, water soaked through her pants, but she didn't care. Grab it, grab it, hurry! With barely any other thought, she thrust her arms into the freezing water, grabbing at the white thing as it reached the side of the boat.

Immediately, it began to thrash.

But she had the advantage, she was stronger. Almost effortlessly, she pulled it out and dragged it into the boat, falling back with a heavy thud. The thing kept thrashing, and she held it tight to keep it from escaping. "Stop, stop - stop!" she said, voice raising without meaning to.

Without the rippling water to distort it, she was able to get a proper look at it.

For about three seconds, at least.

That was when its struggles slowed, and then stopped entirely. The furry thing went limp in her arms, round dark eyes locking with hers.

And then it glowed brighter. An instant later, she was holding something else entirely in her arms.

Ericka's heart skipped a bit. " Oh my god…" she breathed, heart beating faster as her mind screamed I knew it! I knew it!

-no, no, danger! Danger, danger, danger! Let go, let go, let…

No. Never mind. Tired. Too tired…

A voice overhead. A hand on the face.

Held tight.

More words. A roaring sound.

Wind biting.

Too tired…

Everything was normal.

Ericka was already gone when Dracula and others in the family woke up, but that wasn't too unusual. She always left a note ( "Usual place. Be back at 7!") and always came back. Nothing was wrong.

Everything was normal.

A family of werewolves was checking in. Two parents, three kids. The youngest, a toddler, had been playing with the room key his mother had absently given him as a distraction while she asked questions about local entertainment. Then his older brother had taken it and held it out of reach until he screamed and dropped to the floor like a piece of iron. Barely anyone looked up, the father didn't even break eye contact as he snatched the key away and dangled it in front of his youngest.

The family went to their room.

Nothing was out of the ordinary.

Everything was normal.

Until, all of a sudden, it wasn't.

BANG!

The doors burst open, nearly smacking one unfortunate plant woman, and Ericka ran in. Even from a distance, Drac could see her eyes were wild and wild, face a little pale. She was breathing a little quickly, and most oddly of all, she was carrying something in her arms, pressed up to her chest. At first it looked like an oversized duffel bag, but then Drac realized the shape and form was all wrong.

A few monsters reached to help her out of instinct, only to quickly recoil, quiet gasps and whispers rising. But Ericka didn't seem to notice, instead running for the desk, tightening her hold on what she'd brought in.

"Ericka-?"

"I found someone," Ericka gasped out, quickly reaching the desk and setting the white thing down, right on top of it. Water stained the top of the desk and soaked any paper that was unfortunate enough to be in the way - luckily nothing was terribly important. "In the lake."

"Ericka, what-" Drac began to speak, but then quickly recoiled. There was magic emanating from the thing on the desk, surrounding it like light surrounds a candle flame. And not just any magic, either, not like his. Different magic, a different source, a different feeling.

It was a little familiar, similar enough, but decidedly different at the same time.

A more inexperienced monster wouldn't have been able to put their finger on it, but he suddenly knew…

Ericka didn't pick up on any of this, however. "I didn't know where else to take her," she was saying, tugging away the top of the white coat. Her tone was tense, anxious as the white fell away to show a face. "I couldn't leave her-"

The thing in her arms

wasn't a thing.

In her arms, Ericka was carrying a small, thin, pale person, soaking wet and wearing a long white coat with a hood, their eyes barely opening in exhaustion. Slowly looking around at their surroundings, head tucked up against her shoulder.

They wore a seal coat.

Ericka was holding a child.