When Night Breaks

The night air was bitter cold but not a single cloud or a single breeze of wind was present. There was a stillness lingering about that had me on high alert.

After dropping Samantha off to grieve with her friends, I opted for a late night walk through the town. It was risky to be out in the city, but I assumed the late hour would keep any other residents off of the streets that I walked.

I knew early on after meeting Samantha that I was capable of feeling her emotions. But in no way had I expected such intensity. I could literally feel her heart breaking; which broke mine right along with it. Losing a loved one or a friend causes pain so agonizing that it makes daily functioning a daunting task. I knew it would be a pain that Samantha and her friends would go through.

I had just turned a corner off of Second North Street when I felt a presence near me. I felt the changes occur inside of me as my teeth transformed into animal like razors; my hands changed into a mess of claws and my eyes glowed like two pearls. I could hear the heartbeat getting closer and the footsteps quickening. Normally, I would have sprinted off with my extreme speed and vanished deep inside the shadows of Elliot Springs. But instead, I stayed to face whatever danger I felt approaching. And danger was exactly what it felt like.

Before I could spin around to face my follower, I heard my name from years ago.

"Jason."

I quickly glanced around me, to see a young female figure emerge from behind a building on the corner of Second North Street and Jarnagin Avenue. As she came into the light cast down from the street light overhead, I gasped. Her white eyes that mirrored mine glared at me.

"Don't you remember me, Jason? It's me! Alice!" The girl sounded cheerful and almost delighted we were face to face.

"Alice? No. You're...dead," I said.

"No, I'm alive and well!" She giggled.

"You died in the fire with all the other kids," My mind was racing as I spoke to her.

"I got away. Apparently you did too."

"How did you find me?!"

"Well I didn't know you were alive for a while. But eventually I came across you!"

"That didn't answer my question."

"Jason, why are you acting like this? I thought you'd be glad to see me!"

"I'm glad you survived but where have you been living? How did you escape? What -- no. I just---," I couldn't process the situation fast enough.

I tried to read her body language and listen to her heartbeat but something prevented me from getting a good read on her. I could heart the pounding in her chest but it was as if our unfortunate similarities prevented me from detect deception; a handy trick I had mastered on people with normal DNA.

"We have a lot to catch up on. It's so amazing to finally be able to be open and not afraid of someone!" Alice walked over to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I missed you, Jason!"

"It's Jay now."

She was acting as if this one meeting, years later meant we had instantly connected and opened up to each other.

"Oh, okay, Jay. Do you want to come back to my place and catch up?"

"Actually, I need to get home," I said.

"Okay, well, do you want to meet up sometime and talk?"

"Sure. We can do that. It has to be at night, though. Meet me here in a week at midnight," I knew Samantha would need me the next few days so I thought a week would be a good time frame.

"Okay. Sounds good," Alice hugged me again and kissed me on the cheek. "It was so good to see you again, Jason."

Before I could correct her on my name, she vanished. I stood in my place for a few moments before turning and heading home.



I crept inside the home, trying to remain quiet enough to not wake Leo. I successfully made my way into my bedroom where I sat on the edge of my bed. The sun would be rising soon, so instead of turning on the light, I opened my curtains slightly.

The thought of Alice being alive left me with conflicting emotions. We knew that there was cross species DNA found at Ian's crime scene. But I couldn't figure out why Alice would want to kill anyone, let alone Ian.

Another part of me was intrigued by the fact that someone just like me had survived. Alice was one of the younger kids in the foster home; I was probably 3 years older than her. The McKenzies used several batches of drugs to inject the kids so even though Alice and I were alike, the DNA mutations were slightly different.

I contemplated bringing Alice here to our home. After all, she was like me. But something felt strange about her showing up all of a sudden. I didn't understand how she escaped in the first place, more or less how she survived all these years. She would have been only 9 years old when the Nathan and Margaret set the fire to kill us all. But I guessed, that if I managed to survive, Alice must have found a way to manage.

Eventually, exhaustion took control of me and I drifted off to sleep. Still in my jeans and thermal long sleeve, I slept on top of the covers of my bed as the sun slowly rose in the sky.



I awoke wishing I had taken the time to get a proper nights sleep. I was stiff and had a pounding headache.

Samantha spent the night at Jolene's house and I was to go see her after she got home. We agreed on 11:30; I looked at the clock and it said 10:15. Standing up slowly, I stretched and yawned trying to get energized.

I went into my bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror.

"Never looked better," I spoke aloud, sarcastically.

My hair was sticking up, the side of my face was red, my eyes were swollen, and my clothes were wrinkled and creased. I undressed and turned the shower knob to the hot side. I stepped in after I knew the water was warm. Letting steam fill the bathroom, I stood under the shower head as the water poured on me. It felt refreshing and when I turned the water off, I felt 10 times better.

With a towel wrapped around me, I walked back into my bedroom and to my closet. Deciding for a simple red t-shirt and jeans, I dropped the towel and got dressed. My hair dried quickly on it's own, so I soon put on my shoes and leather jacket. Before heading out I grabbed a granola bar to eat on the way to see Samantha.

Samantha's car was still at my house; originally I was to pick her up at Jolene's and drive her back here. Instead, however, she decided to get a ride to her apartment.

I got into Leo's SUV and drove to her place. The entire way there, it wasn't Samantha I was thinking about. It was Alice: her face, her white eyes, the way she said "Jason", and the idea that someone from my very early past was so close. And if it were her DNA at Ian's crime scene, she may be closer than I wanted. Still, I knew I had to meet with her, test her DNA, and find the truth behind the life she had been living for 12 years. Which, like it or not, meant I needed to be very close.