As the aquarium disappeared behind her, Hadley could think of only one thing. Who was he? Hadley now had a name to put to a face but that didn't solve anything. It only created more problems. Like, why did she feel that odd flutter in her chest every time she thought about him? She barely knew him. One could argue she didn't really know him it all. That made the whole scenario quite infuriating and terrifying and electrifying all at the same time.

          It was difficult for Hadley to handle it all and so she did the only thing she could for now -- she tucked it all away until she could sort things out. Doing so allowed room for more questions. For instance, why did he insist on being so damn cryptic? Was it even possible for him to give a straight answer?

          "Penny for your thoughts?"

          "Oh, sorry..." she said, glancing towards him a moment then back out the window. "Nothing worth that much, just tired. It was a pretty busy day at the aquarium today."

          "You looked more than tired, you looked upset, are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Eli pressed. Hadley tried to keep from feeling annoyed – she failed.

          "I said it's nothing," Hadley snapped, her tone coming out a lot harsher than she had intended. Despite feeling guilty for being mean, she still didn't understand why he felt the need to pry. "Sorry again. Like I said, I'm tired."

         "Right," he replied. "No problem. I shouldn't have pushed." Even as he said it she could tell he was hurt by her abruptness, or maybe it was the fact that she shut him out. She wasn't entirely sure what Eli was looking for and she wasn't in any position to dig around for clues or answers. If it was friendship, she could handle it ... anything else and she was going to have to sort some other things out first. She just really wished she knew for sure – it would make all of this a whole lot easier.

          An odd sort of silence fell after that. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't exactly companionable either. Hadley was more than grateful when the SUV finally rolled to a stop in front of her house and she wasted no time hopping out. While she generally enjoyed Eli's company, she was anxious to get inside and to talk to her dad. Eli climbed out as well, heading around back to get her bike.

          "Sooo..." Eli began, sounding unsure. Hadley had a sinking suspicion she knew what was coming next. "Any chance you'd like to go get dinner with me sometime? Just as friends... or whatever," Eli asked as he pulled the bike free of the vehicle. Hadley did her best to smile.

          "After my father lets me off the hook... maybe, things have just been really weird lately," she admitted. "I just have to get some things sorted out." Even if she hadn't been grounded she wasn't exactly in the mood to go out on a date – even a 'just as friends' sort of date. There was so much going on inside her head that she just wanted to be a lone for a little while. She swung her backpack over her shoulder and took her bike from him.

          "Sure, sounds great," he replied, though Hadley could tell he was disappointed. Probably because she hadn't given him a definite answer. Eli looked like he wanted to say more but instead just turned away and climbed back into the vehicle.

          Hadley offered a final wave as he drove off and let out a deep sigh before turning towards the house. When did life get so complicated? Wheeling the bike beside her, Hadley made her way up the foot path towards the front porch. She leaned her bike against the railing before letting herself inside.

          "Anyone home?" she called, closing the door behind her, she tossed her house keys absently on to a side table cluttered with unopened mail and other odds and ends.

          "Dad?" she added.

          There was a good chance he was still at work, or had stop at the store on his way home. She was actually sort of relieved. He couldn't ask her about Eli if he hadn't been here to witness his arrival. Dropping her backpack at the bottom of the stairs, she kicked off her shoes and wandered into the kitchen. Her dad normally cooked dinner, but she'd skipped lunch and her stomach had been grumbling ever since Eli mentioned going somewhere.

          Pulling open the fridge she poked around a bit and, after finding nothing appealing, settled for an apple in hopes it'd be enough to hold her over until dinner. Carrying it back towards the stairs, she passed through the living room and had nearly reached the other side when she noticed something strange. The room looked as though a tornado had swept through it, and the back door was hanging wide open, or so she thought. Hadley tried to return various bits of furniture to their rightful state as she progressed towards the back door, but gave up after she realized the enormity of the destruction.

          Upon further inspection she realized the door had been splintered, and then torn, right off its hinges. Her first thought was of her father possibly being hurt. Panic swelled in her chest and without stopping to consider the potential dangers she headed for the stairs.

          She took them two at a time, and upon reaching the second floor landing she scanned the hallway and the connected den for her father.

          "Dad?" she called out, her voice quiet and timid. So far she hadn't seen any sign of him, or any indication that there had been some sort of struggle. In truth, with all the mess, it was difficult to tell for sure what had happened.

          She picked up the phone off the floor with the intent to call the police, but there was nothing but silence on the other end.

          "Dad, are you here?" she called again, her search bringing her towards the bedrooms at the back of the house. She heard a sound coming from her father's room and froze. What if the person or people responsible for all of this was still here? It was a thought she hadn't entertained until now and she felt rather stupid. Another crash resonated from her father's room and Hadley took a step back – right into something solid.

          Hadley spun around, hands curling into fists and rising upwards to defend herself. She threw one punch, without thinking, and landed one solid blow to the stranger's face before realizing it wasn't a stranger at all. Well, not really.

          It was Destan.

          He seemed momentarily disoriented and whether it was the suddenness of her attack or the force of the impact didn't matter as Hadley stepped back In surprise, giving him time to regain his composure.

          "You hit pretty hard for a girl," he grunted as he rubbed his jaw and fought a smile. "Too bad you had to go and make so much noise."

           "What?" Hadley replied breathlessly, only now recalling what she'd been doing upstairs to begin with. That's when she realized the sounds coming from her father's room had gone eerily silent. Without warning the door burst open and tendrils of blackness shot out sticking to the walls and ceiling as the creature inside dragged itself out into the hall to investigate.

          "Move. Now," he demanded, all humor gone from his expression. Before she could protest or ask any more questions he grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her into the nearest room. He slammed the door shut and twisted the lock into place. "I warned you that this would happen."

          "What would happen? What's going on? What are you doing here?"

          "The Shades, they tracked you here," he explained as he shrugged out of his jacket. Unrestricted he began to drag furniture towards the door to act as a barricade – his lack of confidence in the flimsy lock more than apparent. "I'm here to make sure they don't get what they're after." He added as he took a step back to admire his handy work.

          "And what is that exactly?"

          He turned to face her, his expression dictating he was hesitant to answer her. She could hear movement in the hall and imagined the thing from the alley dragging itself slowly but steadily towards their hiding spot.

          Destan walked over to the window and peeked out. There was a fire escape, but Hadley had always doubted the reliability of it. He seemed to question it as well because he made no suggestions that they try it. Instead he pulled her to the far end of the room before drawing her close and wrapping both arms around her. Hadley's heart skipped a beat, and while she should have been terrified, for some reason she felt comfortable and safe.

          "You," he answered at last, his voice quiet as he leaned in closer. There was a loud thud against the door followed by another. The creaking sound of wood splintering filled the silence in between each blow. "I'm sorry, but..." and without finishing he kissed her.

          Her first kiss. Out of all the things she could have thought in that moment – that's all that came to mind.

          Hadley should've been outraged considering their current situation, but his mouth was warm and, for a moment, it was all Hadley could focus on. The warmth didn't seem contained to her lips, and it began to spread across her entire body like wildfire. Though she hardly knew him, something about him felt natural, and familiar... him being there made her feel whole.

          He drew back, breaking the kiss but maintaining his hold. It was then that Hadley realized she could see right through him. The world beyond was distorted, like she was looking at things through a glass of water.

          "What-"

          He pressed a finger to her lips and shook his head. The door finally gave in to the relentless attack and the two stood in silence as not one, but two Shades dragged themselves into the room. Their red eyes were blinking furiously as cracking sounds split the air and tendrils shot out and tore at the furniture and other items scattered around the room.

          There were moments when the creatures came so close that Hadley was certain they would be discovered. Her grip on Destan tightened and he pulled her closer.

          After several gut wrenching minutes the demeanor of the creatures changed. One turned towards the door, every eye opening wide in alarm. It let out a shrill shriek, and dove towards the window. The second followed in a similar fashion, glass shattering as the first broke through it, and both Shades disappeared into the darkness beyond.

          Hadley felt Destan's hold on her relax, and as it did she felt the warmth begin to fade.

          "What the hell is going on?" she gasped, taking a step back to put some much needed distance between the two of them.

          "I'm pretty damn curious myself."

          Hadley turned to see her father stepping over what remained of the door, an odd looking silver stick clenched in his fist. How the hell was she going to explain all of this to him? Gee dad, there were these shadows creatures and for some reason they're looking for me.

          That would go over real well. She'd never be allowed out of the house again – ever.

          "Dad I can explain..."

          "I very much doubt you can," he replied, his gaze flickering towards Destan. "But him? He can. What the hell are you doing here, Destan?"

           "My job, Lincoln," Destan snapped, turning to face her father. "Which is more than I can say for you. Where the hell were you?"

          Lincoln's expression shifted from annoyance to full blown anger. He was about to say something when Hadley interrupted.

         "You two know each other?" she said incredulously. She looked between the two of them and took a step back. Her heart was racing and her mind whirling with dozens of questions. "Just what the hell is it you're not telling me?"

          "Hadley, just calm down okay?" Destan said softly, taking a step towards her.

          Calm down? He wanted her to calm down? She was calm considering the way her life had been spiraling into chaos ever since she'd first seen him at the aquarium. Hadley waved him away and crossed her arms over her chest. Sometime during the encounter with the Shades her head had started pounding and her chest felt tight.

          "Are you okay?" It was her father's voice though he sounded as though he was shouting from miles away rather than just a few feet. "Hadley?"

          "I'm okay... I just... my head...everything is spinning," she felt the world shift around her and stumbled back, catching herself against an overturned dresser. In her mind she heard distant screaming, flashes of red and a rush of adrenaline fueled panic. She closed her eyes trying to make the unwanted images diminish but succeeding only in making them stronger.

          "Make it stop," she whispered just moments before the darkness swallowed her.