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Part
One: The Storm's Fury Another mountain of water came hurtling toward him as he contemplated the storm's sudden nature. He held on tightly to the nearest solid object and braced for the force of the impact. In the piercing sound of the storm's fury, Reese could definitely hear a scream. Suddenly the scream became louder and a body rushed past him like a mini torpedo. It was a girl and she had lost her hand-hold. She was now snaking down the deck in a frightening version of Slip ‘n Slide. In a split-second, he realized who the girl was. It was Jessica Bennett! For a brief moment their eyes locked and in their depths Reese saw true fear. "REESE!" she screamed. "Help me!" Without a thought to the danger to himself, Reese bounded into action. He let the next wave take him and it brought his body closer to Jess'. He almost thought he wasn't going to make it when the railing he grabbed broke, but the next one was solid enough to hold his weight. He only hoped it was strong enough to hold Jessica's too. One hand was rooted to the railing and the other reached for Jessica who was wedged in a small crawl space. The only thing keeping her from plummeting into the sea was the small band of wood behind her. As his hand reached out for hers, the small wooden band broke and his ears filled with Jessica's screams. "NO! Jessica!" *** Miguel Lopez Fitzgerald couldn't believe what was happening. His girlfriend, the woman he loved was strangling him. Her grip was so tight he found it hard to pull her hands away. "Charity. Let me go!" he struggled against her but she seemed not only stronger than him but rooted to the spot on which she stood. "It's me, Charity. Miguel!" "You must die," she said with a menacing edge to her voice. "You must all die." Her glassy stare turned to one of fire and it took Miguel aback. "You're not Charity." His last thought before oblivion enveloped him were her throbbing red eyes staring back at him like she didn't know him, or love him anymore. *** Tabitha Lennox stood on the pier in giddy glee. Charity was killing Miguel. Once she succeeded, their friends in the basement were sure to give her powers back. Tabitha was hopeful. Timmy, Tabitha's little doll friend, was restless beside her. His shock of white hair, which he'd gained while fighting off a dolphin turned shark, seemed more white in the light of the dock's ambient glow. "You have to stop her, Tabby." Timmy said. "Charity is killing Miguel!" "Like hell I'm going to stop her. This is what I've been waiting for, dreaming of. Charity has finally turned to the dark side." *** Jessica thought all was lost. Reese was so far away and the water seemed like it was trying its best to kill her. Her lungs felt like they were filled with salt water and she coughed and choked as yet another wave hit her. She screamed and reached out. Suddenly, fate intervened and Reese was there. His hand closed over hers and she's never been so happy to feel another's touch. He pulled her into his embrace and hugged her shivering body. "It's all right now. I'm here." "Thank god," Jessica said through coughs. "I thought I was a goner for sure." "You can thank me later. Your father is loading up the life boats and we have to be on one of them. I don't think we could survive the force of this storm." They made their way to the life boat area but the last boat was lowering into the turbulent waters. "NO!" Jessica screamed. "They're leaving us behind!" "Don't worry, we'll make it." Reese grabbed Jessica's hand and they hurried toward the life boat. A wall of water splashed over the deck and sent Reese hurtling backward. His hand broke away from hers. Jessica could only helplessly watch as Reese slammed into the boat's hull and crumpled to the ground. Her father, Police Chief Sam Bennett appeared behind her. "Jessica, you have to get on the boat. NOW!" "NO! Reese, he saved my life. We have to save his." Jessica hurried over to Reese's body and brushed the hair from his eyes. His black glasses were gone, swept away by the storm and she caressed his handsome face. "I always knew you were a looker behind those geeky glasses," she said through her tears. Suddenly, she realized he wasn't moving. He wasn't responding to her touch. "DAD!" Chief Bennett felt Reese's neck for a pulse. He shook his head. Jessica burst into tears. "NO! He can't be dead. Not now. Not when I've finally seen him for who he is." She rubbed his face even more. "Come back to me, Reese. You have to come back!" To
be continued......
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Waves
deluged the prom boat with massive amounts of water. Many of his
friends had been caught fighting the mighty titan of the sea and
had been swept over board as a result. Over and over the storm came
making mince meat out of the boat's rickety structure, but Reese
Durkey didn't understand it. This wasn't like any storm he'd ever
experienced. Not only did it come out of nowhere but, it was almost
as if the crashing waves were fueled by an unseen force, an unseen
force of pure evil. He didn't know how he knew this but the thought
was so strong he couldn't help but wonder.