I am the one who lurks in the deep I am rough poison, riches and sorrow I hide underneath you in the infinite murk Scurrying across pathways that stink of raw sewage I must hide to survive, for the surface is cruel The light of the sun brings my nature to life I'm the great monster, for my face is my bane My hands hard like diamonds, my eyes bright and red By acting in secret, I'm able to go on But one day, I swear it, my face shall be seen ---------- Lurker Eventually, the newest addition to the team decided to call herself "Venom". It was hard for her to adjust to her new way of life. For six years, ever since her powers first started to materialize, she had to be very careful everywhere she went. Her clothes melted as soon as she put them on, her bed was an uncaring stone slab of the concealed alleyway, her food treated with great care—her human contact down to nothing. Truly, Namie Chizuka had led a horrible life full of all kinds of suffering, which might've explained why she so readily joined the Lost. Many of their number had also been through horrible times, mostly because of the unusual powers they were associated with: Marissa (who hadn't chosen a code name yet) had been a lab rat, Technomancer had caged herself in a shell, the Disintegrator was confined to a half-existence, Rancor's fury isolated her, Kagemusha's tragic past ate away at her mind... All of the Lost were children of torment in one way or another, but they had been given a chance to go somewhere safe and make the most of their abilities. There was no need to be shy, or to apologize, or to feel left out: everyone was the same in their monstrosity. It was a secluded place that drew the secluded inside, thus perfect—but something didn't seem right. Most everyone's concerns were focused around the mysterious Mr. White, whom nobody knew very much about. He came and went as he saw fit—that day, he was absent, doing who knows what. Most of the Lost had no problem with that. On that day, Namie paid a visit to Shalis, who was working as usual and seemed to be in a trance because of it. Shalis woke up at six and went to bed at ten each and every day, and squeezed every possible hour into her research. She was still a proxy manager of Enteragon—after all, without her, the company truly would've crumbled on itself—and though she was trying to wean herself free from her duties more and more, it was becoming difficult. When she could spare the time, she kept her mechanical eyes on the world, paying special attention to the news and possible goings-on of people like her, like the Lost. "Hello, Namie," she said, her back turned. Namie froze. "How did you—" "The monitor," she pointed. One of the monitors also acted as a mirror, enabling Shalis to see who or what was behind her while she was working. Namie smiled sheepishly. "Oh. Um, hello. May I ask what you're looking into?" "Just whatever I can find. Right now I'm really not focusing on possible recruits for our cause. I've spent the past three hours doing that, and I need a break." Namie watched as her companion's fingers whirled across the keyboard, producing information so vast and quick that it confused her. She sighed and rubbed her face, noticing off-hand that she was still wearing her acid-resistant body suit. She smiled and mentally thanked Torth for it once again. "This is a break to you? You look like you're working just as hard." "I am. I'm just taking a break from extracurricular activities." "Oh. So do you ever take a ‘break' break?" "You mean a few minutes in the coffee room or the lounge? No, I usually don't need it. I'm fed by injection three times a day, and I don't typically use the restroom since no waste comes from my nutrient solution. I'm therefore able to maximize use of my abilities. I consider sleep a break." "So you never leave?" "‘Never'...is a strong word. I prefer ‘seldom'. I do get up once in awhile for fresh air, and to stretch around—after all, if I don't exercise, I'll just wither away. Actually, that reminds me." She clicked a few more buttons, and the monitors finally seemed to slow to a more observable speed (to Namie's eyes anyway). Shalis then stood up, stretched her legs, and craned her head around, loosening neck muscles. "I should go for a walk," she continued. "Would you like to come with me?" "Yes indeed." "Well, put something on. We're pretty isolated out here, but who knows what lost person may be out there." She smiled briefly—probably to indicate she had told another dry joke—and left to go change. Namie looked down at her revealing body suit and realized that yes, it would probably be a good idea to throw a shirt on. And pants. At first, Namie instinctively avoided Shalis. It wasn't like she didn't like the older girl, she was just still in the habit of keeping her distance because of her "curse". She had to remind herself that she had the body suit on, and that she could touch anything as long as it wasn't with her face or neck. She blushed and walked a little closer to Shalis, who seemed to have some difficulty keeping her balance. "If I fall, could you please catch me?" "Why would you fall?" Shalis stopped and looked at Namie. She held out her arms, spreading her palms and fingers, and invited Namie to remove her gloves. Tentatively, she did so. "Now touch my hands. Just my hands." "Shalis, you know I can't do that. You're a smart girl, you know what'll happen if I do." "Just touch them." "Shalis, don't. I don't want to hurt you." "You won't." "Yes I will! Come on, get serious here. I'm not touching you." "Trust me." Namie frowned. She could tell that the older girl was very serious, and after giving a doubtful sigh, she put her hands out and clasped them with Torth's. Nothing happened! She gasped and nearly jerked back, but Shalis held their hands tight. "It's not melting away! How did you do that?" "Watch." Torth released her grip and then seemed to concentrate. To Namie's amazement (and slight horror), her arms dematerialized and vanished, leaving only her torso and two metallic stubs. Namie covered her mouth to keep from hyperventilating: she didn't know that Shalis didn't have any arms! "Armless," said Torth with a grin, "but not harmless." "Oh my god, I had no idea." She concentrated again, and the arms came back to life. "They're the latest in holographic design," she explained, moving them around slowly. "They can solidify to a degree, which is how I'm able to type, and I can even feel things with them. I usually can't pick up anything heavier than paper or coins, and they don't function in water. I asked you to catch me because obviously, without arms, one's sense of balance becomes skewed. More than once I've tripped and fallen." "And you've never gotten...um, I mean, you know—prosthetic replacements?" "No, no need. If all I ever do is walk around a little and stretch my legs, I don't see the point. Besides, these have the latest in nerve simulacrum technology. They indicate things like how rough or smooth something is, and whether something's hot or cold. It's not the same as regular flesh and bone, so it's not like I can actually feel anything—I'm just described the object's texture and temperature through small sensors. That's about it, in layman's terms." "Oh, so I'm a layman?" Namie sounded offended, but she was really smiling. "Or laywoman." Now she grinned. "Eh, you don't have to smile at my jokes. I know they're awful. Just promise to catch me if I fall." "I will. Um...Shalis, can I ask you a weird question?" "Sure." Namie blushed. "Do you think...I could hold your hand? I mean, without my glove?" "I guess so. Just...don't let it slip. My arms may be safe but the rest of me isn't." "I'll try to be careful." Namie grinned, and with the shyness of one who had spent year after year isolated without any kind of human contact, she slipped her naked hand inside Shalis' artificial one, and together they walked around the compound for an hour, talking of this and that. ......... Having just woken from her nap, Rancor yawned and stumbled into the den. She yawned again, and stretched her large frame until it seemed she could engulf the entire room. Scratching her belly, she stepped around aimlessly until she bumped into the large computer desk that Shalis had been given when she arrived. Rancor quickly muttered a curse and was about to turn the thing off (Shalis wasn't using it, so why should it go to waste?) when something caught her eyes. She rubbed them to make sure, and peered at it again. "Scientists disavow knowledge of ‘Lurker' hiding in sewers despite public bounty" "A Lurker?" she mumbled to herself. Rancor stood up, stretched again, yawned, and wondered if Shalis knew where her computer's automatic search program had led her. She decided to save the information and created a file called "LOSTINFO" to store it in. Scratching her pink hair, she wandered to the bathroom and waited impatiently for Kagemusha to get out. After realizing just how normal the shadow-girl really was underneath, knowing that she ate, slept, and showered just like everyone else took away her great mystique. It didn't hurry things along, though. "Speed up, will ya!" bleated Rancor, slamming her fist on the door. "Some of us have got to wash up too!" Kagemusha couldn't hear her, of course, so Rancor—Merry Lynn Weathers some of the time—decided to kill some time in the training room. Ah, the training room: where she could get as angry as she wanted and unleash as much of her power as she wished, without fear of destroying anything. Even Disintegrator hadn't made a dent in the room, and she went there daily to vent out her frustration. Unfortunately, due to safety concerns, only two people could go in there at a time, and it was occupied. "Damn," she whispered, seeing the sign. She took a breath, hung back, and tried thinking of what else there was to do. Not wanting to incur Technomancer's wrath, Merry stayed away from the computer and wandered to the kitchen, where she got her third snack that day. Chocolate always made her feel a little better after a nice long nap. In the space of only a few minutes, everything seemed to happen at once: Kagemusha stepped out of the shower, drying her hair and looking remotely pleased (which for her meant a noticeable but not alarming scowl); Marissa and Disintegrator came out of the training room, each of them weary; Namie and Shalis returned from their walk, and it looked like the Lost were whole. Merry smiled in spite of the spike of activity and gestured towards them all. "About time. I've been meaning to...ah, never mind. Marissa, you better take the shower—I wanna get some exercise in. And Shalis, there's something on your computer I thought you'd like to see." "You didn't touch it, did you?" Technomancer could be horribly frightening once she learned somebody had interfered with her programs, and only by immense placation could one hope to stop her. Rancor grinned as if she were guilty and was forced to confess it. "Well..." "I told you not to touch my computer! How many times have I—" "She's right," said Namie suddenly, activating the machine with her protected hands. Technomancer screamed in spite of her friend's attention to safety and shoved her away. "Get off! Why do I have to keep reminding you of this!? Why?! Are you all children or—" "Shalis, shut up." Kagemusha snorted and crossed her arms. Technomancer glared at her. It was returned with equal power, and for awhile, the two seemed to be locked in a deadly staring match. Fortunately, one member of the group could always break up fights in her own special way. STOP! "You be quiet." DESTROY! "She looks like she'll do it," said Marissa, who could understand Alisti's one-word thoughts the best. Shalis and Kagemusha glared at her, and Alisti, and finally each other, before either of them noticed that yes, all this time, Merry and Namie had been right: something had came up in the search. Shalis immediately perched herself at the monitor and began typing away furiously—once again into her trance. Merry, the impatient woman who had truthfully discovered the new find, put her hands on her hips. "Well, can you give us any details?" "Hold on, be patient. It's quite a bit to sift through." "...Okaaaay..." Shalis faked a cough. "Okay. This ‘Lurker' creature was apparently a secret scientific project," she stated. "After alien creatures from an unidentified world crashed on this planet, it says that a creature within slaughtered the travelers—the researchers believed they were biologists from some other planet here to study something. No tools of war... Anyway, the creature that killed the alien biologists was killed later, and its DNA was salvaged by the people who discovered all this. The DNA was then used in a secret project to create human-alien hybrid super soldiers, but there was only one success out of...let's see...three dozen failures. The rest were......it does not say." "Ugh, another awful blight on humanity," spat Kagemusha. Few could truly disagree with her, least of all Marissa. It was she who asked about the survivor. "It doesn't say whether this ‘Lurker' escaped or was released, but either way, she's free. Um, it's a female. They haven't given her a proper name; let's call her Julie Smith for now. Anyway, this Lurker, Julie Smith, she's been living in secret for several years—the scientists monitored her activities for some time. They lost contact...a year ago, it says. But not long after that, they found her." "How?" "Just a second...ah, here we go. This headline you found," she indicated indirectly to Merry, "was dated a month ago, so other things have happened to alter this. But as it says, she apparently killed people because she thought they were muggers, but actually they were just actors in a movie. Now there's a big bounty on her, and of course people are saying she doesn't exist. Typical Boogeyman fare." "That's a lot of information on a creature that doesn't exist," admitted Namie. "Yes, it is. And these aren't the tabloids running these stories; it'd make more sense if it were. These are respected papers that people rely on for accurate information; they don't typically run something unless there's a good chance it's true. Lately people have been calling it a hoax, of course, but one has to wonder if it's really true." "Why not?" said Kagemusha. "There's plenty of mystery...lurking around." She coughed, which might've been a laugh from her, which made everybody turn and glance at her in a strange way. Her grin turned sour as she crossed her arms. "What? Can't I make bad jokes? Look, I say this is true. It's just the kind of thing that I would believe." "So you want to look in on it?" "Personally, I'd rather be in a sewer than with this bunch." "Hey, nobody's stopping you from leaving," said Rancor coolly. She grunted as she felt the smaller, younger girl deliberately bump into her as she walked by. Kagemusha snorted. "Actually, somebody is stopping me from leaving. Were it not for this person......... Never mind. Your ears aren't accustomed to my horror stories. If I told you, you'd only put yourselves out of your misery, and who knows when I'll need bodies around." She gave them one last eerie look before returning to the thick shadows. Everybody shared a nervous glance, but they had to admit, things seemed more cheerful without her. ......... Now that she was alone, Stalker could relax and do things her way. A sharp observer might've thought that she acted so belligerent and cold towards others so that later, she could leave anytime she wished and conduct jobs on her own terms without interference, as was the case this time. But Stalker really was belligerent and cold towards others, no ulterior motive involved. She just happened to enjoy solidarity because of it; all the better for her. She preferred working alone and would've had it that way forever if it were possible, but her past had a hold on her, and so necessity made unusual bedfellows. The underground subway station and, beneath that, the sewers and deeper lairs of the world, were perfect breeding grounds for people like the Stalker—or the Lurker. She felt right at home in that darkness, and scarcely needed to call upon the shadows since they were all around her. They acted as her ears and her hands, reaching out and touching slim passageways, winding corridors, impossible chasms and dim hallways. Nothing was inaccessible to her. The Lurker was a creature who thrived in places like this, so the papers said, so she didn't have a chance of hiding. Stalker would find her and be back in time for lunch. The arms of darkness caught the texture of one who was hiding deliberately. This hidden specimen was far off, crammed into a maze of twisting turns, thrown into the greatest pit of darkness with enough false leads to stave off a bloodhound. Stalker passed them as easily as she would pass an open room. Darkness was like clear daylight to her; a labyrinth was easy with the aid of patient, omniscient shadows; someone who used the darkness to cover their tracks could not hope to contend with one who used the same darkness to uncover the tracks. Stalker found the Lurker's room quickly, and, she assumed, the Lurker along with it. For a minute, she did not make her presence known. She stood and watched the motionless bundle of cloth, knowing what was beneath it. The Lurker was apparently a very patient creature, for the bundle did not move even a fraction. A very pale, greenish light came in through rusty metallic grates; water trickled past; rats chased after beetles; the bundle remained still. If Stalker didn't know any better, she would've guessed it was just a pile of old clothes left by some nameless sewer-dweller. She cleared her throat. "Lurker, come out." And of course, nothing happened. Again, "Lurker, come out. I'm not a bounty hunter. I want to take you somewhere...safe." She had to force herself to say the words, because honestly, she didn't really care. But if these actions helped her situation in any way... "Lurker, come out. I know you're under those clothes." The creature did not reveal itself. Stalker had to give it credit: it certainly had an intelligent creature's mind. A lesser being would've revealed itself, and under worse circumstances, would've run into a host of firearms and hunters. She grinned and walked over to the pile, ready to end the charade. She kicked it once and demanded, "Come on, out." The creature revealed herself so quickly that even the shadows couldn't see it. It attacked Stalker, slashing at her arm and torso with a strength far surpassing any known animal. The claws sunk in deep, and felt like they were poisoned with some drug—Stalker began to weaken rapidly, and felt herself go numb even as she took several steps back and attempted to protect herself. She could barely even see her attacker, who snarled at her and watched as she collapsed on the ground, perhaps already dead. She was able to hear long before she was able to see. And she was able to feel again quickly, as well, though it was a sense that could've been numb for awhile longer. Stalker felt something hard strike her, and realized that she was hanging upside-down. She groaned, amazed to still be alive, and wished that she could see. But there were only voices, no images, so she closed her eyes and sighed. A rough voice called out to her. "Like it? Be there long time. Maybe forever. I watch you stay there. I glad to catch you. I catch many before you, and all were very easy. You were easy too. You will stay just like all before you." Stalker groaned. "Where...the hell...am I?" "Maybe dead, maybe alive. You in my home. You never leave." "We'll...see. Are you...the Lurker?" "I not tell you!" The creature struck her again, though the blow was meant to swing her around by whatever was holding her, not to injure. Stalker tried regaining her balance, though her limbs were all numb. "I'm not...a hunter. I came to...offer you...place to go." "Many say tricky things long before you. Many say things that make I like them. Many before have all been liars! They are now here somewhere, hanging like you!" "But I'm...not a hunter. I'm just...like you." Stalker tried regaining her senses again, but it was useless. Her head felt horrible, dizzy, and being upside-down didn't make things any better. "I...have strange...powers. And so do you." "Ha! Many know more, many say more, many have lied! Many now down here with you! I think I will watch them drown in the big lake." "I can...prove it." She tried calling a shadow, anything at all, but her powers seemed to get bad reception in her drugged state. At best, she could wiggle the shade here and there. The Lurker seemed to snort, and began to sing triumphantly. "Nothing, nothing, nothing is happening, just like the many before you! You no different from them. You will become no different. I hungry now, so I leave. I may not ever come back—heh heh!" Stalker's eyes finally gained some fuzzy sense of perception, and as her vision came swimming back to her, she could see a slim, muscular humanoid creature scurry off on all fours. Believing this to be her only audience with the monster, she focused every speck of her powers on the slim shadows in the room, and commanded them to form a gate of darkness. The Lurker howled and tumbled to a halt before it, too frightened to go any further. "Evil, evil!" it keened. "Evil, I no go past this! What you do? Bring back soft quiet door! I do not like this black door here!" "Let me go or it never drops!" Stalker was furious, but she was losing strength rapidly. If Lurker kept howling...but no, the creature hopped over to her, and with a swipe of its arms, freed her from her prison. Stalker fell and landed hard on the wet concrete floor, and groaned as she stood up and nursed her bruises. Lurker groveled before her and begged forgiveness—apparently that show of display had done wonders to change her attitude. Stalker brushed herself off, dispelled the darkness, and got a good look at the creature for the first time. The Lurker was definitely female, and seemed to be a relative of humans, but her appearance punctured Stalker's arctic heart. The girl had rich green skin, beautiful and ugly, like the scales of the Original Serpent, and eyes as red as evil, with a slit of malicious black down the center instead of a circular pupil. Her hair was pale, like a ghost's face, and her hands and feet ended in claws, like a lizard's. The tips looked to be as hard as diamonds, which explained their strength, and soft bulges on the wrist seemed to secrete a paralyzing venom into the claws, which explained Stalker's dizziness. Lurker was naked save for a few ratty clothes, and she looked more pathetic than a whole mess of homeless people. "Please, don't use your powers on me, I beg!" She wailed and wailed, clutching Stalker's legs like a child. "Please, evil powers hurt I, they make I sad in the night! I hate the evil dark and I hate the light above—it makes them see I! Please, you must promise, never use evil powers on I!" "All right, all right, just get your damn claws off me!" Stalker shook the wailing creature loose, and she shirked back like a small dog. She even whimpered and continued to grovel, making Stalker even more irritated. The display gave her an idea, though, and a rather low one at that. She even smiled. "Oh, Lurker?" "Wh-what, what is it?" "If you don't come with me...I will use my evil power on you!" "No, please! I beg you, I beg you! Not the evil power, please! I do anything you ask, just not the evil power!" The poor being wept fiercely, lying prostrate on the ground with her hands over her head. Stalker didn't know whether to kick her in disgust or pick her up out of pity, so she merely growled and demanded the monster stop whining. Lurker happily obeyed, and agreed to follow Stalker wherever she went, just as long as she didn't use the "evil power". The Lurker proved to be an able guide through the underground sewers and subway stations. Sometimes she scurried so quickly that even Stalker had a hard time catching up. She usually sang as she went, leading her "new friend" by the sound of her grating voice, and it would've been annoying if the path out wasn't so short. Lurker seemed to know a way that even the shadows had neglected, but living in that murky place for years must've honed her skills. They stopped by a river and a ladder, one that led up, the other led sideways. Lurker gazed up at the manhole the ladder led to and sniffed the air. "People above," she whispered. "Lots of people, they see us. I not want to be seen. People always hate I, they say I ugly. Maybe they say you ugly too." "I don't care." "I wish I could not care. I always feel sad when they say I ugly. It's like...I want to say I am not, but I can't hear I voice. They always talk too loud." "Believe me," said Stalker as she crossed her arms, "where we're going, you won't be called ugly or anything. Most everyone there is a freak like us. You're sure to make friends, but don't expect me to be one." "What-what?" she sniffed. "Friends-friends who think I am not ugly? Oh, take me, take me, I beg of you to take me!" Lurker latched herself onto Stalker like a kid, and it took a lot of prying and screaming to get her off. Stalker had to make two or three promises to totally placate the childish monster, and climbed the ladder out. The Lurker screamed and wailed. "No, there must be another way, there must be! Not with the people, not with the people!" Stalker groaned. "...I could use my powers to hide us—" "NO! You promised! Don't use evil powers!" "Then we will have to go out as we are. I'm not spending another minute here if it's unnecessary." "No, wait, please wait! The face of the white sun will hide us! Just wait for the gentle dark to come, then we can move!" "I'm not waiting." "Please, I beg of you!" The Lurker was actually crying at this point, shedding tears so real and painful that even Stalker was touched. The girl was clearly in touch with her emotions and feelings, despite how primitive she seemed. In a way, she even reminded Stalker of herself, long ago, before everything went wrong and the life of damnation took its hold on her... "Fine, we'll have it your way. We'll wait." Lurker gave her such a beatific smile that Stalker actually believed she had done the right thing. Fortunately, the rank odor of the sewer put her back in her usual bad mood. Lurker sang to pass the time, which would've been awful had the girl not possessed a haunting voice, or imagination for endless lyrics. Wait down by the ladder, I sit here with my friend Wait here for the white sun I sit here with my friend I wait here by the ladder, in the long happy trail I sit here to say farewell to the home I knew so well I wait here by the ladder, for the white sun to come And when darkness comes calling, my waiting is done ......... Since Stalker—or Kagemusha, as she was known in other circles—wasn't exactly a social person, she was rarely seen even when she was around, so having her absent for a long period of time wasn't anything new. In fact, life in the Lost compound went on as usual, with the girls training, studying, or searching for others like themselves. After debating heavily with Shalis, Marissa was given her own computer to search with, and she happily shared it with anyone who asked (Shalis didn't mind the "competition", since she claimed her systems were superior anyway). She was going through unusual files that had came up in the past, and was even snooping around tabloids. Nothing had popped up recently—unless one counted Stalker herself, and her newest catch. "I'm back," she announced. Rancor, who was watching cartoons, turned her head around and waved. "Oh hey, we didn't think you were coming back. So where'd you go?" "The sewers, nimrod." "Ugh, what for? You know you're gonna have to shower like, three times." "You'll have to wait your turn," said Technomancer deadpan; "Namie's already in there. I contemplated joining her, you know." Kagemusha cringed. Rancor smiled weakly. "She isn't kidding, you know. Those two hit it off pretty well and have been giving each other the eyes ever since. Yup, in a group like this, it's either too hard to find love or too easy. Guess which extreme I fall into." "...I found the Lurker," stated Kagemusha, not wanting to let the conversation roll any further. This got the group's attention, and except for Namie, everyone crowded around to see. They noticed a greenish girl-creature meekly hiding behind Stalker, and as gently as they could, encouraged her to come out. Lurker finally took a few shy steps forward, her face blushing and downcast. Marissa smiled. "Aww, she's so cute!" This made Lurker's face turn redder; Kagemusha rolled her eyes. "My work is done. If you're gonna have an orgy, count me out." And just like that, she disappeared into her room again, doomed never to come out unless she felt like it. The other girls crowded around the shy newcomer and introduced themselves. After adjusting to the concept that none of them were staring or screaming at her ugliness, Lurker relaxed and said hello. "A pleasant...mood...I am in...to be here," she said. Rancor cooed and couldn't help but draw the young girl in a hug. "She's so sweet, too! Oh, can I keep her, please?" "She's all yours," said Shalis, before turning back to her computer. Rancor smiled merrily and ruffled the creature's messy white hair. "Welcome to the family! Suffice to say, we're all hideous freaks here, so you'll fit right in!" "Merry, honestly!" "Whoops." Weathers became flushed and apologized, but Lurker seemed to be in too good a mood. "No, is okay. I just happy to be where nobody thinks I is ugly. And thank you, friends Merry-Rancor and Marissa, for saying nice things to I." "Aww..." The girls crooned over Lurker more, until Namie came out of the shower, happy and squeaky clean. She was just slipping into her pale blue bodysuit when she too noticed the newcomer, and smiled warmly. "Does she have a name?" she asked, "Or should we just call you Lurker?" "I...no name," she mumbled shyly. "No name. People only call I the Lurker. No name." "Why not Julie Smith?" suggested Shalis from across the room. Lurker smiled. "Sounds good, but maybe is too pretty for me." "No, it's perfect. We'll just call you Julie Smith...or Lurker, whichever you like." Lurker smiled happily, feeling—as every member of the Lost eventually felt when they first arrived—that for the first time in her life, she had really found a place where she could call home. ......... Mr. White came in the next morning and asked how progress was going. After introducing himself to Namie and Julie—he touched Namie's bare skin with his own and didn't even get a scratch—he congratulated the girls on their work and urged them to continue searching, serving, and helping those unfortunate souls still out there. He paid a brief visit to Marissa before retiring; she had found something interesting while searching around. "It may not be much," she said, "but it struck me as odd, and I wondered if you knew anything about it. Seems you always do. Anyway, it says here that this person, let's say, exhibits traits far surpassing a normal human, but nobody has ever been able to find them. Every time they think they have, they just run into a crowd of people. Their elusiveness is admirable." "I see. What else is there?" "Well, just a word that was etched into a telephone pole, possibly a name or description. The word carved in there was ‘Pale', but nobody knows what it means. Do you have anything?" "...Pale?" Marissa looked up, noticing that the glow of familiarity seemed lost on Mr. White's face, so she shrugged and kept searching. She didn't see it, but for the first time since any of them had ever seen him, Mr. White was not smiling. May the Lost find their way home, wherever it is, whenever it may be. The next chapter holds a mystery deeper than a name, a path longer than destiny, a choice made by an unlikely person and a new part of a much more complex story. Who or what is "Pale", and does Mr. White know them? Find out in the next chapter of "The Lost" saga.
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