The air is filled with an odd electricity. I look around hoping someone else has felt it,but everyone looks normal. My teacher, Ms. Hartlin, is rattling on about some science-y nonsense, but no one is really paying attention. I’m just about to raise my hand and ask if I can see the nurse when a loud bang rings through the school, and the whole building shakes. People start screaming, and asking questions.

“Everything is okay!” The teacher calls, “Line up in front of the door, I’ll dismiss you in a minute.” 

Everyone else breathes a sigh of relief, but I see the teacher turn her head and hiss into her phone, “What is going on?!” I can still feel the electricity running down my back, only it’s even stronger now.

Ms. Hartlin has gotten off her phone and is leading us into the hallway. As we walk out, people are running down the hallway towards the emergency entrance. I’m starting after them when a hand grabs my wrist, and a voice says,

“Hurry, It wants us!” Uh-oh. I know that voice.

“Jason?!” I spin around to see him trying to pull me towards the end of the hallway. 

“What do you mean it wants us?!” I’m scared now. “What wants us? Why do we have to run?” What are you doing?!” My voice breaks on the last word. 

“Can’t you see it?” Jason asks me. “And will you please move?!” I turn back around, and start walking towards the exit sign, talking while I go.

“There. I’m going. Now will you please explain what the hell we’re running from?!” He looks mad and says,

“Look behind you!” I turn and see . . . nothing. The hallway is empty. 

“What am I supposed to be looking at?” I ask, annoyed now.

“Don’t just look, focus!” I squint, trying to see something, anything.

“I don’t know what you want me to s-” I stop. “What is that?” I whisper, the blood draining from my face. A big thing is coming down the hall towards us. It looks like a shadow, but it’s 3-D. It has no shape but it looks terrifying, and the aura coming off it is sinister.

“Can you see it now?” Jason is pulling my arm again.

“Yes.” I say, my voice hushed. “What is it?” 

“The Katára.” He says. Is that. . . fear in his voice?

“And what is a Katára?” It’s still coming towards us, moving slowly. It touches a kid that wasn’t fast enough, and the kid turns gray, and crumbles into dust, blowing away in the wind. It touches another kid, and this one just disappears. When it reaches a third kid, the boy screams, and shifts into a shadow.

“There are two now!” I scream, and Jason curses.

“Dangit! I hoped we could have been gone by now.” 

“Gone where? And what about those kids?” I’m confused now, what is going on?

“I’ll explain later! For now, just keep running, we can’t let them catch us!” I turn and sprint towards the exit.

I’m sitting in the back seat of a car, staring at the boy across from me. After exiting the school, we ran for a couple blocks before he pulled me into his car. 

“Now explain!” I demand, “What was that, that, that thing back there? And what did it want with us?” If he doesn’t explain now, I might go crazy.

“I told you, that was a Katára, and it was following us because of this.” He holds up his hand, and his skin has changed color. It’s now a shade of red, with orange and yellow swirling around it.”

“What is that?! What are you?” I scramble backwards and reach for the handle to the door, but before I can open it he reaches over and puts his hand on my neck. A sharp pain goes through my whole body, and I freeze in place. Was that a taser?

“I didn’t want to do that, but you gave me no choice. You have to hear me out.” I groan, but don’t say anything.

“Okay, what I’m about to tell you cannot be repeated to anyone. Seriously. No one can know. Not because I would have to kill you if you told. Not because I would have to kill them if they found out. But because if they found out, one of two things would happen. One: Their minds would break, forcing them to be put inside a mental hospital. Or Two: They would keep their sanity, but the Katára would chase them down and hunt them forever. So don’t repeat this, got it?” I try to nod my head, but can’t. I wink, and blink once instead.

“Ok.” He looks relieved, and a little wary. He hesitates, “Where to start . . .?”

“The Katára? What are they?” I want to roll my eyes, but decide that would be mean.

“Oh right. Well . . .” He pauses for a second, before spitting it all out in a rush. “The Katára are shadow beasts. No one really knows how they came to be. They can disintegrate anything they touch, so don’t go near them. As you saw before they don’t really have a shape, except for maybe blobs. They want me because of something in my blood, and they probably want you too. You should stick close to me. They are really hard to kill so the best tactic for dealing with them is to just run. Like we did earlier.”

When he pauses to take a breath I cut in.

“Ok. And you?” 

Jason looks hopeful for a second,

“Does this mean you believe me?”

“Ummm . . . No. Not really. But tell me anyway.” He pouts, and says,

“I can’t tell you if you don’t believe me. I’ll get in trouble.”

I really want to roll my eyes now.

“Fine, fine. I believe you. Now tell me.”

He brightens a little, “Ok, so.” He spits everything out in a rush again.

“I’m part of an elite group of hunters, called the Shikari. The Shikari are specially trained to move silently, kill expertely, track efficiently, pick locks quickly, as well as going through a grueling training course. We need to have an almost unlimited amount of stamina.  Most of us are bounty hunters, but every once in a while one of us will receive a special mission from our leaders, the Sachem.”

“What does this have to do with me?”

 “I’m getting there, if you’ll let me continue?” He cocks an eyebrow at me.

“Fine.” I grumble.

“On my last mission I was called home early. The top Sachem, the most elite of us all, gave me a new mission. To find, protect, and aid a small band of people on their own quest.”

I’m slowly regaining control of my body, so I say “What’s this got to do with me? I’m just a normal girl, I don’t know anything about your ‘quest’ or whatever.” He looks  a little upset at this, but continues,

“Don’t you get it? Those people I'm supposed to help? One of them is you.”