Eleni raised her staff. The orb changed from blue to an ugly yellowish-green. At the same time, the three beasts’ eyes also began to glow. They opened their mouths and roared. One of them took a step forward, its huge foot crushing the hood of a police car. The crowd cheered.

Six saw the police officers who had been so anxious to take her in approach the monsters. One of them shouted something at Eleni. Eleni responded by throwing the fireball in her hand at them. One of the officers caught fire, spinning around as he attempted to put out the flames. The crowd gasped.

Another of the officers aimed a gun at Eleni. She formed another fireball and launched it. The officer fired, missing her. Eleni pointed her staff. The nearest monster leaned down, its jaws opening, and took the man in its mouth. A moment later, the lower half of his body tumbled to the pavement.

“Oh my God,” someone said. “She wasn’t kidding. Those things are real.”

Six turned her head and saw the two young men she and Nine had interacted with earlier. They stared in horror at Eleni and her trio of monsters.

“Dude,” one said. “We’ve got to go.”

As if hearing him, the crowd began to scatter. Shots rang out. And the three beasts began their attack.

CHAPTER SEVEN

SAM

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

SAM HAD BEEN IN A KIND OF HALF SLEEP, FADING in and out of wakefulness. He didn’t know how long it had been since Magdalena had left the room, leaving him with the others. They were supposed to be watching him, but they’d taken his chair into the bedroom and left him there while they hung out in the living room. The door was shut halfway, and voices from the television mingled with their own, so he couldn’t tell them apart. They were watching some kind of sci-fi movie, and that had run together with the thoughts in his head, so that he couldn’t quite remember where he was or what was happening. He was sure that he knew the people who were talking—at least some of them—but he couldn’t recall their names. His memory was getting worse. He was so tired. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and have everything fade away.

He was about to pass out when he heard shouting. Something was happening in the other room. He heard a series of crashes. More yelling. Then someone burst into the room and the door slammed shut.

“Keep them out!” a girl’s voice said.

“How?” a boy answered. “There are three of them.”

“Just try,” said the girl.

Then someone was touching his face. “Sam?” It was the girl.

Sam opened his eyes and looked at her. Something about her was familiar, but he couldn’t remember why.

“It’s Nemo,” she said as she dug something out of her pocket. “I’ve got something that will help you. At least, I hope it will.”

She moved behind him. Sam felt something like a bee sting, then a burning sensation.