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meet you, Shelly—I mean, Agent Greenford.”
    “The pleasure was mine.” Then Agent Greenford snapped the fingers hidden in her pocket, and Officer Gaetani’s mind went blank.

CHAPTER 6

    “ O kay.” Sam followed the mystery woman past the parked patrol cars and across the lawn. She had an elegance that Sam hadn’t really seen before. Probably in her early thirties, she moved with the grace of a dancer. “What’s going on?”
    “There’s no time for long explanations. I’m sure you’ve been through a lot tonight, but just know that you’re not alone, and there is nothing wrong with you.”
    “What does that mean? And why do I feel like I can trust you?”
    “Because,” she tossed him a quick look over her shoulder, “you’re with one of your own now.”
    “One of my own? What’s ‘my own?’”
    “I promise I’ll explain everything once you’re safe.”
    “Please, just tell me that I’m not going crazy.”
    “You’re not. Just the opposite, in fact—you’re about to see things as they really are.”
    She led him into the woods. Sam pulled in his questions with a heavy sigh; she wasn’t going to give him answers until she was ready to give them. The moon cast ghostly shadows among the trees, giving enough light for him to avoid smashing his face into one of the branches.
    Why does she always keep that hand in her pocket?
    “So, your name is Agent Greenford?”
    She stopped and turned to him. “No.”
    “But that’s what he called—”
    “I had to lie to get you out. I am not a member of the FBI. My name is May.” She extended her free hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Sam.”
    “Nice to meet you, too. Is there any chance I could have those answers now?”
    “We’re almost there. Just be patient and I’ll explain everything.”
    She moved deeper into the trees, stopping in front of a mound of giant palm tree leaves about the size of a car.
    She pulled at the leaves, and they came off in one piece, revealing something that looked like a giant anvil. The whatever-it-was had the dull grey luster of an old nickel, along with two doors like a car, but the front end was pointed and, having no wheels, it sat flat against the earth.
    “What is that thing?”
    “Trust me when I say that you are so very close to being safe. Just hop in and I’ll explain anything you want to know while we go.”
    “But how does it move?”
    “Please.” Desperation tinted her voice. “Just trust me.”
    Sam opened the door on the passenger’s side. The inside had no windows, no steering wheel, no… anything, but at least the seats had armrests. The interior glowed with a soft light that allowed him to see the beautiful artwork on the doors, ceiling, and what should have been the dashboard. The scenes depicted farmers working on huge fields with animals beside them. Sam didn’t recognize the creatures, which looked vaguely horse-like and towered above the farmers.
    He sank into the seat, which was infinitely more comfortable and less pungent than the cot in the cell. It even accommodated his size. May took the other seat and made some motion with her pocketed hand. The lines where the doors met the sides melded together and sealed tight, leaving smooth metal. A tiny light hovered above their heads, but it wasn’t attached to anything; it just floated there like a big firefly.
    “Why are we sitting in here? And how is that light doing that?”
    “Soon, Sam. Just hold on, we have to get out of here.”
    “How are we going to see where we’re going?”
    “We don’t have to.” She finally took her hand out of her pocket and Sam’s eyes widened. Stretched across her hand was some sort of glove, but it was like no glove he’d ever seen before. It had the texture of a diamond, yet it flowed with her fingers like silk and caught the light with its tiny, iridescent facets.
    “Nice glove.”
    She moved her fingers back and forth. “It’s called a second-skin.”
    “Why?”
    “Well, before I can