end of the meal. Amazingly, he was full, and ready to go.

"Bulby, let’s go buddy." Erik said as he tossed the maximized ball onto Bulby. In

the light show that always occurred, Bulby entered the ball, and Erik picked it up,

attaching it to his belt.

"How you feeling Oddball?" he asked that small animal. Her limp was almost

fully gone.

"Oddish!" Erik laughed.

"Alright, let’s get out of here." He said, scooping up Oddball and putting her on

his shoulder.

They started walking. After a few minutes, walking around the lake, Erik spotted

a path.

"That’s strange. I haven’t seen anything manmade since I got here." Erik said,

more to himself than to Oddball.

Regardless, he started walking along the path. Never needing to slow for anyone,

Erik walked briskly, remembering his days back where he came from. Where he came

from. It seemed like an age ago. He hadn’t ever walked slow. Nobody, except jerks

trying to make a name for themselves, ever tried to slow him. Spending much of his time

in the wild, he surprised many people by being able to hold his own against five or six

people. Since he didn’t hurt them, he wasn’t in trouble.

But, walking fast, he saw a figure on a hill ahead. Before he could look for any

details, it had dropped down the far side. He walked even faster, and was soon at the top

of the hill. He drew in his breath, amazed.

The forest around him ended a few hundred yards ahead. Beyond it was a huge

city, with tall skyscrapers, buzzing with activity. It was at least a mile away, but that was

no problem for Erik, and the downhill way just made it easier.

The figure he had seen was walking away from him, already a hundred yards

away. It was a slim, feminine form, brown, chin-length hair curled slightly. Her

backpack was slung over one shoulder, a dark green pack, and she had one hand resting

lightly on the strap. She had on a red T-shirt, sleeveless, and short blue jeans, showing

elegant legs gracefully moving across the ground.

"Odd…" Oddball said, looking at Erik out of the side of her eyes and nudging

him.

"Huh..?" Erik blushed, realizing he had been staring, and looked at Oddball.

"Hey, you telling me you don’t like guy…um…whatever-you-are’s?"

Oddball just snickered.

Erik, now, realized that she was fifty yards farther away, and he started a jog,

purposely bouncing Oddball.

After a few minutes, he caught up to the girl. From a dozen feet back, he could

see her more clearly. She was tall, almost as tall as Erik, and looked to be about as old.

Catching his breath, he looked straight at her, while saying to Oddball, "Prepare to be

dazzled, smart one." Taking a deep breath, he started walking.

Just a few feet away, and about to say hello, Erik saw her groan and bend over.

Gasping, she fell to her knees, he pack falling to the ground beside her. Running up to

her, Erik extend a hand.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked. She didn’t respond, and appeared to be spaced out.

After a second, she looked up at him. It was all Erik could do not to stare.

She was very pretty, or, as Erik told himself, twelve-year old girls aren’t pretty;

they’re cute. She had perfectly formed features, smooth and gentle, yet strong. Her eyes

were what caught Erik’s. They were a startling blue, almost glowing, and they penetrated

deep into Erik.

She looked at him, looked into him, and spoke, for the first time, and the last time

Erik would hear for a long while. The words were fluid, soft yet firm, beautiful yet

strong. It constantly contradicted itself, forming into one, lovely voice.

"You…you’re him…" she said, a strange look of familiarity in her eyes. She

spoke a last time. "I am Psych…Laury…" She looked distant for a moment.

"Find me…"

Erik heard the words echo in his head. Find me. A split second afterwards, as

Erik was drawing his hand back, he saw her grimace, paining him. At the same time, her

body dissolved into a blue mist, quickly dispersing. Erik hand fell on her pack, more of a

boy's kind of pack. He blinked, no longer surprised knowing not what to expect next.

Oddball was silent. He picked up the pack carefully, not going through it. He

slipped it over one shoulder, Oddball jumping to let the other strap on. Standing slowly

up straight, he started walking. No longer fast. No longer in a hurry. Only one voice

echoed inside his head, only one thought.