The lightning flashed across the sky of the small town of Costa, a hurricane force storm was stalking closer and closer while clean light lashed out against the ground before it. The lumbering beast drove across the sky yet in this violent night the glow of a soft light slipped across the grass in the backyard of the Melbournes’. It illuminated the shining surface of a Kawasaki Ninja, more black than blue, and it was coming from its owner’s garage where, instead of a car, was Selen Melbourne. She lay sleeping on the wood surface of her desktop; notes, letters, and long golden hairs splayed out from her in a shifting pen was still in her hand, a thank you letter half written and on the green carpeted floor around her lay the ruins of a party; cards, bags, and paper piled in a white bag at the furthest edge of the room. On her bed lay a jumble of motorcycle decals and memorabilia, all for the new bike outside, and streamers hung from the ceiling. A fan pushed air around the garage creaking as it went but it still did not wake the girl.

Outside a light came, but not the quick light of a static discharge, it was the reddish glow of heated metal as it crash-landed in her backyard. Its noise as it crashed through the trees and skidded to a stop in the back of the house woke Selen. She sat up and rubbed her sleepy green eyes, her two-inch egg shaped jewel glinted with an unnatural glow on her neck. She frowned slightly, confused at what had woke her, then she realized it was raining. She shrieked and pushed back her chair so fast it fell over; she grabbed the earth shoes from the desk and slipped into them, hopping as she slapped the elastic backs on her heel.

The only door was the garage door, which she opened either manually or automatically by pressing the open button at the edge of the wall. Selen pressed it while she finished getting into her shoes and when it had gotten high enough she ducked underneath into the troubled night outside. The only light came from her doorway, she gasped as it lit up the mess and fire, the trees of the forest were on fire and the yard around the crater was burning with a mild interest. Immediately she stamped them out, and then glanced around for her motorcycle.

The Ninja had been a gift from her uncle who was an astronaut, he was the richest in the family and the only one who could afford such a gift, even then he had got it discounted on the fact that the previous owner was convinced it was haunted by her ex-boyfriend. Selen could have screamed, her brand new motorcycle must have been struck by whatever it was that made the crater. She pushed back her bangs and whipped out her cell phone as something blue moved at the edge of her vision.

Selen felt something tense in her heart, she wasn’t afraid, merely cautious, she had seen enough horror movies to know not to take things lightly. But there was nothing anywhere, just the yellow and black of the night.

“Hello?” Selen asked, just in case it was a sane person running around making her think she was insane, she rolled her eyes and called 911 to report the fire in the forest.

“Operator, what’s your emergency?”

“Yes, this is Selen Melbourne, the woods in the back of my house got struck by lightning or something, its on fire.”

“Where are you located?

“204 Meridian Street.”

“We are sending the EMS and police to your location.”

“Thank you.” But there it was again, something was casting a shadow, she spun quickly but the shadow disappeared. Selen shook her head and flipped down her phone, she must be really tired if she was seeing things.

Then there was her motorcycle, wet from the rain, leaning against the wall like it had been there the whole time. Selen rubbed her eyes as she walked into the garage, the motorcycle was dripping wet like it had been in the rain like her, but her floor wasn’t very wet at all. Selen shook her head and pressed the button that would close door. She pulled a towel from her dirty clothes hamper and turned back to the wet machine, the girl dried it off like a caring mother would dry a child, but then again it would rust if she didn’t. Only thunder interupted the heavy monotone of the room. Selen felt self-conscious all of a sudden, like something was in the room with her, so she put down the towel and picked up her baseball bat as she stalked the room, looking in all the possible hiding places and pulling the curtains shut on her window. Selen then pulled down all the streamers and stuffed them into the plastic bag next to her motorcycle and the whole time she felt like she was being watched. Even though she told herself she was being paranoid she couldn’t shake the feeling and sat on her bed in her pajamas and clutched at her pillow. Her imagination overworked itself into a frenzy until the was a brisk knock on the door and she jumped out of her bed in alarm.

“Yes?”

“Police, Miss Melbourne.”

Selen opened the door manually this time, out of relief maybe, and the officer stepped back with surprise. Selen was equally taken aback, “Andy?”

“Hey…Selen, how are you?”

“I’m doing fine, you’re a cop now?” Selen’s voice went high pitched as it usually did when she was happy. The man had been friends with her ever since he was in seventh grade and she was in fourth.

“In the badge, now, I’d love to stay and talk but we really need to file a report so you can get to bed, I don’t think this was caused by a lightning strike though. It’s done some real bad damage to the canopy.” Andy pulled out his notebook, “Would you mind answering a few questions?”

Selen and Andy talked about what happened and what he had done since he had graduated from high school a few years ago, but he couldn’t stay long, another call came in and Andy had to respond.

“It’s best you got your sleep.”

Selen yawned in reply and nodded, she did have work tomorrow. When the officer left she bundled under her comforter and faded off into a deep sleep, so she didn’t see the shape of her motorcycle transform.