Catch a Falling Knife/Synopsis

## Catch a Falling Knife

Yaslatol, now evicted from the flesh he once wore, escapes through the wall of the gymnasium at  Walker's Point High School, fleeing in fear for its continued existence. Joe has manifested the ability of higher level chimera to kill soul parasites by an act of will, and he has already killed the two spirits Yaslatol recruited. With its current task a shambles, the unnatural spirit escapes into the woods above the high school, only to encounter its Master in a clearing. The Master steps on the unfortunate spirit with a huge hairy leg, pinning it to the ground. When asked about its fleeing from the school, it tells the Master that Joe killed the others. The Master unkindly notes that Yaslatol was not. Twisting its clawed foot on the spirit's incorporeal body, the Master tells Yaslatol it knows why, and it shouldn't try to explain. The Master has come to understand that Joe is able to manifest some of his true power, and it asks if he recognized Yaslatol, the true Yaslatol. The groveling spirit responds no. The Master steps away from the creature on the ground, its immense furred body barely fitting among the trees, its wings up in the branches above. Crouching, Yaslatol barely reaches the fur on its abdomen. The Master says it may already be too late, that Corkindale will try to guide him, and it may work. Yaslatol tries to ask what the Master might want, but it's told the Master needs nothing from it. Looking down at the school, the Master says it's time for a different approach.─────────────────────

The police have arrived at the school and the area is cordoned off with crime scene tape. Joe's parents stand at the tape line, and Sarah calls out to her son. Dressed in clothes from one of his caches, Joe walks out with the others. It's clear they have worked out a story to explain why they stayed in the school during the battle. Sean rehashes the simple story they concocted, saying they were terrified and hid in the locker room, only coming out when the coast was clear. Joe checks that they're cool, and Charlotte, clearly stoked by what happened, responds enthusiastically that they're not just cool, they're **awesome.** Sean is not so enthusiastic. He appears, in fact, to be upset about something, or someone.

At the police boundary, families start to reunite with their children. Joe's mom grabs him up in a hug, telling him to be quiet for now so she can just hug him before he tells her a PTSD inducing story. Looking toward his dad, Joe starts to bring up the guitar, guilt writ large on his face, when his dad says they'll talk about that, and other stuff, later. Charlotte's moms find her, and her dark-haired mom tells her they were worried, while her light-haired mom asks if Charlotte kept the others safe. She answers it was just another day in the life of Charlotte Deconnick. No words are spoken when Paulo reunites with his parents and his younger sister. Fletcher and his parents are a family of few but heartfelt words and no outward displays of affection, his parents taking Fletcher at his word when he says he's fine. Joe looks over to see Phoebe looking back at him while being hugged by her dad. Phoebe's younger sister, Monica maintains close contact with her older sister, but she is also openly staring at Joe with an inscrutable look on her face.

Sean sits alone on the stairs leading up to the building, his guitar across his leg. No one has come for him. Looking over at Sean, Joe asks his mom to give him a second when she tells him they should go. Joe walks over to Sean and says he's sorry. Sean tells Joe he could have told him. Joe admits he *should* have told him, except he didn't know what he was supposed to or should do. Sean reluctantly agrees. He gets up and walks away, saying he doesn't know what to do either.

Corkindale says, "Probably better," remarking on Sean's pained departure. Joe replies to that by telling him he doesn't get to talk to or about his friends, period. Corkindale asks if that means he gets to talk to him, and Joe tells him he doesn't like him and he doesn't trust him, but he needs him. Corkindale asks if he accepts that he's the only one who can stop this, and Joe says he accepts that Corkindale, and apparently every other magical creature he didn't know existed a couple weeks ago think he can stop it. Despite being told, Corkindale tries talking about his friends. Joe cuts him off, saying his friends, his family, they aren't a burden. They were the reason those things didn't kill him and probably Corkindale. He goes on to say they're not safer for not knowing what he is, and he's not safer for them not knowing. Joe states that if Corkindale can accept that (here he holds out a hand) then he guesses they can do this. Corkindale shakes his hand and says good enough.

When he gets back to his parents, his mother asks what that was about. Joe tells her that Corkindale helped them out back in the gym, and he figured it would be good to acknowledge that. You never know when things can go south on you.─────────────────────

In the car on the way home from the high school, Joe's mother finally asks the dreaded question: What did happen back there? Joe tries to cover up, saying maybe it was wild animals again, then he claims to know nothing because he was hiding. She tells him she doesn't think that was animals, then she asks her husband if they looked like animals to him. Reviewing what he saw, he equivocates, saying he doesn't know what he saw. Joe leans forward between the two seats and asks if they can talk about it in the morning. He just wants to go home.

Overhead, the silhouette of a large winged creature approaches the Gomez's car. With a loud "CRUNK", something heavy suddenly lands on the roof of the car, causing it to buckle. A pair of bear paws with sharp black claws pierce the roof and start tearing the metal apart.