Red-Line: The Shift (Volume One) by J. T. Bishop Page B

anything, but sleeping was the last thing on her mind.
    Leroy turned to Ramsey when he realized Sarah didn’t have plans to rest. “I think she’d like to hear the rest from you,” he said. “I’ll be in the kitchen, figuring out what to do next.”
    Ramsey glanced up. “Sure. Thanks, Leroy. I’ll be out in a minute.”
    “Take your time.” Leroy turned and left.
    Ramsey turned back to Sarah, who still watched him, waiting.
    He cleared his throat, not sure where to begin. Deciding to start where he’d left off earlier, he asked, “Do you remember our conversation at lunch?” He couldn’t believe that was just a few hours ago.
    “You mean the whole change thing? Yes, that part is quite vivid. Are you still suggesting that’s what’s happening to me?”
    “Very simplified, yes.” He saw her roll her eyes. “Listen,” he started, “I know this sounds ridiculous to you and that what I’m about to say is going to sound crazy, but please believe me, everything I’m saying is true.” When he got no response from her, he kept going. “That man who tried to take you today, he was real, Sarah. There is a reason I brought you here and there is a reason why you are sick right now. And it’s not the flu.”
    Sarah knitted her brow. She adjusted herself on the bed, but didn’t look comfortable.
    “You okay?” asked Ramsey.
    “No, I’m not okay.” She sighed. “Just tell me.”
    Ramsey appreciated her directness. Many of his regular assignments already knew most of the information he was about to give her, or they knew nothing at all and never would. But even for those who knew, their Shift could be difficult to experience. Considering everything, he felt she deserved to know the truth, even though if she resisted, it could make her transition that much more difficult for the both of them.
    He considered where to start. “Sarah,” he said, pausing and reconsidering his next words. “I told you that you were going to experience some changes.”
    “No,” she corrected him, “you told me I was going to change.” Even though she felt terrible and her head still pounded, she managed to remember that little tidbit.
    “Well, then, yes, if you want to get technical, you’re going to do both.”
    “Why?”
    “Why?”
    “Look, Ramsey, apparently you’re having some trouble with this, but the fact is, I need to hear the truth or I’m going to lose it. I’m trying really hard to keep it together here, so stop treating me like an eggshell and spill it or find me a phone, and I’ll call someone to come get me. Because right now, I’m thinking you’re some sort of nutcase and I’m your next victim. And I’m trying really hard not to believe that. So please convince me.” Her words wore her out, and she took a breath to steady herself. Even lying down, her vision spun briefly.
    He studied her for a second, measuring her tolerance for the truth, decided it was now or never, and then said bluntly, “All right, here it is. You’re not human.”

CHAPTER TEN

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    SHE DIDN’T RESPOND to his statement. She just looked at him as she absorbed the information. Finally, she said, “Excuse me? Just how am I supposed to respond to that?”
    “With disbelief, I’m sure.”
    “To put it mildly. Now before I go off the deep end here, please explain that absurd statement.”
    He shifted on the bed to face her more directly. “Sarah, just listen to everything I have to say before you start to ask questions, okay?”
    After a brief hesitation, she nodded her consent.
    “Thank you. I know this will sound strange, but bear with me.” He took a second to think. “Very simply, you and I are from an extraterrestrial community that has lived here on Earth for many years. We are originally from a planet called Eudora, which is not too far outside this solar system, relatively speaking. We came here for a variety of reasons, but mainly because we happen to share many similar characteristics with humans, one of which