Chapter 1 Zach Black raced across the empty beach, ignoring the grains of sand the wind jabbed against his skin like needle points. He was away from that house and away from that man. His sixteen-year-old legs carried him faster and further with every stride, and his lungs screamed for him to stop. But Zach didn’t listen. Or care! Running was his release. It was a daily taste of freedom that he devoured like a ravenous animal. Ahead of him, waiting as always was a familiar outcrop of rock. Black against the skyline, it lay against the sand like a giant’s arm. Zach knew it well. He also knew he had just five more seconds to reach it before the Atlantic Ocean claimed him. Zach raced the ocean every day. The challenge reminded him that life could be exciting and exhilarating. It also reminded him that danger could be conquered. But today, danger was winning. The tide was racing faster than ever and Zach had mistimed his run. Two miles didn’t sound like a long distance. It was a run he had made every day for the last month, since moving to Cornwall with his uncle Fandel. On a fresh spring morning, Zach could’ve made the run in less than twelve minutes. But today, with the wind leaning against him like a heavy drunk, he was struggling. And the ocean could sense weakness.