CRYSTAL PERKINS SLIPPED INTO HER OFFICE AND LOOKED carefully down the hallway. It was shortly after 8:00 p.m., and the office was dark and deserted. The only staff remaining was the cleaning crew. She threw one last look around the hallway and nervously shut the door quickly behind her. She glanced out the window, closed the blinds, and turned on the small desk lamp.

Crystal slumped down in her chair and unfolded the newspaper on her desk. She ran her hand anxiously through her short, curly black hair. She couldn’t believe all of this was happening so quickly. Things were totally out of control, and she didn’t know how they were going to fix them. Sighing deeply, she glanced at the article in bold print and reached for the phone. She continued to stare at the front page of the newspaper as she frantically dialed the numbers on the phone. In bold print on the first page of the newspaper were these words: “More Unusual Sightings of Strange Creatures: An Elaborate Hoax or Fact?”

“Warren, it’s Crystal. Have you seen the newspaper today? There have been more sightings!” Her voice was shaky and worried. “It’s getting too overwhelming!” She ran a hand across her forehead.

“Crystal! Calm down. I have my people looking into this right now on my end,” a deep voice replied. “Have you questioned the witnesses yet? Are their stories credible? Are you—” he asked with a concerned tone but stopped suddenly.

“Yes, of course I have investigated all of the local reports and followed up on all the new leads regarding the sightings! Besides, Warren, that is my job. Isn’t that why you put me in the position of investigative reporter in the first place? Plus, Warren, like you. I know the real story. She paused with a deep sigh. “But Warren, there are too many! I can’t keep up. Warren, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“Crystal, do you hear that humming sound in the handset? I’m not sure this is a secure line! Quick, call me on the other line!” There was a click and the line instantly went dead. Crystal dug deep in her purse and pulled out a small pearl-colored compact. The circular device shimmered as she turned it in her hands. She quickly scanned the room to make sure she was alone. Flipping open the compact, Crystal dropped in five small glowing bead-like objects from a long, clear vial she had also removed from her purse. She breathed over them, and instantly they broke apart into smaller pieces. She pushed a button on the side of the compact, and the glowing objects began to melt and formed a glowing, watery substance. Crystal dipped her finger in, swirling it slowly in a clockwise direction. Slowly the glowing substance rose out of the compact in a funnel shape and expanded out to form a lighted, liquid screen about ten inches in length. Through a shimmery haze Warren’s face appeared in the watery screen. He spoke in a low voice.

“Is it safe to talk here?” he asked quietly. Crystal nodded. “Yeah, it’s late. There shouldn’t be anyone else here. Everyone has gone home. I think the only people that are here now are the cleaning crew.”

“We must be absolutely sure! There is too much at stake here. I think your office phone may be bugged. We can’t speak on the regular line anymore, understand?” Warren warned. “As my number one investigative reporter, YOU are in charge of making the witness’s stories sound ridiculous, and it’s your job to discredit the reports inthe papers. Under no circumstances can we let the real story get out. EVER! It’s important that we keep the truth hidden. I’ve got others strategically placed in these roles around the world doing the very same jobs. Don’t make me think I picked the wrong person for this job, Crystal!”

Crystal nodded. “You did pick the right person for the job. You know Warren, it’s getting harder to cover this up.” Crystal ran a hand slowly across her forehead and through her hair. “Wait, Warren,” she stammered. Hearing a noise in the hall, Crystal stood up and approached the door. “Warren, hold on. I heard something.” She listened quietly, cracked open the door, and peered into the darkened hallway. The light from her office made dark shadows dance along the walls as she opened the door. Silently and unseen, a tall, slender figure slid the toe of his shoe into the dark shadows, pulled his body tighter against the wall, and held his breath. Crystal glanced around, and when she was convinced no one was there, she closed the door quietly. “I’m losing my mind, Warren. I’m sure I just heard footsteps in the hallway.”

“Calm down! Don’t be so jumpy, Crystal. You’ve got to hold it together! It was probably just the cleaners. Now is not the time to lose it. You’ve got to keep your head clear,” Warren stated authoritatively.

“Warren, there’s something else. I think I’m being followed. I swear I keep seeing the same car—”

Warren cut her off with, “Don’t panic. I’ll get someone over there for your protection and to keep an eye on you. They should be there in the morning. Just stay focused and on task. We can’t let this get out of control, understand? We won’t let anything happen to you!”

“Our paper wants to run a similar article as what the witnesses are saying,” she whispered. “And Warren, I’m looking at a press release that they want sent out as soon as possible. The witnesses sound very credible this time . . . I’m having a hard time covering this up. Warren, what do we do? There are too many sightings. More and more are coming in every week, and I’m running out of creative ways to cover them up! We need to get this stopped RIGHT NOW! I need some serious help from your end!” Crystal stammered nervously.

“I know! I know,” Warren nodded. “We’re doing all we can over here. We’re trying to find out who’s responsible so we can stop them. You just keep doing the best you can. We’ll get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. Whatever you do . . . Keep the secret hidden. It’s imperative that we continue to keep this under control. We’ve been able to keep this hidden for a long time, and I’m not about to let the secret loose now. We must keep covering this up! And we need to do it quickly! We’ll talk in a few days. Warren out!”

The liquid screen started swirling slowly, gradually picking up speed and ultimately dissolving back into a sparkling funnel shape and descending into the compact. All that was left in the compact were several glowing bead-like objects. Crystal held the compact out and blew at the objects. The bead-like objects instantly disintegrated into a fine powder and were swept away without a trace. Crystal snapped the compact shut, shoving it back in her purse. This wasn’t going to be easy. Warren had given her the tough job of keeping their identify safe. Although there had been sporadic incidents here and there, their secret had been kept safe for nearly three centuries.

Why was it getting harder now while she was the investigative reporter? Things were skyrocketing out of control at a rate faster than she could handle.

Crystal had known Warren Tracer ever since she was a little girl. He was a dear family friend. They had all been true believers, and when Crystal was old enough to know the secret, she was brought into the circle of trust. As she grew older, she had seen more of Warren and learned about his unbelievable secret. Warren Tracer hadn’t always been Warren Tracer. His original name was Whalen Marks, and although he was not a magical being, he possessed great magical powers.

In his younger years, he and her father had been with the Special Forces for the military. During a particularly secretive mission, a trap had been set, and the mission had gone terribly wrong. Everyone had been reported dead. However, the real events of the mission had never been revealed.

All Crystal knew was that Warren, her father, and several of the men had made an amazing discovery on that day. The mission had indeed gone horribly wrong, but several of the Special Forces men had been rescued. Crystal suspected that Warren and his men had made contact with beings of the magical realm. Warren rarely spoke of the events of that day, but she knew better than anyone that Warren was a true believer. Something remarkable had happened to him and his men, but no one knew exactly what that was. Just that it was remarkable and life changing.

Warren had eventually changed his identity, becoming Warren Tracer, and begun working undercover for the magical realm. When her father died several years later, Warren had stepped in as a replacement. He had been family from the beginning, so to accept him as a father figure wasn’t difficult.

Eventually, Crystal had been approached to work for Warren in helping keep their secret safe. There was nothing more in the world that Crystal wanted than to help out her new friends. She’d jumped at the chance to work undercover at the newspaper and keep Warren up to speed on all the local sightings. It was a dream come true. Warren and the others didn’t disappoint her, and she loved her job. She had been working with the newspaper for over eleven years now, but of late, she was finding it harder and harder to hide the truth.

Crystal hoped Warren would find those that were responsible for the tears in the fabric and stop them. They would need a lot of help if they were going to keep the secret safe this time. As she sighed heavily and slumped back in her chair, she caught a quick glimpse of movement to her side. Startled, Crystal looked up suddenly. There had been more noises that she was sure weren’t made by the cleaning crew. In a flash Crystal stood up, knocking her chair to the floor. Before she could fully comprehend what was happening, two tall, shadowy figures flung open the door, bolted from her office, and were joined by a third in the hallway. They had heard everything. In the wrong hands, the information that she’d conveyed to Warren could prove very dangerous. As she grabbed for the compact in a frantic panic, the three figures dashed from the building at an astonishingly fast speed and vanished without a trace silently into the night.

– Excerpted from The Welcome Sign by Barbara Jean Weber, BookBaby, 2025. Reprinted with permission.