In my mind the theme and plot from book one to book two was a perfect transition. Brian saving cassie from the red cloud and Leether. There whole journey was very unexpected but they pushed through and made it. Now that there safe they tried to have a normal life. Went to school, market, baseball games and everything a normal family would do. BUt it just wasn't the same with out the danger and adventure. But they didn't realize that there whole lives were about to change. One foggy morning Brian and Cassie were down by the pond and were just sitting with each other. Then all of assuden a figur came out from the foggy mist and was whispering "I'm so sorry Sarah" and through flowers in. But it turns out that the old lady was Cassies grandmother. I could have never seen that coming i was so shocked when i read it. My brain just exsploded. On there way home from visting Cassie's grandmothers house they saw somthing in the sky a red cloud on a very clear sky. Brian and Cassie confused waited and suddenly the cloud decened right on top of them and into the ground. The ground became like tar and they were surrounded by it. Then the tenticules came up from the ground like surpents climbing a wall. Brian and Cassie both thought we have to jump to get out. Both ageeing with each other went for it Brian made it and then Cassie but her foot got snagged and she was getting dragged into it. Brian in shock ran to save her but she was already neck deep in the muck. Brian thinking fast jumped into it to get her but in doing so he nocked his auora loose and used it to grab both of them. I sitting reading it and thinking dang this kids got guts jumping into a man eating cloud to save his ""Girlfriend"". Hes the real MVP by saving seems like everything. I could say I consider myself to a form of a MVP in my family but I didn't save someone from dieing in killer Cloud guck.