One tiny creature sparks the next World War.... Teenage guard Solma has protected her village for years. But how can she guard her family against sickness and starvation? With flying insects extinct in Alphor for a hundred years, crops fail and more people die. Only the mysterious power of the, Earth Whisperers keeps the continent from collapsing. Every winter, Solma's terrified her little brother, Warren, will be the next to die.

Anna Kellogg has always felt different. Growing up in Hartwood, New Jersey--where frequent disappearances are attributed to an urban-legend-like beast that dwells in the walled-in swamp at the center of town--can have that effect on people. But for Anna, it's more than that. Since she was a child, she's been plagued by episodes where she sees things others can't see. Feeling different is one thing, but actually being different is another. If it weren't...