Chapter 1
The town had been settled during the late eighteenth century under the name 'Rustfield'. But as everything has a tendency to change, so did Rustfield. Now, it lay nestled among the Pines of southern Maine as a small industrial town, mostly warehouses and product packaging. Some of its residents would say the town had been there forever and to a few of its elderly, time had stopped altogether with an unbreakable bond linking them to its history.
It was the day before spring break and to the surprise of Norway High School's students, the last class of the day was let out early. The students raced out of the building. Apparently, the teachers had conspired amongst themselves to also begin spring break early. Some had plans to briefly vacation somewhere along the coast while those of hardier stock would wander up into the mountains, driven by a need for respite and escape. Still, there were other members of the faculty who would make the trip into Portland's 'old port' district and nurse their stress with alcohol. The students, on the other hand, were simply glad to be out of school for the week. For them, life would take a dramatic change of pace from the drudgery of lectures and assignments to the obligation to do as little as possible.
Within the hour, the streets of Norway had become flooded with teenagers. They walked blindly, their attention focused on their smart phones, Facebook pages and text messages. It seemed that every year at least two were struck as they wandered across the streets of downtown Norway, their eyes fixed not on the flow of traffic, but on the pocket-sized technology they had become dependent on. Parents and drivers would repeatedly scold them, yet their warnings went unheard. Life in a small town rarely sees any noticeable changes, unless something comes along and forces change upon it, and Norway would soon be visited by the specter of this unwelcomed force No one could foresee this coming invader, nor would anyone imagine the form it would take.