I screamed so loud, i thought that by now the shadows would have known i was there. I was paralyzed and couldn't move, and so i helplessly clutched Katey and sobbed. The shadows tilted their heads, then one of them slowly stepped forward. Then another step. Another. It was so close now, that i could hear its raspy breathing. I held my breath, bracing for the impact. It never came.

I looked up, and to my surprise, the shadows were gone. I glanced behind me and around me wildly, trying to find any hiding in the forest. There was nothing. Suddenly, after a few moments, i heard a yell from behind me. I looked, and saw a person running as fast as they could towards us.

"Hey! Are you guys okay?" It was a girl, dyed red hair and green eyes lit up in the little light the moon provided. I suppressed a surprised gasp. When she saw me from up close, she took a start, disturbed as well. It was the same girl whom had slammed against my shoulder that day!

The surprise wiped from her expression when she saw Katey, and her eyes widened, the green visible clearly now. She kneeled down, refusing to look as me.

"What happened??"

"I found her like this when i was walking." She glanced up at me now, eyes narrowed into slits, like a cats.

"Why didn't you call an ambulance..." It was more like a statement than a question, and i knew she was suspecting me. I grabbed my phone from the mud, wiping it with my sleeves. Thank the heavens it is water proof! I turned on the screen and showed her. The little bars on the top were black, flickering now and then. The girl took out her own phone and found that hers had the same look.

"No signal. I tried, but it suddenly got disconnected." The girl relaxed her tensed shoulders a bit, then gripped Katey's hand.

"Help me carry her." I silently obeyed and took Katey's other hand, then we both lifted. It took a while, and we were both soaked to our skins, but we finally managed to get Katey to the school and lay her on a bed in the infirmary. The girl smiled at me, but there was this way about it, this menacing way like a hunter smiling down at prey....

She held out a hand, her smile never faltering. I hesitantly took it and flinched. Her hands were as cold as ice!

"I'm Honey. Honey Soap." I stared at her, then grinned. What an unusual name! Who would have their last name as soap? But i didn't say anything and just shook her icy hands.

"I am Lyra Panter."

"I know." Her eyes were narrowed again, and her grin was extremely menacing now. It took all my willpower to stay in that chair and not run away. Honey must have noticed, for she stood up and put a hand on my shoulder, whispering gently in my ear:

"Don't worry your pretty little head. There are worst things out here, you know..." And when i looked back at her in question, she was gone. What on earth did she mean??

Puzzled, I pondered about the unusual residents of Moonbay. The little town in new york which was off limits to anyone who wasn't a resident here before. It was almost like a prison, but something told me it was more than that; Moonbay had strange residents here, after all. Maybe there was a stronger reason than old rules and fear of meeting strangers. There was something here. Something even I couldn't quite put my finger on.

I couldn't remember much of my childhood in Moonbay. I knew that I had SOME friends here, and i went to school and all that, but then that begs the question:

How come I don't know these people? They are definitely the same age as me. And, somehow, Honey knew my name. Maybe the exact reason we moved away was because of this strangeness. This- This THING in the air that made you want to choke.

Everyone must remember me. But i don't remember them. This disturbing fact, and that my parents and Aunt haven't told me anything made me as confused as ever, leaving me with even more questions.