The women remained silent for several minutes, drinking this in. Then her eyes widened and she shakily stood up.

"Y-yer Lyra? The town folk thought you be dead..." She reached out and gently held my hands. I squeezed them encouragingly.

"Dead? Why would they think that...?" I asked, my voice shaking from excitement and fear. The women cast down her eyes with a sad look, shaking her head hopelessly.

"Your can't be Lyra. That child be the bravest this town could've seen, I tell ya. One day she jus' vanished in them woods, tryin' to find a toy a kid had lost. She ain't seen ever since." I started shaking uncontrollably, trying to keep my legs from failing to support my weight. Memories rushed back at such speed my vision went dark.

"Lyra. Lyra!" A little boy came up to me, his hands clasped over his eyes. He snuffled loudly and spoke in a shaky voice, "P-please find my ball. It got lost in the forest and I'm scared to go there." He had a faint British accent, brown hair and muddy green eyes.

I clasped him on the back and grinned bravely.

"Of course. I'll go and find it. Stay here and don't move, alright?" He nodded, wiping his tears speedily. I waved at him and began my way into the forest.

The scene suddenly changed and the woods began to look dark and gloomy. Everything became a blur of sound and images. Screams, growls, a blur of movement, struggling-

And then it stopped. Everything had become silent. I opened my eyes to familiar voices speaking in the dark. I struggled to open my eyelids, but they seemed so heavy all of a sudden; so very heavy. My whole body felt like a boulder. I began to make out what the voices were saying:

"The poor child. Look what you've done now! You bloody-" And then the rest became gibberish as I lost my consiosness once more.

"Oi. Oi!" The world spun into focus as I set my eyes upon the familiar face of Lula and the women. I could hear my racing heart and my raspy breathing as I gently picked myself off the hard wooden floor. My body felt sore and painful and I grasped the table for support and slowly stood up.

"Whatever happened, child?" She looked quite concerned, her eyebrows furrowed. Lula was hogging my leg the moment I had stood up, sobbing silently.

"I-i remember now. The boy had lost his ball and I agreed to go into the forest. S-something attacked me..." My head took a painful turn and I clutched the table harder. The women clasped her hand over her mouth, in a great shock.

"L-lyra. Lyra Panter..? Heaven have mercy..." She reached out once more to touch my arm, but the door was flung open with such such force she cowered in fear. Lula clung to me tighter, sobbing audibly.

"There you are, for gods sake! Did you know how long I've been searching for you?!" Max stood at the doorway, rage showing on his face agrresively. He then grabbed my wrist tightly, making me cry out in pain, and started to forcefully drag me out the door. The women's eyes were widened, and she kept a considerable distance.

"M-master...please.."

"You shut up!" He shouted, growling at the women. Lula whimpered and clung to her mother's skirt. "You dare take what is mine? You will pa-" I kicked him right in the groin and he cried out, his grip loosening. I broke free and went in front of the two females protectively.

"To touch them, you have to kill me first." Lula hid behind me, her shaking form clutching my skirt. The women kept whispering:

"God bless you, child. God bless you." Max seemed uncertain, and the tension began to leave his body.

"But I thought...I thought they had hurt you?" He confusedly glanced over to me and then over to them repeatedly. I approached him slowly, as if comforting a scared animal. He didn't look, just kept staring at his hands in wonder. My wrist throbbed, but I gently took his hands in mine.

"Shh. Calm down, Max. It's alright. I'm fine. They never hurt me. I came here on my own accord." I could feel a bruise forming on my wrist and I bit my lip. He had really grabbed me hard! Max looked up, his blue eyes looking vulnerable for the very first time. He took a glance at Lula and the female, took my hand (gently this time) and walked out the door. I took another glance behind me, and the women smiled at me gently, mouthing: "thank you"