The wooden door to the hut was flung open and a girl came running out into the forest clearing. Her short dark brown hair caught in the light breeze and fluffed round her face, her eyes held unshed tears. The sun filtered down through the leaves of the trees that surrounded her. The day was uncharacteristically warm and bright.
'How ironic' thought Fizz as her knees gave in and she collapsed to the mossy ground, the only sunny day in months and she had never felt so bad.
"Fizz?"
The voice was quiet, tentative but Fizz hated it. It was the voice that had bought the news that burned away her heart right at that moment. The tears were threatening now and Fizz wouldn't be seen to cry in front of them. She snapped her head round.
"What?!"
The man in front of her flinched at the venom in her voice but didn't move.
"I'm sorry, it was my fault."
"No."
"Sorry?"
"It was mine. I shouldn't have let him go." She laughed bitterly "I tried you know. I told him to stay, I begged him not to go but he left all the same and now he's dead."
The man shook his head in disbelief.
"Don't do this to yourself Fizz, it wasn't your fault. I was his backup, his friend and I…"
"Shut up."
It was barely more than a whisper but the words seemed to echo in the clearing, in the new, eerie silence. Fizz stood up and brushed down her dress then she turned to the man. The tears were gone and she wasn't afraid of them returning.
"My brother is gone and all this talk of blame wont bring him back. I have chores to do, the house wont clean itself."
She forced a smile hoping it would be enough to deter any more questions. Slowly the man smiled and bowed his head.
"Be assured Miss Song that the beast will be killed, your brothers death avenged."
"That wolf has been taking livestock from the village and as long as it does that the elders will want it hunted, that has nothing to do with Sky. My sorrow is my own and I don't want anyone else to suffer for it Master Jackson. Now if you don't mind…"
He nodded again but before he left he said one last thing.
" But seriously Fizz come down to the village sometimes, we miss you down there."
Fizz smiled a genuine smile and nodded. Seeming satisfied Ven Jackson turned on his heel and walked back down the rocky path to the village. Fizz sighed deeply inhaling the clear forest air. Maybe she should go back to school soon. She had taken time off look after her mother but when she had been taken to hospital Fizz hadn't wanted to go back. Losing so many of her family members in such a short space of time, she had to be cursed. Maybe seeing her old friends again would do her good. They obviously hadn't forgotten her as Ven said they missed her. Well school, started again in a week, it couldn't do any harm to go back… She sighed again her mind made up.
'I wont wallow in grief Sky wouldn't want that' Fizz smiled to herself at that. It made her feel better to think what Sky would have wanted her to do.
"Monday" she said out loud "Felicity Song is going back to school!"
"FIZZ BANG!"
Fizz looked up and a huge smile crossed her face. Lina-Rose Kardon had been her best and most supportive friend through out her mother's illness and it seemed she's missed Fizz more than anything.
"Lina!"
Lina came sprinting over her long blonde hair scraped back into a ponytail went flying out behind her. When she reached Fizz she wrapped her arms round her and began to cry.
"What's wrong?" Fizz asked surprised.
"I missed you so much! I wanted to come and see you but the village elder told me that you didn't want company after Sky left with the hunters…" Lina broke off with a choking sob and Fizz squeezed her gently.
"He was right, I didn't want visitors but I did miss you."
Lina pulled away her big blue eyes staring intently.
"You miss a lot while you weren't here."
"Like what?" Fizz was determined to make it seemed as if she was never away, as if she wasn't secretly dying inside.
"The wolves showed up, the tech teacher left so we have a new one, Mrs Waterman left to have a baby and they joined the school."
"They?"
Lina pointed behind Fizz at a group of people getting out of a Landrover. There were seven boys, their faces animated as they talked to each other. Suddenly one looked over and saw Fizz staring, he winked then turned back to his friends. Fizz wanted to blush but she couldn't. If she was a normal girl who hadn't had to deal with constant death and loss then she would have done but the gaping hole inside her stopped her from really feeling any emotions. She turned back to Lina.
"What's so bad about them?"
"It's weird that so many of them turn up at once. That's three different families there" she added then began to point out each one in turn. "The big one with the short brown hair is Blake Ryans and the one next to him is his younger brother Shallow Ryans."
Blake was lounging against the side of the Discovery while his brother was deep in conversation with a white haired boy. Lina carried on.
"The one Shallow is talking to is Erron Frost and over there…" she pointed to two identical boys "…are Kai and Grey Frost. Twins." She added in case Fizz had suddenly gone blind in the last few seconds. Fizz nodded
"And the last two?"
"Bane and Roan, Roan's the good looking one."
Fizz looked at the seven guys taking in the differences in their appearances. After deciding she wasn't really all that interested anyway she shrugged.
"They have really weird names" she said casually and began to walk towards the school when Liana caught her arm.
"Don't think I didn't see Bane wink at you" she smiled "but keep your distance my father says they seem weird, even their parents and they can disappear for weeks at a time!"
"If your trying to scare me it won't work."
"I'm not! I'm telling the truth!"
"Come on, we'll be late if we don't hurry up."
Lina sighed.
"Honestly Fizz, I forgot how difficult you could be."
"Am I always like this?" Fizz asked afraid that she might seem different. She didn't want anyone to worry about her for no reason. Lina put on a thoughtful face.
"No" she answered finally "but I can understand why you are now!"
Her bright eyes showed she had no idea how much Fizz was suffering but she would do her best to help her friend whatever happened.
"I love you Fizz" she grinned "and I always will."
Fizz smiled.
"Thanks Lina but we really are going to be late…"
Somewhere in the building a bell rang.
"Oops. Well come on Fizz first class here we come!"
