Lia was lost and losing her mind. She didn't recognize where she was. She was so disoriented that even if she was home, she wouldn't be able to recognize it. Her hair was matted with dirt and tangled. Her face was caked in dirt from the many times she'd tripped. Her clothes were torn in many places, with some of the rips stained with blood. You'd think she had gone insane, if not for the look in her eyes. They were fierce, unreadable, a serious shade of sapphire blue, with a look of pain and loss and anger. It had been ten years since she last saw her family. She had run away. Whenever Lia thought about the mother and father she didn't have, the look in her eyes simply hardened. It was during these times that Lia tried to remember what happened when she had been five years old. No matter how much she tried, she just couldn't. She couldn't even remember who had looked after her, if not her parents. Or if she had any friends.

She sat in a crouching position with her arms wrapped around her legs. She put her head between her knees and began to cry. Her tears weren't from sadness; they weren't from not being able to remember past fifteen years ago. . .she wasn't sure why she was crying. She tried to think of what some good advice was. 'If you can't figure it out, try looking at it from a different angle.' Okay. She was a lost, insane, fifteen year-old girl, trying to remember her past. She thought hard. She was a tragic, scared young woman who was trying to find her way home. Not much difference.

"Fat lot of good that does," she cried.

"Fat lot of good what does?" a male voice asked her. Lia looked up, startled. There was a boy standing there. He'd lowered himself down so he could look her in the eye. "Sorry I scared you."

"Don't be." Lia said.

"Fat lot of good what does?" he repeated.

"The advice, 'If you can't figure it out, try looking at it from a different angle.' I tried, and there was no difference!" Lia moaned.

"Oh." the boy said. He looked sympathetic.

"What's your name?" the boy asked. Lia didn't like giving her name out to strangers, so she used the name she had created.

"Kate Laurel."

"Mine's Jay Belleron. If you don't have a place to stay for the night, you can stay at my house." Jay said. "And don't say you have a place to stay. You wouldn't look like you do if you did."

"You're right. I don't have a place to stay. And I haven't for a long time. You're serious about letting me stay?"

"Yes."

"Then I'd like a roof over my head for once. Honestly, I've forgotten what it's like to sleep in a house."

Jay helped Kate up. As he led her to his house, he couldn't help but think of his childhood friend. How they had always played together, never taking anything seriously, playing tricks on passersby. Those were the good days, Jay thought. Until the day she went missing. Everybody assumed she had died. But Jay believed she was still out there. All he remembered about her was the warm smile she gave him whenever he made her laugh. Of course, thinking about her now only made Jay sad. Kate looked at his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked him with a worried frown. Jay sighed.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just thinking about an old friend."

"You're lucky. You can remember an old friend. I don't even know if I had any friends when I was little."

"You shouldn't call me lucky. I don't even know whether she's alive or not. She's been missing for a long time."

"Oh. Sorry."

"No, it's okay. I bet she's out there somewhere. Everybody in my town thinks she died. Even my mom. But not me." Jay said, going up to a house. He went inside. "Would you mind waiting here?"

"I'm fine." Kate said. Jay went to his mom, Ilia.

"Hey, mom. I met somebody in the forest. She says she doesn't have a place to stay for the night. I kinda told her she could stay here, if she wanted to, and she said she'd like to."

"It's alright, Jay. After all, we've got enough room for a guest. Who is she?"

"She says her name is Kate Laurel."

"Shouldn't you invite her in?" Ilia said with a smile.

"Alright, mom. I will." Jay went back to Kate. "Come on in," he said. The moment she saw Kate, Ilia turned pale. "What's wrong, mom?" But Ilia seemed unable to speak for a few seconds. Instead, Ilia went over to Kate and gave her a hug. Kate just stood there, her face expressionless.

"You're back," Ilia whispered in her ear. "Lia Tasogare."