Admittedly, I dislike OCs... But the idea struck me and I figured why not?

DO NOT OWN, okay?

Italics are flashbacks.

---

I looked toward the... machine... with utter hatred. My eyes were misty from tears and I wanted to scream. Zane edged next to me, howling as his usual German Shepherd form. "Lucy..." he sobbed.

"Come on now," grunted the man. The gobbler.

"No..." I cried out weakly.

He wasted no time on reassuring me, instead picking up a snarling Zane and placing him in a side of the horrible thing. I nearly vomited. These horrible monsters! How could they? How could they?! I slowly walked up to Zane, his howling quieted as he shifted into a mouse. "Lucy help!" he squeaked.

In the moment I reached for him they stuffed me in the other side. I screamed and kicked and punched out, but to no avail.

"Nasty little brat!" hissed the man, locking it.

He flipped several switches, and a blue glow spread over the chain like divider.

I screamed again, throwing myself at it.

"Never!"

Never.

Never!

The faint blue light reached the end.

Lucy Adams skipped down the road, Zane sat on her shoulder as a rook. "Lucy," he croaked worriedly. The girl rolled her green eyes.

"What Zane? Afraid of another butterfly?" she laughed.

He jumped from her shoulder and turned into a badger. "Lucy, look behind you!" he growled.

She did. A white van was following her, and it had just stopped.

"Should I run?" she asked the badger.

Zane scowled. "What do you think?" he asked, again changing. He was back to his dog form now. Odd, Lucy wasn't a servant... at least she didn't think so.

The dark-haired girl prepared to run, but then... a lady stepped out of the vehicle. "Excuse me," she said sweetly, "I'm lost and need a little help. Do you by any chance know how to get to..." she stopped and looked at a slip of paper. "Willie's Cafe?" she asked finally.

"Oh yes, in fact I'm headed there now!" said Lucy cheerfully, instantly liking the woman. Zane muttered something.

"Really? Could you show me the way? I'd be delighted!" she exclaimed.

"Mum says not to get in strangers' cars..." muttered Lucy.

The woman looked brightly at her. "My name is Marissa Coulter."

I felt hollow, the only emotion was sadness. A deep pitiful ache. I wished I could die, this was hell. "Zane!" I sobbed, clutching at an empty space. Where was Zane? It was hard to breathe, and thinking was near imposable. I didn't know, or care, where I was. Living without a soul, a dæmon, was the cruelest form of torture.

It was cold. But I hardly noticed. I tried in vain to clear my muddy thought, the only thing I could think of was the hole. Everywhere hurt. "Zane..." I murmured. Nothing else mattered. How could my dæmon just be gone?!

Lucy sniffled, hugging the large dog. "I miss Mum! I miss Daddy. I want to go home," she cried, tears dripping down her pale skin. She was an emotional girl, and being away from everything she loved seemed like the worst thing that could happen. She was wrong of course.

"I told you so! But you never listen to me. Lucy, you need to trust me," sighed the dæmon.

She sobbed harder, Zane had given her a hard time about it ever since they had met the lady, and her monkey.

"I hate you!" she cried, but hugged him tighter.

I feared I was on the brink of death. No, scratch that, I hoped I was. Then I would see my Zane, my lovely dæmon. That's what Mum taught me anyways. I felt tired, but I couldn't sleep. Not without my Zane.

My breathing grew shallow. I hadn't eaten in days... had I? Almost gone, I was fading. A sound of wingbeats made me look up, it was Zane! The hollow feeling was just as strong but maybe I touched him.

"Lucy," he croaked, landing at my feet.

I cried, the feeling was still there! All my hopes were dashed. My future gone, all because some bimbo of a woman wanted to experiment.

I reached for Zane, but as he changed to his dog form I felt no flutter.

"Oh gods Zane, what happened?!"

He looked at me and licked my face.

I lay down and snuggled into him, "I don't hate you, you know."

"'Course," he snickered.

That was the last thought I had. Before plunging into the world of the dead. Zane dissolved into Dust, but I was on another journey. The harpies were waiting.

-

Gods that sucked. Well I hope you enjoyed more than I.