The moon shone with an eerie glow, as it rose in the dark night sky. A girl could be seen stumbling along on the dirt path, in great haste. She appeared to be running from someone or something and her face was etched with fear. She clutched a small sack in one hand, and in the other, it contained a handful of her ridiculously large and frilly dress. She fell a few times, but quickly got up again, while constantly looking over her shoulder to see if anything was following her. As she turned for the umpteenth time to glance behind her, she let out a squeak of terror, and rushed further along the dark road.

Behind the girl, on a sloping hill, stood a figure in a dark cloak. The hood was drawn up tight, so it was impossible to see who it was. He ran after the girl, and seemed to be gaining on her with ease. As she spun around to confront the hooded person, she struck out at him, aiming for his face. However, he was too fast for her, and suddenly appeared behind her, and twisted her arm. She cried out in surprise and pain, as he twisted her arm even harder.

"You cannot escape us. You should just give up," whispered the black cloaked man to the girl.

"I'll never join you!" spat the girl. She jabbed him hard in the stomach, and with a grunt, he released her. She scrambled away from him, and dashed away, off the path, and into the woods. He cursed in frustration, and ran off towards the woods.

The girl weaved between trees, as she panted heavily. Soon, she cleared the woods, and entered an empty clearing. As she paused to catch her breath, she spotted a grouping of lights. She smiled briefly, for the lights meant that a town was nearby. Behind her, she could hear the heavy lumbering of the cloaked man still in the woods, and she ran on, towards the lights.

The man crashed out of the woods, and looked around him. The girl was no where in sight. Because she was smaller, she must have had an easier time getting through the woods, and therefore gained some time. As he stood there, wondering which direction to go in next, something caught his eye. A shred of dirty, frilly cloth was stuck on a bush, on the edge of the clearing. As he walked over to where it was, he glanced up, and saw a few lights in the distance.

She's heading towards the town, thought the man. I can't possibly catch her now, without being spotted by someone else. I'll just have to wait around the town, until she leaves. Then I'll make my move. With those last few words, he faded away, back into the darkness.

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The girl didn't stop running, even when she burst through the gates into the town. The few people who were out at this time (mainly drunks) paused in the street, to watch the girl run by. She finally stopped, when she entered the first Inn she saw. When she rushed in, through the doors, the people milling about all stopped to look at her, and then gradually resumed doing what they had been before. She stumbled, breathless to the counter, where she collapsed in the nearest chair. The Innkeeper, a kind lady, rushed around the counter to ask the girl what happened. The girl could only sit there, gasping for air. A few moments passed before she was able to say anything.

When she finally did speak, it had nothing to do about why she was here, or what happened before she entered the town. She merely asked if she could stay here for the night, and how much it would cost. The kind Innkeeper helped the girl upstairs, to a room, where she could stay, charge-free. The girl expressed her gratitude to the woman tiredly, before she got into bed.

The last thing that the Innkeeper and the girl said to each other that night consisted of this:

"Alright honey, you can go to sleep now. Breakfast tomorrow will be whenever you wake up, because you look like you need the sleep. One last thing before you drift off to dreamland sugar, what's your name?"

"Kairi," replied the girl, as she closed her eyes, and fell into a deep dreamless slumber.