AN: Hello, my first real chapter for this story. The next chapter should be out tomorrow. Please read and review!

After Five Years

Chapter One

It had been five years since the day Will and Lyra had gone their separate ways.

The first four years of Lyra's life after coming home to her own world she went to Dame Hannah's boarding school. Last year Lyra started her first year at the Lady's college that Dame Hannah ran.

At the moment Lyra was on summer break it was two days before midsummer, and she sat in her large room at Jordan College with her friends. Her eyes were not sparkling as much as they usually did when she was with her friends, for her mind was occupied with thoughts and feeling that none of her friends had ever experienced. It might have been five years since she and Will parted but that did not mean she thought of him less than she did in the weeks and months after their parting.

Her friends noticed that she seemed distracted, but to them she seemed to have the perfect life. The girls where coming of age were the boys where starting to court, and Lyra had more male visitors than the rest of them put together. At the moment she was the hearts desire of none other than Thomas Mackenzie the most handsome, smart, and kind boy that, most girls thought, existed. Lyra had even gone to dinner and the theater with him once or twice but she acted as if they where just friends, though Thomas thought that he had captured her heart with his charm and whit.

Lyra was sitting on her large bed cross-legged with Pan sitting quietly on her shoulder; she was staring off into space as if she was in another world which in reality that was where her mind was, to be exact it was in Will's world.

Susana looked over to Bethany and raised one of her thin brown eyebrows at their friend's strange behavior. The same thought was going through their head, 'what in the world could be bothering her'. Katrina seeing that Susana and Bethany where not going to speak up she decided to break the uncomfortable silence that was pressing down on the room.

"Lyra..." she said, lifting her head causing her red ringlets to bounce around her face framing it like a hallo of flames.

"Um..." was the only answer she got from Lyra, her brown gold hair falling over her face covering her thin pink lips and large blue eyes that made her face so incredibly stunning.

"Okay Lyra snap out of this. You're always like this at this time of year and we don't get it. Smile! Remember you have to get ready to go to the theater tonight with Thomas. You should at least be happy about that right?" said Katrina hoping she would get more than an 'um' this time.

" Yeah come on Lyra he is so dreamy," said Bethany moving to sit next to Lyra with her arm around her friend. Susana nodded her head vigorously in agreement making strands of her raven black hair fall into her face, covering her rosy cheeks.

"Yeah I guess you three are right as usual," said Lyra smiling though her friends could tell that it was very strained.

"Okay, first things first," said Susana, "what are you going to wear?"

Lyra stood up and walked over to her armor and pulled out a hideous orange dress with blue trim around the edge.

"Oh, goodness Lyra, don't you have any fashion since?" asked Bethany.

"No not really, that's why I have the three of you," said Lyra playfully, and as her sparkle came back into her eyes, but Pan was still sitting sulkily on her shoulder. This was unlike him for he usually was up beat and bouncing around all over the world.

"Well lets have a look in here," said Bethany as she stood to walk over to the armor. She looked quickly at the dresses and pulled out a beautiful blue dress with gold trim, a gold waist, and a golden ribbon to pull back Lyra's beautiful gold brown hair, "Here."

Lyra heard awe's from the other girls and she new she would look lovely in that dress and that Thomas would love her in it but it was hard to love anyone now after loving some one so hole heartedly and unconditionally. Lyra also knew that she would never see Will again and that she had to move on with her life even if it was hard. Susana fixed her hair into a long French braid with some strands of hair out framing her beautiful olive skinned face. She then put on some soft pink lipstick and was all ready. Though she did not know it she was so stunning that she could have taken away any boy's breath.

By the time she was ready to go she only had ten minute until Thomas showed up to take her to the theater. Susana, Bethany, and Katrina rushed away from Jordan College because it is not polite for a courtier to come and find more than the girl he is courting standing there to meet you.

Lyra sat on her bed and Pan came to her and ran his soft brown fur over her cheek and she whispered, "Oh Pan, if only Will had been from this world."

"I know Lyra, I understand," said Pan soothingly to her, but inside he was giddy with happiness. Pantailamon could not wait until midday of midsummer this year, for he was finally ready and he could almost feel as if across the worlds Kirjava could also feel that it was almost time for them to finally reveal their secret to their humans.