Chapter 2

The Other Side of the Door

Maerad and Cain stepped into our cabin, looking around.

"Hey, Cain," he looked at me. "How old are you?"

"I'm nine." Maerad sat down on one of the beds. I closed the door, and latched it. Just in case. I turned around. "Our mother and father were killed, back home. I was only three. Maerad was seven. It was scary. Me and Maerad hid under the bed, and," he paused, sniffed, and wiped his eye with his sleeve. "When it was quiet outside, Maerad went outside to check. She said it was safe. We searched for our parents, and we found my father. He was dead. My mother was half-dead. We tried to help her, but she slept for days. She never regained her strength. Then I ran away. Maerad and Mama got sold to a slave trade. Mama died there. They worked her too hard, and whipped them for any little mistake. I miss her a lot. I still dream about her every night, like she's still living." Cain started to sob. I felt so bad for him. Maerad tried to comfort him.

That night, we managed to squeeze Cain in with Lauren, Maerad with me and Casey.

The next morning, Katrina was missing. So were Maerad, Cain, Lauren, and Casey. Everyone was gone! I ran outside, yelling there names.

"Maerad? Cain? Katrina? Here, Katrina, come here baby! Casey! Lauren!" I went back in the cabin, grabbed my backpack, and started loading it. I put my flashlight, in case it got dark, my snacks, all of them, my first aid kit, the pillow and blanket, and my picture of my family when we got Katrina. We were all bundled up, smiling, happy faces showing from behind fur-lined parka hoods. I looked at the picture for a minute. A tear slowly trickled down my cheek. It landed on the picture. I wiped with my wrist. But they kept coming. I sat down on the couch, my back heaving. The sobs kept coming. I couldn't control them. My hair slid into my face. I put my face in my hands.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked, and there was the guy who met us here.

"Are you ok?" he asked me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I wiped my eyes. "My friends and wolf are missing"

He looked at me, and I saw a malevolent glare in his eyes, but for a second. "Do you know where they went?" I asked him.

"No, I'm afraid I do not." I stood up.

"Then I'll go look for them." I walked past him, but stopped. "What did you say your name was?"

"Hadvan." He said bluntly.

"How old are you?" he didn't answer. I shrugged, turned around, and set off into the woods. I thought of what I saw in Hadvan's shocking green eyes. I think he was hiding them. What mysteries lie under this mysterious camp that nobody's heard of? And why are me and my friends the only ones? Is it a setup?

At noon, I sat down under a willow and ate one of the sandwiches. As I sat and ate, I looked out on the lake. I heard a bird sing. I looked up. The sun was coming filtering through the leaves in the green summer leaves. This place is beautiful. I thought. I thought more of the mystery about my friends and wolf missing. And it all happened after Maerad and Cain showed up. Maybe it might be a setup. Or, Hadvan's after them, and wants one person to stay and try to help them. Could Hadvan possibly be the bad guy? Maybe, he could be a victim here, trapped for his whole life. He probably sold his soul to the spirits by the lake. All these things could add up to 1 thing; my friends and I aren't welcome, nor is anyone else. I finished my sandwich, and drank some Gatorade. I put my trash in the front pocket I stood up, but had a dizzy spell.

"Whoa." I shook my head, picked my backpack, and set off again. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching me. I put on my MP3, thinking more about this plot. The whole think just gave me a headache, trying to figure it out. I stopped, and grabbed my forehead. I saw black stars, then nothing.

I woke up, and looked around. I looked at my watch. It was three hours ago, when I passed out. I was in a different spot, now. I rummaged in my back for my flashlight, because it was kind of dark. It clicked on, casting a beam around the room. I was back in my cabin, on the king-sized bed! I sat up fast and hit my head on one of the wrought-iron post on the headboard.

"YEOW!" I rubbed my forehead, and then clapped my hand over my mouth. I can't make any noise, I thought, Hadvan might come running. The big softie. I smiled, and then it slid off my face, as quickly as it had appeared. Yeah, well I can't start getting soft for the idiot who started this mess! I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I grabbed my bag, and started heading towards the door. There was a long, tall window next to the door, showing the wrap-around porch.

Suddenly, there was a grey, fanged beast in the window, with red eyes, flickering in my flashlight beam. I screamed. It roared a roar that echoed all over the lake. I was quiet. Maybe it didn't see me. It roared again, coming away from the window. There was another roar across the lake, far away, but coming closer. What Maerad had said was finally making sense. Kylos! Maerad was right! They do exist! I've only read about them in books, but they exist in the physical world, here! I turned my flashlight off.

There were roars coming from all over the lake now. I went into the bathroom, and locked the door. Hopefully they couldn't get me from there. The roaring stopped for a minute. I went outside the bathroom. I peeked out the window. The Kylos were about ten feet tall, and had wings, like a bats. Their ears stuck up, like a dog's, but pointier. They were in a circle, eyes closed, saying some weird language.

Then, a kylo about fifteen feet tall, flung out its arms. The chanting stopped. It lifted its wolf muzzle to the sky, and howled. A mournful howl, it made you feel like you had no feeling in your heart, like you had no other area in the world but there. I closed my eyes, mouth slightly open, breathing slowly. My arms were at my sides, palms forward. The cabin door flew open. I was hypnotically walking towards it.

My eyes opened as I walked toward the door, in a trance. The Kylos turned to me, chanting again. My eyes opened. As I walked down the line of Kylos toward the head kylo, they all bared their fangs, hissing and snarling at me. I didn't look at them. As I got to the end of the line, the hissing and snarling stopped.

"Willow, why are you here?" The leader asked me, in a somewhat feminine voice, kind of rough. Like a dog's when it barks.

"I, I got an e-mail from someone, saying I won a trip here with my friends. So, my mom drove us here. I- I didn't know this would all happen. If this is your lake, I'm sorry." I looked at the beast's face. Its eyes weren't red, they were green. But, suddenly, they changed to brown.

"The Kylos have made a deal with Hadvan. If he takes care of us and hides us from the world, he could stay here and we would protect him from the Hulls. He betrayed us by helping the Last Bards of Pellinor. Hadvan!" The beast's voice boomed across the lake. Hadvan, dressed in a cloak and no hat, but with long black hair and a cane, came down the aisle of Kylos, some trying to slash out, but help back by a barrier put by the chief. "Do you know why you are here, Hadvan?"

Hadvan sunk to one knee. "I have betrayed your trust, Master. But I am truly sorry. What can I do?"

"Do not try to grace me, Hadvan. Your choice was fatal. You chose the wrong path. Nothing can change that." Cadvan looked up.

"Master, do whatever you like, but please spare Willow, her pet, and her friends."

"No!" I wanted to scream that, but it bottled up inside me like smoke.

"I have to spare Willow and her group, for…" the lead kylo shrunk, lower, and lower, until,

"Katrina!" I gasped. The lead Kylo was Katrina! Katrina looked over to me, and said:

"I am grateful for you saving me in Alaska. I have been your pet for a long time. You are spared." Katrina bowed her head in my direction." And you are welcome back anytime." She smiled a wolf's smile. She turned back to Hadvan. "For your punishment, Hadvan, more years at our command. As for Willow's friends…"

"I will return them with apologies. What I did was wrong. I was just trying to protect you." He stood, turned, but paused. Suddenly, he turned, brandishing his cane, which had turned into a sword. With a yell of rage, he stabbed Katrina in the heart.

Time stopped. He stood leaned over Katrina, breathing hard. My mouth gaped open. I wanted to scream I wanted to yell I wanted to cry, attack Hadvan as he had done Katrina. A hard, cold hole formed in my chest. Tears didn't appear in my eyes. I stood motionless until Hadvan, cleaning his sword, turned away, head bowed. One of the Kylos escaped the barrier Katrina had put up. I was glad the Kylos escaped the barrier. They attacked Hadvan, roaring and ripping at his flesh. I felt he deserved it.

I came back to life and ran to Katrina's side. Her breathing was rugged, harsh. I felt the wound where Hadvan had stabbed her in distrust. "Thank you. I feel the need to give you this." She turned her head in pain to a flap of fur in her neck ruff. She pulled out a locket. "You shouldn't have discovered my secret until later. Now, I fear it was too early. Hadvan has destroyed me." Her eyes closed for forever. I sobbed, my shoulders shaking uncontrollably with pangs of emotion. Hate, love, grief, sadness. All the things I had kept bottled up after my father died (a fact I never told you until now) lashed out. If Hadvan was still barely living, I cursed his descendants forever. The Kylos gathered in a circle around me and Katrina. They sang a lament that would pain my heart forever.

I looked up from Katrina's side. Hadvan was attempting to crawl away. I ran, rolled him over with my food, and put his sword-cane to his throat.

"I knew you would do that. Katrina was a bad leader. Abandoning us in Alaska in hope of finding you and your parents. It's a shame." He smiled mischievously.

"Why did you do this to her! WHY!! You knew I loved her! Why would you take something important away from me?"

"Again, you mean."

My hold on the sword faltered. "What do you mean?" I gasped.

"Again. Took something important away again. Your father. You never found out what happened to him, did you? I killed him. I worked with him. He stole my job. He got the interview opportunity, which was mine. I deserved it! Now look at me. Attacked by mythical creatures, killed a wolf. What do you think of me?" I blanched. I remembered the day my father had come home from work, flushed and excited with his new job. The next day he disappeared. I silently cursed at Hadvan for unearthing those memories that I had taken so much time to bury deep into my mind.

With a cry of rage, grief, lament, and other confusing emotions, I ran through his throat. "That's what I think."