I'll keep this short; thanks to everyone who's reviewed (except for that one anonymous flamer) and I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's fairly short, but I don't think it's too bad! Same disclaimer as before.

I can't believe it. I mean, how can I believe it, Narcissa is the one who'd told me about the threat to Amy in the first place. It makes no sense for her to tell me of her intentions and want me to go against her.

"Are you sure?" I ask Medusa, and she answers with a sad nod.

"But why… why would she tell me about it?" I ask aloud, but then I realize there's something slightly more important I should be worrying about. What am I going to do tomorrow, the day Narcissa seems to be planning an attack. Is she even going to attack? Oh, it's so confusing, what am I supposed to do?

Taking a deep breath, I attempt to clear my mind. Okay, about tomorrow, I obviously can't go to Narcissa's house, she's expecting us there and she probably thinks I don't know of her intentions. But then where can I take Amy to make sure she's safe?

After a minute of thinking, it comes to me. The lake! Narcissa doesn't know where the lake is, so we'll be safe there for a while. I hope…

"Medusa, I need you to go find Amy. You know what she looks like, right?" I address the chao, and she nods.

"Good, go find her and…" How am I going to give Amy my message? I look around to try and come up with something, and spot the sheet of paper in Medusa's hands. I take the paper from her, and using a pen the chao is carrying (Why, I wonder), I write a note on it.

"…give her this note, okay?" The chao agrees and I remember one other thing.

"Medusa, please don't tell Narcissa anything okay? If she asks you weather I'm coming or not, lie and say that I am. Please, please, do it for me." I beg, and she responds my wrapping her small arms around my own, larger arm.

"Thank you." I say, and Medusa flies away, clutching the note tightly in her hands.

"The lake…" The words are swirling in my head. "The lake of tattered souls…"

Shadow's POV

The lake of tattered souls… a lake so strange, rumored to have such mystical powers that most people don't believe it to be more than a myth. Such naïve people; just because something lacks sense that doesn't mean it can't be true. Because of that, I've never seen another person here, which is why I've taken to spending a lot of time here. The silence, the serenity, it gives the lake an air of mystery. I look into the lake's water. Not a single ripple or imperfection visible anywhere on its surface, but when I look deeper into the water, the recurring blue pattern in broken by a swirl of red, dotted with specs of black, resting between the lake's surface and bottom.

Of course, I already knew it was there, after all, I'm the one who placed it. But my gaze never leaves the color, something about it seems…different. Every time I look at it, the area is stationary, but today the color is moving, causing a disturbance in the normally still water. My eyes remain fixed upon it until I hear a sound. The sound continues to grow louder; and it's now clear that it's the sound of footsteps. For the first time since I've seen this place months ago, another person is approaching. Immediately, I stand straighter, my hands forming into fists, my eyes focusing on the opening in the trees that serves as the entrance.

But in walks a girl who's immediately looks up at me in alarm; I'm guessing she also wasn't expecting to find anyone here. But there is something odd about her, upon seeing me her ears straighten up and her eyes lock onto me. It actually looks like she's in a trance, obviously not a happy one. Because the next thing I know, her hands are on her head, pressing her ears down onto her skull so hard it appears like she's trying to meld them. Her eyes shut tightly, an expression of pain etched on her features. But soon her face is completely invisible, covered by sheet of black hair. Next, her wings wrap themselves around her body tightly, making it look like she's wearing a black straight jacket, and she seems insane enough to need one.

I didn't realize I've been standing here and staring, until now, because her body starts to fall forward quickly, as though she tripped over something large. Immediately I move, because for some reason I don't want to see her fall.

'It's probably because of her condition…' I tell myself as I run up to her, but I get there to late, and she falls on the side of her face. Blood begins to mix with the dirt on the ground, and I can tell she's grazed her cheek. And now that she's on the floor, a black fox's tail is visible; straightened completely as though she is in danger. I kneel down beside her, wondering if I should do anything.

Fortunately for me, her tails falls limp and her wings begin to unravel themselves again. She looks up, liquid as clear as the lake's water dripping from crystal blue eyes, the tears mixing with the blood and dirt on her cheek.

"How… how do you handle it?" She asks, confusing me. I don't answer, and she asks again.

"How do you handle the pain?" This time, her meaning is much clearer, but her question catches me slightly off guard. I close my eyes, wondering if I should tell her. Under any other circumstances, I'd walk away and ignore the person; after all, it's my life, my secret. But the look on her face, so desperate, tears still streaming down her cheeks, keeps me hesitant. But it's not only that, there's something else about her. Something un-nerving… it makes me feel like my control is slipping. Making up my mind I stand, walk to the lake, and gently place my hand on the surface of the water. The girl walks up, stands beside me, and I see her eyes light up as she looks at the water. I look back too, and a frown forms on my face. The color is still swirling, actually, it's moving more rapidly than before. I wonder what's causing it too move… such an odd occurrence. Again my head turns away, and I find myself looking into the eyes of the girl. Her eyes widen, and I can swear her cheeks were red as she turns back to face the lake, her hair covering her face yet again.

"So… you used the power of the lake. Which part of your soul did you give up?" She asks, and I am now positive she knows exactly what the lake is. I don't want to tell her, I don't want to tell anybody, but after a slight hesitation the answer finds its way out.

"…love…"

So… what'd you guys think?! Did you like it, hate it; think of it as a waste of time? Tell me your opinions! Personally, I loved it at first, but after I re-read it, it seems odd. If you have any suggestions on how I can fix that in later chapters, please share them. And if anything in this chapter confused you, tell me in a review and I'll try to explain best I can. Thanks for reading!!

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