Thanks Hanni B for all of your reviews ^_^. I tend to get a little embarrassed reading romance myself. . .I guess it's because I'm a romantic. Or something like that. Anyway, here's chappie ten.

~Chapter Ten~

I dropped my diary and pen. I held the key in my palm and stared at it next to the ring on my finger. Yes, they were the same. The Dragonair on it had the same expression in its eyes, and it was in the same position.

I took a shaky breath. "What does this mean?" I whispered to myself. I stared at the Dragonair's eyes. They looked. . .familiar. Suddenly, they started to glow blue on both objects.

I jumped up, ignoring Mystic, who fell off of my lap. She didn't even wince as her head fell to the ground. I felt a tiny pang of guilt for jumping up so fast, but right at that second, Mystic was the farthest thing from my mind.

I stared at the ring and the key. The blue in their eyes glowed brighter and brighter, until it was so bright both pairs of eyes had seemed to merge into one.

"What. . ." I started to scream. But a beam formed from the eyes and hit me right in the middle of my forehead.

My body jerked back in surprise. I hit my head on the tree I had been sitting under and moaned until I saw blackness.

~*~*~

"April. April, wake up," a voice mumbled.

"No," I moaned. "I can't."

"You have to," it said. This time, the voice was clearer and unmistakenably...

"Dad?" I whispered without lifting up my head.

"April, wake up," he urged me without really answering me.

I opened my eyes, but didn't move my head. My head felt like it weighed a million pounds. "Dad?" I whispered again.

"April, you have to get up," he said. "For the sake of everything. For me. For yourself."

"I. . .can't," I said. "I can't do it."

"Yes April, you can. You know you can. You've been a strong person ever since you were born and that's not going to stop now."

I grunted and groaned some more and with all my might lifted up my head. Dad was floating above me with a weird blue glow around him.

I gasped. "Dad?"

Dad smiled a sad smile at me. "April," he said. He floated towards me and hugged me, but I couldn't hug him back since I felt so weak.

I began crying. "Daddy!" I wailed.

Dad let go of me and looked into my eyes. "April," he started. "I can't stay long. But I wanted to tell you you're going to the wrong way."

"The. . .what?" I asked.

"You will figure it out. But you're going the wrong way, and. . .and. . .oh April, you WILL know one day. You will. But. . .listen to Mystic. She knows."

"Knows what?" I asked, confused.

"Like I said, you will know one day," Dad smiled. "April, I have to go now-- "

"No!!!" I wailed. I tried to get up, as if that would somehow prevent Dad from leaving.

"April, I must," Dad said sadly. He started floating away from me.

"Listen to Mystic," his voice echoed. "And one day you'll know. . ." "Dad!" I screeched. "Dad, don't go again. . ."

He didn't answer me, but only glowed bright, bright, and brighter until I was blinded by the light.

~*~*~

I opened my eyes. I blinked a bunch of times and slowly got up. I looked around. Mystic was staring at me with curious eyes. My diary was lying a few inches away from my backpack where I dropped it.

I glanced at my hand and saw the ring was still on my finger. My hand flew to my throat and the key was still there.

I shakily got up and grabbed my backpack and diary. "Come on Mystic," I said, feeling scared. "We're getting out of here."

~*~*~

I stared at the ground as I walked across some leaves. Mystic was curled up on my shoulder, her head resting on mine. I thought about what had happened a few minutes earlier.

"Dad. . ." I whispered.

Suddenly, Mystic jerked her head up. She hopped off of me and slithered away through the woods, too fast for me to run.

"Mystic!" I cried. "Wait. . .wait, where are you going? Mystic!"

Mystic stopped and looked at me with her beautiful, dark, Dragonair eyes. "Draaaaaaaagon!" she schreeched impatiently.

I ran to catch up with her. "Okay, okay," I said panting.

Mystic peered between two oak trees. "Dra," she said.

I looked into the tiny space between the trees. I could see a small part of a beautiful, glistening lake.

"Cool," I said. "But Mystic. . ."

My Dragonair paid no attention to me. She cried with joy and found a bigger space between a bunch of other trees to crawl through. I followed her with curiosity. She seemed so happy about finding a lake. True, she hadn't been swimming for awhile, but she seemed happier than usual.

Mystic got closer to the lake and dipped her horn in it. I watched in surprise as her horned glowed a bright blue that looked just like the glowing eyes of my Dragonair ring and key.

"Mystic. . ." I started again.

Mystic still paid no attention to me. She took her horn out of the lake and started jumping up and down happily. Then she slithered next to me. I sat down under a big, leafy tree, and noticed the whole lake was surrounded by trees, and there was not one person in sight.

Mystic stared at me. I leaned against the tree, in fear, feeling a little foolish--but the way she was staring at me was strange. . .

"Mystic?" I whispered . Mystic slithered away from me about four feet. She curled herself up and aimed her horn right at my chest.

"Mystic?" I asked in more alarm.

She responded by springing herself up from the ground and flying right towards me. My mind screamed, "Run! She's going crazy!" but my body stayed put. My neck felt damp.

Mystic flew even faster towards me. I did not flinch when her horn touched my shirt, I began screaming when her horn pierced my heart.