"C'mon Selene, help me out here!" Isil said urgently as they emerged from under the boat they had vanished behind to get away from Lyra. The blonde girl, now a bit more clean than she was a few seconds ago, coughed and gripped her dolphin daemon's dorsal fin for support. She kicked her feet around furiously in the water and wiped her eyes clear.

"That was close." She pointed out, sighing. Isil did not answer, and the girl knew why. She helped her daemon as much as she could to swim to the other side of the canal, all the time waiting for her to start nagging about her mother.

As expected, Isil breathed in and started.

"I think you're doing the wrong thing, hating her like that.' She said categorically. 'After all, she is your mother."

Selene growled.

"I don't care! Besides, she doesn't even care about me: all she cares about is that stupid alethiometer of hers and her rich husband, who, BY THE WAY, is NOT my father."

They reached the slightly sandy banks and the girl jumped away from her daemon, pulling herself up on a rock instead. Isil turned into a pretty parrot and fluttered down on a root beside her.

"I think she cares about you." She said softly, after a moment of silence. Selene's lip curled in dislike and she turned away.

Finally, she turned back to Isil, and the daemon saw she had tears in her eyes. Immediately, she felt pity for her human, for she was a brave girl, and almost never cried, unless there was a reason. She turned into a fluffy reddish cat and curled to her beloved human, who hugged her tight.

"Oh, Isil!' Selene cried softly, her tears maculating the cat's fur. 'I know she doesn't care! All she wants from me is to be a good student and go to school! But I hate school so much! She doesn't listen when I tell her I want to be like she once was: adventurous and free. She doesn't care for who I want to be at all! I wish I knew my real father; I wish I knew Will! He would care. I know it!"

The girl shook her head and many tears fell from her eyes like crystals. Isil licked her cheek softly, and the flow of tears slowed down a bit.

"She keeps telling us about him, before we go to sleep, and keeps reminding us that we can never see him, or the Specters will invade the world and Dust will escape. But I don't believe that, Selene. I believe that if we keep hoping to see him, one day we will! We must keep hoping, my Selene!" The daemon started to purr loudly, trying to cheer its human up. Every time the girl cried, it felt like its heart would burst from the pain.

A few last tears of love fell from the girl's eyes and suddenly, with a deep, steadying breath she regained control of herself.

"Yes.' She said, determined. 'We must keep hoping. We'll see him some day."

(0)

"Lyra!" A tall man with pale skin and raven-black hair came running in the mud down to his wife, who stood at the edge of the filthy canal, glaring at a boat. He wondered why she was sending the ship that kind of look.

His proud ferret daemon clutched his shoulder, looking around at the few remaining kids with disdain in her eyes: how they were filthy!

"Lyra, my love! What's wrong? Why did you come running here?" James O'Connory asked, slipping to a stop next to his beautiful wife. Pantalaimon, her daemon, sent him a look and immediately hid in her messy hair.

She turned to him, her eyes on fire, and he knew exactly what had happened. She got that look only in very special occasions: when her daughter managed to get away from her or disobey something. Both of which, by the way, happened very often.

"She was playing with those damned kids again, wasn't she?" James asked, raising an eyebrow and glancing over his shoulder at the gypsies and city kids that stood there, looking at both of them. Meerama, his daemon, snarled at them and a few other daemons turned into leopards, lions and wolves to intimidate her and show that this was their turf.

But the vicious female bared her sharp little teeth again, and this time, all the kids dashed away. James concentrated on his wife again. But before he could say a word, she raised a hand to his face coldly.

"I'm going home." Her voice quivered as if she was about to cry, and turning around, and walked away with all the grace she could muster.

The man gaped at her, and after exchanging a glance with Meerama, decided to leave the woman time to think.

(0)

But Lyra did not go directly to their mansion. Instead, she walked around the city, ignoring all strange looks sent her way because of her dirty dress.

She arrived to a large park, where kids were running around, screaming. Suddenly, she realized this was the same park at which she had seen Aurore Borealis for the first time. At the thought of her last adventure with Will, she felt herself weaken, and was forced to rush to a bench.

Pan licked her cheek as she breathed slowly, calming herself down. Slowly the world stopped spinning, and she rested against the back support, closing her eyes.

"My God how I miss him." Lyra breathed out, barely audible. Pan gave her a sudden, annoyed nibble to the ear, and she knew exactly what he was going to tell her.

"Lyra, I know why you dislike Selene so much. . ."

She cut in brutally. " I don't DISLIKE her."

The daemon sighed patiently, and when he was sure she wasn't going to spit anything else out, he continued.

"You dislike her (she clench her teeth but didn't say a word) because she looks so much like Will."

Lyra scoffed. "She does not look like him!" But it was a lie and she knew it. Pan smirked softly.

"Oh yes she does. She has those same eyes, a strong chin and that same strong, leading attitude. She also has the power to pass unnoticed like he, even though she is usually loud and provocative like you. You can't deny she is really her father's daughter. And you also can't deny you hate her for being like him, Lyra." The daemon bowed his head silently, waiting for her fury and confusion to pass.

When she had regained control of herself, Lyra realized there was nothing she could add: it was true, all that her daemon had said. As her daughter had grown up, she had started to hate her for being like Will, and had grown cold towards her. Lately, all she cared about was her good grades and civilized behavior, both of which the rebellious girl lacked.

Perhaps she had been cruel. . .yet she could not bring herself to forgive the innocent child.

With an angry sigh, the woman rose, tall, beautiful and terrible, and stomped away towards the street, where she was swallowed by the massive crowd.

(0)

Done with this chappy. I hope this kinda explains why Selene hates Lyra. . .

Kaiame: I understand why you desire to see more of my absolutely amazing writing, therefore, I offer you this absolutely amazing chapter. (uh. . .I think my ego just grew to the size of Texas, here. . .)

Xsummerbabyx: Thanks for the first review. It's good that you feel special; everyone should feel special. And now I suppose you know why Selene hates Lyra.

Next chapter, Selene decides to get back home, and receives her mother's and fake father's fury. To get revenge, she decides to sneak into Lyra's study and steal something, but then, her eyes set on the alethiometer and the real trouble begins.