"Mommy, are we there yet?" I asked with my hands firmly grasping her left hand as we walked down the concrete sidewalk.

"We're almost there, Lyra," she told me. "Almost there!"

We kept walking on the sidewalk, attracting attention from everyone who passed by us. My mom and I were heading for Fortree Catholic School, where the marriage was taking place at the church there.

My mom was wearing a slim black dress accented with small ruffles here and there. It wasn't a surprise that people were looking at her strangely, I mean, it was nearing two in the afternoon and she was wearing an evening dress!

I, on the other hand, was wearing a white puffy-sleeved sundress with lacy frills and magenta ribbons. My hair was in its usual glory: chocolate colored in two low pig tails. Unlike the usual metal-free hair ties that I usually used to tie my hair up, my mom tied them up with magenta ribbons to match my dress.

The two of us rounded a corner to see a small amount of people entering through a gate. Like us, they were all dolled up, so I immediately assumed that that was the entrance.

"We're here!" my mom announced to me.

I let go of her hand and ran towards the grass covered areas of the campus, twirling around with my dress. Whether or not girls my age should be doing this didn't matter because I never looked my age!

While I was spinning around, an older girl with blonde hair ran out the church and yelled, "Some guy in glasses is blocking a hallway!"

Being a curious human being, I ran into the church following the other kids whose attention was caught by the statement. I couldn't go on to follow them because my movements were halted the minute I entered the church.

The plush carpet at my feet had different designs with different colors that repeated in order to make a pattern. The wallpaper was a horizontal striped design with interchanging colors that was elegant despite its simplicity. Up above, a diamond chandelier hung, with small refractions of the light through the gems scattered across the room. The green, gold, and red hue of the carpet combined with the beige and peach of the walls…the two color combinations that should have clashed harmoniously complimented each other. Not to mention the little bits of lighter areas that sometimes had a sliver of a rainbow…

Breaking out of the trance, I followed another group of kids down the left corridor. It only led us to the ballroom, which had the same wallpaper as the other room. (It wasn't the church, but rather the entrance to the church itself.) The tables in the room were already set, with a white tablecloth over a beige one and gold-lined tableware on top of them. In the middle of each of them was a bouquet with yellow and white roses wrapped up with crème-colored silk ribbons to coordinate with the table itself.

"We lost him!" I heard a boy yell, clearly disappointed at the loss.

I was about to give up pursuing this unknown person as well until I strolled to the other end of the ballroom to see two mahogany doors with intricate designs carved into them. Pushing one open revealed a theater with scaling red seats and a pallid-white interior.

Stepping in, I closed the door and decided to explore the place. Through the silence of the grand area, I could feel my heart pounding. Not only because the interior of this building was breathtaking, but because I wanted to know who the mysterious boy with glasses was.

When I heard music, I paused in my place, trying to find the source. I couldn't, of course, because I was still high up. The stage was at the end of the scaling seats, but my height wouldn't let me see a glimpse of the stage below.

The music was different. It wasn't the stuff that they played on the radio, but it was the reverberating sound of a piano that could cut through the soul. Each note flowed from the next one to the next, creating a flowing masterpiece to the ears. But when the singing started, I was about to cry. The sublime sound of the voice paired up with the subtle sound of the piano made my heart ache. I could feel pain, loneliness, and sorrow float about the notes, but at the same time, the divine skill exerted through the song…it was just too much.

Moments later, I was running out of the theater and ran into the other corridor leading to the church. My eyes scanned the church for May, Dawn, and Leaf, but I couldn't see them anywhere. Instead of going back to the theater to listen to the heart-wrenching composition, I planted myself in the pew next to a table chocked with gifts of various shapes and sizes.

"Hey!" I heard May call from somewhere, so I turned my head around to see the three of them, smiles on their faces. "Are you bored?"

"Nope, I was just waiting for you guys." I told them. "I need to show you something."

"If it's the church, we've already seen it," Dawn said.

"No, it's not. Just come with me."

I stood up from the pew and led them back to the theater. Compared to the time that I entered, kids were piling in, the first few rows of the place filled with squirming kids. We sat down at the right side of the stage close to the front, filling up four empty seats in the middle of a nearly full row.

"So, it's just a show?" Dawn asked, her voice dripping with disappointment.

"I hope it's a magic show!" Leaf exclaimed.

"It's not. Just watch." My eyes were glued onto the stage that I could see before, looking at the grand piano and microphone stand that were previously placed there.

"Hold on, I don't remember Winona and Wallace having a show for their wedding. And even if there was one, wouldn't it be until later?" May was doubtful about this, but I wouldn't blame her. She was finely tuned with her instincts, so I wouldn't be surprised if something bad happened, but…

"Oh, come on! Just forget your instincts for once, May!" Dawn snapped.

"But-"

"No buts! Just wait for the dang show and forget any apprehensive feelings you may have."

Oddly, we were silenced. Not because Dawn was scary when she was angry, but she just used a big word. What was it again? Apperehensive or something?

Actually, I was surprised that the whole place quieted when she yelled that, but it wasn't her. Down on the stage, the boy with glasses appeared, standing in front of the microphone as a red-haired boy sat at the grand piano. Another girl followed in suit, holding a cello and a bow. Hold on a moment…the girl looks familiar…

It was the same song again. This time, the elegant sound of strings intertwined with the piano and voice, increasing the impact of the song. I could see that May was on the verge of crying, Dawn already had tears falling, and Leaf was utterly silent.

The boy with glasses jumped off the stage and started to walk around as he kept singing, causing some screams to come from the girls. He approached a girl who sat in the middle of an empty row and sang, but she seemed completely unaffected from his presence.

Soon enough, he headed over to where we were and I could hear Dawn softly singing the song, as if she already knew it. Offering her a hand, she took it and they waltzed for a bit before leading Dawn back to her seat.

Next he offered Leaf his hand, but she was too in awe of the presentation that she didn't notice it at all. And even if she did, I'm sure she was thinking of someone else at that moment.

I wasn't surprised when May politely declined his offer. He didn't stop singing after the rejection, but instead moved over to me.

I didn't know whether to reject it like May, or take it like Dawn. Leaf's scenario was out of the question because it was evident that I already took notice to it. What to do…what to do…

Loneliness.

Despair.

No mind.

No heart.

A human shell.

He's a secret agent.

My voice echoed this in my mind. I didn't understand it at first, but I started to feel the negativity radiating from him. Although a smile was on the boy's face, he really was just a human shell, following directions from who ever gave them to him.

Before I could even say no, he pulled me up. I thought he was going to dance, but he ended up dragging me without my consent, the force that he used to pull me nearly popped my arm out of its socket. That was when the music stopped and the singing ended, only to have the kids avert their attention towards me.

"LYRA!" May, Leaf, and Dawn yelled, clearly seeing the pain I was feeling. They ran towards me, but they couldn't reach me in time.

The wall exploded, creating a big hole at the right of the theater. Adults dressed in black were there, malicious intent radiating from them as well.

To get away from this, I started squirming out of the boy's grasp. At first, I didn't know that I was squirming, but I was. It was like an instinct, and I was soon out of his snare.

Taking a look at the scene, I noticed the red-haired guy at the piano and the cello girl running away with the rest of us, but they were caught by the adults in black. I caught a good look at the two of them and realized who the girl was. She was-

When I heard May scream, I turned around to see a boy wearing this odd hat standing in front of her, his head clearly bleeding. He took her by the hand, and they ran along with the rest of the children who managed to escape.

Leaf was utterly terrified, hiding behind the red seats in fetal position. Gary was with her, urging her to follow him by crawling on the floor to get to the exit. But Leaf was already crying, the shock of everything already overwhelmed her.

I tried to look for Dawn, but she was already in the arms of Lucas and Barry, who were carrying her limp body to the exit. It looks like she fainted from where I was standing, but for all I knew, she could have been injured in the explosion.

Watching everything was just too much. This was a happy day, a day that two people were to be married. But this just had to ruin it. Look at the kids already suffering from this! Some were badly injured from the debris, others were taken away by force, and I was being pursued by the boy.

"RUN LYRA! RUN!" I heard the cello girl yell. So I followed what she said and just ran. My heart was pounding, my arm was hurting and my head was throbbing. But how in the world was my head throbbing…just how?

At that moment, everything went black as my consciousness escaped me and my body fell of the floor.

…

It was nine years since the event happened. I was five and now I'm fourteen, ready to enter Fortree Catholic School's high school program.

Why I ever wanted to go back to the place where the scarring memories were was something I couldn't fathom my self. Everything that I felt at that time would surge back into my mind, the one image that I couldn't forget no matter how hard I tried would haunt me again, and all those years avoiding the school was a failed attempt to suppress the unwanted recollection.

I was lucky that I even survived the incident. Shortly after I collapsed, my mom told me that a boy in glasses carried me out of the theater and into the church. She also told me that I was holding a red dahlia in my hand.

The flower never wilted, and it never showed any signs of wilting anytime soon. Actually, it was funny how it ever appeared in my hand in the first place. Even funnier was the fact that it wasn't even dead yet.

Wallace and Winona were speechless hearing the event that happened in the theater and they halted their marriage. They did get married, but it was an outdoor marriage near the clear blue sea, paired up with a clear sky.

When that happened, Dawn was in a wheelchair, her brain badly injured from the damage it took from the flying debris, causing a temporary paralysis in her legs. May and Leaf went into a withdrawal, staying close to the boys who saved their lives. They never talked to anyone, and even if they did, it was an inaudible whisper to either Brendan or Gary respectively.

I never attended the wedding. In fact, I stayed at home, curled up in a ball under my sheets. Unlike my other three friends, I was the one affected the most. The news was too much to bear for my five year old self. Even now it burdens me, but over the years of carrying it, I eventually got used to it.

It was all over the news for the next year or so, talking about the explosion and the mysterious people. The kids were interviewed to recall the painful memories and when they did, they were recommended to see a psychologist, and they were lucky that the visits were paid for by the government to help them recover.

Everything was still a blur for everyone. Who were the people in black? And what was their motive for doing it? My mom and I knew. We were the only ones, but it was best that the information didn't get leaked to the public.

For me, there was one thing still not clear to me. Who was the guy that saved me? My mom told me that he was wearing glasses, but it couldn't be the guy who nearly ripped my arm out of its socket. It just couldn't. But if I have to recall the memory, he was the only one wearing a pair…

"Lyra, are you sure you want to go?" my mom asked me as I walked down the stairs, the wool blazer weighing me down.

"Yeah, the psychologist recommended it for the others. Maybe it would help me…"

"But honey, you know that you're different from the others." A concerned look was on her face, but she knew as much as I did how this could affect me. Whether for the good or the bad, we didn't know, so it may have positive effects.

"Mom, I'll be going now."

"Wait!"

I turned around to see her carrying my red dahlia clip that she asked Winona to make with the red dahlia I got when I was five. She put it in my hair and then waved goodbye.

I stepped out of the house onto the front lawn to see Leaf and Gary quarreling about something. May and Brendan were arguing about something as well, while Lucas and Barry were yelling at each other, making Dawn roll her eyes. Things changed ever since we grew.

Dawn finally regained control over her legs, and Lucas and Barry started taking care of her. This led to them arguing because they liked her, leading to their behavior today. How Dawn even deals with it without showing a hint of annoyance is absolutely amazing.

By the time Leaf exited her withdrawal, she was, in Gary's words: "A sarcastic, obnoxious, nosy, annoying…lady". All of us assumed it was a messed up love-hate relationship since they were always seen together, but some of us started doubting that little assumption.

Lastly, May and Brendan turned into the other. May became more tomboyish and Brendan turned into a "gay" boy. It's funny how they literally traded personalities. Hit their heads together and who knows. They might even revert back to their younger selves!

"Well, would you look at that!" Barry exclaimed, staring at the red dahlia clip.

"She's wearing it!" Lucas said after, pointing at my clip.

The quarrelling paused for a brief moment to take a look at the red clip in my hair. They shrugged it off before walking, but this time, they rearranged the groups. The girls were in the front while the guys were in the back.

"Are you still hung up on the guy that saved you?" Dawn asked.

"Well, kind of…but my mom just put it on me before I left…"

"Mothers…they don't ever get us, do they?" May sighed. Of course she understands this; after all, her mother kept forcing her to wear feminine stuff.

Leaf just kept walking beside May, not really interested in the conversation. Of course she wouldn't, after all, she was separated from her parents at a young age. The story wasn't exactly clear, but apparently she was kidnapped, she escaped from her kidnapper, and then ended up in front of Professor Oak's house. This can explain her little dilemma with Gary, but only a little bit…

"But still, I can't believe we're going back there…" Dawn stated, looking at the guys in front of us. "I mean, that placed scarred us. And now our psychologist recommends that we attend that scary place? Maybe he should be the one to see a shrink."

Leaf exhaled, catching my attention. "Yeah, I remember that day. The day when I crawled out of there following Gary…"

"Anyone say my name?" Gary called from the front, clearly eavesdropping on our conversation.

"Yeah, because we're talking about how insensitive you are," Leaf barked back.

The two started to yell at each other again, but the rest of us just ignored them, leaving the two teens to let it all out on the sidewalk. It was silent for a bit before Leaf and Gary returned, Gary walking by Brendan and Leaf walking by May.

"Also, it was the day Brendan got hurt." May looked at the guy with the weird hat with calm eyes, as if she was reminiscing about good things. "I remember I stayed with him at the hospital, staring at him without that hat. He looks so much better without it…"

"Do we smell-"

"Love in the air?" I finished for Dawn, smirking at May's small little confession.

May looked at us in surprise, but instead of her scolding us about being so insensitive, she muttered in a soft voice, "Maybe…"

"Huh? May, did you say something?" Brendan asked her, listening in to the chat like Gary was.

"No. I didn't say anything. It was probably the breeze or something."

Poor May. That was the worst cover up in history. There wasn't a breeze, the birds were chirping, the cars weren't driving on the road, and it was pretty much silent. I noticed that almost everyone cringed at the deemed "EPIC-PHAIL" moment.

"Either my imagination was acting up or you actually replied to that question."

"Brendan, you were always crazy. And it's all because of that hat you're wearing."

"My hat is a symbol of-"

"Beauty? Dude, it looks like you have some crazy weird hair-do or something."

"You wouldn't understand!"

"Understand? I was exactly like you before!" May halted in mid-sentence, not wanting to say the last part. We all knew, of course, what was going to follow after, but we decided to leave it at that.

The rest of the walk to school was silent, the only people were Barry, Lucas, and Dawn talking about where to eat their afternoon snacks. It was their tradition to do that after school, just like it was for Brendan and May to go by the bayou and Leaf and Gary to go to the library.

The school gate was coming up and we walked in, taken aback by the small amount of students on campus. Fortree Catholic School was one of the most prestigious schools around the area, but I'm sure the events nine years ago scared half the population of enrolling their children there.

"Well, this isn't good," I told them. "There're two words for small campuses like these: academically rigorous."

A chorus of groans and moans erupted in the group. We continued to walk on the courtyard, heading for the school building so that we could go to the office, talk about things, and finally get into our classes. We were probably going to share the same class because of the lack of students, but that's a good thing.

After we talked with the people at the office, we entered the empty classroom and filled in all the seats in the back. No one fought for the window seat because we didn't want to look out the glass since the hole in the theater could be seen. Since everyone avoided the window seat, I took it, the seat in front of mine empty.

Soon enough, the whole class started to fill up, girls and boys I've never met filling up the rest of the vacant seats. Only my seat was still empty by the time the bell rang, signaling that homeroom started.

The teacher walked in carrying an attendance sheet, but he sat at his desk at the front while the rest of the class was talking, excluding the group at the back who didn't say a word since we stepped into the room.

Usually, we would be the loudest ones in the classroom with the usual bickers and people being made fun of by Barry and Lucas, but this place was different. I could feel how uncharted this place was. All the kids talking were chatting about boy crushes and the guys were chatting about hot girls, which was different than our school because our old place actually had something called diversity.

Another bell rang, which probably meant that homeroom ended. The teacher who was sitting at the front finally stood up and started calling out our names from the list. Unlike other teachers, he did this with less enthusiasm, acting like the old man he was.

"Lyra?"

"Present."

"Ethan?"

No one in the class answered.

"Ethan?" the teacher asked again. He was about to mark him absent until the door swung open to reveal a guy.

"Here."

When he walked in, I had to admit, he was pretty cute. But behind that, I could feel that there was something amiss about him. That was when I noticed the vibe radiating from him. It was so nostalgic, feeling similar to the one I felt from the boy when I was five, but this one was on a higher scale. It intensified ten fold from when I last felt something like this.

Flashes of the scene at the theater flashed before my eyes again, and I could hear my voice echoing through my mind, saying things at lightning speed so that it sounded like gibberish. But my mind was talking to me, saying something, but I couldn't understand it.

"Lyra, are you okay?" Leaf asked.

At this time, my eyes were closed, trying to ease the pain. Feeling of loneliness, despair, utter sorrow and sadness flowed to me, and it was the same feeling that I got back then. Back when the boy was still singing, and I was sneaking around the theater.

It wasn't long until my head started to throb again, just like what happened when I was running away from the boy. This time, it felt like it was about to explode, like the pressure on my skull was increasing by the second, trying to turn my brain into mush.

"Lyra!" I heard the others call, trying to get me to open my eyes. Even voices that weren't familiar to me were calling my name, trying to snap me back into the real world.

And yet, the name calling didn't work. I could hear the footsteps of that Ethan guy as he approached my seat, and the pain increased every time I heard his foot come in contact with the floor. By the time he sat in his seat, I reached my limit and couldn't stand the agony.

I fell to the floor, my conscious escaping me again. But I could vaguely remember someone catching me before I fell smack into the hard floor.

It's funny how life loves to repeat itself.