Very, very slowly, I put down Juniper and in the same speed turn around. What I see makes me feel like screaming. There, standing in front of me, is a lion eating a lady.

I stare at the woman-eating lion and realize that the woman is smiling. And her mouth is full of razor sharp teeth.

" Um... You're... Smiling... And the.. Lion is eating you? "

I stammer, still not ready to believe my eyes.

" Lion? I am no lion, Hailey Rowan. I think you know what I am. "

she says. It comes out in more of a purr.

" Your a... Sphin-? "

" Don't say the name! Names are powerful things, Hailey. "

my mother seemed to unfreeze from staring in shock to immediate action.

" Run! She's trying to kill you, Hailey! "

but I am frozen in shock.

" But your just a myth... "

I tell it. Immediately, I know it was the wrong thing to say. She growls, in the sort of threatening way that kind of tells you oh-that-was-the-wrong-thing-to-say-girly-you-are-so-dead. I got the message and bolted.

" Come back here! "

the sphinx yells and pounces after me. I run, full pelt, toward the hill, picking up Juniper on the way. The sphinx had scared me so much that I ran without turning back. Only when I hear the yell do I turn around to see the sphinx' paw at my mothers throat.

This all happens in slow motion: The vile creature is squeezing my mum. I scream, yell at her to let go, and run towards her. She chokes out one last word, "Go," and disappears in a burst of light, witch is somehow accompanied by the smell of the sea. Then shes gone, and the rain and thunder interfere again.

I stand there, not being able to process what has happened. My mother is dead. Gone. Adrenaline pumps through me. That stupid kitty is not killing my mum and not paying for it. I lay down Juniper, stalk up right to the stupid things nose and yell:

" OH, YEAH? JUST KILL MY MUM, WILL YOU?! ARGHHHHHH! "

the last part is because I fling myself at the sphinx and start hammering it with my fists.

" Stupid... Idiotic... CAT! "

I yell, taking note not to say the name per my ( now dead ) mothers instruction. Suddenly, I yank on one of the teeth and it falls out. Hurray, I have suddenly gotten myself a weapon the size of a dagger. I'm happy. Not.

With a crazed laugh/scream, I jump off the sphinx and roll away on my shoulder.

" WELL, COME AT ME! KILL ME, THEN! "

I scream at the top of my lungs. It stays where it is, still nursing the hole in the perfect row of teeth that I caused. Then it curses, turns toward me and, unsurprisingly does exactly what I asked it to do. Tries to kill me.

When she gets close enough, she pounces, claws outstretched. I roll to the side just as she rips through the mud at her feet. Then I stab her in the side. The sphinx screams, a loud, drawn-out scream, and starts dissingrating. Not in a flash of light, like my mother, but slowly crumbling, like a statue made of sand.

I turn away, and, crying, drag Juniper towards the farmhouse. I'm weeping, pleading for my mother, but I know she won't come. She is dead. I get to the porch of the house and fall down, exhausted. The world slowly fades to black as I see Mr Lapiz and a guy with sea-green eyes looking down at me.