Hello! Sorry for the long wait - I've had my January exams, however I doubt that I'll be any less busy. Now the exams are over the teachers are piling on coursework. It would be really nice if I could have a snow day tomorrow, I may even be able to upload another chapter, but my parents seem to doubt that it's been snowing enough. Shame.

I've made this chapter extra long to make up for it.

Thanks a lot to everyone who either reviewed, Favorited or followed - it means a lot to me that you like my story!

If you spot any errors please let me know so that I can fix them! I've read it through myself but I might have missed something.

Maisie's POV

I yawn as I sit up, wishing that I could stay asleep. I was up until about midnight hunting the phantoms. At least Kyubey is pleased. We got a lot of Grief Cubes.

A crack of sunlight peers through the green leaves of the tree. Yep, a tree. I don't have a huge amount of money, and I'm not a fan of stealing. In the past few villages I stayed with the local Puella Magi, in return, I gave them a large amount of Grief Cubes; it's not like I need that many anyway. So, because I haven't found any Puella Magi, right know I'm living in a tree.

It's a tall oak tree in a smallish clearing off in the woods at the edge of Mitakihara. I prefer it here really. I grew up in the country and the darkness of the city and the lack of green really bothers me. All the same though I think rubbing my back, sleeping in a tree isn't exactly comfortable. I resolve to sleep down in the grass below me after the archery session and to hunt at night instead.

I jump down a couple of branches to where I keep my school satchel, rucksack with some more clothes and stuff in, and where I keep my bow and quiver. I open my rucksack and spot Kyubey sleeping soundly on top of my school uniform.

'"Kyubey"' I hiss. "'get up!"'

Kyubey sleepily wakes up and hops out of the rucksack. I grab my uniform and some other stuff before jumping down to the ground, there's a stream off to my right, it's not perfect but It will have to do.

By the time I return to my tree, I'm completely frozen, the water was freezing!

"' You're going to be late"' Kyubey says interestedly. I look down at my watch. Damn he's right. I start climbing the tree hastily. I came here in the dark last night, wanting to find a place fairly close to the archery range. However I'm not entirely sure where the school is from here. I leap up the branches nimbly until I'm stood on one of the highest branches the tree has. I look around thankful that the oak tree is one of the tallest. I'm also thankful that the school is at the top of hill I think upon seeing it.

Now knowing where I'm headed, I jump down a couple of branches until I'm stood on a fairly long branch. Kyubey comes up to me, my school bag in his mouth. I grab it thankfully and sling it over my shoulders before Kyubey jumps on and settles down around my neck. I take a deep breath then run lightly across the branch and taking off, before landing gently on another. I jump from tree to tree, until I am right by the archery range. I look around me quickly before jumping down and running down the street.

Not knowing that someone had been watching me ever since I jumped down from the tree.

Jack's POV

I sighed wearily as I came close to school. My mates had come over to me thank goodness because that kept the girls themselves away. But not their stares or their giggles. It can get really, really annoying. I never wanted to be popular, truthfully, I hate being the centre of attention but it can come in useful, sometimes.

I'm still deep in thought when something green runs right past me. Green that can mean only one person.

"Maisie!" I call, hoping she'll come over and join us. She seems different to the other girls, she doesn't stare or giggle. In fact, she doesn't seem to like me much at all. Which is unusual, unusual enough for me to want her to like me. Just without the stares or giggles.

She turns around at the sound of my voice. A glare crosses her face, then she sticks her tongue out before turning round and running off again.

I make a step to follow her but my mates hold me back.

"What's gotten into you?" one of them asks.

"Yeah, I've never seen you chasing round a girl before, finally found one you like?" another agrees.

"But really? The mute girl? You could have any girl you want at this school and of course you pick the weirdest." My third mate says.

I shrug it off, but I'm not paying attention, I'm watching where Maisie is headed wondering if we're in the same class.

Turns out we were, and again much to Maisie's annoyance she's sat next to me. The lesson was going normally with the teacher droning on about Maths. Maisie's slumped in her seat as if she couldn't care less. I work hard but I can't concentrate properly when the teacher comes over and starts yelling at Maisie for not doing any work. Maisie sits there quietly as the teacher yells at her then to everyone's astonishment she stands up abruptly. Before the teacher can react, Maisie's run out of the classroom leaving all her stuff behind.

The teacher stands there shocked, and a little guilty. He goes back to his desk and sits down, shifting uneasily. Then he stands up himself tells us that he is going to visit the headmaster and walks out of the classroom swiftly. Almost instantly, chaos insures now that there is no teacher. Schoolwork is abandoned in favour of gossiping. The topic being Maisie. Everyone seems to think that she is dumb because she can't speak.

I pick up Maisie's book, she was leant over it for quite a while and I thought she was working on the sums but apparently not. The page is blank. Was she just pretending? I flick through the book idly and stop once I reach the back.

She was drawing, characters with unusual outfits and weapons. Magical Girls by the look of it. They don't look like the Magical girls on those animated shows though. She's drawn them in action. There's a blonde haired girl with curly hair firing a gun, followed by a girl with long red hair in a high ponytail holding a tall spear. Who's followed by a girl with short blue hair and a cape holding a sword. Followed by a smaller girl who's got green hair much like her and is holding a staff who seems vaguely familiar. Behind this girl is a girl with long black hair with a red ribbon in her hair and a bow. Stood next to her is a girl who I think must be Maisie herself. Her green hair is in two bunches either side of her head and she's wearing a frilly dress and in her hand she holds a bow. Next to Maisie is another girl who's hair is purple she's holding a sword but has her arm around Maisie protectively. Between them is a small white creature with a large white tail. There are several other characters next to all of these. Most prominently of all though is a character above all of them, who seems shrouded in mist or something, but you can again, make out a bow and some pink hair.

I smile slightly at the picture it seems almost childish. I look round at the other girl's thoughtfully, are they Maisie's friends from her hometown? Maybe she's missing them and whatever games they used to play. They seem to be of all different ages. I turn to look at the next page wondering curiously what their fighting.

The creatures she's drawn here are almost disturbing. There massively tall, in long cloak like things, mostly white but tainted with black. There horrible, and she's drawn a huge amount of them. They outnumber her and her many friends easily.

I sit their quietly in the noisy classroom, ignoring the gossiping of the others, studying Maisie's picture.

Normal POV

"Headmaster, I think that the new student Maisie may be academically behind the rest of the students," Mr Hatton said. He felt guilty for yelling at her so harshly now, "She seems a bit simple. Why is she even mute? Was she born with it? Or is something the matter with her family?"

The Headmaster leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. "I don't know" he replied truthfully. She's used to attend Greenknowe School, so of course her records are lost"

Mr Hatton sucked in a deep breath. "Isn't Greenknowe that village out in the country where everybody died in a single day?"

"Yes," the head teacher replied, "The scientists still don't know what happened, there was nothing wrong with the bodies, no poison, no disease, no harm done to any of them. Maisie would have lost everything that day. From what she told me she gone out for the day and when she came back…"

Mr Hatton nodded lowering his head at the idea.

"I don't know for certain" the headmaster continued "but I would reckon that, that was the reason she's a mute."

"But that happened years ago, why has she only turned up now?" Mr Hatton asked

"She wouldn't tell me, she filled in the school papers herself, and she doesn't seem to have a permanent address yet. She told me nothing of what she's been doing for the past four years. It's not like I can even force her to tell me either." The headmaster replied.

Maisie's POV

This day just keeps on getting worse I think. First a bad night's sleep. Then I was late for school. Then I had to sit next to the jerk during lesson time. Then I got yelled at for not doing the work. And then Kyubey told me he could sense a phantom.

I should have known really, Phantoms feed on despair. They target those who are feeling down and they can also sense magic. Of course, the phantoms would target a high school.

I run as fast as I can down the corridor. No one's going to be dying in school today. Not on my watch.

I turn around the corner hurriedly and out of the door onto the school field. There they are. Kyubey jumps off from my shoulders and I put my left hand out in front of me, my ring gem disappearing and my soul gem hovering their instead. Glowing a brighter and brighter green.

A smile crosses my face. I love the feeling of magic, the way it tingles in my fingertips once I've transformed. It's one of the perks to be Puella Magi.

Once transformed I pull out my bow and start rapidly firing arrows. There are so many here, because phantoms are fairly weak on their own they travel around in packs, which can make them a pain to hunt. You can't hide from them either as they don't have any of the five senses. They can't see, hear, taste, touch or smell. Instead they track despair or in my case magic. It means that it is impossible to hide from them and that nowhere is safe. It can make my battles rather hard.

Abruptly I flip backwards to get out of the way of one of the attacks and fire another arrow. That one's gone at least. However, another comes to take its place. I frown slightly. I need to defeat them all before the bell for break time rings. One, because if the students come outside then there're more likely to be killed and two, because I really can't let them see me like this.

I hiss as another attack grazes my shoulder and while I'm off guard, another attack sends me flying back and hitting a tree. I stand up wearily, wishing I had a partner. Someone from my drawing I did in class of all the puella magi I've met. Along with some I haven't.

I look back to the school. Memories are rushing in front of my eyes, of how much this reminds me of Greenknowe. I don't want that to happen again. I remember when school was still fun and how much I enjoyed going. Of all my friends smiling at me and my sister showing me around. Maybe I wasn't so welcomed here but there is no way that I'm letting that happen again. If I let a few phantoms beat me then disaster will spread. I. Am. Not. Letting .That. Happen.

Filled with renewed strength I charge forward, dodging the attack more easily and picking them off one by one with my arrows.

I stand panting in the middle of the school field a pile of Grief Cubes in my hand. I untransformed wearily and started trudging back to the school. My Soul gem needs cleansing but I don't have the time to do that right now, I need to heal myself too, from a myriad of scratches but I daren't use any magic right now. They'll heal naturally, although quicker than the average human.

Kyubey silently walks besides me, sensing that I'm in no mood to chat as we walk together towards the school.

Jack's POV

The bell rung a few minutes ago but Maisie hasn't come back for her stuff. Frowning slightly I pick up her stuff and pile it into her bag haphazardly and pick it up to go searching for her. Once heading out of the classroom though it's easy to spot her, she headed across the field back towards the school but her steps are weary and wobbly. I hurry forward.

As Maisie looks up and spots that, I've got her bag her eyes narrow, as mine widen. She's got a scratch across her cheek that's dripping blood across her face. I start running and reach her quickly.

"What happened?" I ask, before realising what a stupid question that is. She can't speak and she's in no position to be writing, so she can't answer.

Maisie looks up at me and for a mere instant, I feel I'm really seeing her, and how vulnerable she seems. Then the guarded expression is back. Other than it must have taken too much energy for her because in the next instant she toppling over.

I catch her easily, wondering what I should do. I try waking her but she doesn't stir. Sighing I pick her up, looping an arm under her legs and another behind her back. I need to get her to the nurses' office. I glance down at her, and watch as she shifts slightly so that her cheek is rested against my chest as she sleeps soundly. I small smile crosses my face as I start walking towards the nurses office ignoring the stares from the other students.

Thanks for reading! Please rate and review - (it makes it more likely that you'll get the next chapter sooner rather than later)

So I've started adding a bit of mystery to this story. Any guesses as to who was watching Maisie?

And we hear a little about Maisie's past, I'll expand on that in later chapters.

Also anyone guess who the purple haired girl in the picture with her arm around Maisie is? You can probably work out the rest of them.

Next chapter we finally see Maisie's first archery session and also we might find out what happened to a certain group of Puella Magi.

So my book recommendation for this chapter is:

Rose by Holly Webb

Maybe it is a book for the younger kids but I love the series a lot, the story line and character development I think are really good.

Thanks again - Sekaira