"ARE YOU SURE THIS IS THE PLACE?" ASKED LUCINDA. THIS PLACE SHE WAS POINTING TO WAS A BUNCH OF RUINS, OVERGROWN WITH PLANT. THE PLACE WAS VERY CREEPY AND LONELY. "POSITIVE." I WHISPERED BACK. WE WENT NEAR THE RUINS, CAREFUL NOT TO WAKE UP THE NIGHT ZOMBIES AND THE VARIOUS NASTY SUPRISES IN STORE. "SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE." WHISPERED LUCINDA. "TEMPEST WOULDN'T HAVE MADE IT THIS EASY." I DIDN'T REPLY, BUT INSIDE, I AGREED WITH LUCINDA. THERE WAS NO WAY TEMPEST WOULD HAVE MADE IT EASY. BUT YOU KNOW THE SAD THING? TEMPEST USED TO BE ME AND LUCINDA'S BEST FRIEND. BUT SHE HAD BETRAYED US. THE LAST TIME WE SAW HER? SHE WAS WEARING A DARK CLOAK, BLACK AS MIDNIGHT. HER DARK HAIR WAS BRUSHED ACROSS HER SHOLDER, HER DARK, SILVERY EYES GLINTING. SHE HAD TORTURED EIRA, A FRIEND OF OURS, TO GET THE INFO SHE NEEDED. WHEN SHE GOT IT, SHE HAD KILLED EIRA. THE IMAGE STILL HAUNTED ME IN MY DREAMS. EIRA'S LIFELESS EYES STARING AT ME…I SHIVERED, HOPING LUCINDA DIDN'T NOTICE ME SHIVERING. WE BOTH CONTINUED, BUT THE RUINS SEEMED TO BE GETTING FURTHER AWAY, NOT NEARER. I STOPPED, MAKING LUCINDA STOP TOO. "WHAT'S WRONG, KIARA?" SHE ASKED. "SOMETHINGS WRONG." I MUMBLED. KIARA FROWNED. "I ALREADY SAID THAT." "NO." I INSISTED. "THIS, THE RUINS, THEY'RE GETTING FURTHER AWAY FROM US, AS IF THEY'RE MOVING." LUCINDA SQUINTED INTO THE DISTANCE. "HM. YOU ARE RIGHT. BUT THEN, THIS IS AN ILLUSION." MY JAW DROPPED. "FOR ONCE, LUCINDA, YOU ACTUALLY REMEMBERED SOMETHING THAT PROFESSOR SYDRA TAUGHT US." I SAID, IMPRESSED. LUCINDA GLARED AT ME. "WELL, IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, YOU'LL FIND THAT PROFESSOR SYDRA IS MY FAVORITE TEACHER." I RAISED AN EYEBROW AT KIARA. "REALLY? BECAUSE I REMEMBER YOU SAYING, AND I QUOTE, 'PROFESSOR SYDRA IS A mean hag!'" LUCINDA flushed. BUT BEFORE SHE COULD SAY A WORD, A HOWL CUT THROUGH THE GLOOMY NIGHT. WE BOTH LOOKED AROUND, FRANTICALLY, BUT NO ONE WAS THERE. I CLOSED MY EYES AND CONCENTRATED. A SECOND LATER, MY EYES SNAPPED OPEN. "ABOUT 30 KILOMETRES NORTH-EAST FROM HERE, A COLONY OF VAMPIRES." I SAID, URGENTLY. "WE NEED TO HURRY." LUCINDA NODDED, HER FACE PALE AND SLICKED WITH SWEAT. WE BOTH ACTIVATED OUR WEAPONS AND RAN, CAREFUL NOT TO MAKE ANY NOISE. BUT SOON, TWO VAMPIRES FLEW IN FRONT OF US. I RAISED MY SWORD AND LUCINDA NOCKED AN ARROW, BUT WE WERE SURROUNDED. WE COULDN'T ATTACK WITHOUT VAMPIRES DEVOURING US AND NOT TO MENTION, WE WERE OUT-NUMBERED. WHAT TO DO?