"ARE YOU SURE THIS IS THE PLACE?" ASKED KIARA. 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 KIARA. "TEMPEST WOULDN'T HAVE MADE IT THIS EASY." I DIDN'T REPLY, BUT INSIDE, I AGREED WITH KIARA. THERE WAS NO WAY TEMPEST WOULD HAVE MADE IT EASY. BUT YOU KNOW THE SAD THING? TEMPEST USED TO BE ME AND KIARA'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 SILVERY GREY 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 KIARA DIDN'T NOTICE ME SHIVERING.

WE BOTH CONTINUED ON OUR WAY, BUT THE RUINS SEEMED TO BE GETTING FURTHER AWAY, NOT NEARER. I STOPPED, MAKING KIARA STOP TOO.

"WHAT'S WRONG, LUCINDA?" SHE ASKED. "SOMETHINGS WRONG." I MUMBLED. KIARA FROWNED. "I ALREADY SAID THAT." "NO. NOT THAT." I INSISTED. "THIS, THE RUINS, THEY'RE GETTING FURTHER AWAY FROM US, AS IF THEY'RE MOVING."

KIARA SQUINTED INTO THE DISTANCE. "HM. YOU ARE RIGHT. BUT THEN, THAT'S AN ILLUSION." MY JAW DROPPED. "FOR ONCE, KIARA, YOU ACTUALLY REMEMBERED SOMETHING THAT PROFESSOR SYDRA TAUGHT US." I SAID, IMPRESSED.

KIARA 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 OLD hag!'"

KIARA 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."

KIARA 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. KIARA RAISED HER SWORD AND I NOCKED AN ARROW, BUT WE WERE SURROUNDED. WE COULDN'T ATTACK WITHOUT VAMPIRES DEVOURING US AND NOT TO MENTION, WE WERE OUT-NUMBERED. WHAT SHOULD WE DO?