Who are they?

My index finger pushes down, and he flips backward. No lie, this teenage boy in front of me does a backward summersault with ease. Spridge? Is that what he said? Protector of the royal family? Me? Has the wrong Lyra! Although it's weird, whoever he is talking about has my name and also apparently had an accident as I did. "Is that nessacary?" The boy asks, staying back now. I look at him again, what is so familiar about him? Blonde curly hair, tall lanky body. Outside my window. He was the boy outside my window! Gripping the pepper spray hard I aim at him, inching closer. "What?" He asks holding his hands defensively.

"You..... it was you outside my window.." I accuse him, and he nods still holding up his hands. "What the hell! Are you stalking me?" I ask threatening to push to button. "No! I told you. I've been trying to find you for two years." He repeats digging in his pocket. He pulls out a phone, I have photos with you in them." He holds out the phone, I squint to see the photo. Sure enough, I am there... Little me. I reach up to the phone, wow.... the only picture of me I have are ones that Harris has taken. I can't help the smile grow on my face. "I knew you were alive!" I can hear the boy, Chase, saying next to me. "Everyone else thought the dark who took you killed you." Snapping back up to him. I give him back the phone. Drake killed me? Did I hear him right?

"A what took who and supposedly killed who?" I say, and he sighs. "You're some weird stalker aren't you!? You have pictures of me from times I don't remember... and you know my name... and about my accident. How dare you say my parents are still alive!" I start trailing off using my finger to scold this boy. "Because they are! Molly and Garret Castir I sti-" "Molly and Garret." I say... I was never told my parents' names. "Leave me alone!" I say, I feel tears coming. "Whoa whoa what?" he asks. "Please... this isn't funny anymore." I turn from the boy, his name probably isn't Chase. "My parent's died in the car accident that made me lose my memories," I say, hoping he will quit joking.

"Car accident my ass." I hear him say behind me. "We were attacked by Drarkals... and one of them got you." I keep walking. Still gripping my pepper spray, I turn on my heels. He stops, almost knocking me over. I spray again, getting him this time. He crouches down, holding his face in his hands. but he doesn't say anything about pain. I turn running. Without looking back, suddenly happy I'm a good runner! I get home, slamming the door shut behind me and locking it. Then close all the blinds, and go to my room. I hope that this stuff burns his face off, that is such a cruel joke to play. I crawl onto my bed and start crying. *** "Lyra! Hey, it's Harris it's time to get ready for school!" I fall out of my bed. I look at the clock, I've got an hour. I hurry off the floor, turning on my shower. I get ready ignoring my hair, I shove on yoga pants and a sweatshirt. I'm not in the mood for any crap today. Not only is it Wednesday, but I'm also still spooked out from yesterday. That boy, and the things he said. "Ah.. what did I say... Sean takes you to school." Harris says as I almost walk out the door. That's right... yesterday. Ah, now I have to deal with Sean! Sliding into the back seat of Sean's car, he starts the engine. "Lyra what happened to you yesterday? You shut all the blinds... and locked yourself in your room last night." He asks, backing out of the driveway. "Nothing... Just... a little spooked out." I sigh, watching out the window. Surprised that he sounds like he wants to know what happened. "Spooked out? You?" He laughs. "The girl who watches scary movies for fun to laugh at them?" He makes me smile. "Yeah... some boy walked up to me yesterday. Saying I was some royal protector person.... and that my parents were alive. It was weird.... he also said that like... a drag... dark... kidnapped me or something." I sigh, rubbing my eyes, just as we park at school. "What?" Sean turns around looking me in the eyes. "Yeah... it was weird... I saw him outside my window one night." I say. "If you see him again you need to yell for me! Got it!" He orders, and I nod. Overtaken by how much he seemed like he cares. Then I get out, and we walk into the school. Met my friends at my locker, and they drill me for details about yesterday. Of course, they get nothing true out of me. I don't want them to know what happened yesterday. We chill out since Sean was early today. Sophie is carrying around her sketchbook, so I assume she finished her drawing. She won't show us through. "You've got dibs... no worries! I don't think either of us is going to call dibs on a drawing!" Melanie laughs, helping me try and get her to show us this god-like boy... in Sophie's eyes anyway. "Fine... but... swear you can't even say he is cute!" She laughs breaking. She flips over the notebook. What? This can't be. "Where did you say you saw him?" I ask. "In the parking lot yesterday..." She sighs, looking at the drawing for the umpteenth time. She thinks I'm hitting on her man! No, I'm not! "I've got dibs!" "I don't want dibs! The guy jerks!" I sigh, looking away from the photo. So he was watching me... or at least someone. He was outside my window, outside my school. "You've met him?" Melanie yells at me, stopping everyone in the hall. We get weird looks, then they all move on. "Yeah... He stopped me yesterday when I was walking home. Telling stories about how I-" The bell rings. I sigh getting up. Sophie and I walk to our class, and she doesn't say anything to me. She is mad at me because her new obsession has talked to me and not her. "Hey... I told him off... even sprayed him with pepper spray! I don't like him!" I assure her. "If you sprayed him with pepper spray he must be a creep." She sighs, and I nod. Good, everything is okay between us! Sitting in our seats, we drop the conversation on Chase. Later in the day, it sinks in again that it's Wednesday. Only for more days. What will I do all summer? Read the same books over and over again? Play cards with Harris? Heading to lunch, Melanie and I talk about how obsessed Sophie still is. Carrying around her drawing like at any second it will turn into the real thing. Chugging down my milk, and eating all my apple sauce in one bite I'm done eating. That's all I can manage, I'm getting depressed great! Sean and his friends make their grand entrance, ad he eyes me for a second then continues like normal. I don't understand him at all. Dumping my tray, I see two girls walking across the hall. I've never seen them before, which is highly unlikely for the small school I go to. I wonder why they transferred so late in the year since there are only two days left. Although, one of them looks like she is only in middle school 5th maybe 6th grade. Short with blonde hair. The other girl looks more my age, with brown hair and the greenest eyes I've ever seen. Those must be contacts, although my hair is naturally white... so who knows.