The Shadows- *Started, but spots still open!*

Jacob

Rose slung me and Lex off her back. I glanced around for this Anna person. When Rose stepped forward I couldn't stop myself from saying,

"But your name is Rose. Who's Anna?"

Rose turned to me and knelt down to my height. She tickled me under the armpits. "I'm Anna silly! My name is AnnaRose."

I laughed and said through my giggles,

"Oh, that's a nice name."

AnnaRose smiled, stood and turned to face the girl who had asked "What next?"

"Well?" The same girl said.

"Helen I suggest that we..."

So that girl was called Helen. I listened to their conversation for a couple of seconds before getting bored and sitting down to play with the moss on the forest floor. Lex sat down next to me and began scratching the sores on his arms.

"Should you be doing that?" I asked. Lex shook his head.

"I can't help it. They are really itchy."

ANNAROSE

So now I was worried and I admit it. Han's display back there meant that we were in danger... The Empress had sent somebody after us? I was horrified... Then again, if it was that snobby prince I could actually end his life.

Han was pacing and I was slumped against a rock. The others sat or stood around. I felt sorry for Parker, he had no clue what was happening. Neither did the poor boy-Jacob I believe. I couldn't even think straight.

"Han sit down!" I shouted. His pacing was driving me nuts.

He just stared at me for a minute. There was a crunch in the trees and we all lurched. I blinked and sighed. "I'll go try figure out what it is," I muttered. I scrambled up a tree and peered at the ground. A tiny wolf pup in a trap was laying on the ground, hardly breathing.

I slithered down the trunk. "A wolf pup caught in a trap. No hunters. Better yet, no prince, no emporer, no empress, no guards." Zenea's eyes widened.

Okay, I was thinking healing powers. She's practicing right now, so it only works on small wounds on humans and works very well on animals.

Erika
I stared at the little boy wondering what happened to his little brother.

"A wolf pup." I heard AnnaRose say.

"Step back." I said.

"Why?" AnnaRose asked, a bit definisively.

I looked her straight in the eye.

"I can..heal..people..animals. But sometimes..my powers can get a bit out of control. Stepping back is the best thing to do. Being too close to me when I'm using my powers is dangerous." I replied, then turned around and looked at the little kid.

"Especially him. Make him step back even more." I said softly.

AnnaRose nodded and then huddled all the people into a group about ten feet away from me.
I crouched down and looked at the pup. It was bleeding from the head, but its eyes were open.

"Hi, buddy." I whispered. The pup lifted its head to look at me, fear in his eyes.

"No, don't worry. I won't hurt you." I said. As if he understood, he rested his head back down.
I took a deep breath and then placed my hand to his head. I closed my eyes and that familiar sensation filled my body. I knew that I was probably being stared at, especially since now my body was glowing a cadet blue. I still wasn't sure why that happened, but it just did. The wound slowly began to heal itself, and the pup opened its eyes once again. It slowly, uneasily got up and then with one quick glance at me, turned around and sprinted back into the forest. I grabbed the net and examined it. That's when I saw it. Footprints. Fresh footprints. Panic rose in my chest.

"Guys!" I said turning around, only to be met with about thirty pairs of eyes staring at me. I cleared my throat and everyone snapped out of it.

"There are footprints by the net. Soliders are very close, we need to get moving." I said, looking at AnnaRose, since she was obviously the one in charge.

Parker

Where the heck was I? Who were all these people? I barely could remember anything...it was just fuzzy....I remembered solders chasing me then me hiding but somehow stumbling and...then it was black.

"What's going on?" I asked the teenagers around me. They had to know something.

Erika
I stared at the boy.

"Um, hi." I said, I hadn't noticed it before.

"Hey." He said cooly.

I glanced at AnnaRose, with a "who is he?" look on my face.

Han Fang-Liu:

Gasping, I doubled over. A strong sense of danger. I'd never had one this strong before. I fell back against a tree and gasped, "Run."

No one needed to be told a second time. They turned and ran. Anna grabbed my hand and started dragging me after her. I kept stumbling. The danger thing was getting worse.

"Wrong way," I gasped and dragged Anna back. There was a cliff not two feet from us. the others stopped just in time.

"Where did that coem from?" Anna gasped, lookngi over the edge.

"Let's find a way down," I suggested. "They need to think that we all fell."

ANNAROSE

I blinked at the girl and watched the pup run into the forest. "Guys! Come here!" the new girl called. There was fear in her voice...great... I approached sloly with a few others. My whole body was trembling. Parker was complaining, but I'd have to answer his questions in a bit.

"What?" I asked hesitantly. She pointed to the ground. Footprints. Boots. "I think we're okay. They're boots, like what hunters wear, not soldiers...but still...we've gotta get out of here."

I hadn't even noticed Zenea leave and come back with the wolf pup. It was already licking her face. I rolled my eyes and held back a smile. I had to worry about this. "Well, either they're going to be helpful or they're going to be willing to bring us to the Empress on a platter..." I muttered. "We'd better go."

I stood up, hoping that I was right about the footprints. "Somebody PLEASE tell me what's going on!" Parker shouted.

I sighed. "We're running. All of us. We're trying to get away from the empress. I found you last night unconsious. You owe me your life. Oh, and Han's my best friend....I also sorta made a murder attempt on the prince." I didn't care what they thought about me at this point.

I turned to Parker and he blinked at me. I winked and started walking in a random direction. "Han, what way?"

"This way," he dragged me to my left. There was a huge cliff infront of me.

"Woah..where'd that come from?" I muttered.

He shrugged. "Let's find a way to get down it."

People were asking me questions. Somebody wanted to know who the little boy was. "The blonde boy is Jacob I believe. Somebody help him out."

Zanea ran up to me. "Can I keep the wolf?" she asked.

"Whatever," I muttered back. I was trying to help Han figure out how to get down the cliff.

Erika

We all ran and stopped at the edge of the cliff.

"So, you actually tried killing my brother? Well, half brother. Step brother." I said, but not in a question sort of way.

She stared at me.

"What?" She asked, her eyes wide.

I chuckled.

"I'm the Emperor's daughter." I replied.

Everyone whipped their heads around and stared at me.

AnnaRose took a step back.

"Traitor," She gasped.

Han Fang-Liu:

"Erika?" I asked and she looked at me. "What...how....why? She loved you. You were a girl, all the things she needed. A princess..." I bit my tongue-not literally though.

"Han," Anna hissed. "Find us a way down."

I tore my gaze off my half-sister and nodded, looking over the edge of the cliff.

"This way," I said and started off to the left some more. I'd seen a long goat track that criss-crossed it's way down the cliff. "Here. It's narrow and steep but I have no danger vibes from it. We'll be fine."

Jacob

I was dragged by the hand by one of the big people who I didn't know. It was scary running away, but I just ran. The big person stopped abruptly so I did the same. Below us was a big drop.

"Wow!" I said as I looked down. I kicked a small stone over the edge of the cliff and waited to hear when it hit the floor. I heard a distant click.

I turned my attention to the big people. "Traitor!" AnnaRose gasped. I glanced up at the big person AnnaRose was looking at. Han backed away and Helen picked me up sheilding me from her. She didn't look bad to me. My Mummy had always told me that Traitors were bad people. I watched as Lex was scooped up by his sister. Everyone was acting really strange.

"You don't stand a chance against us!" Rose said and Han readied himself for a fight.

"Please don't fight," I said quietly. I didn't like fighting, fighting killed.

((Lyds. There's no fight.....Yet. Wait until we get to the bottom of the cliff.)

I sneered.

"Loved me?" I said staring at Han.

"How could she ever love me? I wasn't even her child! I was treated like a servant while all the other kids were pampered. And my own father? The mighty emperor? He didn't care about me either. Loved me, yeah right." I sneered.

Han glanced my way.

"Don't leave me." I said.

"I'm not a traitor. I promise."

ANNAROSE

Han grabbed my arm. "Put your sword away," he whispered. I tensed up, but listened. If she made one bad move.... I glared at her and she glared at me.

"Sorry Jake," I whispered. The boy blinked at me.

We followed Han down the side of the cliff. Both the boys were staring over the edge. I doubted I would fall...but I was scared none the less. Way to much was happening. I couldn't believe Erika was Han's sister...What if she turned on us?

I made myself stop. I couldn't keep doing this. I was loosing my whole composure. I heard footsteps on the ledge above. We all backed as far into the wall as we would go and remained still.

Crap crap crap crap!!!

Han Fang-Liu:

I laughed, a shallow, hollow thing. "Let's just get the younger ones down the cliff, Sister. Then we can fight, if you'd like." I waved towards the cliff and pushed Anna ahead of me. "Go."

Slowly, I followed the others down the cliff and hesitated about half-way down. Footsteps. Oh crap.

"Shh." I put a finger to my lips and looked up. Someone was peering over the edge of the cliff. I waited, hoping they wouldn't see us but then they started running for the goat track. Crap. "Run!" I yelled and urged everyone faster.

What I didn't feel was danger. Why couldn't I feel it? ...Unless there was no danger?

"That's a first," I muttered and suddenly we had reached the bottom of the cliff. I could hear our pursuer racing down the goat track, no fear at all in falling to their death.

ANNAROSE

I glanced up. I couldn't tell who it was. The prince? A possibility. A guard? A bigger possibility. I shuddered. This was not my day.

"Han," I whispered.

"Hmm?" He grabbed my arm and dragged me along.

"What happens if one of us gets caught?" I was trembling. I couldn't remember ever being this afraid in my life. And that was saying something.

Han sighed. "I don't know. Just keep moving."

I obeyed. The little boys were crying again.