Unknown Life

Chapter 1

My feet pounded on the grass as I ran; my breath came faster and faster as I strained forward with every ounce of strength I had left. All I was aware of was the occasional swish of my curls brushing the back of my t-shirt and the overwhelming need to be faster. In my entire life I never imagined that a stranger would be chasing me. I'd heard of it happening to others, and frankly I did not want the experience. I've always done my best to walk with people and never walk around late at night. I stayed away from the places where I knew people were dangerous. So, how is this happening? And why is it happening to me?

I was minding my own business in the schoolyard, hanging out with my friends. We were chatting about the latest gossip and rumours, which I guess isn't exactly minding my own business. Then this guy appeared at a distance and watched us intently. It didn't take too long before I realized he was watching me specifically. That's when I started to freak out a bit -I didn't know what to do. At first, I ignored him and immersed myself in the conversation with my friends. Once in a while, I would glance to see if he was still there. He kept himself mostly hidden in the trees but wasn't afraid to be seen by me. It seemed like he was just as confused as I was. He looked odd, wearing what appeared to be combat clothing and boots.

After another hour, he was still there, watching me. I asked my friends if they knew the guy that was watching us because the whole thing was creeping me out. They glanced at me, stopped chattering and looked to where I was pointing, then returned their gaze to me. With odd and confused faces, and shook their heads no.

"No, Lyra, I don't see anything. It's just us here on the field." One of my friends finally answered, sounding a bit weirded out, clearly thinking that I'd lost it.

I huffed a sigh and began to ignore the strange man again.

We finished chatting, and soon our circle thinned out, until it was just me left alone and curious about the man in the distance. I knew for safety reasons I should head for my place quickly, so I only looked back for a moment. He was still there watching me with a curious face, but his expression abruptly cleared, as if I was the exact person he was searching for. I began to jog across the field at the end of the school, slowly getting faster, making sure I didn't rile up the situation. As I left the school grounds I looked back one last time and found that he was now following me, so I sped up. I didn't want to run because according to my friends the guy wasn't real, and secondly, I had a gut feeling that if I did run something would happen to me.

...Ah hell, I thought as I abruptly changed my mind and began to run, panic and worry sinking in. I just needed to make it home.

Here I am now. Running. Being chased. In a split second, as my feet pounded the grass and dirt, the strange man was in front of me, putting his hand out to stop me. My shoes skid across the ground comically, but there was no humour in me, just panic. I turned, ran the opposite way and there he was again, mumbling something I couldn't hear because my heartbeat filled my ears.

Without warning his hand grasped my wrist and he began dragging me to where he once stood. He didn't care that I was stumbling over my feet just to keep up with him. He was pulling me behind him with no consideration for how I might hurt myself or fall to the ground. I looked at him as he turned to study me again. At that moment, I felt like I was dreaming or imagining things. He looked inhuman, his skin was oddly pale and somehow beautiful, but his eyes were a terrifying blood red. Suddenly he spun towards me, facing me, his hands firmly gripping my shoulders. He brought me closer to him and turned me around so that now I was facing the bushes and trees. My mind couldn't process what was happening. But I was scared. I looked around and there was no one in sight. I really didn't want to be a victim.

"—Don't worry, you're not in danger, just breathe." he said in a thick voice with a tone of repetition.

How am I not supposed to worry? What about this was okay? He stood behind me but kept some space between us, letting the air flow between our bodies. This guy is probably messed in the head right now. Either that or I was going crazy, which also wasn't comforting. He was still holding me, and it seemed like a lifetime had passed by, I was hyperventilating, and my heart was pounding in my ears.

"Take a deep breath", he insisted.

I instantly obeyed, and the next thing you know, we were flying in the sky, then our feet touched grass. I didn't realise my different surroundings because my eyes were closed. Upon opening them I saw clouds and a stone fence that was up to my waist. I was somewhere totally - else. I gasped for air and frantically looked around and still, all I could see was stones and a layer of clouds. My head was racing, my breathing was erratic.

I needed to calm down. For all I knew, I was hallucinating the whole thing, and if I came to my senses, everything would be fine.

But the more I breathed, the more the air seemed cleaner. Something was off, and I wasn't sure what it was.

"You can be calm now; our destination is here," the man said. I had completely forgotten he was behind me. I spun around, he just looked at me. I jumped back and began to back away from him. I didn't want to be near this right now. I was too scared; I was barely even functioning.

"Welcome to Sky High," he said, with no emotion.