Phoenix ran as fast as she could, racing through the trees. Something was following her, something sinister, and she didn't want to stick around to find out what. She saw the root ahead, but didn't make it over in time. Down she went, skinning her hands on a fallen log and scratching her face and arms. She got back up and started running again, stumbling along now. Then everything went black.

Yumi, Aelita, Ulrich, Jeremie and Odd were walking along a forest path at Kadic Academy. The sound of a twig snapping disrupted the quiet and made all five jump. A dark figure stumbled out of the forest and collapsed on the path. Yumi dropped her water bottle in shock and hastily bent to pick it up.

The figure was a girl, small and thin with wavy, firey red hair. Her skin was pale and she wore black clothing. Her face and arms were covered in scratches and her hands looked skinned up.

Odd pulled out his phone to call for help, but Ulrich shook his head. Jeremie bent over the girl and studied her.

Aelita crouched next to him. "Who do you think it is?" she asked.

Jeremie replied, "I don't know," and stood back up. "Let's take her to my dorm so we can clean her up. Maybe she'll wake and we'll find out who she is."

"So she's still alive?" Odd asked.

Jeremie nodded. "Ulrich, help me carry her."

Together, Ulrich and Jeremie carried the girl to Jeremie's dorm with the rest of the group following close behind.

Yumi opened the door for Ulrich and Jeremie and followed them inside. The boys laid the girl on one of the bunks. Aelita came in and handed Ulrich some wet towels. He started to clean up her scratches. The cool cloth on the girl's face seemed to wake her. She stirred and opened her eyes, revealing irises colored like a pair of onyx stones. Cold onyx stones. She looked at the five teens gathered around her for a moment, studying them.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I am Odd, and these are Yumi, Aelita, Jeremie and Ulrich," he said, gesturing to each in turn.

The girl nodded. "I am Phoenix. Can you tell me where I am?"

"You are in my dorm," said Jeremie, "at Kadic Academy."

A strange look crossed Phoenix's face.

"Should I take her to Delmas to see if there's a dorm she can stay in?" Aelita asked.

Jeremie nodded. "Would you like to stay here, Phoenix? Aelita can get you a dorm, if you like."

Phoenix nodded and rose from the bed.

She followed Aelita out of the room.

"I'm not sure about her," Jeremie said once their footsteps faded away.

"Neither am I. There's something weird about Phoenix," Odd said.

"Well I think she's all right. Don't you remember how Aelita got here? Maybe she  is the same story," Yumi suggested.

The others nodded and looked at Ulrich. He shrugged and said quietly," She reminds me of someone."