Please forgive me

Listen to me

The girls of dorm room 4B could hear the zeppelin of the one and only Mrs. Coulter. "I can see the golden monkey, it's her" one girl yelled. All the girls scurried around their room fretting and hoping that the vulgar woman is only going to look at the girls and pick a boy this visit. The head girl Annie noticed the new girl frozen in the middle of the room. "Oi new girl" Lyra turns to look Annie in the face, fear is the only thing she could show, she didn't want to be found by her mother.

"You know her, don't you?" Annie asked

Lyra swallowed hard, feeling all the girl's eyes on her "She...... She is my mother"

All the girls gasped. One yelled "SPY" then others started to follow

"SHE'S A SPY. I SAY LET HER GET FOUND" one yelled from the back of the room.

On the brink of tears, Lyra looks at Annie "She doesn't know I'm here; she can't find me. Please, I'm here to help you all"

"She's getting closer" one girl yelled

"Ok, get under that bed and stay there. Pull yourself up when I give the signal"

Lyra ran to go hide under her bed when Annie gave her the signal. All the girls lined up at the foot of their beds, Lyra lifted herself up, trying to hide herself from her mother.

"Hello girls" a sweet voice came

"It's so nice to see you have kept yourself pure in these hard times"

Mrs. Coulter walked down the isle of girls, touching one's face, another's hair.

As soon as Mrs. Coulter got to the end of the beds, she noticed two empty beds. All the girls looked at each other than at Mrs. Coulter.

"Why do we have two empty beds?"

Annie spoke up "Bridget and Lizzie were sent off for testing and they haven't returned"

The golden monkey could sense and possibly smell something he has smelt before. "I think the girl is.... Yes, she's here. I can sense her" the monkey said to his human.

Mrs. Coulter gestured to Sister Betty to have the girls leave the room, leaving the room as well... so Lyra thought. Marisa pretended to walk out the door, just waiting to see if her daemon was right. Thirty seconds passed then this body emerged from under one of the empty beds.

"Lyra" Marisa said quietly

As soon as lyra got her bearings, hoping she was alone in the room a familiar smell wafted towards her.

"Oh no... No, it can't be"
Marisa slowly walks up to her child, the same child she has been searching for the last two months.

"Oh Lyra, my darling. I've finally found you"

Stricken with fear, hoping she was alone so she could go on with her plan she had made up in her head to get the children out. "What am I going to do now Pan?"

Marisa starts to walk towards her child, her hand reached out to touch Lyra's face. Lyra starts to shake her head "NO, don't you touch. DON'T TOUCH ME" Marisa couldn't work out why this child she saved twice now fears her.

"Come Lyra, it's not safe here" Marisa grabs her child's hand, Lyra yanks it away from her mother.

"I'll never go anywhere with you"

Now filled with anger Marisa slaps the child across the cheek. Lyra holds her cheek and couldn't help but stare at her mother "YOU WILL COME WITH ME NOW LYRA" Marisa points to the girl's dorm door, Lyra starts to walk.

Pan walking with his head hung low, the golden monkey watching him closely, same with his human watching her child and every move she makes ready to pounce if need be.

Both mother and child wind up to Marisa's private room. Lyra was stunned by the room her mother had at the station. It was dull in colour but had loads of space. Lyra sat on the chair that was sitting at a desk at the foot of the huge king size bed and Marisa sat on the bed. Marisa tried to coach Lyra to sit with her, but Lyra was content to stay where she was.

A few minutes of silence pass, Marisa couldn't help but stare at her child. Her mouth opened about to ask a question, then she quickly closed it as she didn't feel like it was the right time to ask.

More time passed then an echo of a bell rang through the halls. Marisa looks at the door then at Lyra. "OH, it must be dinner time. I can get them to bring us something...... Or I can get it." Lyra was hungry but she didn't want to tell her mother that, she wishes she was with the other girls planning their escape.

"Lyra?'

"Lyra?"

"Lyra?"

Lyra snaps out of her trance "Either is fine with me" she puts on a fake smile

Marisa wanted to show Lyra that she can be a mother and chose to get food for both. While her mother was gone, Lyra explored a little to see what she could find anything. All she found was the same stuff she saw in the study back in London. In the distance Lyra could hear her mother's shoes clopping on the concrete floor.

"Quick Pan, back to where we were. We don't need her to know that we snooped"

The golden monkey opens the door as his human's hands were full carrying two trays from the canteen.

"It's not much, but it will have to do till we get back to London tomorrow"

Lyra looked at her mother confused "London?"

"Yes dear. Tomorrow my zeppelin will take us both back to London where we can be a happy family"

Pan chuckled "What family? She isn't anything to us Lyra. Asriel was family to us even though he lied to us" Lyra nodded at her daemon "We need a way to get away from her now"

Lyra looked at the tray of food and it reminded her of the food she would get when she lived at Jordan college. Pulling faces as she picked up string beans with her fork, quickly putting them back on her plate. The child pushes the tray away "I guess I'm not hungry" Marisa looks at her child and gives her the look she always gave Lyra back in London when she wouldn't eat the food that was put in front of her.

"YOU WILL EAT YOUR FOOD LYRA" Marisa demanded. She could see a fight is going to happen so the golden monkey was ready to pounce with his human's signal.

Pan picked up on the golden monkey's energy and lets out a squeak. "Don't Lyra, just eat it" feeling the tension of her daemon, Lyra grabbed the tray and started to eat the food. After about four mouthfuls she was feeling drowsy. "What did you fee...... me?" Lyra eyes closed as she falls backwards on the bed.

"I'm sorry but It's for the best Lyra, it's the only way we can be together"

The golden monkey picks up Pan and rocks him in his hands. Marisa grabs her child for the first time since she took her home from Jordan college humming a tune, she heard one day walking the streets of London.

A knock on the door startled Marisa, she gently placed Lyra back down on the bed and walked towards her door.

"Yes?" Marisa said to the voice

"Ah... ma'am" the man paused "Your airship will be ready for you in a few hours" ...... he took in a big breath "You see there's a storm coming and if you still wish to leave, we suggest you leave now"

There was a long pause between both the man and the woman.

"Ah... sure that's fine. I will need at least an hour to finalise my packing. One more thing" Marisa looks back at Lyra "I'm going to need a large trunk"

The man mouthed to himself A large trunk. "Yes Mrs. Coulter that's no problem.

Marisa didn't want it to end it this way with Lyra as her trust means a lot to her. "Don't you look at me like that. You know it was the only way to get her back to London without the Magisterium knowing. According to the books here she wasn't really here so they won't miss her"