The first panel starts with a windy night on a nearly full moon. The panel skips to a jogger leaving his house. His mother behind him in the doorway (mother) "now why don't you jog in the morning instead? It's so dark and something could happen to you" (jogger) I just love the way the sky looks tonight. it would be a shame to waste it inside. Plus, I need my exercise." (The panel skips to the jogger running on the sidewalk) (Jogger) *huffing* "huh?" (he looks over toward a spot in the woods. A sudden teal glow is seen radiating from the woods. His curiosity gets the better of him, and he starts walking toward the light. He depths closer to the light, now shown radiating from a small crack in the earth.) (Jogger) "what the?" (He reaches out slowly; about to touch the crack. He gasps. The panel cuts to an overview of the forest, birds flying away into the night.)
(The next panel starts off with a young girl in front of a mirror. She's humming to herself and fiddling with her black hair. A female voice is heard calling from downstairs.) " Aya, it's almost time for school! Come get your breakfast." (Aya) "coming mom" (the next panel shows Aya walking out of her house with a school uniform on and a backpack) (As she's walking, a young boy in similar attire catches up to her) (Boy) "mornin Aya" Aya looks at him with a smile (Aya) "Good morning Pheo. You remembered my book right?" (They continue with small talk as they walk into their classroom) (student A) "so have you guys heard about it? (Student b) "yea I saw it on the news" (student c) "yea it's so strange." (Aya walks up to the 3 students) "Whatchya talkin about guys?" (Student a) The news is saying people have started to disappear!" (Student b) "have you not heard?" (Student c) "yea it's everywhere!" (Aya) "huh, maybe I should watch the news more often.. Pheo, have you heard about this?" (Pheo) "I heard my parents talking about it. Apparently a bunch of people disappeared 3 days ago." (Student b) "I heard from my granny that a witch stole them!" (Student a) oh knock it off Arnold! Witches aren't real." (The two begin to argue faintly in the background) (Aya, to student c) "Did you hear anything else?" (Student c) "the only other thing I heard is that they all disappeared around the same time: 3 days ago, around 9:00pm." (Just as Aya is about to say more, she's cut off by an older female voice and the ringing of the school bell) (teacher) "Students, to your seats!" (The students sit and the teacher begins her lecture, 5th grade mathematics)
(The next scene begins with Aya cleaning her dish after dinner. Her mother walks in) (Aya) "Hey, mom? Did you see anything about missing people on the news?" (Mother) I did, and I don't want you to worry about it, just stay inside after dark, and remember not to speak to strangers." (Aya) Arnold said his granny thinks a witch stole them." (Mother) "oh, (she scoffs) Arnolds granny thinks that the earth is flat too!, don't listen to what that woman says." (Aya now spacing out in thought) "yea.."
(The panel skips to Aya laying in bed, thinking) "I wonder where they went.." (she looks toward her window) "tomorrows the full moon"
(The scene is now morning, it's a weekend. Aya is walking around outside with pheo, they're tossing a ball back and forth) (Aya) "so where do you think those people went?" (Pheo) "I don't really know.. anything could've made them disappear. Why are you so curious about it?" (Aya) " I dunno, I just really want to know what happened to them.." (Pheo) "my mom said it's not something for little kids like us to worry about, I bet your mom said that too. So let's just let it go." (Aya) "I guess so" (the time skips to the sunset. The two say they're goodbyes and part ways. As Aya walks she looks at the now darkening sky and the full moon. She's nearing close to her house) (Aya) I better hurry up so mom doesn't get mad. She doesn't want me out past dark." (As she's walking along the sidewalk, she suddenly sees a teal glow radiating from the woods next to her.) (Aya) "whoa, what's that?" (The curious child knew she should get home, but her naive curiosity took control. She swears she will only go and take a peek) ( Aya walks into the woods and walks closer and closer to the light. As she arrives to the source of the light, she stumbles across a crack, slightly bigger than before. Aya reaches out and touches the edge of the crack. A blinding light flashes in her eyes. As Aya opens her eyes, she finds herself in an unfamiliar part of the woods.) (Aya) "what was that?! Where did it go!?" (She looked around and saw that there was no longer a crack. She also realized that she had no idea what part of the woods she was in. (Aya) "oh no! I have to hurry up and get home! How did I get lost? I didn't go that far into the woods!" (She runs through the woods in a panic, as she's running , she runs into something; someone.) (Aya) "Uwah!" (Aya falls over, she looks to see whom she ran into. Laying infront of her was a girl, seemingly her age. She had medium long black hair and was wearing a hospital gown as well as a bandage over her right eye) (Aya) "ow, sorry that was my faul-" (girl) "please help me!" (Aya stutters, two faint voices are heard coming closer in the distance) (voice 1) "I see her! She over here!" (Before she could react, Aya saw a man run from behind the girl) (the girl yells out as the man holds her down) (before Aya could do anything, she felt a large pair of hands grab her from behind) (voice 2 into a walkie-talkie) "we've got the girl, and we've also caught another along with her. Waiting for your orders." (Aya is frozen with fear, trying to contemplate what to do) (Aya-thoughts) "what should I do! Am I about to get taken!?" (The girl flails around in the other man's grasp. He holds her down on the ground. He leans into his walkie-talkie) (man 1) " shall we finish the ritual sir?" (He waits for a response, and then reacts as if he was told yes) (man 2) ok, you can do the rest while I hold this girl here, tell the boss we found our next sacrifice." (Aya) "Sacrifice? What!? How is this happening!!?"
(Aya starts trying to pull away as the man holding the other girl down pulls out a blade. The girl cries out as he carves a symbol onto her right shoulder blade) (a circle with an x in the middle (idk I made it up)) (Aya watches horrified as blood drips down the girls back (Aya- softly) "stop it" (the man continues his carving) (Ayas skin begins to show glowy snowflake like veins) Aya begins breathing heavily and with a loud screech) "I SAID STOP IT" (she feels freed turns to see that man 2 has vanished into thin air) (man 1 - in a fearful voice) "wha- h-how did you- demon, DEMONN" (man 1 runs away; leaving the girl behind) (Ayas glowy veins disappear. Aya runs over to help the girl) (Aya) "are you okay!? You're bleeding!" (Girl) "I- uh" (Aya- now taking off her headband) "here, let me wrap that" (Aya begins carefully bandaging the girls wound with her headband) (girl) w-who are you? (Aya) "I'm Aya, I was looking around the woods before I ran into you. Glad I did or who knows what else could've happened to you. So what's your name? What happens to you?" (Girl) I'm Ayuna and I- huh!? What's happening to you?! (Aya looked down and could see herself disappearing, a glowing crack also started to form between them.) (in a quick moment, Aya opens her eyes and finds herself floating in a strange place. It's all teal and she could feel a powerful raw energy surrounding her) (Aya)"w-what's going on!!? Ayuna! Where did you go!?" (A spiral of energy starts to surround her, she can feel the energy coursing through her. Her hair flashes white for a quick second, and her eyes begin to glow) (one moment she was feeling an overwhelming amount of energy and the next she felt nothing but the hard concrete of the sidewalk. Aya, now awake, sees that she's back where she started; on the sidewalk near her house) (Aya) "huh? Wha..? Did I fall over and have a dream?" (Aya gets up a bit dazed, and walks back to her home. She's fully prepared to hear her mother yell at her for not coming home before dark.) (the next scene cuts to Aya shutting the door behind her; her mother standing right in front of the door with her hand in her hips (mother- sternly) "what where you thinking! I was scared half to death!" (Aya) "sorry mom. I fell asleep on the sidewalk" (mother- scoffing ) "the sidewalk!?you could've been taken or hurt! You know what! are grounded for a week! Your sister will walk you to and from school from now on. And no more going out for more than 3 hours! (Aya) "I'm sorry mom it won't happen again.." (Aya walks up to her room. The next scene is her laying in bed) (Aya) in thoughts "if I was dreaming.. then where did my headband go?" (End of chapter)
