Alana and West stood on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, holding
hands and staring into the shadows. The place was teeming with monstrous
beasts of every size and shape, and they were only twelve (their
birthdays had been last month and in January, respectively).

"Ready?" Alana whispered, squeezing West's hand nervously.

"As I'll ever be," West replied, squeezing back and lighting her wand up. The
two stepped forward cautiously, each using the other for backup. Jade
was in there, somewhere- but where? The lights from their wands was
negligible in the dense darkness of the forest, and the girls jumped at
every sound. Another scream pierced the night like a dagger, and Alana stepped forward in the direction of the sound.

Leaves
shifted on the ground, and West pulled Alana backwards and turned her
wand light on the noise- but there was no need. The noise moved forward
towards them, emitting a powerful silver light.

"A unicorn,"
Alana breathed, her hand outstretched. The glorious, illuminated
creature lowered its shining head and let the girl pat it. West rolled
her eyes, but even she was entranced by the unicorn's gentle purity and
radiance. Alana placed her hand on the unicorn's back, and it tipped its
head at West, snorting. West sighed and placed a hand on its back as
well, and her eyes were tinged silver as a swarm of memories filled her
head.

A tiny West crawled on a carpet, beaming at a larger,
dark-haired girl who had long braids and eyes that were an eerie green.
The older girl had the same chlorophyll-green eyes and playful smirk
that West herself had, and her pointed nose and self-satisfied posture
were oddly familiar. In the memory, the dark-haired girl spoke.

"West, stop drooling on the floor."

The girl picked up West and shifted her on her hip, like a practiced babysitter.

"Zzzzzz-ooonne!" West cooed, her little face lighting up.

*****************************************************

"Zoo...Zune!" West muttered under her breath. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

The
unicorn lifted its head and stomped a hoof into the dirt. Alana smiled
softly and ran her fingers through its mane, which had the appearance
and feel of silver tinsel.

"She wants us to follow her. I can tell, by her eyes."

West
shrugged, mind still whirling, and followed Alana and the unicorn.
Where had she heard the name Zune before? The girl named Zune looked
familiar, almost like a relative, but who was she? Every time she tried
to pull another memory into focus, it blurred and slipped out of her
grasp. Nothing stayed in her mind, everything dangling tantalizingly
before her, then disappearing as soon as they were in her hands.

"West?" Alana peeked around a tree, where she and the unicorn stood. "You okay?"

"Fine," West managed, still thinking. "Sorry I'm distracted."

"It's okay. Come on, we have to clean up Jade's mess for her again." Alana laughed, the tone of her voice not resentful. "With her luck, she's probably in the claws of an- ARGH!"

The girls (and unicorn) had entered a clearing, and the unicorn's light revealed a massive spider's web, stretching between two monstrous trees. It was one of the most elaborate things they had ever seen, dangerously beautiful. The filaments of web, like silk spattered with diamonds, made spirals and mandalas in the darkness. As they got closer, Alana saw little bits of what looked like bone stuck to the fibers of web, the unicorn shied and took a step backwards, and West yelped when she saw a human figure stuck in the very center, twitching slightly. The figure had curly hair...

"Jade!" West yelped and ran towards the web, but was stopped in her tracks by Alana gripping her shoulder. Behind them, eyes glinting in the unicorn's shimmering light, was a gigantic spider.