"Serena, catch it ", Amara called out loudly as the frisbee came hurtling towards Serena who caught it easily and threw it back at the other team.

"This is so fun", Serena exclaimed and both the girls grinned.

The group of girls which included Amara Serena, Emma, Sofia, Aurora and Andrea were currently enjoying a game of ultimate frisbee. The six girls had divided themselves into two groups of three members on each side with Serena Amara and Aurora on one side and the rest on the other.

"It is better when we play by ourselves than when we play with the boys. They cheat every time", Amara said as she flicked the disc expertly towards Emma.

"That was a nice one Amara", Aurora said from her side preparing to catch the disc.

"Damn", Aurora swore loudly as the disc went flying past her and over the line of trees.

"Emma, couldn't you have thrown it lower. It's gone now", she yelled.

"You just had to flick it not throw it with so much force", Amara said as she turned to look at tree line.

"I told you that we shouldn't play so close to the woods but Emma and Sofia didn't want to listen", Andrea huffed in annoyance.

"That was the last one we had. We already lost two before this", Amara said disappointed.

"Let's get one of the guards to go and look for it then. We still have some time to kill before the school ends", Serena muttered.

"No, wait. No need to ask the guards, we can go and look for it ourselves",Emma declared confidently.

All the girls turned to look at her incredulously.

"I am not going in there", Aurora said, jerking her head to the dense tree cover.

"Oh, come on. Do you want the boys to call us scared chickens again? They always make fun of us for sending guards in there whenever we lose the disc, I say let's go in there and show them once and for all that we are not scared to venture out by ourselves." Emma said.

"The disc couldn't have gone very far", Serena spoke, looking slightly convinced with Emma's speech.

"Serena.... I don't think that's a good idea", Amara objected. She looked uncertainly towards the row of trees that led deeper into the woods.

"I'm in, I think it's a great idea. We obviously don't even have to worry about any wild animals in there. This place is totally secure." Sofia said excitedly, exchanging a high five with Emma.

Aurora and Andrea backed off shaking their heads, "We will keep a watch out for you guys", Aurora said, raising her hands up in surrender at the prospect of going inside the woods.

Serena and Amara exchanged unsure looks, both afraid about the same thing if they were to go in.

"If you both are thinking about Valerio and Allister then let me tell you that the boys are not in school. I heard my brother Sebastino talking with Gino about the boys going out somewhere during their gym class, which happens to be now, so they are probably not here. So you don't need to worry about them knowing anything." Sofia said.

"Trust me, Sebastino will surely tell my father that I went inside the woods alone if he comes to know about it but he won't because there are no guards around here to keep a watch out and we'll be back before them", she continued, trying to convince Serena and Amara.

"Oh come on you two. Don't spoil the fun. It's not only your brothers who are allowed to have such liberties, is it?", Emma asked them in a taunting voice.

"Oh, let's get this over with", Serena snapped frustatedly at the two girls, not liking their relaxed attitude.

Amara nodded reluctantly in agreement as they made their way towards the fenced pathway that would lead them inside.

Jumping over the fence that separated the school grounds Amara, Serena, Emma and Sofia walked towards the thick rows of tree that led deeper into the woods while Aurora and Andrea looked on worriedly.

"Woah! We should do this more often", Sofia said excitedly.

"Shut up Selvaggio.What do you think is this? A stroll in the park?", Serena asked her. Amara shook her head as the three girls started arguing amongst themselves.

She fell back a little allowing the three to take a lead ahead of her as she looked around. She had never ventured here before despite the many number of times that the boys teased them for being too scared to do do anything adventurous. The elite boys took great amusement at the girls expense always teasing them for even the smallest issues.

As she walked, she could see how old and tall the trees looked. It was even starting to get a little misty, making it harder for her to locate their lost frisbee disc.

Amara shivered slightly as a cool gust of wind blew past the trees. She regretted not changing out of her gym shorts since the atmosphere was starting to become cooler as they continued to walk deeper. She looked up towards the clouded sky before walking ahead joining the other girls.

"It must be here somewhere", Serena said as she looked around.

It must have been almost fifteen- twenty minutes since they had been searching for it but they were still unable to locate their lost frisbee. Amara looked around the area carefully. She wasn't sure if they had passed the restricted zone of the woods by now or not but she was certain that they were definitely nowhere close to the edge either.

"I think we should look for it separately. We will have more chances of finding it sooner then", Amara heard Emma suggest.

"Separately?" Sofia asked, apprehension clear in her voice.

Emma rolled her eyes. "You can join Serena or Amara then. I don't mind going alone", she said and took off on her own leaving the three girls gaping in disbelief behind her.

"You, Selvaggio can go alone. Amara and I are going to stick together", Serena said rounding up on Sofia.

"What!?", Sofia exclaimed in a high pitch voice making Amara's lips twitch in amusement.

"Of course. Since you were so excited about this little adventure of ours, I think it's only fair that you get a chance to take off on your own too", Serena said with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah but I don't want to go alone", Sofia said weakly and Serena glared at her.

"Let's go Amara", Serena told Amara taking her wrist in her hand as she began walking.

Amara turned to look behind her seeing Sofia almost on the verge of crying. She felt bad for her.

"Ok, stop." Amara told Serena and Serena turned to look at her questioningly.

Amara knew that Serena was scared of going alone as well and she was proven correct when she looked at Serena to see the same apprehension reflected on her face that was clear on Sofia's face as well.

She sighed before speaking, "Sofia can go with you Serena. I don't mind looking for it alone".

"Are you mad? What if you get lost on your own? Your family will go crazy. Allister will shoot bullets first and ask us questions later",Serena exclaimed shaking her head.

"What can happen here? I won't get lost, I memorised the trail back"

"Let her go alone. She was too excited for it anyway", Serena said pointing towards Sofia.

Amara turned to look at Sofia as well. She had a conflicting expression on her face obviously wanting to give her input but not knowing if it would be appreciated at this time or not

"We don't have much time. Just go, alright? You both take the left side but don't venture too far", Amara told them, a sense of finality clear in her voice.

"You are way too nice Amara", Serena muttered as she walked towards Sofia who looked very uncertain now.

"Let's go",Serena muttered and both the girls took on the left side leaving Amara to continue on the straight path.

Amara continued to look around for the disc carefully but ten minutes into her search she gave up and was about to turn to go back to the school when her eyes caught the sight of the yellow coloured disc stuck between two branches of a large tree.

She quickly walked over the tree and analysed how far above the ground the branch was. There was no way that she could jump and get the frisbee.That left her with only one option and for that Amara started to climb up the tree, careful of the branches jutting out at odd angles.

When she finally reached the spot that the frisbee was stuck, she easily maneuvered herself so that she could reach for it with one hand while her other hand held on tightly to the trunk for support.

"Got it", Amara exclaimed triumphantly, a smile finally finding it's way on her face at her success.

She closed her eyes for a few moments as she breathed deeply to calm her nerves. But when she opened her eyes she almost fell down in shock at what she saw before her.

She had not payed much attention to the view around while climbing but now from her position she could clearly see it down there.

"A maze", she breathed out in amazement.

There, at the centre of the woods was the last thing she had expected to see. She could clearly see a medium sized maze from the tree that she was perched on and next to the maze some distance away stood a large two storey building, both the structures expertly hidden behind the large canopies and rows of trees.

Holding the tree branch tightly, she shifted her position to get a better view of her new discovery. She could see quite a few guards patrolling the building, exchanging information on their walkie-talkie's and just moving around in general.

Amara shifted again to get in a more comfortable position and a scream tore out of her when she felt the branch underneath her break a little. She quickly covered her mouth as she stopped moving, staying still and looking towards the building hoping that her scream had not been heard.

She sighed in relief when the guards continued with their work unaware of her presence. Slowly she moved, positioning herself so that she could climb down but it seemed that luck was not on her side as the branch finally broke. Her hands lost their grip on the trunk and she shrieked loudly as she went hurtling towards the ground and fell on the forest floor, her fall cushioned by the soft patch of the grass underneath.

Amara grunted in pain as she tried to sit up, holding her knee which was bleeding due to the scraps that she had attained during her fall and from the relatively hard impact. She was about to get up when she heard a loud booming voice ring out,

"There's a trespasser here. Activate Code A-102."

Amara's eyes widened in panic when she heard loud pounding steps coming towards her and ignoring her injured knee, she got up quickly and ran towards the school.

She didn't know how long she ran or how far, she just kept moving driven by fear. Right, left and right she continued running as the sound of footsteps approaching her grew fainter until they completely disappeared. Amara stopped when she was sure that she had lost them and panted in exertion clutching her chest as her eyes slowly took in her surroundings.

"Oh, No", she whispered in horror as she whirled around and took in the the sight of the seemingly endless trees that surrounded her

"Where am I?",she spoke aloud trying to figure out the correct path which would lead her back to school.

She looked up at the sky to try and figure out how much time had passed but the trees were tall and thick, covering her view of the sky and making the area appear more darker than it really was.

A cool gust of wind blew past her again and Amara shivered, rubbing her arms to generate some heat.

"Hello?! Is anyone in here?Serena?Emma?" She called out loudly hoping that her friends were around somewhere and she was not too lost.

But except for the sounds of faint rustling of leaves she didn't get any reply.

Defeated, she sat down on the ground her arms around her as she breathed in deeply to calm herself, the adrenaline slowly fading away.

Just when she thought that everything had gone quiet , Amara heard the sound of faint barks and growls. Her heart jumped when the sounds seem to grew louder.

"Wild dogs", she thought to herself fearfully as she stood up from her place and looked around frantically trying to figure out the exact location from where the sounds were fast approaching her.

She gasped as the sounds grew very loud from her right side and she took a few steps back in fear before dashing across the forest again.

Her eyes blurred with tears as she ran, the pain in her limbs from the fall slowing her down significantly but she didn't stop, pushing herself forward with all her strength.

However, she didn't pay attention to the path she was running and shrieked as she lost her balance when she stumbled upon a large stone lying on the ground.

Amara closed her eyes as she started to fall forward preparing herself for the impact with the hard ground, but it never came. Instead she felt two strong arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her upright.

"Careful, little dove", a voice whispered in her ear and she looked up through her tearful eyes towards the one who had come to her rescue.

"Valerio", she whispered in shock.

There standing right in front of her was Valerio Valentini, looking cool and collected as ever. His stance was nonchalant, with his hands thrust in his pocket, his aura of authority still surrounding him like a blanket while he stood in the middle of the woods like it was a usual occurrence.

Without even realizing what she was doing Amara quickly covered the short space between them, throwing her arms around his neck as she hugged him tightly in relief, her hands fisting the back of his jacket.

Valerio's breath caught and he stiffened for a few moments before his arms went around her waist bringing her closer to himself as she buried her face in his chest.

"It's alright", he whispered soothingly when he felt her tremble, placing his cheek on the top of her head and tightening his arms around her.

Amara was too far gone in her relief to realise the position she was in. With Valerio's arms encasing her in a protective cocoon she was finally feeling safe, a powerful sense of security overtaking her rationale.

Tears leaked out of her eyes and fell on his jacket making Valerio quickly pull away from her to see her face clearly.

His hands cupped her cheeks as his thumbs brushed her tears away, his eyes staring intently into hers.

"You are safe now. Don't cry, I'm here",he told her softly and Amara nodded trying to control her emotions.

"You're freezing", Valerio exclaimed angrily when he felt her shiver again, quickly shrugging out of his jacket he draped it over her shivering form providing her with the much needed warmth.

"Thank you", she said shyly, embarrassment slowly crawling up as she realised that they were still holding onto each other.

"I'm sorry", she whispered, embarrassed as she quickly let go of him and tried to step back but Valerio's arms tightened around her as he looked down at her with narrowed eyes.

"Are you hurt?", he asked her and Amara was blown away by the worry in his usually cold voice. She shook her head hesitantly, not wanting to trouble him more than she already had.

Valerio gave no reply though as his raked over her figure checking for any injuries. Amara watched wide eyed as his eyes suddenly darkened with anger before he got down on his knees before her.

"How did you hurt yourself ?",he asked through gritted teeth, his eyes staring at her bleeding knee as if offended by the presence of the wound.

"I-I...fell", she mumbled.

"Amara....", he warned her in a dangerous tone to tell him the whole truth, obviously knowing when he was being offered half truths.

"From the top of a tree", she completed. "It's alright, it doesn't hurt at all", she lied nervously.

"Never lie to me about anything that hurts you, I don't like it", Valerio stated in a hard voice as he took out a napkin from his pocket and swiped the blood away but contrary to his tone his actions were gentle and feather light as if afraid to hurt her. He then proceeded to tie the cloth securely around her knee .

"Thank you", Amara murmured softly as he got up from the ground. She shivered when she felt his gaze move over her figure searching for more injuries before finally addressing her.

"What were you doing in the woods? Past the restricted zone?",he asked her sharply.

"We....I mean the girls and I, we were playing with the frisbee and it got lost in here....so we came to search for it", Amara replied back hesitantly.

"Whose stupid idea was it for you to come in here?", Valerio demanded from her furiously.

"It was a collective decision", Amara replied back automatically.

"Amara...", she shuddered internally at the warning in his tone.

"Look at me and answer truthfully. I know very well that neither you nor Serena would ever suggest this. I'm also aware of whom is responsible but I want to hear it from you", he ordered her.

"I'm not lying. We all did agree to it", Amara said weakly still not looking at Valerio.

She felt a hand go under her chin as she was made to look up in his cold eyes.

"I don't want to know whether you agreed with it or not. I want to know whose idea was it. It was the Giovanni girl, wasn't it?", he asked her and Amara's eyes widened slightly in response before she shook her head.

But it was of no use now. Valerio had alright got his answer. "She will be punished for breaking my rules", he told her as he moved back from her.

"She did suggest it but we all came in together", Amara told him.

"And yet I don't see anyone else around here",Valerio answered coldly as he looked around.

"It is getting darker, I should take you back before the sun sets completely", Valerio said. Amara nodded as she took a step forward but she stumbled, catching Valerio's shoulder for support as she felt a stinging pain shoot up her right ankle.

"What's wrong?",Valerio asked her as his arm went around her waist again, supporting her.

"My ankle hurts", she said and whimpered softly when she tried to put pressure on it. Before she could try to walk again, she was swiftly picked up, her hands automatically gripping Valerio's shoulder for support.

"Val!" she exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing?". Amara was sure that her face had turned very red probably red enough to even fry an egg on it.

"Taking you to a safe place so that your immediate injuries can be treated", he replied back as he casually strode forward with her in his arms.