Trees. Nothing but trees. Mara groaned, clutching her staff in frustration. How long had they been traveling in this stupid forest? The woods seemed to go on endlessly, slowly driving her mad. Every tree looked the same, every rock similar to the one before. It was hard to tell if the were on the right trail or just going around in an endless circle.

"Are you certain we are going the right way?" Phineas asked, his voice like a shaky whisper. The little spirit was looking around uneasily, his translucent form flickering in and out. "You are not exactly the most ideal navigator. Erm, no offense."

Mara crossed her arms, shooting her companion a sharp look. "Of course I'm sure! Just because we got lost a couple of times--"

"Forty-three times, to be exact."

"--doesn't mean that I don't know where I'm going." She huffed and stomped forward. "I know where to go. Mom and Dad gave me directions."

Phineas lagged behind for a moment before hurriedly floating up next to her. "Are you sure they were the [i]right[/i] directions?"

Before Mara could snap back her reply, a piercing scream filled the air. The two exchanged startled looks. There was no way that could have been a bird or deer. With a mutual nod of agreement, the ghost and witch sprinted/floated towards the source of the noise. Phineas' image flickered to near invisibility, a worried look crossing his face. Mara, meanwhile, ran with her eyes sharp of determination. She tightly clutched her staff, tense with readiness for anything to come their way.

The duo slowed as voices were heard up ahead. Three people and, judging by their tones, possibly around Mara's age. Before the witch could stomp ahead and confront them, Phineas grabbed her arm. Mara winced at the sudden touch. It was like her arm was encased in an iceberg. Noticing the look on her face, Phineas quickly pulled away with an apologetic look. "What if they're dangerous?" he whispered nervously.

Mara smiled smugly, twirling her staff with practiced ease. "So am I." Without another word, she stormed ahead towards the voices. "Hey!" she called. As she neared, she could make out three people. One being a young girl, and the other two boys. She felt Phineas hover just behind her. He was fully invisible this this time, his presence only recognizable by the slight chill in the air.