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IV

New School, Old Feelings

"And that should be the last signature, Mrs. Astarte," said Vice-Principle Ferynus Son'Stygia. Ferynus was a member of an extremely small population of Stygians that lived with in the Sapphire Empire. The whole of the race that lived with in the boundaries of the Empire, numbering around four thousand members, could be found exclusively on Asgard. Rumors persisted that the whole race came from a planet on the far side of the Cybernax Protectorate, but the Stygians were quiet on the matter, and the Cybernax never spoke of the home worlds of those races under their protection. Stygians are a highly magical race of humanoid lizards. While they can have features that appear draconian, they have no relation with any of the dragon races. Standing on average between three and four feet, their scale covered hide ranges in hues that cover a wide range of colors and shades. The only consistency in the colors was that clans tended to stay with in certain colors. For instance, Ferynus' clan, the Son Clan, were mostly green, with individuals having different shades of green. Ferynus' scales were an olive green, with desert yellow belly scales that started at his throat and ran all the way down to the tip of his long tail. Like the Foxlings, Stygians had double knees, but with long clawed paws. The paws had four strong toes on them, with the largest, inner toe designed like that of a member of the raptor family of dinosaurs. At three foot seven, Ferynus did not look intimidating. His head resembled that of a monitor lizard, but with two ridges of small horns that started just behind the nostrils on his snout, and travels back along the top of his head. As they did so, the horns gradually grew in length until they ended in the two largest ones, some five inches long, located on the back of his head.

Ferynus was dressed in a old fashioned manner. He had on a white, stiff high collar dress shirt, under a black silk waistcoat, but no necktie. The top button of the shirt was hidden, and this gave him a strangely clerical look. His light gray sports coat hung on a coat stand near the door to his office. A black leather belt, with a bronze colored buckle, held up the dark gray slacks. His yellow, cat-like eyes had an intense, watchful look in them, which made them stand out against his otherwise unremarkable features and dress. While Ferynus did not look intimidating, his mannerisms did give him an air of sophistication and confidence that could unsettle those who did not know him well. Especially those who had just met him. He was clearly well educated, and his manners suggested that he could run with both the high society crowd and the business executives with out breaking stride. A personal tea set of polished alabaster sat on a small table over by the triple pane window, a self heating tea pot next to the cups and saucers. One of those cups and saucers, the cup currently filled with steaming hot tea, sat on Ferynus' desk top. The desk itself was made of some dark wood, the top o which was designed so that the attached computer could fold up inside of it when not in use.

Ferynus was too short to sit at a regular desk, so he had ordered a specially designed chair that would allow him to sit and work at the required level. His natural abilities more than made up for his lack of reach and stature in other areas. Such as now, as the papers that Heather had just signed floated across the desk, straightened themselves, and then put themselves away in the proper draw located in the cabinet behind the Stygian's desk. All with out Ferynus so much as lifting a finger. Heather watched this with a small amount of consternation. She had little dealings with those that practiced the "Old Art," and she was uncertain if she should be impressed, terrified, indifferent, or all of the above. She knew that Stygians used magic on a daily bases, as it was as much a part of them as breathing. The fact that their magic was almost always used constructively, made the viewpoint of those non-magic users more tolerable. Alix, however, had no qualms on showing what she felt, as she stared with wide eyes and mouth a gap.

"Close your mouth, dear," Heather said. "You're being rude."

Alix snapped her mouth close with an audible click.

Ferynus gave them a small smile and picked up his tea. "It is quite alright, Mrs. Astarte. I sometimes forget that a good portion of the population does not see magic in use all to often." He took a sip of tea. "You will find that this school is filled with some exceptional individuals. My own nephew is a student here. Magic, and psychic powers, are a common item with in these halls. And we do have teachers who go out of their way to help those who are still learning to control those powers. We do, however, have strict policies on their uses, and any abuse of those powers are dealt with severely." He took another sip of tea and looked at Alix. "Now, child, I hear that you've had some problems with other students in your previous schools."

Alix looked away quickly. Heather reached out a hand and grasped Alix's to reassure her.

"She's been the target of almost constant bullying since she's started school," Heather said. "Alix is shy by nature, and this seems to draw some of the worst attention."

"I see," Ferynus said. His magic sight tingling a little every time he looked at the girl. He did not know what it was, but some sort of aura was hanging around the girl. "Such activity will not be tolerated here. All of our teachers have received training on how to spot such things. That is not to say that it does not happen, however, as we can not be everywhere at once, but we do tend to put a stop to it before it escalates into violence. As you no doubt saw in the waver you signed, any serious criminal activity will be done through a court of law, and not through the Board of Education. With such things as assault, the offender is also likely to be tried as an adult. We do not mess around with such things here. On that subject, how is your arm, Ms. Astarte?"

"Sore," Alix said in a small voice.

"How much time do you have to go before the cast can come off?"

"At least another two weeks," Heather said. "Our doctor said it was a pretty bad break."

"Shame," Ferynus said. "We have a descent swim team, and an excellent instructor. I understand from your files that you are into swimming. Though the try outs are over, we still have a few slots open for the team. When that cast comes off, I could arrange a meeting with Ms. Lake so that she could see how good you are. You would not be able to compete this year, but you would be a member of the team. Does that sound interesting to you?"

Alix's head snapped up, and she looked at Ferynus with a look of fear hidden deep in the back of her eyes. "No, thank you," she said. A little too quickly. Ferynus raised an eyebrow.

"Alix," Heather sighed.

Ferynus raised a hand, stopping Heather from saying anything further. "No, it is alright. I think I can understand. I would still like Ms. Lake to take a look at you however." Alix's face fell a little, and the Stygian looked at her over the lip of his tea cup as he took another sip. For a brief moment, a quiet anger rose inside of him. What did those 'punks' do to crush the girl's self esteem so thoroughly. Then he squashed the anger. This was not the place or time for such thoughts. He put the tea cup down.

"Regardless of the injury, your grades in all other areas, especially math, will preclude you from taking any make up tests. Your physical education scores, however, are still low, so I will insist on Ms. Lake giving you remedial instructions. Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes, sir," Alix said in a small, pacified voice.

Ferynus looked hard at the girl. Her expression was one of resignation, and she refused to meet his eyes. Heather still sat holding her daughter's hand, as if her presence alone could give Alix confidence. Guessing that this was all he was going to get out of her, Ferynus moved to stand up. Swiveling to his left, the Stygian did a half jump, half drop from the chair, landing lightly on his feet. Both mother and daughter rose as he came around the desk.

"Come," he said, motioning them to follow. "It is now close to lunch, and I insist on showing both of you our cafeteria. Now, Mrs. Astarte, I understand you like to cook balanced meals, is that correct?"

"Yes. I try to at any rate. A little protein, some vitamin rich plants, and some starch. Alix tends to like meals that are all inclusive, such as casseroles."

"Very good. Now we have a higher quality of food than most schools. The price of the food is included in the tuition, by the way, so you may come to the cafeteria at any time that it is open without worrying about such things as 'lunch money.'" Ferynus gave them a small, toothy grin, and he saw the girl relax a little. Again, he wondered what type of bullying had the girl not gone through. "Now," he continued, suppressing his thoughts again, "the cafeteria is open at eleven o'clock sharp and stays open until two in the afternoon. This gives our students plenty of opportunity to come get something to eat, especially for those busy with school activities. Both the gym and pool are on the far side of the grounds, for instance, and it can be difficult to get here in a timely manner. Of course, you are welcome to bring your own lunch, and though we do not have anything for students to use to heat up any food, you are still able to bring in such things as sandwiches. Again, you are welcome to use the tables in the cafeteria, or you may stay in your classroom, so long as it is not in use at the time."

Ferynus smirked, as if he just remembered something. "We ask you not to use the roof for lunch breaks, or anything else other then the mandatory maintenance on the equipment located up there. There is quite a bit of it up there, and a few of the students accidentally damaged some of it last year in...let us say, unsupervised meetings."

"Oh, my," Heather said with wide eyes and a hand in front of her mouth.

Alix looked between the two of them for a moment, perplexed. Then, as comprehension came, her ears went flat against the sides of her head, and her tail puffed up slightly in a Foxling's version of a blush. She looked at the floor and fiddled with the strap to her bag.

"Despite what is shown in movies and on TV shows, the roof is off limits to students," Ferynus said. "It is almost completely covered in equipment, with little room even for the maintenance crews to move around. And after what happened last year, we have installed extra security measures. You are free to pursue whatever activities you want out of the school, within tolerance, but while you are here, you are to be focusing on learning." They stepped into a large hall, filled with students and teachers. The teachers were distinguished only by the fact that they were not wearing school uniforms. Alix looked around and saw all sorts of races. A large percent of them were human, but she could see Guardens, Foxlings, Bympyrs, Raccoonins, and even some Sharlins.

"Our school population is quite eclectic," the Stygian said as he noticed her looking around. "As is the Empire as a whole. We pride ourselves for excepting anyone regardless of race, religion, or sex. All are welcome, so long as you do not cause trouble, and you come to learn, of course. Ah, here we are."

They came to a set of open double doors, which students, and some teachers, were stepping through into the large room beyond. Ferynus motioned them to step in.

"We encourage the staff to eat with the students," Ferynus said noticing Heather glancing at the teachers. "Makes them more approachable. Now after lunch, Ms. Astarte, I will take you to your classroom and introduce you to the class you will be with for the rest of the semester."

* * * * * *

Alix looked through the door window at the class beyond. Mr. Son'Stygia was talking to Mr. Everly, a human male in his forties with graying hair, and a pair of reading glasses perched on the end of his nose. After lunch, her mother had kissed her goodbye at the entrance of the school, and Alix had followed the Stygian up to the third floor. She was unsure how she was supposed to feel, following the smaller Stygian. Alix was use to being the smallest in her class, and she was surprised at how some one of Mr. Son'Stygia's height was regarded by everyone they met. He was greeted warmly by several students, and waved to by several teachers, as one would to a trusted college. When they had gotten to room three-zero-five, Mr. Son'Stygia had asked Alix to wait outside while he briefly spoke to the teacher. Mr. Everly was the one of the teachers for Modern History, as Mrs. Dhaliwal, who was Alix's homeroom teacher, was in a different room teaching math. This gave Alix a chance to look over the class of twenty or so students, and see if she could recognize anyone. So far, no one had stood out in her memory, until she looked toward the back of the room. For a brief moment, Alix's heart froze, and she stared with wide, frightened eyes.

Sitting at the back desk, next to the windows, was Rebecca Iona, Hector's twin sister. The Ionas had been very vocal about the death of their son, and had partially blamed Alix for it. Rebecca had been assigned to another class that year, and so had not been in the room when the 'accident' had happened. The Astartes and Ionas had not spoken since. Alix still partially blamed herself for Hector's death as well, and seeing Rebecca again, awoke the old guilt. Even sitting down, Rebecca towered over the rest of the class. She had to be at least six feet, if not taller, and had the physic of a boxer or football player. The school uniform must have been specially tailored to fit her, and even then it fit snugly around the shoulders and chest. Rebecca had long, rich brown hair drawn up into a high ponytail, a red ribbon keeping it in place. Her sea lion like head was in her left hand, as her dark brown eyes stared out the window.

Alix spotted Mr. Son'Stygia heading back towards her, and quickly reached up and yanked the barrette from her hair. As the door opened, she pushed a lock of hair over her left eye, hiding it from view. Mr Son'Stygia gave her a brief glance, and then ushered her into the classroom. If she was really lucky, he would place the action down to nerves. And if Alix was really, really lucky, Rebecca would not recognize her. There was a slight stir as Alix walked in, and a red female Foxling in the back near Rebecca partially stood up to get a better view. Rebecca continued to stare out the window, seeming to be oblivious to the activity around her. Mr. Son'Stygia brought Alix to the teaching podium and had her stand in front of it as he addressed the class.

* * * * * *

"Oh, my God," Kaelyn Duskcoat whispered to Rebecca. Kaelyn was the only Foxling in their class, and only one of six in the entire grade. At four foot five, she was also the tallest of her race in the school, as even the boy in three-ten was two inches shorter. Her long, flame bright hair fell in waves to the base of her tail. Her deep red fur, looking like it was taken from the sky during a spectacular sunset, gleamed in the sunlight coming from through the windows. She had snow white fur on the throat and belly, as well as the tip of her tail. Black fur decorated the hands, ear tips and the top of her snout. Her body was not the bulk of muscles that Rebecca had, but the smooth conditioned muscles of a runner. The school coat was the only thing that seemed too big on her, but did little to hide her modest chest.

"Look, Beckie! The transfer is another Foxling! And a girl! We have to make her our friend!!"

"Uh-huh," Rebecca said absently, continuing to stare out the window.

"Oh, poo on you," Kaelyn said as she sat back down in a huff. Rebecca smiled and continued to stare out the window.

* * * * * *

"Settle down everyone," Mr. Son'Stygia said, his soft baritone voice cutting through the chatter with remarkable ease. As the noise died down, the Stygian motioned to Alix. "This is Alixandra Astarte. She has just transferred from a school in Vanaheim, and I'm sure by now that you all have heard the story."

* * * * * *

'Did he just say, Astarte,' Rebecca thought to herself. She glanced up and stared in amazement. There could be now doubt about it. It was Alix. Her brother's best friend looked entirely like a girl now, so at least some of the rumors were true, but there could be no mistaking that face. Alix was back. A thrill filled Rebecca. She was excited; really excited. Alix was back.

"Beckie," Kaelyn whispered. "I think something's wrong."

"Wha-"

"I think she's having a panic attack," Kaelyn said with real concern.

* * * * * *

"Yeah, we heard," called out a human male in the back left corner of the room. At the same time, Rebecca looked over at Alix, as if she had just heard the name for the first time. Alix's heart began to beat faster as she saw the Bympyr's eyes widen in recognition. The feeling of a growing need to flee slowly began to creep into Alix's gut. She held her ground however, the feeling of security that Mr. Son'Stygia radiated suppressing the fear for the moment. The Stygian, seemingly oblivious to the rising fear in Alix, raised an eyebrow at the human before continuing.

"Now, let me tell you that the rumors you have heard are, indeed, false. The young lady has the broken arm to prove it. So I am asking all of you to make her feel welcome in this school. She has had a hard time in her last school, and I would like her to make some lasting friends here. Fellas, please refrain from 'hitting' on her. Ladies, she new, does not know who is with who, and might accidentally step on some toes. Please be gentle with her, and do not go off on a violent tangent. Now, do we have any questions?"

Rebecca raised her hand, and Alix felt her heart start to beat even faster. Mr. Son'Stygia was in the middle of giving her permission to speak, when the human male, who had been whispering to a few of his class mates, spoke out.

"Hey, VP, you sure she's not the head of Alcoholics Anonymous with initials like that? I mean, come on; AA?"

There was a general chuckle from the students around him, but a majority of the students, including Rebecca, looked his way with a frown, or a look of complete disgust on their faces. Mr. Son'Stygia seemed unfazed by the whole thing, and simply raised both eyebrows as he addressed the human.

"Congratulations, Bruce Campbell. You have just doubled your detention. I will inform the janitors that they will have the extra help for the next month."

"Wha-"

There was a burst of laughter from the other students, as Bruce half stood, glaring first at the Vice-Principle, and then at Alix. Alix stared back, eyes wide with terror. She had recognized the name instantly, and now that she had a good look at him, the face as well. Gone was the fat, replaced by years of muscle development from playing sports. He still had that same military style hair cut, and his hard jaw line made him look even more brutish than Alix remembered, but it was Bruce, now standing five foot ten. Bruce continued to glare at her for a moment, and then as he looked at her for truly the first time, recognition slowly crept across his face. Alix's heart was now racing like a frightened rabbit. She was panting heavily, her lungs begging for more air than they were getting. And the need to run was so overpowering, that she could no longer ignore it.

"Oh, my GOD," screamed the red Foxling, pointing at Alix. "Mr. Son'S-"

Alix did not hear anything else. She turned to run...and the room tilted. She watched helplessly as the floor raced up to catch her. Right before it collided with her, black oblivion took her.

* * * * * *

Alix woke slowly. Her head hurt, and for a brief moment after opening her eyes, the room swam. Quickly shutting them again, she concentrated on the sounds around her. The sound of a soft breeze could be heard coming in through the open window, just to her left, ruffling the curtains that hung over them. In the distance, the sound of traffic on a street, and the sound of kids playing sports. A little closer, the slow, precise clicking of someone on a computer keyboard typing something. The breeze ruffled the little bit of fur exposed to it along her neck and muzzle, feeling fresh and clean, if just a little chilly. The warm sunlight of an afternoon sun fell across Alix, compensating for the chill in the breeze. It all seemed nice and comfortable. Once again, Alix slowly opened her eyes. This time, the room swam only for a moment, then stabilized.

The ceiling above Alix reminded her of a hospital ward. White tile with a soft glowing light in the middle of it. She was laying in a simple bed with only a white sheet and a light blanket over top of her. A triple pane window was to her left, the pane on the far side opened to let the breeze in. A gauzy white curtain, opened in the middle, lay across the window. To her right was an empty chair, and behind that, a thick white curtain that ran from the ceiling to the floor and projected out of a wall slot that was located close to the head of the bed. The room, or what Alix could see of it, was otherwise unadorned. A nurses office, Alix realized as she pushed herself up into a more comfortable position.

At the sound of her stirring, the typing stopped, there was the scrape of a chair on tile, and around the curtain stepped a white female Foxin in the uniform jacket of a school nurse. Standing around five-in-a-half feet tall, she was covered in rich white fur, with no other color, save for her long brown hair. The hair was wavy and fell to the small of her back. Tall, triangular ears sat on either side of her head, and a pair of bright blue eyes looked out over a long, slender muzzle. The nurse wore a light blue pullover blouse, and a dark gray, knee length skirt, and a white coat that sported the schools crest. Her legs were covered in brown, nylon stockings and black flats covered her feet.

The Foxin smiled at Alix, and approached the side of the bed. "Finally awake are we," she said in a soft, kind voice. She reached out and felt Alix's forehead, and then checked her eyes. When she reached for the lock of hair that covered Alix's left eye, Alix instinctively tried to stop her. The nurse gently moved the girl's hand away, and then looked at the eye. Standing up straight, and making no comment on the left eye, the nurse pulled a small data slate out of one of the coat pockets and began to make notes on it with a stylus.

"Well, no serious harm was done, though you might be have a sore head for a bit. Possibly a headache as well, what with your face first crash into the floor."

"What happened," Alix asked, trying to remember how she had gotten to the nurse's office in the first place.

The nurse looked up from the data slate and gave Alix another smile. "You had one of the worst panic attacks I've ever seen. You were hyperventilating so badly that your body simply shutdown, due to lack of oxygen. If Ms. Duskcoat hadn't seen what be happening, it might have been far worse. She's prone to them herself, yah know, and knew you were having trouble before anyone else. Saved me some time as well."

"And who are you," Alix asked, still a little puzzled.

"Oh, how rude of me! I'm sorry, never introduced myself." The Foxin put the data slate back in her pocket, and gave a slight bow, the tips of her right hand resting on the upper portion of her chest. "I'm Cora Harper, one of the schools nurses, and head of the health department when Doctor Wilcox isn't here. You were brought here, oh," Cora checked the watch on the underside of her left wrist, "almost four hours ago. You've been out cold ever since. I've had your parents called, and I was supposed to call them when you've woken up. And that's were I be going now. You are to stay here until either one of them, or myself, come to get you. You get me, Miss?"

Alix nodded firmly. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Good," Cora smile warmly at Alix. "I'll be back shortly."

Cora went around the curtain and spoke with someone on the other side.

"I'm going to make some phone calls. Could yah stay here and keep an eye on her. I know you have practice, but I need someone reliable to stay here."

"I can do it, Ms. Harper," said a deep, mellow female voice. "The Captain will understand. Ha ha. He might even be happy about it. I can be a little hard on the new club members, and this will give him a chance to go over the basics with out them being terrified of me."

Cora gave a small chuckle. "You're hard on everyone, dear. Especially yourself. Be back in a little."

Alix heard the nurse step out of the room, and around the curtain stepped Rebecca Iona. She gave Alix a friendly wave and a smile that only someone who knew Bympyrs very well would find exceptionally friendly.

"Hi, Alix," Rebecca said as she stepped over to the chair and sat down. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" Rebecca took one look at Alix and sighed.

Alix's eyes were as wide as Mr. Son'Stygia's tea saucers with fright. The fur on her tail stood out like the pins in a pin cushion, and her hackles were so stiff that Rebecca thought the collar of the Foxling's blouse would rip open. Rebecca groaned inwardly, and placed a hand briefly over her eyes. She should have expected that response. Her parents had made it clear that they blamed Alix for her brother's death, though Rebecca had never believed it even once. She knew Alix, and had hung out with both Alix and her brother several times. Of course, things had been different then. Alix had been a boy then, but that did not really matter. Rebecca liked Alix, who was far smarter than both Hector and herself put together, and had tutored her in math, even as Rebecca had returned the favor by giving Alix pointers on running. That Alix would deliberately cause Hector's death was absolutely ridiculous in Rebecca's eyes. They had almost been close enough to be brothers.

'Thanks a lot, Mom and Dad,' Rebecca thought. 'Now I have to patch things up the hard way.'

Rebecca looked up at Alix to find that nothing had changed. Alix still looked like a Night Dear caught in open sunlight.

"Look, Alix, I don't know what happened seven years ago," Rebecca said as softly as she could, "and at this point in time, I don't really care anymore. You were my brother's best friend, and I know you would never do anything to harm him. My parents seemed to have forgotten that you were as much a victim of that accident as Hector was. I was once your friend, and I want to be your friend again."

Rebecca paused to see if her words had sunk in. There was no reaction. Either Alix did not hear what Rebecca said, or she was incapable of hearing her. Rebecca could have sworn that she could hear Alix's heart beating out a dirge.

'Blast it,' Rebecca thought. 'This is going to be harder than I thought. Looks like more of the rumors were truer than Mr. Son'Stygia was letting on.'

Rebecca shifted, and when she did, Alix shifted, backwards, away from Rebecca. It was a quick jerk, with an astonishing speed, more than an actual shift. When Rebecca had helped to bring Alix to the nurse's office, Kaelyn had given her a warning about Foxlings when they were frightened. It came back to her now.

'We Foxlings don't have the strength to fight someone head on like you can, Beckie. Our first instinct is to run, and we're very good at it. Especially if we're frightened. If this old friend of yours is as frightened as she looked in the classroom, you won't catch her, even with those long legs of yours. You'll have to out think her. That should be easy, though, as she'll be acting in blind panic.'

'Easier said then done,' thought Rebecca sourly.

"Easy now, Alix. I don't mean any harm. I-" Rebecca had been slowly reaching out, her left hand open, palm up. She was halfway to Alix's shoulder when the smaller girl back peddled off the bed, and up against the window in an instant, where she flattened herself against it. Rebecca stared in amazement. She had never seen anyone move like that. If Alix could move like that when she was frightened...then how fast was she when she was not? Even Kaelyn could not move like that, and she was Captain of the Track and Field team. Rebecca stood slowly, and Alix jerked halfway down the window. Rebecca could visibly see the smaller girl's chest rising and falling rabidly now.

'Great, she's hyperventilating again,' Rebecca thought. 'Good job, Beckie. You're going to give her a heart attack at this rate.'

Alix shifted down the window again. And then Rebecca suddenly saw where Alix was heading.

'She'll make for the opening between the curtain and the wall. The most obvious way out. If I can get there first, I might have a chance-'

Alix shifted, and Rebecca knew that the moment had come. The Bympyr girl made a diving tackle as Alix pushed off the window sill...and ran straight into Rebecca's outstretched arms. Even then, the speed Alix was moving at almost bowled the larger girl over. If it had not been for her Bympyr physiology, Rebecca might have lost the Foxling all together. She still might, Rebecca quickly realized, as even though she had caught Alix, it was like holding onto a Hell Cat. Alix lashed out, bit, kicked, and screamed in an effort to get out of Rebecca's arms.

'Damn,' Rebecca thought between winces, 'when did this girl get so strong.'

"Easy, Alix! Easy, I'm not going to- oooff." One of Alix's feet connected with Rebecca's stomach, and she nearly lost her grip. Thankfully, she was able to maintain it, if just barely. As gently as she could, Rebecca picked up the Foxling and moved over to the bed, cradling the smaller girl like she would a child. Alix slowly subsided, her body finally exhausting itself. Not knowing what she was doing, Rebecca began to talk about her life, whispering into Alix's ear, telling her about the good, the bad, and everything in between.

By the time Henry Astarte came bursting through the door to the nurse's office some thirty minutes later, with an out of breath Ms. Harper shortly after him, Alix was asleep in Rebecca's arms. The two adults looked around in astonishment. The end of the curtain was hanging loose from its mounts in the ceiling. The pillow, sheet and blanket from the bed were spread out across the curtained side of the room, and Rebecca did not look any better herself.

Her blazer was missing one of its buttons and sat a little crooked on her shoulders. The ribbon that held her hair was pooled on the floor near the curtain end, and one of her shoes was over by the chair. The black, thigh high stockings she wore were torn, and her face looked dreadful. She had a black eye, swollen shut now, a split lip, and a bloody nose, the blood now dry. Rebecca looked up at the two adults and gave them the best smile she could. It hurt to do so, but it did not matter. She had her friend back.