"Have you guys noticed Ulrich lately", Odd asked sounding worried.
"Yeah he's been a lot weaker and he looks paler, too" Yumi added looking around the group to see if they all agreed with Odd.
"You guys don't think anything is wrong do you" Aelita asked sounding slightly worried.
"Well knowing Ulrich something might be wrong, oh here he comes" Jeremy said pointing at Ulrich's approaching figure.
"Hey guys" Ulrich said waving. "Hi Ulrich what's up" Odd asked looking down.
"Odd I should be asking you that, in fact all of you look sad. Who died?" Ulrich asked looking each of them in the eyes.
"Guys I can't take it anymore," Yumi said frustrated "Ulrich is something wrong, are you sick" Yumi asked standing up while the others followed suite.
"You guys what is going on," Ulrich asked backing up noticing the closeness between them.
"Ulrich this is for your own-""OOOOWWWW" "Ulrich what's wrong are you okay" Jeremy said as all of them leaned down to his level.
"Nothing, its nothing just a bruise from soccer practice" "Ulrich you haven't gone to soccer practice in two weeks" Odd said matter-of-factly.
"I was doing it by myself and no Yumi I'm not sick" "Ulrich come here" everybody turned to see William on the other side of the courtyard.
"Yes William, you guys can we finish this later" Ulrich asked starting to head toward William.
"Uh…yeah sure we will finish this at dinner" "Actually how about after dinner I want to take a nap so after dinner you come to me and Odds dorm okay? Cool later" and with that he ran over to where William was.
"Hey William-" "I told you to stay away from Yumi. Ulrich your 13. Yumi is 14. I am 14, don't you get it Ulrich" William said stepping closer to him.
Ulrich looked as pale as a ghost when he saw William step closer. He took a step back and was about to run when he reached out to touch Ulrich's shoulder.
"Please don't hit me I'm really sorry" Ulrich pleaded.
"Ulrich I wouldn't hit you, you might be a pain sometimes but really" William said looking at his brother with a confused expression.
"Oh I know-" Ulrich said hoping his brother wouldn't ask a certain question. But his brother did just that.
"Ulrich is somebody hitting you?" William asked but right after he was done asking the bell rang.
"Well I got to go William, see ya later" Ulrich yelled while running toward the school.
"I'm going to talk to his friends at lunch" William said to himself following the way his brother just ran off.
The rest of the day his friends didn't talk to Ulrich very much, even Odd didn't and he is his best friend and lab partner.
"Hey you guys I need to talk to you about my brother" William said walking over to the gang's table at lunch.
"Why, we don't even know your brother" Jeremy asked looking up from his laptop to look William in the eye.
"Yes you do, you know Ulrich" "What, Ulrich is your brother" Odd asked.
"Ya you didn't know that" William asked astonished that even his brothers closest friends didn't know, especially Odd since Ulrich seemed to tell Odd everything.
"Wait William that's impossible your last name is Stein and Ulrich's is Stern" "No they misspelled my last name my name is William David Stern" William said as he sat down at their table.
"Well what's Ulrich's full name" Odd asked curiously.
"Oh, Ulrich Daniel Stern why?" "Just curious, now what did you want to talk to us about Ulrich" Odd asked starting to eat his food again.
"Well this morning when we were talking I took a step close to him and he asked me to not hit him, one he's my little brother and I would never hit him, and two he looks paler and weaker. Before you say anything I have an idea but I need your help to get him to go there," "Go where" Yumi asked now really getting into this conversation.
"The infirmary-" William started to say his plan when he was interrupted by a blood curdling scream.
"AAAHHH CALL HELP! HURRY" Sissy screamed running into the cafeteria, toward the gang's table and stopping. They all noticed that she had tears in her eyes and was breathing heavily.
"All of you come with me something's wrong with Ulrich, he fell" Sissy squealed pulling them up out of their seats and to the door. When they stepped outside they saw the worst sight of their lives. Ulrich lying on the ground unconscious and really pale.
"Give him some room" Jeremy, Odd, and Sissy were keeping people back as the nurse, Jim, and the principle came to check Ulrich.
"We need to get him to the infirmary" the nurse said as Jim picked him up and they started to run to the infirmary.
"What happened" William asked turning to the principal.
"We don't know, nobody knows. The people passing by just saw him stop, moan, and fall, nobody knows why he fell that's why they took him to the infirmary" the principal said starting to walk toward the infirmary.
"Well don't just stand there come on let's go" William said starting to run to the infirmary the others in tow.
"How is he" Odd asked as the nurse came out of the examination room. She had this really weird look on her face. The kind of you give someone when you find something out that they probably don't know and you really aren't looking forward to telling them.
"Well before I answer that, um…did any of you know that Ulrich is 25 pounds under weight and that he has a couple bruises on his back and chest? One in particular is on his chest that interferes with his breathing. So right now he's awake but he's being very quiet," the nurse said opening the door for them and closing it after they were inside.
"Ulrich are you awake" Yumi asked as she started toward the bed.
"Yeah I am. Unthankfully" Ulrich replied with a bit of sarcasm. "Ulrich what the hell are you talking about, you scare us all to death and now your saying you don't want to be awake to tell us all what's going on" William said walking to the other side of Ulrich's bed.
"Well when I'm sleeping I don't have to breathe on my own because I have a breathing mask on but when I'm awake it hurts to breathe" Ulrich replied with a rather hoarse voice.
"Ulrich why are you underweight and hurt. You should have told us someone was hurting you" Jeremy said sounding betrayed.
"I didn't want you to worry about me" Ulrich admitted sounding guilty.
"ULRICH, you are 25 pounds under weight, okay, mom is going to kill me for letting this happen. Then she is going to kill you for doing this to yourself or not reporting it" William said sounding worried and angry at the same time.
"I'm sorry, this is why I didn't want to tell you. Your worried, and now all of you even the doctors are in danger of being killed" Ulrich said before he started holding his head and shaking it furiously repeating over and over again "Get out of my head". He was shaking very badly and he looked as if he wanted to yank his head of.
"William help us hold him down while we inject this into him" a doctor said as he was putting some white-ish liquid into a syringe.
"Okay but I should warn you that Ulrich hates needles," William said while helping hold down his shaking brother.
"Ulrich calm down their going to help you" Yumi cooed running her fingers through his hair.
"I cant it hurts to much" Ulrich said now crying. It didn't look like he was intentionally shaking or wiggling; it just looks like dead pain.
"Jeremy what's wrong with Ulrich" Aelita asked watching her friend in so much pain. This is what it looked like; Ulrich lying on the bed crying Yumi running her fingers through his hair to try and calm him; Odd was rubbing his back to try and comfort him and then there was William and two doctors trying to hold him still so the doctor could give him the injection.
"Ulrich is hurt and scared," Jeremy said as the doctor finally got the stuff in him and heard Ulrich scream in pain.
"May I go in and see him, Jeremy?" Aelita questioned Jeremy looking into his eyes, pleading with him to let her see her friend.
"Yes Aelita you may" Jeremy said smiling sadly at her.
"Ulrich?" Aelita asked as she entered the room.
"Hey Aelita, what's up" Ulrich said, his voice still rather raspy, smiling at her and beckoning her to come closer.
"Are you okay you looked terrible a few minutes ago" Aelita asked as she got closer to him.
"Aelita please don't ask him questions right now, please" William pleaded as tears streamed down his face. He actually looked worse then Ulrich did. Aelita felt a pang of sorrow for him.
"Okay, so Ulrich Jeremy and I were talking about today's history test we were wondering if you liked it" Aelita asked curious to start a conversation with him.
"Aelita why are you- OH go on, Ulrich how did the history test go" Odd replied grinning as Yumi caught on. You see Ulrich isn't the best student in the world but he is an A+ student in two subjects: Gym, and History, but the real reason they asked was because it had been on German traditions from now and then.
"Why are you guys bothering me about that stupid test, it was so easy I don't know why I even studied for it" Ulrich said right before a few doctors came in and told his friends that they had to leave for a few minutes. After they were all out of the room they started asking Ulrich questions.
"Now Ulrich we need you to tell us who hurt you and why," "Yes and also why you are 25 pounds underweight" said two of the doctors.
"Well, I- alright it was this guy named Max he does terrible things to people and I am one of the lucky ones" Ulrich said wincing as all the memories came back to him at once.
"Wait are you talking about Max the Molester" what none of them knew was that his friends and brother were right outside the door and when they heard that and saw Ulrich nod they all barged in.
"WHAT" they all screamed in unison.
"Were you raped" the doctor, which they all soon found out his name was John, asked.
"………N-N-No, No I wasn't but a lot of other kids were" He replied as all my friends came over and hugged him.
"Oh, my god Ulrich you should have told us" Aelita cried hugging him tighter.
"Ulrich, are you okay" Jeremy and Odd asked in unison.
"Truthfully" Ulrich asked, all of his friends nodded so he continued
"No, you guys I'm not" Ulrich said as tears fell freely down his face.
