I hope I've already been introduced, 'cause I'm not going that deep into the whole introduction thing. I'm Leo, but you knew that already. Anyway, here I am finishing off a fight that I don't even know why I'm involved in, then Quincey turns around talks my sister into staying there.

So Annie's the reason I got into a fight at school today. Wow.

Don't get me wrong, I care a about my sister and all, but why did a whole fight go down? She's usually invisible. It's like she isn't there anymore half the time.

Then I saw the long purple marks strewn across her face, and I want to go hit those jerks a few more times. I don't know why, but I hugged her. For the first time since who-knows-when, I hugged her.

She hesitated before hugging back, but when she did, she hugged hard. Her tiny, malnourished body was shaking with unheard sobs, and when I pulled back, holding her at arms length, tears were still running down her face.

It occurred to me then how exhausted she looked. School was out, so I picked her up and carried her home instead of taking the bus with my friends. I got some pretty strange looks, but I really didn't care at that point. She was asleep by the time we got out of the school building. She looked peaceful, and for that I was glad. We got home and I tacked her in bed.

Well, today was weird.