A dagger whistled through the air, finding it's mark on the outer rings of the target. Will sighed, his shoulders drooping. Jem sat in the corner of the room, pressing his fingers to his head as the world seemed to blur around him.

Drawing his arm back again, Will flicked his wrist. This time, the dagger landed in the third ring in. Which, considering there were 8 rings, was an improvement. Jem offered Will a small smile as he glanced back. Dagger after dagger, Will drew his arm back and let them fly, almost all of them hitting the target.

Standing up, Jem balanced himself as the world spun around him. "William."

"Jem?" Will turned around, a dagger still gripped tightly in his hand.

"Will. Please. Please...help me to my room." Jem whispered, trying not to let Will hear the panic that was rising in his voice. He gritted his teeth as he leaned weakly against the wall, fearful that his legs would give out on him. Dropping his dagger, Will was at Jem's side, slinging Jem's arm over his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Will asked. Jem had a moment to marvel at Will's expression. His voice like knives and a mindset like ice had dulled and melted, leaving a mere boy of 12 in its place. Will's eyes, so blue and so violet at the same time, were wide with fear for Jem. A sharp pain pulled Jem out of his trance,

"Yes...I need to get to my room..." Jem coughed slightly, a thin line of blood dripping from his mouth. Will quickened his pace, half-dragging Jem through the hallways. Taking a ragged gasp, Jem could feel blood rise in the back of his throat. Jem dropped to his knees, retching up blood on the wooden floor. His nails scratched at the ground as he fought to get up, Will's hands tugging at the back of his vest.

"Get up, you idiot!" Will hissed through his teeth, his voice edged with desperation. "James!"

Jem felt the edges of his vision turn black, the ground beneath him disappear as if he were floating on air. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could hear Charlotte calling his name frantically, feel the strong grip of hands pulling him into the bed, taste the sickly sweet drug of the Yin Fen being forced down his throat. Then his eyes rolled back and there was nothing.

~~ooo~~

"James?" Will said tentatively, walking into Jem's bedroom. "Charlotte said I could come in for a few minutes."

Jem rolled over on his side, opening one eye to look at Will. Sitting up slightly, he pushed a mess of silver hair from his face. "Good evening."

"Evening." Will pulled a chair from the corner of the room and set it by Jem's bed. "Are you still sick?"

"I'm always sick. But the pain is gone and I feel better. So I don't feel as sick." Jem said, shrugging under the covers. His fingers fiddled absentmindedly at the edge of the pillow, the fabric twisted in his hands. "It is different here, though. In Shanghai, whenever we got hurt, we were never allowed visitors, but the servant would always bring you extra cups of tea."

"Tea? That's it?" Will scoffed.

"Just tea. Green tea with the little leaves that unfurl when you put them in water." Jem said, reminiscing. "It was a small comfort, but was nice to have."

"You miss it there a lot." Will commented, his hand in his pocket. When he drew it out, something small was in the palm of his hand. "I got you something."

Will hesitantly slipped the object into Jem's hand. Jem held it up, squinting in the pale shine of the witchlight. It was a necklace, with a carved stone at the end of it. Will, he suspected at first glance, probably got this for me because it is in the shape of a fist. But when Jem looked closer, he realized that the fist was a greenish-white color. Jade. Jade that came from China, from his birthplace.

The fist in itself signified strength...Perhaps Will thought of Jem as strong, not just physically, but mentally as well. Despite the fist aspect of the necklace, the jade symbolized his home. Jem choked down a small cry in memory of his parents, the institute, and his old home. While a small piece of jade was not much of a consolation to most, Will had brought a piece of his home to Jem.

"Thank you, Will." Jem said, putting his hand over Will's. "I really mean it. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Mmhmm." Will flushed a light pink, embarrassed that he had done something kind.

Pulling his hand off of Will's, Jem studied the jade fist closer...Jade was expensive, especially high quality jade like this. "William, where did you get this?"

"Does it matter?" Will raised an eyebrow, staring at Jem.

"Did you steal it?"

"So what if I did?" Will smirked slightly, his black hair curling around his temples. "It was right there...How could I resist?"

"Why did you steal it?"

"You're my friend." Friend...Such a casual term, but it felt so foreign on Will's tongue. After leaving his family, he tried to push people away, and yet, Jem was different. He, to Will's horror, understood Will and his ways. Never did Will think he would find such a person in his life.

Jem smiled crookedly, his silver hair pasted to his forehead with sweat. "Thank you, Will."

"You already said that." Will pointed out. Jem just shut his eyes halfway, his eyelashes like silk against his skin.

"It's very important." Jem murmured, rolling back over, the jade fist still clutched to his chest. By the time Will had left the room and closed the door, Jem was already asleep.