(A/N: So sorry I haven't written anything in so long! Things have been really busy, and I've started college now! )

"Yumi. Come on. Up." Sarah shakes Yumi's shoulder. "Class starts in 10 minutes!"

"What?!?" The dark-haired girl bolts out of their shared bed, hair adorably mussed. "Okay, just give me a minute! I can't believe I overslept!"

Nine minutes and 59 seconds later, the gang looks up in surprise at Sarah and Yumi as they skid into the classroom; Yumi slips on the tile floor and grabbing onto Jeremie's desk to keep from falling. "Isn't that Odd's job? To oversleep and come in at the last possible second?" Ulrich cracks.

"Yeah, yeah. The Ishiyamas went away for the weekend, and Hiroki's staying at a friend's house, so it's just Yumi and I for today, and I guess we did oversleep," Sarah sheepishly responds. "Thank God it's Saturday. Just the half day now, then. And we're planning a little party- well, Yumi is- tonight."

The clock seems to have stopped, but finally, finally, the last bell rings. "Why not just go over now?" Odd suggests the minute everyone's gathered in Kadic's courtyard.

"No, not yet, okay? We need a little time to get ready," Yumi insists. "See you all in an hour?"

A gleam sparkles in Sarah's eye. An hour…perfect.

Back at the Ishiyama's, Yumi starts to get things ready. "Okay, I have the soda and chips and everything…what movies do you think we should watch? And we should probably order pizza…you know Odd and his appetite…" She's stopped mid-sentence by Sarah kissing her, the Korean girl's tongue dancing across her lips.

"Come here, you," she growls when they come up for air.

"But Ulrich…" Yumi feebly protests.

"Ulrich's not here, is he?" A naughty grin dances across Sarah's lips, and she leads Yumi over to the couch.

There is frenzy afterwards. Tops hastily put back on, hair finger-combed, each other's makeup washed off…and then there they sit, breathless, smelling of perfume and sweat, slightly embarrassed, avoiding each other's eyes, faces flushed…but when the rest of the gang arrives, they don't notice. Or maybe just pretend not to.

As the pizza and soda flows, Jeremie's mind begins to work on an idea. Maybe…it could work…He thinks so hard he starts to get a headache. Yes. That would work. Solve Sarah's X.A.N.A. problems once and for all…but do I want to solve it? After all, the premonitions are really helpful.

But they're really hurting her! another voice argues. You can see that!

Finally, Jeremie reaches a compromise. "Sarah, we all want to talk to you, okay? Just listen. We want to help." He catches Yumi's eye. You know what I mean. "We all know…" he sucks in a deep breath, "what you're hiding."

"Just leave me alone!" she yells. "I'm not hurting you! And why do you care anyway?!?" She gets up to storm out, but Ulrich blocks one door, and Odd the other.

"You're not leaving. You're going to sit here. And listen." Jeremie says firmly.

Defeated, Sarah sits back down on the couch between Aelita and Yumi. "How do you all know?" she stammers.

"Right before we made you a Lyoko warrior, something happened. On your first day of school, after class…" Jeremie begins…

"you ran off to the factory…we didn't know where you went…" Odd continues.

"Then X.A.N.A. attacked, and we went to the factory, but were too busy fighting to notice that you were out cold in a corner there…" Ulrich says guiltily…

"because you'd slashed your wrist! And you don't remember, because we did a return to the past." Yumi finishes quickly, somehow thinking that these facts might be less unpleasant if spit out fast.

"And we looked at your journal while you were um, out…saw what you wrote about the black smoke that had wrapped itself around your head…Jeremie and I figured out it was X.A.N.A., of course…" Aelita sighs. "And we think X.A.N.A. may also be playing a role in why you're, um, doing this- it's making you anxious and stuff. Trying to keep you from fighting it."

"But I know there's other stuff going on too. The point is, we want to help you. If you'll let us. And this hurts us, too- we worry every day." Yumi says softly.

There's silence then, broken only by Sarah's quiet crying; she's shaking so much she seems to be having some sort of silent fit. "It's okay. Okay. You're going to be fine." Yumi reassures her; Aelita puts an arm around Sarah's trembling shoulders.

(I don't know what day it is; it's so late I'm not sure if it's night or morning.)

They know. They all know. And they told me that. I've been up forever; I can't sleep. I guess I'm afraid. They promised not to tell anyone else, but I don't know…it was so hard for me to face it. They don't understand what it's like! To fake a smile every day when you have this dark secret literally up your sleeve! To know you should stop- to try to, to want to so much, but in the end, always falling prey to your urges again. And hating yourself for being like this. And the shame…

I just wish I could be stronger. But I did realize something from tonight; maybe I mean something. To somebody. Maybe I am somebody.

-Sarah