I stayed by Amina's side for hours after we were saved. I couldn't sleep, in fear of what I would dream. I tried not to think- which was hard for me. But thinking hurt too much. The only thing I cared about was Amina.

How had I not noticed her before? She was so...remarkable. I felt by now, I could spot her in almost an crowd, no matter the size. I would never be able to miss her.

I hated having to tell Mr. Davenport what had happened. I couldn't explain why Amina was hurt, why I couldn't save her- but Mr. Davenport, to my surprise, seemed to understand. He didn't push me for answers. He was just happy I was okay. I had sustained a few minor injuries- scrapes and cuts- but I've always been able to heal fast...probably due to Adam beating me up and throwing me around my whole life.

After we had secured the school, the students were all let into the building. They were all curious about the damage, and Adam, the big blabber-mouth, told them everything. I was sad to have to let Amina go when her friends came to see her; But I was just so relieved that no one else had been injured. It was a stroke of luck that they were all in the courtyard, or in farther parts of the island when the Blast-Wave mishap happened. Amina, Ian- the boy who caused this whole mess- and I were the only ones to get hurt. Amina and I were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, while Ian...was just unlucky.

Apparently, some of the older kids were giving him a hard time in Adam's class about not being able to control his bionics. Ian tried to prove them wrong, but instead of showing off, he ended up having a major glitch, discovering that he could harness a mass amount of bionic energy and blast whatever dared to get in his way. Which just so happened to be the other students. Adam got the other kids in his class out of the way just in time, while Bree and Mr. Davenport tried to calm the boy. But when that didn't work, all Mr. Davenport could do was cower behind a upturned table as Adam and Bree attempted to contain him Ian the training room. By that point, I had already ditched my siblings, preferring to clean the cafeteria rather than help the brother that had slighted me earlier that day. I really did not want to think about that. I'm sure my brother would forget about it in a day, and I was trying too, as well.

Anyways, Ian was out of control. They couldn't stop his blast waves from destroying the training room, sending the floor slowly but surely caving in...nearly killing me and Amina, who were a floor beneath them, fearing for our lives.

(According to Mr. Davenport, the academy could be fixed in a day, thanks to a handful of cash and very discreet construction workers.)

Now why Amina was in the cafeteria was all alone after lunch was a mystery to me- until it was explained to me afterward by her 'good' friend Joseph, who I thought was getting a little handsy with her unconscious body. I figured I'd have to keep an eye on him.

Nevertheless, according to Joseph, and confirmed by Amina's nearly intolerable friend Donaldella (who has been a brat to me- and everyone else who had the misfortune to be placed in a role of authority- since day one at the academy)- Amina was waiting in the cafeteria for Mr. Davenport...who wanted to promote her to red. Now, obviously, Mr. Davenport was a little busy with Ian during the end of the lunch period, but I couldn't help feeling a little displeased with my father. He was, inadvertently, the reason Amina was in the cafeteria in the first place. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't have been there to get hurt. But, then again, you could blame me too, for not being with my family to stop the Blast-Waves from happening in the first place, as well.

It was all very conflicting, but the one thing everyone could agree on was that this was a total and utterly freak accident. Every made a mistake that day...and not just me.

And what else was freak? The fact that Amina would have brand-new abilities when she awoke. When Mr. Davenport told me about her chip, in private- as her friends were visiting- I felt incredibly overwhelmed. I had really started to care for this girl, though I hardly knew here.

I needed some alone time to reset and collect my thoughts- preferably with Amina by my side, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

So I vanished. I hid on the island, trying to find someplace to distract me from the pain of waiting, allowing me to analyze how I felt. It was all very jumbled now...

If my family looked hard enough, they might be able to find me. But after all that happened, I don't think they would try. We all try to get away from each other after something like this happens. After spending our entire lives living, eating, training and now working with each other, alone time was a rare delicacy.

I knew Adam felt bad about Ian getting so out of control. He was Adam's student, after all. Bree was just tired of always playing hero, and I really didn't blame her. It was tiring work, but I couldn't claim the title of 'hero' today...or yesterday, whatever the time was.

I guess everyone- even bionic super humans- make mistakes, and we should be able to forgive ourselves. But the only way I'd ever be able to forgive myself is by doing everything I can to make up for my mistakes. Starting with figuring out how I felt about Amina, and how I could make up for not being able to save her when I had the chance. Thinking through that was hard, but not impossible, especially not for me. It was just different for me, caring so much about a girl. I knew she would heal, and I knew that the next time I saw her, everything would be different.

But I didn't know how much.