Chapter 6: The Trouble with Triangles

"Clara are you okay? You just collapsed in the middle of the subway platform." Kayla said with worry thick in her voice.

"Yeah I'm fine, just a little tired that's all."

"Well that's good to hear just be careful the next time you tackle someone, your circuits were really knocked for a loop there." A girl standing by her said.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Clara I'd like you to meet Audrey Renee Tyson, she's the girl you saved yesterday." Kayla said as she pushed the girl closer to Clara's hospital bed.

"Oh, that, it was nothing. Forget it." Clara said as she blushed then quickly looked out the window.

"Well it's too late for that, I already added an enhancement to your cheek circuitry. Now you can access radio stations and communicate with me or anyone who carries this special walkie-talkie. It's my way of saying thank you." Audrey said as she bowed and handed Clara two silver boxes with gold antennae.

"Thank you, I don't know what to say…I will treasure this gift forever. Thank you Audrey."

"Just hold your hand against your cheek like this," here she acted like she was getting tired to show Clara how it worked, "and the communicator will activate and this box will allow you to browse radio channels if you want to listen to music and it's compatible with any handheld radio or walkman. And you don't have to worry about giving me one because I already have one of my own, it even has it's own special channel so common radio walkie talkie systems won't interfere with yours."

"Wow and here I thought putting together computers from spare parts was a talent." Kayla said her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Well I'd better get going. C-ya later!" Audrey said cheerfully as she skipped out the door and waved over her shoulder.

"Bye Audrey! Thank you!" Clara called as she waved back. "She's a really nice girl, I'm glad I could help her."

"Clara someone's here to see you." One of the nurses said as she poked her head into the room.

"It's okay, send them in."

"Hey you doin' okay?" Cye asked as he came into the room carrying a bouquet of flowers and a stuffed floppy black cat. "We were really worried about you."

"I'm doing fine thank you. I just have no idea how it happened; it was like a part of me that had been dead and buried for years was suddenly freed and took over. I don't know how else to explain it."

"Sometimes things happen that we cannot explain. Many times the reasons are unknown and will remain that way for a long time, once in a while the answers come to us but not until we're ready." Sage said as he gently put a hand on her shoulder. "The answers will come when you're ready Clara."

"What if they never come?" Clara asked as tears slowly started to well up in her eyes. "I came into this world alone; no family, no friends, no one to tell me why I'm here or why I'm so different. You have no idea what it's like to be a considered a freak, to have people stare at you and talk behind you're back."

"You're wrong Clara, I know how you feel because when I was younger I was a lot smarter than most other people my age. I had to put up with lots of teasing kids called me all sorts of terrible names." Rowen said gently as he wrapped an arm around Clara's back and sat down on the bed beside her.

"Just look at me I'm half Japanese and half American and I have blonde hair and violet eyes, which makes me an abomination to the Japanese people. And my gaze frightens people so I have to wear my hair in front of one of my eyes. As if that wasn't bad enough my family dressed and raised me like a girl because I was often very sick as a child and it was believed that girls were healthier than boys. But I don't let this bother me because it's part of who I am." Sage said as he stood beside Rowen.

"Just hang in there girl." Kento said as he patted Clara on the back. "I know things aren't too groovy right now but one day you'll wake up to find out that your better qualities have caught up to your not so better qualities and people will treat you normally."

"Don't worry the answers will come to one day I'm sure of it." Ryo said as he left the room along with Rowen, Sage, and Kento. Cye however stayed behind for he had questions of his own.

"Cye your friends are waiting for you. Shouldn't you be leaving?" Clara asked as she noticed the strawberry haired young man had stayed behind.

"It's okay they'll find me later on tonight. Besides I wanted to thank you for saving my life. It's not that often that a pretty girl I've just saved ends up saving me." Cye said as he nervously ran a hand through his short wavy hair and blushed softly.

"Oh, it's no problem really. It's just part of who I am." Clara laughed nervously and smiled shyly. "And who knows, maybe someday the answers I'm searching for will come to me and maybe they won't. But thanks to you some of the answers are starting to come."

"Me? Why me?" Cye asked in surprise as he pointed to himself.

"Earlier when you were shot, I felt a part of myself be set free that I never knew about before and when I saw your face I just knew that I would be safe. Because I knew that if your friends were anything like you then I'd have nothing to fear." Clara said as she looked out the window and stared at the stars that were beginning to rise in the early night sky.

"Well I'm just glad you're okay. Hey look I've gotta go so I can take care of some things, but I'll come back to check on you tomorrow sometime and you can bet my friends will too. I'll see you later." He said softly as he gently kissed her on her mechanical like cheek and left the room.

Clara blushed a deep cherry red and gently touched her cheek and allowed it to rest in her hand as she slowly walked over to the window and began to sing:

Somewhere out there
Beneath the pale moonlight,
Someone's thinking of me,
And loving me tonight.

Rowen, thank you so much for your kind words today. You reminded me that everyone has hard times during their lives. How we choose to react is what sets us apart from those who would run away. I will run away from the hand destiny has dealt me and I will pray to God to keep me strong

Somewhere out there
Someone's saying a prayer,
That we'll find one another
In that big somewhere out there.

As Cye left the hospital and began the long walk home, he suddenly heard an angelic like voice singing a song that seemed to be meant for him alone and he smiled as he stared at the night sky.

And even though I know how very far apart we are,
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star.
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby,
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky.

Meanwhile as Rowen prepared his bed in the slums of the city, he paused for a moment and smiled as he thought of the beautiful yet troubled Clara and couldn't help but smile at how much she reminded him of Chiclaria. Chiclaria, I failed you once but I will not fail you again. I will find you…wherever you are. he thought as he stared at the night sky.

Somewhere out there
If love can see us through
Then we'll be together
Somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true.

"Someday the answers will come to me…but not yet. Not yet…" Clara sighed as she stared at the night sky. As she turned away from the window to start getting ready for bed, nothing could've prepared her for what she saw next.

-Authors Note: Somewhere Out There is performed by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram-