Earth Angel Chapter 4: The Great Pretender

"Maybe Charlie was right. Amber's fine" Knox muttered to himself on the following Friday night, as they all headed for the cave. Amber, caught up in a moment of passion and sprit was dancing through the woods. Knox had never seen anyone so happy and care-free. "Come on slow-poke" Amber called back . Knowing that he would never live it down if he was bested by a female, Knox started on a mad dash toward the cave, managing to beat Amber by a half- second.

"I don't know how, but you cheated some how." Amber got out in-between catching her breath.

"Rematch when we leave." Knox said, catching his own breath.

"You're on. " Amber stuck her tongue out at her adversary, before ducking in the cave. Knox tried to follow suit, only to whack his head on the entrance.

"Watch you're head there." Amber said with a smirk . Knox just shook his head before sitting down near Amber.

"Alright, lets get this thing underway." Nuwanda said, opening the book.

After the opening message, Amber took the book, and began flipping through it .

"What are you looking for?" Todd asked.

"Poe. This is a book of some the great romantic works. Poe was a dark romantic , but a romantic none the less. Besides, he was a Virginian, and, don't think I'm silly, but some times I get a little homesick. I mean, you guys are away from home too, but not like 500 miles away. True, my mother is renting a house up here, but it's not home. You guys are like family to me, but some times, I…damn it. Not in here. How can a book of romantic poetry not at the very least have 'The Raven' or 'Annabel Lee'." Amber flung the book down. "I'm sorry. I 'm just not feeling very well. I'm going back up." Amber said as she took a deep breath and, wavering a bit but steadying herself quickly, stood up. Knox grabbed on to her arm, silently offering support, physical and emotional, but Amber shook it off, turning and mouthing "I' am fine" with eyes that were fierce and fiery.

Not knowing exactly what to do or say, the society followed Amber out to the edge of the woods, silently. They watched her run off and saw, in almost slow motion , her crumple to the ground. They all ran off after her, Knox getting there a split second before the others. He tried to pick her up, but Meeks stopped him.

"Don't. Think about it. She's gotta get inside on her own two feet. We can't get back in carrying her without getting caught. We've gotta get up a whole mess of steps." He knelt down beside Amber, pushing his glasses up with one hand and gently trying to nudge her awake with the other. With a little gentle prodding and patience, Amber came around.

"What happened.?" she whispered.

"Don't worry about that now. You just need to get upstairs and go to bed." Charlie said gently, helping Amber to her feet. Amber nodded. With Knox as support, she got up the stairs and crawled into bed, falling into a restless sleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

"Well, genius, what's your take on this?" Charlie asked, leaning against Amber's door.

" She's sick, really sick. A lot sicker than she's letting on. Outside, when I was trying to get her back around, I noticed she was burning up. And did you see those bruises? Those aren't right. She's not that clumsy. Plus, that cold is lasting too long. I don't know what it is but she needs to get medical attention soon. I'd say tell Dr. Haggar, but…" Meeks didn't finish his sentence, he didn't need to. Every conscious person in that room could finish it. They were in a fix. Catch 22 you might call it. Tell on them selves and Amber got to the doctor she needed to see but get themselves expelled, or stay silent and let Amber quite probably get worse.

"Come on guys, we should get back to bed, before Haggar makes his rounds and we get in trouble anyway." Pitts said.

Everybody left, though Charlie had to drag Knox away.

After a night of restless worrying, Knox leaped out of bed the next morning. Hoping Amber would be awake, he knocked softly on her door.

"Come in" Amber called , her voice a little groggy.

Knox pushed open the door, and found Amber sitting up in bed, still in a nightgown and robe.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked, afraid he'd been too hasty.

"Not really. I've been up for a few hours just thinking." Amber said, clearing her throat.

"Amber, you fainted last night, after leaving the meeting . You need to tell Dr. Hagar . You've had that cold for about a month now, and you're getting worse, if that's at all possible." Knox said, trying to sound more forceful than worried.

"I'm fine Knox. I've just not slept all that well lately. Here's the deal. I can't jeopardize you and Nuwanda, Meeks, Pittsie, and Todd's future here just because I have a cold, and am having a hard time sleeping. I'm going back to sleep, if Nolan or Hagar notices, than tell them I'm not feeling well, which is true. If I feel better, which I will, I'll come down and watch you practice for the big soccer match, okay. Now, please, just go." Amber said, pulling back up the covers.

Knox left, shaking his head and muttering under his breath about "Stubborn Woman". He slammed the door to his room, waking Charlie up.

"What are you so pissed about?" Charlie asked, kicking off the covers.

"Her." Knox pointed toward Amber's room. "Won't tell Hagar what happened . Just says she's tired and hasn't been sleeping well. Horse-Shit." Know was furiously digging through his chest-of-drawers.

"Knox, let it be man, let it be. Amber's a smart and independent female. She wouldn't do what someone told her to do just because. She has to need it herself."

When Charlie started to sound like a voice of reason, Knox knew it was time to back off. But not with out one more swing.

"Still, she's still as stubborn as a mule."

"That she is buddy, that she is." Charlie laughed, as he got up.

At soccer practice that morning, Knox got so wrapped up in the sport that he hardly noticed Amber come down to the field. Her long hair was down in two braids and she wore a casual skirt, with the coat pulled tightly around her. Aside from the fact that she looked rather pale, Knox had to admit, she looked good like that, casual and relaxed.

As soon as the coach left for a few minutes, Charlie called out

"Come on, Amber, play with us."

"I'm not that good. Plus, won't your coach be mad?" Amber said, though anyone with a brain could see she was itching to play.

"O'Harlon? Hell no. He won't be back for a while. And if you can kick, you're good enough for practice. " Charlie said.

"Just for a little bit than" Amber said, grinning a mile wide.

She wasn't great, but she didn't care. She was having a blast, and actually getting the ball to go strait when she felt a sudden light-headedness come over her. The horizon was starting to spin and images were blurring. Next thing she knew was blackness.

Knox had heard the thump and turned around. Charlie had seen the collapse, and both stood in shock for a second before both rushing to the unconscious figure. A crowd was starting to form.

"Don't just stand there, morons, go get Coach O'Harlon and Dr. Nolan…NOW!" Charlie yelled, as he dropped to his knees beside Amber. Knox was on the other side, gently trying to bring her back to consciousness.

Under any other circumstances, watching Dr Nolan, who was so old, and Coach O'Harlon, who was not very fit for a soccer coach, running, would've been hilarious, had the situation not been so grave. But the way they handled things was no laughing matter. Coach O'Harlon herded all the boys away, except Knox and Charlie. He ordered a boy who he knew was fast to call for an ambulance. He then gently picked up Amber, as Nolan took over.

"Misters Overstreet and Dalton, you are to follow with Coach O'Harlon and wait until an ambulance arrives. Then you are to return to you regular Saturday activities. All the rest of you are return to your dormitories for the remainder of your scheduled practice time, then on to the rest of your day. NOW!" Nolan barked. Boys fled left and right, except Charlie and Knox, who followed with Coach O'Harlon to the front hall, where he gently placed Amber on a bench, then went outside to wait for the paramedics.

Knox stood , looking at his feet, the walls, anything. He just couldn't bare to look at Amber. Charlie stood next to him, not sure what to do or say. It didn't seem like anything he could think of was appropriate. Sometimes silence was best.

Charlie practically had to drag Knox upstairs when the paramedics came and it was all that anyone could do to get him to sleep when the Amber didn't return that night, or the next.