Chapter 9

Homesick

Adain sighed. After hiding her emotions during seven strait games of Fan Toss (all of which Ulrich had lost), Adain had backed out, complaining of aching muscles.

Actually, her aching muscles were the last thing on her mind. She missed her family. Her mother, her aunt, her older brother and younger sisters. She missed them all. But most of all she missed Snake and Coyote. Snake was her one of her best friends, and she had a major crush on him. Not seeing him in two moths was really hard. Coyote was her other best friend. She could always find cures for Adain's gloomy moods, even if it meant showing her holograms of where ever Snake was, which she hated doing because she just went back into denial the minute Snake was out of her view or hearing.

Snake was always disappearing on secret missions for the Councils. That was all he was allowed to tell them.

Damn the stupid Councils! Damn! Damn! Damn! Adain broke into tears into her pillow. Why were you not there when I left, Snake? Why didn't you say good bye? For all I know, we may never see each other again! You might be dead! I might die! I just wish you were here. Here with me! ME!!!

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK

Adain sat up with a gasp. Someone was there. They would be witnesses to her moment of shame! NOT GOOD!

"One second!" Adain flipped her pillow over so the tear spots didn't show. Looking around frantically, she saw her red, splotchy face in the mirror. Taking her water bottle, she dumped water on her face and began rubbing furiously.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

"Umm. Come in." Adain made sure to keep her face towards the mirror.

Yumi walked in. Seeing Adain still rubbing at her face as if it was a scratch-and-sniff card that didn't work right, she slowly shut the door.

"What's wrong, Adain?" she asked, sitting on the bed.

"Nothing. Nothing is wrong. NOTHING!" Adain's voice cracked. Taking deep breaths, Adain turned to face Yumi. She expected to be laughed at for her red eyes. Yumi just smiled softly.

"I just miss him." Adain admitted, again expecting to be laughed at.

"Who?"

"My friend."

"What's he like?"

Adain smiled, remembering. "He has short brown hair, like Ulrich's, and amazing green-brown, but mostly green eyes. He is so funny, once he almost made me pass out from laughing too much." She sighed. "We had really long talks about literally everything, from toilets, to the decisions of the Councils. Mama thought we should both be on the debate team, we go at it so hard, each one believing that he/she is right, or righter, or is it more right? See, this is the kind of thing we get into arguments about! Bad grammar and spelling and the exact formula for pickled frog toes." At this she burst out laughing. Yumi just sat through it, listening intently.

"You two seem really close."

"He's my best friend. We couldn't be anything but close," Adain said, still smiling. Without thinking, she added, "except closer." She winced at this. People like Coyote would jump on slips like that. Yumi was obviously not like Coyote. More like Shadow, Adain's older brother. Sneaky, mischievous, quiet, contained (usually), but you could trust him with secrets.

Adain was officially over her gloomy stage, and Yumi promised not to tell the guys about Snake. The girls left Adain' s room smiling.

Jeremy, Ulrich, and Odd waited outside the girls' dorm for Yumi and Adain to come out. When they finally did, Odd was pissed.

"What took you so long?" he demanded.

"Adain had a moment." When Adain glared at Yumi, for in any way, shape, or form mentioning her 'moment', she just shrugged.

"What? I haven't broken my promise!" Adain cut her death glare short, and burst out laughing. Yumi had found a loophole that Adain hadn't seen. That was new!