Monday at lunch, I was silent. Finn the Finch was the first one at the table to try to talk to me. He was a musician like Conner but he liked to sing more than play the piano. The feathers on the top of his head were a red while his face had black markings. He had a kind of red purple patch on his chest and the rest of him was a kind of mottled brown with some cream patches.

"Want my pudding Annie?" He pushed the pudding cup towards me. I looked at it and shook my head no. I didn't want anything. I didn't want to do anything.

"Do you want to talk about it Annie?" Marigold asked. She was sitting next to me. Marigold was a gecko. Her skin was golden with black markings. She loved learning about Ancient Civilizations.

"It was an explosion. My dad was there, we had no clue."

"What are you talking about Annie?" Marigold asked.

"Conner… He's in a c-coma."

They gasped.

I checked my wrist gadget. Nothing new. If he ever woke up, he'd call. I knew he would.

"What do you mean a coma?" Finn asked.

"He's asleep."

There was silence. I stared at my food.

Marigold broke the silence. "So, you-you saw Conner?"

"He was asleep." I nodded.

"Did he-did he look bad?"

I looked at them and shook my head. "Cuts, some burns… a broken leg…"

"What did the doctor say?" Finn asked.

"He's supposed to be okay. He needs to wake up."

"Will he remember anything?"

"No one knows."

I checked my wrist. Nothing.

At home, I did was I was told. I did my homework, forced food down my throat and tried to talk to my family. As soon as I could, I made my way up to my room. I tried to work on a 3-D puzzle I got for my birthday.

I checked my wrist. Nothing

Caleb's POV

Annie hadn't been herself since her birthday. Needless to say, the news of Conner and his mother shocked us all. I was there when she ran to his side and I could only watch as she processed these terrible events. No one deserved this. She called for him as if he were running from her. But there he was, seemingly asleep.

At one point, she tried to shake his arm. I noticed first.

"Annie, don't-" I took her hand.

"But he needs to wake up." She looked at me with tears in her eyes.

"I know." I hugged her as I watched her try to speak. "I know." She cried into my chest. I had never seen her in this kind of state before. So distraught, she didn't seem to be able to think logically.

When I left to return to school, my heart felt heavy. It was wrong to leave her. I wanted to stay with her but of course I had responsibilities.

While I was physically in school, my mind thought of only Annie. She needed me.

"Hey, come on Caleb."

"Hmm."

"Dude, this is pointless if your head's not in it."

Nigel, my roommate, dressed in sweats with tape wrapped around his fists and arms. He punched my shoulder gently.

"You're supposed to be the best in class, come on." He is a badger. He can be aggressive when he chooses to be. He was tidy, meticulous and ready to face the world as much as any of our fellow cadets.

"I'm sorry Nigel."

"Dude, you've been acting weird all day. What's going on? You normally knock me over twice by now."

I looked at him. He stood with his arms folded across his chest. We were in the gym, in a room covered in mats.

"You're right." I swept his feet.

"Oof." He fell only to bounce back up on his feet. "That's more like is." He grinned.

I nodded and slightly smiled at him.

"Aaah." He punched the inside of his hand with the other. "In all seriousness, what's wrong?"

He looked at me. To anyone else he would have had a blank face. But I could tell, he was concerned.

I swallowed.

"Something happen with that girl you like?"

"What I-"

"Don't do that dude."

My mouth hung open as he stared at me sternly.

"Don't deny it. I'm no genius but I know you enough to know you like her."

"I like her?" If I did, I had no idea.

"What do you mean? Are you actually asking me this?"

"Iiiii-" I tried to find the words but the thought of Annie meaning more to me than I previously thought clouded my mind.

He grabbed my shoulder and forced me down onto the mat. "Sit down."

He joined me on the floor.

"You really don't know?"

"Evidently, no."

I knew I cared about Annie. For years, she was my only friend. She was nothing like my fellow cadets. She was amazing, kind, creative, generous… she had her own little world. She… she helped me enjoy my childhood… sometimes she'd insist on it. My mother was happy to oblige.

"Yeah, dude?"

"Hmm."

"What kind of things were thinking just now?"

I swallowed. "Well…"

"Yeah…?"

"I thought about Annie and what makes her special."

He nodded. "Yeah, pretty sure you like her." He gestured towards me.

"That might explain why it feels so wrong as it does to leave her in the state she's in."

"Whoa, back up." He took his hands and rolled them backwards. "What the heck happened?"

"A friend of hers is in a coma."

"Whoa, you serious?"

I nodded.

"He may be the one in the hospital but she.. she may as well have been."

"That…" He sighed. "That really sucks dude."

"Hmm-hmm."

"Hey wait, were she and this guy close?"

"I suppose. Granted, they just became friends late this summer. Even still." I looked him in the eye. "Seeing someone like that in a hospital bed is a powerful thing. I didn't know him well but I was moved."

"It's a lot to take in, huh?"

"It is. I'm afraid Annie will never be the same again."

"Whether this kid wakes up or not, this kind of thing definitely changes a person. For better or for worse it will. All you can do is make sure she doesn't completely shut down."

"Which is easier said than done from here." I raised my arms to gesture to our surroundings. We were locked in a highly secured set of buildings that comprised our school.

"You've got super speed dude. Why don't you just go and see her."

"What?" His suggestion was completely in violation of our curfew.

"Keep your voice down Romeo." He said in a quiet voice.

"Are you out of your mind?" I followed suit.

"With your speed, I'd be sneaking out all the time."

"No, it's a horrible idea, I'll get caught."

"No, you won't. You've got speed, you know our security measures. Time it right and no one will know.

I let out a breath. I couldn't believe I was considering this idea. I did want to see Annie… help her… I sighed.

"Cover for me?"

He punched my arm gently.

"You know it."

I went to shower after our session. I picked out a dark hoodie. If I held onto it, even if the camera caught me, it would cover my hair stripe well enough to at best, just see a dark figure on the screen.

I sent Annie a message to keep her window open.

"All right, I'll be back in a few hours." I told Nigel.

He offered his fist. I bumped it.

"See you in the morning." He said.

I waved goodbye.

When I arrived at Annie's home, it looked like her family was watching television. If we kept quiet, no one would know.

I spin dashed through her window with ease. Before she could respond, I covered her mouth.

"It's me Caleb."

She squealed and muffled a response.

"I snuck out to see you. We have to be very quiet, no one else can know I was here."

She nodded.

I let her go.

She looked at me conflicted.

"I-I can't believe you're here." She moved her head gently from side to side processing my arrival.

"Neither can I." As much as I knew we'd get into huge trouble over this, my only concern was Annie.

"Were you… that worried?"

I looked at her and calculated whether or not to tell her I liked her. "I was. I wanted to make sure you were…" I struggled to find the words. She obviously wasn't okay. She was depressed. She was worried.

She tried to smile. "Yeah, I think I get it." She walked to her bed and sat down on it. She checked her wrist before tucking her legs underneath her.

"He hasn't called yet, I gather." I sat down next to her.

"No." She wiped a few tears from her eyes. She couldn't have too many tears left. She's cried more in these past few days than she has the rest of her life.

I wrapped my arm around her. She leaned into me. I don't know how long we sat there but I was willing to sit there all night if she wanted to. I wanted to be there for her.

"I just wish he would wake up. Ms. Sandy did."

"I know, I know. But he's still fighting in there." He's not one for muscles but he still had a reason to live.

She broke away slightly and looked at me.

She tried to smile. "You didn't wait for my que." She tried to giggle. It was better than nothing.

I smiled gently and shrugged. "You haven't been able to talk for prolonge periods of time lately. I thought I would get more say."

She sniffled. "You talk all grown up and stuff."

I was confused. Her tone at the very least didn't sound like she was joking. "It never bothered you before."

"It's just kind of weird." She slightly shrugged. "But I like it."

I blushed. I can confidently call it a blush. Before that night, I didn't realize what these feelings I had actually stemmed from. I thought everyone felt this way with the first connection they made outside their family. Knowing what I knew, made me look at my reactions in a different light. I realized how much I like and miss her smile for one thing. At that moment, it was still hidden by sadness. Only time would heal her and I was willing to wait with her.

I managed to sneak back into the Academy without detection. As I ran, I looked back. Had I liked her this entire time? Did she have any idea I liked her? Would she ever return my feelings?

When she would stay with my family, I was happy. Looking back at it, I was happier to see her more than anyone else. Now I knew why.

In any case, I'd have to be patient. She had enough on her mind.