Thursday, February 10, 2000; 4:05pm – The University of Hawaii; Hilo, Hawaii

Her fingers moved quickly along the strings, switching from the lowest to the highest and back again before hitting all the notes in between. The bow in her right hand moved fast and heavy at first, emphasizing the fortissimo she was forcing from the instrument between her legs. But then it slowed into long bow strokes, covering slower slurs as the movement slowed down, allowing her left hand to rock against the neck to produce the vibrato that the conductor urged from her section.

But for the past hour, all of those movements, movements Ana had learned since she was 11, movements that she could perform in her sleep were automatic. She was on autopilot. She was stressed.

The night before had left her with barely three hours of sleep, something that normally wouldn't bother her. But add that on to the fact that she had just taken two exams, a quiz, and had taken on a challenge for her chair and her mind just wanted to go onto autopilot. Sure, it was the end of the day and everything was done, but the stress of the day was still there. And she was drained.

That and she hadn't eaten since around 8pm the night before.

The movement they were currently playing ended and she tuned out the praise the conductor gave the orchestra, which was quickly followed by a reminder to practice, before he dismissed them. Ana, who was seated in the first chair closest to the conductor and on the outside left of the orchestra, was out the door with her cello first and headed quickly to the locker room to put away the couple thousand dollar instrument.

And then she was in her truck, speeding north towards Kolekole Beach Park. No food, no sleep; she just wanted to relax first. The park wasn't much for surfing; a better spot was another couple miles north. But she didn't want to completely surf, and even though the beach was shallow and the current was strong at Kolekole, it was some place she wouldn't be disturbed. Visitors didn't swim and it was rare for locals to surf there. Sure, it was mostly cloudy with only the occasional bit of sunlight, hinting at the oncoming rain that would hit before sunset, but that rocky beach and the relaxing waves sounded so good. Her weekly relaxing ritual would not be interrupted by a few clouds.

Ana parked the truck in the empty parking lot that was a few hundred feet away from the ocean. The weather, the fact that it was a weekday, and the time of day itself made the park virtually empty. She knew that it was during the weekends that this specific park became popular.

She quickly changed into her wetsuit within the confines of the truck before hopping out and grabbing the surfboard from the bed. She kept her eyes focused on her bare feet as she strode through the trees toward the rocky beach, being careful not to step on anything sharp or trip over anything like she usually did. And then she finally reached the cold, February ocean water and kept walking while ignoring the 'no swimming' signs, her eyes now focused on the water in front of her as she could no longer see her feet. She kept a good way away from the stream mouth; the currents were strongest there. But it was easy for her to paddle out to calmer waters. Years of swimming combined with just simply knowing how these waters acted kept her from getting swept away like most beginners and tourists did.

She was a good hundred feet out when she stopped paddling and hopped up into a sitting position on the sleek, deep blue longboard. The tiny waves rippled past her, causing her to bob up and down slightly, but other than that, there was no movement. There was hardly a breeze, which was good, because the water was colder than she anticipated from the past week of weather mainly consisting of cloudy days and occasional showers and was already making her shiver underneath her wet suit. It was the breath before the storm. Her blue eyes glanced across the horizon where the Pacific met the sky and there was nothing in sight, as usual.

Ana stretched out, content that there were no boats that would speed past as well, and leaned forward as she slid backwards on the board underneath her to keep it balanced. Once her elbows counterbalanced where she sat, she folded her arms and laid the side of her head on them to let the sun beat against her back before it disappeared behind the clouds again. The waves were small enough to allow her to keep her head in its current, comfortable position without making her swallow the salt water and it was nice to listen to the normal buzz of the ocean with one ear underwater.

Ahhh. The corners of her lips twitched into a small smile as her eyes slipped closed. The steady roll of the small waves, the sloshing of water around her. If she wasn't so alert all the time, she could easily doze off into a full REM sleep cycle, especially in her current state. But the slightest change always managed to sharpen her senses.

But she wouldn't stay out here long today. The combination of the weather and how good it did feel to close her eyes would make sure of that.

She soon felt the sun disappear behind the clouds. The wind picked up, too, causing her direction to shift. Without opening her eyes, she guessed she was heading south. Normally she ended up back where she started, right at the mouth of the Kolekole stream. But whenever it threatened to rain, or on especially windy days in the summer, the trade winds from the north directed her south. There had been times she had walked a couple miles back to her truck.

But it was always worth it.

After a few minutes, she finally opened her eyes when she felt seaweed brush up against her leg. She was still at least a hundred yards out, but she was well south from the park. She could see the Palms Cliff House perched on the small cliff overlooking the ocean just south of her. The setting sun combined with the clouds made everything darker than normal, especially darker than when she had first set out. She paused for a moment, watching the brand new hotel. Almost all of the lights were on, making it a beacon against the darkening sky. And the green grass just peeking above the cliff combined with the luscious green trees around the white inn made it stand out all the more.

Ana had once believed that there weren't that many sights left in the world that were pretty. Hawaii always proved her wrong. Even the Palms Cliff House was beautiful right now. It'd be a perfect picture to go on the back of a post card.

She sighed from her content position, her head still on her arms as she skillfully kept her balance on the longboard. She was lucky she managed to end up here in Hawaii.

"This probably isn't the best place for a nap."

She sat up quickly enough to tip the board and send her into the water with a splash as the piece of wood toppled upside down after her. She resurfaced in an instant, the deeper water not proving to be a problem at all, and whipped her head around to glare at the owner of the voice. But she nearly went into shock when she recognized the head treading above the water.

"Bruce!"

His smile was hidden as he sunk lower into the water.

Ana's eyes suddenly narrowed, though, as she flipped the longboard back over before putting one of her arms over it to keep it from drifting to shore. "It's not nice to sneak up on people," she replied quietly, frowning at the fact that she hadn't planned on getting all of her hair soaked. She was definitely not the prissy girl type—the type to spend hours in the bathroom getting ready and take a shower every chance she had, and she'd already taken one shower today; she didn't want to have to take another one.

"Depends. But I think my statement has more priority."

Ana rose her brow. "And how so?"

"You could drown."

Ana laughed. How ironic would it be that she, who loved water more than land and had been swimming since she could practically walk, drown. "I doubt it." She glanced over to Bruce once she had finished brushing the hair from her face with her hands. "It's called dozing," she continued as she slipped back into her sitting position on the board.

It was then that she took full notice that he was still treading water. Steadily. Alright, so the guy could swim.

"Dozing," he repeated, remaining unfazed by the small waves that continued to ripple by them.

"Yeah." She paused, glancing to the murky water around them. "It helps me relax," she admitted quietly. All her life she'd been defiant. She tried to do what the norm said she couldn't. And she'd always faced stress head on. She was at her best when she was always doing something, and at her worst when she had nothing to do. Therefore, finding a good way to relax was hard. This seemed to work, just lounging on her surfboard in the sun. It still kept her active while she 'relaxed'. And if she simply didn't want to lounge, there was a great spot to surf only a couple miles north.

But while her mind raced, he simply nodded, his head bobbing in the water.

She regained her senses and pulled her legs out of the water, into a cross-legged position. If she'd done this when she first moved to Hilo, it would've resulted with her underwater in a second, which is exactly what had happened the first, second, through fifth time she tried it. But now the board just wobbled slightly before becoming still in the water again. In the water was the only place she had balance and grace; on land, she easily tripped over her own two feet, very often when Travis was within close range to make fun of her.

"You have extraordinary balance," he suddenly said after a few moments.

She glanced over at him again to find his dark blue eyes on her. "And you have extraordinary endurance," she replied with a small smile. Using her hands, she turned her board to face a better angle as she continued, her eyes glancing from him to the board as a hint, "Would you like a break?"

He hesitated for a moment, looking like a child, unsure of what to do. But his arm lifted from the water to drape over the tail of the longboard. Anticipating the sudden weight, Ana leaned back and rested on her arms, making the surfboard wobble for a moment, before becoming relatively still again. "Although this break comes with a price. You get to kick us to shore."

He laughed. "Ah, the catch. You don't want to stay out here, enjoy the rain?"

"I wasn't planning on it, no."

He offered her an innocent look as he propped his chin on his hand.

"What are you doing out here?" she blurted out, bright eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"I might ask you the same thing."

"I come here all the time. Normally there's no one else around to bother me."

He shed a tight smile before his eyes darted to the cliff behind her. "That's where I'm staying."

She didn't need to glance over her shoulder. "The Palms Cliff House?"

He nodded slightly, barely disrupting the balance of the board.

"You're here on your honeymoon?" she asked in disbelief. She'd spotted no wedding band amongst his fingers and he seemed awfully young to be married and able to afford a honeymoon at the Palms Cliff House.

But he scoffed as he released his hold on her board to continued treading water effortlessly, causing her to lean forward again. "No."

And then it clicked. She was surprised it took her so long. He was the crazy driver who almost plowed her and Travis over a couple nights ago. He was Alfred's employer. "Wait…I know who you are."

He rose a brow, barely visible beneath his wet bangs that stuck to his forehead.

"You're Bruce Wayne." Ana remembered Alfred answering one of Travis's questions with that name. And though neither knew much about the man behind the name, they both knew the basics. He was rich. Super rich. Princely rich. As rich as Bruce Wayne.

A dark expression passed over Bruce's face before he sunk lower in the water, attempting to hide it. But his dark blue eyes still told his emotions. He was suddenly agitated. And unsure. "I'm sorry to have bothered you," he muttered just above the surface of the water, and Ana quickly noticed he was putting distance between them as he headed towards the direction of the beaches only a few hundred yards south of them.

"No, wait," she said suddenly, forgetting her balance as the board wobbled dangerously when she put her legs back in the water. "I didn't mean to…" she trailed off, unsure of what exactly she meant to say. She didn't mean to what? Say his name? Recognize him? She didn't think any more or less of him because of his name. Was that what he thought?

He paused, eyeing her for a moment. "Do you want help to shore?"

"No, I don't need any help," she replied almost defensively, entirely forgetting her jest from earlier.

But he simply shrugged and began swimming towards the beach, nearly a hundred yards from where the Palms Cliff House sat on its small cliff, without another word. Surprised, Ana flattened out on the longboard and paddled along behind him.

Neither one spoke until they reached shore. Ana could have, but she didn't know what to say. Sure, she didn't think any more or less of the quiet and generous Bruce she had met yesterday after plowing him over. But there was something else there. Something different. And she wasn't sure that she liked it. Maybe she should just head back to her truck and go home. Leave him be.

"You almost ran over my friend and me a couple of days ago," she suddenly accused as she tucked the large board under her arm, the small waves splashing around her shins.

Bruce stopped where he was, a few yards ahead of her and clear of the ocean water, to face her. "What?"

Ana glanced up from her feet, glad that she didn't have to worry about the sandy beaches hurting her feet here. "Monday. You were driving a black Chrysler. Nearly ran over my friend and I."

His eyes narrowed in confusion.

"So technically we're even," she finished as she stopped only feet away from him.

He remained still, his eyes locked on her as his mind clearly searched for answers. But she looked over him again. And something really was different. He seemed taller, but his shoulders seemed hunched, the black wetsuit he wore defining that. His expression, though confused, was still darker than it had been yesterday—or even when he had first surprised her. And it was as if there was a barrier between them, something that just told her to stay away. And those eyes…

Finally his dark hues beneath those long bangs flashed with recognition. "Well, you're unharmed, right?" he grumbled defensively.

Ana nodded, and satisfied, he turned.

"Wait," Ana blurted, taking a step forward as her arm unconsciously reached out.

He paused again, this time only glancing over his shoulder at her. "What?" It was a demand.

She kept from flinching. She always had to be the people pleaser, the one who strived to make everyone else happy. And Bruce Wayne clearly had unhappiness written all over him. Part of her wanted to say 'screw it' and leave the billionaire alone. But most of her wanted to help. Unfortunately. It was why she was in the fire and paramedic business. "What's wrong?"

The question surprised him, she noticed. But he quickly recovered with another grumble. "Nothing." He took another step away from her.

Ana rose an eyebrow defiantly. "I seriously doubt that."

"Good for you," she heard him say.

Now her eyes narrowed. At first she didn't want anything to do with him. But he'd helped her yesterday, she had to admit. And even though he did almost run her and Travis over, that didn't count. She didn't know who he was then. So she owed him. After all, it kind of was her fault that he was suddenly in this mood. Though why he got in such a bad mood over his name, she had no idea.

She half jogged to catch up with him, earning a cold glare from him once she did. "You said you didn't want to be bothered."

She frowned. "No I didn't. I said I usually wasn't bothered. Don't twist my words."

He scoffed. "Same difference."

"Hardly," she replied, finding an even pace with his. He had a long and quick stride, but her long legs could match it.

"Then what do you want?" he demanded.

"To apologize for whatever I did to put you in this mood."

He finally cast a glance at her, but didn't slow in his stride. "Apology accepted."

"Alright," she finally stated with finality, rotating her surfboard across her body to slam into Bruce's abdomen. They both instantly stopped, Bruce with a darker—if that was even possible, expression on his handsome face. "I'm not going to stop bothering you until this mood of yours goes away."

"Why?"

The one word questions were starting to grade on her nerves. "Because… Because I can't stand it when people are in bad moods."

His glare softened slightly, which actually surprised her. He had looked like he was ready to just grab her surfboard from her and chuck it back into the ocean, but now he seemed to relax slightly. "Why?"

Even though he asked in a softer tone, it still made her agitated. "Why not?"

His lips twitched as he hid a smirk. "You really wouldn't have stopped, would you?"

Ana hesitated before shaking her head, slightly startled by his sudden mood change. She had her fair share of vicious mood swings too, but it was strange seeing it from someone else.

He gently set his hand on the blue surfboard she still kept in front of him. "I'm sorry," he began quietly, his eyes moving to where his hand was. "It's just that…people change when they know who I am."

She eyed him warily as she replied, "Well, to me, you'll always be that guy who I plowed into and bought me groceries." He chuckled silently, causing her to smile. Carefully, she pulled the surfboard away, regaining his attention again. "So you're alright now, right? You're not going to throw another fit?"

His smile grew to reveal a row of pearly teeth with prominent canines, and she was surprisingly awestruck at how handsome he really was, wet hair trying to hide his face and all. "No, I think I'm done now. Are you finished hitting me with your surfboard?"

She grinned. "Perhaps." Her eyes then darted to the more distant inn, barely visible from this angle through the trees. "So I take it you're done swimming."

Instead of following hers, his eyes instead turned towards the dark clouds over the ocean. "As much as evidence may point to the contrary, I don't have a death wish." She smiled as his eyes returned to her. "Would you like to accompany me back? I can give you a ride to wherever you'd like from there, and I don't have to worry about you drowning."

She laughed as she shook her head. "Drowning is the last thing on my mind, believe me. But I suppose I could."

She began walking in the direction of the distant hotel as Bruce hesitated behind her. But she made it all of ten feet before he caught up to her, a bemused expression on his handsome face. She cast a quick sideways smile in his direction before returning her focus to her feet to make sure she didn't trip over a stray rock or step on something that would hurt. He followed suit occasionally, but his gaze, as she noticed, moved from his own feet to her to where they were headed and back again.

"So what's Gotham like?" Ana finally asked once they reached a small trail that led through the trees to ascend the cliff.

Bruce, who had fallen behind her, remained quiet for a moment, causing Ana to glance over her shoulder at him. His expression had changed from amused to solemn, a dark shadow not caused by the dense trees cast over his features. "I've just never been to the east coast and I've heard a lot about Gotham," she muttered, her attention returning to the path in front of her.

"It's not like here," he finally said quietly, just barely audible above the wind rushing through the trees. "It's dirtier. And colder." He paused. "But it rains just about as much as here."

Ana warily cast another glance over her shoulder to find him smirking back at her. She laughed silently as her attention returned to her feet.

"What about Hilo? I've only been here for a couple of days, not nearly enough time to really get to know your city."

She shrugged, "There's not much to know. It's a paradise. Even with the rain."

He chuckled, "Well, I figured as much."

"You should go up to the mountain. The view from the top is incredible."

"Really."

"Really."

Thursday, February 10, 2000; 5:04pm – The Palms Cliff House Inn; Honomu, Hawaii

It took nearly twenty minutes to reach the large lawn stretched out around the Palms Cliff House. Most of their walk they remained silent, listening only to the close and rocky waves, and the strong wind causing the leaves on the trees around them to noisily rustle.

But once they reached the large lawn, the rain that had started while they were still making their way through the foliage pelted them harder without the protection of the trees. Ana didn't hurry at all, taking her time to cross the lawn as she enjoyed the rain. And she noticed Bruce follow her lead as he joined her at her side.

"I take it you like the rain," he commented as they neared the empty patio of the white inn.

"How could you tell?" she remarked with one of Travis's infamous lopsided smirks that she had accidently picked up from him.

He smiled again at the sight of it. "Most people that I know, girls especially, despise the rain."

"I like all types of weather. Sun, rain, snow, anything. So, I suppose I'm not like most people you know." She stopped suddenly, causing Bruce to reach the first steps of the patio ahead of her. He paused once he noticed her sudden stop and turned to watch her spin on the lawn, one arm out and the other arm gripping her large surfboard tightly, the messy, wet bun flapping and the stray hairs sticking to her face. "Besides," she continued once she completed two turns. "I'm already soaked, thanks to you."

"Thanks to me?" he replied innocently, his eyebrows rising beneath the dark bangs that clung to his forehead. "You're the one who lost your balance."

Her eyes narrowed playfully as she moved to ascend the steps as well. And after leaning the board against the white railing, they both plopped down into the matching white lawn chairs along the long and empty patio to watch the rain fall. It was an unspoken idea that seemed to occur to both of them, and Ana didn't mind. Normally she wasn't one to be outgoing enough to make—and keep, new friends. That was why without Travis, she'd be all alone on this island. But for some odd reason, he ignored her anti-friend tactics and now never left her alone.

She couldn't really complain.

Now with Bruce, she didn't know what she was doing. Even though she had actually met him less than a handful of times, she kind of liked him. He reminded her of herself in too many ways. He was quiet. Even now he didn't speak. His dark hues were focused on the falling rain only feet in front of them. And his earlier mood swing was something that poor Travis had to put up with from her more often than not. But there was something else there, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Whenever you'd like to go, just let me know," he suddenly said, waking her from her thoughtful trance.

She glanced fully at him, and he was still staring out over the restless ocean. "Trying to get rid of me?"

"Not at all."

She watched him for a moment longer before looking back out to the ocean as well. "So what's it like? Being who you are?" Out of the corner of her eye she watched him, knowing that she was in dangerous territory from his earlier reaction.

He simply frowned, that darker expression returning. But it seemed like he tried to keep it hidden, like he tried to focus on something else. "What do you think it's like?"

Ana glanced back to him to find that he was now fully staring at her. She shrugged slightly, looking back to the sea. "I don't know. It seems like you could do anything with your life. Have a fun and exciting one rather than be like the rest of America and pass your life by being a cubical monkey." A quiet rush of air next to her alerted her that he liked her joke. But she glanced back to him yet again, her bright blue eyes studying his profile. "But I can tell you don't like your life. And you obviously don't like being who you are."

His expression remained stoic, and this time he didn't answer her.

Instead someone else did.

"There you are Master—oh, why good evening, Miss Williams." Both Bruce and Ana turned to find the aging butler, Alfred, who Ana had accidentally met only a couple days before, standing on the edge of the porch while wearing a dark and heavy rain coat and holding a handful of papers in one hand and an umbrella in the other. Ana blinked, still slightly stunned that he even remembered who she was.

Alfred, however, appeared bemused as he continued, "Pardon my interruption. I suppose I shall find you later, Master Wayne." And just as quickly as he had come, the elder man disappeared back around the corner.

Bruce released a chuckle he seemed to be holding, causing Ana to laugh as well. "Is he always…"

"Impeccable? Yes."

"That wasn't…exactly what I was going to say, but that, too, I suppose," she replied casually as she stood. His eyes followed her up. "Well, Mr. Wayne," she mocked, causing them both to smile, "I suppose I shouldn't take up your time."

He shook his head as he stood, "You're not. Alfred just has bad timing with unimportant stuff."

"He might, but I do have to work tonight, so I should be getting back."

"Ah…" he began as she reached for her board. "Well, my offer still holds if you don't want to walk back to Hilo."

"And I'll be glad to take you up on that offer, but it'll be a shorter distance than that. My truck is less than a mile north of here."

Ana watched as he eyed the surfboard for a moment before showing her a direction to go with his hand. She followed the direction, which happened to be the same way that Alfred had disappeared, as he tagged along behind. Once they were around the corner, the small parking lot with less than a handful of cars was revealed and Ana already headed towards the sleek, black Chrysler.

"Question," she asked as he unlocked the doors. As his eyes raised to meet hers, she just lifted her board in response.

He shed a smug smile. "This car is magical. You'd be amazed at what money can buy."

And though she had seen cars do such feats as this on TV, it still made her laugh with awe when she watched Bruce fold down the seats and maneuver the board inside just right so that the tip was pushed against the back corner of the deep trunk and the tail just barely peeked through between the two front seats, separating them as much as the small console and air-conditioned—yes, air-conditioned—cup holders did.

But before she got in, she hesitated. Bruce glanced up at her once he was seated—soaking wet—in the driver's seat. "What?"

"I'm soaking wet. And that's leather."

He chuckled. "It doesn't matter. Get in."

She obeyed, hesitantly. Carefully she slid into the seat, trying her best to keep the area she got wet as limited as possible. Bruce just smiled as he started up the car.

And in no time at all they were smoothly cruising down the long driveway, towards the highway. Ana was amazed at how quiet the car was. She had only ever been in fire engines, her own truck, her mom's Jeep Cherokee, and on her dad's motorcycle for as long as she could remember. It felt like the car wasn't even moving.

Bruce must have noticed her awe because he suddenly chuckled when they reached the end of the drive.

"What?" she asked.

"You look like you've never been in a car before."

"Well, technically I haven't. At least not a car like this." She paused as her eyes found a strange button on the dash between them. Curiously, she reached forward and pushed it.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bruce smirked. "Heated seats."

She blinked with surprise. "Heated seats? Why would a car need heated seats?"

Bruce laughed again as he shrugged. "Because… You know, honestly, I don't know."

By now they were already nearing the turn off to the park. "It'll be a right at the next road. Kolekole Beach Park."

He nodded, but they both remained quiet. She could barely hear the engine above the quiet pelting of the rain against the car. Even the windshield wipers were silent. Hers on her truck always screeched like a banshee, between the mechanics and the wipers themselves on the glass.

"Where do you work?" Bruce suddenly asked.

"The fire department, actually," Ana replied without missing a beat.

His brows rose, impressed. "Really."

She released a short laugh. "You like to use that word a lot."

He smiled. "You surprise me a lot." She shrugged awkwardly. After a moment, he continued, "I really wouldn't have pegged you as a fireman."

"Firewoman," she corrected. "And well…I like to help people. That, and I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie." She paused before adding, "And I have to do sometime different every day. I would hate being trapped in a normal lifestyle, doing the same thing day after day."

"Being a cubical monkey," Bruce added.

She nodded. "Exactly. I'd go crazy."

"Well, I don't know much about the public service industry, but I would think that would be the farthest away from a boring job as you could get."

"It is."

With her directions, they finally pulled up alongside her lonely truck. She quickly hoped out of the quietly idling car while Bruce followed a little more slowly. Together they managed to remove the surfboard without damaging the rental car.

"Well, thank you," Ana finally said now that she had her board safely under her arm and the car was back in its original form.

"You're welcome."

They both exchanged awkward smiles before Ana turned towards her truck. With ease she put the board in the truck bed and moved towards the driver's side. She noticed Bruce do the same. Once more they both paused awkwardly, smiling again. "Thanks again," Ana called. "And, uh, see you later, I guess."

He smiled through the rain as he nodded before he sunk into the driver's seat of the Chrysler.

Thursday, February 10, 2000; 7:35pm – Fire Station #2; Hilo, Hawaii

"Ana?"

Her glazed over bright blue hues remained fixed on the page of her microbiology book in front of her, the same page she had been staring at for the past fifteen minutes.

Travis waved his hand in front of her face as he repeated her name, "Ana."

Without looking up, she swatted his hand away.

"Alright, Ana, this is ridiculous. You haven't said more than two words since you got here, nor did you even want to play your favorite game. And you've been staring at that same page for the same amount of time." He snatched a chair and pulled it up next to her as he sat. "What's up?"

She finally snapped out of her haze. Ignoring him would do her no good. Glancing over at him as she leaned back with a shrug, she replied, "I'm just tired, Travis. It's been a long week."

He rose a brow, "A long week?" She nodded absently as her eyes returned to the book. He watched her carefully for a moment with narrowed eyes before speaking up again. "No… There's something else. I can tell."

She sighed before she stood, scooping up her book in the process. "I'm fine, Travis. Go play your video games. I'm going to go take a nap."

His expression suddenly turned to a frown as that was clearly not the reaction he wanted. "Aw, Ana, come on. Don't do that."

"Later, Travis."

She found the sleeping quarters empty, thankfully, since most of the guys snored anyway, and plopped down on the cot that she usually chose: the one underneath the only window in the room. But, nonetheless, it didn't matter where she was because she wasn't planning on sleeping anyway; she couldn't. Dropping her book on the floor next to the bed, she stretched out on her back and placed her hands comfortably underneath her head to stare up at the bottom of the mattress on top of her. But tonight instead of mentally tracing along the little lines that lined the dark fabric, her thoughts re-drifted back to the one thing, or person, they were focused on before. It was kind of amusing how earlier in the day she had been so stressed about tests and now she was stressed about something entirely different.

Though she desperately wished for a call so she could forget about it all for a while, a small smile crept over her face in the dark as she thought of a sly idea. A sly and completely out of character idea. He was a stranger to her, and she was always cautious of strangers. This idea was insane. But she actually didn't have to work tomorrow and one of her two classes was already cancelled, so what better way to spend the day?