He stared. From across the circular lecture hall, Tyler watched as Lily engaged in conversation with the girl sitting next to her, hardly paying attention to his own groupmates' arguments about certain aspects of symbolism in Wuthering Heights. Normally, he would have leapt at the chance to partner up with her during open discussion in their AP Lit class, but he'd refrained from doing so for the past few weeks. She needed her space from him, and he would at least grant her that. Didn't stop him from watching her from afar any chance he could get, though, especially after their brief conversation yesterday.

Might not have gone the way he'd hoped, but it was better than nothing. The fact that she'd talked to him at all—and the way she'd looked at him—it had at least instilled an inkling of hope that this would lead to something better.

Look at me, Lily, his mind pleaded. He could have easily bewitched her to look at him, but the thought had never even crossed his mind. Anything she wanted in regards to him would be done of her own volition, not because he forced her into doing so. Just look at me, please…

Beside her, he saw her friend, Chelsea, lean over to whisper into Lily's ear. She hesitated, but then with a visible sigh, she slowly lifted her eyes to lock with his from across the room. He drew in a breath. Yes, he thought. Even from so far away, he could see every detail of her sweet face, and even detected the slight flush of color rising to her cheeks, though wasn't sure if that was out of shyness, or anger. But all too soon, the moment between them was broken when she looked back down at her notebook and continued jotting some notes, and Tyler could help but feel mildly disappointed. Still, she had at least spared him a glance…

"I don't know why you even bother with her," a hushed voice said from the seat to his left. "I mean, she's been a pretty cold bitch to you for the past month."

Tyler didn't even turn to look at Renee, who was one of his groupmates today. He was more than aware of her of her disdain for Lily, and chose not to buy into her caustic little remarks about the one girl he'd fallen for long ago. "Hardly your concern," he said shortly, keeping his voice low.

"Uh, she's actually a big concern for us all, Tyler," Renee snidely replied, a little less discreetly than he.

That, of course, caught the attentions of their other three groupmates, and from the corner of his eye, he could see their heads turn, their voices becoming slightly more hushed so they could listen in to their conversation. Great.

"She's going to cost us state's this year, you know."

"No, I don't know that," he finally looked over at her, "and neither do you."

"Oh, come on, everyone feels the same wa—"

"No, they don't," he interrupted. "I've talked to a lot of our teammates, Renee, and that's nothing more than a gross exaggeration on your part." Ignoring the scowl she was giving him, he looked over at Lily again, who was still deep in discussion with Chelsea. "Give it a rest."

As if on cue, Lily lifted her head to look at him again, and Tyler felt his heart skip a beat.

"Five more minutes, people," Mr. Gibbs gave the class his last warning before the bell was set to ring, "and your topic for tonight's journal entry is on the board."

Breaking eye contact again, Lily copied down the assignment, and Tyler opened his own notebook to the next clean page to do the same.

He felt Renee's eyes on him the entire time. "You shouldn't be wasting all your energy on a junior, Ty. You should focus on someone your own age."

Arching an eyebrow, he looked at her. "She is my own age; you're the one who's a year older than me."

At that, two of their groupmates snickered, and Renee's cheeks flushed a faint shade of red. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Tyler was already writing down the rest of the journal prompt, and she apparently gave up on forming any kind of retort. For that, he was silently grateful. He knew Renee had harbored some sort of a crush on him for the past few years, which would have only contributed to her dislike of Lily. But while she was certainly attractive enough with her blonde hair and long legs, she gave off an aura of self-entitlement and superiority that immediately turned him off, and his abhorrence with her was only heightened by some of the mean-spirited things he'd heard her say to those she deemed beneath her.

Not to mention what Alyssa had told him had taken place in the girl's locker room yesterday.

The bell rang, and he was amazed at how quickly the past five minutes had flown by. Looking up, he saw Lily just as she'd finished packing her backpack and zipping it shut, smiling at something Chelsea had said to her. The two girls were still lost in conversation as they descended a few steps and became surrounded by several other students filing towards the exit.

Tyler wasted no time shoving his books into his leather bag, practically leaping from his seat as he cut down the aisle and followed the rest of his classmates to the door. Weaving past a few of them, he managed to catch up with Lily and Chelsea, saw the back of Lily's head, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. "Lily, wait—"

The instant his hand touched her, Lily spun around, her crystalline eyes wide as they locked with his. Tyler froze, time seeming to slow to a crawl all around them, his hand never leaving her as he held her gaze. He didn't care that others were staring at them, or the incessant whispers from those gossiping amongst themselves. They didn't matter to her; his focus was on Lily. Her face was laced with signs of fatigue, but her eyes…God, they were beautiful. Looking into them now, it was as though he could sense her deepest, most guarded thoughts hiding beneath those pools of blue. Not just the astonishment and the uncertainty he'd expected to find when she looked at him…but also the sense of longing that became very apparent to him. A yearning that he could actually feel, and the longer they gazed at one another, the more intense that feeling became.

Power? He wondered to himself, but tried to dismiss it. Still, the prickling sensation itching gently in the back of his mind told him he couldn't entirely ignore the possibility of its existence in this moment. Something telling him that he needed to maintain a connection with this girl, regardless of whether he understood it or not. Needed to see her, to hold onto her, to protect her in any way he possibly could.

Not entirely sure what else to say, he settled on, "Please." A plea to her. He didn't care if others heard; all he cared about was her reaction. "Please talk to me."

She blinked, and when she started to softly reply, Tyler felt his heart swell with anticipation. That is, until Lily's brow furrowed slightly, her words ceasing as she let a shaking breath passed through her lips. Reflexively, his fingers tightened on her shoulder, the concern in his chest flaring all over again. Closing her eyes, she sighed, half-heartedly shaking her head as she averted her gaze. At the same time, that prickling seemed to grow stronger in his mind, even if only by the barest degree. What is this? He wondered. Why am I sensing this? What does it mean?

Opening her eyes, Lily turned back to him, and though he could see her steeling herself once more, he suddenly felt his heart clench. Her eyes weren't hard at all; they were sad. Shimmering with a sorrow he hadn't been able to see until now. That hit him harder than he ever would have expected.

"Not…now," she managed to stammer, her eyes still holding his. "I have to go. Class." Pausing just a moment longer, she finally turned on her heel, and Tyler let his fingertips slip from her shoulder. Chelsea, who had a mildly worried look on her face, started to question her quietly as soon as they began walking away.

Tyler sighed heavily through his nose. Lily didn't even glance back in his direction.

Then someone appeared from the corner of his eye; he didn't have to look to know it was Reid.

"So?" He asked.

The inquiry wasn't an unexpected one. Not only was his friend aware that this was the only class he and Lily shared, but he'd also filled him in on their interlude from last night. Tyler shifted the weight of his bag further onto his shoulder. "Something's not right," he said adamantly.

Despite the lack of details, Reid seemed to take his words seriously. "Think there's some merit to what Caleb had to say?"

He pursed his lips. "I hate saying I'm not entirely sure, but…" He turned to face him at last. "I have a feeling he's been sensing Power whenever something happens to her, and he's just not ready to say it out loud yet."

Reid, who was still looking in the direction Lily had gone, crossed his arms over his chest. His tie was a bit looser than it was supposed to be according to school dress code, but he'd hardly ever been one to care about such trivial rules. He did, however, emit an aura of concern as he stood by Tyler's side, even though he would never voice such things aloud. Reid angled his head towards him. "Don't give up on her, man. If what you're saying about Power being used against her is true, then she could be in some real danger."

"I know," Tyler said, his eyes drifting back down the hall, catching one last glimpse of Lily's dark hair before she disappeared around a distant corner. "And I don't intend to." Even without Reid's insistent words, he'd already come to that decision. Regardless of how long it took, he had to find a way to get her to talk to him again.

Lily's eyes had drifted over to the window some time ago, her textbook long forgotten as she watched the rain fall outside. Study hall in the library was her last period of the day, but when she could hardly concentrate, she found temporary escape in moments like this. Listening to the hypnotic pelting of droplets hitting the roof; seeing rainwater flow down the glass in jagged rivulets.

Seems like it's always raining here, she mused, though couldn't quite bring herself to smile. Ever since she'd come to Ipswich, the rain had been a constant part of the forecast, which shouldn't have been all that surprising considering how close to the east coast she was. Still, she would have expected it more if she'd gone someplace like Seattle, not New England. Not that she had anything against the weather, of course; she was just looking for an excuse to keep her thoughts occupied. Tried to redirect them to more pressing matters at hand.

But try as she might, they inevitably returned to Tyler once more. She sighed softly. They way he'd looked at her all through class had been enough to keep her heart racing for the entire fifty-minutes of the period, and even more so when he'd caught up to her afterwards. And the instant his hand touched her shoulder…She chewed on her lower lip. There was no denying the warmth she'd felt from the contact he'd initiated, the subtle hint of strength seeping into her veins just like the last time he'd touched her. Making her want to feel more from him. She'd wanted to talk to him right then and there, had things she wanted to say in return, that she was ready to say—

But God damn that doubting voice inside her head! She firmly tapped the eraser of her pencil twice upon the table, not caring if anyone at the surrounding tables happened to hear. It didn't matter how badly she wanted to talk to Tyler; for some reason, she still managed to convince herself that staying away was her best option.

If that was the case, though, then why did she disagree with it so fervently? Why did she still feel like something was wrong every time she heard it speaking to her?

He'll hurt you.

Lily sucked in a short breath, the pencil slipping from her fingers and clattering to the tabletop.

He's already hurt you once; what makes you think he won't do it again?

Sighing heavily, Lily brought a hand to rub at her forehead. Then why don't I believe in that? She challenged, and thankfully, there was no contradicting reply. This period needed to end; she obviously wasn't going to get anything done at this rate, and she just wanted to hit the pool and de-stress as much as her body would allow her.

But then the distinct feeling of being watched had her brow furrowing, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on-end. What was more unnerving was the fact that this wasn't the first time she'd felt such a sensation, and when she lifted her head, it didn't shock her when she locked eyes with Caleb Danvers on the far side of the library. His hooded brown eyes were riveted on her, and even from across the room, she could feel them boring into her. It made her feel very, very small.

She swallowed, wanting to avert her gaze, but finding herself unable to do so. She'd caught him watching her several times lately, and not once did he try to be inconspicuous about it. If she saw him, he didn't seem to care. Between this and Reid's previous interferences, she was more than aware that Tyler's friends were trying to get her to talk to him, which she'd actually expected to encounter from the other Sons.

But something about the way Caleb stared at her made her feel uneasy. Cold. Sending chills down her spine as if…as if in warning. It was odd, though. She'd never had any issues with Caleb before. In truth, he'd always been kind to her whenever they talked, especially after he'd introduced her to Tyler at one of their practices, so she'd always held a certain degree of affinity for the elder boy. Over the past few weeks, however, a strange apprehension seemed to seize her heart every time she merely looked in his general direction. Much like her unexplainable fatigue, she was at a loss as to where this coming from. Caleb had never been a threat to her; why would she consider him one now? Was it because she knew he'd be protective of Tyler first and foremost? And if that was the case, would he honestly do anything to potentially harm her?

Regardless of her incessant questions, though, it never stopped her from meeting his eyes, and every time she did, it was as if he was seeing right into her.

She blinked slowly. What is it you want? She wondered to him silently. What?

Away, the voice pushed into her thoughts. Now.

Before she could question herself any further, the bell for dismissal finally rang, and Lily blinked to break the visual trance Caleb's eyes seemed to have on her. Standing next to her chair, she began packing her materials into her backpack, knowing without having to look that Caleb was still watching her. It was only when a tall figure came into her peripheral vision that she paused, looking up just in time to see Pogue Parry's long, dark-blonde hair framing his model-esque profile as he passed by. Lily watched him make his way over to Caleb, who stood and draped the strap of his Louis Vuitton messenger bag over his shoulder. Once Pogue had made it over to him, she saw the two exchange words, and then Caleb turned his head to lock eyes with her once more, as did Pogue.

Jesus…it was almost as if she could feel the burning intensity from the looks they were both giving her…

Go.

Feeling her stomach drop, Lily huffed out a breath and hoisted her bag onto her shoulders, trying to ignore the fact that her chest suddenly felt so cold. Without another glance at Caleb or Pogue, she quickly made her way out of the library, letting herself get lost in the crowd of students filing out of the double doors of the building. She bit down on her lip, though, knowing she couldn't avoid seeing all the Sons of Ipswich at swim practice in less than an hour.

"So they really found nothing?" Lily asked into the receiver of her cell phone.

"That's what he said," her mother, Dee Callahan, sighed from the other end after giving her Dr. Ballinger's prognosis. "He ran the tests five separate times, but they all came back the same: negative. No anemia, no nothing. Dr. Jones said the same thing this morning, so at least we got the second opinion that we needed. They also said you passed your annual physical with flying colors, so no trouble on that front. According to them, you're an incredibly healthy teenager, and they've found nothing physically wrong with you."

Lily drew in a breath, releasing it in a slow exhale as she leaned back against her headboard. While she should have been relieved that her blood work had, once again, revealed nothing out of the ordinary, part of her couldn't help but feel extremely disappointed. This was the third series of tests she'd undergone since September, and yet there was still no explanation for her erratic instances of exhaustion. At the very least, she'd hoped they'd be able to put their finger on something. Anything. Regardless of how miniscule it was.

"Lily?" Her mother pressed. "Don't go silent on me now. Lily?"

"Yeah; here," she said quietly.

"Look, sweetheart, I know it's not what you wanted to hear, but it's still very good news. "

It should have been reassuring to hear, but it only caused tears of frustration to sting behind her eyes. "But it also doesn't answer anything," she said, trying to conceal the bare tremble in her voice. "I'm not just making this all up in my head."

"I know," her mother assured, "and I'm not saying that you are."

"Then what, Mom?" She almost started crying, but brought a hand to her forehead in an attempt to calm herself. It wasn't only frustration over a lack of answers that was tearing her heart in two; it was the simple fact that it was so hard to endure these issues when her mother was hundreds of miles away. It helped to talk to her on the phone every week, and having her grandparents live only a few towns over from Ipswich at least provided a connection to her family. However, that paled in comparison to being held in the very arms that had comforted her since the day she was born. If Lily wanted this scholarship, though, then that was the sacrifice they both needed to make. As a single mother, she couldn't just uproot and move to Massachusetts while she had a steady job in Michigan, not so long as had a child to take care of. As upset as she might get on some days, Lily could not help but love and admire her mother for having that kind of strength. She'd given up great deal in order for her to have a good life.

"Lily?"

She didn't speak for a full minute, but then Lily took a couple of long, careful breaths until the burning heat in her chest began to subside. "I just…wish you were here," she nearly whispered.

"I wish I was, too, sweetheart."

"Mom…what's wrong with me?"

She could hear her sigh into the receiver, a sound of concern she knew well. "I don't know. But we're not going to give up on this yet. If the doctors are saying there's nothing wrong with you physically, well…then maybe it's time for us to try a different avenue."

Sniffing quietly, Lily wiped away the lone tear that did escape. "What are you thinking?"

"That maybe we ought to examine if it's a neurological issue."

Her hand tightened around her phone. Neurological. Of the brain. One of the scenarios she dreaded most as her prognoses continued to yield no results. "Neurological?"

"It's a thought. Maybe an MRI would be able to detect something that wouldn't have been revealed in blood tests, something that could give all of us a more concrete idea as to what's going on. It's worth a shot, don't you think?"

Closing her eyes, she released a shaky sigh. "Mom…um, do you think I'm—"

"No, you're not crazy, Lily," she interjected, the firmness in her tone silencing her. "I've had enough long talks with your coach to know that this is not just all in your head. There are days when I can hear it in your voice, too, and I constantly worry about you as a result. If you truly think something is wrong, then I believe you without a second thought."

While it didn't banish all her uncertainties, hearing that brought at least some relief to her troubled heart. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're my daughter, Lily Ariadne; you're always going to come first in my life, and don't you ever forget that."

Though her mother wouldn't see it, Lily managed a faint smile. Her mother was the only one who called her by her middle name as a term of endearment, and it warmed her to hear her say it yet again. Her mother had always been fond of Greek myths, her favorite being the love story between Theseus and Ariadne, and Lily rather liked her given name.

"Just to cover our bases, let's make an appointment for an MRI just to put our minds at ease. There most likely won't be anything new to report when we get the results back, but I want us to be sure. What do you say?"

She gave another slow sigh, but then softly told her, "Okay."

"Good. Dr. Ballinger might be able give us a referral for a neurologist in that area. If he can, I'll make sure to clear my schedule so I can be there with you."

At that, she wiped away another errant tear. "Um, do you know yet if you'll be able to make it out for our next meet?"

"I'm hoping to make that happen. Still waiting for approval on my time off, but I don't intend to miss it for the world."

That made Lily's smile widen. It would be nice to see her mother there, cheering her on with the rest of her schoolmates.

"Just promise me you'll focus on taking care of yourself up until then. I know how much you love swimming, but I'm your fussy ol' mother, and when it comes to matters regarding your health, safety and welfare—"

"I know," she assured, not waiting for her to finish, "and I will."

"That's my girl." Then her mother paused. "By the way, have you talked to Tyler at all lately?"

The inquiry caused her stomach to drop, her smile to fade. "No…" She frowned. Okay, so that wasn't entirely true. "A-a few words, but…"

"Hmm," she commented. "Has he still been trying to reach out to you?"

She closed her eyes again, feeling warmth flow into her heart when his face entered her mind. "Yeah." Almost every day, she silently elaborated, sighing gently through her nostrils. And don't pretend that you don't want to talk to him just as badly…

"Hmm," she murmured again. "You know, it may be about time to take your heel out of his back, Lily."

Her eyes flew open, surprised at her suggestion. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that maybe it's time to give him a break. What he did to you was inconsiderate, I agree, and you have every right to be upset with him. But from what you've told me, he's been regretting his actions ever since, and maybe it's time for you to listen to his side of the story. It might not resolve things between you two, but at the very least, it might give you some closure if you give him a chance to explain himself. You always used to sound so happy whenever you talked about him."

Blinking slowly, Lily let her mother's words gradually sink in. Hear his side, she repeated to herself. Was she ready for that? Actually, was she ever really against the idea in the first place? He'd apologized to her a dozen times—she'd heard him, even if she was walking away at the time—and though she'd wanted to hear him out at each instance, that God damned voice would interfere…

Her mind wandered to thoughts of that afternoon's swim practice, and the few glimpses she had caught of Tyler while he spoke with Caleb and Pogue. Even now, she could feel her cheeks flush when she envisioned his shirtless form and that well-defined physique, particularly the chiseled abs that disappeared beneath the waistband of—

"But," her mother jarred her out of her thoughts, "you know your own heart, Lily, and I know you'll handle it whatever way you think is best."

She was still blushing, but even greater was the warmth that continued to grow beneath her chest, even after her thoughts had been focused on him.

"Well listen, I need to get going, sweetheart. Marie's coming over in about twenty minutes, and I need to make sure I straighten up the living room before she gets here."

With a slight jerk of the head, Lily finally seemed to snap out of her inability to speak. "Okay."

"I'll give Dr. Ballinger a call tomorrow. In the meantime, you keep taking care of yourself, okay?"

"I will."

"Hey," she could almost feel her smile through the phone, "you know I love you, right?"

She smiled weakly. "Yeah. Love you, too."

"Give your grandparents my love when you see them this weekend."

"I will. Bye, Mom."

"Bye-bye, sweetheart."

Ending the call, Lily rested back against the headboard once again, her mother's words still echoing in her mind. Maybe it's time to give him a break…You always used to sound so happy whenever you talked about him.

Gently sighing, she glanced over at the nearby window. Still raining, but now a soft pattering compared to the downpour that was going on earlier. Amazingly enough, watching and hearing it dredged up even more memories of Tyler: of how he'd offer to share his umbrella with her days when she'd forgotten hers, the two of them huddling close as they navigated across campus to get to their classes in the various buildings. The way he'd always smile at her when she thanked him…

The barest of smiles tugged at her own lips. Her pulse raced a little faster the longer she thought of him, that pleasant warmth spreading to her nerves and making her fingertips tingle sweetly. For a brief moment, she wondered if the voice would try to cut her thoughts short, try to convince her that he wasn't worth her thoughts…but blessedly, there was none of that. It could have been her imagination, but just sitting there on her bed, she could have sworn that she felt a minute sense of strength returning to her heart—

A sudden knock had her snapping her head towards the door, thoughts of Tyler vanishing from her mind. Already in her sleepwear for the night, she wasn't exactly up for entertaining anyone at the moment. It may have been Friday night, but she wanted to take advantage of the weekend and get some sufficient rest. With a sigh, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood, the hardwood floor cool beneath her bare feet as the crossed the room. Reaching for the knob, Lily opened the door, her eyes widening at who was standing on the other side.

She blinked, her hand grasping the edge of the door. "Uh…hi."

The pretty blonde in the hallway gave her a small but genuine smile. "Hi." A pause. "You probably don't know me, but—"

"You're Sarah," Lily finished for her, automatically recognizing the senior girl. "Sarah Wenham. Caleb's girlfriend."

Sarah lips parted to speak, but then she hesitated, her smile fading just a touch before exhaling audibly. "Yeah."

Her eyes had taken on such a faraway look all of a sudden, which had Lily's brow furrowing slightly. "Are you…"

But before she could finish her question, Sarah said, "Listen, do you mind if I come in? I'd really like to talk to you."