Chapter 5:

Bright light shattered the darkness, and Kala struggled to make her way out. She slowly opened her eyes, wincing at the glare of the sun's rays coming through a nearby window. Struggling to an upright position on the bed, she gazed around the room. Everything was a shade of blue, except for the white walls. The room was very small, and housed nothing except the bed, a chair, a mirror, and a small nightstand with a pitcher of water. Kala reached with shaking fingers to the cup, grateful to whomever had placed it there for her. Looking at the room again, she realized that she was most likely in the infirmary. The previous day's events came back to mind, and, shuddering, she set down the cup again.

A knock came at the door, disrupting Kala's thoughts. Unsure what to say, she hesitantly asked, "Yes…?"

An older woman came in, carrying a tray of food and medicine. She smiled at Kala and set it down on the nightstand, then moved to the other side to sit in the armchair. "Well, Miss Dandekar, it looks like you had a nasty fainting spell," the woman took Kala's arm, checking her blood pressure, "but we got you here on time. You've only been out since last night, if you're wondering."

"What about classes?"

"Well, we can't let you walk around with a concussion. But I assume you'll be ready to go back tomorrow."

Kala breathed out a sigh and felt a sharp pain on the side of her head. Reaching up, she gingerly touched her temple, only to be met with the feeling of gauze and bandages. The nurse carried on talking while getting the medicine ready and pouring a new glass of water, "You know; it's really bizarre. You're the eighth student we had to see because of fainting, but your case was the worst. I'm telling you; it must be the jetlag."

Kala felt strange when the woman said this. It's nothing, she thought to herself, simply sick teenagers. It's a coincidence, that's all. The nurse left her after a few minutes.

Kala flipped over the thin sheets, and slowly moved her feet to the ground. Her toes curled at the feeling of cold tiles, but she finally stood after a few seconds. A feeling of dizziness surrounded her head, and she heard the blood rush in her ears. Steadying herself with one hand on the bedpost, she slowly walked to the floor-length mirror.

Kala was in awe at the sight of the gash on her head as she removed the bandage, "Oh, no…" She tilted her head to comb through her dark curls with her fingers. Looking back at the mirror she gasped, seeing the reflection of a boy. She turned and there he was, his blond hair shining in the sun. Kala covered her mouth, realizing that she was no longer in her room, but in a boys bathroom. The boy was still in front of her. "Oh, Ganesha! Are you real?"

"My name is Wolfgang; of course I'm-" he was cut off when the nurse came in, and when she looked back, Kala realized he was no longer there.

"Miss Dandekar! You should be resting." The nurse rushed over to help Kala to her bed.

"Did you see him? He was right there!"

"Don't worry, you'll be better soon. Just get some sleep. I brought your schoolwork to keep you busy if you need it. All right?" The woman smoothed down the sheets on the bed and left again. Kala closed her eyes and folded her hands together. She prayed until she slowly fell asleep again, hoping it had all been a dream.

/

Will Gorski turned the page in the book he was reading. He'd been having awful visions, and had finally gone to the infirmary, only to faint when he'd gotten there. Luckily, they'd let him go back to his house and miss classes for the day.

Will, like some other students, had also received a scholarship to the Board. His father had been surprised, but said that the travel would be good to get rid of Will's "delinquent" side. It had been three days, and he still hadn't made any friends…

Will was broken out of his train of thought when he heard a whispered conversation in the hall. Putting away his copy of Crime and Punishment, he slowly made his way to the door. Opening it a crack, he could see two prefects down the hall. He knew the name of one of them, Rajan. The other was a boy Will didn't know. He turned his ear so he could hear them better.

"I know it, ok? I heard them. One of the teachers is missing. She disappeared last night."

"Strange, but I'm sure it happens. I wouldn't want to teach a bunch of kids either."

Rajan shook his head and walked past Will's room. Will flattened against the wall, wondering what it was he'd just heard. He let out a breath as he heard the other prefect leave as well. Was it true? Had a teacher really disappeared overnight? And why?

Turning to go out of the room, he jumped back in surprise when he saw a girl looking at him through the crack. He threw open the door, but no one was standing there. "I'm going insane…" He closed his eyes and rubbed them aggressively. Opening them again, he saw that he was no longer in the dorm, but in a room with artwork leaning against the pink walls. A woman with piercing blue eyes was looking at him, and he opened his mouth to yell. She stooped down, quick as a hawk, and clasped her hand over his mouth.

"I'm real. You need to calm down. Okay? Do as I say." She slowly removed her hand from his mouth, and he struggled into a seat in the room.

Will shook his head vigorously and muttered repeatedly, "This is it, and I'm going crazy; I'm going crazy…"

"William. Shut up, and listen to me."

Will looked up at her as if he'd been slapped. "How do you know my name?"

"I know this is all happening very fast," the woman sat down in a chair opposite his, "but I must hurry. They will find out that you're like me. A sensate."

"A what?"

"The teacher that went missing at your school. She was one of us. We can connect Will. We can talk to each other even when we're on opposite sides of the globe."

Will suddenly recognized her. "You're from the airport… I saw you there when I landed. You live near here, don't you?"

The woman nodded and replied, "Yes. I'm Irsa. And the only way that you can contact a sensate from another cluster is by looking at them. I urge you, please be careful at your school! Show no signs of having these visions. There are people that want to hurt us."

Will shook his head disbelievingly, "I still think I've gone crazy, but couldn't I just get away from the Board?"

Irsa laughed dryly and stood up, ready to leave. "No one runs away from a boarding school. Your father wouldn't believe you. Yes, I know," she said, recognizing the amazement in Will's face, "I can access your thoughts and emotions. Remember to be careful! I will visit you again soon. "

The vision slowly started to fade, but not before Will heard a ghostly whisper ask, "How do you escape an island…?"

Back in his room, Will leaned against the wall and grabbed his head in his shaking hands. There was a knock at the door, and Rajan entered. The prefect looked at him worryingly, and whispered quietly, "I didn't know you were here. Are you alright, William?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just the jetlag, you know?" Will laughed weakly and got up with Rajan's help. "Um, you know, I think I'm going to go take a walk."

Rajan gestured towards the door and smiled, "Go ahead. I won't stop you."

A/N: Chapter 5, up! I've decided I will post every three days so that it gives me more time to write (which produces longer and better quality chapters). It's a win-win for everyone. As for a note on this chapter: it was super exciting to write. The teens are finally going through the change, and we'll be able to see next chapter how each character copes with becoming a sensate. Thank you for reading, have a wonderful rest of the day!

~C.o.D