Chapter 7: (August 6)

The next day was just as bizarre as the previous one for the eight sensates. Kala, much to her dismay, was told that she would have to stay at the infirmary until noon due to her acute concussion. She was extremely bored, having finished all of her homework for the past two days. She spent the hours sleeping or leaning against the headboard of her bed to look through the window. Sometimes a lean sillouette would present itself in her peripheral vision. She assumed it was the blond boy. Next time he comes, she thought, I'll tell him what I think of him watching me. Kala mentally scolded herself afterwards for thinking that these hallucinations were real.

"Father would be ashamed," she said, picking at the cotton covers with her slender fingers.

"Why do you care what your father thinks of you?" It was a recognizable German accent that spoke aloud in the quiet room.

Kala was startled and looked up quickly. The blond boy-Wolfgang, she remembered- was in the corner of the room. He moved away from the wall, and sauntered over to sit in the armchair. They watched each other for a few seconds, although to the both of them it felt like a lifetime. Kala refused to look away, but when he moved to touch the bandage on her head, she flinched in surprise. His eyes darkened and he moved back to the armchair.

"Are you scared?" he asked pensively.

Kala shook her head, hesitating to talk. Finally, she said, "I don't know if you're real, or if the gods have sent some…pervert demon to watch me, for whatever reason."

Wolfgang smiled and the tension in the room vanished. "Me? A 'pervert demon'?"

Kala nodded matter-of-factly, and pulled the sheets up discreetly to her waist to hide the fact that she was dressed in her pajamas. Meanwhile, Wolfgang leaned back in the armchair, looking around the room slowly to take in every small detail.

"Why do you always come here?" Kala asked, suddenly wanting to hear his side of the story.

Wolfgang shrugged and replied, "I don't know. I always seem to find myself here, with you. It's passing period right now."

Kala watched the boy as he turned his head to the window. He was fairly good looking, with a strong jaw and a burning intensity in his gaze. She realized he was watching her look at him, and she blushed slightly. Trying to distract him from this, she made a small remark: "I think I remember you from the first day of school."

Wolfgang nodded slowly, his best effort at appearing nonchalant. It didn't work, however, and Kala could tell that he was pleased she'd remembered him.

"So what is India like?" Wolfgang asked, curious to know more about this girl he was so connected to.

She raised her dark eyebrows in surprise and looked up at the ceiling as if recalling something to memory. "Oh. Well, it's hot. Very hot. And it's really crowded." She laughed, and the sound made Wolfgang smile. She continued, looking over at him every once in a while. "In the morning I get up for puja. It's worship to Lord Surya, the Sun God. Flowers are very important for this, and for our culture. Cinema is important too. I used to go with Auntie every Friday…" Kala trailed off slowly, wondering if she should ask him about Germany. She felt something strange when she reached into his emotions about his birthplace. It was intense and hateful. She decided it was better not to ask.

"I have to go," Wolfgang sighed. As Kala blinked, he disappeared.

"Miss Dandekar?" The nurse knocked at the door and opened it after a few seconds. She smiled, dropping off Kala's uniform. "Here, we cleaned them up for you. We're releasing you now."

Kala smiled and said a quiet thank you, waiting until the nurse left to dress in the outfit. She looked around quickly, paranoid that Wolfgang was watching her.

A few minutes later and Kala was rushing outside, breathing fresh air for the first time in days.

/

"Riley! Come here, quick!" Daniela reached out to Riley as she stepped out of her English class, and drew her to the opposite side of the hallway. Riley looked at the girl, slightly shocked.

"What's wrong, what happened?"

"Nothing, silly. I just wanted to show you the invitations for your birthday party."

"Invitations? That's a bit much, no?" Riley bit her lip and looked doubtfully at the envelopes and cream stock paper decorated in glitter and extravagant cursive.

Daniela rolled her eyes and stuffed the invitations back in her expensive handbag. "Well obviously. Your birthday is special! You're turning eighteen. That definitely requires this planning. I mean, I could have done more if I'd had extra time, like maybe a week or two-" Daniela prattled on about the lack of organization, as well as whether or not the guests should be required to bring dates. Riley, however, was not paying attention. She caught sight of a dark haired girl, turning around in what appeared to be surprised joy. People passed in front of the girl, and the next moment she was gone. Riley wondered if the brunette was like Will, too. She felt other people in her head sometimes.

Daniela snapped her fingers in front of Riley's face. "Hey, earth to Riley. Did you hear anything of what I just said?"

Riley nodded absently and said, "Sure, sure… I think I'm going to leave the building for lunch. See you at dinner." Riley hurried down the stone steps, moving into the grand hall near the double doors that were propped open for students. People streamed in and out of the school, and it took her a few minutes before she could make it out of the entrance and onto the stone steps.

The weather was nice (when compared to Icelandic standards) and some students were enjoying the day by picnicking on the school's lawn. Riley went to sit under the shade of a tree, taking out her familiar blue headphones. Scrolling through her mp3 player, she found a song and closed her eyes, willing one of "them" to appear.

When we were young, the future was so bright/ The old neighborhood was so alive/ And every kid on the whole damn street/ Was gonna make it big and not be beat…

Riley smiled as she felt someone settle in next to her. She hoped it was Will, but she also wanted to meet one of the other ones. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked sideways and saw a girl with light brown hair and glasses murmuring the lyrics to the song.

The girl stopped singing and smiled, saying, "I'm Nomi."

Riley waved and replied with her own name. Her mind pulled towards Nomi's, and she found herself in a classroom, where a balding history teacher was giving a lecture. Sitting in an empty desk, she looked around the room, almost laughing at the dozens of students that were clueless as to what was happening. But what was happening? Why was it that she could connect with Nomi, Will, and who knew how many others? Her mind stopped wandering as she felt a sudden emotion from Nomi. It was as if she was uncomfortable. Looking at the girl, she saw a boy behind her, poking her back with a pencil. The boy leaned next to Nomi's ear and made an obscene remark about her. Riley felt anger boiling up inside her, but she wasn't sure if it was hers or someone else's. Her question was answered when another girl joined them in an instant. Sun. Grabbing the pencil, she turned around and nearly shoved it into the boy's throat, threatening him.

"Leave her alone. Or else…" Her eyes flickered to the sharp end of the pencil.

The boy paled significantly and held up his hands in surrender. Of course, he'd only seen Nomi. Sun vanished, and Riley found herself back underneath the tree, the cool air refreshing compared to the stuffy classroom. The song continued in her headphones, and she leaned back to take in the dark green foliage above.

/

"There you are, I have to talk to you!" The voice belonged to a worried Capheus, who strode across the courtyard to Sun. She sat still near the fountain, and as he approached her, they both felt a surge of emotions at the connection. The closeness was almost unbearable due to the intensity of it all. He gently put his messenger bag down, and sat next to her.

"So I wasn't dreaming… It's a shame. Being delusional would have made so much more sense…" Sun blinked once, slowly, and found herself just a foot away from where she'd been sitting before.

Cahpheus smiled as usual, although it seemed different today: it was forced. "Do not worry," he said encouragingly, "it's like a gift from God."

"God can take his gift. I don't want it," she replied coolly, taking up her bag to walk to the school. Capheus scrambled after her, trying his best to convince her of what was happening.

"Yes, I can hear the voices too. But that doesn't mean that we are crazy. This is enough proof! I knew you before the change, and I know you now. There is nothing wrong with us, is there? Look." He stepped in front of Sun, forcing her to stop. Holding out his arms, he moved them up and down, and then turned in a circle to display himself. "See?" he whispered, "Nothing wrong. I'm still Capheus. You are still Sun." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, trying to make her laugh. He got a small half-smile out of her, which for Sun was pretty good.

"Alright!" He clapped his hands in excitement and they walked together towards the schoolhouse, a feeling of ease resting upon the both of them.

A/N: Sense8 at Comic-Con today, unless I'm mistaken or you're in a different time zone. Who knows what will happen? Here's Chapter 7. Almost to chapter 10! Thank you for all the wonderful and constructive reviews. Have a nice day!

~C.o.D.