I apologize for the long wait. This is simply an interlude, but I do hope you like it and we'll be back with Mike, David and the Rangers before Wednesday. I hope.

"What is this shape called?" Mrs. Smith asked her algebra class. It was Friday and hardly anyone was paying attention. They had started chapter ten in their books, which was graphing parabolas. "Miss Evans?"

Alexandria hadn't been paying attention and blinked as she came from her trance. "Umm… a curve?" She shrugged her shoulders as the school's resident nerd (AKA the boy beside her) chuckled.

"Jeff, do you know the answer?" Mrs. Smith turned her attention to the boy sitting next to Alex.

"Yes, it's a parabola. It crosses the x axis twice, therefore, if you factor its equation, using the quadratic formula, it will have two x's." Jeff answered easily, giving Alex a smirk.

Alex rolled her eyes and sighed. "Oh shut up, Jeff." She muttered. It was a dangerous thing to be caught talking in Mrs. Smith's math classes, so they whispered very quietly and very discreetly.

The class dragged on slowly and Alex could have jumped up and started to dance when the bell finally rang for the next class. She hated the class when it was at the end of the day and was thankful for their rotating schedule. She walked outside of the classroom, muttering to her friend, Natalie, about the absolute atrocity of it, but she was glad to report that they had no homework. For that night, at least.

Alex sat down at her desk in the front of her favorite class. She was in science. She loved learning about how the body worked and how one system complimented the others and how if they didn't have one or if one was messed up, they would all stop working and it'd be screwed up. She loved learning about different plants, and their science class was the best. They were currently making a nature trail in the swamp area behind the soccer fields and it was so much fun because they could screw off, while learning. But it was raining, so no trail-making.

She sighed and looked at the whiteboard, instead of Mr. Johnson. It was getting harder for her to pay attention. Everyone was always giving her looks of pity. When people actually came up to her and told her how sorry they were, that was comforting, but when they looked sadly at her, it made her feel worse. She was coming to terms with the fact her dad could die and how they were always talking about him on the news, but she didn't want to be faced with it all day. But going home was the worse. Scott was always there, since he was a stupid moocher and didn't have any incentive to get off his butt and get a job, and her mom sided with him, saying he was going through a tough time in his life. How tough could life get when you had an outlet for your anger, free food and board and someone to have sex with as much as you wanted?

Alex sighed and looked down at the worksheet that Mr. J handed out. Oh, good, just balancing chemical equations. It was easy stuff. She just asked Maria, the girl sitting beside her for help. She picked up her pencil to begin, but put it back down and sighed.

"Mr. J?" She walked up to where he sat at his desk. "Could I run to the restroom?"

"Sure, Alex." She gave him a grateful smile and walked out of the door.

Alex jogged down the hall to the bathroom and made sure that no one was in there. Classes were in session, so she was in luck. She walked into one of the stalls, and collapsed in tears. She had chosen the wheelchair one and sat on the floor. She hugged her knees close and let her tears fall.

"God…" She began, knowing nothing else to do. "I'm so scared. I don't want my Dad to die. I don't want him to spend one more minute in the hands of the enemy. Please! Protect him and deliver him… if it's your will. I love him so much, but if you're going to bring him home to you, then do so. I just don't know if I can handle it. I know you'd never give me more than I can handle, but I don't want him to go. It was hard enough when he and Mom split up, but for him to totally leave… then Mom would marry Scott." Alex rose to her knees and wiped her face.

She took a deep breath. "I'm trying to forgive him for breaking my iPod, but it's not the iPod itself. It's the fact it's a gift from Dad. He knows how much I love my dad and keeps trying to hurt me and I didn't do anything to him! And he's always trying to catch me sneaking out to go to church when I just want to know more about you. I'm trying to endure this but I don't know if I have the strength."

"I'm so angry, and it makes it worse knowing none of my friends would get it. Some of their parents are divorced, but I just miss my dad so much and I used to tell him everything. I don't know why you're doing this, but it better be for a good reason. Its my dad we're talking about."

Alex sighed and used her sleeve to wipe all of her remaining tears away. She got up on her feet and walked up to one of the sinks. She splashed water onto her face and tried to get all the redness of her eyes and nose and the tear stains from her cheeks. She sniffed and decided she looked terrible after crying. She cleared her throat and turned around, readying to back to class. She didn't know if she was ready emotionally, but she would have to. She did have to get her work done, even though she only felt marginally better.

She looked at the ceiling. "Protect my dad, God, please. He needs your help, and the other soldier he's with needs your help."