Alright guys. So here's the deal. I've been on two trips since you last heard from me. Did great in my gymnastics meet and so-so at the dance convention. Since then, I've had a resurgence of bed bugs (for the SECOND time!) and had to completely pack up my room, do about 20 loads of laundry, clean and scour EVERYTHING, etc. On top of that, I had a HUGE deadline at work that I had to create two instructional videos for (woo hoo...) and an even larger deadline for the capstone class in my major...which we didn't meet. (Professor is considering failing the entire class. Great...). I also had to present an informational speech in my Fundamentals of Speech class. Today I got a brand new laptop...and spent six hours setting it up (with three "live chats" to the "humans" on HP support) only to find that they sent me a faulty charger and that a new one won't arrive till about Friday. As you can see...my brain has EXPLODED in the last few days.

I guess you guys can't complain too much...this IS my largest chapter yet...

All that aside, I'd like to thank a few people. SamayouTamashi , Drew, Google, Mean Girls, Dr. Who, and all the movies I watched while writing (which are too numerous to list...).

Cassie's Perspective:

I woke up slowly, stiff, with a crick in my neck. My leg was casually thrown over the arm of the hard-backed plastic chair. Groaning, I opened my eyes to the bright white walls surrounding me. I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and looked around…at least…I tried to look around but the cramp in my neck protested. I groaned again and heard someone clear their throat behind me. My head whipped around and I saw stars. Blinking, I waited for the stars to clear and spotted Alex standing in the doorway. He moved to enter the room and I looked around, searching for the clock.

Finally spotting one, I threw my head around to glare at Alex. Six in the bloody morning was no time to wake up a sleeping teenager, father in hospital or not. He simply raised his eyebrow at me and kept walking. He picked up dad's chart and started skimming through it. Watching him out of the corner of my eye, I walked over to the mirror and started putting myself back together. I tried to flatten out my hair with only some water and my hands, but alas, some things just weren't meant to be. I put some tooth paste on my finger and ran it across my teeth. Finishing my morning ablutions, I turned back to Alex as he was putting the chart back on the bed.

"I think-,"

"I want to-,"

We both froze and grinned at each other.

He waved his hand in my direction, allowing me to speak my mind first.

"Well, since you woke me up and there isn't a change in dad's position, I think I should go to school."

He nodded slowly. "I was going to recommend the same thing. Would you like me to drive you after we find breakfast?"

"Would you? That'd be great."

He nodded and we headed down to the cafeteria to find the hospital's version of scrambled eggs.

We left St. Dominic's and he took me back to my house to grab a quick change of clothes. I scrambled around, tripping over my bunched up rug which never managed to lay flat. Finally dressed, I rushed out of the house, hopped into Alex's car, and slammed the door shut.

He cocked an eyebrow at me, "Everything okay?"

I hmphed, crossed my arms, and looked straight ahead. "Don't worry about it."

I sat back and relaxed as I let Alex be my personal chauffeur for ten minutes.

He pulled up in front of the school and dropped me off with a quiet, "Keep your phone on you. I'll call you if anything happens. If not, I'll see you here at school's end."

As he pulled away, I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. I turned around to face the school, only to notice several pairs of eyes on me. Eyes shut in defeat, I resigned myself to being the focal point of today's Brookland gossip.

ARARARARAR

It had been a very long day. I twisted my neck to get the kinks out and stood, facing the door to the chemistry room. Gathering myself, I took a deep breath and took the last few steps to the door. I rushed in and took my seat while I waited for everyone around me to get settled in. I sat there, tense, waiting for the storm to break and the flood to rain down upon me.

ARARARARAR

…Nothing happened. I waited the entire period. It wasn't possible that the class could have gone this particular stretch of time without asking where I had headed off to, who I had gone with, if I was dying, etc. Mr. Grizzle must have said something to the class because instead of gathering around and questioning me, they were glancing at me furtively from underneath their eyelashes. Personally, I would have preferred to answer their questions. My shoulders tense from the scrutiny, the bell finally ringing was a godsend. I packed up my materials and headed out of the class, only to be stopped my Mr. Grizzle on the way out.

ARARARARAR

"Cassie, I didn't say anything yesterday because I knew you were in a hurry, but the man you're with…I guess he's your guardian at the moment? I really would love to speak to him but he never asked for my number. He simply said he would contact me. Would you please give him my business card?" He pulled out a card and handed it to me.

I took it and tried not to grin. I knew Uncle Cub didn't need the business card. He had this nasty habit of finding things that would be impossible for others to come across. If Cub intended to call Grizzle, he would call Grizzle, business card or not.

"Sure, Mr. Grizzle. I'll give it to him the next time I see him." And I would…and we would both laugh about it for a bit.

"If that's all…"

"Yes, of course. Will I be seeing you tomorrow?"

"It depends. See, my dad is in hospital. My uncle just picked me up so I could go see him. If his condition remains constant, then I'll be in school."

"I see. Well, my best wishes then," Grizzle turned and walked back to his desk.

Blinking, I lightly shook my head and walked out of the classroom.

ARARARARAR

I walked out of the school and looked around for Uncle Cub's Audi. Spotting it almost immediately, I walked to it, dodging all attempts at being drawn into conversation. I opened the door and hopped in. Before the door was even closed, Alex hit the gas and we peeled out of the parking lot. Pressed into the back of my seat, I grinned.

"So…Alex, Mr. Grizzle stopped me again today."

"And how did that go?"

"Well, he handed me this," and I pulled out the business card. Flipping it so that he could see what was on it, I grinned. "He really would like to speak with you."

I watched as his eyes narrowed. He took in the business card and rolled his eyes. "Of course he wants to talk to me. If I keep dragging you out of class, I'd imagine the whole administrative staff would want to talk to me."

I kept my lips shut. No, I'm pretty sure that's not why he wants to talk to you, Alex…

"Well, will you call him and get him off my back? He's making life hard…"

I could tell he was weighing the pros and cons in his head. He cocked his head to the side and nodded slightly. I dropped the card in a cup holder and dropped the subject. The rest of the trip to St. Dominic's was spent with mindless chatter.

Alex's Perspective:

I dropped Cassie off at the door and drove around looking for a parking spot. Finding one, I zipped in and turned off my car. I sat there for a second. I knew Grizzle didn't want to talk to me about pulling Cassie out of class. I sighed and picked up the card. He sure was making things easy. The business card spared me a few minutes of searching and everything. I pulled me new phone out of my pocket and dialed the number as I got out of my car. As I locked my door, Grizzle picked up.

"Hello?"

"I heard you wanted to speak to me?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone. I mentally started counting to see how long it would take him to collect his thoughts. Eight seconds later he cleared his breath.

"Ahh, Mr. Rider I presume?"

"Hello Mr. Grizzle. Long time no see."

"Indeed," I started walking towards St. Dominic's door. "What can I help you with sir?"

"Well, Mr. Rider, frankly, I'd like to know what's going on. What is your relationship with Cassie McMan?"

"I am a friend of her father who is unfortunately in hospital right now. I simply came to pick her up as a favor for a friend."

"And am I ever going to find out what you got up to during school?"

"To what are you referring, Mr. Grizzle?"

"Your frequent absences, Mr. Rider."

At this point, I was outside the door. I hung a left and sat down on a bench. "As I stated repeatedly, Mr. Grizzle, I do, in fact, have a poor immune system. It simply took the shock of my uncle's death to kick in. It's a most unfortunate dilemma but luckily I've learned to live with it."

"Rider, you and I both know that's horseshit."

I raised an eyebrow at his bluntness.

"I'm slightly confused, Mr. Grizzle. What does my illness have to do with the current state of affairs at Brookland?"

"Absolutely nothing. I'm just trying to satisfy my curiosity."

"I'm afraid there is nothing to this itch…so you might as well scratch it now and resign yourself to finding someone else's story to excite yourself with. If you continue to live vicariously through me, you won't be seeing much except the inside of hospitals for a long time to come." With that, I stood up and moved towards the door.

"If that is all, Mr. Grizzle…"

He spluttered on the phone for a second.

"Alex Rider, there is something to you. I will figure out what it is. No one is this secretive."

I continued walking, rolling my eyes as I entered St. Dominic's.

"I can assure you, Mr. Grizzle," raising my voice as a nurse came over the loud speaker, "you can search, but there is nothing to find. With that, I must bid you good day. It was a pleasure catching up with you."

I clicked my phone shut and strode to the elevator, a slight spring in my step for the first time all day.

Grizzle's Perspective:

I looked at my phone as I heard a click on the other end. The nerve… I put my phone down and stared at it while I thought over what I had just heard.

Nothing to find…huh? I grinned. Opening my desk, I located a sticky note and a pen. I quickly jotted down 'St. Dominic's' before I forgot. I turned on the monitor of my computer and opened up my Google tab. Before I could go any further, however, the student I had given detention to for setting his chemistry book on fire entered the room. I minimized the window and decided to wait till I got home to do any further research. Taking the sticky note off the top of the pack, I folded it and put it in my pocket. I would consult it later.

ARARARARAR

I got to my flat that night and immediately booted up my laptop. Typing in my password, I paced around my living room floor as I waited to Firefox to load. Like a magnet being attracted to its' polar opposite, the second the internet had loaded, I zoomed to my chair. I typed St. Dominic's into the search bar and started skimming through the 125,000 some-odd results. Hmm…looks here like this is predominantly a military hospital for private personnel only. There's an interesting tidbit.

My research continued for a solid hour longer before I resigned myself to the fact that not much information was forth-coming. I sat back in my chair and rubbed my neck for a bit, concocting a plan to beat all other plans. I stood up and stretched my back. Oh yes, my plan would be brilliant. It all depended on Cassie not showing up to school tomorrow.

I briefly considered the ramifications of my moral conscience in hoping that Mr. McMan's health took a turn for the worse. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. Oh well…I'll deal with it tomorrow. Closing down the computer, I pushed my chair into the desk and walked into the kitchen. Yes…I'll definitely deal with it tomorrow…

Mind elsewhere, I didn't even notice that I poured orange juice into my cereal until after I took a bite.

ARARARARAR

The day inched by. Never has a school day lasted this long. Not even mass testing days or my first day when I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and all the students to start acting like wild animals. I glanced at the clock every two minutes, hoping it was magically time for Cassie McMan to make her normal appearance in my classroom. Unfortunately, as I am not a 907 year old Time Lord with the ability to travel through time, the clock ticked by as per usual.

When the time for Cassie's class finally arrived, she didn't come through the door. I silently thanked the heavens and called out, "Sam, if you'd please stay after?" Seeing him nod, I started my lecture.

ARARARARAR

"Sam, your lab partner isn't here today. Unfortunately, her father is in hospital and I must get her school work to her."

"No problem, Mr. Grizzle. Which hospital?"

"Mr. McMan is currently located at St. Dominic's. Do you know where it is?"

"Sure. I bike by there on my way home every day."

"Splendid. Will you please take an extra chemistry book with you and relay the homework assignment to her?"

"Of course. I'll even stick around to tutor her if she needs it."

"Excellent…excellent," I steepled my fingers. "Sam, might I make a slightly more…informal request of you as well?"

He simply cocked his head.

"While you are there with Cassie, will you simply keep an ear out and report back anything you hear about her temporary guardian or her father's condition. I'd love to know when she's planning on coming back and any other odd details you could find out."

"I'll look into it Mr. Grizzle."

He turned, grabbed an extra book, shouldered his book bag, and walked from the room.

I nodded to myself and got back to work.

By the way, yes. I have, in fact, read Scorpia Rising. If you'd like my thoughts, feel free to PM me or mention it in a review. However, my story will not deviate from it's originally plotted out story line. I reject Horowitz's reality and substitute my own! HUZZAH!

Peace, love, and Ritz Crackers,

~Moldy