~!Author's note!~ Oh my gosh, it's been FOREVER since I've updated and I'm super sorry about that. There's been some stuff going on and I've had tons of school work to do but I'll try to update faster. Anyways, this chapter is kind of hectic, considering I'm trying to make up for being AWOL, but, I had fun writing it. Enjoy! xoxo, Aly.

"I'm still so tired!" I complained when Alex tried to wake me up.

"You can't still be tired." He shook my shoulders. "You've been asleep for eighteen hours."

I rolled over to face him. "Are you serious?"

He nodded.

I ran a hand through my hair. "Jeez."

"Come on." Alex grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bunk. "I'll fix you some breakfast."

"You don't have to fix me anything, Alex. I'm fine with cereal." I said.

"Then I can fix your cereal." He pushed me onto a chair next to the table. "What kind do you want?"

"Lucky Charms." I yawned.

Alex got a bowl out of the cabinet and filled it with Lucky Charms and milk, stuck a spoon in it, and sat the bowl in front of me.

"Thanks." I said, taking a large bite.

Alex watched closely as I ate.

"You don't have to do this." I said.

"But I do. I'm not gonna let you starve yourself, Annie." Alex whispered.

I sighed. "I can't just give up on it. It's not that simple." Silently I added not that I would even want to. Ana's my best friend, I can't just let her slip away from me.

"I know it's not simple. But you have to try." He said.

I nodded. 1000 calories a day, max. 800 would be better. 500 best.

"So, tell me how this all started." Alex said.

I immediatly flashed back to the bet I made with Cailyn in fifth grade. We both bet we would be the skinniest, the most popular, we would be perfect. We swore on it, even. We made a pact to starve. "Stress. That's all."

"Really?" He asked.

Cailyn and I said we would be perfect. And that's what we were. "Yeah. Just stress. I stopped eating and that was it."

"What were you stressed about?"

"School, family, everything." I shrugged.

Cailyn and I were stressed, that wasn't a total lie. But that's not why we turned ourselves into what we did. We wanted to be skinny. That was all we cared about. I pushed myself way to far, of course.

"Typical me." I muttered.

"What?" Alex asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing."

Freshman year (1st semester) - 115 pounds. Freshman year (2nd semester)- 100 pounds. Sophomore year (1st semester)- 97 pounds. Sophomore year (2nd semester)- 90 pounds. Junior year (1st semester)- still stuck at 90 pounds. Junior year (2nd semester)- Wait, what do I weigh?

I flew out of my seat and into the bathroom, searching for the scale. I pulled it out and placed it on the floor and stripped.

I stepped onto the scale. 100 pounds.

I looked in the mirror and tears formed. "Ten pounds?"

"What're you doing?" Alex asked.

I kicked the scale into the corner. "Doesn't matter."

I started to walk out of the bathroom so that I could climb back in my bunk and cry.

"Um, Annabeth." Alex stopped me. "You might want to put some clothes on."

"Oh, yeah." I pulled my shorts and t-shirt back on and headed for my bunk.

As I was climbing in I noticed Alex watching me.

"What?" I snapped.

He cringed softly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I let the curtain fall into place and reached for the pocketknife hidden under my pillow.

It was time to escape.