Sei stared up at the ceiling in his bedroom. Like every bedroom in the compound, it had a map of the compound plastered across it. The logic of this was that the resident would memorize the layout as they stared up while falling asleep. It worked, as Sei had memorized the layout before he had even learned to write his own name.

It was moving from afternoon to early evening, and Sei was bored. He had already finished his homework and his daily work out. He had even gone to the compound's lab and re-done the experiment from Chemistry. Now there was nothing to do other than lie there.

And as he lay there, his mind wandered. He thought about his English class, only then realizing that Alfred had been in it. Then he thought about fourth period's cooking class, where he had watched with no interest as Arthur had burnt tea biscuits black. He wondered what would have happened in Chemistry if they had doubled the amount of chemicals they had put into the soda bottle. Should I sit with the same people tomorrow at lunch?

Finally, he thought about Physical Education. He had tried his hardest not to think about it, since he feared that it would bring back the painful feeling. Sure enough, his stomach panged and he felt horrible.

What is this painful feeling? He wondered. For the first time, he tried to figure it out instead of just pushing it away. Why do I feel like this whenever I think about Sophia?

Would I know if I had been raised off the compound?

Sei gasped and jumped up from his bed. He ran across the room to the intercom that was beside the door. He pressed the button and was instantly connected to the main room in the building. "Distress!" He cried out before anyone on the other end could say anything.

Within heartbeats Sei heard footsteps racing down the hall. He stepped back just before the door swung open and the man who was supposed to be his father figure stepped into the room.

"Talk to me, Sei." He said firmly.

"It's pretty minor, Ludwig." Sei said, trying to sound casual. "It's just that I had this emotional response to something, and I didn't know what it was. I was wondering if I would have known if I had been raised somewhere else."

Ludwig sighed. He knew about every time Sei shared his thoughts, so he knew how drastic they could be. This really was on the lower side of the scale. It was nothing compared to Sei's thoughts of ripping out his own heart so that he could see what it was like to die in a bloody mess.

"What caused the feeling?" Ludwig asked, taking a seat in Sei's desk chair.

Sei sat on the bed and looked Ludwig in the eyes. He opened his mouth to answer, but then hesitated. For some reason, he didn't want to tell Ludwig anything about Sophia. He felt that mentioning her within the compound would connect her to it, and he didn't want that. He quickly thought of something else to say.

"I… got my shirt caught in my locker." He lied.

"Ah." Ludwig breathed, nodding. He got up and walked over to Sei. "Don't worry, Sei." He said, ruffling his hair. "It was just embarrassment. It's completely normal at your age."

"Oh." Sei was relieved that what he had made up actually had a response. "Thanks Ludwig."

"No problem. Now get some sleep." He turned and left he room, closing the door behind him.

Sei lay back on his bed and stared at the ceiling again. He felt a little surprised. He had never held anything back from people at the compound, and he had also never lied to them. He had always thought that they would know instantly if he did lie or hold anything back.

But I still shouldn't do it again. He thought, flipping onto his side and hugging his knees. If I don't share with them, then they can't help me when I need it.

The next day, when Sei was waiting for English to being, Sophia found him. She came hurrying into the room and ran right up to his desk. He was surprised when he saw the large bandage spread across her forehead, and the painful feeling returned again.

"Sei, I didn't get a chance to talk to you after Gym yesterday." She said happily, leaning against his desk. "I wanted to thank you."

Sei blinked in surprise. Thank me? For a moment he was scared that he had really messed up her brain. "What for?" He asked hesitantly.

"For reminding me what it's like to get hurt in Gym." She laughed. "I haven't gotten hit with a dodge ball since the fifth grade. I forgot how badly they could sting." She acted like the fact that she had been bleeding had been no big deal. "Also, we should play a proper game later." She grinned.

"A proper game?"

"Yeah!" She jumped back and took a fighting stance. "This time I'll know that you're good, so I'll be able to play my best. Then we'll see who's better."

The idea of throwing another ball at her was a little alarming. Sei slipped farther into his seat and nodded slowly. "Alright."

"Great! Then I'll see you in Gym today." She waved as she turned to leave, only faltering when she had to sidestep to get out of Alfred's way.

"Careful, Sophia. Your cousin would kill me if I hurt you." Then he saw the bandage on her head. "Especially since you can get hurt all on your own."

Sophia laughed. "Don't worry, Alfred. You're not strong enough to hurt me." She waved at him as she hurried out of the room.

"Huh?" Alfred stared after her, processing what she had said. Then he shook his head and took his seat beside Sei. "Sometimes that girl says the strangest thing." He shrugged. "It must be an Australian thing."

"She's from Australia?" Sei asked before remembering his policy about getting into long conversations.

"Well…" Alfred drew out the word. "Technically she's from some place called The Principality of Wy, but it's really just Australia."

Anger flashed in Sei. "If she's from The Principality of Wy, then she's from The Principality of Wy." He stated firmly. "Just because she lives near somewhere else doesn't mean that she's from somewhere else."

Alfred blinked at him in surprise. "Uh, alright." He quickly opened his book and started reading something.

Sei sighed, forcing himself to regain his calm, indifferent exterior. Only something regarding countries could make him drop it. He was glad that the compound had given him a Geography credit.