Chapter 17: Changes

Claire's POV:

Jill Suzumiya had changed Skye in the past couple of days. He didn't even seem melancholy, but somehow, he wasn't the same detached, uncaring, thief he'd been before. In fact, no one was sure if he'd even left her side since that one night a couple days back.

I wonder if I can ever get Kai to change…

Who was I kidding? Kai didn't need to change for anyone, and he sure wouldn't be changing for a girl who couldn't make up her mind about him. I sigh and brush out my blonde bangs, shrugging into some sweats and a striped tank top. I grabbed my water bottle and headed down to the gym with Lumina, Ann, and Popuri.

"Since when did you work out Lumina?" Ann asks her, setting herself on a bike next to me.

Lumina shrugs. "After I mastered piano and moved to Paris to teach it, I've tried to find other things to occupy the time. Music isn't everything you know."

It is if you're actually passionate about it.

"Besides, working out has definite benefits for people with more weight. Isn't that why you're here?"

Ann's eyebrow twitches. "I'm underweight Lumina, I was born skinny."

"You were born on a farm. Seriously, come on Ann, weren't you on a vegetable diet since day one?"

I gulp. If Lumina knew that I was born a farm too…she'd never let it go. Ann was really aggravated then.

"You were born on a farm too!"

"Yea, but I was in a mansion. Sebastian, my butler, made most of the meals."

"Whatever Lumina, I'm not overweight and you know it. I'm working out because it's part of a healthy lifestyle. And you don't have to be on a diet just because you want to lose weight! It's a healthy diet, not a starvation one!"

"Sure, sure Annie dear," Lumina says, getting annoyed. She plugs in her ear phones and plays the music so loud everyone else can hear it too, she hums along with it as she jogs on a treadmill, ignoring us.

Ann grits her teeth. "Ann…A-N-N, why are 3 letters so HARD for her to hear?" she grumbles.

I nod submissively. I was worn out from all this drama. With Jill in the hospital, there weren't many people to talk to anymore. Well, perhaps there were, but nothing could be talked about without passing into depressing territory.

"How's Jill?" Popouri asks me, glancing at my face.

I frown. "There hasn't been a change," I reply. "But the doctors say it's just a matter of her willpower now. Everything's functioning, but it seems like she's scared or something. She has to WANT to wake up, and…right now it doesn't look that way. Everyone's taking it in different ways."

"So you're taking it by working out in a pathetic gym?" Lumina asks, one earphone dangling by her waist.

"No, I'm trying to stay calm and get ready for my second year at this school," I snap. "Maybe you should be a little more considerate Lumina, she's in a coma!"

"What does that have to do with you running from Kai?"

I'm taken aback, and I stop peddling on the bike. "Excuse me?"

"Oh that's right, he's at the hospital trying to keep calm and get her to wake up. But, being the cowardly lion you are, you're too selfish to actually go and TALK to the guy."

"Who do you think you are Lumina? You can't talk to me like that! You don't know anything about me! You don't anything about him either! What are you even talking about anyway, you're the reason why she's IN the hospital!"

Lumina cackles. "Please, like I would get caught driving a bus. No Claire, there's no way to blame this on me, sorry."

I smirk. "Really? Because I'm pretty sure there's a reason Skye hasn't called you up for another date. It's because he's with her and you hate it. It absolutely tears you apart that he likes her so much, and that even when he was with you, he ran to her sidei n a heartbeat."

Lumina narrows her eyes at me. "He's not always there with her," she says.

"Want to bet?" I ask, checking my watch. "Let's take a ride Lumina."

We get to the hospital and Skye's there, slumped in a chair moved right next to Jill's bed, squeezing her hand. Kai is there as well, dozing lightly. My heart stops cold when I see him.

So this is where he's been.

Maya looks up from her book and smiles sadly at us.

"Hi," she says.

"Hey Maya," I say, suddenly feeling stupid. Why had I made a bet with Lumina of all people, over whether people would be sitting somberly in a hospital.

"This is ridiculous," Lumina says, walking over to Skye and taking his hand out of Jill's. She claps her hands in front of his face and Skye opens his eyes, looking dazed.

"Lumina?" he croaks.

"Why haven't you called me?" she insists.

My mouth drops open.

WHY DID I MAKE THIS STUPID BET AND BRING HER HERE?!

I half expected Skye to turn on his charm, woo Lumina and ease her back into the state of adoring him like he did with all the other girls. But…Skye was…different somehow.

"I'm sorry Lumina," he says, "but I don't think I have a future with you anyway. I didn't call because I was here, looking after Jill. You were at the car crash, you know what happened to her, and yet all that was on your mind was…gettinga call? It's selfish. I don't want to be that wa y Lumina, so…there's nothing that we can really do…for us."

"Y-you're breaking up with me?!" she asks, incredulous.

He cracks a faint smile. "We weren't technically going out."

"Fine, whatever Skye, but you can FORGET about our agreement!"

Skye just turns back to look at Jill's face. Lumina storms out. I linger in the doorway before sighing and looking over at Jill.

There's something about the look of a person in a coma. They don't look peaceful at all. Jill looks like she's barely alive, like she's already dead and lost. I didn't even know the girl, but it brings tears to my eyes. If she doesn't wake up I'll never know the girl who made Skye get emotional. I'll never understand the girl who spoke to that child in the car crash. I realize then that my cheeks are moist with tears for this girl. Why? I don't know her.

"Do you remember her now?" Skye asks.

"What?"

"Both of you were really young, so you probably don't remember it, but you two lived in the same town. I'm pretty sure you knew her too, even played together. I nfact, much of your story is similar. Her father died before yours, and she disappeared before you could really grow up to know her, but you both grew up on farms, both found friends, left because of death, and ventured out into Paris."

"H-how do you know about me on the farm?"

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. He seems to do that a lot more than usual. "I was never allowed to go outside, Claire. I could only hear stories of kids having fun. And I'd see you guys playing all the time. Since I couldn't really make memories of my own, I'd remember other people's even more."

"You lived in Forget-me-Not?"

"It depended on which weekend," Skye says, refusing to look at me. "There's a lot you don't know about me Claire."

No kidding. How many people thought Skye was just some flirtatious kleptomaniac with a rich background?

"Maybe you should tell someone then," I mumble.

Kai stirs, then opens his eyes up. "Claire?" he asks, groaning. "What's going on?"

I look back at Jill. Do I remember her?

"Come on Jill," I whisper. "You've got to wake up."