Spring was better than winter- the weather was nicer, for one thing- but it still wasn't exactly pleasant.

The dream about my maybe-friends didn't repeat itself, and after a while I forgot about it almost completely. Soccer started up again, and that was a nice break from being stuck in a classroom on some very pretty days. And almost everyone in my class started seeing the school counselor regularly- some of us from pure stress, but most of us in attempts to decide what secondary schools we wanted to apply to, assuming we passed our exams.

There wasn't a secondary school in the village of Azu, so all of the graduating sixth graders would be attending schools in Toyama or even farther from home. Most of them would be boarding at the schools, though some talked about staying with relatives in other cities. I didn't have those options, though. Just meeting the tuition costs and getting my supplies was going to cost more than enough; I couldn't possibly pay the board and meals for three months at a time, especially since I would not be able to work in the dojo anymore. Besides, I couldn't leave White Blaze. Well- didn't want to. So I did a lot of checking, searching the small towns between Azu and Toyama for a school that was close enough to attend from home, that I could get to easily, and that wasn't too expensive.

I didn't have any luck; everything cheap enough was practically impossible to get to without a two-hour start. I did NOT want to get up at 3:30 in the morning just to make it to school on time, so I crossed them all off my list and decided I'd have to ask the counselor to help me. I had been wary of doing that- I didn't want her asking why my father wasn't making arrangements for me- but I finally did. Fortunately, she didn't ask any questions at all; I think she was feeling a little too overworked to question anything at that point. If that's so, I definitely didn't make things easier for her, because it wasn't until the end of March- a week before the spring break was due to start- that the counselor called me to her office to discuss the school she'd found for me.

By then, I had found a school myself that might just barely work out, but decided to keep it in reserve and hope for something better. My hopes had been fading as time went by, and I was getting nervous about the application deadline, so I was really glad to hear that she'd found something- though I did wonder if it was that same school. But it wasn't. The one I'd found was in Yamanashi; this one was on the edge of Toyama. It was called Hanai, and it was a very large, very unusual school. It wasn't really a secondary school in the strict sense of being grades seven, eight and nine; it was elementary and secondary put together. I'd never heard of such a thing before; it seemed a very strange thing to do, and I couldn't help wondering how good the teachers would be in such an unusual place. I was also troubled by the fact that I'd have to take the train into Toyama and back every day; it was better than the bus, but train tickets cost a lot more than bus tickets. I mentioned that to the counselor, and learned that I would qualify for a student pass that let me ride for about a quarter of the regular price. All of a sudden, the place started to look a lot more attractive.

It had other advantages as well. The school itself was only two blocks away from the train station, so that was extremely convenient. And their activity program offered soccer, which delighted me; the Yamanashi school didn't have it. I wasn't all too sure about the length of the train ride- it would be about forty-five minutes each way- but considered, philosophically, that it would be a good time to get some of my homework done. Especially if I hadn't had time the night before. I was also a little concerned about being able to keep working, since I'd be getting home so late. Still, I could work in the summer and Sundays, and perhaps I would be able to find an after-school job in Toyama itself. I wrote that down as a possibility, decided Hanai would definitely be my school of choice, thanked the counselor for all her hard work, and then went back to making homework the main focus of my time awake.

The spring break went by faster than I thought it should, considering how much the winter one had dragged, but I had so much homework assigned over the break that it ate up a lot of time. And I was working, too, as well as slowly mastering the double-katana method (and incidentally working off a lot of piled-up stress). I barely had time to think about the Rekka armor, and the only new aspect to that was that I decided not to mention it to my sensei. I knew he'd be extremely interested in it, particularly the katanas, but it just involved too much explaining and I didn't want to put him at risk...just in case.

Then the last term started up, and the stress went right back through the roof. Almost everything we did those last three months was reviewing and preparing for the exams, and everyone was jumpy and irritable and easily upset. It didn't help that the school actually held rehearsal exams, not once but twice. None of us thought that was fair, even if the scores didn't count, but there was no point saying so to the teacher. By the time the actual exams came around in July, I was too brain-dead to really be nervous, though that was definitely not the case for some of my classmates.

And after all that, it was easy! I couldn't believe it; half the things we'd reviewed weren't even on the tests, and the other half were things any fifth-grader ought to know. I was mighty steamed about that, but it seemed I was the only one, since everyone else praised the teacher for preparing us all so well. I kept my mouth shut with an effort and tried not to think about how many wasted hours of study time I'd put in, but I grouched about it later, out of the teacher's hearing.

"Don't call it wasted yet," my sensei advised me when I complained to him. "Not till you see how difficult the Hanai school is and what kind of grades they require to get in." He had a point, and my temper cooled down when I thought about it. Besides, having it turn out too easy was better than if it had been too hard. At least I didn't have to wonder if I'd passed or not!

Our next, and last, assignment was to write out our applications to the schools we hoped to attend. I only had two, and they were practically mirror-images except for the names of the schools, but some of my classmates had as many as six and tried to make each one unique. I'm not sure why, since there's only so many ways to apply for something anyway, and it wasn't as if the schools went around comparing one application to another. I guess they were so used to being anxious about something that they couldn't drop the habit.

I don't know if it was just our teacher, or what, but we actually got graded on those applications before we sent them. I thought it was somewhat obnoxious; I got a good grade but it meant that I had to re-copy both those sheets of paper again before I could send them. Though I admit- I was tempted to send the ones with the scores on the top in red ink, just to enliven the life of the person who had to read them. But it was too important to treat it so carelessly, so I didn't.

After that, things were fairly quiet in my classroom, but also somewhat tense while we all waited for responses. We spent a lot of time reading...at least in theory. In practice, it was mostly talking quietly about whatever we wanted while the teacher read. Every now and then he would look up from his book and tell us a fact or ask a question 'to think about', to keep up the appearance of learning something. He assigned homework, too, but it was simple stuff like ten math problems and a fifty-word essay on our favorite food- things like that. I suppose he was feeling as burned-out as his students were, but with exams over and only three weeks left in the term anyway, it hardly mattered.

After a week, the responses to the applications started trickling back, and by the end of the second week, we all knew where we were going in September. The teacher was extremely pleased that all of us had been accepted where we wanted to go, and the final week of school was more or less an extended class party in celebration. Not all of it was 'in class', either; there were some very nice days that we spent mostly outside, but out of sight of the junior classes so they wouldn't spend all their time watching us out the windows and feeling envious.

And then it was over and I turned in my books with a mix of apprehension and relief. The teacher made a solemn speech about representing our school and village, giving our best effort no matter what it was we were doing, and remembering the lessons we had learned that were not in the books: about cooperation and acceptance and kindness and self-denial in pursuit of a goal. He concluded by saying that he was very proud of us all and we had done him credit- "Despite the groans and grimaces when you thought I wasn't looking," he added with a grin, and I believe we all blushed at that. "And that's your last lesson," he concluded. "Be discreet always, because you will never know who is listening and watching, nor when it might come back to haunt you. Class dismissed, and enjoy your time off."

The 'farewells' took place outside the front of the school, with everyone saying goodbye and heading off in small groups toward their homes. I walked down the main street rather slowly, with my hands in my pockets for a change- it felt weird not to be carrying a bunch of books- deep in thought. Not about anything in particular, just about the school and the teachers and all the seasons there...and concluding I would miss it. It hadn't all been good, but it had been mostly good, and it's always kind of sad when something ends. I was halfway home, thinking so hard, before I remembered that I still had to work that afternoon and turned to run back to the dojo, annoyed at myself for being such an airhead. All that farewelling had made me forget- I think it made us all forget- that there was still the summer break ahead of us and the actual departing wouldn't be for another month yet.

I worked more than usual that summer. My sensei's brother wasn't well and had to go all the way to Tokyo for an operation, and Kigan-san was very worried about him and distracted. He was also overworked; he had to take over his brother's classes, and teaching everything in the dojo was not an easy thing. So he decided to give me the three beginner katana classes to teach. That made me nervous at first, but when I found out there were no more than seven students in each class, all younger than me, I quit worrying so much and just tried to teach them right. They were all eager to learn, but some of them were better at it than others and I had to be careful that the slower ones didn't get discouraged and quit trying. It wasn't always easy to be patient, but I managed, and heard in a very roundabout way that the kids liked me pretty well.

Okay, so I eavesdropped a few times. It was the only way to find out if the students thought I was fair or not. They weren't supposed to complain; they would have been considered very ill-mannered and presumptuous if they had, and perhaps (they probably thought) not allowed to continue, which would have got them in trouble at home. So they were very polite and correct during the class, and it was good to know that they didn't secretly think I was a creep.

I turned thirteen in the middle of August, and this time I had a party! The sensei and most of the students arranged one to surprise me, and it succeeded very well in doing that. It was a wonderful day and it made me think my teenage years might be better than my earlier ones.

Kigan-san's brother returned to the dojo about ten days before school started, which was pretty good timing for all of us. In gratitude for my help, my sensei gave me that week off- with pay. I was glad of it; I needed a bit of a rest. I also needed some time to get everything ready for the new start of school, and that included getting some new clothes, since I'd outgrown my old ones again. Not that I would wear them- uniforms were required at Hanai like everywhere else- but if I did take a job in Toyama after school, I would need something other than my school clothes to wear. Aside from that, there was the list of required supplies that arrived with the uniforms- notebooks and pens and all that stuff. In between it all, I spent a lot of time with White Blaze, who I had seen less of than usual over the summer.

The closer the first day got, the more anxious I got. I could hardly sleep the night before, and rushed around quite a bit that morning, trying to make sure I had everything I needed- then wondering if I needed things or not- then deciding I might as well take them, just in case- then changing my mind... 'A flustered duck,' as Rowen says. White Blaze watched with interest, occasionally rubbing his head against my legs or hands in attempts to calm me down a little, but I was too anxious to settle. Finally I realized that if I didn't want to miss the train, I had better get moving, so I did, and got so worried about that aspect that I jogged most of the way to Azu. That got me there early, so once I had my ticket, I had nothing to do but wait and try not to pace up and down the platform. There weren't many people waiting with me; I wondered about that, then figured they had all taken the earlier train.

The ride in was rather boring once the novelty of being on a train wore off. I had seldom been on a train before, hadn't thought that it might be boring, and decided that having homework to do would probably not be such a bad thing. As long as I didn't get too absorbed in it and miss my stop!

Arriving at the Toyama station was a pretty scary experience. The minute the doors opened, about ten-thousand people all tried to get on while I was trying to get off. I think I actually had some bruises by the time I got onto the platform and away from the crowd, from elbows in the ribs and briefcase edges on the ankles. I took a minute to get my breath, then looked around to find the right exit and started walking. I had been sensible enough to take the trip ahead of.....um, well, I had been sensible enough to take the counselor's advice and go into the city to find out where exactly the school was... so I knew where I was going and didn't have to worry about getting lost.

Toyama in the early morning is a crowded place. It's not as big as Tokyo, but it is near the sea- of course, most of Japan is- and there's a major port there. So there's tons of businesses, which makes the morning rush is pretty formidable. It's a good thing I did know where I was going, because the noise and confusion was such a violent change from what I was used to that it threw me into what Cye calls 'a tizzy'. I don't know exactly what that is, but that was pretty much how I felt: tizzied.

Is that a word? Or am I thinking of 'dizzy'?

Whichever, it was totally disorienting, and I was enormously relieved when I saw the gates of the school ahead of me. It wasn't until then that I noticed how many other kids were walking along nearby and realized they must all be students, too. I went through the open gates, hurried through the parking lot where cars were circling through to drop kids off, went past the busses that were unloading in their section, and finally got into the building itself. Pulling my assignment sheet from my pocket, I checked the classroom number once again, frowned at the little map that showed where it was in that maze of school hallways, and set off uncertainly down the halls in search of it, ignoring some surprised stares and whispers from a small clump of girls near the entrance.

Once I found my classroom, I settled down a bit, and the morning went more or less as mornings in the Azu Elementary had gone on the first day. All the teachers took attendance, handed out books and lesson plans, and told us their expectations and grading systems. Just before lunch, we were assigned our lockers and were able to put the morning's books in them, clearing our desks for the afternoon classes. Then we went to lunch, which was a very remarkable experience. It seemed the school had so many classrooms that they didn't bother trying to bring the lunches around to each one. Instead, there was a 'cafeteria' beside the kitchen. This was a place where everyone lined up to collect a lunch, then went into a large room full of tables and chairs to sit down and eat. There were doors leading out to a courtyard, too, and I noticed that a lot of the students went to eat in the sunshine. I also noticed that if one had brought a lunch with them, one didn't go through the line, unless it was to buy something to drink. It was a very efficient system, and it certainly was good to get out of the classroom for a while.

It was during lunch that I was made to understand why so many of the students kept staring at me and whispering. It made me uncomfortable, but I had assumed it was just because I was new, and tried to ignore it. That wasn't the reason, though. I had just finished eating when a trio of slightly older boys walked up to where I was sitting alone at the lunch-table and asked, very rudely, whether I was a boy or a girl. Somewhat taken aback, I informed them that, of course, I was a boy, at which point the shortest of the three reached out and pulled my hair. "Not with hair like that, you're not," he retorted. That was when I observed that he and the other boys- in fact, all the boys I could see, most of whom were smirking at me- had their hair cut very short.

Before she died, Grandmother had cut my hair about once a month. After she died, I sort of forgot about it- there was too much else going on to pay attention, and no one in Azu had really noticed. I hadn't tried to do anything about it during the summer, except for tying it back sometimes in the dojo, and it now reached a little below my shoulders. I didn't mind; in fact, I kind of liked it to be long. My mother had worn her hair about so long, so it seemed fitting that I should, too. I had never expected anyone to taunt me for it, though, and as the three boys continued to make nasty remarks, I felt my temper start to heat up.

"Aww, the little girl's getting all upset," another of the boys crooned. "Cry, little girl! Cry because the big boys were mean to you." He cackled, and I stood up so fast my chair fell over.

"I am not a girl and I do not have to listen to you creeps," I growled. "Get away from me and-"

"What's the problem here?" an adult voice interrupted, and I turned quickly to see a thin, pinch-faced man stride over to us.

"This new student has decided to pick a fight, sir," the first one began.

"That's a lie," I said sharply. "These rude brats seem to have a problem with the way I choose to honor my dead mother. They think I should offend her spirit and cut off all my hair."

It wasn't exactly the truth, but it was close enough not to trouble me. And it shut them up good; they didn't want any possibility of an angry spirit focusing her revenge on them.

"Haruka," the teacher said rather wearily, "get back to your table and leave the new students alone. Go on, all three of you, go sit down." He glanced at me. "Pick up your chair..."

"Sanada," I said slowly, frowning. Was that all he was going to do?

"Yes, well, pick up your chair and another time, don't be so sensitive. They couldn't have known about your honored mother." He turned and hurried off. I picked up my chair and watched as the three boys sat down nearby. From the way they kept glancing over at me, it seemed obvious they were planning some more mischief, so I decided this would be a good time to leave and took my lunch tray to the cleaning- window. As I went back to get my books, the short one, Haruka, made faces at me and I paused at his chair, regarding him.

"It's an improvement," I said at last, nodding. "With any luck, your face will freeze that way." And then I gathered up my books and went back to class, feeling a little better even though I knew I'd made an enemy. Or three.

The second half of the day went pretty much the way the first had, except that there was no more staring or whispering. And I got a delightful surprise at the end of the day: it turned out that classes ended at three o'clock instead of four! I probably would have noticed that if I'd read the required supply sheet I'd been sent more carefully, but I wasn't about to complain.

We spent the usual fifteen or so minutes doing the classroom cleanup, and then went off to our various after-class activities. I spent the next hour on the athletic field for soccer tryouts, and was surprised to be accepted to the team before the hour was half-over. In fact, they were amazingly efficient; as soon as I was accepted, I was taken into the locker room, was given a uniform and a locker, and then introduced around to the other players. Most of them were returning students, and most of whom were also fairly friendly. Practice ended close to four-thirty and I got to the train station in time to catch the four-forty-five train back to Azu. I managed to get on without being squashed by the flood of people exiting- the morning rush in reverse- and completed my two small assignments on the way home. By five-thirty I was in the Azu dojo and my sensei was asking me, in some surprise, if I had flown. I told him about my day as I started the first load of sweaty uniforms in the washer and he smiled when he heard what I'd said to that rude Haruka.

And that was my routine for the rest of the month- except for the size of my homework assignments, which quickly got a lot more numerous than two a day, and also except for the confrontation in the cafeteria. Haruka and his bullies steered clear of me for a while, unnerved by the thought of my mother's spirit, and that was just as well. I soon found that while the teachers taught well enough, they did a very poor job of keeping control of the students when they mingled.

How exactly I became the 'most popular' player on the soccer team is still a complete mystery to me. And where the rumors came from that I was going to be captain the next year- well, gossip will do that, I guess. All I can say for sure is that I enjoyed the practices very much. I was a little better than some, not quite as good as others, still one of the fastest but still aware that speed wasn't everything. It was a new experience, to scrimmage with teammates my own age and skill level, and I learned a lot. The other players accepted me readily and I soon had a comfortable feeling of comradeship with them.

The matches were held twice a month, on our half-Saturdays, in the afternoon after classes-

I should probably explain that. The first Saturday of each month was a day off- teacher workday. So was the third. The other two were half-days. We spent the morning in class- very accelerated class, usually just long enough to review Friday's homework and get a new assignment- then had lunch, and then the athletic teams would hold their matches. Soccer in one field, baseball in another, basketball inside the gym, and I think the debate team met on Saturdays too, but I'm not sure- I never went to one of those.

So the end result was that we had two matches a month, against various schools in Toyama. The schedule had us away in September, home in October, and away again in November, which seemed pretty sensible to me. I was surprised when I heard that they do it differently in America. Anyway, our first match was extremely exciting for me, since it was the first time I'd played against a whole different team, and we did very well. I didn't score any goals, but I did keep one from being scored against us, so I was pretty pleased. The second match was enlightening, in a not very nice way: I was absolutely shocked when, after I helped score our second goal, I heard boos coming from the watching students. True, we were playing on their field, but it was still a very poor show of manners.

I guess that was the match that started to get people's attention focused on me, but it really was for the wrong reason. I sorta lost my temper about being booed and decided that if they wanted it like that, I'd give them something to boo about. So I did; I stole the ball from every player that got near me- of course I would have done that anyway- but then I scored two goals by myself in approximately two minutes. That was showing off, and I wasn't really proud of myself for it- but everyone else was. And then there was the penalty shot I got to take. So when it was over, there were three goals and one assist; and there I was, suddenly enjoying the approval of my teammates and the coaches. It was a good feeling, but an uncomfortable one too, and I was glad when we got back to school and I could catch the train home. I expected it all to be more or less forgotten by Monday...but it wasn't. The other players- my teammates- had spread the word, and on Monday morning I was very embarrassed to find that I'd somehow gone from 'rather strange new kid' to 'soccer hero' over the weekend.

During the next two weeks, I learned what it's like to become popular. Everyone seems to want to be popular, or at least one of the popular crowd, but once you're there, it's not nearly as great as you'd think. You get watched- no, studied- you get imitated, you get deferred to and treated like you're better than anyone else- and when you point out that you're not, you get called 'sweet' and 'modest'. You get crowds hanging around you, and you have all kinds of people wanting to be your 'friend', hoping to get some of your 'aura' for themselves.

I think my teammates were about as surprised as I was by that sudden outbreak of popularity, despite having been the ones who'd started it all, but they got their share of attention too. That was partly my doing. I wanted to deflect all the attention that was making me uncomfortable, and I didn't want any resentment breaking up the team, so when someone from the school paper came to interview me, I wouldn't have it. It was the second week, Friday afternoon after practice, and I talked so much about the team and what they'd taught me and how great they were that she gave up and went to speak to the others. I could tell they appreciated that, and while there was some good-natured teasing in the locker room, no one began accusing me of getting, as Rowen says, too big for my britches. (Whatever a 'britch' may be.)

"Why do people think that because I'm good at soccer, suddenly everything I do is- is totally ideal and I can't do any wrong?" I asked my sensei that night. I was mopping the floor, and wondering what the kids at school would think of that. "I don't want all this attention, and I know it won't last anyway. Either they'll start finding reasons to disapprove of me, or they'll just forget me- and I'd like to be forgotten, so I can just play the game without feeling like I'm under a microscope."

"People are like that," he replied with a shrug, and a headshake for the dinged katana he was holding. "They need to admire someone, and they've picked you. You have the right attitude, my young friend; you know that your ability on the field doesn't make you any closer to perfect than those who admire you. But don't expect them to see that. All they see is someone with a skill that earns their school honor. In fact, they probably consider it more your honor than the school's. It's easier to admire a living person than a brick building- or a concept."

"But it's not just me," I pointed out. "I'm part of a team."

"And what is a team made of?" he asked with a smile. "Individuals. Some who will get more attention than others."

"Yeah," I agreed sourly. "Especially the one who shows off...wish I hadn't done that."

"Well, now you know," he replied, putting the weapon aside. "Consider this popularity your punishment for that mistake."

So I did. With one slight exception: I had found that I could use that popularity in positive ways. If I said I didn't like or didn't approve of something, suddenly most the school didn't like or approve of it, either. And when I did approve of something, well, same result. So I decided I was going to use my status, while I could, to put an end to some of the bullying that went on in that school. Haruka and his friends had left me strictly alone over the past two weeks, not even making faces at me in the hall, but I really hated how they got away with picking on other people. If the teachers weren't going to intervene, I would; it wasn't jin to stand by and do nothing when kids were being pushed around and frightened.

I got my chance the very next day, after our first home game.

It was a nice experience, being cheered on by my schoolmates, and we played well enough to win despite the other team's constant and deliberate fouls. The game was over, the crowd of students had began to scatter, and I was helping put the practice balls in the net bag when I suddenly heard familiar, jeering voices speaking nearby. I looked over, frowning, and blinked in surprise. Haruka and two of his friends were keeping pace with a boy about my own age, or maybe a little older- a tall, rather slim boy with pale skin and hair like sunshine- and saying rude things to him. I watched for a moment as he tried to ignore them, his shoulders hunched and his eyes on the ground. My temper kicked in as I heard one of Hakura's friends say, 'foreign insect' in a sneering tone and I straightened up, scowling, but tried to restrain myself. Obviously the boy didn't want trouble; tempting as it was to go to his defense, it might be wiser to stay out of it. But the way the other students were reacting made that difficult; they were turning to look, whispering to each other, moving away as he drew near...

"Disgusting creature," the other bully said contemptuously. "Ugly, dirty-"

"Even the air around it stinks," the first agreed. "Like stinky feet."

"Like cabbage farts...rotten ones-"

I clenched my fists as the two competed with each other for the most revolting descriptions, furious at the giggling I could hear around me. The boy didn't respond, but I saw his hand clench at his side.

"You have no right to come down here!" Haruka spoke up loudly, and the other two quieted. "We don't want gaijin scum contaminating our teams, putting the demon-eye on them! Go crawl back into whatever hole you slithered out of and leave decent humans to themselves. Understand?"

That did it.

"Hey, you!" I snapped, dropping the ball I was holding and stalking over to the group. They all paused and the bullies looked at me in surprise. The blond boy had turned too, and for a moment his eyes met mine. His face was expressionless- but his eyes were not. Then Haruka grinned, a big, pleased grin that made me boil. They expected me to join in the taunting! Even the boy expected it, it was there in his violet eyes and clenched mouth.

I didn't waste any time setting the situation straight. "You jerks knock off that talk, right now! And who do you think you are," I added directly to Haruka, "deciding who's permitted at the games and who isn't?"

"B-but, he's-" Haruka started, gesturing at the boy.

"-A student!" I cut him off, glancing at the bully's wide-eyed victim. "All students are welcome at the matches- except for the rude ones. Now why don't you stop demonstrating how badly your parents raised you and get out of here! And clean up your attitudes before you come back! Got it?"

There was a long, incredulous silence. The boy's expression had changed from stoic endurance to shocked gratitude, and his remarkable eyes were fixed on me. Haruka and his friends looked as though someone had smacked them all in the face, which suited me just fine.

"Got it?" I repeated warningly, and the trio muttered obedient yes's before hurrying off into the crowd. I watched them go, then turned to the boy and apologized for leaping in where I might not have been wanted. The boy replied in perfect Japanese, thanking me most graciously for intervening. I was surprised that an apparent exchange student could speak my language so well, but when he remarked that Haruka was the one in charge of the bullies in the school, I began to wonder if he really was a foreigner. Then I heard one of my teammates call me and realized I needed to get moving. The Azu train wouldn't wait. So I took my leave and hurried back to the other players, none of whom mentioned the confrontation. That was a good sign: if any of them had disapproved, they would have said something about the impropriety of arguing in public.

Twenty minutes later, back in my regular clothes and burdened with my books, I reached the Toyama train station with about thirty seconds to spare before the train pulled in. I waited patiently for the passengers to pile out, then got on and took a seat by a window. Settling the books between my feet, I propped my elbow on the narrow sill beside the window and stared out as a few more people filtered in, but I wasn't really seeing them. Normally I would have opened a book and started completing my homework, but tonight I had too much to think about.

I didn't know what I had set in motion, but something told me it was going to be significant.