Natalie and Jenn pulled on their shoes at the dorm's main entrance. Natalie watched as Jenn slowly tied one shoe then the other, "You've been rather quiet since we left the others." Natalie noted slightly concerned, "Anything on your mind?" She inquired. Jenn slowly stood to her feet and tapped the toe of her shoe on the ground, "A lot of things. I think meeting Gwen and now Kai made it really set in that Kris is really a... De..." She could not bring herself to say the words. "A Death Angel, you mean?" Natalie glanced over her shoulder at the cafeteria doors they'd only moments ago passed through, "It's hard to believe such a things exists, but then again there are stranger things in this world." "It's hard to believe I'm not living in some dream or am dead for that matter." Jenn stared down at her hands and turned them over again, and then glanced at Natalie, "I mean angels, shadowy creatures, god like beings. Is this all for real?" She inquired not sure if she wanted to hear an answer. Natalie opened the front door for the girl, "I used to think the same thing, but after being here several years it feels more real then any of my dreams." They stepped out onto the dorm stairs and Natalie gazed up at the Academy school, "Sure, it's weird and hard to get used to at first, but then again what I thought was reality wasn't much better." She let out a sigh and descended the front steps, "If I had a choice. I would stay here." She continued, plunging her hands in her pockets and shrugging, "I like it here." Jenn gazed up at the dorm building and thought about all her friends that lived there, "I guess you're right. I'd rather be with my friends then living in a dream." She turned to follow the girl down the path behind the school when Natalie stopped abruptly and glanced around, "Is something wrong?" Jenn asked it was now her turn to show her concerns. Natalie turned around until she spotted Alyson and Nicole sitting under a tree watching them, "Alyson..." She let out a sorrow-filled sigh. Jenn followed the girl's gaze until she also came across Alyson, "You really love her don't you?" Jenn asked not letting her eyes off of the girl. Natalie lowered her head, "It doesn't matter anymore. She'll never return my love. I'm so stupid." She kicked at the ground as she turned away and started down the path again. "Then we are all stupid." Jenn stated flatly as she fell into step behind Natalie, "Every last one of us." "Maybe that is the fate of us Western Wingers." Natalie observed, "To eternally be alone and tormented by our love." She shook her head in dismay. "Have you tried to talk to her?" Jenn raised taking one last glance over her shoulder at Alyson, "She doesn't seem all that bad. Maybe there was a misunderstanding." "After what happened with Kima?" Natalie countered dismally, "Kima had her hand down my pants and was kissing me fully on the lips when she walked in on us. I have to admit I was not putting up a fight either. How can I explain that away?" Jenn frowned, "Kima is a problem, isn't she?" She thought the situation over, "Have you figured out a way to get Kima and Kim back into the same body? I mean that would lessen things a little." "Head Mistress Sophia said we have to get the two halves to agree with each other first." Natalie shook her head in frustration, "That's not likely to happen anytime soon. For now I'm just trying to not get into more trouble." She stated. "Do... do you like Kima?" Jenn finally got up the strength to ask, "You two seemed rather close and Kim mentioned that you were best friends years ago." Natalie took a deep breath and combed her fingers through her hair, "It's not that I don't like her. I really do. I just... want to protect her... I guess..." Natalie mumbled embarrassed at how lame she sounded. Jenn lowered her head to watch the ground move below her feet, "I know what you mean. The moment I looked into those red eyes I felt this need to take her in my arms and hold her. She seems so fragile." "So what about you?" Natalie probed, "Do you love Kim? Or do you fear her other half?" Jenn rubbed at her temps, "I don't know anymore." She confessed, "I admit that I was falling for her, deeply even. Then this whole thing with Kris and my muddled memories." She stopped as she felt her emotions becoming untangled, "I... my heart keeps calling out to Kim and Kris." She glanced up at Natalie with tears in her eyes, "My... heart feels like... like it is being torn into pieces and... and I don't know what I should feel anymore." She grasped the sides of her head and clenched her eyes shut. Natalie wrapped an arm around the girl and hugged her tight, "It's alright. Give yourself time. Don't rush yourself." She soothed, "If you need to talk you can come to me at anytime." Jenn wiped at her eyes with the sleeves of her shirt, "Thanks." She smiled, "You are a good friend." She added with a sniffle and glanced over Natalie's shoulder to see Tanya coming down the path, "Morning Tanya!!" She called out, wiping her eyes dry. "Jenn!!!" Tanya waved to her friend, "I got transferred!!" She exclaimed excitedly while waving her transfer papers and gave Jenn a big hug, "We'll be in the same dorm again!!" "I heard." Jenn forced herself to smile at her friend, "Where is Cherilyn?" She asked glancing around. Tanya scowled, "I don't think she wants to be our friend anymore." Tanya said sadly. "She's taking the move rather rough I take it." Natalie remarked with a nod hello. "She seemed to think all West Wingers are perverted and evil." Tanya said heavily, "She is terrified of the Western Dorms." "Yeah," Jenn remembered the look on Cherilyn's face when she forced the girl to enter the dorm in search of help in rescuing Tanya from the woods, "Maybe we can have a chat with her later." She offered, "Right now I have to see Amy." "Would you!?!" Tanya jumped up excitedly, "That would be so great!!!" She wrapped her arms around Jenn's neck, "You are the best friend ever." Jenn turned to Natalie, "Do you mind Natalie?" She asked shyly, realizing she had already volunteered the girl. "Sure thing." Natalie said with a shrug, "She didn't seem like that bad of a girl. She might be a tasty addition to the Westerners." Natalie said with an evil grin. Jenn pushed Natalie playfully, "I think rooming with Kima is going to your head." She giggled. "How do you know I was not the one to corrupt Kima?" Natalie remarked, her grin broadening. Tanya smiled at the two girls, "Thanks, it's going to be so great being in the same dorm as you all." She said with even more enthusiasm, "I need to take my papers to Jessica before I can move my things. I'll talk to you later then, alright?" Tanya started to jog down the path backwards while waving good-bye to her friends. "We'll see you soon." Jenn agreed and returned the wave. Natalie also waved, "Things are getting interesting in the Western Dorms this year." She remarked with a grin. "We just have to keep Jessica and Kima off of her." Jenn noted, "Should we go with her when she meets up with Jessica?" She asked a little worried. Natalie looped her arm around the girl's waist and lifted her off the ground with ease before Jenn could start back towards the dorms, "You, young lady, have an appointment with Doc Amy, remember?" She reminded as she pulled the girl in the opposite direction. "Yeah, I know." Jenn let out a sigh of defeat and allowing herself to be carried along, "You can't blame me for trying to escape." "You won't while I'm here." Natalie informed as she turned the girl back in the direction of the nurses building, "You need to get those bandages checked." She declared setting Jenn back on her feet. "You really are the boiish protector now aren't you?" Jenn observed with a smile, "You will make some girl happy." Natalie blushed, "Flattery will get you nowhere, girl. Now get!" She swatted Jenn's butt. Jenn squealed and ran ahead of Natalie, laughing as she opened the doors to the doctor's building with Natalie close on her heels. Amy glanced up from her notes as the two girls entered and smiled, "Well you two seem to be lively this morning." "Morning Amy." Natalie greeted, "I hope we didn't disturb anyone?" She worried scanning the room. "Nope you are the only two here." Amy assured. "Morning Amy!" Jenn greeted the nurse, "Jessica said you wanted to see me." "Yes I do." Amy got to her feet and pulled a curtain back, "Would you step into my parlour?" She asked gesturing to a bed. Jenn rolled up her sleeves and jumped up onto the bed while Natalie leaned against a far wall, "How are you feeling? Did you get your period?" Amy inquired as she started to remove the bandages. "H... How did you know that?" Jenn stammered in embarrassment. "It happens to all of you when you arrive here." Amy stated then took Jenn's chin between her hands and examined Jenn's eyes as she made the girl move her neck around, "Plus you are rather pale so I figured as much. Come to me if you get dizzy or weak, alright?" She examined the girl's wrist and started to remove the bandages, "How are these doing?" She inquired not taking her eyes off the task at hand. "I don't notice them most of the time." Jenn admitted, and then bit her lip against the pain as the stitched clung to the cloth that Amy pulled off. "Still hurting I see." Amy observed as the girl flinched. She proceeded to free the bandage gently and observed the stitches, "Well, you are not bleeding anymore so that is a good thing. I was worried if the bleeding had not stopped before your period began. Let's check out the other one shall we." She moved to Jenn's other arm. Jenn stared at the angry slash across her wrist, "I still don't remember why I did this." She puzzled sadly as the nurse removed the other bandage, a small pang of pain that made Jenn recoil a little from the nurse. "Sorry." Amy studied the cuts for a moment. She remembered stitching the wounded herself nearly a year ago and yet they appeared as fresh as the very day Jenn slashed them. It is almost as if the girl had leapt through time. She gazed into Jenn's eyes again and noticed a small cut above Jenn's eyebrow. She tossed the old bandages in the garbage and picked up Jenn's file, "Are your memories returning to you at all?" She probed while flipping through the records. "Pieces..." Jenn replied trying hard not to scratch at the stitches as they began to tingle from exposure to the air, "It's all muddled and confusing. I don't know what to believe anymore." "Believe what is in your heart." Natalie said from her spot against the wall. She had been leaning with her arms crossed and her eyes lightly closed in a way that reminded Jenn of Kris and caused her heart to ache. "I wish my heart would stop running in circles." Jenn remarked clenching her chest. Amy frowned at the records, it was just as she feared; Jenn had that cut above her eye years ago as well and it should have disappeared within a week. She closed the file, picked up a new roll of bandage and smiled at the girl, trying to hide her concerns, "Hearts are like that." She remarked and ruffled Jenn's hair with a free hand then started to refit a new bandage around the girl's wrist, "Be glad you can feel. Many here don't get that privilege." "Feels more like a nightmare." Jenn muttered, watching the nurses hands quickly wrap up her wounds, "I sometimes wish that there was a way to turn off all the pain and sadness. It just hurts too much." Amy fastened the bandage and gave the girl a hug, "I know." She said with a sigh, "I sometimes wish I could take all that pain away from you girls. All I can do is help you heal and let you know you have someone to talk too, if you need." Jenn returned the hug, "Thanks." She mumbled into the girl's shoulder. Amy pulled away and quickly bandaged her other wrist in silence, "That should do you." Amy said as she fastened it in place, "You are healing well." She said with a warm smile, "Hopefully they will be a lot better by the time you start your classes." "Thanks!" Jenn exclaimed happy to hear the good news. Amy let go of Jenn and turned to Natalie, "How is that arm of yours?" She asked as she approached the girl. Natalie backed into the wall more, "I'm fine." She stated coolly, but could not hide the fear in her eyes. Amy took the girl by the arm, "I'm the doctor here so I'll be the judge. Off with the jacket!" She commanded as she pulled up Natalie over to a bed, "Have you seen Kim or Kima around today?" She questioned. "I need to look them over as well." "Not really." Natalie took off her leathers and arm blade, and then jumped up onto the bed next to Jenn, "We sort of have not been to our rooms since late at night." Amy glanced at the girl's eyes, "Sleeping problems?" She asked a little worried however already knowing the answer by the circles under both girls' eyes. "A lot on our minds." Jenn admitted rubbing her wrists under the bandages, "We didn't sleep all night. But we did get to greet Kris's little sister because of it." Amy turned and gave Jenn a puzzled look, "Kris's sister? Which one?" She questioned with increasing interest. "Kai." Jenn replied, "She said she was also called something else... Ke..." she thought to herself. "Keelia?" Amy inquires even more amused by what she was hearing, "A little girl that looks about thirteen or so?" "That would be her." Natalie answered, "Cute kid. Kind of sad too." Amy turned back to Natalie and started to remove her bandages from her arm, "Keelia always looked up to her big sister. She didn't take things well when she went left the Halls. I remember seeing Keelia from time to time standing at the edge of the Western Woods watching her sister." "Why did Kris start coming here?" Jenn asked dying to learn more about her friend. "That is a long story." Amy stated, "One that only Kris can truly tell. All I know is she did not get along with her father. Sophia and Melissa gave her a place to stay and she has pretty much been here since." Jenn thought this over, "I wish I could talk to her. She seems to be avoiding me." She noted with a sad face. Amy patted Jenn on the leg, "Give her some time. A lot has happened recently." "Yeah..." Jenn admitted sombrely. Amy finished removing Natalie's bandages and stared at the long yellow wound. There was little sign of the deep cut that was there before, not even a spot of blood or a scar, just a slight discolouration of the girl's skin, "You seem to have healed quickly." She shook her head in amazement, "You girls always surprise me." She stated tossing out the bandages in a nearby garbage bin. "I guess you don't need a new dressing. Do you girls have any plans after leaving here?" She inquired. "I need some things for school and such." Jenn answered jumping down from the bed, "Then we are going to see how Cherilyn is doing." Natalie strapped her blade back in place, and then pulled her jacket back on, "More like convince her that we are not blood suckers." She remarked. "Be gentle with the girl." Amy reminded them, "She has a real phobia of the Western Wing and I don't blame her." She admitted "Thanks Amy." Jenn walked towards the doors. "Yeah, thank." Natalie added with a wave. "Tell Kim and Kima I need to see them if you run into those two." Amy requested as she followed the girls to the door. "'Kay!" "Alright!" "Be safe." Amy waved good-bye to the two and watched them run off down the path, towards the back entrance of the Academy grounds. She turned her eyes to the Western Dorm and her brow knitted; a rather unsettling feeling filled her overnight and it emitted from that place. She thought that it was just one of the new arrivals, however and hoped to be able to see them before something happened. Yet as the hours passed by she was finding that feeling increasing and she could not just stand around waiting. She needed to know that everything was all right. She swiftly moved away from the door, picked up her doctor's bag and began to fill it with things she thought she would need. As she packed that knot of worry steadily increased, she bid a silent prayer to the lords of shadow and that her sisters would be able to handle what ever was coming their way. ***** To be Continued . . .
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