I had the entire class's attention once again.

"Actually sir, I am not really feeling well. May I go see the nurse?" I blurted out, my voice was loud and desperate and not at all in my usual timber. Mr. Burke turned to look at me, a flash of worry on his normally stern face. Yikes, I had overdone it. Standing up that quickly made me sway dangerously, which only seemed to add to my tale of sickly woe. Am I really sick? Is this a panic attack? I was ready to bolt from the room, given permission or not.

"Of course, Ms. Massey," Mr. Burke nodded as he adjusted his glasses. "Just have the nurse's aide escort you downstairs please." He turned to walk to his desk, checking one of his many clipboards. Every month we elected another classmate whose job it was to walk students to the nurse's office, mostly for safety issues but also so the student couldn't ditch class. It was an easy job, but not many wanted it. When nobody rushed to stand up, Sunita slowly raised her hand. Mr. Burke sighed and gestured at my friend. "You can go with her Ms. Mishra?"

"Actually," Sunita corrected softly. "Ms. Massey IS the nurse's aide... this month."

Mr. Burke's face grew dark with the idea that this would waste any more time and Sunita averted her eyes from his angry glare.

Casimir's hand shot up. "I'll take her," he volunteered, standing as he spoke. "I know where the nurse's office is."

Panic spread through my body at the idea of being alone with the new boy. Mr. Burke was apparently not up for arguing and waved his hand to dismiss us both. I staggered to the back door with Casimir on my heels, I was in such a hurry that I didn't take my bag. I glanced at my friend's worried faces as I stepped out into the hall. The new boy closed the door quietly behind us and I didn't wait, taking off down the hallway towards the stairs. Casimir was quick to close the gap between us.

"I'm sorry you're not feeling well," he said glumly.

"Hmmm yeah," I muttered back. I paused at the stairs, letting a wave of nausea pass over me. I swayed slightly and Casimir jogged down the stairs past me, turning to offer his hand to help me down. What is with the gentlemanly act? I had a hard time trusting that he was being sincere, especially with how the boys acted in this school. Also, the fact that I couldn't get a read on him with my powers just made me extra suspicious. I stared at him for a moment then decided to cling to the railing instead.

"No thanks," I said, rejecting his hand. Casimir dropped his arm down by his side, but he didn't look upset at my refusal. Instead, he waited until I was next to him and he followed alongside me until we reached the first floor.

The nurse's office was located towards the front of the school, near the administration office. I assumed this spot was chosen so that the employees in administration could make sure no one was skipping class for non-medical reasons. The door to the nurse's office was open and there was a sign on it that said, 'be right back!' with a smiley face. I groaned inwardly because I just knew Casimir would insist on staying until she returned and all I wanted to do was lay down until this sickness passed. Casimir was studying the sign and I turned to look down the hall in hopes of seeing Ms. Johnson, the plump and perky school nurse. She was hard to miss in her brightly colored scrubs and white coat.

As I scanned the hallway I overheard voices coming from the admissions office two doors down. One of those voices was really familiar. My feet started moving on their own and I was soon standing in the doorway, staring at my grandfather. He was leaning over the tall desk in the admissions office, a pen in his hand and papers scattered in front of him. One of the secretaries was explaining where to fill out an address box.

"Grandpa!" I sputtered. "What are you doing here?" Casimir appeared at my side and locked eyes with my Grandfather.

"Oh, Uncle George," he said casually. My head whipped over my shoulder to stare at the new student.

"Uncle George?!" I repeated.

My Grandfather's face broke out into one of his trademark grins. "Oh Casimir, good to see you," he smiled, wagging the pen in his hand. "I'm just filling out the last of your school forms." Grandfather had cleaned up his appearance for his trip into town. He was not clad in his normal farming gear but instead dressed in dark slacks and a green button-up flannel shirt. He was a striking figure when he stood up straight with his huge shoulders and muscular arm. Grandpa was tall, coming in at an impressive 6' 5" and I often joked that he looked like Santa if he was a weight lifter. He looked extra nice today with his wavy silver hair combed down neatly behind his ears and his beard expertly trimmed. His green eyes settled on me finally and his smile widened. "Diana dear, what a pleasant surprise," he nodded towards Casimir. "I see you two have already met up."

I could feel my eyes narrow and my brow furrow. What is he talking about? Why is grandfather filling out forms for this stranger? What was going on? Suddenly I was aware that everyone in the room was staring at me, including the office staff. Casimir leaned in to look closer at my face.

"Oh wow, you're THAT Diana. That is so funny," he laughed, and his smile lit up his face. His unbridled happiness was too much for me. I took a step backward and my face felt flush with the heat of my embarrassment. Ever since this guy showed up I was acting all out of sorts. I really must be sick. Casimir must have realized I was embarrassed because he took a step away and looked up at the ceiling. I took a deep breath and rubbed my eyes.

"Grandpa, please explain."

My Grandfather took a moment to look at me, then excused himself to the staff in the office. He gently ushered both Casimir and me into the hallway. I wandered over to sit on a wooden bench near the bulletin board that was used for school clubs and announcements. Casimir sat at the other end of the bench, looking up at my Grandfather.

"Diana, do you remember a few months ago when I said I would need to hire someone to help with the farm?" My Grandfather began. I nodded to indicate I remembered. I did recall us both being upset at the idea of hiring a stranger to help out. Our location made daily travel from the city expensive. The only way to make it desirable for future employees would have been to offer room and board. Grandpa had tried all summer to build a small apartment on our property so we could hire someone, but had been unsuccessful. I realized my grandfather had continued talking so I focused my attention back on him.

"Well, it turns out that my old friend's son, Casimir, was interested in farming," Grandfather explained gesturing towards the new boy, who ducked his head in response. "And he also needed to finish up his high school credits. So I invited Casimir to come work on the farm so I could teach him the trade."

"How convenient," I commented, looking at the pair of them. Are they freaking kidding me? "So where is he living? The school dorms are too far away if he wants to work on the farm."

"No, Casimir is going to live in town..."

His hesitation and the tone in his voice set me on edge. "Okay," I responded.

"He's going to live with us."

A fresh wave of nausea hit me at that moment. The idea of grandpa inviting some strange boy to live with us without asking me first filled me with fury.

"And when exactly were you going to let me know someone was moving into our house?" The venom in my voice was a bit excessive, but I was feeling pissed.

Grandfather looked at me shocked. "I told you last month Diana," he said defensively, stroking his beard as he thought back. "Of course, that was during one of your crazy all week painting periods," he muttered, mostly to himself.

I groaned out loud. "Grandpa, never tell me important stuff when I am painting like that. You know when I don't sleep I can't retain anything," I objected. I crossed my arms under my chest and slumped down on the bench. I couldn't remember any conversation about this new boy moving into our house. I also knew that during my long stretches of insomnia I was very forgetful and prone to accidents. One time after a week of terrible sleep I walked outside during the dark of night and took a swim in the pond next to our farmhouse.

With his chin resting in his hand, my Grandfather looked down at me. "Do you remember the argument we got in when I said we would have to move your painting studio from the loft to the shed?"

"Oh," I murmured, sitting up slowly. I did remember our fight, as we didn't have many. Grandfather said he would renovate the shed into a painting studio, but I disliked the idea as I was attached to my loft space. I remembered suggesting we turn the shed into a room for our possible tenant instead. "Dang," I muttered while turning to look over at Casimir. Now I felt embarrassed for not remembering, my fury faded quickly.

The new boy was watching me with some caution as he waited for me to speak. He seemed nice enough despite the fact that I couldn't sense anything from him. I glanced back at my grandfather, mentally reminding myself to apologize to him in private later.

Since I trusted my guardian, I decided I would give this Casimir guy a chance.

"Welcome to the team," I blurted out offering my hand to the new boy. Casimir seemed slightly shocked by my gesture but still, he took my hand in his, and that is when I felt a tremendous surge of pain before I blacked out.