Logan opened his eyes slowly. He looked over at the bed next to him. Empty. Just like yesterday, and the day before, and the day before… He still hadn’t really gotten used to the fact that Chris was gone. He got up and went downstairs, brewing himself coffee and glancing at the wall calendar. It was Wednesday, his third day in school. He pulled a doughnut out of the fridge and chomped down on it as he sipped his coffee. He walked outside and watched the sun straining through the leaves as it slowly rose higher into the sky. His coffee and doughnut finished, he walked back inside and changed into his school uniform, grabbing his schoolbag. He put his shoes on at the door and took his time walking to the school. He got to class early and slipped into his seat, enjoying the peaceful solitude of the room. He glanced over as the door quietly opened, expecting the teacher, but was surprised to see Seth walk in. Seth also seemed surprised to see Logan there, but nodded and sat down at his own desk.
“What’re you doing here so early, Logan?”
“Nothing really. I woke up earlier than usual this morning, and thought I’d come in before everyone else. You?”
“I come early every morning. I like the quiet of the classroom before everyone else gets here.”
“Am I intruding? Being too loud?”
“No, you’re fine. I don’t mind the company.”
Logan smiled and nodded.
“I suppose I don’t mind company either.”
Seth turned and smiled back at him. There was an unspoken bond created that moment. Something Logan didn’t think would happen again after Chris left, but they became friends. More than just a part of the gang, but best friends. Someone to share the silences with, and someone to laugh and talk with. Soon the rest of the students began to trickle in, and the general chaos started. Anna slid into the seat next to Logan as the bell rang, offering him a rare smile as she pulled out her books. Mr. Black stood at the head of the room and began the class.
At lunch later, Logan went to get his cafeteria lunch as usual, but his way was blocked by a big guy, almost a foot taller than himself, and probably a foot wider, who wouldn’t move out of the way.
“Hey, excuse me, I’d like to get through.”
“Tough luck, Princess Peach.”
“So what are you, Bowzer?”
“Do I have to get rough with you, pal? Or are you gonna shove off now?”
Logan’s blood was up, and he almost threw a punch, but then Trent stepped in and shoved the big guy back a step.
“Get lost, you buzzard,” he said calmly. The big guy grumbled a bit, then walked away. Trent turned to Logan.
“You okay? Did he bother you?”
“Nah, I’m fine. Glad to avoid a fight, though. That guy woulda been toast.”
“He’s on the wrestling team, and the football team. It’s not likely he’d go down easy.”
“Well, thanks for your help. Why does he seem so scared of you, though? He’s way bigger than you, and like you said, stronger, too. Couldn’t he beat you easy?”
“He tried once. I was on my way home after Tai Chi, and he tried to rough me up. Let me tell ya, he was on the ground faster than he could blink. He never tried that again. You want some lunch?”
“Nah, I brought money.”
“Let me know if he bothers you again,” Trent said, walking away.
“Sure thing,” Logan called after him.
Layra smiled.
“Those two will be good friends, Logan. Keep them close! I want you to be happy!”
She wiped at her eyes and smiled at the screen widely.
Over the next few days, Logan and Seth become closer and closer. Julian noticed the connection, but said nothing, choosing instead to silently enjoy the hilarity of it all. But, oddly enough, Shane became something of a courier for the two, telling one when the other was looking for them, and bringing notes and packages between them. It was nearly a week later, and Logan was about to buy his usual cafeteria lunch, but before he could, Shane came up, breathing heavily.
“Geez! Glad I caught you.”
“Hey Shane. What’s up?”
“Seth… Seth wanted me to grab you before you bought anything. He wants you to meet him behind the gym.”
“Before I get lunch?”
“That’s what he said.”
“Well, okay. Hey, thanks Shane.”
Shane smiled up at him, a dimple creasing his round cheek.
“No problem.”
“Here, buy yourself some water, you looked exhausted.”
“Thanks.”
Logan tossed him a couple coins and walked out to the gym. Behind the gym was a little patch of grass surrounded by trees, and there was a stone bench sitting in the middle of it. No one knew how it got there, but it had been there for years, and couples sometimes ate lunch there. Logan walked out behind it and found Seth sitting on the bench.
“Hi Seth. Why’d you pull me away from my lunch?”
“I didn’t want you to waste any money.”
“Why would I-”
“Want to have lunch with me?”
“What?”
Seth pulled out a lunch box and held it out.
“Want to have lunch with me?”
Logan grinned.
“Sure!”
Seth smiled widely and gestured him over to the bench. He opened the lunch box and they began to eat. Logan couldn’t remember a time when he felt happier.
Layra was to come before the Great Council. Annually, the council checked up on the Observers and their humans. Today was her day.
“Myoqi Layra. Report.”
“He’s happy, my lieges. I am content in my work.”
“That’s good to hear, Layra. I have heard many disappointing reports from you before. This is a refreshing break from your usual dismality.”
“My lieges, I would like to request that his life remains such as it is, so that he will be happy.”
“I’m afraid that will not be possible. His life will soon take a turn for the worse.”
“Please, can’t you change that?”
“This is not within our control, Layra. A higher power is at work here.”
“I thought you were the higher power.”
“Not in this case.”
“Then you can’t help me.”
Layra turned and ran out.
“Layra! Myoqi! Seize her!”
Layra ran back to her screens and pressed her hands up against the image of Logan.
“They won’t have you. I will prevent this, somehow. You must be happy! At all costs, you must be happy, Logan!”
Her tears rolled down her cheeks and she closed her eyes as she heard the guards enter behind her.
“There she is! Seize her!”
Layra spun around, pressing back against the screen and screaming at the guards,
“No! You won’t take it from me! You won’t take his happiness!”
She shut her eyes tightly and breathed deeply, clutching the screen behind her. Then there was a falling sensation, and a bright light, and she felt the breath ripped from her throat, she screamed with the last strength she had before she felt her body hit the ground. There was a brief moment of intense pain, and then a horrifying numbness. She looked up and saw a blue sky dotted with white clouds before everything went black.
Logan said goodbye to Julian, Trent, and Seth and started on his walk home. He was nearly a block away from his house when he saw something on the side of the road. He walked over, curious, and fell to his knees in the grass. It was a girl, lying motionless in a heap on the shoulder of the road. He rolled her over and laid his head on her chest, listening for a heartbeat. It was faint, but there. Without pause, he lifted her into his arms and Began to hurry towards his house. Her eyes flickered open and she lifted her hand to his face. He stopped still and looked down at her in surprise. He heard her voice in a whisper and leaned closer to hear.
“Logan? Can it be?”
Then her eyes fell shut again. He brushed it aside and swiftly bore her up to his room and laid her in the bed. Who was she, and why was she lying on the side of the road? He sat back in a wicker chair next to the window watched her. She knew his name. How was this? How was it that she knew his name? He had never seen her before in his life, he was sure. And her clothes! She was wearing a dress that looked like it was made of a precious jewel of some kind, and yet it also looked black from a certain angle. He shook his head. She must be some rich person, or someone from the hunters! She might be reporting back to them! He stood up suddenly, ready to throw her out, then he stopped. She was a lady, after all. Not only that, but she was also hurt. He couldn’t get rid of her now. So he left her on the bed and walked downstairs.
Layra’s eyes flickered open, and for a moment, she saw a face swimming above her. It looked like-
“Is it possible? Logan? Can it be?”
And then everything again went black. And then the dreams began. She saw Logan, the hunters upon him, and he was being beaten. He was alone, his friends gone, abandoning him in his time of need. Her tears flowed freely as she tried desperately to save him. But she couldn’t get near to him. It was as if there were chains holding her back. Finally, even he, in all his strength and bravery, could not hold out any longer. The hunters killed him, and Layra was there, held by her invisible bonds, unable to look away. She screamed in rage and pain and grief, unable to contain her emotion any longer.
Logan walked up from dinner and found the girl crying. No, not crying, sobbing. Tears were flowing down her face and her chest was heaving. She looked like she was choking, and he ran over to her. Several of her ribs were broken, and her sobs were only making it worse. He had no idea what to do. If she continued to cry, she would become unable to breathe and die. On a spur of inspiration, he reached out, hesitating briefly, and took her hand in his own. He gently stroked it, hushing her softly, and whispering words of comfort in her ear. Slowly, she began to calm, and she finally was quiet. Her hand gripped his, and he tried to release it, but she wouldn’t let go. He gave up and curled up next to the bed, his hand still extended out above him, locked in her grip.
Layra’s eyes opened for real, and she looked about in confusion. Where was this place? How long had she been asleep? How could she have slept? Observers didn’t need sleep, and how did she get here? This wasn’t her screen room, nor the nesting room. She tried to move her hand, but found it entrapped. She looked over to see a hand and and arm disappearing over the edge of the bed. She tried to get up, but fell back with a gasp of pain. Her chest hurt terribly, and she felt stiff and numb. The hand moved, and something stirred on the floor beside her. A head and shoulders appeared at the edge of the bed, and a pair of eyes blinked sleepily. Layra let out another gasp, trying again to sit up, but again fell back with a cry. The boy stood in surprise as she moved, and gently pressed her down onto the bed.
“Lie still. You’re hurt. Can you tell me who you are?”
Layra opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, only a choking, animal-like noise.
“Can’t you speak?”
Layra tried again, but with the same results. Her voice was gone! Tears of frustration welled in her eyes. Logan took her hand between his own quickly in a gesture of reassurance.
“It’s okay. Don’t cry! Sh, shh. Look, I don’t know who you are, and you can’t tell me, so you’ll just have to stay here until you’re healed again. I should probably call the hospital, actually. I’m ill equipped to deal with you here.”
Layra panicked, grabbing his arm. She shook her head violently.
“No hospital? You sure?”
Layra nodded desperately.
It would be better if I stay here. I don’t have the same anatomy as humans, so they’d know I’m not from earth, and it would be faster if I stayed here to heal myself. Observers have fast healing systems. And I can keep an eye on Logan here, and make sure he’s happy.
“Fine, no hospital, but are you sure you’ll be okay here? I’m away at school most of the day, so I won’t be able to look after you.”
Layra nodded her reassurance, and Logan sighed.
“Okay then. Look, it’s morning. I have to go now. Will you be alright?”
Layra gave him a little push towards the door, coupled with a smile, knowing he was late because of her.
“Okay, I’m going now. I’ll see you later today.”
Layra nodded and smiled as he closed the door behind him. As the latch closed and his footsteps faded away, she sighed and laid back. Why was she unable to speak, she wondered. Perhaps having ripped herself away from the world of the Osmatrcian had also taken her voice away. Was her power as an Observer also stripped away from her? With her little strength, she waved her hand before her and a screen appeared. At least this power remained. She watched as Logan walked down the street towards his school. He had skipped breakfast for her, she saw, and she felt a bit guilty. By now her healing had begun, and she lay back, tired, to watch Logan while her ribs fixed themselves. It was a painful process, but hopefully watching her little boy would be enough to take her mind off of the pain. So she settled back as he walked through the doors of his classroom.
Logan entered the classroom quietly and slipped into his seat next to Anna. Mr. Black, without turning around, said,
“Mr. Jun. You’re late.”
“I’m very sorry, sir. There was a… family emergency at home. I wasn’t able to leave until later this morning.”
“Well, I’ll excuse it this time, but see that you’re not late again.”
“Yes sir. Thank you.”
He got out his books and got started on his schoolwork. Seth leaned back over his chair and whispered to Logan,
“What happened?”
Logan shook his head.
“Tell you at lunch. If Mr. Black sees us talking in class, we’ll both get detention.”
Seth leaned forward over his book again. Anna glanced sideways at Logan before turning back to her books. He was so strange. Why was he so secretive about his home life? At lunch, Seth and Logan again shared a meal, which Logan was very grateful for. Silently, Seth pressed the bigger portion on him, realizing what Layra already knew, that he had missed breakfast.
“So, you wanna tell me what happened at home? Family problems?”
“Not exactly. I found a girl on the side of the road yesterday on the way home from school. She was hurt, so I took her home. She’s at my house right now, resting.”
“Whoa, freaky! How bad is she hurt? Where’d she come from?”
“I don’t know where she came from. She can’t speak. She’s got a few broken ribs, and she’s bruised up pretty bad.”
“Why don’t you take her to a hospital?”
“She refused to let me take her. I don’t know what to do with her except hope her ribs heal themselves.”
“Well, if you need any help with her, call me over. I’d be glad to give you a hand.”
“Thanks for the offer. I think I’ll be fine, though. And thanks for lunch. I know you gave me the most of it. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. I’m glad to help you.”
Logan smiled at Seth, and Seth grinned down at his lunch box. They were both happy, and this pleased her. She smiled gently at her charge and his new friend.
You’ll be happy, she thought contentedly. She yawned widely and her eyes drooped shut as she slowly fell asleep, her screens vanishing.
In language class that day, Julian leaned over and whispered,
“Hey, tryouts for soccer and track are tomorrow. You gonna go for it?”
“I’ll think about it. Let you know later.”
“Sure thing.”
After class let out for the day, Logan said goodbye to the gang and started walking home. He set his bag on the kitchen table and walked up to his room to see the girl lying on the bed, asleep, as far as he could see. He sat down next to the bed and took a deep breath. She stirred beside him and opened her eyes, looking over at him. She smiled and sat up. Logan stood quickly and pressed her back.
“Whoa! Lay back down! You’re injured, remember?”
Layra shook her head and sat up anyway.
“How… what?”
Layra grabbed his hand and placed it on her side. He almost pulled away, but then he realized what she was trying to say.
“Hey, your ribs aren’t broken anymore! How did you heal so fast?”
How do I explain? It’s all so complicated, I wouldn’t be able to simply show him.
Layra shrugged and smiled.
“Well, whatever the reason, you’re better now, so I guess you can get up now. Do you know where you came from?”
Layra nodded and swung her legs out of the bed.
“Great! Do you know how to get back?”
Layra shook her head sadly.
“Well, how did you get on the side of the road? Do you know?”
Layra nodded briefly, then pondered.
How do I tell him I fell from the sky? Would he believe me? And how do I even communicate that? Neither of us know sign language. Maybe…
Layra motioned with her hand, as though writing.
“Someone… tickled your hand?”
Layra shook her head, an expression of condescending confusion on her face.
“Um, someone… Wrote!”
Layra nodded, then shook her head. She pointed to herself, then made the writing sign again.
“Oh! No, you want to write. That would make this easier.”
Layra nodded, relieved that he finally got it.
“Alright, hold on. I’ll get a pen and paper.”
He was soon back with the utensils and handed them over. Layra sat down and began writing.
“I’m sorry to impose on you. Thank you for helping me. I’m from very far away, and I have nothing to go back to. I would like very much to stay here, in this town. I’m afraid it is impossible to explain why I was on the side of the road, and how I came to be injured, but now that I have healed, I shall be moving on.”
“Oh, no! You should stay here! If you have nowhere else to go, that is. I don’t mind having you here, and I’d like the company.”
“I thank you for your hospitality, but I couldn’t possibly-”
“I insist. You’ll be my guest here, and since you were planning to stay in town anyway, I’ll help you enroll in my school. We’ll say you’re my… cousin, who’s living with me.”
Layra beamed at him.
“I thank you very much. I cannot repay you for this. You are very kind!”
Logan looked at his feet and blushed a little.
“Oh, I’m not so great as all that. Please, it’s fine.”
Layra stood and flung her arms around his neck in a thank you. Logan was surprised, but hugged her back.
“What’s your name?”
“Layra. It’s nice to meet you.”
Then her smile melted away, replaced by a thoughtful look. She again took up her pen and pad.
“But you have only one bed. I know you slept on the floor last night, and I don’t wish you to have to continue to do so.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like the floor will kill me or anything. There’s a spare room I can sleep in, if you need privacy.”
Layra sighed.
“You must at least take blankets in there. If I’m to stay here, expect me to act like your mother, or older sister. I want you happy and safe.”
Logan smiled a bit.
“It’ll be nice to have family around for once,” he said quietly. Then he shook his head, as if shaking out thoughts.
“Anyway, come and have dinner. I can whip something up fairly quickly.”
Layra stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm.
“I’ll make dinner. You should go do your homework. I told you’d I’d be like your mother.”
Logan laughed.
“Alright then. You make dinner, and I’ll do my homework, Umma.”
Layra smiled and they began to walk downstairs. Layra, still weak from her injuries and her quick recovery, stumbled on a step and fell backwards. Logan caught her before she fell and set her back on her feet.
“You alright?”
Layra blushed, then turned away and straightened herself out, nodding. This was a new feeling that had come over her. What was this emotion? She nearly stumbled again, and Logan offered his hand to her. She smiled and took it, walking more steadily with his help. While Logan sat at the table and looked over his schoolbooks, Layra looked about the kitchen for ingredients. There was precious little to see, so she did her best with what she had, and Logan enjoyed the meal thoroughly. Layra was pleased that he had liked it, feeling elated that she now had the ability to make Logan happy.
The next day, Layra walked to school alongside Logan in her own uniform, with her own bag and books, and feeling excited and happy. Logan glanced over at her, a strange feeling creeping up inside his chest. He glanced away quickly, feeling heat on his face. What was this new emotion he felt? It was unlike anything else he had ever experienced before. They entered the classroom, and Logan slipped into his seat and smiled at Layra. She smiled back in nervous excitement. Mr. Black beckoned her to him and introduced her to the class.
“Class, this is Miss Myoqi Layra. She is Jun Logan’s cousin who has come to live with his family. Please welcome her to the class.”
They all bowed formally, and Layra bowed in return.
“You should also know that Miss Myoqi is unable to speak, so please think kindly of her. Alright, Miss Myoqi, take that seat there.”
Layra slid into her appointed seat, which happened to be next to Seth, right in front of Anna. She smiled gently at him, causing him to look down at the desk awkwardly. She turned back to her books, expecting that sort of response. All day, Logan kept her close by him, keeping her safe from bullies, showing her around, and generally protecting her. At lunch, Seth came up to Logan and Layra.
“Hi Logan. Do you want to share lunch again today?”
Logan turned a little pink and glanced back at Layra.
“Well, actually, Layra made me a lunch today, so I don’t have to buy one. We can still sit together, if you want.”
“Sure, that’ll be fine. Can… Can I talk to you for a second? Privately?”
“Um, Layra, will you be okay here by yourself for a little bit?”
Layra nodded, smiling at Logan and Seth, giving Logan a little push before going to sit down. Seth pulled Logan a little ways away and whispered to him,
“Who is she really?”
“What?”
“Layra. She’s not your cousin. I know that and you know that, so who is she really?”
“That’s the girl I told you about yesterday, that I found on the side of the road.”
“You’re kidding! I thought you said she had a bunch of broken ribs.”
“She did! I don’t know how, but when I got home yesterday, she was just… better. No broken bones or anything!”
Seth glanced over at her.
“Well you never said she was so pretty. You might have mentioned that, too.”
“It must have slipped my mind… Are we done now?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“Good, then let’s go eat.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Logan and Seth walked back to the table and sat on either side of Layra. She turned and smiled at each of them in turn, then pulled out two lunch boxes, one of which she handed to Logan with a motherly smile. Seth glanced over at Layra, then at Logan.
“So Logan. Tryouts are today. You going for a sport?”
“I was thinking of going for track, but then I thought I might join the soccer team. What do you think?”
“I was going to try out for soccer myself, but I don’t think I’ll make the team.”
Logan shook his head.
“You’ll do fine. What do you think, Layra? Should I try out for track?”
Layra thought about it, then shook her head.
“What about soccer?”
She shrugged, unsure, then nodded, as if to say, “why not?”
“Okay, I’ll go out for soccer. What’s our next class?”
“It looks like we’ve got art, then math, and after that, um, history. Tryouts are after school on the back field, and history class will be a half hour shorter because of them.”
“Okay. Hey, that’s the bell. We should get going.”
They all stood, and Layra packed up the leftover lunches before walking off after the two boys. In art class, they were assigned a project to draw something they had a dream about once. Layra thought long and hard about what she was to draw, as she had only ever dreamt once in her long life, since Observers did not sleep. She finally settled that her entire life counted as a dream, and chose two people she knew had been in that “dream.” Seth glanced at her paper, his eyes widening. Her art was astoundingly good, and her picture was perplexing and beautiful. It was a girl in a dark dress, her arms outstretched, her eyes closed, and white angel wings spreading from her shoulders. Before her, crouching on the ground, was a boy with hair melting from black to white, his teeth bared and his eyes glowing red. Fangs were visible at the corners of his mouth, and his fingernails looked like claws. Around them were many strange shapes, almost like human bodies. As he looked, she seemed almost done with her picture, then added one last touch. A tear ran from the corner of the girl’s eye down her cheek and fell onto the boy’s hand. She signed the picture and set it down. Seth looked at her briefly and saw her wipe a tear out of her own eye before it could fall onto the picture. He looked away, wondering, but polite enough to stay silent. Then he glanced back at Logan’s picture. All he could see was a candle surrounded by blackness, a hooded figure in the back… no, several hooded figures, and a glowing image that he had no idea what exactly it was. Logan seemed to shake his head a bit, then glanced down at his wrist. Seth turned back to his own work, a failure at art, in his own opinion. He wondered how they could have had such strange dreams and remembered them, let alone have drawn them.
“Alright class. Bring your projects up to the front. Three projects from this class will be entered into the school-wide talent showcase in a few weeks, so if you’d rather another picture of yours be considered, please let me know. That will be all. You are dismissed.”
Logan came up and left his project on the desk and took Layra’s hand.
“Come on, let’s get to the next class. Stick with me, okay?”
Layra nodded and smiled. Seth caught up with them in the hallway.
“Hey, wait up. Let me walk with you guys. Cool idea for a project today. Too bad I fail at art of any kind. How do you think you did, Logan?”
“Meh. It wasn’t that great, but I’ve had that dream a lot, and it’s the only one I really remember, so I chose it. It wasn’t exactly a good picture, though.”
Layra glanced up at Logan and squeezed his hand gently, knowing what dream he was speaking of.
“I saw your drawing, Layra. You’re an amazing artist. I wouldn’t be surprised if it won first place at the talent showcase.”
Layra blushed and looked down at her feet, smiling. She couldn’t thank him properly, so she reached out and took his hand with her free one. He was surprised for a moment, then grinned at her.
“I suppose that means thank you. Well, it’s the truth, you know.”
“I didn’t get to see her picture. What was it?”
“It’s kinda hard to explain. But I bet you’ll see it next week, anyway.”
“If she’s as good as you say she is, I’m sure I will,” Logan said, smiling down at Layra. She smiled and blushed a bit more. Math class was long and boring, so we won’t go into detail about that. In History class, the only thing of consequence to report was that Trent glanced over at Layra, and she saw him looking at her, and smiled brightly at him, since that was her personality. He nodded at her politely, then looked away, and Layra thought she could see a bit of pink on his cheeks. As they were walking from class, Layra wrote a quick note and placed it in Logan’s hand. He read it as they walked, and glanced at Layra, who was looking at him expectantly.
“Why do boys turn pink when I smile at them? Seth has done it, and Trent did it, too. What does it mean?”
Logan handed the note back to her.
“Usually, when a guy blushes, it means he’s embarrassed about something, or he likes someone. If you smiled at both Trent and Seth, and they turned pink, it probably means they think you’re pretty.”
Layra smiled shyly.
“Am I really pretty? I never thought about that before.”
“Well, yes, you are very pretty, but that isn’t always good, because sometimes the wrong sort of people think you’re pretty, and they don’t respect you like the gang does. Stay close to me, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Would you be unhappy if I got hurt?”
“Yes, I would. I would be very unhappy.”
Layra smiled at him.
“Then I will stay with you always, so that I won’t get hurt.”
Logan smiled and chuckled.
“Thank you, Layra. Now, I should get to the back field for tryouts. You’ll come, too, I suppose?”
Layra nodded. Logan nodded back and they walked out to the field together. Anna was sitting on the bleachers, watching Kyle help Blake pick out candidates for the soccer team as they tried out. Layra nodded to Logan, giving him a small push towards the field, and walked towards Anna, smiling over her shoulder at Logan as he walked down to the grassy floor. Layra walked over to Anna, who glanced up at her as she approached.
“Hello there. You’re Jun Logan’s cousin, right?”
Layra nodded and held out her hand. Anna shook it and smiled.
“It’s nice to meet you. Logan is trying out for soccer or track?”
Layra sat and pointed to Blake. Anna nodded her understanding.
“Ah, soccer. I seem to recall that he’s quite good at it. He played it first day on Kyle’s team.”
Layra nodded, then pointed from Anna to Kyle, making a heart shape in the air with her hand.
“What? Oh, yes, I do like Kyle. We went on our first date a week ago, and he’s taking me out again tomorrow.”
Layra pointed first to Kyle, then to Anna, a quizzical look on her face.
“Yes, he likes me, too.”
She blushed a little, glancing at her feet. Then she looked up at Layra.
“What about you? How do you like your first day at school?”
Layra smiled and nodded, then gestured randomly with her hands, frowning a bit.
“You liked it, but you wish people could understand you better?”
Layra nodded, a smile of excitement on her face.
“Yes, I understand. I’m glad, too, otherwise we’d both be very confused. They do have a sign language class here, and you could write to Mr. Black about that. Maybe you and Logan could take it together. Then he could be your translator. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
Layra nodded with a smile, thinking about it. She turned and shook Anna’s hand in thanks.
“Oh, no need to thank me. I can tell we’ll be good friends already. Oh, look! Logan’s going to try now!”
Layra turned to the field and watched as Logan showed Blake and Kyle what he could do. She saw Blake nod to Kyle and shake Logan’s hand when he was done, and jumped to her feet, clapping. Anna smiled at her, and Logan turned and gave her a thumbs up, grinning widely.
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