LOUDSPEAKER: * YOU ARE FREE TO GO BACK TO YOUR ROOMS, I REPEAT; FREE TO GO BACK TO YOU ROOMS*

After five hours stuck in a room full of stuck up smart people... well mostly stuck up smart people, we were finally given the all clear to go back to our rooms.

"I'm finally glad to get out of there" sighs Ry as he leads me back to my room. We plan to spend what time is left before curfew together. Ry slows down so we are walking next to each other.

"You know you have the most beautiful eyes, a perfect mix of amber and green". I smile at the comment.

"Thanks, but I'm pretty sure my eyes are blue". Ry looks at me with a smile

"Yes, blue is your natural colour but you are nearing the stage of activation and when this happens the strong ani's develop the ability to change their eye colours to match their animal's feelings".

"So what am I feeling?"

"Well, the amber suggests you were either calming down from an anger spike or getting ready to strike being on the offensive and the green suggests sincerity, you were or are deep in thought."

We reach my room and I press my palm into the scanner.

"That's pretty cool." I reply halfheartedly. We enter the room and watch the door slide close, when it does Ry grabs my arm and leads me into the bathroom.

"What are you doing?!"

He closes the door and turn the shower on full blast. What on earth!? He crouches low to the ground.

"I'm going to say this once and I'm going to say it quickly. Your blood tests were inconclusive which suggests you have more than one ani blood, for example I am a cheater, I am agile and protective but I act on first instinct. You have shown multiple ani traits, if you are more than one ani that would make you by far the strongest. I saw what happened between you and Kristen, your ani's were challenging, testing to see who is the strongest. If the compound finds out about this they will out you in isolation and run test after test."

I shiver at the thought of more tests

"I suggest you stay away from Kristen, your ani is most likely to come out on top because you are undefined, do not tell this to anyone and always drop your eyes when you see her".

At this Ry squeezes my arm and walks out the door. Me, me have the strongest ani? I get up and turn the shower off, why does this need to be kept secret? I look at myself in the mirror; long brown hair, tanned skin and...... deep glassy blue eyes, they changed quickly. Is this actually me? I look away from the mirror and walk out the door to find Ry sitting on the edge of the bed. I walk over and join him, trying my hardest to pretend nothing just happened.

"You and Megan keep talking about activation... What is that exactly?"

Ry turns to me "Activation is when your ani is fully developed, any point after the the ani is developed is called the activation stage, basically you can choose to live by the animal, if you activate your ani, you become your full blooded ani forever, no feelings, no speaking etc etc."

"I'm sick of talking about all this sciencey stuff to be honest Ry, there's just so much to understand... lets just chill for now".

Ry nods and smiles 

"I was so hoping you would say that, I was kinda getting bored".

I reach for a pen that is sitting on my bedside table and hand it to Ry. Ry looks at me blankly making me laugh. So I say

"OK, you have a pen in your hand, now what are you going to do with it?"

Ry smiles and reaches for me hand, he rests it in his lap and starts drawing on my arm. I crane my neck trying to see what he is drawing only to be blocked by his annoying head.

"HEY! Let me see!" I giggle "Stop it, it tickles".

"Come on Ace... hold still".

I stay as still as I can, trying not to laugh as he moves the pen along my arm. I am so lucky I'm stuck with Ry... I really don't know what I would do without him. I shiver as I remember all the days spent in medical room feeling helpless but never waking up alone. Ry glances back.

"Your eyes are turning green, what are you thinking about?"

I smile "You".

He stops drawing and turns around locking our eyes together. He takes my hands and holds them close.

"Ace, promise me that you'll always be honest with me".

"Of course Ry"

He tilts forward touching my forehead with his and closes his eyes. We stay that way for a couple of seconds then he sits back.

"I really like you Ace".

I look down at my arm and take in the drawing.

"I um drew the sun, its the one thing that stays the same anywhere you go, it's home".

I look back at Ry my eyes filling up with tears.

"What did I do to deserve you?" I choke 

He takes my head in his hands and kisses me, filling me with warmth from head to toe. The tears slide down by check as he pulls me in closer. He smells like autumn, the crisp leaves and colder weather but he is warm, his hands are smooth and his arms are strong.

"Thank you" I whisper as I put my head on his shoulder. My breathing slows and my heart moves back into my chest. I close my eyes, exhausted but not wanting to miss anything. After a couple of minutes he takes my hand and presses something into it. I close my hand up tight as he moves my head off his shoulder, he brushes his finger over my cheek and quietly leaves the room. Once the door slides shut I open my hand and find a note:

~~~Meet me behind the garden door at 12 -wear warm clothes.~~~

I check the clock on my wall 9:55, 5 minutes until curfew. I get up and find warm clothes. I pick out black jeans, a black printed Tee and a dark blue hoodie and put them on. Then climb into bed ready for my night ahead. All I need now is to get out without getting caught.