"Very well done, Lysander. Now, Carol, will you please perform your monologue?"

A short girl with black hair took my spot in the center of our acting class as I returned to my seat. She began a monologue of a scorned woman declaring her hatred for a man who had wronged her and I found my mind wandering as it often did.

What did the clouds look like right now, I wondered. If I were to gaze up at their amorphous forms, what would I see? What would Kate see?

I blinked and looked around me as if someone else had whispered that into my mind. Thoughts like that had been going through my head more and more as I became better acquainted with the kind girl everyone called Opal.

The first thing I noticed about her was her voice. When she spoke her first line as Kate I had been impressed with the depth she was able to portray her feelings. Up until then, I had been reading against Mindee, who was a sweet girl, but she didn't understand the little nuances that made Shakespeare such a brilliant playwright. This girl Opal though, her Kate was unlike any I had ever heard.

Then she came to listen to Castiel and me sing. When I realized that we had an audience I felt annoyed, but then when I had seen her I realized that she was the girl who read as Kate. She had been excitable and complimentary, so unlike Shakespeare's Kate that I was stunned into silence. When I had spoken to her she had stumbled over her words in a manner I could only classify as cute. And when she had identified me as Petruchio I felt proud that she remembered my character.

The most interesting thing happened when I explained why Castiel and I played. I had only told Rosalya and Leigh that I played with Castiel because I love music and not because I wanted to start a new band. They had both encouraged me to get my talent out to the world, which I knew was them trying to be supportive of me... However, when I said that same thing to Opal she smiled the most delicate and understanding smile I had ever seen in my life. I felt like she understood me completely and supported my decision because it was my right to make it. It had been a new experience, feeling understood.

"Lysander, do you have any critique you could give Carol?"

I looked up at Mr. Hibbard and shook my head slightly. Since I had met Opal she had changed my viewpoint on women. I realized that they weren't all nosy and overbearing, but they could be empathetic as well. Calling her Kate had seemed natural when we were in Shakespeare class together and I had noticed that she smiled differently when I called her that so it had become my pet name for her.

Slowly my mind switched from past memories to the present and a deep melancholy descended on me. I replayed the events of this morning and felt a harsh fear clench my heart again as I saw her slip on the stairs in my mind's eye.

This morning I hadn't noticed the time so I arrived at school earlier than usual. I had been on my way to Government when I heard an unfamiliar clacking sound. As I rounded the corner I saw Kate using crutches to climb the stairs steadily and my eyes had fallen to her ankle, which was wrapped securely with a bandage. I'd heard that she hurt herself during the race but I didn't realize how serious it was. Almost without thought, I had quickened my pace to ask after her well-being when one of her crutches slipped and they both clattered to the ground.

For a split second, I thought that she would sprout wings and lift from the earth untroubled. But instead, gravity laid claim to her and she began to fall backward. Without conscious thought, I sprinted forward and caught her in my arms just before she met the cold concrete stairs. As I wrapped my arms around her a feeling I had never experienced clutched me. 

I know that I was frightened by her close call, but what was that other feeling? I wondered to myself absently.

A loud ringing cut through my thoughts and I stood up automatically, heading for the door. Kate had not seemed herself in Economics and I felt a strange need to check on her. With my notebook in hand, I walked around the entire school hoping to catch a glimpse of her long, white-blonde hair, the color of sun-kissed clouds during the dawn, to make sure she was okay. When I couldn't find her I tapped my foot in thought. I turned and walked towards the courtyard, thinking that I had most likely missed her, but I still felt an urgent desire to make sure she was okay.

"What's wrong with you?" Castiel asked as I came to stand under the tree in the courtyard with him. 

I shook my head silently and continued scanning the people leaving the school building. No cloud-like hair or empathetic smiles passed my view.

"Is there something going on between you and Opal, Lys?" I heard Castiel ask but my mind was far away and I didn't answer him.

As I continued to watch the people leaving the school grounds I felt an odd restlessness overtake me and I found myself walking down the path towards the greenhouse. The greenhouse was a place of inspiration for me. The vibrant colors of the plants and flowers were almost like a small symphony of their own and different plants would lend me a different melody. I didn't feel like writing a song right now, but the thought of the flowers singing their colorful songs to me made me happy.

Slowly I walked down the path and let my fingers drag lightly along the short wall that marked the beginning of the school garden. The green oasis that wrapped around the greenhouse beckoned me, but suddenly I stopped dead in my tracks. I'd found an angel.

The sun seemed to give her an ethereal glow as she sat on the ground, leaning her back against a tree. A small breeze teased the ends of both her blindingly white hair and the lace on the bottom of her purple skirt. I felt like I was in a trance as I gazed at the innocence of Kate sleeping and took a step closer. As I got closer I soon realized that something was wrong; my slumbering angel was crying.

Why? Why would the girl who has a smile for everyone be crying when she is alone in her dreams?

"I'm sor..." I was only a few feet from her when I heard her quivering voice.

Is she sleep talking? I had heard that it was bad to wake people when they sleepwalk; did the same rule extend to sleep talking as well? 

Suddenly Kate gasped loudly, snapping her eyes open and sitting up straight. "I'm sorry, Sensei!" she screamed. 

A feeling of desperate sadness seemed to course from her body straight into mine and I ducked behind the wall, clutching my heart and trying to keep from breathing hard. I listened as she cried her apologies over and over again and each time she did, it felt like a rod was slammed into my chest.

Why is she in so much pain? Has my angel fallen from heaven to be condemned to a life on earth? Was that why she cried as if all the happiness in the world had disappeared?

A desire to hold her enveloped me; to bring her tight into my arms like this morning and protect her from whatever despair was plaguing her soul so completely. But how could I? The saddest thing in my life was when I left my parents to live with my brother and I had done that willingly, so there was no way I could understand what she was going through... But I wanted to help her in some way.

I wrestled with myself, trying to fight against this overwhelming feeling of inadequacy when I heard a dull thud and a shriek of pain. Instinctively I jumped up to see what had caused the sound and saw my angel sprawled on the ground. Quickly I dashed over to her still form, but just as I was about to touch her, she cried out in a voice filled with despair.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry for being born. I'm sorry for not being good enough. I'm so sorry!" 

The anguish in her words cut me like a knife and I found myself rooted to the spot. I had never known despair as palpable or as unequivocal as the sorrow that bled from Opal's words. Slowly I stepped back, feeling my heart wrench into two as I stumbled to the wall and leaned against it heavily, facing away from my fallen angel. 

How could I even begin to comfort something so intense? How could this girl who has so impressed me with her unfaltering kindness feel emotions this horrendous?

I looked down at my notebook that I was still clutching in my hand and slowly opened it to a new page. As I listened to my angel's soft sobs, words began to flow from my mind. As I wrote them down, a melody came to me and I made small notations so I wouldn't forget the rhythm. Long minutes went by as I listened and wrote my response to her pain in a song. I looked over it and nodded. When she would hear this I did not know, but this song was meant for only one person: my Kate.

As I reviewed the lyrics that had been born, I realized that my Kate's sobs had ceased. I waited patiently as I heard small shuffling noises and I stayed in my position. When my Kate rounded the corner I could see in my peripheral vision that she flinched so much that she almost fell over when she saw me.

"Lysander! What are you doing here?" she asked with fear evident in her voice.

"The beauty of nature is always so stimulating," I replied evasively before looking up and meeting her eyes that always reminded me of jewels glimmering in the sunlight. At the moment they were slightly puffy and their usual lustrous green color was murky. She had a small blade of grass on her cheek which I longed to brush away, but I stayed where I was, not wanting to scare her away.

"Oh... How... how long have you been here?" she asked with obvious trepidation.

"Not long," I responded with a shrug. 

She let out a sigh of relief and her eyes lightened slightly as she looked down at me. I wondered how she could hold such sadness in her heart and not let it show through her eyes.

"Well, I'm heading to the parking lot so I'll see you tomorrow, Lysander." 

I quickly stood up, closing my notebook with a snap. "Might I join you?" I asked and she nodded slowly.

"If you want."

I walked next to her and observed her out of the corner of my eye. She kept her head down as she handled her crutches masterfully, avoiding all the rocks and never losing her balance. She was so different from other girls. My Kate was quiet until she knew her opinion was wanted but wasn't afraid to lend a helping hand. She was brilliant and artistic but extremely humble. She also wasn't afraid to meet my gaze. In fact, she always met my gaze head-on as if she thought she could look through my eyes into the person I was within. It was a feeling I had never gotten from anyone before.

"Are you writing a new song?" she asked, glancing over at my notebook. I felt the corners of my mouth tug up as I thought of her song but I shrugged.

"I'm always writing new songs."

She smiled up at me and I enjoyed knowing that she wouldn't push for more than that. Many girls I was acquainted with thought that every secret in the world should be shared, but I felt that most of my songs were personal and not to be heard until I was ready to share them. My Kate showed interest in my songs but never demanded to know more than I told her.

I could feel the time with my Kate coming to a close as the path came closer and closer to the courtyard. Even though I had many questions, I somehow knew they mustn't be vocalized at this time.

"Sweetheart!"

I looked up to see Ms. Sato rushing toward us. I remembered back to the conversation Rosalya and Leigh had had about Ms. Sato, who was one of Leigh's greatest inspirations. Her styles had been bold and colorful but had also seemed very personal. As I watched her run up to my Kate and envelop her in a large hug, I could see that her personality had spoken through her clothes.

"I'm fine, Auntie," my Kate said when Ms. Sato finally let her go. The word 'fine' resonated in my mind and I wished she would express her true feelings.

"What is this?" Ms. Sato asked while wiping the blade of grass from her cheek as I had wanted to. My Kate didn't meet her aunt's eyes as she cleared her throat.

"I fell asleep in the garden."

"Oh, my poor Opal. You haven't been sleeping well lately, have you? Let's get you home and I'll make you some peppermint tea." Ms. Sato stroked my Kate's hair lovingly and then looked up at me as if I had just appeared. "Oh. Hello, Lysander. How are you today?" 

I smiled at her and inclined my head. "I am well, Ms. Sato."

"I would love to talk to you more, Lysander, but Opal needs to rest," she said apologetically.

"And you need to get back to work, Auntie," my Kate said but Ms. Sato waved her hand dismissively.

"I'm sure we'll have another opportunity," I said, extending my hand to her. She clasped her delicate hand around mine for a second before turning back to my Kate.

"Let's go, sweetheart."

My Kate nodded and followed her aunt obediently. I watched as she eased herself into the passenger seat, positioning her crutches next to her while Ms. Sato closed the door. As she circled the car my Kate looked up at me and waved. I lifted one hand in farewell and watched as she slowly disappeared from view. 

Closing my eyes I saw once again the silent track of tears falling down my Kate's pale cheeks. A knot tightened in my stomach and I opened my eyes, looking down at my notebook.

"Wait for me, my angel that cries alone. I will find a way to take you back to heaven," I intoned to the empty world.

A/N Writing in Lysander's POV is so interesting because he sees the world so romantically and speaks so old-timey.... :P Hopefully you enjoyed it