Emily sat in her homeroom eating lunch. She was thinking about her dad. How his trip went. If he was home yet. If he was still in Vancouver. Why he even went to Vancouver.

"Emily?" A familiar voice called out.

Emily looked at where the voice was coming from. Nolan. She hasn't said much of anything to him today.

"How have you been Emily? Your colour looks better but not by much." Nolan pointed out.

Emily sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with me." Emily whined.

"Piper told me about your episode at home over the weekend." Nolan sat down.

Emily sighed and looked at her desk.

"Are you going to see a doctor?"

"The doctors are all saying that I have a flu. But it doesn't feel like a flu. And my mom is supposed to make an appointment with my family doctor today."

"That's good. He cares about you. He'll make sure to check you proper." Nolan nodded.

"I don't think I can go to homework club or soccer practise." Emily pouted. "Mr. Fray said I could go to practise but I couldn't do anything. Realistically, I just don't have the energy." Emily sighed.

"Have you told your mom?"

Emily shook her head.

"The teacher?"

Emily shook her head.

"I think you should swallow your pride and tell someone. You have a Sísele. Go home to her."

Emily was starting to feel emotional. She was getting tired of pretending she was fine. She was tired of being told she has the flu. She didn't feel right.

"Emily." Nolan said.

Emily looked at him sadly.

"Emily, call your mom." Nolan urged. He felt that she should be at home. She didn't look the way she usually does. Happy, energetic.

Emily looked down at her desk. She noticed she had her lunch in front of her but she barely ate anything. Two bites out of her yogurt, one bite from her salad and she didn't even touch the cookie/cracker sandwich thing. She didn't want to eat.

When she realized she had no appetite,she started to cry. She didn't understand why she wasn't hungry. Her stomach felt fine.

Nolan jumped to his feet and started to pack Emily's lunch for her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and leaned in toward her. "I'll go get a teacher." He offered. And with that, he ran out of the room.

Emily sat in her chair crying quietly. There were other students in the classroom looking at her. But she didn't care. She felt over-tired. Empty but no hunger. Weak and tired muscles but no exertion. She was frustrated.

A teacher came up to Emily. She sat down beside her and breathed.

Emily heard concern in the teachers breathing. She looked up. Mrs. Brundle. She was the English teacher.

"Are you ok, Emily?" Mrs. Brundle asked.

"I want to go home." Emily cried.

"Alright. Did you want to try laying down in the sick room first? Maybe you'll feel better soon."

"No. I won't feel better. I feel worse. I want to go home." Emily blurted. She started to sob. She grabbed at her face and wiped tears away.

Mrs. Brundle reached over and started rubbing Emily's back. "Alright Emily." She turned to Nolan. "Can you go get another teacher please?"

Nolan nodded and ran out of the room again.

Mrs. Brundle looked back at Emily.

Emily had dropped her head into her arms on top of her desk. She sobbed into her elbows.

Mrs. Brundle sighed. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"No!" Emily snapped.

"Ok. Can you tell me why you can't tell me?" Mrs. Brundle a voice was quiet and gentle. She looked around and Senn the other students in the room had gathered around Emily. She waved at them to step back.

"I don't know why. I don't know what's wrong. I just want to go home!" Emily started to cry harder.

"Ok." Mrs. Brundle breathed. She had looked at Emily's back, where she was rubbing and gasped. Mrs. Brundle had stopped rubbing and slowly took her hand away. She gaped at what she had done.

Bruising, all across Emily's back. Wherever Mrs. Brundle was rubbing, there was a red and purple bruise.

The other students gasped and backed farther away from Emily. Murmurs started to fill the room. Whispers and pointed fingers.

Emily kept her head down.

Mrs. Brundle stood up slowly.

"I found Mr. Fray." Nolan announced when he came back.

Mrs. Brundle turned around. Her face was pale and her expression depicted horror.

Mr. Fray came up and looked at Emily crying. His mouth dropped and the blood drained from his face. He looked at Mrs. Brundle. "Can I speak to you outside?" He asked quietly.

Mrs. Brundle nodded and stepped out of the room.

Mr. Fray followed her and closed the door behind him. "What did you do to her?" He demanded.

Mrs. Brundle shook her head. "Nothing! I swear!" She hollered defensively. "She was crying and I was trying to console her. I wasn't pressing hard at all." Mrs. Brundle looked confused. "Did I?" She asked herself. "No. I didn't press hard." She looked up at Mr. Fray.

Mr. Fray frowned.

"She wants to go home." Mrs. Brundle said.

Mr. Fray nodded. "Call her mother. She should go home. And think about how you're going to explain this to her when she gets here."

Mrs. Brundle gave a short nod. She turned around and ran down the hallway.

Mr. Fray went back into the classroom.

"She said she doesn't want to go to homework club or soccer practise. She wants to be at home." Nolan informed Mr. Fray.

Mr. Fray nodded and went straight toward Emily. He sat down in the chair beside her. He wore concern, fear and sadness on his face. "Emily? Can you talk?"

Emily nodded.

Mr. Fray sighed. "I need to ask you a serious question. Do you think you can answer me?"

Emily nodded. Her crying had settled down some.

"Ok." Mr. Fray breathed. "Did Mrs. Brundle hurt you?"

Emily's head shot up. She frowned looked at Me. Fray with such disgust. "No! Why would you think that?!"

Mr. Fray looked at Emily, stunned. "Well, you're bruised."

"What?" She asked. She looked at her arms. Then her legs. Then back at Mr. Fray.

"Your back, Emily. It's bruised. Mrs. Brundle said that she was rubbing your back." Mr. Fray said.

Emily nodded. "She was. But she wasn't rubbing that hard. I shouldn't have bruised!" She tried to looked over her shoulder at her back.

Mr. Fray exhaled with relief. "Ok. Thank you, Emily. That must've been uncomfortable for you."

"Actually, Mr. Fray." Nolan sat on the desk Mr. Fray was sitting at. "It looked more uncomfortable for you than her."

Mr. Fray looked up at Nolan as if to tell him to shut up. He sighed and looked back at Emily. "Why are you upset?"

Emily shook her head. "I don't know. I'm not hungry." She pouted.

"You're upset because you're not hungry?" Mr. Fray sounded confused.

"Yeah!" Emily whined. "I just want to go home." She concluded.

Mr. Fray nodded. "Mrs. Brundle is calling your mother right now." He told her. "I'm sure your mom will be here as soon as she can be."

Emily sat in a slump in her chair.

"I'll stay with you, Em." Nolan offered. "I'll sit with you at home."

Mr. Fray chuckled. "Are you looking for a way to get out of school, Nolan?"

"No, sir." Nolan answered. "Just a concerned friend wanting to support a friend in need."

Mr. Fray chuckled again. He turned to Emily. "If you would like some company I can talk to the principal for you. Try to let him go with you."

Emily nodded. "Sure."

"Alright. I'll go find the principal." Mr. Fray stood up. "Don't think this will get you out of homework, Mr. Dyars." Mr. Fray pointed at Nolan.

Nolan didn't look. He nodded while he frowned at Emily.

Mr. Fray walked left the classroom. He felt spooked by the bruising on Emily's back. He's never seen that before. He's never heard of it. Someone bruising to a light touch doesn't happen. He shook his head in an attempt to think more clearly. It still didn't make sense.

"Hello?" Darcy answered her cell phone. She was halfway down the hall to meet someone in the lobby. She stopped walking. "What?" Her mouth dropped. "I'll be right there." Darcy hung up her phone. She turned and ran back to her office. She grabbed her coat and purse and ran out of her office. Darcy ran all the way down the hallway and into the lobby.

"I have to go. There's something wrong with Emily." Darcy informed the receptionist. She ran out of the building throwing her coat on as she ran.

When Darcy arrived at the school, Emily was waiting by the door. Nolan had gathered her homework and said that he'd collect the rest another time. He sat with Emily, waiting.

"Are you ok, Emily? What happened?" Darcy asked when she seen her. She rushed over and crouched down on the floor. She grabbed Emily's hand.

Emily didn't answer.

"Darcy?" Mr. Fray started. "Nolan would like to accompany Emily today. I spoke with the principal and his mother. They're ok with it. Is that alright with you?"

Darcy looked up. She stood up and looked down at Emily. "It's ok with me if that's what Emily wants."

Mr. Fray nodded. "She seems to have some bruising on her back, as well."

Darcy nodded. "Yes. That's what Mrs. Brundle was telling me."

Mr. Fray nodded.

Mr. Euthers, the principal, approached. "Hi, Mrs. Conners."

Darcy looked at him and nodded.

"I'm sorry this happened. I'm not even sure what happened. I spoke with Mrs. Brundle and she swears she didn't intentionally hurt Emily. She's not even sure how the bruises got there."

Darcy leaned over Emily to try to look at her back. "Lean forward, Em."

Emily leaned forward.

Darcy gasped at the sight. It looked like someone hit her with a bat.

"She didn't hurt me, mom. She was just rubbing my back cuz I was crying. That's all." Emily tried to defend Mrs. Brundle.

Darcy frowned. "Are you sure, Emily? You don't have to protect ANY adult. If she did anything to you......"

"She didn't mom! God! Why don't you listen to me?" Emily looked angrily at the floor.

Darcy nodded. "Ok, Emily. I hear you." She squated in front of Emily. "But it's hard to explain a bruise that bad from. Just rubbing your back."

Emily frowned at her mother. She took her left hand and wrapped it around her right upper arm. She gave her arm a squeeze.

Mrs. Brundle walked up, quietly. She watched Emily squeeze her arm.

Emily let go after a minute. She moved her hand away from her arm.

Darcy gasped and fell onto her rear.

The teachers had gasped and stood stunned.

Nolan frowned. His bottom lip slowly fell away from his upper lip.

Emily had a bruise. A green and yellow mark in the shape of her hand was left on her upper arm. "Mrs. Brundle DIDN'T hurt me!"

Darcy looked up at Emily. She nodded frantically. "Ok." She scrambled to her feet. She looked at Mrs. Brundle. "I'm sorry. I had blamed you without taking in the whole story."

Mrs. Brundle nodded. "It's alright, Mrs. Conners. To be honest, I thought I had hurt her. But I knew I was pressing hard at all. It was very confusing."

"Let's go, Emily." Darcy said. She stepped back to give Emily space to move.

Nolan stood up and grabbed Emily's bag. He stepped aside to wait for her.

"She will be at home until we figure out what's happening." Darcy explained. "And she will need someone to collect her homework and notes."

Mr. Euthers nodded. "I'll speak to Piper. I'm sure shell be happy to do it again. And, umm....." He looked at Darcy seriously. "Please let us know whatever you find out? We're all very worried about Emily. And we would like to see her get better."

Darcy nodded. "Thank you. I will inform you when we learn something new." She turned and followed Emily and Nolan out the door.