"James!" Amacus protests on the other side of the door, but James ignores it. "So when was this a thing?"

"What? Amacus and I? Literally two seconds before this-" I gesture to my back- "happened. And I'm not really sure it's a thing."

"Oh, boy," James says, running a hand over his face. "That was something I didn't need to see."

"I'm fourteen, James," I say.

"You're barely a teenager!" He rubs his forehead. "Sorry, it's just... I feel like I should've been more prepared for this, that's all. I still feel you're too young."

"James, I could be finished with training and you still wouldn't be okay with it," I joke. James gives me a dirty look. "Am I wrong, James?"

James just sighs and goes into his bedroom. "I hope I never see that again," he says as he shuts the door.

"I'll hide it next time, James," I say. Then I get up again and step out of the dorm, swaying a little as I go. I really shouldn't be on my feet-I feel light-headed and nauseous-but I want to talk to Astrid about what happened. She's my best friend; I have to tell her.

Level Three is separated into quadrants, with each group taking up a certain quadrant (except for the younger group, which takes up the entire West side). Each hallway has two dorms at the end, except for the West hallway, which has the dining hall. Our group's quadrant takes up the right side of the North hallway and the left side of the East hallway. My dorm is the second-to-last door on the North hallway, and Astrid's is all the way at the end of the east, so it's not too far, but I'm still light-headed by the time I arrive.

A/N I drew a helpful map! I marked some rooms with letter to tell you who's bedroom's which (the rectangles are closets, the squares in the living spaces are bathrooms). It goes (in case it's hard to figure out) Alyssa, Callie, James, Masan, Chris, Amacus, Alexa, Astrid, and Isa. It's not to scale, I'm not a freaking architect.

"Hey," Isa says when she opens the door for me. "You alright? You look pale."

"Didn't hear about the accident, did you?" I ask, leaning against the wall.

She shakes her head and steps aside to let me in. I sink into the nearest chair and lean back. "Where's Astrid?"

"Bathroom," Isa says, shutting the door. She bangs on the bathroom door. "Hey, Astrid! Callie's here!"

"Give me a moment!" Astrid calls through the door. Isa smiles at me and sits on the couch. "So, how are you?"

"I've been better," I say with a small grin. "I think, last night, I had the best moment of my life interrupted by the worst one. I'll fill you in once Astrid comes out."

"What are we doing?" Astrid asks, coming out of the bathroom. She comes over to hug me, but I shake my head. "No, don't touch my back. I've got to tell you something."

"Are you hurt?" Isa asks as Astrid sits next to her.

"Yeah, last night Amacus and I-" my face is already turning hot- "went to the surface, and I got attacked."

Isa sighs and shakes her head. "After that older Keeper was attacked, you would think they'd learn."

"What attacked you?" Astrid asks.

"Euravic. I think they have one on guard there at all times," I say. "But it must've been on the other side of the building-thing, because we didn't see it until it was right there."

"Oh, boy," Isa says. "That's not good."

I shake my head. "I have this lovely stitched-up gash on my back, and it cut a chunk of hair off, too."

"Well, you needed a haircut anyways," Astrid says.

"Thanks, girl. Appreciated that."

"You could get side bangs or something. Or cut it short, like a bob. Or-ooh! A wedge haircut, maybe? Oh, I like that idea."

I roll my eyes. "I'll probably get a trim, Astrid. Calm your face."

"My face is calm," Astrid replies. "I just think you need to change it from your layers."

"My hairdresser is Chris, Astrid, she doesn't do more than layers."

"What about Isa?" Astrid suggests.

"Leave Callie's hair alone, Astrid, she can get what she wants," Isa says.

"Dang," Astrid says.  "So what were you and Amacus doing?"

"We were having a conversation," I say.

Astrid raises her eyebrows and flicks a strand of perfectly curled hair over her shoulder. "What kind of conversation."

"One with words," I say. How can I tell her that we were discussing one of the biggest secrets on Azera without giving away that secret?

"Let's cut straight to it-who made the first move?" Isa asks.

I'm actually grateful that Isa asked that question and changed the subject, but my face still turns hotter. "He-he did."

"What did he do?" Astrid says. I look down at my lap. "Did he kiss you?" she presses.

I purse my lips together. My face couldn't be any redder. Astrid takes this as a yes and squeals. "Ha! I knew it! I knew it, I knew it! Oh my Gods!"

"How was it?" Isa asks.

"How was it? Isa, how many boyfriends did you have before being a Guardian?"

"Yes, but I want to hear it from your point of view."

"You had yes amount of boyfriends?" Astrid jokes.

"Ha, ha, Astrid," Isa says. She looks back at me. "Is he a good kisser?"

"How would I know?" I ask. "I've literally been kissed twice, and both times it was interrupted."

"When was the second time?" Isa asks.

"About ten minutes ago. Then James walked in. He almost literally threw Amacus out of the door. It was entertaining, to say the least." I grin.

"That somehow sounds like and doesn't sound like James at the same time," Astrid says.

"I told him it was unnecessary and he said doubt it," I say with an eye roll.

"Wow, really?" Isa says sarcastically. Astrid and I laugh. "That does sound like James."

"He also pulled the 'you're too young' card," I add.

"That I won't argue against," Isa says. "You are only fourteen."

"Can we go back to making fun of James and not agreeing with him?" I complain jokingly.

Just then, there's a knock on the door. Isa stands up, stretches, and goes to open the door. "We're popular this morning, aren't we? We haven't even had breakfast." She opens the door to find Alexa. "Hi, did you know Callie kissed your brother last night?"

"He kissed me," I correct. "Isa, you're as bad as James when it comes to embarrassing the Keepers."

"What's that thing James always says?" Astrid asks. "If your Guardian isn't an embarrassment, then he isn't doing his job."

"Well, he's doing his job," I say.

"I heard what happened," Alexa says. "The attack...you and Amacus..."

"So he told you, then?" I ask.

"No, he came in, said that he thinks he got on James' bad side, then shut himself in his bedroom," Alexa says dryly. "These walls are not exactly...sound proof. So, this is true, huh? Are you and Amacus officially together? This is going to make leaving so much harder for him."

"Again, he initiated it," I say defensively.

Alexa rolls her eyes. "Of course he would. You don't seem like the kind of person to act on impulse. Amacus, on the other hand..."

"Heat of the moment," I mutter. "He seemed pretty embarrassed by it."

"And then he did it again," Astrid adds.

"He did it again because I told him it was okay," I say. "I'm hungry and I want food."

"Think we should head up to breakfast?" Isa asks.

"Wait a sec," I say. "I have to get up? I barely made it here! How am I suppose to walk the entire length of Level Three?"

"We'll bring you something," Astrid says.

"You better," I tease.

"I think I'll stay here, I'm not hungry," Alexa says.

"You sure, honey?" Isa asks.

Alexa makes a face at Isa calling her 'honey', but nods her head. "Positive."

"Mm-kay. Come on, Astrid," Isa says. 

As soon as the door shuts behind them, Alexa moves to crouch in front of me. "I already told you I don't want my brother hurt."

I think about pointing out that I'm the one with stitches in my back, but Alexa looks so serious that I decide that this isn't the time for joking. "I know that, Alexa. And I know it's going to suck for him to return to Tura."

"That is an understatement, Callie," Alexa says. "He will be beyond miserable, because the only person he will ever love would be on a different planet in a different dimension. And from my basic understanding of your culture, your first love is rarely your only one. You can get hurt, but you would heal, but Amacus- our kind-would stay hurt."

"There are some people here who have a...hard time...moving on," I say, thinking of Masan, who's been pining after me for years, and James, who hasn't and probably could never move past Baya if he tried.

"If they were able to get out of this tiny place and met other people, would they move on? Or would they still long for the person they loved?" Alexa asks. "I'm genuinely curious, I want to know if that's true."

"Well, one person I'm thinking of is shy, but he'll move on. I think," I say. "The other...I sincerely doubt it."

"Well, if the shy one is who I think he is, then I think he would have to get far, far, far away from you to move on," Alexa says wryly.

I laugh a little. "Yeah, no kidding."

Alexa drums her fingers on the armrest. "I'm just afraid for Amacus."

"So you've said."

"I know, I just worry a lot, okay? Amacus does not like it, but he's so impulsive sometimes, I feel like I have to watch over him, because that's what siblings do, right?"

"I guess," I say reluctantly. "I mean, I don't know. I never actually met my little sister."

Alexa opens her mouth, then shuts it and looks down at her hand, resting on the armrest. "Oh."

I nod. "I have a picture, back at my dorm."

"How old is she?"

"About 8. She was born shortly before the war started, before the incident."

"Ahh. I have a little brother, too. Kind of wish I never met him, though."

"Yeah, Amacus told me. He's a spoiled brat."

"'Spoiled brat' is an understatement. Spoiled rotten little monster is more like it."

"That's so sweet of you."

"Actually, 'spoiled rotten little monster' is still an understatement."

"Oh, Gods," I say, which makes her laugh.

We talk about our younger siblings until there's a knock on the door. Alexa raises an eyebrow at me and goes to answer it

"Hey," James says after Alexa opens the door. "Astrid and Isa told me you two were here."

"Hi, James!" I say. "Are you gonna make me get up?"

"No, I brought you breakfast here. Astrid and Isa will be back soon. What were you two just talking about?"

"Our younger siblings," Alexa says, stretching her arms over her head.

"Nobody is worse than my sister, I will tell you that," James says with a grin. "Super bossy. Granted, she was older than me, but still."

"My younger brother is super spoiled," Alexa says. "And he throws a temper tantrum when he doesn't get his way. He's twelve, by the way."

"Yeah, maybe May is better," James admits. "Maybe."

So, I asked this question once, and I'll ask it again: What song do you think matches this book? My suggestions are "Castle of Glass" by Linkin Park, "Do I Wanna Know" by the Arctic Monkeys, or "It has Begun" by Starset.

Also, Mother Nature kind of bitch-slapped us by providing a nice, relatively snow-free winter, followed by a couple weeks of spring-like weather, and finally dropping THREE FEET OF SNOW ON US. I haven't left the house since Monday.

Oh, and I had severe writer's block this entire week. Lovely.