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III

7 Years Later

Alix stood in front of her mirror and looked at herself as she adjusted her panties. It had been almost eight years since she had become a girl and she was starting to have trouble believing she had been anything other than one. There were still times where her body felt a little alien to her, especially during her periods, but she had gotten sort of use to them. It was a tossup on which hurt more, her periods or the beatings she received from the bullies. Still, she was impressed by what she saw. A fine, athletic body covered in silky black fur, and a profile that should have...Wait a moment. Where her breasts getting larger again? So, that explained why her bra's felt so tight over the last couple of weeks. Alix sighed. She was going to have to ask her mom to go shopping for some new ones. Oh, well. She needed a new swimsuit after that last nasty fight anyway. What that girl had done to it was ridiculous, and Alix had once again not started that fight. She sighed again and looked down at her left arm. Like she needed another reminder of what happened.

The lower part of the arm was covered in a type of metal sleeve that had two bronze colored bracelets on either side of the sleeve. One of the bracelets was placed just above her wrist, allowing her to mover her hand around, but still restricting some of the movement. The other was located just below her elbow and both fit snuggly against her skin, but not tight enough to restrict blood flow. The sleeve was a bio-metal cast that was designed to keep the broken part of the arm stiff and protected. The bracelets were the control collars for the bio-metal, or at least that was what Alix understood them to be. She did not understand the science behind it and Syntax were not know to be forthcoming about how they produced and controlled bio-metal. Still it had its advantaged. While still as heavy as a traditional cast, it was less bulky and waterproof, which allowed Alix to continue to enjoy swimming so long as she did not push herself to hard. And allowed her to take a regular shower as well. Still, while not as restrictive as a traditional case, it did not allow her to do somethings that she normally would be able to do by herself.

Looking down at the bra on top of her dressing table, she groaned. She would need Mom to help her dress again. Thinking back, Alix wondered just how many bones she had broken over the last five years. Sixteen? Twenty? It didn't matter, she thought, it was always the same. No matter where she attended school, or where she lived, someone always took her presence as offensive and attacked her. And so far, she had almost always walked away with one or more bones broken. This time was no exception; the two broken bones in her arm were proof of that.

For the first time in her life, Alix had gotten enough courage to try out for her school's swim team. And as far as she was concerned, it would also be the last. She had gotten a better time than the team's current captain, a senior, and left the nominated successor for the captain in the metaphoric dust. The captain, a 'slightly' vain human girl, had confronted her about it, and Alix had tried to explain that she was just trying to get on the team, not to out shine her. The captain did not take 'that' explanation very well. The resulting fight had left Alix's swimsuit torn and a few new bruises that would, thankfully, quickly fade. In an effort to get the captain off of her, Alix had accidently given the captain a black eye, and this only made things worse. The captain had to be restrained by four of her team mates and the intervention of the Coach. All in all, Alix had thought she had gotten lucky. Though she would never be on the swim team, she had only gotten away with a few bruises. She could live with that. Oh, how wrong she had been.

Alix was halfway home when she was confronted by the captain and her boyfriend, a human jock from the hockey team. There had been a brief struggle in which the boyfriend had held Alix still as the captain pounded on her. Alix had received a bloody nose, a split lip and a few more bruises. When the boyfriend had let go of her, Alix had fallen to the sidewalk, her left arm draped slightly over the edge of the road. The boy had brought his foot down hard on the arm, breaking the bones in one clean motion. Alix was in so much pain that she could barely move. Thankfully, an adult from one of neighboring houses had seen the incident and had helped her home. Alix had been crying so hard that she could barely speak to the police officer that had come to her at the hospital. The school exploded in uproar the next day, with both the captain and her boyfriend being suspended from the school by the end of the week. The captain had been kicked off the swim team and banned from participating in 'any' future competitions; all of it going onto her permanent record. And Alix had made quite a few more enemies as the captain's friends went out of their way to bully her. She had finished the school year from home through remote learning.

It would be a while before she would be able to swim properly, something she would assuredly miss. Thankfully, the family had moved a few weeks after the end of the school year, but it had taken a while to finish the move. Her dad had gotten a new job back in Yggdrasil, which meant that they would be close to Jon again, and there was a good chance that she would be able to see her big brother more often. At least when he was home and off duty. And it would only be a few more weeks before the cast came off. But now she had to attend another brand-new school. Something she 'was' not looking forward to.

Alix half sighed, half groaned and walked to the door to her bedroom. Covering her breasts, she cracked the door open.

"Mom," she called out.

There was a brief moment of silence, then Alix heard the fall of footsteps on the stairs and Heather came into view. She was wearing a green tee shirt over a pair of tight-fitting blue jeans. Her hair was unbound and grown to the base of her tail over the last few years. Alix stepped away from the door as her Mom gave her a warm smile and stepped into the room.

"Having trouble with the bra again, hun?"

"Yes," Alix said in a small voice. She looked away from her mom and hugged herself. "I'm sorry for always making trouble for you and dad."

Heather grabbed her daughter and drew her into a tight hug. She stroked the girl's ears and kissed her forehead.

"Oh hunnie, it's not your fault," she said in a soothing voice.

Heather was starting to really worry, though she did her best not to show it. Alix had not made a single friend outside of those that tutored her since Hector's death. Of late, the attention she was drawing was the type that she could do without, and with increasingly regularity. If things did not change soon, Heather was afraid that Alix would do either something drastic or simply break.

"Come on," Heather said with another kiss to the forehead. "We need to get you dressed and some breakfast into you before it's too late. We don't want to be late in meeting your new Vice-Principal."

"I'm going to need some new bras," Alix said as they moved over to her dressing table.

"Well, at least you're growing in one direction," her mother said, trying to lighten the mood.

"MOM!"

Alix was a little sensitive about her height, especially since both her father and brother were some of the tallest Foxlings she had ever heard of. Alix had not grown a single inch since she hit four feet. She idolized both her father and brother, which left her feeling disappointed that she would not be able to as tall as they were. It did not matter to her that Jon's implants contributed to his height, she wanted to be as tall as he was and not one of the smallest beings in the classroom.

Heather hooked Alix's bra and helped her adjust it so that it fit comfortably on her. She then grabbed the blouse that went with the school's uniform and helped Alix into it.

"Well, look on the bright side," Heather said with a small smile. "You'll make some young man happy."

Heather winced inwardly when she caught the look on her daughter's face in the mirror. Alix did not appear indignant, angered, or even horrified at the reminder of what Alix had lost. The look on the girl's face was that of a sadness so crippling that it could have shattered the mirror. Alix had only just started taking an interest in boys a little over a year ago. She had gathered enough courage to ask a boy out, and when he had said yes, she had been beaming for three whole days. Then she had found out that he had been using her to get back at his old girlfriend. The two of them had gotten back together and the boy dumped Alix like a hot brick. Then there was the boy who had asked Alix out only to leave her in the clutches of some jealous girls while he and his friends laughed over in a corner. Heather still did not know how Alix got out of that incident with only a few tears in her dress. By the time Alix had tried out for the swim team, she had been labeled a boyfriend stealer.

Alix looked away from her mother's reflection, pulled the blouse the rest of the way on and began to button it up.

"I'll never have a boyfriend," Alix said so softly that Heather almost missed it.

"Hunnie, I...I..."

Heather had wanted to say something to give Alix some encouragement but stopped herself when she realized her daughter was not paying attention. With a sigh, Alix reached for the pleated skirt and circled it around her waist. Heather knelt down and hooked the zipper, pulling it up a little way, allowing Alix to zip it the rest of the way up. Alix made sure to tuck the tails of the blouse in before zipping it up all the way. Reaching for the brush on top of the dressing table, Heather began to brush out Alix's shoulder length hair. As she did so, Heather glanced at her daughter's left eye in the mirror. The pale blue eye was locked on to the top of the dressing table, but it was clearly focused inward. Heather's eyes moved to just above the left eyebrow, where a ragged white line of fur started before running down, over the eye and down the left cheek, where it stopped about an inch below the eye. When Alix's eyes were closed, you could see the faint line on the top of her eyelids. It had been there for over seven years, now almost eight, and every new teacher who had seen the scar had expressed concern for Alix's vision. Heather would probably have to explain again that while the scar did not look pretty, it did not complicate her daughter's vision in anyway. The one nice thing about the scar was that it had left the eye a pretty shade of blue, which contrasted nicely against Alix's black fur. Heather knew that it was better to get some of the explanations done with before they got out of hand, so she reached for the barrette over in the right corner of the table after putting down the brush. Carefully, she moved her daughter's protesting hand out of the way as she pinned back the lock of hair that would normally fall over the eye. Alix scowled, but did not fight it for very long.

As her mother stepped back a little, Alix reached up and put on the only piece of jewelry she ever wore. The long gold ear cuff had been in her hand ever since her mother had started brushing her hair, and she had been fiddling with it until now. The ear cuff had a Celtic knot design on it and had been given to her by Jon on her thirteenth birthday. She had nearly lost it twice. The first time it had happened, a couple of her classmates had broken into her locker while she was in the pool and stolen it. If a teacher had not overheard the girls bragging about it, it would have ended up in the trash and Alix would never had seen it again. The second time had been more recent, at the same time that she had her arm broken. During the scuffle, the ear cuff had fallen off her ear, and it had almost fallen into the street. Neither of her assailants had seen the ear cuff, but when Alix had grabbed it, her arm had been over the curve of the sidewalk, and the captain's boyfriend had used the opportunity to brake Alix's arm. Despite the broken arm, she had been able to hold onto it, somehow. She now slipped it onto her right ear as her mother handed her the crimson blazer that went with the school uniform.

Heather looked on with approval as Alix put on the blazer and buttoned it up. At four feet tall, Alix had silky black fur and beautiful black hair. The different eye color of her eyes, which took some to get used to, actually enhanced the natural beauty of the fifteen-year-old. Makeup, Heather decided, would probably destroy that beauty. At the same time, Heather was more than a little perturbed than no one had picked up on that beauty, and every potential boyfriend had clearly not been interest in Alix.

Alix's long, bushy tail moved slowly side to side as she finished getting dressed. Heather found her striking in that uniform. Alix had on the white blouse under the crimson colored blazer, and a knee length, pleated black skirt hung from her waist. Alix, being a Foxling, had no need of foot wear, so Heather had bought her several pairs of thigh high white stockings, the ones specifically made for Foxlings. They started at the lower ankle, which left the paw free, and travelled up to the mid-thigh. Not that Alix needed the stockings, what with her long, elegant legs which had been shaped from years of swimming and gymnastics. The uniform also came with a short, black necktie, but this was on optional piece of clothing, which suited Alix just fine as she hated them. On the left breast pocket of the blazer was the gold seal of the school; a double-headed eagle clutching a key in one claw and a caduceus in the other. The Benjamin Franklin-Edison Private School was the of the most prestigious school located in the Manchester district of Yggdrasil, and was listed in the top five schools for the whole city. Heather had been a little surprised when Henry had enrolled Alix into that school. While the school had an excellent reputation and superb discipline in both its teachers and students, it was not cheap. Henry considered it an excellent investment, especially if it kept Alix safe.

Alix opened one of the drawers in the dressing table and started to pull out one pair of the white stockings before she stopped herself. It would be better to see what the first day was going to be like before she risked having a pair ripped up in a fight. Sighing, she put it back and closed the drawer before turning around and finding her mother still standing there. Heather merely smiled and held out her hand.

"Come on, hun. Let's get you some breakfast."

* * * * * *

"Look, all I'm saying is that it's now the fifteenth, and school started on the first," Alix was saying in between bites of her egg, bacon and cheese sandwich; her favorite breakfast meal. "So how far behind do you think I'm going to be?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full dear," Heather said as she finished cleaning the skillet she had used to cook the eggs. "We won't know for sure until we get there. The meeting with the Vice-Principal is at ten, and then you'll be spending the rest of the day at school. That is why I packed you a lunch just to be on the safe side. There is supposedly a cafeteria in the school, but I don't know when it opens and how long it will stay open. As to your classes, you were an A student in your last school, I'm sure they will make some exceptions."

"Ok. Thanks, Mom."

Heather smiled as she dried off the skillet and placed it back in its proper place. Alix seemed to be bouncing back now that she had some food in her stomach. Just then the doorbell rang, and Alix moved to get up, still munching on the sandwich.

"You finish your breakfast, hun. I'll get it."

Alix nodded as her mother stepped out of the kitchen and down the small hall to the front door. The fifteen-year-old took her seat and swallowed the last of her sandwich. Then she heard an exclamation of surprise and joy from her mother.

"Nova! What a pleasant surprise!"

Alix took a quick swallow of her milk, draining the cup, brushed off her face with a napkin and jumped down from the stool she had been sitting on. She then ran into the living room to find her mother and future sister-in-law, Nova Snowmane, standing there. Nova was a Foxling that resembled a Fennec Fox, one that was unusually tall for one of her type at four foot six inches tall, and covered in bright white fur. The long, wavy white hair that fell from her head had naturally occurring blonde highlights in it. The tips of her large furry ears had small tuffs of the same color of blonde hair, as did the tip of her long and extra fluffy tail. Large, bright and oval blue eyes stared out over Nova's slender muzzle that was capped with a black nose. From her right ear hung three ring style earrings, and two decorated her left ear. Nova was currently dressed in a flowing white dress, the skirt of which fell down to the upper ankles of her slender legs. A line of frills decorated the chest and circled her shoulders. A light gray short coat was placed over this dress, and a small black leather purse, rhinestone studs running around the flap and clasp, hung from left shoulder.

"Nova," Alix cried out and moved toward her.

"Alix," Nova said with a large smile on her face, holding open her arms to hug the younger girl. They gave each other a nice long hug.

"Oh, it's been so long since your last visit," Nova said as she let go of Alix. "I've missed you, kiddo. Welcome back to Yggdrasil. Jon will be so happy to have you so close by again."

Alix smiled and took a step back.

Heather smiled at the two of them.

"Nova, you know that you welcome here at any time," she said, "but I'm afraid we can't stay for very long. We have an appointment with Alix's new Vice-principal. If you would like, you could stay here and we can talk when we get back? I shouldn't be too long."

"Thanks. That would be lovely," Nova said with a nod.

"What exactly is the purpose of this visit," Heather said she ushered the other two back into the kitchen.

"This," Nova practically squealed as she held out her left hand. A gold engagement ring with a large, inset diamond decorated the ring finger. "It's completely official now. I mean, we were going to get married regardless, but Jon insisted he give me a proper ring. He gave it to me yesterday," she said, giggling like a school girl. "He was so nervous when he handed it to me that he couldn't even finish a coherent sentence."

"Wow," Alix said as she gazed at the ring with wide eyes, a large smile forming on her face.

"That's wonderful, dear. And the ring is lovely," Heather said, gathering Nova in a big hug. She was almost smiling ear to ear. "Congratulations to the both of you."

"Thank you," the grin on Nova's face matching Heathers.

Nova glanced over at Alix, wondering what her future little sister was thinking. She found Alix still looking at the ring, a thoughtful look on her face, despite the smile on her muzzle. As Nova watched, that smile slowly disappeared and a far off, lonely look replaced the look of happiness. The eyes of the young girl seemed to glaze over as her mind began to wonder far from her body. Remembering Jon's warning about the depressions that Alix had been having of late, Nova took a step forward and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Alix," Nova said in a calm, friendly voice. "Is there anything wrong?"

Alix's eyes shifted up to Nova's and then cleared, coming back from wherever her mind had been wandering. She gave both Nova and her mother a smile that Nova could tell was forced.

"No, I'm fine. Just thinking," Alix said, a little too quickly. "I should...I need to get ready for school. Please, excuse...ah...pardon me."

Alix had been backing up to the bottom of the stairs while she talked, almost as if she expected the other two to stop her. When she reached the stairs, she made a beeline for her room. Both of the older Foxlings stood in the entrance to the kitchen and watched her go before Nova turned to Heather.

"Mrs. Astarte, how long has Alix been that way," Nova asked.

Heather's eyes never moved from the top of the stairs. "Please call me Heather, Nova. You might not be married to Jon yet, but I consider you part of this family already. It's been a while. And ever since she had her arm broken, it's gotten worse. Her visit to Dr. Wellington last week didn't go well, either. The Doctor said that all she did was breakdown and cry. Alix couldn't even finish a sentence; it was so bad. Henry had to go in a get her about twelve minutes into the session. Dr. Wellington is talking about possibly putting her on a suicide watch, but isn't sure if that would help in the long run." Heather sighed and looked at her future daughter-in-law. "I don't know what to do, Nova. She's practically terrified of walking out the front door now, and trying to talk to another living being puts her into panic mode. You've gotten your Psychiatrist License, right? Could you do anything to help?"

Nova tried to hide the instinctive grimace, but failed. "Yes, I do have the Psychiatrist License, but it is highly unprofessional, and unethical, to interfere with another psychiatrist's patient. What I can say is that Alix needs a friend, someone who is not family. An outsider of sorts that does not judge her for who she is. She sees me as a big sister, so I don't really qualify. And she practically idolizes Jon. I'm willing to bet that part of her sees me as taking her big brother away, and in truth, Jon hasn't been as available for her as he used to be. Alix is lonely and, I think, she feels a little abandoned ever since Sandy died."

Heather nodded and sighed. "I thought so as well. She loved that cat. Henry and I tried to get her another one, but she refused to get another one, saying that it wasn't important. I don't think she was being truthful. I've started to get a feeling that she believes that any problems the family is having is caused by her. The constant moving caused by Henry's reassignments is not helping, either. And Alix seems to get into fights around the same time we're forced to move. I believe that she feels that they're her fault. And...I'm not sure of this mind, but I think that she has not been telling me everything that is going on inside her mind. She's been a lot quieter than normal, like what she would say would cause a burden on us. I don't know what to think anymore, Nova. I really don't know."

Both women moved back into the kitchen and sat down.

"To her way of thinking, it probably is a burden," Nova said. "I think you should get her a pet, though. Something that she can look forward to seeing when she gets home. It would have to be intelligent and cuddly, where she could snuggle up with it either on the floor, the couch or even her bed. Something like...a Brimstone Martin, perhaps."

Heather gave her a weak smile. "Those are expensive, dear. And they are required to be raised by specific breeders and trainers. Plus, Sharlins don't like to give up their favorite pets."

"Maybe, but I think I'll talk to Jon about it anyway. He might know somewhere to look, or know someone to talk to. Alix's birthday is coming up, right?"

"The twenty-third. Next week. Speaking of Jon, that reminds me. You might want to talk to him about coming and visiting Alix. She misses him greatly, and I think a visit from him would cheer her up greatly. They use to talk about anything all the time. He's actually gotten more out of her than Dr. Wellington has at times. Would you please remind him that his little sister's sixteenth birthday is coming up, and the best present he could give her is his presence?" Heather looked hopefully at Nova.

Nova sighed.

"I'll try, but you know how busy he is with--"

Nova's ears jerked straight up and her head swung around to the direction of the stairs.

"What's wrong," Heather asked.

"It's Alix. She crying hysterically right now. Would you mind if I go up and talk to her? I might be able to help."

"I forgot how sensitive those ears of yours are. Please, go ahead. I'm pretty sure that she doesn't want me right now; she would rather have her brother or father. I'll get thing ready here."

Both ladies stood up and headed in different directions. Nova climbed the stairs to the next floor and down the hall to the first door to the left. A door close to the top of the stairs on the right opened up into the second-floor bathroom. The door to Alix's room was slightly ajar and Nova could hear the girl's crying through it. She knocked on the door frame and gently pushed the door open. Despite the sunlight coming through the large double paned window across from the door, the room had a significant number of shadows in it, compounded by the fact that the overhead light was turned off. The walls of the room were painted a sky blue and the plush carpet was a deeper shade of blue. To the right of the door, and almost directly in front of it, was a small bookcase filled with a verity books on aquatic animals, guides to reefs across the known galaxy, and instruction books on swimming and diving. Just past the bookcase was a small nightstand, on top of which was a large white lamp with a black shade. Next to this lamp was a free-standing digital clock. On the bottom shelf of the nightstand was a stack of books covering several subjects. From her angle, Nova was able to just make out the titles to some histories, two or three mysteries, a math book or two, and at least one romance book. The book on the top of the stack was a guide to dating, which and clearly been beaten up, and then carefully placed back on the stack. Judging by the small amount of dust on top of it, and the steaks where it had been handled, the book had not read for a while.

On top of the book case were two high detailed statuettes, one of a Harp Seal and one of a Short-Beaked Common Dolphin, both animals now nearly extinct. Between these two statuettes was a framed picture of Alix and Jon at a beach. Judging from her size, Alix must have been around ten or eleven at the time the picture was taken. Jon, who was already five feet tall at the time, towered over her like the watchful, big brother he was. Alix's hair was long, wet and hung down her back over her shoulder blades; the tip of the wet locks could just be seen poking out from behind her back as it swayed with her motion. A large smile split her muzzle, the snout itself open in laughter, her eyes wide and sparkling with delight. Alix was running towards whoever had taken the picture, her arms stretched to mimic the wings of a soaring bird, one paw pushing down into the sand and the other raised in mid-stride. The green one-piece swimsuit that she wore contrasted greatly with her black fur. Jon was walking just behind her and slightly to her left, his long stride easily keeping up with a little girl that stood not even three feet. The large smile on his face conveyed a sense of contentment and ease, his eyes focused on his little sister, showing how much he delighted in spending time with her. Jon's hands were in the pockets of his camouflage patterned swim trucks as he walked.

To the left of the door sat a desk made of dark cherry wood. A simple computer chair sat in front of it, a plastic mat under the chair allowing it to roll around and a gray zip-up sweat shirt draped across the back. The right side of the desk was made up of four pull out drawers, the top and bottom drawers had a lock on them. The top of the desk was covered with an assortment of items, all of them nearly arranged. At the center of the desk top was a powered down laptop, the screen open and clearly visible. In front of the lap top was a free standing key board, with a mouse pad and mouse just to the right of the key board, both wireless. To the right of the lap top and towards the back corner sat a cup covered in the images of dolphins filled to the brim with pens and colored pencils. To the left of the lap top sat three stackable trays filled with paper. Just to the left of these trays sat a combo data slate copier and printer from which a cord ran to the lap top. Above the desk, hanging from the wall, was a series of five pictures. One showed a picture of snow-capped mountains; another was that of a cactus filled desert. The third showed a beautiful stretch of a beach close to sunset, while the fourth one showed a picture of a kingfisher with bright green feathers. The last one was a painting of a river otter looking over its shoulder.

Just beyond the desk, made of the same dark cherry wood, sat a bureau with five drawers. The top drawer looked to be just within Alix's reach. A sound system sat on top of the bureau, data cards sticking out of two of the four slots. Leaning against the sound system was a data card folder, 'Music' written on the spine of the folders paper tab in a careful and clear hand. The remote for the sound system was positioned squarely in front of it within easy reach of its owner. Beyond the bureau, and taking up the back end of the left corner of the room, was a closet. The sliding doors of the closet were an undecorated off white, both sides currently closed. Beside the right side of the closet was Alix's cedar dressing table, it's large mirror sitting on the back edge of the table. The mirror's frame was carved to look like twisting vines, complete with leaves, that met at the top where a sun burst crowned the top of the mirror.

The top of the dressing table was almost completely bare save for a small jewelry box made of boxwood, Alix's brush neatly placed in front of the box, and a few pictures of the family. Two pictures in particular caught Nova's attention. The first one was of Sandy, Alix's sand colored cat. Sandy was sitting in one of his favor places; right in the middle of Alix's bed. The cat was staring at the person who had been taking the picture with wide eyes that clearly showed its interest. The other picture was that of a family portrait, all four members present for it.

Alix had been dressed in a simple long sleeved, red dress with a thin black belt around the waist. A thin red hair band was in her hair, but the usual lock of hair was still hiding the left eye from view. The picture must have been taken after Alix's thirteenth birthday, for her right ear sported the ear cuff that Jon had given her. She had been placed on Henry's lap, who was in turn sitting on a simple wooden chair. Dressed in a plain black suit, with a white shirt on under the sport coat, Henry had put on the red tie that his children had given him. To Henry's right and slightly behind him, stood Heather in a thin strapped green gown. Her left hand sat on top of his shoulder, her wedding and engagement ring clearly visible. In front of her and slightly to the right, creating a small gap in the arrangement to show off the gown, sat Jon in the same type of chair that his father was sitting on. He was dressed in the official parade uniform of a Space Knight, three medals decorating the left side of the coat, conforming Heather's suspicion that the picture had been taken almost three years ago. The entire family seemed to have a sour expression on their faces; Henry's and Jon's faces had stern expression on them; Heather's was a mask of determination; while Alix looked depressed. And at the bottom of the picture, partially obscured by both the bottom of the picture frame and Alix's right paw, was the reason for the expressions. Alix's left paw and lower leg was wrapped in a white bandage. Nova's heart fluttered briefly at the sight of Jon in his uniform, but she needed to focus on Alix.

To the right of the dressing table, starting in the far back left corner of the room and up against the wall, was a large bookcase that almost touched the ceiling. It was covered head to toe with all sorts of subjects, some the books showing use while others appeared to be brand new. The books were neatly placed on their shelves, their spines clearly visible to anyone who looked at them. The books appeared to be arranged first by subject, then author. Resting against the visible side of the bookcase was a folded-up step ladder, which clearly showed how Alix was able to get to the top shelf.

Finally, in the back right corner of the room almost directly across from the door, was Alix's bed. It sat in front of the double paned window that was almost a bay window, but lacked the ledge and the slight curve that a bay window had. The window was covered by white drapes that had nautical patterns sown into them. Nova could make out sail ships, anchors and dolphins on the drapes. A full size, the bed itself was covered in a fluffy white comforter, the edges of a blue bed skirt sticking out from under the comforter. Two pillows caused the comforter to bulge upward towards the front of the neatly made bed. Laid out just under the window at the back-left side of the bed where a handful of plushies that Alix owned. Nova could see the blue phoenix she had give Alix when she had turned twelve, as well as a red fox and a gray colored dolphin. Across the covered pillows lay the plushie of a river otter. It had been a gift from Jon and his class mates back when Alix had broken her ribs, almost six years ago. That they had all pitched in to get it for her was what had really counted, and Alix had not gone to bed without it since.

Alix was sitting in the middle of the bed, her legs dangling off the side, trying desperately to stop herself from crying. Unsuccessfully. She was using both the palms and back of her hands to dry the flowing tears. Both the fur on her cheeks and hands where sodden with the salty water, and more tears kept coming. In front of her, laying on the floor with the top flap opened and pointing towards the door, was her black messenger bag. Spread out from the open bag was most of its contents, including Alix's purple zip-up wallet and electronic notebook. Almost in front of the door and close to the smaller of the two bookcases, was Alix's portable. Taking this all in at a glance, Nova could guess what had happened. Alix had first dropped one thing, and then something else, and then everything came spilling out of the bag. Already distressed, Alix had simply broken down from there out of shear frustration.

Saying nothing, Nova simply moved into the room and began to pick up everything. After putting everything back into the bag, she placed it on Alix's chair. Afterward she picked up both the portable and the wallet, placing them on top of the desk. Turning around, she gave Alix a reassuring smile and went over to sit down next to the girl, who was beginning to calm down. Gently, Nova wrapped an arm around the younger girl and drew her towards herself so that Alix's head rest against Nova's shoulder. Taking hold of the girl's broken arm, which the black furred Foxling had been gripping fiercely before Nova had entered, Nova placed it onto her own lap and held it there. She then just sat next to Alix and allowed her to cry.

"Shh. It's going to be alright," she said in a soft and calm voice after a moment. "The light will come eventually."

It was a quote from one of Alix and Nova's favorite romantic comedies. It had the desired effect.

Alix gave a weak, choked chuckle.