Anne walked through the halls. She didn't want people to see her face. Not only was it scared up, but she had black eye and had been crying. The scars were from the German boy she had met last year, he found it fun to torture her and give her unhealable scars. The black eye was from Tabi. They had gotten into a huge fight about her hanging out with Damien, she didn't even know what she did. She didn't give a reason she just hit her. The bruise on her eye couldn't be healed because of the spell on the knives it would fade though, luckily. While she had been crying because she couldn't handle everything, she was having visions of the war, she didn't know what Hugo was planing and she had yet to talk to Parker, Haley, Alcyone, Jaycie, Vero, Sam, Leshia, or Pyxis. The only person she had talked to was Damien, and Eva. Eva was dealing with her own things and Damien was with Tessa all the time, after what happened late last year.

She just kept her face hidden from everyone and tried to find her way to the dinner by looking at the floor. She had honestly no clue where she was. She had a feeling that she was by the great hall but didn't want to look up. She could hear people talking. Maybe she could just go to the kitchens and find some food there. The house elves were kind and never asked too many questions. She made up her mind to go find some food when she walked into someone. As she fell to the floor she thought she was really lucky that this was the first time. She hoped it was no one she knew, but she never had such luck.

Parker sighed as he was making his way down the corridor to the Great Hall to eat dinner. He brought his hand to his still healing bruise. He didn't feel like he needed to go to the hospital wing for it. It was almost all healed up anyways. He lowered his hands and stuck them in his pockets. Speaking of this...he still needed to talk to Pyx about what happened.

She was worried, but he didn't want her to be. He didn't feel there was any point to worrying. It was just something that happened and there was nothing he could do about it. Well...there kind of was. He had tried to fight back after all. But all that resulted in was weird behavior from those boys and them trying to attack him again at the end of summer. It was all so weird though, almost like they were testing him. He sighed and shook his head, deciding not to think too hard about it.

He watched his feet as he walked but noticed too late when someone had walked into him. He stumbled back a few steps but didn't fall back. He looked down and saw it was Anne. He raised his eyebrows and knelt down, he'd not seen her yet so far and he only wrote a few letters with her. "Sorry. You okay, Anne?"

Anne sighed as she saw, or rather heard Parker. She didn't want anyone to see her face. She hadn't even let Damien see her black eye. She kept her head down and muttered. "I'm fine." She stood up planing to leave when she felt one of the tremors, she experienced coming. She knew that she couldn't move very far she she walked over to the corner of the entrance hall. She really didn't want him to see this but she couldn't move much father, she was already shaking.

Anne sat in the corner shaking. She had these all the time, since Hugo's second attack. She looked up at Parker wondering what he was thinking of her shaking and gasping. She hated it she often saw herself in the shack when these happened. This was one of those times. She had to look at Parker, to make sure he was ok.

Parker furrowed his eyebrows, trying to duck his head down to look at her face, she kept her head down, turned away. "Anne....?" he said quietly as she stood up. He looked up at her standing up after her. He opened his mouth about to ask her if she was okay when he saw her start to tremble. She seemed to struggle to walk to the corner and he followed after her, worried he may topple over. Seeing her trembling, he could almost feel his muscles contract painfully. He just watched her wide-eyed, his arms wrapped around himself, not sure of what to do.

As she slid down to sit, he went to sit in front of her on his knees, pained and worried, he reached his hand out a bit, but didn't touch her, afraid he may hurt her more if he tried to touch her Seeing her in this state he was filled with indescribable emotion, and he started to tear up, his mind suddenly flitting to the shack. He barely choked out, his voice wavering. "A-anne...? Anne, what's wrong--?!"

Anne had for the most part stopped shaking. She looked at Parker with tears in her eyes and because she couldn't stand the thought of losing him pulled him into a hug. She hated all the things she saw when she had these episodes. She hated what Hugo had done to her.

"I'm sorry Parker." She said having no clue what she was referring to The shack or the fact that she scared him. "I've had them a lot since the second attack. It's nothing to worry about." She said with the air of being light. She didn't remember that she had a bad black eye or that she was still scared badly.

Parker was relieved to see her shaking start to calm down but his frown deepened as she looked up with tears in her eyes. When she pulled him into a tight hug, he uncrossed his arms and hugged her back just as tightly, almost desperately. There was something so terribly off and wrong about this all, he felt that if he let go, even a little, she'd disappear right into thin air.

"Don't-" was all he managed to say in response to her apology. He had no clue what she was apologizing for...she had nothing to apologize for. Still holding onto her tight he shook his head. "No...it's not nothing." he dared to lean out a bit, looking at her and noticing her black eye, his own bruise around his visible as well. He felt like he deflated as he looked at her. He moved one of his hands to reach to her face. "Anne- what happened??"

Anne sighed and looked at her feet. She was embarrassed about that. All she had said was that she didn't really know who her boyfriend was. That was all. She shook her head and wiped the tears out of her eyes. She shouldn't have worried about everyone's problems. She had plenty of her own to deal with.

"It's nothing." She said shrugging it off. She didn't want him to worry. She sighed and looked at him. He seemed to have a black eye, or what was left of one, as well. "What happened to you? Do I have to beat someone up?" She asked him smiling slightly.

"Anne, it's not nothing..." he said, hand on her shoulder. "Come on...let's stand up. I'll eat with you at your table if you want..." he was not just going to leave her alone and let her wander off to probably to something to get herself hurt. He was so scared the first time she'd run off in such a state, and he'd not let it happen again. If anything happened to her he'd hate himself for not being able to do anything. He started to try to help her up, just wanting her to allow his help. He cared about her, she was his friend after all.

When she asked about his own bruise, he brought his hand up to the still slightly tender skin. "Oh...uhm, no. Don't worry about it. This, unlike yours, is actually nothing." he smiled a little bit. "If anything it's sort of...a god thing." he laughed a little at how strange it sounded. But it was true. For the first time ever, he'd actually stood up to those bullies back at home. "Just come one and we can talk while we eat dinner," he insisted.

Anne shook her head, it really didn't worry her. It didn't even bug her that much. It was that she was so hurt that bugged her. She smiled at Parker glad he was here and her friend. She took his hand and let him help her up.

"Well fine don't tell me." She said rolling her eyes. She tried to lighten the tense air around them. She was still a little shaky but she could walk fine. She smiled again at Parker.

"How about we go to the kitchens." She said pointing in that direction. "How is this a good thing?" She asked looking at the fading bruise. "Really, what happened?" She asked again. "As for this little bruise it really is nothing at all. It didn't even hurt." She said shaking her head. "Really I walked into a door." She liked easily not wanting to worry him.

Parker smiled a little, glad that she seemed okay now, the seriousness of what had just happened dissipating. He nodded in agreement when she suggested they go to the kitchen. It'd be a better idea then sitting around all the loud kids.

As they began to make their ways to the kitchen he shrugged at her question. He looked down at his feet, trying to thing of the right way to put it. "Well...because I fought back. I've...never really done that before." He said softly. He then looked at her, not remembering if he ever told her about the bullies back home. "Uhm...but it was just a few guys back at home. So it's really nothing..."

He looked at her, frowning slightly before looking forward again as he continued walking. "For some reason I don't really believe you." But he didn't say more then that. She didn't have to say anything if she really didn't want to.

Anne smiled and shook her head. "Good thing you're fighting back. Don't let people walk all over you." She said proud that he had stood up for himself. She really thought that he should do it more often. A few black eyes was worth having them know not to mess with you.

"Well as long as you are fine." She said shrugging it off. "Did you talk to Pyxis about that yet?" She asked him wondering about how the two best friends were doing.

Anne sighed knowing he wouldn't really buy it. She had hoped but no such luck. "Well you know Tabi Prewett? Leshia's twin?" She started. "well she was all down and sad so I asked what was up. She said that her boyfriend moved away. All I said was, who was your boyfriend. Then she punched me." She finished her story looking at her shoes. "It doesn't really hurt, just I have enough scars on my face with out bruises too." She said tracing her finger over the freak one.