.:Fallon:.

"Rise and shine, Allie," a clear, canary-like voice rings out. I shift in my cot, letting the rest of my body wake up but keeping my eyes closed. The hospital has a clean, medicinal scent, like hand sanitizer, and pale yellow sunshine pours in from the window, splaying across my face. I rub my eyes with limp fingertips, feeling exhausted.

"Come on, hon." The mattress dips, and my eyelids flutter open halfway. I watch as Nurse Hadley sits at the edge of the cot. Her voice softens. "I know it's early, but you have a weigh-in scheduled for eight and you've got to get some breakfast in you." I nod tersely, blinking a few times to clear my groggy vision. Nurse Hadley pats my knee and slips out of the room. The door clicks shut behind her.

Another day. Another long, painfully difficult day to endure. I hover over the cot, dragging my thin, frayed baby blue blanket over the sheets. A spotlight in the shape of four identical windowpanes glows on my pillow.

I stare at the tray laden on the bedside table. Two scrambled eggs and a triangular slice of crisped toast, alongside a dish of fruit salad. I continue to stare, my heart pumping and my breath increasing. Relax, I command to myself, and eat. You have a weigh-in.

After a few minutes of self-coaching, I manage to get two apple slices and a tiny bite of toast down. I gulp my water until the entire bottle is empty to add an extra few ounces to my weight. A change of clothes and I'm out the door, twisting my hair into a bun at the nape of my neck as I enter the room.

"Fallon Kaye?" Dr. James guides me towards the scale, and I step onto it gingerly. My knuckles whiten as I curl my hands around the handlebars to keep balance. After a moment, he asks me to step off.

He squints and frowns at the digital number displayed on the screen. I hold myself rigidly, my jaw tensing. What he says next makes my heart sink completely. "Fallon, you've lost two pounds."

I bite my lower lip in silence. "Have you been eating?" he inquires gently. I nod, but we both know the real answer.

He hesitates; then jots something down onto his clipboard. "Probation," he decides. "I'm sorry, but we'll need to keep an eye on you for now."

I nod again, too tired to argue. Probation it is. I trudge back into my room and wonder what I did to deserve this.

Richard~

Fear. It closes around me like wolves, circling and waiting to strike. It is always there, almost like a shadow. The doctors claim that there is nothing to fear, but l know that they are wrong. There is always danger and always something to be feared. 

l sit on the bed, staring at the wall. It looms above me, large, white, and intimidating. No one ever understands my fears. They would just laugh at me. "Afraid? Of a wall? Ha!"

There is a knock at the door and a doctor pokes his head though. "l've arranged that you meet with a few other patients. Come." 

Gloria~

l glare at the heavy leg brace. "You're supposed to help me walk."  

The doctor signed. l'm always forgeting his name. "You know that's it's hard. Please quit complaining." 

"Fine." l grumble. "l'm going to take a walk outside." l slowly walk down the cold white hall to the eleavator.

GISELLE

A doctor walks past me as I am sitting on the floor outside of my dad's room. He gives me a sympathetic smile. I frown back. Then the door opens. "You can come in now," the nurse states. I slowly walk in the door. My dad is lying on the hospital bed, thin, weak, and frail. A tube is stuck inside his chest. I know it goes up to his lungs. That's what everything to do with him is about lately: Lungs. Lung cancer. I try and manage a smile for him. "Hey, princess," he says. He tries to smile, but then winces. "Hi, dad," I say. "I set up a playdate for you; your friend Emily should be here to pick you up in about two minutes." Now it's my turn to wince. Emily is a huge brat. I've tried telling my dad that I don't have any friends, but he hates seeing me in the hospital all the time. He thinks that I'm bored. But I'm not. I'm at the hospital so much it feels like I live there, and people like their homes. But I just sigh and walk downstairs, dreading the 'playdate' my dad set up.

ROXY

Scribble, scribble. I love the sound that a pencil makes when it's drawing or writing. There's one last detail I have to add on to this sketch--a detail that I don't have. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. I quickly slam my sketchbook shut and put it on my dresser. "Come in." I do my best to speak loudly enough so that the doctor will hear me. A doctor pokes his head in. It's doctor Brady. I've memorized all the names of the doctors and nurses. I try to smile. "Hi, Dr. Brady!" I say cheeerfully. Or, at least I hope I sound cheerful. "I've brought you a visitor." Dr. Brady walks in and leans towards me. "He's afraid of everything. Please don't tease him. I chose to bring him to you because you're my nicest patient." I smile at the compliment. "I try to be." In walks a boy, hunched into a ball. He stares at the doorpost with an expression of horror. "Uhh, Hi!" I try. He looks at me for a split second and then his expression turns to relief. "You don't have any hair," he says.

~Nina~

"Nina, you have to get up," the nurse says. "It's ten o'clock."

I raise my head from the soft white pillow, swinging my legs, which are covered by a blue hospital gown with little brown and pinkish red abstract designs, down from the bed. 

She hands me a tray of food complete with a plastic fork. I drizzle maple syrup over the waffle, then cut off a tiny bite.

"I'm sorry to rush you," the nurse says, "but you're meeting some other patients today."

She acts like that should excite me. But the other kids don't get me. They're all about surviving, hoping to get through whatever illness, but I don't want to live. Me being alive is a mistake. It should have been Kitty. She was always more popular than me. 

Valentine~

It's a warm day, a good day. Today, I'm visting Tryston. That always makes for a good day. I whizz past buiildings on my bike, and turn into the hospital's parking lot. Locking up my bike I make my way into Tryston's hospital room.

When I open the door, I see Tryston look up from his book, The Candy Shop War.

"Hi Tryston!" "Hey Val, how are you?" "I'm great, what are you reading?" "The Candy Shop War. I just started it." My heart throbs, that's the same spot he's been at for a week now. I want to cry but, I won't let myself.

His crystal blue eyes blink a couple of times.

"Hi Val." I laugh a little. "Hey Tryston, what's up?" "I'm reading this really good book called The Candy Shop War. It's really good."  "Oh, fun. How's life?" "It 's been okay, I mean the food's good. For hospital food." We laugh, and then he looks at me again.

"Oh hey there Valentine!" "Good day Tryston,"

It's been like this for a while now. Even so, I don't care. He might not ever get better again, but I always hope he might. Though we might be stuck in loops sometimes, I'll always want to do it again. I just love his cheerieness, and the sound of his voice. That was something I will always want to hear. Occasionally he'll ask about his parents, and when I tell him he just starts crying. Even he forgets it really soon. I don't want to have to tell him again. Feeling the same emotions over and over again. It just wasn't fair.

"I'll always wait for you Tryston Nikeston, always," I whisper. He looks at me confused, but then his brain restarts again.

"It's good to see you Val." 

Allison-

Every time I get up it's a trial to even sit. The nurses always say it will help make you stronger, well if that was the case I'd be the strongest girl in the world. I look at the clock, it's almost 11:00! The doctors must have let me rest to keep up my strength. Today we get to meet the other people here. That means a lot of talking. I'll be fine... I won't pass out or have a moment of muscle lapse. I guess that means I'll take the wheelchair today. 

"Hello! You're awake Allison. Good morning. Here's your brunch; eat up!"

"Thank you and good morning!" I return to... I can never remember the names of the staff. I dig into my oatmeal; as I finish it the nurse leaves to get my wheelchair. Time for my daily fresh air. 

Tryston~

"Oh! Val!" I say, grinning. I don't know how she got in without my noticing, but Valentine is sitting at the end of my bed.

"Hey, Tryston, what's up?" she asks, smiling.

"Nothing much. I'm reading this really good book, The Candy Cane War." I hold it up for her to see.

"That's nice," she replies.

Just then, a knock comes on the door. I call, "Come in!" and a nurse pokes her head in.

"Hello, Tryston! Oh, and Valentine." Val smiles and nods. "We're inviting a few patients to the courtyard to meet each other. Would you like to come? Val is-"
But the rest of her sentence is interrupted by a weird buzzing.

"Oh! Val!" Valentine is sitting at the end of my bed, and a nurse seems to be entering the room. Did I miss breakfast? "Nice to see you!"

"You, too, Tryston," she replies, smiling. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. I'm reading this really good book called-"

"Excuse me, Tryston?" We both shoot the nurse less-than-polite looks. Why is she interrupting us? "You're invited to meet some people in the courtyard. Would you like to come? Valentine is welcome as well, of course."

"Sure!" I reply, "lead the way!" and a buzzing fills my mind....

I'm walking down a hallway with Valentine and a strange nurse.

"Um, what's going on?" I ask.

"You're going to go meet a few other people, Tryston," Val replies.

"Oh, great!" I say.

We push the doors open. A few people are milling around, seeming as though they aren't quite sure where to go, who to talk to.

"Wow, look at everyone!" I gasp.

"Yeah," Valentine agrees, "when the nurse said 'a few' I wasn't expecting this many people."

Richard~

"You don't have any hair," l say to the girl. She shrugs. "So?" There is a umcomfortable silence, "My name's Roxy," she says. 

"Richard. RIchard the Lionhearted." There is a bang, and l jump.

Fear, fear, always there, waiting to strike...... l gulp, my heart beating hard. There is something out there. l back against the wall. "It's okay, Richard. There's nothing there." She sounds just like a doctor.

"There is!" l say, angry. l will prove her wrong, just like the doctors. l march over to the door and fling it open--

Hitting someone in the face.