Jiz, as Shike, did not sleep well that night.  The little that 
he had was troubled by his dreams..  He was forced to feel Shikes claws 
gashing through his face far too many times for well rest.  To couple 
with that, there were the cuts on his face that remained from the 
actual occurance, that kept him in constant discumfort.

	It was almost a relief to hear his alarm blair away next to 
him.  He forced himself through his morning routine, just as Shike had 
that same morning un-beknownst to him.  Unlike Shike though, he had a 
car, he did not have to walk to school through his unwillingness to 
take public means of transportation.

	He didn't know how he was going to deal with seeing her, they 
had their first class together that day.  But then, he wouldn't have to 
wait till the night, then call her as he had planned.

* * * * * * * * * * *

	He was surprised not to see her in school that morning.  
Surprised, and very worried.  People around him had begun to ask him 
about the nasty scratch marks on his face, but he ignored those people. 
 He could only think of his love..  Did she hate him to the extent of 
not attending school to avoid him?  Was she speaking to Heth the 
counsellor at that very moment?  Or maybe she was so depressed...

	"Oh god..." he muttered, placing his hands over his face, not 
to hide tears, or anything of the sort, but to hide himself from the 
faces around him.  His hands came to contact with the slashes on his 
face made the night before, and he shuddered in pain, but made no 
effort to alleviate it.  "Why am I here... ?" he thought silently to 
himself, oblivious to the people around him, staring.. "I can't learn 
here, not when my life is like this.  I should leave.."

	And he did.  He simply left his chair, and walked to the door. 
He could hear the voice of authority in the room, it was Mr. Couvler.  
He was, according to this voice, obligated to return to his seat.  The 
demand was followed by the look that no student dared to challenge, the 
look that was often talked about by the students behind Couvler's back. 
 Unfortunatly, Jiz was not there to see it for long, and he did not 
turn once to do so.

	He walked the empty halls.  He had nowhere to go, he didn't 
know why he left, nor why he was there to begin with.  He knew only one 
thing to do, he must find Shike.  He must finish it all, but...  He did 
not know how.

	There was only one place to look.  He prayed for her to be 
there, with Sidallow Heth, telling her of all that had been happening 
in her life.

	It was not so.

	The cut on his face was so much deeper than could be done to 
his physical body.  He had never felt real, utter, depression before.  
Nothing like what he was going through at that time had ever happened 
to him before then.  And he had also not felt helplessness before then 
either, which to him, was worse than the sorrow.

	He went to the simple, single pay phone in the school.  He 
called the one that he loved so.  Of course, Shike was now owned by 
Lara, although he didn't know that.  She was completely rid of her 
emotions, so it would have been worse for him if he did see her then.

	He decided he just needed time with his thoughts, in peace.  
Maybe then, he could find some answers to the questions that plagued 
his soul so.  It didn't matter that he had thought in such peace for 
hours the night before, he simply knew there was nothing more he could 
possibly do.

	He left the school..  Walking a random arc through the woods, 
he eventually came to the clearing he and Shike had once shared.  In 
all the woods, he knew there would be none better for the peace that he 
sought.  It was difficult not to think of the time the two of them 
spent there, so soon ago.  Was it two days?  Or only yesterday?  His 
mind was a haze of grey..