I had hoped to sneak inside before Mr. Sergei woke me up. No luck. "Where have you been, Alexei?" He asks. "I couldn't sleep," I say, a sort of half-truth. "Went for a run." "Well…since you already exercised, we can start training for today. Have you thought about your gift more?" I shake my head no, my expression darkening. "It would be a great shame to put it to waste…and I can help you manage your talent the same way I learned to manage mine," Mr. Sergei offers. "Sure. Okay. But Please—help me get myself under control," I plead. Mr. Sergei puts a hand on my shoulder. "I know it feels like everything is spiraling out of control, but it's going to be okay." I feel a new warmth in my chest as he says those words, as if they healed a part of my broken, bleeding soul. "Why don't we take a break from training today, give you some time to rest?" He offers. "Yeah, okay," I take him up on that.
Mr. Sergei takes me to the arcade. It's so bright and colorful, with lots of games. I've never been to one before. While walking around, I see Vance and Matthias. A girl with pale skin and long dark hair stands next to them, talking with Matthias. He notices me and waves. "Hey, Alexei!" I smile and walk over to them. "What's up? How've you been?" Vance asks. "I'm okay, thanks," I respond. "Who's this?" I look at the dark-haired girl they're with. She smiles at me, her face lighting up. For a second, I got a chance to look at her face. Her eyes were blue like the ocean with long lashes. She was beautiful, like a fairy or something. Damn. "Hi! I'm Jiara," she tells me. I answer, "Hey. Call me Alexei," trying to stay calm and avoid looking into her sparkling eyes. Calm down, Alexei. Keep your cool. Matthias puts his arm around Jiara and she blushes. I know I've only known her for a few minutes, but something in my stomach sinks just a little bit. There's just something about her… but I really I shouldn't.