"Ah, I'm so full!" Nathaniel exhaled, laying back on the grass with a satisfied sigh. I giggled and tried to keep from smiling.

"Everyone, please gather around!" Principal Shermansky yelled through the megaphone.

 Quickly I re-wrapped the boxes in their cloth and Nathaniel groaned, putting an arm over his eyes. I stood up but he stayed on the ground for a second.

"Nathaniel, they're going to tell us the rules now," I prompted. He moved his arm and looked up at me with a small pout that reminded me of a lost puppy. Then he held out a hand.

"Help me up, partner?" 

I stared at his outstretched hand for a second before hesitantly reaching out. Trying not to overanalyze things, I gripped Nathaniel's hand and pulled, guiding him up into a standing position. Unfortunately, I hadn't realized just how close he would come to me when I pulled him up and I immediately moved back a half-step. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked down at me.

"You're pretty strong," he commented with a hint of disbelief. 

"Come on then, partner," I said with a shy smile, looking down at my arms with satisfaction. 

We walked over to the sea of blue and gray that was crowding around Principal Shermansky.

"Alright! This orienteering race is a race against the clock, but since we have so many teams we are going to split you into five separate groups. Everyone look at your wristbands. The first group will be the purple bands, second is red, third is green, fourth will be blue, and fifth is yellow. Please get into those groups now so we can make sure they're all even." 

Chaos immediately ensued as everyone started moving and calling out their colors.

"Looks like yellows are over there, Opal," Nathaniel said, pointing to a small group to the left. We walked over and Nathaniel groaned as Castiel turned and smirked at us.

"So, we're in the same group? Good. You'll get to see me win up close and personal," Castiel said with a wicked grin and I frowned.

"Castiel, I don't care about winning. I just want us all to have fun."

"Perfect! It looks like we're all even. So here is how the race will go. The first leg of the race is to test your map reading skills," Principal Shermansky picked up a stack of maps and gave some to each of the groups. "There's only enough for one per team so no hogging!"

"Here you go, Kate," Lysander handed me a map and I took it with a smile.

"Thanks, Lysander."

"I hope you have fun today," he commented with a ghostly smile and I grinned widely.

"Me too!" 

Lysander turned back to Castiel and Nathaniel took the map from me.

"I'll hold onto it, Opal," he offered confidently. I nodded and turned to Principal Shermansky as her megaphone screeched back to life.

"When you make your way to the first checkpoint a teacher will be there and will give you a sticker on your wristband to show that you completed that part of the course, then you will get your instructions for your next challenge. There are three stickers to collect and if you pass the finish line without one you will be disqualified! After the last person comes out we'll determine the top three times and announce our winners! Now I am going to go around and record all of the teams in each group so don't move! Nathaniel, will you please come here?"

I turned to look at Nathaniel and froze when he leaned down to say, "I'll be back," into my ear. I nodded mutely in understanding and he gave me a smile before he made his way up to the Principal. My ear was still tingling as I watched her give him a clipboard and sent him to another group while she walked over to ours.  

"Alright, everyone line up and give me your team members' names. Your group will be going into the forest at 2:20," the principal informed us in a no-nonsense fashion.

"Why did you partner with a wimp like Nathaniel?" 

I sighed, not able to resist rubbing my tingling ear before turning to see Castiel and Lysander behind me.

"He asked me to be his partner so I said yes." 

Castiel's eyes widened and then narrowed into a glare. "He asked you?" 

I sighed in exasperation. Why does that surprise everyone?

"Have you ever been to the mountains before, Kate?" I met Lysander's calm gaze and smiled tiredly. 

Why am I getting all worked up over nothing? I wondered to myself.

"No, I haven't. I'm really excited to go exploring."

"I'm sure you'll enjoy it. What do you most want to see?"

"A squirrel!" I responded instantly. Castiel snorted, turning his face away for a second before smirking down at me.

"What's so exciting about squirrels?"

"I've never seen one in real life, and their bushy tails are adorable. I just... really want to see one in person," I finished lamely, scuffing my toe in the dirt. 

Castiel snickered but Lysander smiled, reached out, and patted my head lightly. I mutely blinked up at him in surprise.

"Ah, Miss Opal. You and Nathaniel are in the last group then?"

"Oh, yes, Principal," I answered, turning to face Principal Shermansky.

"Very good. Please stay in the area; I'll let you know when you'll be going into the forest. You'd better place those back on the buses, they'll be leaving soon," she said while gesturing to my bento boxes. "Do you have any questions?" 

I shook my head in the negative and she shooed me away. I walked away from the group towards the three Greyhound buses. After memorizing the bus number I boarded and stashed the bento boxes above the seats on a little shelf. Once that was done I walked off the bus and looked around me, wondering what I should do next.

"There's my girl!" I turned around and smiled up at Dajan.

"Dajan, you came?"

"Of course! I'm your bodyguard after all," he replied with a wink and I rolled my eyes.

"What group are you in?" I asked, glancing at his arm. He pushed back his jacket sleeve to expose a green wristband.

"The third, and you're last, huh? Well, I guess I'll have to leave you in Nathaniel's care. Don't get lost, okay?"

"I'll try," I said teasingly. "Who is your partner?"

"I roped Sterling into it. He's with Troy and Jason, did you want to join us?"

"There you are, Opal!" A hand circled my arm and pulled slightly. I looked over and was astonished to see Amber smiling at me. "I've been looking all over for you. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Back off, Amber," Dajan said coolly and Amber pouted piteously.

"Oh, come on, Dajan, I just want to talk. I'm not going to be mean, I promise."

Dajan glanced at me, "You okay with that, Opal?" 

I looked between Amber and Dajan and slowly shrugged. "Sure, I...."

"Great! Let's go talk," Amber said and pulled me after her quickly. I followed her until we were well away from everyone else and she finally let my arm go, turning to face me.

"Umm, can I help you, Amber?" I asked cautiously.

Her smile instantly fell and she sniffed, placing one hand on her hip. She had wrapped her jacket around her waist and was wearing a small red tank top that exposed her midriff while her hair fell in soft curls down her back.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from my brother?" she asked haughtily and I sighed. I figured her kindness was too good to be true. Folding my arms I met her eyes.

"Nathaniel is my friend; you've known we were friends since last year."

"That doesn't mean you deserve to be his partner," she seethed and I looked away. "He's only nice to you because you're a nerd like him, so don't get any weird ideas." 

Thoroughly confused, I glanced back to meet her eyes. Weird ideas? Of what? I wondered in bewilderment.

"I mean look at you: You're too tall, you don't wear make-up, and you still have your jacket zipped all the way up. What kind of girl are you?" she sneered. 

I instantly remembered back to Coral Bay when Castiel had asked the same thing. Without realizing it I bit my lip and held my arm self-consciously. Am I really that weird? Is it because I'm a mistake? Is that why I'm not normal? I wondered, surprised at how much Amber's words were affecting me.

"There's nothing special about you, so why don't you crawl back to where you came from and leave my brother and Castiel alone. You're ruining everything."

My head whipped up, eyes wide as I stared at Amber. You ruined everything! The callous voice of my father exploded through my brain and I stumbled backward from how real it felt.

No, no, not already! I thought desperately, bringing my hands up over my mouth. Have I really ruined things without even trying? What was I going to do if Auntie found out?!

"That's enough, Amber!" Nathaniel growled, placing himself in front of me. 

I looked up at his face and it was blazing with anger although it didn't seem to be directed towards me. Shouldn't he be angry with me not Amber? I thought, my mind frazzled and sluggish while trying to tune out my father's words that were rushing through my mind and causing me to descend into a mental fog.

"Nathaniel I..." Amber started to say,

"Just stop! Opal hasn't done anything to you; why do you keep on tormenting her?"

"Why are you defending her? She's just an awkward newbie! She's not even pretty!"

"That's ENOUGH!" Nathaniel yelled. 

Both Amber and I gasped in unison. Nathaniel was breathing deeply and I could see his shoulders rising and falling with each breath. 

"Leave Opal alone, Amber. She is sweet, helpful, smart, and she is beautiful. Stop acting so selfishly and get over yourself."'

Amber shrieked in irritation, stamping her foot once and then stomping past us; knocking her shoulder roughly into Nathaniel's side as she left. I watched her go with bewilderment. 

So wait... Have I ruined things? Or was that just Amber trying to bully me again? But surely...

"Are you okay, Opal?" I looked up into Nathaniel's eyes and saw genuine concern shining down from his golden eyes. Tears started gathering in the back of my eyes and I blinked.

Why is someone as wonderful as him worried about a mistake like me? I looked down at the ground in shame. He thought I was something that I wasn't; how could I call myself his friend if I kept lying to him?

"Opal?" I hesitantly glanced back up at him as I tried to lock away my father's insults. "I'm really sorry. I don't know why Amber is acting like that."

"Is it true? Have I ruined everything?" my voice was husky with unshed tears and Nathaniel blinked in confusion.

"What? No, of course not! You haven't ruined anything; you've been nothing but helpful since you came to Sweet Amoris. Don't listen to Amber, she's just jealous."

"Jealous? Of me?" I asked in astonishment. 

That can't be right. I'm just a mistake and even if she is a bully, her parents had wanted her and she was meant to be in this world. How could she be jealous of me?

"Yah. I've been spending a lot of time with you and she's used to me doting on her every whim. I promise you haven't done anything wrong. She just needs to stop being selfish and realize I have my own life and that it doesn't revolve around her," Nathaniel said, folding his arms and casting a reproachful look in the direction Amber had run off.

I blinked slowly, taking in everything he had said. So I haven't ruined things? It's still okay to be his friend?

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nathaniel asked me, resting a large hand on my shoulder. 

I hadn't realized that I was trembling until Nathaniel's solid hand rested on me, and I was shocked at how panicked I had become. Taking deep breaths, I glanced up and smiled slightly, starting to feel the fog the memory of my father's words had created receding.

"Yah. Yah, I'm okay. Thank you, Nathaniel," I said sincerely. 

Nathaniel's hand squeezed my shoulder gently and I felt a small flush coming into my cheeks, warming my face. I quickly looked away to hide my strange reaction.

"Don't stress about what Amber said, Opal. She was lying through her teeth. I think you're amazing." 

My cheeks heated up even more at the unexpected gentleness in Nathaniel's voice and I was astonished at how sincere his compliment sounded. My heart was beating a mile a minute and I slowly nodded, hoping that if I just remained silent Nathaniel would let me go.

I must be better at acting than I thought to have tricked both Auntie and Nathaniel like this, I thought with a feeling of guilt weighing heavily on my heart. A tiny part of me was grateful that it was so natural for them to turn a blind eye to my faults. It made me feel like I really did have a shot at living like a normal girl.

"Good. So, what do you want to do until we get to start the race? We've got over an hour to wait for our turn to go."

"Ummm..." I looked around and spotted the basketball boys. They were standing in a circle with a couple of other teams and it looked like they were trying to hit each other's hands.

"What are they doing?" 

Nathaniel followed my gaze to the circle and grinned.

"That's a game called Ninja, have you never played?" I shook my head. "It's a lot of fun, let's go watch them and I'll explain the rules. When they finish we can hop into the next round. Come on."

We walked over to the group and I watched in fascination as Nathaniel explained that the goal of the game was to keep your hand from being hit. The players stood in a circle and were allowed to take one step to 'attack' the player next to them. If they hit the person's hand then that person was out, but if they managed to move their hand in time it was their turn to try and hit the person next to them

"What makes it hard is that you are only allowed to move when you attack or when you try to avoid the attack, but you have to freeze once your move is done, so if you land in a weird position you have to hold it until your next turn. If you fall over or stumble then you're out," Nathaniel explained.

By the time Nathaniel finished explaining the rules, there were only four people left in the circle and it was Dajan's turn. He eyed the person next to him and then lashed out quickly, tapping the person's hand before they could pull it back. She left the circle and the game continued until Dajan had been declared the winner.

"Ready to try?" Nathaniel asked and I nodded eagerly. We joined the circle and Dajan grinned at me.

"You're going to try and take me on, Sato?"

"I doubt I'll make it to the end," I replied and he laughed.

"I want to be next to Sato!" Troy yelled, taking the spot next to me. I laughed at his enthusiasm.

"This looks entertaining," Castiel said snidely, taking a spot across from me in the circle. I smiled at him and he smirked while ignoring Nathaniel, which I was glad of; I didn't like it when they fought.

Dajan started the game, taking out the person next to him on the first try. I watched carefully as Jason tried to swat Troy but he managed to move out of the way. I felt myself tensing and I focused on Troy. When he began to raise his hand, I lifted my own hand high in the air, away from his jab. I quickly spun and slashed down towards Nathaniel but he moved just before I connected.

"Woah! You're fast, Opal," he complimented and I smiled, staying still in the position I had landed. 

This is fun! I thought excitedly to myself, feeling the last of my panic fading deep into the closed off part of my subconscious.

The game continued until only Dajan, Castiel, Nathaniel, and I were left. Nathaniel lunged for Castiel's hand but just barely missed, landing in an awkward stance that almost looked like he was going to start running. Castiel and Dajan eyed each other carefully. Dajan was in a bad position with his hand only inches away from Castiel. Suddenly, Castiel lashed out and chopped Dajan's hand before he could pull it away.

Dajan left the circle and I turned my attention back to Nathaniel. Lunging for Castiel had put him pretty far from me, but his left hand was outstretched behind him and his stance meant he wouldn't be able to spin away from me. I took a deep breath, noticing that Nathaniel was craning his neck to watch my right hand. Quickly I whipped my left hand out and managed to tag his hand just as he was pulling it away. He straightened up and smiled at me.

"Are you sure this is your first time playing?" he asked.

"Come on Prez, move out of the way," Castiel growled. Nathaniel gave him a disdain-filled look before leaving the circle.

Castiel and I were still pretty far away from each other, but I watched him carefully since he was a lot faster than he looked. Like a snake, he lashed out towards my hand but I twisted so that his hand was right next to my right hip. Without missing a beat I brought my hand down, but he pulled back slightly, eyeing me with admiration. I smiled and brought my left hand behind my back as he tried again, but this time I brought my right hand across my body and managed to catch his retreating hand. Castiel scowled but then nodded in approval.

"Nicely done, Opal," he said and I grinned happily. I could hardly believe I had won!

"All teams with a green wristband please come to the starting line!" I heard Principal Shermansky yell through the megaphone and I blinked in surprise. 

Green? We're already on the third team? I thought, wondering how the time had flown by.

"Well, time for me to win," Dajan declared with exaggerated arrogance as he came over and bumped me lightly in the shoulder. "Want to cheer me on from the starting line?"

"Sure," I laughed. "Nathaniel, do you want to come with me and watch Dajan?"

"I guess," Nathaniel said, walking over to me with a strange expression.

"Hey there, Sato." 

I looked up at Sterling who was walking next to Dajan. He was the only player on the basketball team that was taller than Dajan at 6'7". His black hair was cut in a feathery fashion so that he could flip his bangs out of his face easily. I didn't know him as well as the other players since he was a good student and never needed my help.

"Hi, Sterling. Good luck with the race."

"Hey, all the luck I need is a smile from a pretty girl," he said with a sly wink. I rolled my eyes but I noticed that his eyes wandered over to where Amber and her friends were talking at the starting line.

"See you on the other side," Dajan said, patting my head fondly before he jogged with Sterling to the starting line.

I stood off to the side with Nathaniel as the principal double-checked that everyone was present and then looked at her watch. "And five, four, three, two, one... Start!" Dajan and Sterling took off like a bullet from a shotgun, instantly taking a firm lead and disappearing into the forest.

"Wow! I don't think I can run that fast," I mumbled worriedly.

"Don't worry, we can take it at our own pace. We're not looking to win, after all, we should just enjoy ourselves," Nathaniel said and I nodded happily. 

Forty minutes later we lined up at the starting line with the last group of racers.

"Remember to check your maps! There are three forks in the path and if you don't choose the right one you'll hit a dead end. Ready? On your mark, get set.... go!" 

Nathaniel and I sprinted, keeping pace with the rest of the group. After a little while we fell into an easy rhythm. Glancing down, I noticed with delight that our legs were synchronized, me elongating my stride slightly and him pulling back a bit so we matched. I laughed and Nathaniel looked down at me.

"What is it?"

"We're moving the same leg at the same time," I pointed out with a giggle. Nathaniel's eyes widened as he looked down and laughed with me.

"I guess we're just in sync."

"See you guys at the finish line!" Castiel yelled while sprinting ahead of us. Lysander waved as he passed and I laughed before waving back. A patch of purple caught my attention and I stopped, moving to the side of the path in fascination.

"Opal?"

"Look at these flowers, Nathaniel! Aren't they cute?" I touched the little five-petaled flowers that grew close to the ground. "I think they're called geraniums." 

Nathaniel crouched next to me and touched one of the flowers.

"They're pretty." He plucked three, twisted their small stems together, and handed them to me. I smiled happily and tucked them behind my ear.

"Thanks! We should probably go catch up with everyone."

"Sure." 

We stood up and began jogging after the fading group when I saw a little green bird with black wings.

"Oh, look look look!" I whispered, grabbing Nathaniel's arm and pointing up into the trees. The bird made a small "tu-wee" sound and then flew off. 

"Did you see it?" I asked in a hushed voice. Nathaniel nodded, his eyes dancing with withheld amusement. I felt my cheeks warm and I shrugged. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little excited." 

Nathaniel shook his head, still grinning at me. "It's okay, why don't we walk so you can take it all in?" he suggested and I smiled.

"Thanks, Nathaniel!"