Lunch is uneventful. At least, if one considers thirty children all running around screaming, twelve adults who are too busy typing on laptops to care, and five teenagers trying to try every type of soda combination possible uneventful, then it might be considered that.

Daisy sighs as another yell breaks out. In her right hand, she clinches a chicken nugget. In her left, a drink. The spicy Pepsi fizzles in her mouth, under her tongue, before she swallows it back to take a bite of the meat. It's hard, crunchy, almost a bit burnt. Nothing like anything her Grandma would get her.

I'm not with her, am I? I'm all alone here, Daisy thinks. She chews and swallows hard. Skye nibbles on her few remaining tortilla chips, looking around at everyone like it's the most normal thing in the world. For her, it likely is. For Daisy, this is a universe light-years upon light-years away from where she needs to be at.

In Daisy's universe, the world is safe and sound. They can run around and dance among the world with joy, finding what they need easily and losing what they don't even quicker. Things are so kind and gentle. There's everything anyone could ever want—except extra noise.

That fluff noise, the one that just takes up space, is gone.

No yelling.

No screaming.

Just voices that talk only when they must. The people in her universe understand one another so there's no need to talk just to hear their voices. She knows it's the most perfect place in the world...because it's hers. It's not anyone else's, she doesn't have to share it, she can keep it all to herself and never let anyone else in. She doesn't have to, at least. Daisy knows that she'll never, ever, ever let anyone in. It's my world. If I let others know about it, they'd ruin it. They'd make it bad somehow. They always do. This is Mommy's place, Grandma's place, and my place. No one else.

"What'cha thinkin' 'bout there, Daisy?" Skye asks, interrupting her thoughts.

Daisy shrugs, sighing mentally as she realizes that she's not in her universe anyone. She was kidnapped and taken away from it years ago, and here they're trying to do it again.

"Well, penny for your thoughts. I'm certain a bright girl like you's got some pretty great ones, right?"

Daisy can't help herself, she smiles a little at that. She might even be blushing—no. I will not blush. I'm more mature than that. I'm more mature than she is. She just doesn't understand it yet.

"Aw, see! There's that amazing smile. Must be something behind that. Pretty faces have the best thoughts. Most people just don't give them the time of day to tell them, so...ya know," Skye says. It's obvious to her that she's babbling, though Daisy can't see why she doesn't just stop talking.

How can she talk when she knows that she might embarrass herself?

"So, would you like to get more school supplies? Or we can always go see a movie. That new one starts in about thirty minutes, and it's just down the road...I'm certain you'd love it!"

Daisy shrugs again. It's her best defense against anything anyone tells her—a shrug. It tells them that she's indecisive and that they should just do whatever. It's also her way of secretly telling them that it doesn't matter what she wants to do. She knows that she's just there to humor Skye, not to make friends with her. Skye has to know this too, she's certain of it, otherwise she wouldn't be acting like this. Man, she's a terrible actor anyways. Can't she just be honest with me? No one, and I mean no one, acts like that. Ever. It's all fake. She's fake. She has to be.

"Well, I guess it's decided then. Let's go, shall we?" Skye stands, picking up the bill and walking to the front. Her purse and jacket are still on her chair, though.

Daisy contemplates leaving them there and just walking out. Then, after convincing herself that it'd be perfectly fine for her to do that, she reaches over and picks them up anyways. Silently she moves to the front, standing behind Skye as if she's her child or something. Skye gives her a smile, her mouth forming an 'o' as she realizes that she'd forgotten her things. Instead of talking, thankfully, she just gives her a slight hug as she takes her things back and continues to talk to the man at the register there. He gives Daisy a bright smile too.

"You to have a great day!" he tells them as they leave.

"Sure will!" Skye says back to him. Then, she giggles a bit, opening up the door for Daisy and walking into the fresh air outside. "Well, this is great. They started their special hour a minute after we walked in, but he still gave us the discount anyways. Isn't that wonderful?"

Daisy shrugs.

"Well, I think it is. So, the movies? Or would you like to do something else? I'm thinking of making ice cream sundaes when we get back. We can always eat that and then go swimming. Do you like swimming?" Skye continues to talk as she gets into the vehicle, moving the seat forward before starting the vehicle up. "I happen to love swimming. Your father actually surprised me with the pool. I wanted one just to swim around in, but I was constantly away from the house because of my job. So, I ended up away for a few days at a workshop once, and while I was gone he put in this huge swimming pool. Half of it is underground, the other half above ground, and it's gorgeous. You haven't seen it yet, have you?"

Daisy shakes her head no. They're driving, but Skye keeps looking over to her every few seconds. Oh my gosh, if we crash because of her I'm going to be so annoyed. Can't she save the talking for later?

As they drive home—apparently Skye finally made up her mind on that—Daisy stares out the window. Again. It's quiet, somber, nice out there. The radio is playing softly for once, just under her hearing so that way she knows it's there but doesn't know what it's playing. Maybe it's pop, maybe country, maybe even rock. Whatever it is, it's nice.

Outside, the world blurs itself into a rush of colors. They race past her, like horses running wild. The trees move and dance in the wind, flowers dotting along and inside of them. It's beautiful. Not only the nature, but the cars driving past as well. She sees people inside of them, living, breathing, looking out windows just the same as her. They might be yelling, but she can't hear them. All she hears is the slight hum of the vehicle, the baby whisper of the radio, and the cool breeze coming from the air conditioner.

She starts to think of a poem without realizing it, taking out her notebook and writing it down.

This is real today,

The world doesn't lie,

This is how it goes,

As my life flies by.

Why is this so real,

the colors seem to blur,

I cannot help but feel,

that the world wants to roar.

No one else can hear it,

No one else but me,

Because when I am silent,

it just happens to be.

The world says it's real,

so I guess it must be so, she writes. There she stops, not quiet certain how to feel about it. The emotions in it are odd, but they're not bad. It's not something she's used to writing about.

It's nice.

Of course, like all nice times, it comes to an end the second they pull back into the driveway. Skye turns off the vehicle and turns back on her mouth.

"Chocolate or vanilla?"

Daisy gives her a confused look.

Skye bites her lip, then nods. "Chocolate ice-cream is one finger, vanilla ice-cream is two fingers. Which would you rather have in your sundae?"

With a slight smile, Daisy holds up one finger. I haven't had a chocolate sundae since I was...really little, I guess. Huh. When was the last time? As they walk inside the house, she doesn't mind Skye's constant chatter so much. It helps her try to remember things. Like how young she was when she last had a sundae, or if she's even had one before. Maybe I've just had vanilla ones. That might be it. I know I've had chocolate ice cream...but a sundae? Weird. I bet Bear remembers. Bear remembers everything.

Skye sets up the sundaes as if she does it every single day. While she's scooping out the ice cream, Daisy pulls her little teddy bear out of her purse. The satin is soft in her fingers, and just looking at Bear's cute little smile makes her happier than she can say. To stop the smile that presses itself into her face would take more force than it does to stop a train.

Bear, I'm confused, she thinks.

What are you confused about, Bear asks.

Skye.

She imagines Bear giving her a pointed look. Oh, aren't you ever confused about anything else? She also imagines Bear laughing a little, waving her little paws around to make everything okay again. Bear says, Don't be afraid of what you don't understand. That just makes things complicated.

What if she thinks I'm a little girl, though? She's treating me like I am right now. I feel like she wants me to just grow up. But I am grown up! Just not like her. I'm grown up like me. I don't like her ways, Daisy thinks. Her head itches, like she needs to bang it against a wall or something to make it stop. But that'd make too much noise. She can't figure out if she's really as childish as she feels.

You are a child, though, Bear reminds her.

But I'm going into tenth grade. I can't be a child forever.

So, you're worried that she's going to help you grow up? When asked like that, Daisy wants to throw her bear across the room. Sometimes her bear can be so...knowledgeable.

No! I mean...yes? I don't know! I don't like her, she thinks. Yet, at the same time, she can't help but wonder if she does like Skye. Just a little bit. Not a whole lot.

Skye has been nice to her. Getting her clothes, helping her out with people trying to talk to her, taking her out to lunch, making her a sundae...

She's loud. She talks way too much. She doesn't like me—

Now, she imagines Bear raising the fuzz away from her eyes in an 'what was that you just said' type of way. You want her to like you, but you don't want to like her?

Daisy sighs audibly, turning away from her thoughts and putting her bear back into her purse. Skye's finished with the sundaes and brings over two bowls and two spoons. The chocolate syrup smells good, and Daisy breathes it in deep before she really looks at it. There's a bright red cherry sitting on top of hers.

"You like cherries, right? I can trade you if you don't, I just figured..."

To shut her up, Daisy just smiles and pops the cherry into her mouth. It's sweet and chewy, the perfect combination.

"Okay, I guess you like it," she says with a chuckle. She dips her spoon into the sundae, cutting up the banana and ice cream and plopping it into her mouth. Daisy giggles a little bit, then quickly covers it by shoving some of the ice cream into her mouth as well. Skye gives her a grin, not saying a word, and eats her ice cream. Though she says nothing, she keeps giving Daisy little looks, and that smile doesn't leave her face.

Is that a good smile or a bad one? I hate when people make me giggle or laugh. That's too much noise. Way too much noise. I need to be quiet. Quiet. She breathes in deeply as she finishes her ice cream, trying to keep herself from getting into what her Grandma would call a fit. Nothing seems to steady her heart though. It's beating so fast, so wildly, and all because she couldn't keep herself from making noise. I'll be so quiet no one will know I exist. They won't be mad. I'll be quiet. Quiet, quiet, quiet-

"You okay there?" Skye asks, the smile dropping. Her eyebrows are furrowed and she seems a little bit worried. Worried about me?

Daisy just nods slowly.

"Okay, if you say so...well, I'm going to change into my swim suit. Feel free to join me if you want. Otherwise, you can watch tv, get on the internet, read, write, do whatever you want. Okay?" She sounds so needy that Daisy can't help but nod. They both take their bowls over to the sink, rinse them out, then put them into the dishwater. Skye gives her a pat on the shoulder before walking back to her room, leaving Daisy by herself to wonder if she hasn't been as fair as she should be with her.

*

Sorry I haven't been working on this so much! :( Writer's block. But, I did get this chapter out. Hope you guys like it! Thanks for sticking with me. :)