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"Now, before you leave I have a challenge for you all." Ana's head snapped up to look at Mr McAllister. "You must form three groups, and recite everything that you have learned so far. These three groups will then be the same for the rest of the year, where you will repeat this challenge every two weeks. Understood?" The class nodded, some looking more enthusiastic than others. "You are dismissed," McAllister said and everyone gathered up their things. Mostly everyone left the room, leaving just Todd, and Ana who decided to wait for him.

"Oh, I'm awful at speaking to people." Todd groaned.

"No, you're not," Ana replied, nudging him with her elbow.

"Um, I think I am." He chuckled and she shook her head.

"No, no. You talk to me just fine." She grinned and he shrugged.

"But that's different."

"How so? I am no different from anyone else in our class."

"Yeah, you are. I trust you, I don't trust Hopkins o- or Terrence or Cameron--"

"No one trusts Cameron. Look, all I'm saying is that if you can talk to me, you can talk to anyone. I've learnt from experience that you've got to want to talk to people if they're going to want to talk to you."

Todd let out a long sigh.

"Hey, why not try reading at the next meeting? Don't feel obliged, but we're not going to judge you or laugh at you. We can even make Cameron leave for a little while if you want."

"I- 'll think about it."

"That's the spirit!" Ana exclaimed, a wild grin on her face. The two of them were walking down the hall, side by side when a boy, possibly the year below Ana, came up to her and told her to visit Mr Nolan's office. "Of course. I'll see you later, Todd. We can brainstorm for Latin in study group?" She asked hopefully.

"Maybe." He replied before walking away, waving. Ana walked up the long staircase to Mr Nolan's office, the heels of her buckle-shoes clicking on the hard floor.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" She asked, stepping inside the door.

"Yes. Take a seat, Miss Fitzgerald." The man said, gesturing to the chair in front of the desk. Ana sat down tentatively, folding her legs. "There was a parcel for you earlier this morning. Now, you know the rules, any non-family gifts must be thrown away." He said, eyeing the girl sceptically.

"Of course, Mr Nolan. I expect that it's just something that I left at the house that Mother or Father thought I should have." She said with the politest smile she could muster. Mr Nolan handed her the brown paper package.

"That is all, you may leave." He said.

"Thank you, sir."

"Oh, I never asked you. How are you feeling, after the bump you took to the head?" He asked, pointing to his forehead.

"Couldn't be better, sir. Thank you for asking." Ana smiled brightly, though behind that smile she was grimacing.

"All right, run along now."

"Goodbye, sir." She said and slipped into the hall, closing the door behind her. Walking briskly, she arrived at her dormitory in no time. Ana locked the door and sat on her bed, staring at the parcel. She knew that she hadn't forgotten anything at home, she checked at least ten times. So the question was, what on earth was it? Gently peeling away the brown paper, there was a black box with a note attached to the front. It read:

'Ana. I've heard that you're quite the writing prodigy. Use these well. - B.R'

Confused, Ana opened the box to find a set of ornate fountain pens. She gasped. They were truly beautiful. With silver and gold patterns down the body of the pens, and a different coloured stone on the end of each one. Ana jumped up and placed them in the drawer of her desk. She locked the drawer and crumpled up the paper, stuffing it in the rubbish bin that was in the corner of the room. Stuffing the note into her pocket, she walked out of her room to Neil's. Ana knocked on the door, and a muffled 'it's open' came the reply.

"Neil, I got a present from someone, and it's the most beautiful present I've ever received. The only problem is, I have no clue who it's from and if Nolan finds out that it wasn't from my family, he'd confiscate it." She slumped down onto his bed before discovering that Neil wasn't there at all.

"Not Neil." Todd chuckled from his desk.

"Oh, I'm sorry Todd." She said, an embarrassed flush rising up her neck.

"It's alright. What was the gift?" He asked.

"A set of fountain pens. Oh, Todd, they're so pretty." She gushed, causing Todd to chuckle again. "Oh, and there was this note too. Although, I don't know anyone with the initials B.R, so I don't know who it's from." Todd took the note from her hands and read it quickly.

"Perhaps you have a secret admirer." He teased and she frowned.

"That's not helpful, Todd."

"I'm serious! I wouldn't be surprised, you're the only girl at this school, you're bound to have someone pining after you."

"Yeah, Neil." Charlie snickered from the doorway.

"Oh, sod off Dalton." Ana flipped him off, looking at the note again. "So hypothetically, if it were someone here that was my 'secret admirer', how would they know that I write?" She huffed, sitting on the edge of Todd's bed.

"Wait, what happened?" Charlie walked into the room.

"I got a present from someone named B.R. Not that either of us has a clue who that is." Ana explained. Charlie thought for a moment, before shaking his head.

"No clue, sorry Princess. Why don't you try calling your paren--"

"You're not calling anyone after last time," Neil said, walking into the room.

"But I want to find out who bought me those pens!" She protested but he shook his head.

"No, I don't even know what's going on but if you do call anyone, I don't want you to end up in hysterics." He continued with a concerned frown on his face. Ana sighed.

"I guess you're right." She sighed, leaning her head against the wall.

"M- Maybe it's from someone back home?" Todd suggested after a little while.

"I don't ever recall knowing anyone with the initials B.R except the old hockey coach, but he had a heart attack when his team lost the biggest game in that league, so it can't be him." Ana bit her lip in thought, staring down at her hands. Neil couldn't help but admire her. The way her vibrant green eyes stared down at her nimble fingers, the way the light from the window made her hair glisten like spun gold. To him, she seemed perfect, her flaws making her seem more and more beautiful.

"Well, I suppose we'll never know! Now, shall we go to dinner?" Charlie said and the others nodded, standing up alongside him. The four of them made their way out of the student lobby and towards the hall.

"When we say the prayer and you don't know the words, just mouth them," Neil whispered in Ana's ear as they walked into the room filled with people and Meeks beckoned them over quickly.

After hurriedly taking their places and mumbling a prayer, they sat down and began to put food onto their plates. Eyeing the pot of stew disdainfully, Ana put some mashed potatoes on her plate and picked at them with her fork, not having much of an appetite.

"You've gotta get some food in your system, Fitz," Knox said with a raised eyebrow at her plate. "It's not the nicest but it's still edible."

"I- I'm just not hungry." Ana shook her head. The boys, except Cameron, all frowned at her.

"You barely eat at all though, An. It's like you want to starve to death." Pitts said and she shook her head again.

"Really, I'm just not hungry." She said quietly. "You know, I had a really weird dream last night--"

"Don't try and change the subject, Fitz. Tell us why you're not eating." Charlie said.

"There's no reason. I just have things on my mind, that's all." She looked down at her hands, which were below the table. Neil slipped his hand into hers, locking their fingers together.

After dinner, Ana bid her goodnights early and rushed to her dormitory.

She was laid out on her bed, clad in white cotton pyjamas, the record player gently crackling out Chopin's "Raindrop Prelude." Ana couldn't get those initials out of her head. She desperately needed to find out who it was, and soon because she did not want to forget.

A few hours passed by when there was a gentle knock on the door, which Ana ignored.

"Ana, open this door or I'm kicking it down." Neil chuckled from the other side.

"There's no one in here." She called.

"Oh, for crying out loud. Ana, please let me in." He said and she sighed, standing up and shuffling to the door, which she opened and leaned against the door frame.

"I er- Can I- can I help you?" She stuttered. When she looked at him at that moment, she was taken aback. To her, he seemed perfect. Not a single flaw or fault could be found, for his smile outshone it all.

"Can I come in? We- we need to talk, I think." He asked and she nodded, walking back over to her bed. "What's wrong, Annie? Because something's up and I want to help you."

"It's silly, really," Ana said, shaking her head. "Did you- did you just call me Annie?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Did you not like it? I- I won't call you it again if you don't like it I--"

"No, I love it, Neil. It just threw me off, that's all." Smiling fondly, she moved up, allowing him to sit on the bed beside her.

"Come 'ere." He said, opening up his arms for a hug, which she gladly gave him. "It may be silly, but it's bothering you so tell me about it. I want to hear you complain." She giggled slightly.

"The whole thing with the pens...it's bugging me," Ana said with a shrug.

"That doesn't explain the eating or lack thereof," Neil replied with a frown.

"I just wasn't hungry--"

"Bullshit." He interrupted, and she sighed.

"It's my mother. She never let me ear much at home, and I know that the next time she sees me she'll hi-- scold me for it." Ana quickly corrected herself.

"Ana, if you don't mind me asking, what was your home life like before you came here?" Neil asked softly.

"You know, I'm quite tired. Goodnight Neil, thank you for your concerns, see you tomorrow." She said, standing up and dragging him to the door, closing it in his face.

Neil was pacing his room.

"Neil, what is the problem?" Todd kept asking, but Neil just kept pacing and mumbling to himself. "Neil. Neil!"

"There's something that Ana won't tell me. About her home life. When I asked, she forced me out of her room. I have to help her, Todd!" He cried, flinging himself on his bed.

"Well, I- I could try talking to her, I mean...I don't know what good it would do but- but I could try." Todd offered and Neil jumped up.

"That's it! If you talk to her, maybe she'll tell you because she knows that you won't tell many other people. Because you don't talk to many other people. Todd, you're a genius!" He said and Todd shot him a small smile. "Go now! Go, go!"

Luckily for Todd, Ana was still awake. She was laid on her bed again, the music long finished but she could not tear herself away from her thoughts to change the record. He knocked on her door.

"There's no one here," Ana called out weakly, causing Todd to laugh.

"It's just me, Todd." He said and she sighed.

"Come in, then."

Todd opened the door, closing it behind him softly. "Hey."

"Did Neil send you?" Ana asked and he shook his head. Raising an eyebrow, she folded her arms.

"Okay, yes, but he's really worried about you, An," Todd said gently, sitting down beside her.

"I know he is. I just can't tell him yet." She sighed, curling her legs up to her chest.

"Tell him what?" Todd frowned.

"About my family."

"What about them?"

"The way that they treat me. The way they treated Thomas before he left. The way they're probably treating Melissa and Jocelyn right now." She said, her voice filled with guilt and regret.

"W- what do you mean?" He asked and she sat up. She turned her back on him and lifted her pyjama shirt, revealing her scar-covered back. "Oh my god, An. Your parents did this to you?" He said, his jaw wide open.

"Please don't tell anyone I told you. My parents would pull me out and send me back to London but I can't go back. Please, Todd." Ana said, tears in her eyes.

"Of course not, Ana." He shook his head urgently.

"Thank you, Todd." She sniffled. "Especially not Neil. I can't- I can't bring myself to tell him just yet." She said and he nodded.

"I get it, I understand." He said. Ana wrapped her arms around him, her head resting on top of his as she was quite tall. "Why do they do- do that to you?" Todd asked gently and she sighed.

"Discipline. It's how they were brought up, so they don't know any better." Ana mumbled with a sigh.

"I wish I could say I know how you feel, but I don't. I'm so sorry that this happened to you, it's really not fair."

"It's okay, Todd, it's not your fault. Hey, you should probably head back to your room, it'll be lights out in a minute." Ana said, letting go of the hug.

"Yeah, probably. I'll see you in the morning, An." And with that, Todd gave Anastasia a sympathetic smile and left the room. Ana never thought that she would make such great friends at Welton, and yet she had. They were her boys, and even though she had only known them for a short while, she would trust them with her life.

When Todd arrived back in his room, Neil jumped up. "Did she tell you what was wrong?" He asked and Todd nodded, sitting down at his desk without saying a word. Neil fidgeted impatiently, waiting for the boy to explain, but he could not wait any longer. "Well? What did she say?"

"I can't tell you, Neil," Todd replied, scribbling something down in his notebook.

"What do you mean you can't tell me?" Neil asked, a frown plastered on his face.

"I mean I can't tell you. I promised Ana that I wouldn't say anything, so I'm not going to say anything." He said, turning to face Neil, who ran his hands over his face and sighed. "She will tell you, she just needs to wait a little while."

"Okay...I just- I want to help, that's all. Night, Todd." Neil said and climbed into bed.

"Night, Neil," Todd said, before changing into his pyjamas and getting in his own bed.

The next morning, Ana sat in her usual seat beside Charlie in English. She nodded at him in acknowledgement before pulling out her notebook and scribbling down an idea that she had had on her way there. For most of the lesson, she did not pay attention. It was not that she didn't enjoy Keating's classes, because she most certainly did, but her mind was spinning at too fast a pace, bursting with ideas.

"Why do I stand up here?" Keating asked, causing Ana's head to snap up.

"To feel taller!" Charlie called, causing many chuckles to erupt across the classroom.

"No!" The teacher said, ringing the bell with his desk. "Thank you for playing, Mr Dalton. I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way. You see, the world looks very different from up here. You don't believe me? Come and see for yourself!" Everyone began standing from their seats, leaving just Ana at her desk. "Just when you think you know something, you have to look at it in another way. Even if it might seem silly or wrong, you must try! Now, when you read don't just consider what the author thinks, consider what you think."

Ana began to pick up her things, as the end of the lesson edged closer.

"Come on, Annie!" Neil beckoned to her as he jumped off the edge of the desk.

"Erm, no thanks." She said. If she did climb onto that desk, everyone would get a full view of what was beneath her skirt, and she'd rather not have that happening.

"You can go last?" Charlie said, jumping off the desk as well. Ana thinks about it for a moment before sighing and giving in. She joined the queue, standing next to Todd who smiled. Finally, the two of them stepped up onto the desk and looked around. As the bell rang, the Captain picked up his things and left the classroom.

"Is this what it feels like to be tall?" Todd whispered to her and she laughed. As Ana was about to jump from the desk, Keating stuck his head back in the door and said:

"Now, in addition to your essays, I would like you to compose a poem of your own, an original work. That's right! You have to deliver it aloud in class on Monday. Bonne chance, my students." Ana jumped down from the desk, holding her hand out for Todd. "Oh, and Mr Anderson? Don't think that I don't know that this assignment scares the hell out of you, you mole." And with that, Mr Keating left the room, whistling.

"He's right..." Todd sighed, jumping down from the desk.

"Yeah, but remember our conversation yesterday after Latin," Ana said, taking her books from her desk and wandering out of the classroom. Todd walked quickly to catch up with her.

"Hey, Ana?" He said, stumbling as he tried to keep up with her.

"Yeah?" She asked, stopping her walking and turning to face him.

"Could you maybe help me with that assignment? You just have so much confidence and from Charlie and Neil said, you're really great at writing..." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Of course. Although, I'm not as good as they say." She chuckled. "Hey, I gotta go. Bye, Todd." Ana said and turned to walk away.

"See you, Fitz." Todd waved back and walked out into the courtyard.