"Where were you?" A huge moustache obscured the majority of the principal's face. His beady little eyes were angrily narrowed at a highly uncomfortable Sophie.

"Sophie. You are one of my best students. But skipping school? Really? What would your parents think of this?"

"Are you going to call them?"

"I might. What were you doing? Where did you go?" The principal was clearly having some trouble holding back his anger. Sophie saw no other option than to tell the truth.

"I walked to the Peter Lougheed to visit someone."

"Is this the truth?" the principal's face was uncomfortably close to Sophie.

"Yes." But only part of the truth.

"Ok. But next time get your parents to call in or else I will call for you. You are almost done, Sophie. Don't screw it up now." Sophie nodded and rushed from the office back to her calculus class. Her friends noticed her coming in late and quickly huddled closer together, leaving nowhere for her to sit with them. Sophie ignored the twinge in her heart and sat with an exchange student. She smiled at him and opened her calculus books.

~*~*~*~

"How was your visit?"

"It was good. I told her about needing to take my happiness from within myself instead of relying on other people."

"And how did she take that?"

"Honestly she seemed more disappointed than anything else."

"It is a romantic notion, relying on someone else for happiness. Although its not a healthy thing it's so instilled in every bit of pop culture everywhere and shoved down your throat."

"Yeah. But what you said makes sense. We can't rely on other people for happiness because other people aren't reliable to stay."

"Now that's not quite a healthy viewpoint of it either. What makes you think that?"

"I guess the fact that my own parents kicked me out of my house for reasons I can't control. It's as if they had kicked me out because my eyes are brown. It's ridiculous. My parents suck."

"Your parents do suck."

Sara laughed at that. At least she felt comfortable with Ethan, though not much could be said in favor of the rest of the ward. All of them freaked her out, although she had brought herself to accept that she did have issues to work out and technically she did realize that this ward had been the best thing for her, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Of course, that sentence was pretty much her entire life - she didn't like it.

"Are you feeling ready yet to talk to your parents?"

"I don't think I'll ever be ready for it. But we should try - if anything it will shut you up," Sara teased, a grin spreading across her face. Ethan nodded, returning the smile but reaching over with one hand to pick up the phone on his desk.

"Are you sure you are ready?"

"Is it too cliche if I say as ready as I'll ever be?"

Ethan picked up the phone without responding and dialed up a number. Sara's stomach immediately filled with butterflies, their wings flapping urgently against her stomach. She had joked, but now nervousness tingled in her hands and feet.

"Hello, is this Sara Waschmuth's parents? I'm Dr.Ezekiel - your daughter's psychiatrist. We've talked before. I was wondering if you were interested in taking up the offer we've talked about?" Sara's eyes found their way around their room - finding their way to his family picture. Why couldn't she have that? A loving family, a white picket fence and green grass in a nice suburban house? Sara squashed those thoughts down. Jealousy wasn't very becoming of her, especially since Ethan was just trying to help.

"Great. So I'll see you in an hour? Good. No - you will be meeting me first, and then depending on what Sara wants we will talk together. Ok, goodbye." Ethan hung up the phone, a flash of annoyance briefly passing over his face.

"They'll becoming in an hour. Elise will call you up, but for now why don't you go chill in the ward and watch some tv? I have to talk to Abeni."

"Good luck, I don't think she speaks english." Ethan laughed.

"She does - very little, but its there. If you want to strike up a conversation with her."

"Maybe. I'm still a little afraid from that whole screaming at me thing. Anyways, I'm going to go watch tv in the ward. Have fun with Abeni."