My morning alarm goes off, and I flail about uselessly for a while until I remember that I'd decided to give morning runs another shot.

I don't know if this was my greatest idea, but I'm determined to keep going.

This is about my health, after all.

Sure, things haven't been great lately for me, but that hasn't made existence so intolerable that I'm not going to try everything I can to stay healthy.

Besides, it'a ll about asserting some kid of control over this thing, right?

If I can mange that, well, I can manage anything.

At least that's what I keep telling myself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the run, back in my room, the first thing I see is the familiar row of medication bottles lined up on top of my dresser, and it makes me depressed, as usual.

It's annoying. I thought I was okay. I thought I had made peace with this thing, gotten over it.

But what I really did... I allowed myself to forget that I have a problem. Being here really reminds me of the reality, and trying to fight against it just hurts.

Reflecting on it is only going to do so much. I've done this before, for months. It seems like it's time to get over it.

If I allow myself to forget that my life is definitely not going to be as long as those of other, I won't get anywhere.

My life may be different from others. But it is a life in progress.

That is how I'll rationalize it.

I down the usual handful of pills, trying to push the sudden dreary feeling out of my head. Then I shower along with brushing my teeth, then I prepare to head out to class early, as usual.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For a change, I'm not among the first ones to come to morning class.

Instead, almost everyone else seems to be here already. I recognize most of my class by their faces by now, though the names escape me still.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The class goes on lazily. I think I'm starting to get into the rhythm of the school.

I have even stopped worrying about taking notes and being overtly attentive. The first days, I was pretty high-strung in class.

Sycamore finishes his lecture about electricity early, but continues without a pause about the festival.

"So, as you know, the festival is on the day after tomorrow. I hope everyone's projects are going to be successful this year." Sycamore says.

"Have a good time, but also come Sunday, please keep the meaning of this festival in your minds...." He adds on.

"Games and fried food!" May shouts out.

Everyone bursts out in laughter, and so do I.

"Yes, thank you, May." Sycamore chuckles slightly.

The lunch bells ring and everyone starts packing their things.

Sycamore deliberates for a moment, but since almost nobody seems to pay attention anymore, he gives up and sits down.

It's crowded in the hallway...or crowded as hallways in this school probably get. Most of the students seem to be heading down for the cafeteria.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The afternoon class passes. Once again, I find myself without a plan for something to do after school, so I head to the library to return a couple of books I finished reading.

Walking inside, I see that there are about as many students here as there were on Tuesday, all the more evident from the almost total silence enveloping the room.

As I drop the books I'd borrowed into the returns slot in the counter, Joy suddenly pops up from behind it, quite startled from the banging they make as they hit the trolley next to her.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you" I sweatdrop.

"No, no. It's fine." She smiles.

"Can I help you?" She says.

"It's okay, I think I know where everything is. Thanks anyway." I smile.

I suppose I'll grab another book or two while I'm here. There's not much else to do, and after reading so much during my stay in the hospital, it's become a hard habit to break.

I wander down to the fiction section towards the back of the library, scanning the bookshelves for anything that catches my eye.

As I do, I look over to the corner where Serena had been last time I was here, not really expecting anything to come of it.

..surprisingly, though, she's there, absorbed completely in a fairy thick book. I decide against intruding on her like last time and get back to finding reading material.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After an indiscernible amount of time spent perusing the aisles, I finally decide on a couple of books to get and slide them off the shelf.

With a minimum of fuss, I quickly walk over to the counter, check out my books and pop them into my bag as I walk out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time I leave the main building, sunset isn't too far away. A small trickle of students remain, but the majority have left; presumably to their homes and dorms.

I guess I need to buy some supplies. I can't live off cafeteria food and eating out for my entire stay here.

As I leave for the gate, I made a few loud stretches to try and stave off the tiredness that's accumulated over the week.

After passing through and rounding the corner, though, I see a solitary figure walking downhill towards the small town below. The color of her hair and tapping of her cane are unmistakable.

I quickly walk up to her, which seems to catch her attention without a word needing to be said.

"Hey, Dawn"

She takes a moment to place the voice, slightly adjusting her head to face a bit more towards the source of my voice as she does.

"Ash?" She says.

"Yep, that's me"

She seems to have a good memory for voices. The fact that she actually remembered is a pleasant surprise.

"What brings you here?" She asks.

Once again, she gives a small polite bow. And, once again, I reply in kind before realizing that I needn't do so.

"Just going into tow, you?" I ask

"What a coincidence." She giggles.

"I can tag along with you?" I ask

She nods.

"That said, Serena usually comes into town with me." She says.

Ah. Not lost, but worried. The two do seem to keep pretty close tabs on one another. It's kind of surprising that Serena would forget Dawn like that.

"I noticed her reading in the library. She probably just got caught up in a book." I chuckle slightly.

She lets out a small sigh of relief.

"Thank you. She has a habit of doing that." Dawn says.

"Avid reader?" 

"Right, She doesn't like being around crowds of people, so reading away from everyone lets he relax a bit." She says.

Although she probably didn't intend it, I can't help but grimace as I recall my first meeting with her.

"Hardly wanting to bring it up, I remain silent as we quietly continue to walk do the quiet road.

Tack, tack. Tack, tack.

With the road bereft of cars and students of Vaniville increasingly far behind us, the quiet rustling of the leaves and measured tapping of Dawn's cane against the sidewalk are all that can be heard. 

It's kind of nice, especially compared to the hustle and bustle of where I used to live.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Dawn retrieves her cane and extends it to full length, I waste a minute looking upwards at the night sky while holding both our bags from the store.

For a moment I try to make clouds with my breath, but that summer's hear doesn't seem to cooperate.

Eventually she rights herself, taking a quick stretch before taking her bag and leaving me to my two.

We walked up a steep hill, and as I already know, I'm unfit. So I started to pant.

"Everything okay?" Dawn turns around, but looks into fin air.

Damn, Dawn noticed it too quickly.

"It's all right, I just need to catch my breath. My condition isn't the best, these days." I sweatdrop.

"Oh. Is it something that....is related to you being transferred here? I mean..." She looked kinda sad.

She cuts herself off rather abruptly, maybe realizing she was being a bit intrusive. Her instincts are sharp though, and while I don't like the subjects it's not like I should lie about it.

If it's Dawn, I don't think I mind.

"I'm just a little weak for the time being." I chuckle sightly, still panting.

"Serena said you look fairly healthy, so I naturally thought.." She trails off.

"It's okay, I have a pretty....I guess the best way to put it would be messed-up...heart. Arrhythmia."