Lucy was doing her best not to yawn as she sat through third period. She and her friends had returned to Windia on a weekend, allowing them all time to try and get settled back down before being whisked back into things. Things like school. Lucy felt herself drifting off into sleep again when the sound of the bell startled her awake once more. She grabbed her books and made her way out of the classroom.

Lucy waited by the lockers as the rush of students in the hallways slowly began to filter down. Clutching her books to her chest, she glanced down the hallways and sighed to herself. Now where is... oh yea... The windian shook her head and solemnly began making her way down to the cafeteria. This was the third time that day she had caught herself wondering about Brandon. She couldn't help it, she was just so used to seeing him around all the time at school. Every minute he's not there... Lucy thought sadly to herself, just makes the emptyness feel worse... She was startled out of her thoughts by the gentle feeling of a hand on her shoulder and Lucy spun around to see who it was. "Brandon?"

"Try again..." Ray offered Lucy a small smile. The windian's eyes seemed to dull with disappointment, but immediatly lit back up as she looked at Ray. "Mind if I carry your books?" The dragon rubbed his neck lightly. Lucy just replied with a nod and Ray removed the burden from her arms. "So... how's your past few days been?"

"Weird." Lucy rubbed her arms as she walked with Ray.

"Did you tell your parents about...." Ray paused as Lucy nodded in reply. She knew what the dragon was asking about.

"Mom was crying all night... Dad... is out in the field... so..."she let out a sigh. "He doesn't know yet. He won't know until he gets home in a few weeks."

Ray nodded. "So... anything else been going on?"

"I've been so tired." Lucy rubbed her eyes. "It's not the same, sleeping at night any more."

"I know what you mean." Ray chuckled lightly. "I've been sleeping with the lights on in my room for the past few nights. And Jason... I don't think he's been getting any sleep at all."

"Jason?" Lucy glanced up at Ray curiously. The dragon nodded.

"He's been staying at my house. Some troubles at home." Ray shrugged and neither of them said anything for the rest of the trip to the cafeteria. Lucy thanked Ray and took her books back from the dragon as they made their way to the outside part of the cafeteria.

"I'm going to go look for Janet. I'll try and find you later during lunch, alright?"

Ray nodded and watched as Lucy headed off into the crowd of students before making his way over to where Frank and the Persona User's friends were sitting.

* * *

Janet was making her way over to where the rest of the WINGS group was sitting during lunch. Chad and David were sitting next to each other. Across from them, Justin was sitting down, Candice right next to him. Janet chewed her lip lightly as she thought about what she had said about Justin during her trip. She thought about the things that Jason had said back. I was about ready to run back to Windia and kill him. I didn't want anything to do with him, but now that I'm back home... Justin... Janet honestly wasn't sure what to think. She didn't know if she missed him, or if she just wanted to leave and never see him again. It was then that Justin looked up, saw Janet, and immediatly jumped up from his seat to rush over to her.

"Janet! Babe!" He caught her up in a hug. "You're back! Thank Landon you're okay..." Janet returned the hug gratefully.

Maybe I was wrong, she thought wishfully to herself. Justin and I have been together for two years... he must care about me. He wouldn't have done anything to hurt me... The thoughts ran through her mind as Janet began to convince herself that it was right. She thought back to what was said out in the woods with Jason, and scowled herself mentally. It was all Jason's fault anyway. He's such a jerk... he'd never understand anything about caring for others. He'd never understand, Justin must have been so worried about me.. Janet smiled up at Justin. "I'm so glad to be back home..." Out of the corner of her eye she thought she could see Candice smirking at her. The thought sent an uneasy shudder through her blood but when she looked over at Candi she seemed to be busying herself with her lunch. Janet shrugged the thought out of her head as Justin began to lead her over to the table where the rest of the WINGS were sitting. Chad's eyes went wide as he saw her.

"Janet?? DUDE! You're back! You were gone for so long we were all wondering..."

"Yea!" David nodded. "What happened anyway? After you left Windia with that dragon and all."

"Hell." Janet muttered and the tone of her voice gave the others the clue that she didn't really want to talk about what had happened. Justin was watching Janet with a curious look on his face as she pulled out her lunch and quietly began eating. Candice nudged Justin in the side with her finger, and then went back to munching on her sandwhich. Chad and David exchanged uneasy glances and they both stood up.

"We're just gonna go stretch our legs for a bit." David said as Chad brushed off his uniform. The two then turned and began walking towards the cafeteria's double doors. Unfortunatily, neither of them noticed the windian that had been standing next to one of the garbage cans until they just about ran into him.

"FUCK!" Jason whirled around, glaring angrily at whoever had just shoved by him. He stopped, startled as he saw Chad and David standing before him. The three windians exchanged uneasy and startled glances before Chad finally made the first move.

"Jason??" The windian blinked, his brown wings flexing lightly as he stared at the windian before him. "Dude!!! You're back?!"

Jason shrugged. "Yea, guess I am." His voice seemed empty, and his eyes were tired as the red-haired windian began to rub his left hand lightly. David looked over his old friend before pointing to his hand.

"What happened?"

"What.. this?" Jason glanced down at his left hand. Ray and found an old pair of gray, fingerless gloves, and Jason was currently wearing one on his left hand to cover the scar that had been placed there. "It's nothing..." he shrugged his shoulders and stuffed his hand into his pocket. "Just a burn."

Chad nodded and looked up at his friend uneasily. There was something different about him. "Jason..." the windian sighed for a moment. "You know, it's great to see you back in Windia."

"Yea." David nodded, doing his best to lighten up the uneasy mood around the three friends. "Must have been hell out there with that dragon for so long, huh?"

Jason's expression never changed as he gazed tiredly at the two windians. Chad and David fidgited uneasily under his look. Then something just seemed to click inside the three. They weren't sure how, but all three of them realized then that it would never be the same. The Windian Trio that had once run around through Windia pulling off insane pranks would never happen again. The friendship that the three windians had once shared for years would never be the same. All because he ran off with that dragon... Chad thought sadly to himself as he looked up at Jason. For the weeks that Jason had been gone, it hadn't been the same for Chad and David. They had long awaited the return of their friend, but now that he was back, it was hard to think of him as the same person that he had been before he left. A few uneasy minutes of silence passed between the three before Chad said something.

"Well... take care man... and I guess we'll see you around..." With that, Chad and David slipped by Jason and headed off towards the cafeteria door once again. Jason watched them go in silence.

He could feel his hands ball into fists inside his pockets as he watched them go. Fucking fine... if that's how it's going to end. An unbearable feeling of rejection and loss flooded over Jason as he cast his eyes to the ground and began to wander his way around the groups of people in the cafeteria.

* * *

"Janet!" Lucy finally spotted her friend sitting the Justin and Candice. Janet turned, her eyes lighting up as she saw the raven-haired windian.

"Lucy!" She jumped up and ran over to her friend, greeting her with a hug. "How've you been?"

Lucy groaned in reply. "I don't want to be here but Mom made me come."

Janet chuckled lightly in reply to her friend. "Come on, come sit down. This is great, it's almost like we've got the whole group back together again!" Janet gave Lucy a light tug on her arm as she tried to pull her towards where Justin and Candice were still sitting. Lucy looked over at the two windians before turning to Janet, her eyes suddenly showing the empty, emotionless look that they often shown.

"Janet.. you're talking about the WINGS..."

"Yea." Janet nodded to her friend. "The old gang. Come on, Lucy, come and sit down with us!"

Lucy pulled her arm from Janet's grasp and shook her head. "Janet, it's the WINGS. I can't go back to the WINGS..."

Janet looked a little startled as she heard her friend. "What? Lucy, why not? It's the old gang! Our old friends!"

"Friends..." Lucy met Janet's gaze and held it for a moment. "Our friends that abandoned us because of Ray? Our friends that hate anybody who's basically a non windian simply because of that one fact? Janet..." Lucy shook her head. "I don't know about your definition of 'friend,' but..." Lucy looked back over her shoulder to where Ray was now sitting with Frank and his friends. "But to me a friend is someone who supports you, someone who doesn't judge, and someone who understands."

Janet stood silently as she caught Lucy's meaning. After a moment she nodded and looked back over to where Justin and Candice were sitting. "I know, but... the old gang... Lucy." Janet sighed at the raven-haired windian. "I can't just leave them. I want my life back here in Windia. I'm tired of things happening." Janet shook her head. "I just wish it was like old times..."

"Well, I don't." Lucy shrugged lightly. "I'm not happy about a lot of things that have happened recently, but I wouldn't want to go back to what it was like with the WINGS. Janet, I'm sorry, but I'm not going back to the WINGS. And, I think it'd be better for you if you did the same..." Janet looked up at her friend with uneasy eyes and Lucy offered her a light smile. "Janet, you know you can trust me. I don't think it's right, you going back to the WINGS. I wish you'd see that..."

Janet sighed and shook her head. "Lucy... I don't know, I just don't know anymore." She cast another glance to where Justin and Candice were sitting. "But I'm trying to figure it out..."

Lucy took her friend's hand and squeezed it lightly, offering her another light smile. "Just come back and sit with me and Ray. That's all you have to do, just leave the WINGS behind."

Janet considered her for a moment before she shook her head and turned away. "I'll tell the group you said hi. Lucy, I'll talk to you later." And with that she walked back and sat down with Justin and Candice, Chad and David also returning to the table to sit with the rest of the small group. Lucy watched Janet for a moment and sighed.

"Janet... someday you'll see, you'll know who your friends are." Lucy paused as she heard the bell for class ring, and then she headed towards her next classroom.