The two parted ways after the little lunch-time tour and, save for one chance meeting in the hall on the way to their respective seventh periods, did not see each other again for the rest of the day. Though her classes and theatre preoccupied her thoughts until rehearsal let out at five -two and a half hours after the normal release time- her mind turned back to him during her brisk walk to Susan's. He was a nice guy, funny, and interesting. Though her contact with most transfers usually waned as they found their own place at their school, she found herself hoping that wouldn't be the case with Leon.<br/><br/>Work was about as she expected, and Charlotte arrived home around ten-thirty. She did homework for about an hour, mostly just passing the time until her family woke up. She liked to at least greet them before going to sleep. But as she tried to complete a worksheet for statistics, she started to feel a bit lightheaded. Resting her head in her hands, she tried to figure out why. It took a few moments for her to remember just how long it had been since she last...<span style="font-style: italic">Oh, duh. That's it. I just need to get Isaac or Isabel to take me out hunting tomorrow.</span><br/><br/>Though the thought of it wasn't a pleasant one for her, her contentedness at finding the root of her problem overshadowed any displeasure she felt at what it would take to fix it. She stored the thought in the back of her mind, and returned her focus to her studies.<br/><br/>The next day was none too eventful. Leon and Charlotte were assigned to work together on a short presentation in government, though Charlotte assured him that she knew all of the material that they'd be covering, so he wouldn't have to do too much. She asked if they could work on it the next day, after school, because her rehearsals started late on Wednesdays, so it was the only day she was free. Then, come lunch, she invited him to eat with her and some friends in the theatre classroom, if he wanted to avoid the crowds.<br/><br/>If he chose to tag along, he would get his first introduction to West, Charlotte's very quiet childhood friend. There were also a small handful of other theatre kids in the classroom, but they would generally show less interest in Leon than the majority of the school did. If he was paying close attention, he might have noticed that she didn't actually eat any of the food she'd sat down with, and she'd just wave off any questioning with the explanation that she just wasn't hungry.<br/><br/>The third day started much like the second, except Charlotte looked a little paler than normal when she showed up to class that morning. She'd fallen asleep before her siblings woke up the night before, so she didn't have time to ask them to take her out.<span style="font-style: italic">Tonight for sure,</span>she assured herself as she walked to lunch.<br/><br/>That afternoon, right after school, Charlotte went to the student council room, her arranged meeting place with Leon. It was much smaller than most others in the building, consisting mainly of several long tables arranged in a square that could seat a total of fifteen or so. The teacher who sponsored the organization always left the room open to members. It had several of the -admittedly, rather dated- laptops that the district had issued to the school, making it a prime choice for members who wanted to complete homework or research but worried that all of the computers in the library would be taken up.<br/><br/>By the time he arrived, she had already chosen a place near a large window on the farthest side of the table. In front of her was an open textbook, a laptop, and a spiral in which she was vigorously jotting down notes. When she noticed his approached, she looked up and smiled.<br/><br/>"Hiya! I hope you don't mind that I already got started," She said, nodding to the work in front of her.