I wanted to talk

She needed to sort whatever was going on here in the first place.

"Jacob!! Helen!!! How did Miss Anhao let both of you in at the same time?" Aria spoke before she could stop herself. She vaguely remembered that she had forgotten to ask Miss Anhao permission for two people.

Jacob shrugged as he pulled out a chair and sat down. "I have no idea. There was no one here when I came." Aria narrowed her eyes upon hearing this. She had noticed how Jacob had avoided looking at Helen while he spoke or included her in his answer. The fact that he had placed his chair on the other side of Aria's bed, the opposite side to where Helen sat, was also obviously noticed by her.

Aria then turned her head to look at Helen, who looked very nervous, as she sat fidgeting with her fingers in her lap. Interpreting the silence to mean that she needed to speak now, Helen opened her mouth. "Well. . . . Miss Anhao mentioned that there was one other person here, but since I looked very clean and Aria's wounds were less susceptible to infection now, she was going to let me in. She also mentioned something about Aria needing all the friends she could get right now." Helen spoke in a low voice, almost whispering.

"What on earth does that mean?" Jacob muttered upon hearing the last line of Helen's answer, but low enough so that neither of the two girls would hear. And Aria chose to ignore the last line, not wanting to dwell on what Miss Anhao had just told her.

"Okay . . " Aria drew the word out, taking a moment to collect her thoughts and wondering where to begin.

"Well, it's a good thing Miss Anhao let you both in at the same time." Aria began, not really knowing where she was going with this. She hoped she would figure it out as she went along. "I wanted to talk to you guys." she finished.

This made both Jacob and Helen look up from their hands at her face. Good, Aria thought as she went on, "How has everything been while I was out?"

"Good." "Fine." Two voiced echoed at the same time.

"Have you both recovered completely." she asked. "Yes." "Perfectly." The two of them spoke again.

Aria sighed. "How have classes been?" she tried again.

"Interesting." "Difficult" All she got were two one word replies, again.

"Any question I can ask to get more than one word out of you guys?" Aria spoke, her voice no longer as gentle. This wasn't even met with one word answers.

Aria sighed and decided this wasn't getting them anywhere.

"Okay. I'll cut right to the chase. Why have you not been talking to each other." she said, finally losing her temper.

Heen turned her head towards Jacob, her sad eyes asking the same question.

Jacob looked from one girl in front of him, with all those external injuries and not able to even get up from the bed, to the other, who looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders and didn't have anyone to share it with.

Not able to think of a reply, Jacob hung his head.

Aria sighed. She had known Jacob for more than eight years now and could read him like a book.