Invisible (Updated Version)

Part 1

Jace tried not to look at Jane Doe as he entered, if she was going to disappoint him he wanted a few more minutes of hope, but like usual her found her strangely magnetic. Just like the day in the foyer when he'd found her unconscious, his eyes were drawn to her. Another brick landed in his stomach when his brain processed the still sleeping expression on her face. Shaking away unwelcome thoughts of disappointment he took the white sliding tray from the side of her bed and pulled up a chair to eat. Jace shuffled back to class fifteen minutes later in an even worse mood then he'd started the morning in. It shouldn't matter this much that some girl couldn't wake up. Being the son of an Elite Gueard member meant he's heard plenty of stories about death and sacrifice growing up. It was always tragic, but it happened and yet Jane Doe somehow felt personal. Like finding her had been something more than luck. Like she was some important piece and he just couldn't figure out where she fit. Or maybe he was just in need of some sleep...

Of all the subjects and activities the Academy enrolled students in, academics were not necessarily Jace's favourite. He wasn't stupid and he didn't hate reading, it just seemed like they were never studying anything very interesting. Besides a few history classes he'd taken over the years, Jace preferred to be training. He loved the routine, the endorphins and most of all - the clear cut goal he could work towards. Usually his three hours of training flew by but today he was bored and increasingly frustrated with his physical limitations. His body seemed like just another thing he couldn't make do what he wanted.

"Jace, man, what's up with you today? You've gotta clear your head or your energy is never going to translate." Jeremy, the coach responsible for helping students to harness their power, was generally pleased with Jace. It wasn't unusual for Jace to pick up a rock and smash it without breaking a sweat to impress one of the girls working out on the other side of the room. Jeremy knew that normally it took very little concentration on Jace's part to yield physical results. He excelled in harnessing his powers. It was what had gotten him noticed by the Guard recruitment officers in the first place.

"I'm just not feeling it." Jace tried to explain. "Mind if I tap out early?"

Jeremy studies him with a frown and then nodded. "Yeah, sure man. Get some rest, okay?" He threw Jace a small towel and jogged off towards another student.

The boy's dressing room with its rows of joint locker followed the same tan color scheme as the gym. Even the metal lockers had been painted to blend in with the color of the walls. Jace changed quickly and headed back towards the hospital wing after grabbing another sandwich from the vending machine just outside the gym doors.

The same stupid sense of false hope invaded his chest once again as he got closer and closer to Jane Doe's room. Despite the fact that medically he knew chances were she wasn't about to wake up anytime soon he still felt another brick landed on his chest as he entered the room.

Jace didn't stay long. He couldn't, sitting in that room felt like he was being drained himself. He'd found her almost a month ago all alone and unconscious and no one had even noticed. She'd been strong enough to survive an almost complete depletion of her powers, something pretty much unheard of in the time humans had spent away from Earth. She was special but no one had even once come looking for her since he'd found her and now she was going to die right in front of him without anyone even knowing if she couldn't open her eyes. It wasn't fair.

Jace left and went back to his final class.

"Enough Jason!" Jace's father's face was almost completely red as a result of the rage he'd worked himself into since supper. "If you insist on doing a medical internship instead of putting your time into ticking off the training requirements for Guard acceptance then you better do it right. Dr. Jones said that's the sixth time in the past two weeks that you've been late."