You're Not as Lonely as You Think You Are (I'm Trying to Tell You)

Why Care For a Coldblooded Killer?

The final bell of the day finally rings, allowing the students to be relieved of detention. Gamora and Peter walk down the steps of the schoolyard and head towards the dormitories.

"Can I see the envelope with what house your in and that?" Peter asks, holding out a hand towards her. The girl walking beside him nods and stops in her tracks, pulling out the vanilla-colored envelope that Hill have to her. Peter grabs it from her and nods his head in thanks. He pulls out a packet that has the dormitory she's in, her room number and more information about where she will be staying. "Oh, sweet."

"What?" The former assassin asks, looking over Peter's shoulder to see the packet as well.

"You're in the Red House. That's the same dormitory I live in." He gives her a crooked smile and places the packet back in the envelope, giving it back to her.

"Oh." Is all she can say. She doesn't know what to say. They are becoming friends she thinks, but won't admit it aloud. She still doesn't trust him, but who can blame her? All her life, people have only let her down.

"This'll be fun! It'll be easier to give you vocal lessons, too." They start walking again.

"Yeah, I guess." She shrugs.

"You're still on edge about that, aren't you?" Peter asks, looking at Gamora with a mix of concern and hope.

"Like I said, Peter, I'm not a singer." She glances at him in her peripheral vision, trying to avoid fully facing him. She sighs. "I don't perform. I was raised to kill."

"That's why you're here, right?" She doesn't answer. "Listen, I know you said you don't want to talk about it, but-" She sighs again, shaking her head as if to reveal her true feelings. "You do?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean 'you don't know'? It's either you do or you don't."

"I guess, I do, but I don't know. It's not something I really enjoy talking about." They finally come upon the street full of dormitories. Both kids stop in unison in front of their dormitory.

All of the dormitories look the same. They are made of red bricks and have black roofs. The entrance of each dormitory is made of white panels. White windows occupy most of the space on each wall of the house. A wooden bench sits on the left side of each dormitory. Two white columns occupy each side of the front door. A stone pathway leads to the entrance with two rectangular fountains on either side.

"Have you ever talked to anyone about it?" Gamora hesitantly shakes her head. Peter lets out a sympathetic sigh, not wanting to ask any more questions that would make her uncomfortable. "If you want, and I mean you don't have to, there's a park behind the dormitory. We could head there after dinner if you want to talk." All she can do is nod. She lets out a small 'thank you' that is almost inaudible to hear. Peter gives her a small smile and leads her through the doors.

The entrance is plain and simple, with only a wooden bench, surrounded by two pots of pink bellflowers and a wooden chair with navy padding on the seat and back. The walls are white and the carpet is a dark blue.

"Come here. I'll show you where the girls' rooms are at." Peter says as he leads Gamora up the glass stairs in front of them. She follows him, holding onto the silver railing.

Although the walls are the same color as the level below them, the floor is now a plain, light wood. There are hallways on either side of them: one containing the boys' rooms and the other containing the girls' rooms. Every door is the same shade of turquoise. He leads her down the right hallway as they pass display cases full of various trophies and awards. Once Gamora notices them, she lags behind, studying each of the awards carefully. Peter almost reaches her room, when he notices her at the other end of the hall.