Ellyon threw her backpack in its designated spot by her bed. She went over to her dresser, pulling open her junk drawer and fishing out her speakers. Plugging her ipod into them, she let the electronic Japanese music with synthetic voices fill the air. Plopping down on her bed, she let herself zone out as she listened to the foreign music.

Her veg-out time and mental blankness was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. She cracked an eye open, only to close it again as she began to eavesdrop on Tavel as he answered the door. Ellyon couln't hear everything, due to her music, but she could tell it was Ms. Palmer from next door. The eccentric woman had moved in about a year ago. From the way the conversation was going, Ellyon could tell Ms. Palmer was laying it on thick this time. The woman had a thing for Tavel, much to the amusement of Ellyon and Cal, Tavel's adult son. She was always trying to get Tavel out of the house to get drinks, but to no avail.

The conversation ended and Ellyon heard Tavel's footsteps approaching her room. He opened her door and poked his head in. 

“Ms. Palmer is coming over for dinner at about 5:30,” he informed her. She blinked up at him. 

“What?!?” she asked, almost dumbfounded. Tavel rolled his eyes. “No, it's not that. She took in a foster child, and she wants him to meet you and Cal so he can try to make friends. So clean up your room, since you're probably gonna hang in here and do whatever.”

Ellyon's mind flashed back to the boy she had seen outside. It had be him. She nodded at Tavel, who went back down the hall. Wordlessly, she started to tidy her room, dancing slightly to her music as she did so, trying to get the image of piercing green eyes out of her mind...