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That summer was unbearable.

I spent several days in the hospital being treated for my cuts. My parents flew into town on the next plane after they received word of what happened. They tried to comfort me. I couldn't stand it. They'd never met Logan, and I regretted that and not revealing my relationship to them. I would have given even them to have him back. The cheetah was also there frequently; until I yelled at him to get out. I still sometimes woke up to find him back.

I was fine within a week. The doctors didn't know what to make of it. I didn't care; I was still dying inside. I would have kept those cuts for eternity if I could have had him back.

I was informed that I should stay with a member of the local SMCU:SSI. I would have refused, but once charges were formally brought against the head football coach and everyone at the party, it became mandatory; for my own protection. I ended up with the cheetah. He helped me get settled into the micro unit in his apartment, and then left me alone when he wasn't bringing me food; but I knew he was always watching. I didn't have to stay long.

The cheetah was watching the news the second evening I stayed there when an interview with the coach came on. I walked out of the unit to see it. He was so smug and confident, he claimed that the charges were a big misunderstanding. Logan was dead by his hand, and he was trying to just brush it off. The rage came back, and suddenly I was sitting on the floor at normal size; and the cheetah was hissing at my unexpected change. He insisted we go to the hospital to have me checked over, but everything turned out to be fine. But I didn't go back to my dorm just yet.

A very serious Doberman in a black suit appeared at the cheetah's door the next morning. He turned out to be an attorney, and informed me that I would no longer have to worry about paying for school; and that an apartment would be provided for me by the same anonymous group that had handled Logan's school bills and housing. I accepted without question; I didn't want to deal with my roommate or anyone else, and with school paid for my parents would also have little reason to bother me.

The court appearances were dull. I didn't know why they needed me at all, but at least I was left alone with my thoughts during them. Several of the athletes had been willing to testify against the coach. Whenever I glanced back into the filled rows of seats, the cheetah was there somewhere.

In late-July I was feeling a little better, and went on a walk. Before I knew it, I ended up at one of Logan's favorite places: the roof of the science building. He had shown me the view from here on the day we became friends. To the north was the lush green space of the main mall, with the forest that bordered campus stretching out far beyond it to the mountains. It only brought painful memories now. I approached the ledge, and looked over.

"What are you doing?" Came a soft voice from behind me.

I looked back to see who had spoken. It was the cheetah. "Why are you following me?" I moved away from him and closer to the edge.

"That won't bring him back."

"Everyone else is content to leave me alone. Why won't you?"

"I'm not always following you."

"Yes, you are. Not that many people on campus use Midnight Blues cologne."

"How did you know that?"

"Because it was his favorite, now leave me alone!" I stepped onto the ledge with my back to him.

"Don't do this. You have so much to live for."

"I have nothing! I've lost the only person that really knew me! I can't go on like this."

"That's just the grief talking. You managed to get out of your apartment today."

"Oh, you're aware of the grieving process? Then you should know your words are wasted on me right now!"

"I can't let you do this."

"And why is that?"

"I failed to save him. I won't fail to save you."

"And who says I want to be saved! I want out. It still hurts too much." With, that I started leaning forward, but almost instantly I was being pulled back. "Let me go!"

"I said, I won't fail to save you."

"How did you even cross the roof that fast? It should have taken even you several seconds!"

"I'll only tell you if you turn around and step down from the ledge."

"Oh, fine!" I was still angry, but I was getting curious. So I turned to face him and got off the ledge as he backed off a little. In return, he removed his shirt to reveal a dark red 3 on his left breast, and various jagged stripes of the same color on his mid chest. He pointed, and I notice that one thin stripe was also on each of his legs, but they appeared to be quickly sliding up to his mid chest. "How is that possible?"

"A lot of the people that were at the party said that they passed out after you started shouting. Did you feel a warm sensation on your neck then?" My blood went cold.

"How did you know that?"

"Remove your shirt." I did. There was a sky blue number 5 and matching jagged stripes on my mid chest. "I always feel a warm sensation move from my mid-chest to my legs when I do this." With that, he turned, and I barely saw the blur of movement as he dashed almost instantly to the other side of the roof.

"That's..."

"Impossible? You can knock out crowds by shouting."

"I can't really control that."

"How do you think super speed was for me at first?"

"What the hell is going on here?"

"I wish I knew. That Doberman that you talked with earlier in the summer is the same one that handles my rent and stuff. I tried to ask him once, but he refused to answer. When I said I might just refuse the hospitality he looked at me gravely and said: 'That would be most unwise.'" The cheetah shuddered as he quoted the Doberman.

"Do you know where my markings came from?"

"I don't know where either of ours came from."

"No, mine in particular. They were originally on Logan."

"How do you have them then?"

"I think they were passed on to me when we kissed just before he..."

"It's okay. That is another mystery though. But if we're ever going to find answers, you need to keep going."

"I think all this supersedes my grief right now."

"But you need to finish that first. You wouldn't have tried to jump if you were ready to go on."

"Alright, and I promise not to do that again. He never even found out that much about his markings, but he managed to give them to me, and they may just have saved my life."

"If you need anyone, I'll be just a phone call and a few minutes away."

"Thank you." With that, we left the rooftop and went our separate ways.