LAST CHAPTER: Crystal's first day of Bunnypaw Academy! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was several months since Crystal had first joined the Academy, and most things were running smoothly. She detested many subjects, although she still got good grades on them. One day, she was halfway through an art lesson. "Miss Skye, may I use the bathroom?" asked Crystal. "Sure," Miss Skye answered. Crystal slipped out of the room and walked down the hallway. She was almost there when she heard little sniffles. She turned around and saw a small, dark green bunny hiding in a corner, crying. And something about her looked familiar, somehow. Crystal hesitated, then carefully approached the bunny. "Hello?" She whispered. The bunny looked up, and suddenly Crystal remembered. "Fern!" She cried, just as the bunny exclaimed, "Crystal!" They both hugged as memories rushed into Crystal's mind, fuzzy but unforgettable. Fern was Crystal's cousin, but when Crystal was four and Fern was two, she and her parents disappeared. Crystal had cried for days afterward, so she was extremely grateful to see her long-lost cousin now. "Why are you crying?" Crystal said softly. "I accidentally broke a straw dummy and scratched my paw on it," Fern said shakily as she extended a scraped paw, "and Mr. Hart yelled at me for breaking something so very important and sent me to the nurse's office." "Yeah, he's rough," agreed Crystal. "so would you like me to walk you to the nurse's office?" "It's OK, you don't have to," said Fern. "Why don't we meet by the tree at recess?" "Sure." Crystal watched as Fern awkwardly limped away on her scratched paw, bubbles popping in her stomach.
