Evelyn who happened to be glancing in Matthew's direction saw him tear a page or pages from his book. For a second she wondered about that then gave it up as just something strange that he did.

She followed her new friends out of the dining hall and threw a laugh at the conclusion of Roger's anecdote. Anna suggested that they take advantage of the weather and spend the afternoon outdoors, and they agreed. Nico put to a vote a game of football, three on three, boys versus girls. With majority consent it was decided and Nico dashed off to fetch a ball.

"Evelyn?"

She turned to find Matthew a few paces behind her. When he did not come any closer, she approached him.

He scuffed a shoe in the grass. "I, uh.... Here." He shoved a folded paper at her. "It's for you."

She accepted and examined the gift. There were only two things on the page: a still-life of daisies and a portrait of a girl who looked up at the rest of the empty paper with an expression of wonder. It took Evelyn a moment to realize that it was a reproduction of herself.

"I'm sorry I knocked you down," Matthew said. "I didn't mean to. I mean, I did, but... I had a- a dream." His voice had dropped to a whisper so that Evelyn had to strain to hear him. She noticed him look at someone behind her, so she looked too. Everyone feigned disinterest except Joseph. Joseph stood quietly by, hands in his pockets, and watched. He might have given Matthew a slight nod, but Evelyn couldn't be sure. She turned back to Matthew, who continued. "It felt so real. They were, Over There. And... well, anyway, I'm sorry."

(Note: I'm assuming this is British football (basically what Americans call soccer.
Also: I actually have a cousin named Nico! Interesting....)

Despite his misgivings at listening in to Matthew and Evelyn's conversation, Joseph found himself straining his ears to catch what was being said. He had only caught a snatch of something that sounded like "Thanks" and "That's all right." before Nico returned with the ball, and everyone was talking at once.
Nico took charge, tossing the ball and catching it as he talked over everyone else. "All right then... where shall we put the goal posts... those two trees over there should do... and for the girls... how about that gap in the hedge there? Good! All right then, have at it!"
In a few minutes everyone was running like mad. Nico was by far the most aggressive of the boys, and the real conflict seemed to be between him and Anna, who was half a head taller than him and could quite decently hold her own. Matthew did his best to back Nico up, but all he could do was to catch passes and pass again as fast as he could before Hunter was upon him, lashing out with her feet to get the ball away. Joseph and Evelyn were quite content to guard the goals.
With a sudden, furious kick, Anna managed to put a stop to the stalemate and shot the ball across the field to the boy's goal. Joseph lunged to block it, and immediately he felt a surge of ripping pain in his ankle as he twisted it on the roots of one of the trees. He fell, and his head struck the tree's trunk.
A minute later, he awoke sitting up against the tree. Five anxious faces stared into his.
"I say, are you alright?" asked Nico.
"I... I'm fine." said Joseph. "Go on ahead. I'll be there in a minute."
He dared not try to tell them what he had seen in that brief moment of unconsciousness.

(Yes, I did mean soccer. 🙂 )

Anna peered into his face. "You should see the nurse, in case you're concussed."

"He's fine," Roger said. "Just a little bump on the noggin."

"It was hard enough to knock him out," Anna argued.

Hunter's face lit up and she patted the side of her leg, but then her mouth twisted into scowl. "Barf me out," she muttered.

"What's that?" Anna asked her.

"Nothing. Just a narbo who forgot that I can't look at the damage to his code - head. I mean his head." Hunter shrugged and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "Wouldn't work out here anyway."

Their voices grated against the buzzing in his head. Joseph waved a hand at them. "I only need a minute, alright? Just... give me a minute."

Everyone backed away a respectful distance till the only grating voice was that of Nico asking Hunter what "barf me out" and "narbo" meant. Joseph allowed himself more than a minute to calm his drumming heart and breathe away the lightheaded fog from his brain.

(80's slang time, since Joseph didn't get to hear the answers. "Barf me out" is an expression of disgust. "Narbo" means "idiot".)

Joseph knew that seeing a nurse could bring unnecessary questions that is why he had asked for a minute. Hunter was reddening while trying to explain "narbo". But Matthew was looking at Joseph. Matthew took a few steps and whispered something in Joseph's ear.

Long one, sorry.

“You don’t have to tell her.”

“Tell whom what?” Joseph asked guardedly.

“The nurse.”

The simple half-answer did not match the complexity of Matthew’s loaded expression, but Joseph wasn’t about to try to unravel it. Not when it threatened to unravel his own troubles, and so soon after.... He suppressed a shudder. “No, no, I’m fine.” He set his hands on the ground to help himself up, if only to prove it.

“Your foot’s not.”

As if on cue, the wounded ankle throbbed and flared with heat. “Thanks for reminding me,” he groaned dryly.

Matthew stood and offered a hand. Joseph didn’t mean to cast doubt, but the younger boy’s small frame seemed hardly sufficient for the task. Matthew noticed. “I’m stronger than I look, you know.”

Joseph set an arm behind himself and took the proffered hand with his own. Between Matthew’s hauling and his own shove against the tree, he stood up with a breathless “Right then.” In a trice, Matthew situated himself on Joseph’s weak side and arranged their arms so as to provide the best support he could. Together they limped back to the school, pausing briefly to retrieve Matthew’s sketchbook. This he held in the hand that pinned Joseph’s own to his shoulder and he politely refused Joseph’s offer to carry it.

Silence fell. Though the walk to the nurse’s office would not be long, even hampered with an injury, and though the quiet seemed mutually agreeable, Joseph thought it reasonable to fill the empty space. “Thanks for the help.”

“Does it hurt bad?"

Joseph wondered at the mechanical politeness of his tone, as if he already knew the answer. “It could be worse.” He waited for a response, but Matthew only nodded. They reached the threshold of the Academy and the silence suddenly didn’t seem so agreeable anymore. “Pull up a moment,” he said as he detangled himself away to stand on his own, being careful to lean on his good foot. “How did you know?”

Matthew squinted. “Know what?”

Joseph chose the safe - the obvious, logical - topic. “My ankle. I’d completely forgotten I’d twisted it when I woke up.”

Matthew’s eyes darted to the resumed football game, more than far enough away to be out of earshot of anything but a shout. He hugged his sketchbook - unconsciously, Joseph thought. The younger boy sucked in a deep breath and spilled it back out with, “I see things. Dream things.”

Whispers of Matthew’s madness crept into Joseph’s mind even as pity filled his heart.

“You do too. I knew that Wednesday night.”

Joseph swallowed. He thought back his second night at the Academy. The night a yip of terror woke all but the deepest sleepers in his dormitory. The night that grumblings of insanity pierced the thin veil of restraint. The night he sat by the bedside of a boy who quaked with fear in what privacy his blanket afforded. The night he learned of the bond between those who had seen - still saw - unspeakable horrors. He just didn’t expect Matthew to have felt it too in the midst of his fight to stifle his sobs.

“You dreamed this?”

Matthew nodded. “Parts of it. Weeks ago.”

Joseph took a deep breath and released it. The whole business was fantastic, yet not so very unbelievable, he supposed, even if it was a shock to know his future had been witnessed through a dream in this world. “I see,” was the most he could manage. Laying a hand on the door handle, he continued with, “I think I’m ready to go in now.”

Matthew nodded and took his position at his side to escort him to the nurse’s office. At the door, Matthew released him and took his leave.

“Thanks, Matthew.”

He turned and offered a small smile before he retreated down the hall. Jospeh opened the door, but paused to watch the other boy, who had opened his sketchbook and torn out a page. Joseph frowned thoughtfully. Matthew was right. He had seen something. The difference was that Joseph’s wasn’t a dream.

Suggested: Let’s get to know some of the other kids better! Most of them are all together in a knot, so this is a great time for exploration!

(Changing to Evelyne) Evelyne had seen the whispering between the two boys and how Joseph had sudenly changed his mind about going to the nurse. There was more to these two then met the eyes. She tucked it into the back of her brain for later.

(Sorry I haven't written here in a while! But I'm back! ;P)
Hunter stood there watching everyone play. Then she started to look around. She walked to the garden and looked at the flowers and the bees flying around. Then she walked around the area some more to see if there was anything exciting to see.

Hunter got further and further from the others without her realizing it. She wasn't able to see what was coming towards her.