Rafferty was starving. Overnight, it seemed, her body realized it hadn't eaten in three days, and was demanding food, lots of it.

When she left her room in search of breakfast, Seth was waiting for her in the hallway.

"Hey," Rafferty said cautiously. She had no idea how this was going to go.

"Hey," said Seth. She sounded almost shy.

Rafferty didn't know what to do, so she did nothing.

Seth stepped forward, and held out of her hand.

"She would have wanted you to have this," Seth said, holding something between her fingers.

Rafferty reached out her hand to take what was offered. It was a paperclip. Katrin's special Blue paperclip.

"Thank you," said Rafferty. "Are you sure?" she asked, offering it back.

Seth nodded, and they both stood there for a moment.

"I'm sorry," said Rafferty, tears starting to fall again.

Seth stepped forward and folded Rafferty into her arms. Rafferty hugged back eagerly, realizing just how badly she wanted to make things right with Seth and Brianna. If that was even possible.

"Katrin was the best," Rafferty said, trying to stave off another full blown blubbering.

"Yeah, she was the best," said Seth.

Seth let go of her, and stepped back. Rafferty opened her mouth to say all of the things she wanted to say. Before she spoke, however, she realized that there was something on the back of her neck.

Something sticky.

Like gum.

Seth's explosive gum.

Rafferty reached for it, trying not to panic. If she rushed, she might not peel it off cleanly, and they'd be scraping what was left of her off of the J Hall walls.

She grabbed the edge of the gum, and pulled it deliberately off her neck. She flung her hand toward the other end of the hall, hoping that the gum didn't stick to her fingers.

Rafferty watched as the gum sailed down the hall, feeling a huge wave of relief. A moment later, there was a large blue explosion that shook the hall.

That relief was short lived as she felt Seth on her back. Seth's claws sliced into her flesh. Rafferty grunted in pain, and sank to her knees.

Seth forced Rafferty toward the ground, and continued the attack. Rafferty instinctively covered her head, but she felt the claws bite into her lower back again. Seth was yelling something, but Rafferty couldn't make it out. She was pretty sure most of the words were "bitch."

Rafferty thought the explosion might bring help. It was too late in the morning for Sheridan to still be around, but Cody or Blaspheme might be in their rooms. G Hall beneath them would have felt it too, but she didn't have that kind of time.

She rolled on her back, slipping past Seth's right arm as the B Hall girl just missed with another strike. Rafferty only had one thing going for her, and that was that Seth had totally lost her cool, and wasn't focused. Her strikes were wild and angry, and she hadn't used her position to pin Rafferty down.

If she had, well we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. I'm sure Leslie's gonna have a lot to say, Seth, losing your cool like that, negating your advantage. God, I think that's funny. Why do I think that's funny?

Rafferty pushed up with her hands as hard as she could, just to lift Seth a bit, and then snuck her feet under Seth's stomach and shoved. It didn't exactly launch Seth off of her, but it slid her down the hall a little.

She leapt to her feet and took a few steps down the hall to create some distance. The pain in her back was intense, and the steps weren't steps so much as lurches.

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Rafferty turned around, and saw that Seth was already in a fighting stance. Needless to say, the situation wasn't great.

Rafferty was hurt, and didn't have a weapon. Seth, meanwhile, was geared up for a fight.

And Seth's an absolute menace in a close-up fight. In case you forgot.

There was only one option. She had to get to her sword. The sword was in her room.

To get to her room, she had to get by Seth.

Rafferty ran forward and delivered a kick to Seth's side. It was well placed, and it landed, but the other girl's chest plate absorbed most of the blow. Seth countered with a left handed swipe that drew blood on Rafferty's right side, and caused her to bend forward.

A moment later, her world vibrated with pain after Seth landed a violent head butt. Rafferty sank to her knees yet again. The door to her room was getting farther and farther away.

Rafferty was just trying to hold Seth off, the pain still making it hard to think, when she heard a click.

"I've never actually shot another Hunter in the head with this thing. I can't say I'm sure whether it will kill you, or just leave you a drooling vegetable for the rest of your life. If it's the second, I promise to come by and give you a sponge bath once a week. Wouldn't want you getting a fungus," said Blaspheme, her gun aimed at Seth's head.

Rafferty looked up, watching Seth decide whether or not she believed Blaspheme would actually shoot her. Apparently, she did believe it, because she put up her hands and backed away. After three steps, she turned and ran out of the hall.

Blaspheme turned to go after her, but Rafferty called her back. The last thing she wanted was for Blaspheme to get hurt.

Rafferty took Blaspheme's hand when it was offered, and let her friend pull her to her feet. Blaspheme was checking over her wounds, probably trying to decide if Rafferty was going to, you know, die.

"What took you so long?" Rafferty asked.

"I wasn't dressed yet. You know i don't fight until I'm pretty," Blaspheme joked.

Rafferty smiled, a little laugh escaping her lips. That made something her back hurt. A lot.

"You know you bled all over the hall, right?" Blaspheme asked, lifting up the back of Rafferty's shirt.

"Yeah. Blew up part of it up, too," Rafferty answered between shallow breaths.

"Not cool. If there's construction, I'm not rooming with Fawkes," said Blaspheme.

Rafferty laughed again, wincing through the pain, until a realization set in. Something she had know, of course, for the last few minutes, but hadn't felt really real until now.

"Seth just tried to murder me,'' Rafferty whispered.

Rafferty was starving. Overnight, it seemed, her body realized it hadn't eaten in three days, and was demanding food, lots of it.

When she left her room in search of breakfast, Seth was waiting for her in the hallway.

"Hey," Rafferty said cautiously. She had no idea how this was going to go.

"Hey," said Seth. She sounded almost shy.

Rafferty didn't know what to do, so she did nothing.

Seth stepped forward, and held out of her hand.

"She would have wanted you to have this," Seth said, holding something between her fingers.

Rafferty reached out her hand to take what was offered. It was a paperclip. Katrin's special Blue paperclip.

"Thank you," said Rafferty. "Are you sure?" she asked, offering it back.

Seth nodded, and they both stood there for a moment.

"I'm sorry," said Rafferty, tears starting to fall again.

Seth stepped forward and folded Rafferty into her arms. Rafferty hugged back eagerly, realizing just how badly she wanted to make things right with Seth and Brianna. If that was even possible.

"Katrin was the best," Rafferty said, trying to stave off another full blown blubbering.

"Yeah, she was the best," said Seth.

Seth let go of her, and stepped back. Rafferty opened her mouth to say all of the things she wanted to say. Before she spoke, however, she realized that there was something on the back of her neck.

Something sticky.

Like gum.

Seth's explosive gum.

Rafferty reached for it, trying not to panic. If she rushed, she might not peel it off cleanly, and they'd be scraping what was left of her off of the J Hall walls.

She grabbed the edge of the gum, and pulled it deliberately off her neck. She flung her hand toward the other end of the hall, hoping that the gum didn't stick to her fingers.

Rafferty watched as the gum sailed down the hall, feeling a huge wave of relief. A moment later, there was a large blue explosion that shook the hall.

That relief was short lived as she felt Seth on her back. Seth's claws sliced into her flesh. Rafferty grunted in pain, and sank to her knees.

Seth forced Rafferty toward the ground, and continued the attack. Rafferty instinctively covered her head, but she felt the claws bite into her lower back again. Seth was yelling something, but Rafferty couldn't make it out. She was pretty sure most of the words were "bitch."

Rafferty thought the explosion might bring help. It was too late in the morning for Sheridan to still be around, but Cody or Blaspheme might be in their rooms. G Hall beneath them would have felt it too, but she didn't have that kind of time.

She rolled on her back, slipping past Seth's right arm as the B Hall girl just missed with another strike. Rafferty only had one thing going for her, and that was that Seth had totally lost her cool, and wasn't focused. Her strikes were wild and angry, and she hadn't used her position to pin Rafferty down.

If she had, well we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. I'm sure Leslie's gonna have a lot to say, Seth, losing your cool like that, negating your advantage. God, I think that's funny. Why do I think that's funny?

Rafferty pushed up with her hands as hard as she could, just to lift Seth a bit, and then snuck her feet under Seth's stomach and shoved. It didn't exactly launch Seth off of her, but it slid her down the hall a little.

She leapt to her feet and took a few steps down the hall to create some distance. The pain in her back was intense, and the steps weren't steps so much as lurches.

Rafferty turned around, and saw that Seth was already in a fighting stance. Needless to say, the situation wasn't great.

Rafferty was hurt, and didn't have a weapon. Seth, meanwhile, was geared up for a fight.

And Seth's an absolute menace in a close-up fight. In case you forgot.

There was only one option. She had to get to her sword. The sword was in her room.

To get to her room, she had to get by Seth.

Rafferty ran forward and delivered a kick to Seth's side. It was well placed, and it landed, but the other girl's chest plate absorbed most of the blow. Seth countered with a left handed swipe that drew blood on Rafferty's right side, and caused her to bend forward.

A moment later, her world vibrated with pain after Seth landed a violent head butt. Rafferty sank to her knees yet again. The door to her room was getting farther and farther away.

Rafferty was just trying to hold Seth off, the pain still making it hard to think, when she heard a click.

"I've never actually shot another Hunter in the head with this thing. I can't say I'm sure whether it will kill you, or just leave you a drooling vegetable for the rest of your life. If it's the second, I promise to come by and give you a sponge bath once a week. Wouldn't want you getting a fungus," said Blaspheme, her gun aimed at Seth's head.

Rafferty looked up, watching Seth decide whether or not she believed Blaspheme would actually shoot her. Apparently, she did believe it, because she put up her hands and backed away. After three steps, she turned and ran out of the hall.

Blaspheme turned to go after her, but Rafferty called her back. The last thing she wanted was for Blaspheme to get hurt.

Rafferty took Blaspheme's hand when it was offered, and let her friend pull her to her feet. Blaspheme was checking over her wounds, probably trying to decide if Rafferty was going to, you know, die.

"What took you so long?" Rafferty asked.

"I wasn't dressed yet. You know i don't fight until I'm pretty," Blaspheme joked.

Rafferty smiled, a little laugh escaping her lips. That made something her back hurt. A lot.

"You know you bled all over the hall, right?" Blaspheme asked, lifting up the back of Rafferty's shirt.

"Yeah. Blew up part of it up, too," Rafferty answered between shallow breaths.

"Not cool. If there's construction, I'm not rooming with Fawkes," said Blaspheme.

Rafferty laughed again, wincing through the pain, until a realization set in. Something she had know, of course, for the last few minutes, but hadn't felt really real until now.

"Seth just tried to murder me,'' Rafferty whispered.