Fishy, fishy, fishy, come swim in my sea.

Chapter 5: Secrets

A/N: Before we start, three things.

Please if you spot any mistakes, please point them out because I am a perfectionist and a stickler when it comes to the little details.

Next, a challenge, can you spot my chapter titling conventions for this book?

Finally, can you tell I studied a stage related topic? I just want to know.

Hope you enjoy. :)

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"Yuma, are you ok?" Tori asked as her friend re-joined them backstage to help tune the instruments and set up the music stands so they didn't slow things down. What Yuma hadn't realised, was that he had this glassy eyed, wistful, type of look. It disappeared at Tori's words, as Yuma came back down to earth. The huge smile on his face though, that stayed.

"I'm fine." Yuma answered, "I'm better than fine, actually. Just having a really good day. Did I miss anything?"

Tori, Bronk and Caswell exchanged worried looks. Yuma seemed too happy to them. But Yuma wasn't ready to tell them what had just happened. Partly because he wasn't sure Shark was ready either, partly because he was worried about his friend's reaction and partly because he wanted to see how things went on Saturday.

"Are you sure?" Bronk asked.

"Yeah, I'm just feeling the flow." Yuma smiled as he plucked the 6th string on the guitar he was tuning, waiting for the tuner to flash the right note on its screen, "But seriously, have I missed anything."

"Well um..." Bronk began, surrendering his information quest, knowing that if something was really wrong Yuma would tell them eventually, "Mr Fabio, you know the drama teacher, looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel when Ray walked. He had a black eye for some reason." Yuma plucked the 6th string too hard and it snapped.

"Really?" Yuma said reaching for the guitar bag to retrieve a spare string and an Allen key, to start changing the string. Yuma was glad for the excuse to hide his face, because was unable to stop the guilty, yet satisfied look that appeared on his face. His tone, to his surprise, sounded mildly interested.

"Yeah, you could hear the yelling from over here." Caswell said. Yuma wasn't surprised that the sound carried well in the theatre, since they were designed that way, even though theirs was the largest in the district. Yuma didn't point this out, so as not to wound his friend's pride. Although he thought Caswell, being the brains of their group, should have already known this.

"Yeah, Ray wouldn't say how he'd gotten his black eye, but he definitely didn't have one in 6th period maths today." Tori said thoughtfully. "Wonder why?"

"If you want my opinion, someone must have punched him." Caswell said, "Must have been a girl if he won't say anything. Too proud." Yuma was just finishing replacing the string, trying really hard not to admit to giving Vector his black eye, since Caswell thought it was a girl. Instead he focused now on tuning the string he'd replaced.

"I can't see why any of the girls in this school would want to hurt Ray," Yuma said, joining in so as not too look guilty. Even though he was sure they would find out eventually, "they all believe his fun loving, innocent act."

"Yeah," Bronk agreed as he finished wiping the spit valve of his clarinet, "Yuma has a point."

"I think it must have been one of the Barians." Tori mused.

"Why?" Bronk asked, confused, "I thought they all stuck together."

"They do," Tori said, "but Rio told me last weekend, while we were shopping, that Ray still enjoys pranking them. Especially Shark. Also Duman, who we ran into coming out of a book store, told me that only a Barian or someone from Astral World can injure a Barian."