Without Bot by my side, my room starts to feel like a prison again. I toss and turn on the bed for a while, but it never gets anymore comfortable. Eventually I give up on falling back asleep. It's already morning, anyway, although I doubt Mom and Dad will get up for at least another hour or two.

I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed, considering what to do. Well, what can I do? I could go downstairs and see Bot.

I get up and tiptoe over to the door. If I listen closely, I can hear Toothless growling softly, and sometimes Bot lets out a quiet chirp in response. Something's going on between the dragons, and I don't think I should interrupt.

Not sure what else to do, I decide to brush my hair. It gives my hands something to do, and it's pretty relaxing. My brush is on my desk again, and I still don't know why, but after running it through my hair for a few minutes, I start to feel better.

I walk to the window and take a deep breath of the crisp, morning air. The freshness of it helps me feel less caged in, but I'd still rather be anywhere else. I think of the warm summer days when Bot and I would spend hours playing in the lake, and I would always end up soaked by the splashes from his excited leaps in and out of the water. The memory makes me smile.

I bend down and lay my chest on the windowsill, stretching my arms out into the cool air. The sun provides some heat, and my arms start to warm up a little. It feels nice. I imagine myself glowing, radiating pure light. It makes me feel invincible.

Not too far above me, Terrible Terrors are perched on the roof, chirping noisily. I try to call one down to me, but they pay me no mind. "Aw, come on," I insist, and eventually one drops down next to me on the sill. I scratch its side, and it purrs happily. The purring reminds me of Bot, and I know I need to finalize the details of my plan. I need to show Mom and Dad that I'm responsible and trustworthy, as well as demonstrate how good Bot is for me. How I'm going to do that is beyond me.

After thinking it over for a few minutes, I decide that I can let Bot led me around for a bit while Mom and Dad watch, maybe have him fetch some things for me. That will show them how helpful he is and how good a team we make. I know they worry about me; they think I can't take care of myself because I'm blind. But if they see that I can take care of myself, that Bot can help me do just about anything they can do, they'll have to let him stay.

The Terrible Terror has had enough petting. It gets up, shakes off my hand, and is gone from the windowsill. "Go ahead," I say to it as it presumably flies back to the rest of its pack, "you're not cooped up here." I close my eyes and try to remember how it feels to be racing through the air on Bot's back, wind in my face and my hair streaming out behind me. The memory makes me feel good, and I start dreaming about a day when I don't have to sneak away to get to fly with Bot.

How great would it be if I could fly with Mom and Dad for once? It's nice flying just Bot and me, but we could have such a nice time flying as a family. I'm sure Bot would love the opportunity to show off to Toothless, just like I'd love the opportunity to show off to Mom and Dad. Dad was said to be the best dragon rider on Berk, but I feel confident that I've got a few moves he's never seen before.

A knock on the door startles me out of my thoughts. I stand up and turn to face the door as whoever is on the other side pushes it open.

"Good morning," Mom says, the emotion in her voice unreadable.

"Morning!" I return brightly. If this thing is going to work, I need to be agreeable; Mom and Dad are much more likely to let me keep Bot if we don't give them any trouble. "It's nice out. Are you and Stormfly going to go flying?"

"Not today," she says. "Your father had to go out and-" she cuts herself off, but I know what she was going to say.

"And you're staying home to watch me?"

She doesn't answer, and I think she actually feels bad about it. I know phrasing it like that makes it seem like I think she doesn't trust me, but that is what she's doing. I smile and tell her, "It's okay, I don't mind. I like spending time with you."

There's a momentary pause, and then she says, "I'm smiling right now." Her footsteps come closer, and then her hand is on my arm. "Come on, let's go have some breakfast."