Walking onto the Kansas University campus, a 19-year old from the upstate, Ruby going to her class, Materials and Process of Photography. It is one of the toughest courses that the students of KU would take for the photography major. Ruby is proudly wearing her red Big Jay v-neck shirt and wearing jeggings with her bright red converse. As she gets in class for the first time, she is greeted by this professor who is wearing this dark green blazer with a nice pair of khaki pants. She is the most beautiful professor that Ruby has ever seen. According to the website .com, she is the wicked professor in the university.

"Don't judge a book by its cover." Ruby thinking as she is looking at the professor, confusingly.

"Hello, students, my name is Professor Mills, and I will be teaching you all the process of photography." Professor Mills smiles.

"She isn't that wickedly bad. I better rat those students out for stating mean comments about this Professor Mills. Obviously, you don't know the truth about Mills!" Ruby scoffs.

"…I hate to tell you all this, but the half of you will fail this class by the mid quarter." Professor Mills continues to smile.

"WHAT?! That is kind of cruel to say this to students with that kind of confident! It's the wrong truth. Shit. The rates were right. My comment is withdrawn." Ruby gasps as most of the students murmur to each other, saying 'what, seriously?'

"I am joking, you guys, you should have seen your faces! It is priceless." Professor Mills giggles.

Each person in the room is relieved. Some students give an eye roll expression.

Ruby leans to the student on her left with a chuckle, "she's a funny one, isn't she?"

"Excuse me? I don't catch what you're saying." The guy says.

"She's a funny one, right?"

"I guess you're right about funny, but I ought to have a quirky feeling about that one, though." He says with an accent that Ruby is familiar with. "I like your accent. Where are you from?" Ruby wonders.

"I am from Planet Mars." He chuckles as it seems like he has been asked that question a lot.

"Smartass, aren't you?" Ruby chuckles.

"Why is this accent so familiar?!" Ruby is thinking hard.

"I hate to burst your bubble but the accent that you're hearing is…"

"….you two, what are you guys talking about?" Professor Mills interrupt the conversation.

Everyone in the room turn their necks and eyes are all on these two students.

"What is going on? Why is everyone looking at us?" He asks Ruby, as he leans on his right.

Ruby looks at him, and realizes something special about this guy, he has a shining brown hair that sleeks back and his eyes are crystal blue. He has some thick eyelashes that looks like it can be an eyeliner. His jaw line is so powerful. She realizes he is oddly handsome, she is wondering 'where the hell is he from? Why is he asking me what's going on? Why is this feeling so familiar?!'

The mysterious guy taps Ruby on the shoulder, "Earth to you. Welcome back."

Ruby looks around, people are still looking at them, then finally a guy comes in the room, panting.

"Hi, I am so sorry… that I am really… late!" He is trying to catch his breath. He takes out his water bottle out of his bag, and drink. He sits down next to Professor Mills, and start to use his hands to communicate.

The mysterious guy's eyes start to glow and uses his hands to gesture back to the guy.

"He is Deaf, no wonder why he has that accent. Dammit, I should have known he is Deaf because I had a best friend who moved away back to the West…no wonder why I have that feeling that is familiar. I should get in contact with her. I think of her every day." Ruby gets depressed at that thought and realizes how much she misses her best friend, Dorothy.

Thinking if she should be assertive and let him know that she can communicate in sign language after class or just say nothing?

After class

Ruby taps the mysterious guy on the shoulder as he is talking to his interpreter. She starts to sign "Hi, my name is R-U-B-Y. My name sign is the same sign for the color red because it's my favorite color and I have a dimple on my chin. I don't remember much sign as I used to but I want to practice again in order to communicate with Deaf people and maybe reconnect with my childhood best friend. Is that cool if I practice with you sometimes?"

The guy looks at her, and gives her a smirk.

"Hello Ruby! My name is K-I-L-L-I-A-N. My name sign is like the letter X because growing up, I'd get obsessed with hooks that my grandfather found when he was in the Navy, sailing to.." Killian stops right there and says "That is a story for another time. Anyways, it is very nice to meet you and I'd love to help you to practice. You sign very good for a person who doesn't remember much! How did you know sign before?" Killian asks.

Ruby blushes and begins to sign, "I had a best friend down the street where I was living in and she was Deaf. Her family was deaf as well. I learned sign from them and I was able to communicate with them smoothly until…" Ruby's heart begins to tighten, or is it the thought that is making her sad?

"….until what?" Killian curiously asks. "….or is that a story for another time as well?" Killian winks.

Ruby chuckles lightly and signs "Yes, another time for sure."

Killian takes his hand out and says "It is very nice to meet you, Ruby. I will see you on Wednesday or will you be stuck into your train of thoughts?"

"I will try to be here on Wednesday, smart ass!" Ruby takes his hand to shake and laughs.

Later that night

Ruby is on Facebook, staring at the screen for a long while. She is thinking the last time she saw Dorothy.

6 years ago

The phone ringing, Ruby's grandmother answers the phone.

"Hello, Granny speaking."

"Hi Granny - this is Dorothy, can I talk to Ruby? Go ahead."

Granny smiles and remembers Dorothy is using a teletype device so Granny would have to say 'go ahead' to let Dorothy know that she is done talking, "Hi there, sweetpea, of course, I will get Rubes for you. Go ahead."

Granny covers the receiver and shouts for the 13-year-old Ruby, "Dorothy is on the phone asking for you!"

"Got it, Gran, thank you!"

Picks up her red trim line phone, and says, "Hola Du, what's up, buttercup? Go ahead."

"Ru, I need to talk to you about something. It is important. Can you meet at our special tree house? Go ahead."

"Yes, of course, when? Go ahead." Ruby is concerned.

"In fifteen? Go ahead."

"Okay, see you in fifteen. Signal Killed." The phone line is dead.

Rub thinking "What is it possibly be that it is important?" Anxiety begins to overflow in her head. "Stop it, Ruby! Stop." Thinking to herself.

"Granny, I am going to go and meet Dorothy, I will be home before nighttime!" As she runs to the front door.

"Dinner will be ready by then! Tell Dorothy that I say hello!" Granny shouts from the kitchen.

"Will do!" Ruby quickly replies to Gran out to the door.

Ruby picks up her bike from the front yard, and starts to ride up the hill. Starting to have anxious thoughts so she paddles up faster to lose the thoughts. Little did she know that she is already at the tree house.

"Gee I should do this more often." Ruby whispers to herself. Scanning the place to look for Dorothy. "Where is she? It's already the 15th minute….." she continues to whisper.

There is a knock from above. Ruby looks up, and smiles. She begins to sign, "there you are! I was waiting for you for a while, you sneaky dog!"

"Climb up!" Dorothy replies.

Ruby climbs up the ladder on the tree quickly.

Finally, Ruby joins Dorothy to sit down, and Ruby signs "so what's the emergency that you couldn't tell me until this weekend? Better be worth it because I rode my bike here fast, I think I beat Lance Armstrong's Tour record!" Ruby laughs.

"Well, Ms. Lance Armstrong, I am really sad to say this but…" Dorothy pauses, and looks down on the wooden floor.

"But what? The suspense is killing me, and hearing people hate the suspense…. c'mon, you know that too!" Ruby gets confused.

"…..there will never be this weekend, or the next. I am sorry, my father found out that he got promoted and we need to move to the west…." Dorothy signs slow as she is saying these words.

"West? What? Can you sign that again, I am not sure if I understood you right, you said you're moving?" Playing dumb because Ruby doesn't want to believe what she is seeing from Dorothy's hands.

"You understood me loud and clear, Ru."

"No, that's not true, you're not moving away. I need you!" Ruby cries.

"I know, I even asked my dad…" Dorothy tries to sign clear as her emotions are stirring, "…if I can stay with you and Granny and he said no because there is a great school for the Deaf in the west. I have to go." Tears are falling onto Dorothy's rosy cheeks.

"No, no, I will fight with your dad and tell him you're staying regardless!" Ruby is sobbing as she is signing this.

Dorothy gets closer to hug Ruby tightly, and both cry together. "Why does this have to happen to me?" Ruby askes tearfully. "You're not alone, Ru. I feel the same way. I will miss this treehouse…" Dorothy chokes as she is trying to hold her tears back. "I will miss everything here, especially…" Dorothy pauses, "…you, Ru, I won't ever forget you. Promise me we will meet again?"

"I miss you already…" Ruby tries to catch her breath, "….and I promise we will meet again."

They hug harder than ever. They get back down to the ground and look at each other one last time. "This, I will miss the most, Ru, I love you." Dorothy has a tear falling down on her right cheek. Ruby comes closer to wipe Dorothy's tear away. "I will miss you so much, and I love you, too." They hug harder than the last hug. They knew it will be the last hug for a long while. Dorothy walks the opposite direction and turns to Ruby and signs something that Ruby will remember forever, but it makes her wonder why Dorothy, her best friend, signed that exact sentence. "Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth. This isn't a good-bye, Ru." Dorothy turns around and walks away. Ruby is puzzled by this quote – ""Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth. This isn't a good-bye."

What truth is she talking about?

Ruby looks at the screen on her Macbook Pro, and begins to search for Dorothy Gale. There is a list that has two Dorothy Gale. Ruby moves her mouse to click into the first Dorothy Gale on the list. She cannot believe what she sees on the screen!

To be continued….