Morgan Janssen's Story

Rebecca’s day had been a tad too weird for her liking. Generally all this moving around and insecurity was getting to her, nerves standing on end. She didn’t like it. The assembly earlier had been informal, and a tad worrying as well. As a woman who had been enrolled at first Arcana, then Noctrem, Rebecca had decent knowledge of the school differences, and she could just tell that this whole roommates-mess would be going south way too soon. Leo would’ve been better off changing them, but she supposed time was an issue too. She sighed, steadying the human sized punching ball she had been taking her frustrations out on, hugging it calmly. She’d gone down to the gym after the pop music from the student party going on had come to give her a headache. She wasn’t in a bad mood per se, but she was rather distracted and maybe a tad too pensive. She wasn’t the most social of people so instead of seeking out company, the female teacher had found her way down to her new favorite companion; the punching bag situated in the school gym. The only time she’d really ever find people to be around was Friday evenings.

Why Fridays? Well, those were the days Donny would leave her at her aunt’s to stay the night. Said aunt would always be passed out on the couch, and since she had been old enough to stop herself from being lonely on Fridays, she always had. Just one of the many twitches her brain did due to her past. She watched the red punching bag for a little while, before taking a few steps back, her body falling into that familiar stance; feet positioned about shoulder-width apart, left foot in front of the other, and her hands up near the sides of her face. Then, movements quick and practiced, Rebecca began a series; jab cross, stomp kick, jab cross, roundhouse kick, spinning back kick, jab cross… and so forth. The blonde kept right on going, her ponytail swinging wildly with every move. The teacher’s outfit was starting to absorb the sweat caused by her kickboxing moves and she had already removed the jacket. It wasn’t even a complicated series, but Rebecca recognized that she was a bit out of practice.

That was the thing with kickboxing; it wasn’t something you just did. You had to keep in perfect shape to keep up, and during their stay in the motel, Rebecca’s options had been rather limited. She had taken a run every morning, but she hadn’t been able to get near a decent punching bag, and she small ones boxers usually used would not do for kickboxing. Getting back at it felt amazing. Finally, after another ten minutes of constant jabs and kicks, the blonde, breathing heavily now, stopped, steadying the bag once more, a satisfied grin on her face, her body shining with sweat. “That’ll have to do for tonight,” she mused aloud, patting the punching bag before moving to pick up her jacket and sports bag. Then she padded into the dressing room, quickly washing herself down before throwing on her bikini. She put her hair back up in its ponytail, picked up her things and made her way down to the indoor swimming pool; the one intended for academic usage. Mostly because that was the better one when it came to actual swimming instead of playing around.

Rebecca dropped her things by one of the chairs before taking a swan dive into the pool, her body soon moving in its usual swimming pattern, switching between butterfly, crawl, and backstroke. By now she was so used to her preferred form of exercise that her body had begun remembering the movements by itself, which meant her brain was completely relaxed as her legs and arms brought her back and forth between each far end of the pool. In the morning she figured her mind might finally be ready to do some actual work. Which would be an advantage considering the party going on. If she knew her students, and she did, she was going to have a lot of managing to do. Steven wasn’t going to be happy with her sending so many students his way, but hey, he could take that up with Leo or at least someone who actually cared.

---

Drake merely took a sip of his whiskey before nodding slightly, his eyes capturing hers, when Ashy began talking, almost starting to lecture her. He didn’t say anything, but really he thought it amusing that the girl considering him and Erin more than friends. They were less than friends. That was the thing. She was a chick he fucked. Why did everyone think that meant he considered the girl a friend? Was that how it worked for everyone, because it didn’t seem that way to Drake. Then again, some were probably lying about the “friends” part. Hell, a lot of people did folks they didn’t even know. Was it then so wrong of him to fuck a girl he knew, but didn’t necessarily care about? Drake didn’t personally think so, but then again, his morality was oftentimes a tad fucked up. Anyway, Ashy trailed of easily enough, the outrage ebbing from her pretty eyes. Ah, sweet success. Sometimes people were a bit too predictable though. Especially little wallflowers like Ashleigh Fox. So easily manipulated by people who had even the slightest idea of what to do. This was child’s play to the male.

Slowly the look in her eyes changed, however, into something Drake recognized quite well. He couldn’t stop a seductive smirk from playing at his lips in response. So when Ashy asked him what he was doing to her, Drake chuckled easily, watching the familiar blush creep across her face. “Well,” he began, voice a seductive, dark purr, “that depends what you’re thinking of.” With that, he let his eyes do a tour of her body, just for effect, his smile growing once he reached her eyes again. At this point, the blonde dropped her gaze and Drake took the time to take a sip of his whiskey, feeling it glide its way down like silk. When the blonde looked back up, Drake smiled wryly. It was just too funny. She was going to check on Erin was she? Because Erin was her responsibility? That was bloody hilarious. “Well, you do need it,” Drake teased when Ashy asked him to wish her luck on handling his sister and Erin, especially if the two were going to be at odds now. Suddenly Drake felt happy to be in a different House.

Drake’s eyes had turned to watching the scene between Lulu and Jackson when he felt someone take his drink from his hand. Eyebrows raised, he turned his gaze to the thief; Ashy. Who… was actually taking a sip, probably mostly as a demonstrative gesture, because she sure didn’t look like she was enjoying it… considering the minimal sip she had taken. So when she commented, he laughed. He had to say the move surprised him a little, which only made it funnier. Of course on top of the fact that she looked like a stubborn child trying to take a stand with a parent because she wasn’t getting her way and wanted to be more “grown up”. “If that’s your point,” he countered easily, teasing her again, “you should probably drink the whole thing.” She quickly made her excuses after that and hurried away from him, more or less running off. He laughed again, not able to help himself. It was simply too precious. He watched her walk for a little bit before remembering Lulu and Jackson. The two had seemed quite tense for a bit there. Lulu looking uncomfortable, Jackson looking miserable. Now Lulu was leaving McKenna.

What the hell? Was everyone going to be miserable messes today? His sister, Erin, Jackson and Lulu, and he’d briefly noted Zac storming off, leaving a very drunk Mo. Well, Max was managing his sister, apparently, Ashy was going to try and deal with Erin, he could tell Alli was with Mo, but that was it. Jackson was off to himself and probably wanted to stay that way right now, and Lulu… well… he let his dark eyes follow her, and quickly gathered she was heading upstairs… with both Jack D and his rum. Someone wanted to get pissed, huh? She wasn’t getting drunk alone, he soon decided. He actually wanted her company back, and he was growing curious as to what had just happened. The male took his time drinking the rest of his whiskey, also giving Lulu the time to calm herself down a bit. Once he finished his drink a while later, Drake put a bit of money on the counter; tips for the bartender, but kept the glass as he followed Lulu’s path to the living quarters. He was counting on her being in her own room, which… probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do when you were drunk, considering how the place had splinters everywhere.

As he made his way to Lulu and Alli’s room, he thought things over. What did he even want with Lulu? With a bit of alcohol comfortably coursing through his blood, he felt his mind clearing somewhat. He knew he wanted Lulu’s company, he knew he wanted to treat her well make sure she didn’t get herself hurt. He also knew that he wanted to kiss her. Badly. Concluding on this, he gathered he was probably pretty into the girl. They were strange emotions that he wasn’t used to, but part of him liked the way it made him feel when he was with Lulu. He ran a hand through his hair just as he turned a corner, making Lulu visible. What was she doing on the floor outside her room? As he got closer yet, his pace picking up, he noticed her crying and surprisingly… it sent a stabbing jolt through his heart. Though that feeling too, was new, Drake knew what it meant; seeing Lulu like this wasn’t something he ever wanted to again. She had his rum practically glued to her lips too.

Instead of saying something though, Drake gently pried the alcohol from her hands when he reached her. He put the bottle and his glass down a little bit away from them and squatted down in front of her before he moved his hands up to brush the blonde hair out of her now moist face. “Lulu, what the hell are you doing?” He asked her, worry shining in his voice, his dark eyes taking on a considerable glint of concern too. He didn’t even care to cover it up; he just wanted the girl in front of him to feel better. Seeing her like this was also hurting him. He had no idea how to deal with any of this, but he was all she had right now, so he’d try. He was a piss poor excuse for a comfort, though, that much he knew, but maybe Lulu’s feeling for him would at least help him a little here. He moved both his thumbs up to wipe away her tears, looking into her eyes. “What happened?” The whole thing was disconcerting, because he had literally never cared when he had seen others crying. Never. Suddenly, just because it was Lulu, his heart was supposed to hurt with every beat?

If this was all there was to caring, why would anyone want it? Were people really slaves to their emotions this way?

Almost as soon as Ashleigh had made Zac aware of her presence, she regretted it. As soon as the reassuring words left the blondes mouth, she felt the male in her lap stiffen in response. This was so frustrating. Zac didn't want to hurt her, so he just buried his emotions inside himself whenever she came near... She wanted to help him and he was never going to let him do that properly. Ashy sighed. Men were confusing. 'Trust me not even the strangest sight I've seen tonight' She told the male, smiling down at him, reflecting back on the evening. Drakes...antics, Erin's friendliness? All of that was enough to make ones head explode. The truth was however, that with Zac, Ashy felt calm. She always had done since they met. He was a breathe of fresh air; a new perspective. Granted, they were silly together, but she had never once got angry at the male. It was true that he infuriated her when he hid things from her, but she'd learnt to live with it, as always.

'You do save me' She said quietly, resting her head on top of Zac's as he rested it on her shoulder, 'You just don't know it.' This was the truth. The thought of Zac and his disapproval of Sky had been enough to have the blonde walk away from the pyro, not just tonight, but other times before that. She ran her heads through her best friends hair, an action meant to sooth the recovering male on her shoulder; however it was equally calming for the blonde. She wboysanted to tell him about Drake, about how he made her feel inside and how much she hated it, but Ashy knew better than that. Zac had only just got out of one fit of rage; best not to start another one. Chances were, though she had never told him, Zac already knew. Ashy was rubbish at hiding things, she admitted it to herself, she doesn't feel comfortable talking about boys to a person she considered to be like a brother.

'Zac, that isn't true, you have other friends, not just me you silly donut.' Ashy stated, smiling down at Zac. She was trying to cheer him up a little, whatever Mo had said had hit him hard and she wanted to take his pain away from him; if making him laugh with crazy insults was the way forward, then so be it. 'You do i'm letting sleep alone tonight, right? Come stay at mine, we can watch crap movies, drink hot choco and reveal in the ice queens lair.' Ashy giggled to herself as she thought about her room mate. She was safe in the knowledge that Cor wouldn't be back tonight, or at least anytime soon. She was probably having sex with someone, if not several people by now, Ashy giggled again at the thought.

She jumped up, extending her hand out to Zac as he sat on floor, 'So what do you say? Gonna escort a lady home?' She asked him, a dazzling smile crossing her face.




'I also don't like people making reference to my height, didn't stop you there though, did it?' Jessica Coleman raised an eyebrow at Jackson, before bursting into more fits in giggle. Damm, What was happening to her? They had only met today and yet she didn't feel awkward or strange walking home with him. It was like the two of had known each other for years. Not to mention, the guy walking alongside her was incredibly handsome; he was well build, had incredible hair and the most amazing eyes. It wasn't even the colour that stunned Jess the most, it was the story that they told. Yep, she was defiantly tipsy.

There had been a very slight pause before Jackson had answered her question; shit. She'd ruined it, that atomspheare that she had enjoyed so much had just been shattered, all because she was too nosey. The brunette could have kicked herself. Then, Jack pulled her close. Normally, Jessica would have got out of the males grasp and asked what the fuck he thought he was doing, however now was different. She didn't feel afraid being this close to Jack, which sent alarm bells ringing in the back of the brunette's head. Before she could listen to them or respond to Jack's comment about his evening; his lips were on hers. She took a sharp intake of breath, surprised by this move. Soon enough however, she relaxed into his kiss. Her hand, which had naturally fallen onto Jack's back after he had pulled her in, were now making it's way up wards, so that it rested just behind his shoulder blades, her thumb playing with the nape of neck.

It didn't feel strange kissing a man she'd only just met; Jessica didn't know whether it was the alcohol she had consumed, but it felt.... right. For once, Jess didn't try to analyse what was happening, her mind was filled with the man who was kissing her. Jackson Murphy; nothing else, just Jackson. After a while, Jessica broke the kiss but stayed close to him, staring into the beautiful eyes of the male that had just kissed her. He looked happier now at least. Had that been her influence? [i] You couldn't make anybody happy [i] that dark voice in her stated. Jessica decided to ignore it. Instead, she shook her head slightly and smiled at Jackson, 'You are an impossible man Jackson Murphy.' She stated, before wrapping both her hands around his neck and kissing him once more.

When she had heard another female voice in the room, Jessica's head had snapped up. The site that greated her was a shocking one. It turns out that whoever shared a room with Jackson hadn't left party alone either. Lulu Allen was staring back at the brunette, looking bewildered and confused. Jess's eyes darted back to Jackson; he looked exactly how she felt. This was awkward. She had barely spoken to anyone who was in this room before and here she was, standing half naked in front of both them. This was definity a bad morning for Jessica Coleman.

'Jessica, please, find those god-dammed keys' She heard the frantic tone of Jackson's voice, but she had no sympathy for it. What did he think he was doing over here, writing a novel? 'I'm trying' she snapped, picking up one of his shoe from the floor and launching it in his direction. She understood his embarrassment; they were in the same boat. However, that was no excuse to treat her the way he was.. It took two to tango. He would do well to remember that.

Then, the male person beside Lulu stirred and she heard a voice that she recognized. Oh hell. She watched as Drake Quellen arose from the bed wearing... little more than she was. She stood up, her lips suddenly becoming a thin line on her face as she stared at the male in front of her. It made sense really, Drake was a self-confessed womanizer; the whole of Noctrem would think he was ill if he hadn't managed to pull someone last night. She watched as the male made a comment to Jackson, still handcuffed to the bed and then turned to her. She watched his eyes move up and down her briefly, 'Enjoying the view are we, Mr Quellen?' She asked acidly, not enjoying the way she was being observed like a piece of meat at market. She shifted a little as he brushed past her, lifting up his pile of clothes to reveal the blessed keys. What a complete prick. Then again, she didn't expect anyone in the room was surprised. 'And next time, don't be such a prick to your room mate, there's a good man' She replied to his comment, before striding across the room to collect her things. It was then that her eyes were caught on Jackson.

As she looked down at the man she had spent the night with, the brunette didn't have a clue what to say. She was pissed at him for treating her the way he had, but then again, she hadn't treated him amazingly well either. Plus, maybe Jackson mood was acceptable under the circumstances; she knew that Jackson was close to Lulu. To see someone violate your best friend like that? That would destroy anyone... She felt awful about what had happened. She almost wanted to say sorry to him, but reisisted, he had been willing. Simple as that. She stood up, grabbing her clothes from the night before. Then, she walked out of the boys room; running at a rate of knots back to her room.

She burst into her room, banging the door agianist the wall as she entered. She hadn't noticed a sleeping Mo in her room and frankly at this moment she didn't care. She was flustered, embarrassed and she felt like she crawling up in a ball and dying. Instead. she put her clothes in the laundry basket and strode to the bathroom, still dressed in Jackson's shirt. The brunette stared at herself in the mirror. She looked a mess, her hair falling out of the neat bun she had put it in last night and her eyes showing signs of tiredness. The brunette picked up a hair brush and started to sort out the mess last night had created. Well, the physical mess at least. That's when she noticed it. Right on her neck. A lovebite. Fantastic. Sighing, the girl exited the bathroom, not having time to shower, she stood in front of the wardrobe; deciding what to wear, preparing for the day ahead.



Ashleigh had been having the best sleep she had expierence in a long time; she always felt safer when someone was sleeping in her room with her. Besides Cor, that was. She had been slightly worried, when she had bought Zac back, that Cor was going to burst in and instantly judge her for having a male in their room. Not that she was in the best position to judge, mind you.

The two of them had been doing nothing untoward anyway, they had been watching films until what felt like the early hours of the morning, although Ashy didn't have much of a clue how the last one had ended. She must have fallen asleep. The blonde was then aware of a hand on her shoulder shaking her gently. She opened her eyes and gave a small smile, 'Mmm, good morning.' She said,looking up at the male she had shared a bed with. It sounded odd when she had said it like that, but that's how things were and it didn't feel odd for any of them.

Ashy was then aware Zac saying that he needed to go and get ready; why so soon? Something was wrong she could tell. She went to stop the male from leaving her room, but was the power of speech wasn't entirely with her this morning. She would ask him later how he was; though of course he'd say he was fine. She still hated the fact he hid his feelings from him, yet she told him everything. What was so bad that he couldn't tell her? Maybe she needed to talk to Mo and find out. She didn't want to go behind his back..but if he wasn't going to honest then so be it.

The blonde also felt the need to talk to Erin this morning at some point. She knew was going to be an impossible task with the girl probably being hungover and Cor being around, but she needed to check that she was ok, that she wasn't about to throw herself off a building generally.

Sighing, Ashy got out of bed, showered and got dressed quickly; she needed answers and she needed them now.

Mo was woken abruptly as Jessica stormed into the room. She winced as her head began to pound and her stomach twisted. "What the fuck, Jessica?" She groaned. She sat up groggily and nearly collapsed back into the bed. She felt like hell warmed up. She desperately tried to remember what happened, but she came up blank. Her headache definitely wasn't helping. Jessica came back into the room and stared at her closet. "Thanks for waking me, Jess," Mo said sarcastically as she tried to work up the strength to get out of bed. She wasn't in the mood for being nice.

She dragged her feet out of bed and put them on the floor. She managed to get to her feet. She wasn't exactly steady on them, and the fact that she nearly fell over her shoes definitely didn't help. She caught sight of herself in a mirror and realized that she was still wearing her dress. "What the freaking hell happened last night?" She muttered as she dragged herself out to the bathroom. There, she found a glass and filled it with water. Sipping it, she rested her head against the cool tiles. The last thing she could remember was... Checking her phone and ordering another drink. Everything went fuzzy after that. When her glass was empty and her head was still as bad, she found the box of paracetamol and swallowed two, before heading back into the bedroom. She didn't trust herself to stay awake or to even remain standing for a shower.

She opened her closet and stared at it blankly. Eventually she assembled an outfit and went into the bathroom to change. She dumped her dress in the laundry and ran her fingers through her hair. It was far from perfect, but she couldn't be assed to do anything with it. It would do her for today. She went back into her room and checked her timetable. Herbology first thing. Resisting the urge to collapse back into bed, she picked up her bag from the floor where it lay and took out her phone. She was almost dreading what might be on it, but there wasn't any new messages.

"Someone's very talkative in the mornings," She remarked, glancing over at Jess. Morgan sat on the bed, grabbing her iPod from her bedside locker. "Seriously, feel free to vent. My brain's not willing to take anything in this morning. I think it's gone on strike."



Alli rolled over to slap her alarm. She always liked to wake up relatively early, but it appeared she wasn't the only one. She jumped and nearly fell out of bed as she realized her roommate was in the room. Shoving herself up in the bed, she stretched. She raised an eyebrow as she saw her roommate rooting in her bag for something. "I might be stereotyping, but if you're looking for a hangover-related headache cure, there's some in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. There's some with caffeine in it, I think," She said as she climbed out of bed. She crossed the room to the bathroom and rooted briefly in the cabinet before stepping back into the room and throwing it towards her roommate. She didn't pay much attention to it. Her power meant that her aim was near perfect. "If you want the shower, you'll have to wait a few minutes," She called from the bathroom.

Alli came out of the shower a few minutes later with a towel wrapped around her. "Bathroom's free," She said simply as she turned to face her wardrobe. She pulled out an outfit and pulled it on. Dragging a brush through her hair, she turned to face her timetable where she had it pinned above her mirror. She had a free first thing. Her fingers played across her dressing table. She picked up her eyeliner, lipgloss and mascara and applied them carefully.

Make-up done, she went back to her bed and pulled out her laptop. She opened it up and waited for it to turn on. Her fingers tapped a rhythm on the keyboard. Her laptop simply wasn't complying, so she stepped into the cleanest part of the room and started her stretches. At the exact same moment as she lowered herself into the splits, her laptop decided it would be a good time to wake. She didn't bother getting up, simply reached and pulled it towards her. She rose into a standing position and went into her browser. Suddenly her screen froze. She swore at her laptop and hit it, even though her logic told her that neither would help. She hit a few keys on it and, when it still didn't respond, held the power button. It still didn't respond. Alli's morning didn't appear to be off to a good start. She had nothing to do until 9:15 other than her gymnastic routines, and even that would be a push.

Jessica sighed when she heard Mo's groggy, hungover voice from the bed opposite hers. She liked her roommate, she really did, but now was probably not the best time for the two of them to be in conversation; for fear of Jessica saying something she might regret. She turned around looking at the...extremely hungover mess that was Mo. She had got dressed. This was something that the brunette, who was still wearing Jackson Murphey's shirt, was still yet to achieve. She gave a sigh; she was going to have to give that back to him. The shame.

'Just your average morning at Noctrem,' She began sharply, 'I slept with a man I have barely spoken to, woke up with him pissed at me and then to top it all of, had a run with a basically naked Drake Quellen; isn't life just fabulous.' She finished sarcastically.

Sitting down on her bed, Jessica ran her fingers from her messy brunette. She hadn't even had time to talk to Jackson. But then again, what would she talk to him about. The incident with Drake and Lulu had, quite rightly, provoked a reaction out of him. Could she talk to him about that? Jessica remembered his reaction when she had asked him about the talk he had been having with Lulu the night before. He had been extremely closed off and that had been when he was intoxicated; what hope did anyone have of getting any sort of feeling out of him now? Jessica turned back to her roommate 'It's just one big mistake, Mo.' She muttered, before promptly getting changed into an outfit. Nothing too fancy, but to it showed that she meant buisness to anyone that questioned her; which would be everyone. God, today was going to be tough; she needed something to take her mind off of all this. She needed to have some fun. With that, the brunette promptly pulled her phone out of her pocket and start tapping a message;

To: Sky :D
We need to talk... or get drunk; whatever gets me out of this foul mood
From: Jess xxx

Smiling to herself, Jess tucked her phone back into her bag; Sky would know how to cheer her up. The two of them were extremely close and despite his apparent addiction to sex, the brunette couldn't fault the pyro. They had fun; just not too much fun.

Jess then looked back up at Mo, 'Mo, what happened to you last night?' She asked. She had remembered her having a arugment with Zac, Zac storming off and Mo being dragged away but the master mind that was Alli Jackson. It seemed to the brunette that she wasn't the only one who had experienced some drama last night.

"Just your average morning at Noctrem. I slept with a man I have barely spoken to, woke up with him pissed at me and then to top it all of, had a run with a basically naked Drake Quellen; isn't life just fabulous?" Jess spoke with an edge to her voice that Mo vaguely recognized as sarcasm. Before Mo had decided on a smart retort, Jess was speaking again. "Mo, what happened to you last night?" Mo shrugged. "I vaguely remember orange juice. And... Oh shit. Vodka. Not a-freaking-gain." She groaned, doing a face plant into her pillow. "I never drink, so I get drunk easily. And I can never remember what I do. Shit, I could have done anything. Well, at least I woke up alone, fully dressed in my own bed." She looked helplessly at her roommate. "Were you with... Who were you with again? Were you in their room all night or can you help with my predicament?"

Just then, the full realization of what Jess had said kicked in. "Wait. You argued with Drake- naked?" She had a hard time not laughing as she got the mental image. "His roommate is Jackson, ri- Oh. That's who you were with, isn't it?" Morgan sat back, thinking it all through. She liked Jess, she genuinely did, but Jackson was like the big brother she'd never had. She knew last night had probably been nothing more than an alcohol induced fling. She knew that there was probably nothing to it, but she worried that there was something more and that Jackson would be left broken-hearted. Morgan didn't want to see that happen, and she couldn't help but think, "I'm not going to let it."

"So, anyway... What was your argument with Drake about?"" Morgan asked to fill the silence. Her natural curiosity emerged. Drake was forever flirting with Morgan, as he did with every female entered the room, but she couldn't help but like him. "And who did he bring back last night?" She pondered out loud. The gossip took her mind off of her hangover. Her stomach felt like it had been through five rounds with two champion boxers, both of which had a personal vengeance against it, and her head had begun to swim once again. She grabbed a bottle of water from her bedside table and took sips from it, trying to ease her headache. The paracetamol hadn't had much of an effect, it appeared. She rooted in her drawer for the packet she always kept there, just in case. She took another, swallowing it with her water. The water was a little stale, but it was better than nothing. Food probably would have helped, but her stomach twisted at the mere thought of food. She wanted nothing more than to just sleep away her hangover, but she also wanted to find out exactly what the hell had happened- both to herself and everyone else.



Alli heard a beep behind her and swiveled to face her laptop. It had unfrozen and was back to it's regular working pace. "Huh. That's... Lucky." She grinned at her roommate. "Thanks." Her roommate sat back and began to explain her power.

"I can manipulate probability, make things more or less likely. My parents loved it when I made them a million dollars in one weekend rigging games within the casino. But I prefer to help people, beat the odds, avoid the bullies. It comes down to understanding chance, and when and where it applies. By the way, do you know where there are couches here at Arcana? I’m trying to figure out where I was last night and I was brought somewhere…with couches?" Alli frowned and thought. "Well, there are the house common rooms, the game room and then just the general common rooms upstairs. I don't think there's anywhere else. Any of them could be likely, if I'm honest. They'd all be empty when there's a party. And your power seems... interesting, to say the least. The most impressive thing I can do with mine is this." She removed her shoes and stepped into the middle of the floor. Performing a perfect handstand, she used her feet to pick up a ball from the foot of her bed and balanced it on her feet. "Not exactly the most exciting thing in the world, but they reward it at the Olympics. My parents have been trying to persuade me to go for them since I was six, for essentially anything involving aim or balance. It doesn't help that I've got a gymnast's stature. Essentially, I'm short." As she spoke, she lowered the ball back to the floor and got to her feet.

She shoved her feet back into her boots and laced them up again. "Anyway, enough about me and my big dreams. What do you do in your spare time? Besides irritate Quellen, that is," She spoke with a teasing glint in her eye. Anyone else would have thought through their words a little more carefully, but Alli was as blunt as a bag of wet mice. She saw no point in being fancy with her words, and if she wanted to wind someone up, she wasn't going to try and hide it.



Zac put down his guitar as his phone vibrated beside his bed. He leaned over to pick it up, and a small smile crossed his lips as he saw who it was from.

want a partner in smashing those drums, buddy? my roommate thinks I'm a stalker cat
-Loren

He chuckled a little to himself as his fingers flew over the keyboard in reply.

Come on over, kitty. Meow. =^.^=
-Zac

Loren had been his friend for as long as he could remember. They had been friendly as children, but then Zac's own family drama had kicked off and they had grown apart. Finding her again at Arcana had just been... amazing. Their friendship had grown to new heights, and just over two years ago, Zac had realized that he... He was falling in love with her. And once he had realized that, he fell all the faster and all the harder. He adored all of her adorable little ways. If it was anyone else, he would hate them for being able to read his mind, but with Loren, it was just another thing to love. She was yet another person he couldn't burden with his past, but she knew something had happened to him. She knew more than a lot of people, mainly because she could get inside his head, and sometimes she read what he was thinking without him meaning to let her.

He looked around his room. It was relatively tidy, so he left it. His roommate didn't appear to be that untidy, which was a good thing. Not that Loren, or anyone else, for that matter, would care. He briefly checked his email on his phone. He then went onto YouTube and loaded Chris Kamrada's cover of "Kids" by Sleigh Bells. It was such an awesome video, and always got him in the mood for a decent drumming session. He cracked his knuckles and winced a little, shaking his hands. He then waited for Loren to arrive, tapping out a pattern on his knees.

'Ah, the old vodka hangover, I feel your pain my friend.' Jessica gave a small, sympathetic smile The Noctrem student had woken up with many a hangover, and Vodka was nasty stuff; stupid Russian people. Jessica then watched as the Mo thought out loud to herself, cottoning on to the fact that the brunette had been with Jackson last night.. She knew the two were friends, close friends by the actions of yesterday. Yet another side to this fucked up cube of her problems.... She didn't want her actions of stupidity to come between her and her roommate. 'I watched him storm out of the party last night, I was curious more than anything...' Suddenly Jessica felt a little uncomfortable around the blonde sitting next to her... ' He came onto me.' She finished pathetically, staring down at her lap.

It was then that she heard a knock at the door signalling Sky's arrival. Taking an inward sigh of relief, she walked towards the door. 'Well he had his boxers on and I had Jack's shirt on; anyway there are worse sights to look at in the morning.' She shrugged off, mentally slapping herself in the face for her last comment. If the Quellen male could hear her now. She could just see the smug grin on his face. Jessica chose to ignore her room mates questions about the content of the argument and the girl Drake had brought back. Answering the argument question would just be embarrasing and she wasn't sure poor Mo needed to know about the Irishman probably still strung up to his own bed as they spoke. Secondly, Jessica was never one for gossip or fueling it. Despite having never really spoken to anyone in that room other than Drake before this morning... she did have a small amount of respect for their dignity; espeically poor Lulu, although she still hadn't quite figured out that situation yet.

Finally, she wrenched the door open to see an extremely handsome and hyperactive Sky staring back at her. He looked reasonable this morning; despite the fact the brunette had no doubt the pyro had got into just as much trouble as she had last night. She put on a mock disapproving look, putting her hand on hip and staring at Sky. 'Why are so cheerful and dapper this morning when I know for a fact you cosumed more alcohol than me last night?' She cocked her head in a questioning look, before a smile crossed the brunette's face. 'I'm joking, if you weren't cheerful... i'd be worried' She told the pyro, hugging him tightly. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in his scent, 'You smell nice.' She told him quietly.

'Well he had his boxers on and I had Jack's shirt on; anyway there are worse sights to look at in the morning.' Jess said as someone knocked on the door. Jess crossed the room to answer it. "I'll second that." Mo said, grinning as Jess opened the door to Sky. The two embraced, and Mo waited until they broke the hug to say, "Hey Sky. I'll catch up with you at some point today, Jess. Hopefully fresh air will help my headache." She slipped between the two and headed downstairs.

It was still early, but the air was warm on Mo's bare arms. The fresh air helped a little, but she still felt like crap. At least her head was a little clearer. She took out her phone and considered texting someone to find out exactly what she had done, but something held her back. She got the feeling that whatever she had done would be better faced in person, and not from the glare of her phone screen.

She decided to head back inside and go to the cafeteria for some food. Her stomach still didn't feel that great, but it was possible food would settle it. The cafeteria was still quiet when she got in. The smell won over her stomach, and she grabbed a pre-assembled fruit salad and yogurt. She flopped in a seat towards the back of the cafeteria and started eating.

The food was good, as usual. But Mo's mind wasn't on it. She was desperately trying to remember what had happened. She could vaguely remember a shouting match, but with who she couldn't remember. The more she thought about it, the more her head hurt. But she felt like the name was on the tip of her tongue, and she couldn't get it out. She remembered almost falling over her own heels as someone shoved her bag back into her hands. She heard a voice say jokingly, "You have zero alcohol tolerance." But she didn't know whose voice it was. She groaned out loud, putting her head on the table.

The voice was American. So it was someone who had practically been born and raised in America, possibly California. And it was male. Right, so, her list was down to, um, most of the guys in Arcana and Noctrem combined. She brought up the memory of stumbling over her shoes and tried to remember what the hands were like. There was a cut on the palm of one of them. Great. If she examined the hands of every guy with a Californian accent in Arcana, looking for a cut, she might narrow down her list a little. She felt like banging her head on the table. Except that might worsen her headache and give her a concussion, which definitely wouldn't help her remember anything.



"Truth be told I don’t find myself with a lot of time on my hands. I’m often paying attention to other people, trying to make some crisis better for them. Of course, I get into trouble when I get retributive on the bullies. Hence Quellen and the rest…" Alli nodded. It made sense, she thought. "I'm better at giving people bad luck in all honesty. I don’t know why. Probably has to do with my brother…" Alli was about to ask, when her common sense intervened. Something told her that that was a discussion for a different day. There was something there that the other girl probably didn't want to talk about. Alli had hung around with people and observed them long enough to know that much. "What about you?" Alli thought. Gymnastics always took pride of place in her mind, but she had other interests. "Well, obviously there's gymnastics. Science kinda runs in my family as well. Both my parents are scientists and I've got an interest there. I like to read as well, just about anything I can get my hands on. That started when I was a kid. I was always the same. My guilty pleasure has got to be spy movies. James Bond, Mission Impossible..."

Alli trailed off, not quite sure what to say. She didn't usually talk about herself. She didn't usually talk, period. She was more the listening and observing type. She had her select group of friends, and wasn't the best at meeting new people. She hadn't considered the fact that she would have to talk about herself when the Noctrem students came. She had figured that she'd be rooming with another Arcana student, someone who would already know her. She had planned on ignoring the Noctrem students as much as was possible. Evidently, that wasn't going to be possible any more. But what else was she to say? Tell Lulu about her childhood? The medals she had received? When her power had become obvious? What her favourite colour was and why? There was so much for someone to know, and Alli couldn't decide what to tell her. She didn't want to say too much, but she wanted to say enough and not seem cold.

"Yeah, I'm not sure what else to say. I'm not exactly the best when it comes to talking about myself. I'm usually the one in the corner who's watching everybody, trying to piece together their personalities purely by watching and observing their behavior. That's another hobby of mine, I suppose. Although it's more a habit. I get bored and read psychology articles online. That's the type of person I am, I suppose."

Ashy had been worrying; not an uncommon activity for the blonde. Today was the first day of her being house captain.. to a bunch of frankly scary people! Ashy rationalised herself; they weren't that scary, well at least not all of them. She had Zac, he'd be there for her,he'd make sure she didn't get hurt...wouldn't it? The blonde was disconcerted by the manner in which he had rushed off this morning, why leave so soon? Was something wrong? Had she upset him? Ashy started to fiddle with the skirt of her outfit she worried far too much about her close friends. It was going make her ill and she knew it.

She never used to be like this; when she was a child Ashleigh Fox was quite the show girl. She'd always been dancing round the living area to music that she heard in her head. Her nanny used to tell she'd be part of the Royal ballet one day.. Then some idiot had to ruin it all.

Ashleigh sighed as she remembered that moment; throwing the water at her fathers face and being outcast from her family from that moment on. Thats when the worrying had really started; when she couldn't see her brother anymore. Ashleigh absent-mindedly ran her fingers thought about how he was? She hoped he'd been loved by the family, unlike her; she also hoped he'd been allowed to become sucessful; unlike her. She'd tried to contact him several times since she'd been at Arcana, but had never had a reply. She suspected that her mother and father were hiding the letters from him.

Saying that, life hadn't been all that bad since she'd started at Arcana. She'd still been able to dance and she'd actually been praised for it, several times. It felt good to be told what you were good at for once. Plus, she'd met some really good friends here; Zac and Mo for example. Maybe she'd talk to Mo about Zac's weird behaviour this morning. Striding across the room, she walked into the bathroom, using the mirror to attach her hair clip. One thing that she'd kept from living with her family was the idea that image was everything; especially when it came to proving yourself.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Ashleigh's heart stopped. What if it was someone for Cor? What was she going to say? She didn't actually have the faintist idea where her room mate was...which was perhaps naive of her. Taking a deep breath she pulled open the door. What she saw on the other side of the door had given her a shock. A tall man with scruffy flaming red hair and a guitar strapped around upper body. 'Ben.' Ashy whispered quietly. He'd been gone for almost the whole day yesterday, leaving her in the woods, upset and hurt. He hadn't been at the party last night either, where the hell had he been?! 'Come in.' She told the man she loved quietly, closing the door behind her.

'Where have you been?'



It felt safe in Sky's arms. Jessica and the male had been friends since they started at Noctrem all those years ago. They always had great times together and Jess felt she could truly be herself around him, maybe it was because of his slightly camp air. She cracked a small smile at the thought, before pulling away from the male. 'Most people would think you'd smell like smoke, because you're fire man, but you don't.' She confirmed with him. Yup, she was definity going insane this morning.

'Your aunt must be a millionaire!' The brunette exclaimed. Going out to dinner with Sky sounded like the perfect idea to keep her mind off things... but there was a niggling thought at the back of her mind. If she skipped classes today, she wouldn't be able to defend herself agianist the rumors that would no doubt be circulating already. Her absence could also be seen as a sign of weakness. 'That all sounds great Sky, but I have a reputation to hold up today...' She told him quietly,' Walk with me?' She added, shuffling closer to the pyro and closing her bedroom door behind her. She needed to tell Sky what had happened last night. She felt like she owed him an explaination in person before he found out through a third person. Because the truth was, Sky and her were extremely close and she got the impression sometimes that he wanted more. he won't after you've told him what happened last night, she thought darkly to herself.

Sighing, the brunette took a peak over her shoulder, looking for any sign of the people she'd woken up this morning. She didn't want Jack to think she was some sort of slut. Hell, why did she care?! She'd only known the man five minutes. She needed to talk to him. Today. But... it would just be awkward and she knew it.

Turning back to Sky, she took a deep breath. 'Sky, you're not going to like this and i'm sorry for doing this to you... but I didn't something really stupid last night...' She paused, biting her lip to stop herself from crying.

'Sky I slept with Jackson last night.'

Morgan lifted her head suddenly. She had- Nope. Gone again. On the upside, her headache had just about cleared and her stomach had settled. She felt almost back to her regular self. She stretched and yawned, getting to her feet. Her phone vibrated gently in her pocket as she got to her feet. She pulled it out and headed outside for a breath of fresh air. she read the text as she walked, her mind on the phone and not her surroundings.

You're so naive, Morgan. I'm not going to go away. I'm going to be here forever.

Just like your power.

-Jake

It felt like someone had hit her in the chest with a brick. She sank to the ground. It looked like she was at the clearing used for battle training. Things were much worse than she thought. She... She never thought he would know. She had been so careful, so cautious, and it had all been futile.

Why was he only bringing it up now? She had been at Arcana for almost three years now. She hadn't had as much control over her power in her early teens as she did now. It looked like that was when her caution had slipped and her power had revealed itself...

She could remember the night of their first date like it was only yesterday.

"You look beautiful tonight, by the way." Jake had told her, the light reflecting off of his blonde hair. She blushed and looked at her shoes. "Thanks." She looked up at him, a small smile on her face. He held out his hand and she took it. Together they stepped out onto the ice. At first, they had tried to impress each other, but when they had both realized that neither of them could skate, they gave up and simply focused on remaining upright. They hadn't done very well and ended up on their behinds several times. They had then went and got dinner. "So, do you know what you want to do when you leave school?" She had asked over their pizza. He laughed, and the wonderful sound of it made her smile. "Morgan, I barely know what I'm going to have for dessert. What about you?" She had smiled a little. "I'm going to teach. I'm going to teach people like me." He raised an eyebrow. "What, pretty girls who aren't smart, can't ice skate to save their lives-" She had laughed and swatted him on the arm. "-but who still manage to be amazing?" She had looked at her plate, a blush lighting her cheeks.

He had walked her home, taking her hand. "I'd love to do this again." He had told her on her doorstep. She had laughed. "I don't think my body could take that," She had replied. He laughed. "No, I mean me and you... together. Would...would you like that?" She had nodded, unable to speak. He had given her a small kiss on the cheek, before walking away.

Morgan felt a fiery determination inside of her. She hit reply.

Oh yeah? Well, if you know what I can do, then you should know that there are a hell of a lot more people out there, just like me, but three, four times as powerful. You want to come get me and make me pay? Come find me.

She got to her feet and stormed back to the school, engrossed in her own thoughts.



Alli stared at the lacy red thong on the ground. She felt a strange mix of revulsion and a desire to burst into laughter. The result was a smothered laugh. Lulu's reaction, however, sent her into howls of laughter. She had trouble getting her breath back- and every time she did, another wave of laughter hit her. She leaned against a couch as she tried to recover. A glance at the thong send her into laughter again. She sank to her feet, her sides aching.

"I...I take it that's not yours then?" She finally managed to recover enough to speak. She stood up and glanced along the couch. The waves of laughter tried to get out as she noticed something on the couch. She held them up, laughter breaking out again.

"Oh, Miss Allen, I think you're going to kill me with laughter." She said, wiping her eyes. "Aw, dammit, you made me ruin my eye make-up!" She laughed in mock anger. "Listen, I need to head back to my room. I need the, ah, little girls room. I'm not running out on you if... they aren't yours, I promise." She said, rubbing her hands together.

She headed back upstairs, her sides still hurting. She wasn't quite as observant as she should have been. She headed into the bathroom, grabbing her eyeliner on the way and locking the door.

Morgan shoved her phone into her pocket, smiling a little. She had just made it out of the forest when the earth began to shake, knocking her feet from underneath her. She was a New Yorker, born and raised, and it took her a moment to place that it was an earthquake. Panic moved her feet, not sense. She desperately tried to remember the various earthquake drills Arcana had run. She remembered something about getting to an open space; and so she ran, heading for the front lawn. She kept glancing at the sky, making sure she wasn't running under power lines. She stopped, glancing around her, when she reached the front lawn. She took a breather, her eyes unable to leave the school.

The building was old, and she wasn't altogether sure of how stable it was. Her worst fears were confirmed as she saw parts of it start to collapse. Her common sense was the only thing that stopped her from running into the building to help people. She knew it would be foolish- if she wanted to help, it made more sense to do so out here, where she wasn't endangering herself.

She remembered that as being one of the first pieces of advice her father had given her before coming to Arcana. They had flown from New York to San Francisco together, him having some business in the city.

They had been watching the safety demonstration. Her father had said, "You know why they tell you to put on your own mask before helping others?" She had just looked at him. "'Cause if you didn't, you'd pass out in around thirty seconds. That's always something to remember, Mo. As selfish as it may seem, never endanger yourself to help others."

She found her feet planted in the ground, unable to move. She searched the faces anxiously, hoping to see the familiar faces of her friends. She found herself holding her breath as time passed, and made herself remember to keep breathing.



Zac grinned at Loren as she began to pick out rhythms to his idle drumming. Her rhythm matched his perfectly. However, it couldn't last forever. The earth began to shake, knocking him from his stool. Zac had lived in San Francisco in his entire life. He knew exactly what it was. He looked up at Loren, fear in his eyes. "GET DOWN!" He yelled. Before he knew what he was doing, he had grabbed his acoustic and thrown himself across the room, tackling Loren and wrapping his arms around her, trying to keep her safe. His breath left his lungs in a rush as he hit the ground. He glanced around the room. Everything began to topple from the shelves.

So much was happening, Zac couldn't pinpoint just one event. He just held Loren and his guitars close and waited it out. He cried out as a sickening pain exploded in his left leg. Shortly after that, the shaking appeared to stop. He pushed himself up and gasped as a fresh wave of pain ran through his leg. There was no way in hell he could get himself out. His legs were pinned under what looked like his collapsed desk and while there was only minor pain in one, the other was excruciating to move. He shook Loren gently, hoping she was conscious. "Loren." He tried to shift himself slightly. "Loren." The pain was bringing tears to his eyes. Thankfully, she seemed to be conscious. "Loren, my legs are trapped." He told her, keeping his voice steady and calm. He was freaking out inside, but he had to keep calm. He had to keep calm for her. He looked her in the eyes. "You've got to pull me out."

"I think my leg is broken. You've got to promise me that no matter what, you're going to get me free. If I cry out, hell, if I scream, you keep pulling. Then I'm gonna get us out, I promise." He wrapped his hands around hers and stared her straight in the eyes. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but he couldn't find the words. At night, they came so easily, flowing onto the paper. Before his roommate had arrived, he would often stay awake at night, writing songs. Not all about Loren... but there were a few sheets of paper tucked into the drawer in his desk with her name written at the top. He had left them there, just in case anything happened to him. Nothing he could say right now could sum it up. There was silence for a few seconds, then he dropped her hands. He lifted himself up, gasping, and freed his guitar from underneath him. He slid it towards her. "I'm not going to be able to carry that out."

Zac was almost amused by the fact that his acoustic guitar had emerged without even a broken string, while his legs were pinned and one was probably broken. He couldn't see his electric, but he was willing to bet it had emerged unscathed as well. There was something almost ironic about the situation.

He pulled himself out as far as he could. It was a painful procedure, punctuated by gasps of pain. His hips were free, but something below his thighs was caught and unwilling to release him. He reached out and took Loren's hands. "Remember, keep pulling." He said, looking straight into her eyes. "On three. One, two...

Three."



Chris almost fell into the swimming pool when the first tremor rolled through the ground. He had lived in San Francisco long enough to recognize an earthquake. He stared at the school in horror. He started to run, his body instinctively imitating the form of an Olympic sprinter. He pulled off his sunglasses as he ran, shoving them into his pocket. His lengthened pace meant he got to the school quicker. A few students appeared to be already gathered outside, but he ignored them, flying up the steps like his life depended on it. Which was ironic, in a way.

He stopped as he entered the lobby, taking the opportunity to catch his breath. Students were staring to filter out. Chris could sense the panic. He glanced up the stairs. Four years at Arcana, five at Stanford, and there had only ever been minor earthquakes. This was a big one. He remembered the nights following the earthquake drills, when he and Amy had joked about being the only survivors-

Amy. Chris bolted up the stairs like a sprinter from the starting blocks, taking them three at a time. He swung towards the teacher's wing, sprinting for Amy's room. He hadn't a clue in hell where it was, but he was going to find it.



Alli dried her hands on a towel and turned around to face the mirror. She picked up her eyeliner and leaned in towards the mirror. As she lifted the kohl pencil to her eye, the earth began to quake violently. She clutched the counter, remembering every single earthquake drill she'd ever had. She knew she should try and get to her desk, but she wasn't moving while the tremors continued. Things began to crash to the floor around her. It took all of her self-restraint not to duck to the ground and cover her head. She had experienced smaller quakes in her time, having lived in San Francisco all her life. But this... This was worse than anything she had ever felt. Even she was in danger of losing her balance. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the counter. She glanced around the bathroom. The mirror didn't look too stable. Nothing seemed to be entirely safe. Dread filled the pit of her stomach as she remembered that she had locked the door. If anything happened, she was trapped. Suddenly, there was a crash and the sound of shattering glass. Alli barely had time to register that the mirror had shattered before shards of glass flew towards her. Pain exploded in her stomach. She stared in horror at the long, jagged shards of glass protruding from her stomach. The quaking stopped. Alli pried her fingers from the counter- and crashed to the ground.

She had never felt so much pain. And blood... There was so much blood. It looked like the shards of glass had moved when she hit the ground, worsening the injury. She glanced up at the door. She stretched out and pulled herself towards it, crying out in pain. She reached for the key, desperately trying to twist it. As she reached, she started to remember little things. Remember and regret. She could see the application form for the Olympic trials. She saw the face of the guy who had genuinely liked her and who had asked her out- and she had turned him down because she thought he had been taking the piss.

She looked at her stomach. The blood pool was growing at an alarming rate. She could feel her consciousness slipping. She reached a little more for the key, silently cursing her short arms. She could feel herself fading fast. As she stretched, more pleasant memories came to mind. She remembered the pride on the faces of her parents when she won her first national medal. The look of amazement on the faces of the six and seven year old kids when she had done a demonstration at her local grade school. The memory of her first kiss...

The starry sky above their heads. The warmth of his jacket around her shoulders. Eyes that were the colour of clouds before a storm. Long, dark, eyelashes. The smell of his aftershave. The faint taste of salted popcorn on his lips. The way it felt...

Her fingers gripped the key. She twisted it. But she knew inside that she was gone beyond help. The blood pool was too big. She closed her eyes.

As she faded, she could taste salted popcorn.

"I'm in so much pain. I think it compressed my disk and I’m in withdrawal from painkillers." Her words sent a ripple of concern running through Chris. It made the blood running down the side of his face and the ache of his shoulder seem like a trivial thing. He didn't know what to say. "I don’t know if I want to move, but I can’t stay here. You can’t stay here." He nodded and tried to think of what to say. But still, he couldn't. He was frozen until her next words. "Pick me up," She blurted out. And that was the catalyst he needed. She seemed to know exactly what his problem was, judging by her next words. "Keep moving Chris. I can’t move you for you right now." As gently as he could manage, he slid one arm around her back and the other under her legs and lifted her. "I've got you." He wasn't sure if he said it to comfort himself or her. He didn't know why his thoughts were so muddled. Perhaps the adrenaline in his system was only of benefit when he was moving.

His theory was confirmed as he lifted her as gently as he could. His shoulder flared as the muscles worked, but he didn't allow himself to falter. He held her as close as he could, hoping it would be of some comfort. The office was an assault course. Lucky for both of them, he had always been good at them. He navigated the treacherous room, keeping Katia as steady as he could as he moved.

Once they were out of the office, he had a clear shot to the door. The temptation was there to run, but that could cause too much pain to Katia. He thought only about his actions, and not about anything else. He was suddenly focused, predicting every move, every step he would need to make. The doors were open, and the breeze of fresh air that ran through the reception was like a gift.

As he made it out of the building, he suddenly realized that the students would possibly find this a talking point. The new PE teacher carrying the new Dance and Drama teacher from the building? As if there wasn't enough gossip.

Chris gently set Katia down on the ground. His lungs then took the opportunity to rid themselves of all the dust that had accumulated in them, and he turned away, coughing. As soon as he caught his breath, he turned to Katia. "You know what I'm like. I'm going back in. I've got to get the students out." Another wave of coughing overtook him. "Don't make yourself any worse. Help is probably on it's way as we speak." And with that, he got to his feet.

As he turned to look back at the school, he swore to himself. Add a hero complex to my list of faults. He thought, but he was already in the building.

Was it just him, or was there screams coming from the cafeteria? He ran towards it, shivers starting to run up his spine. His fears were confirmed as he saw what lay within. He froze, desperately trying to assess what to do first.

"EVERYBODY CALM DOWN!" He bellowed. Well, they know you're a teacher now anyway. "Right! Buddy up!" Seriously? "If there's someone near you that needs help getting out, help them! Do not pull anybody! You risk worsening their injuries! If you want to move someone who's trapped, let me know and I'll see what I can do! Get going!"



In the midst of the chaos, somewhere, Adele's Set Fire To The Rain was playing. It sounded so out of place- at least, until she realized it was her phone. She pulled it from her pocket, raising her eyebrows as she saw the caller ID. Her dad.

"Morgan?" His voice was uncharacteristically frenzied. Her laid-back attitude had been inherited from him. "Dad? I'm fine, Dad-" He cut her off, something he'd never usually do. "Morgan, we've got to go. I done something stupid, something really stupid. I'm on my way to get you." She frowned, running a hand through her hair. "When's your flight?" When her dad was like this, there was no point in trying to talk him out of anything. "I'm in San Francisco, honey." Something was really wrong. The realization caused her stomach to sink like a stone.

"Dad, the school was hit by an earthquake. Will you even-" He really was frantic. "I know, honey. The roads are just about drive-able on. If Mr Marinos is around, tell him you've got to go and that I'll explain everything. If not, just... I don't know. I'll be there in about five minutes, Morgan. He hung up, causing Morgan to glance around. Mr Marinos wasn't around.

She suddenly felt like crying. There was so many people she wanted to say goodbye to, most of whom weren't even out of the building. She only had five minutes left in her second home, and, judging by her father's behaviour, she wasn't coming back. She didn't know what to do, except for walk towards the drive.

Her father had evidently under-estimated either his speed or the distance from wherever he had made the call to the school. Because as she reached the drive, her father pulled up in a black car that she recognised as a standard issue undercover cop car. She pulled the door open.

"I'll explain everything, Morgan, I promise. Give this letter to Mr Marinos, but hurry. If you can't find him, give it to someone else." She took the letter and climbed out again, striding towards the school.

She didn't have time to try and find Mr Marinos. She realized that as she saw her chance to say one of her goodbyes. Jackson. He was standing with someone else she vaguely recognised, but couldn't be bothered trying to place. She strode towards him, not bothering to try and fake a smile.

"Hey, Jackson. Sorry to interrupt, but could you do me a favour and give this to Mr Marinos whenever you see him? Or get someone else to." She handed him the letter, purposely keeping her eyes to the ground. But even that wasn't working. The tears started to flow nonetheless. "I'm sorry, Jackson. I've got to go. I-I-I'm not coming back. Not for a while, anyway." In a burst of energy, she wrapped her arms around him. She couldn't say it, but her power spoke for her. "Goodbye." She turned away, heading back to her dad.

He saw the tears on her face. "I'm sorry, Mo, sweetie. I wouldn't do this unless you were at risk." She buckled up her seat belt and wiped her eyes. She couldn't say anything as he pulled out the drive. As they drove away, she stared at the school for as long as she could. As the school disappeared from view, she sent out one last telepathic message, to no-one in particular.

Thank you.

Still so confused, the poor headmaster of Arcana carried his girlfriend through the debris that littered the hallways of his school, holding her as close to his body as humanly possible. He barely registered the fact that Chris seemed to appear in front of him out of thin air, and he could only blink in his direction as he was there one minute, and then rushing off in another direction the next. Leo was sure that he mentioned something about a scream, but he was in too much of a daze to really understand what he was on about, let alone realize the fact that someone had been screaming. There was so much noise in that moment in time, noise that didn't seem to be subsiding along with the shuddering of the earth that was finally beginning to cease, that he couldn't pin point any one sound.

Only Amy's voice. Amy's sobs. Her anguish, and sadness. Over what, he was still unsure.

Within another minute, they were outside, standing among the injured students and teachers that were crying, screaming, worrying about their friends and family, on their phones to worried parents. Leo continued to hold Amy to his chest, his arms around her back, resting on her hip, the other holding her up underneath her legs. Somewhere inside, he knew what she was upset over, what had caused her to loose touch with herself so much, but he didn't want to acknowledge it himself. If he did.... Leo wasn't sure what would happen if he did, even thinking about such a horrible thing happening was tearing him up inside. But then, softly, Amy's voice hit his ears, telling him. Her voice stammered over the final word, the word that the male had been dreading to hear.

"G-Gone?" He repeated, his own voice shaking over the very word that was causing his heart to break inside. His head slowly tilted down to look at his girlfriend as she trembled in his arms, his eyes bearing into hers. He shook his head lightly, having only just gotten used to, and happy about, the idea of the two of them having a child, and now that had been taken away from him. This horrific event had taken the most one of the most precious things in the world to him away, and broken the other's heart. Tears welled in his eyes as he placed Amy down on the floor, following her almost instantaneously, sinking to his knees.

"No..." Leo breathed, a single tear slipping from his eye, trickling it's way down his cheek. This couldn't be happening. Not... not now. Not when he was only just growing to be happy with his life. Everything had been going fantastically. His heart felt like it was shattering into a thousand pieces as he gazed down at the small bump that was his girlfriend's stomach, his head still shaking in denial. This wasn't true. It couldn't be true.

Suddenly, a huge cracking from above made Leo whip his head upwards, and he stared in shock and horror as one of the iron poles sticking up from on top of the school fell down, towards his head, spire first....

Then everything went black, death over coming him.

---

Erin didn't want to move. She didn't even want to breath, to be fair, her chest was hurting that much. She could barely opened her eyes, and her entire body was aching, blood and dirt covering her clothes. The shaking on the ground was subsiding, the earthquake that she was just realizing had happened was finishing, thank god. From what she could see from her position, the school was a wreck, ninety-nine percent of the student body was injured, and everyone was panicking about everyone else around them. Somehow, the blonde was able to shift herself around, a small whimper escaping her lips as she did so, looking around for someone, anyone that she cared about. Corentine wasn't in sight... neither was Addy, or Drake.. Wait...

As she thought about her friends, two of them came hurdling out of the school. Cor instantly branched off, out of her eye sight, but she watched as Drake collapsed to the floor, holding himself up shakily on his elbows and forearms. It didn't seem like much of a distance for her to get to him, and Erin set her mind to somehow, getting her way over to him. He had saved her... gone to her room and fished her out of whatever situation she had been in to end up like this and unconscious, so it was only right of her to go over and check to see if he was okay.

With a scream of pain that she tried to bite away, by chewing down on her bottom lip, Erin dragged her broken body up onto all fours, having to pause for a moment even then, shocked by the amount of pain that was radiating from her chest area. After a minute of deep breathing, the blonde took another intake before setting off, moving her limbs very slowly, bringing herself to tears almost by the bone shattering pain in her chest. It took her longer than she had thought to get to Drake, and it felt like she had been pulling herself along the grass for hours - her legs and arms were grass stained, adding to the mess that she was.

Once she got to him, Erin collapsed back onto her back, bringing her hand up slowly to wipe away one of the tears that had fallen from her eyes, slowly in-taking another breath, another thing that caused her more pain. She was sure that she had broken something there, most likely a rib or two.

"D-Drake... are you... okay?" She whispered, her voice shaky and completely out of breath, her eyes gazing up to the clouds. She couldn't even shift herself properly to look at him; all of her energy had been spent making her way over. "Your collapsed.... worr--worrying... me."

---

It felt like the silence between them had run on for ages, before Jackson heard Lulu mutter about her thinking that he hated her. A small smile pricked at the corner of his lips as he thought about how he could never hate over, as he thought about how happy she made him, and the fact that he always smiled when he was around her. He was about to answer her as well, to tell her that, when they were suddenly interrupted by Mo. He paused for a moment as he saw the non-smile on her face, an uncommon thing to see with Morgan, and he wrapped his only good arm around her when she hugged him. He was rather confused as to what was going on, until her telepathy whispered only one word into his mind. Goodbye... He took the note from her hand and whispered a small goodbye back to her as she walked away. Well, there went his only other female friend.

However, his mind was soon torn from Morgan's departure as Lulu threw her arms around his neck, causing a small gasp to slip from the Irish male's mouth, as his broken wrist was crushed against his chest. Somehow, he maneuvered it into a more comfortable position, if that was even possible, letting it hang from his side. Jack's other arm snaked it's way around her waist, holding her closer to him, listening to every word she was whispering to him. He felt bad for reacting the way he did, by the way that she spoke, and he knew that he just needed to apologize to her. And he also knew that he had to let her go for this, no matter how much it may hurt him to see her with Drake.

"Lu..." He whispered back softly, his head nuzzling into her hair gently, savouring this moment of being close to her, something he didn't expect to be happening again for such a long time, after their argument the night before. "I love you so god-damn much, and I hope you never forget that, okay?" Jackson pulled back, although only just so that he could look into her eyes, showing her the smile that appeared on his handsome, yet dust covered face. "And you know I could never hate you. I never have, and I never will. Even if you do go off and date Drake. I'll.... I'll be here. Always, for you." Moving his head back to it's original place next to her ear, Jack pressed a soft kiss to her temple, before whispering in her ear again,

"Always, and forever."

As he looked down, Jackson noticed a small piece of ripped clothing that had been torn and tied over her arm, blood starting to seep through. Burying his head back into her shoulder once more, the Irish man let his eyes slip closed and he focused on the stinging sensation coming from her arm, taking the pain away from her, and into his own body. What was a little more pain to add to his concoction, anyway? Better Lulu be happier and in less pain than him.

---

All Max could focus on was getting Corentine out of that death trap of a school, whilst the earthquake was still going on. He wasn't answering any of her questions, which was probably going to earn him a good shouting at when everything was over, and he didn't even care that all he was wearing was a towel, as he dragged her out of the school. Running through the corridors was painful, glass and shards of concrete and plaster were cutting at his feet with every step, but the pain was nothing compared to the explosion that was going on inside his mind. The horror, pain and panic of everyone in the school was overpowering him, and it almost made him stumble a few times as he tried to get them both out of the school.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of running through the hallways, Corentine having to save them once from a huge piece of ceiling that would have crushed them all to death if it had fallen, the three of them, Max, Corentine and Drake all ended up outside; but that just made his headache even worse. Worse than worse, actually. He was barely able to feel Corentine's hands as they set themselves on his arms, and his vision was blurry as he tried to make out her face. He soon gave up on that however and just nodded at her suggestion to go into the woods.

A bloody mess, covered only in a towel, Max ran towards the blurred forest, making it only a little way in before he collapsed against a tree. He was far enough from any student that they would be able to see him, but he could still feel every little cut on their body, all the pain of the dying students and teachers, and the world was closing in quickly on him. Within seconds, his head lolled to the side as he slipped out of consciousness, the pain in his mind too severe to bear.