Rebecca Fields'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?

“And I want to fuck you.” Max said in reply to her words and she laughed, actually laughed, in spite of everything she was feeling. “Why am I not surprised?” She teased dryly, but she shut up, lips falling apart when he moved on top of her, those expert lips of his traveling down her neck. The blonde took a deep breath, knowing Max was merely teasing her; he had just added a “but I have a class to teach”-clause so she knew neither of them had the time to take what they wanted from each other… again. So she had to refrain from pulling him back when he pulled back. Instead she pouted at him theatrically; however it turned into a devilish little smirk almost instantly. “You, Max Henderson, are such a tease.” She told him, her voice a playful warning, telling him she’d get him back for it. In response, he told her he’d see her at 10:30. Her hands had moved to his back of their own accord by then, her legs parting to greet him, in spite of how much her brain knew it wasn’t going to go further. Fucking classes.

She tilted her head a little, looking at him with slight surprise in her eyes when he kissed her cheek. She could see the same emotion mirrored in his as he paused, looking at her. Strange. This whole thing was so… unlike Max. Ever since she’d broken down in front of him last night, things had sort of begun changing between them. Then he’d asked her to spend the night, and now this? She cleared her throat just as he rolled out of bed, and she moved her arms from him in the same moment. She wouldn’t be able to just look at Max and think “nice lay” anymore, but she didn’t know what this was changing into. Cor could easily tell there were no actual romantic feelings between the two. It was simple, raw attraction, just like always, but… something was different. She shook it off when Max reached out his hand for her, that sexy smirk adorning his handsome features. Was it even legal to be so sinfully mouthwatering? Hah. What did she care anyway?

“Hmm… well you do reek of sweat and pussy,” she said, a slight grin on her lips as she got out of bed, standing up. She looked at him then, slowly stretching her body, hands clasped and in the air, a slight moan escaping her when things just… fell into all the right places after the long night, eyes closing ever so briefly. She’d probably had two hours of sleep… maximum, but she was surprisingly alert. Then, grinning at him, she ignored his hand very purposefully and wandered into the bathroom, spotting her cell on the counter. Oh, right, she should probably check it. Ignoring Max for a bit, she picked it up, noticing a couple of texts and a missed call. Text from Erin, probably in reply to hers from the night before. Cor still wasn’t sure about what to do about the whole mess, but Erin deserved the chance to explain herself… maybe. Cor rolled her shoulders, sighing, the good mood from just before, fading away. She opened the text regardless.

A wry, humorless smile was the only outward reaction Cor gave to the contents. In reply, she typed up, ”Yeah? Well… waiting’s not going to cut it. I’ll see you soon.” She knew when Erin felt like she did, she cut school, not giving much of a shit, but Cor wanted this solved. As in now. Or… as soon as possible. And if Erin didn’t show for classes, Cor would be entering her room soon enough. First she had to shower with her new English teacher though and then head back to her room for clean clothes. Hmm. Interesting morning. She replied to her other texts, ignoring the missed phonecall and put the cell down on the counter again, turning to look at Max. “So, since we can’t fuck, let’s talk…” she said, trying for a sort of playful indifference, hiding her emotions behind her usual wall again. Right… finding another focus. She stepped into the shower with him, hands flat on his chest. She grinned, a teasing glint in her eye. “What’s with you and our little hottie of a Noctrem history teacher, hm? And don’t shoot me some bullshit, there have been weird looks between the two of you and I’m curious.”

---

Chase had already enjoyed a refreshing morning jog, doing it partly out of habit, partly out of curiosity. He had only just arrived at the school the night before and him and his sister had spent the evening getting settled in, trying to ignore the music from something that seemed to be a party. Chase hadn’t really wanted to go down and get drunk; he wanted to make a good first impression both with students and teachers, and he couldn’t do that if he had a hangover on his first official day. After all, this was not just his first day in a new school; it was his first day in school… since he was 8. He had been homeschooled almost his entire life, only having been in regular school a couple of years way, way back. This was all very new. Having a roommate who was gay was also going to take some getting used to. Chase was from a rather conservative home, having been raised by his grandparents, and his grandfather had not really been the biggest fan of anything that demanded a more alternative way of seeing things.

Needless to say, the subject of homosexuality had very rarely even been breached. Chase didn’t think his grandparents minded, but he was pretty sure they weren’t too keen on it either. In any case, Chase wasn’t against Skylar being gay, but he sort of would have preferred if he weren’t. That would have made things a lot less awkward. Now, how did he know Sky was gay? Well, currently Chase was standing in the bathroom, brushing his teeth after a quick shower, only a towel hanging loosely around his hips, and he hadn’t missed the fact that there had been two male figures in the bed next to his when he woke up, not that he had any clue which one was his actual roommate. He’d figure that out… sometime. Hearing voices from the bedroom, however, Chase raised both eyebrows, toothbrush still between his lips as he peeked inside, a naked, very embarrassed looking guy scrambling around, obviously flustered.

He inwardly snorted when the guy still on the bed went “you’re naked”, and the redness on the face of the younger one deepened to a crimson. He shook his head then, going back into the bathroom. He wasn’t really into peeking, and it seemed tomato-face was about to leave either way. This was all a little overwhelming if he had to be honest. And what the hell kind of subject was Herbology, anyway? That sounded like something straight out of a harry potter book. Chase didn’t really see the point in such a subject. He was pretty sure herbs weren’t going to help him control time. He finished brushing his teeth, leaving the toothbrush on the side of the sink. That’s when he heard the door closing and as a result, Chase dared back inside the bedroom, rubbing his neck, looking at Sky. “So… you’re Skylar?” Really, Chase wanted to get dressed now. He didn’t feel quite comfortable this naked in front of a gay guy. There was just something uncomfortable about it, however stupid that sounded. “I’m Chase,” he quickly added, feeling like he was being very impolite. But how was one supposed to handle a situation like this one?! He was in way over his head here.

He cast a half-smile in the direction of the Pyro, wondering what to really do with himself, so instead of standing there like an idiot, he moved to find clothes in his closet, which he had managed to stock last night. Getting out black boxers, dark blue jeans, a white v-neck t-shirt and black socks, he felt confident enough about his wardrobe. Now he just needed to… uh… put it on. Great. He couldn’t do that with Skylar watching!

The sound of Rebecca’s black, loud, and very irritating alarm clock woke her up, and as she forced one eyelid open, she sighed, immediately closing it again. 7:30 am. Hell, she had the first period off on Tuesdays, but honestly she liked having time in the morning, even in this place. And honestly Rebecca could presently think of many places she would rather be, mostly because she obviously didn’t like the changes – she despised anything unfamiliar, because it meant another thing she had to adapt to, and adapting, to someone like Rebecca, tended to be a little bit of a challenge. On top of finally moving out of the dump of a motel and into Arcana, a lot of new students were enrolling currently, and she’d been told two new teachers would be joining the faculty. What was up with that? She slapped her hands over her face, completely covering it as she groaned in irritation before finally reaching out to turn off her alarm. “Rise and shine, Rebecca, it’s a beautiful new day,” she muttered sarcastically to herself before slowly moving out of the warm comfort of her new bed.

“More work,” she continued as she padded across the room to reach her closet, adding “more students flirting,” as she took out a set of underwear, “and a lot of hung-over laziness from every single one of them.” She sighed, shaking her head as she picked out the rest of her outfit for the day. “Well, almost,” she added on a second thought, remembering she had Arcana students in the mix too – they had a tendency to be more reasonable. She cracked a wry smile at that, wondering what the stereotyping would have to say about her. Moving from Arcana to Noctrem, like some confused teenager. Of course she had been, that was no secret, but still – most just figured it was regular teenage confusion. Rebecca’s had been a little worse, not that she ever told anyone, even though all of her many shrinks had told her talking about her past experiences would be “healthy” for her.

What did they know? It just so happened that every time she tried to talk about it, she ended up wallowing in self pity for days, and in worst cases, she would cut herself. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe the pain provided relief, or maybe it was simply to make herself most unattractive. Something she figured she should have done as a kid. Broken her nose, shaved off her hair, cut up her skin, preferably leaving ugly scars… things like that. But she hadn’t thought of it back then; she’d been only a kid with a messed up freak of a father… which in turn had messed her up. Rebecca admitted to being a screw-up, she knew she was less than normal and more than a little mentally unstable. Her breakdowns were horrible, and she wouldn’t wish them even on her worst enemy. Well, no, that was a lie; she often wished for her father to feel the pain he had forever marked her with. More than once, she had actually wished for him to be alive again, solely so that she could make him feel it, but that was a nasty part of her, and she didn’t really like it when it emerged.

The blonde teacher rolled her shoulders, taking a deep breath. Right, getting out of that line of thought might be preferable today. On any day, really. Grabbing the clothes, she tossed it on her bed and shuffled into the bathroom where she turned on the water, and while waiting for it to heat up, Rebecca glanced at herself in the mirror, wincing. “I look like crap,” she murmured, slightly irritated with that fact. She really didn’t need any of this right now. So, so many changes. How could anyone be expected to cope with that easily? How did others do it? Right, by not being raped by their fathers for a decade. Another wry smile came onto her face at that. Truth be told, usually Rebecca was a bit more optimistic. In fact, she usually did anything in her power not to think of her father, not to think of her childhood, but when everything around her seemed to be falling apart, somehow those thoughts never failed to press on from the back of her mind. The young teacher ran a hand through her hair, feeling suddenly really sad. “I am so fucked up,” she noted, snorting at the obvious statement.

After a long, warm and soothing shower, Rebecca dressed herself and grabbed a small cup of yoghurt from her mini fridge – one she had brought herself, refusing to join the throng of students and teachers in the cafeteria all the time. One or two meals a day in public would have to do. Breakfast was a big, fat no. Mostly because she was certain her morning would be a bust if she did socialize this early. Safe for Friday evenings, the blonde preferred her own company. Mostly because no one around her really stirred her interest on a more personal level, and she didn’t spend time with people, just to spend time with people. She’d never understood how people could do that constantly. She remembered enjoying times with Max back at Arcana, though; how it seemed he just got her, how she hadn’t preferred solitude to his company. It had been nice. And then… well, then he’d dumped her because she refused to fuck him. Because she was still healing quite a bit from Donny’s abuse.

Sometimes she wondered if she should have told him her story, and she had actually begun considering it before he dumped her, but then… well, then he’d shown her what really mattered to him, and she’d changed her mind, deciding then and there that he wasn’t the kind of person she could let herself be vulnerable with like that. She ate her yoghurt in silence before tidying up her place, grabbing her bag and heading down to the history room, not bothering to put on her coat since she wasn’t going outside. Half there, however, she groaned, remembering she’d forgotten to get the new history books she’d decided to hand out to her class, and turned around, heading for the elevator, which she promptly rode to the first floor. As she headed there, however, noises caught her attention. She frowned, cocking her head in wonderment. Curious, Rebecca took a detour and moved towards the cause of the sound.

It didn’t take her long to discover that the noise came from the medical room, and that the door to the inside was indeed very open. That was rather weird; Amy usually wasn’t there yet, unless it was an emergency. Thinking that was the cause, she carefully popped her head inside to check the gravity of the situation. She was surprised to see a stranger in the room, though, and knowing Amy always locked the medical room, Rebecca stepped inside and cleared her throat, raising an eyebrow at the stranger. “I’m sorry, but exactly do you think you’re doing here?” She asked, her voice hard as steel, no-nonsense as usual as her eyes scanned her room. “Besides knocking over everything in the school stash, I mean.” She added then, eyes now slightly narrowed. No one but Amy and Leo had unrestricted access to this particular room, and Amy wouldn’t let anyone be alone there. Rather, if someone needed something, the nurse would be the first out of bed, ready to help in a heartbeat, so all in all this was very shady, and Rebecca didn’t like shady, no matter how sick the woman looked. And she did look sick; very much so. Rebecca decided instantly that she was getting Amy for this stranger. Well, if she wasn’t some random thieve of some sort, which… didn’t really make sense either.

She laughed. Lulu winced the moment a chuckle escaped Alli’s lips. Then it ballooned until her roommate appeared sore. Lulu turned her face away, holding her tongue between her teeth and wanting to swear. But the noise, the motion, it did bring her back to last night. She closed her eyes and through the haze a memory seemed to come back to her. Earlier in Drake’s room it had partially come through. Lulu could hear herself laughing, squirming and writhing under Drake as he attacked under her ribs with his hands, tickling her despite her protests. Her stomach was sensitive too and it had started when he’d set her down on a couch (where were there couches in this place?) and laid down on top of her, trying to pull some move by sliding his hands under her shirt. Only she’d started laughing and trying to get away from him because it was far was sensual – she was stupid ticklish and he loved it the moment he found out.

Lulu blinked back to the present, biting on her lower lip where it had split last night. She could tell she had kissed him a lot. They were somewhat…swollen? The blond pulled the collar of her sweater up over her neck to hide the hickies. Alli’s laughter died down and Lulu forced herself to look back over at her. The brunette seemed incredibly amused. Lulu just wanted to smack the smile off her face. “Am I that irritated?”

"Oh, honey, I don't hate you,” Alli assured her. “Honey?” Lulu echoed, raising an eyebrow. “Sure, I was a little irritated by my room being trashed, but I'm not that shallow. None of my stuff was ruined. There's a few splinters in some of my shoes, but they'll come out easily enough. And now that you've told me exactly what went on in your life last night, I don't care. I mean, if my best friend told me he loved me, I'd freak out. And that's leaving out the whole Corentine issue,” Alli continued. Lulu shook her head. No, she didn’t have a clue. Yes, anyone was given to freak out. But Lulu felt hurt and shocked, with herself and with Jackson. Hurt that he would hold out so long on her, shocked that she hadn’t seen it – seriously how had she not seen it? But he had always been close to her, hand holding, hugging and kisses on the cheek. It just seemed part and parcel with his upbringing. And when he had moved away, he had never know how hurt she was. And when he had started dating Beth she had never dared tell him how betrayed she felt. She was happy for him, and now…he couldn’t be happy for her? It remained a mess in her mind and the prospect that Drake and Jack were now hashing things out across the hall terrified her. What would he say? What had they done either? Would Drake throw it in Jack’s face? He sure hadn’t been afraid to have her there in the morning in front of him. “Inconsiderate…hot piece of God…”

“Don't you worry about her. She's forever telling me to shut my fucking mouth. If I took everything she said and done to me to heart, I wouldn't have the motivation to do my homework, let alone aim for Ivy League and the Olympics. I know what you need!" She exclaimed suddenly. The flourish in Alli’s voice caught Lulu off guard and she flinched, shaking her head and watching as her roommate moved too rapidly for Lulu to follow. Before she knew it a chocolate bar was flying at her and while the aim was flawless, Lulu was too slow to catch it and it hit her square in the chest. Lulu grunted and collected the foil wrapped treat in her hands, running her fingers over the corners of the paper.

"Chocolate helps in every situation," Alli told her simply. Lulu shrugged, half smiling in return. It was all she could muster. Too much was going on her head, between processing last night and fighting to remember.

"If you need advice on arguing, I'm your girl. I argued with my parents almost every night for two months straight on what school they sent me to. Then we found Arcana. Just a useless piece of information for you. Do what you will with it," Alli continued. Did she always talk do much? Lulu blinked at her words, realizing that the brunette knew so little of her. “You’ll laugh in six months when you remember offering to help me with arguing. Trust me,” Lulu assured her. Alli sat back and Lulu straightened so that she wasn’t leaning over her knees.

“Anyway. Time for a subject change. Let's talk powers. Mine's dexterity. It's simple, really. I have perfect balance and aim. Not the best, but far from the worst. Yours is..." Alli paused and Lulu flashed her eyes over her roommates shoulder to see her laptop resuming it’s course as she has intended. "Luck manipulation, right? How does that work? Are you really good at poker?"

“Explains the Olympics comment,” Lulu sighed before sitting back and leaning onto her hands behind her. “And yes and no. 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?”

---

“I’m sorry, but exactly do you think you’re doing here?”

The voice had her eyes veer across the room, swinging from where she had been staring, expecting the hallucination of her mother to return, to just beyond the door to the medical center. A skinny blond was staring at her. From the looks of her she was older, and nearly a walking Barbie in appearance. Katia swallowed and looking behind her at the shattered glass jars and assorted medical paraphernalia.

“Besides knocking over everything in the school stash, I mean,” the stranger added. Inserisci commento, she heard her mother say. Say something. Katia squeezed her eyes shut, sucking in a deep breath and immediately regretting her attempts to relax. A jolt of pain surged from her lower back into her legs, momentarily rendering her feet numb before sensation returned and the pain was evident. She straight and clenched her teeth together, her fingers tightening into fists clenched so tight that her nails dug into her palms. It took her a moment to say something, for the fog to clear and for Italian prattling to ebb in her mind.

“I work here, My name is Katia Hunt,” she explained, her words strained. “And I take methadone to treat a fractured disk and aggravated back injury. It causes hallucinations and withdrawal symptoms. I need a sedative or analgesic to make it stop. And this is the only place that will have that don’t you think?” she concluded sharply, feeling her eyes water as she tried to move. She really should have taken on the botox injections the doctor had suggested – straight into her back muscles. It would have made them more supportive. Instead she had gone without and know here she was, trying to explain that she was taking pain medication to such degrees that when she went without it was like an addiction. Was she addicted? Was the pain in her mind? It didn’t feel like it right now.

"So you can go and tell Amy or Leo or whoever. I'm sure she would just love to see me this way. But I'd rather just...deal with it."

Rebecca watched the woman carefully as she clearly struggled with speech and pain. As someone who knew how painful back injuries could be, the blonde had patience to boot, so she didn’t rush the brunette in front of her. For some reason, although she didn’t know this woman, nor liked this little B&E she had arranged, she cared. Maybe it was purely pity, but Rebecca very, very rarely pitied anyone, so she figured she was feeling a wee bit compassionate, which in itself was a little irritating. Then, as she stood there, the stranger began talking, but the second “methadone” was mentioned, Rebecca stiffened, and she had to take a deep breath not to be overtaken with childhood memories again. Those were nasty things, they really were. Getting herself sorted quickly enough, she once more attached her attention to the new teacher apparently, Katia Hunt. Must be the dance teacher she had heard was being hired. For what, she didn’t know; the kids already had four phys-ed. classes a week. She supposed it didn’t much matter though, because here she was, breaking into the medical room like some lowly thieve.

She gave a slight nod when Katia snapped her explanation at her, not really bothering with being affected by her tone; pain wasn’t really the best motivator of manners, Rebecca knew that well enough. She had been there as a kid plenty of times. Plus, she sort of liked the honesty. She didn’t sense anything particular being hidden from her in Katia’s words, and she was rather straightforward, which Rebecca always appreciated as a trait in people. The two of them had gotten off to an awry start though. Then, however, before Rebecca could say anything in reply, Katia continued, remarking on Amy in particular. Rebecca raised an eyebrow at that, shaking her head. “You obviously do not know Amy half as well as you think you do,” she told the brunette, then sighed. “And how do you suppose you’ll deal with it without the particular meds you need? I’m guessing they’re in the top cabinets, which are also always locked, and you can’t stretch your back enough to jimmy them open like you did the door, am I right? So you need help. Especially since you’re not exactly allowed to be in here.”

With that conclusion, Rebecca walked properly into the room, eyes scanning the shelves of the top cabinets. Hmm. Well, she wasn’t breaking the rules just so Katia wouldn’t have to deal with Amy or Leo, so instead she turned to her, shrugging. “Amy’s not just a nurse, you know; she’s a healer. That’s her power. Maybe it’d be useful in your case?” The blonde looked over the other woman; she really did seem to be in a shitload of pain, and for some reason, she hadn’t gotten off to a very good start with Amy, which was weird. Amy got off to good starts with everyone, safe for the people who thought her too nice, but this woman seemed to think of her not as too nice, but as someone who’d be smug at seeing her in pain, a thought completely strange to Rebecca. The nurse had always helped her when she’d needed it, and she hadn’t asked that many questions when Rebecca had first arrived at the Academy, still damaged physically as well as mentally from her dad’s abuse. Instead, she’d healed her up, even though she'd been a student herself. Granted, it had taken some times, and Rebecca hadn’t been too fond of it, but in the end it had removed all physical evidence of her past experiences. Something she couldn’t really bring herself to complain about.

“You obviously do not know Amy half as well as you think you do,” The blond replied, seemingly amused with Katia’s comment on the nurse. The brunette leaned onto the counter, shifting her weight to take the pressure off. “I know what she thought of me the moment she realized who and what I was,” Katia shot back, knowing she was cryptic but curious as to whether or not this blond stranger knew anything about her.

“And how do you suppose you’ll deal with it without the particular meds you need? I’m guessing they’re in the top cabinets, which are also always locked, and you can’t stretch your back enough to jimmy them open like you did the door, am I right? So you need help. Especially since you’re not exactly allowed to be in here,” she added smugly. Katia rolled her eyes and turned her head away, fighting the brutal urge to just roll it out on this woman, what she was facing and how…humiliating it was to be caught in this position. She had always taken care of herself and now to be in this place, dependent on an ex-boyfriend for income and benefits, unable most mornings to walk straight and get dressed without being in excruciating pain. She had no one to help her and she never wanted help. And the blonde’s comment’s stung deeply because they were true and she could do nothing about it. Part of her wanted Leo there, just so that the reality of her injury and what she was facing was confined to one person. Now she could do nothing but explain herself and that in and of itself was hard to explain.

Katia remained where she was as the blond walked beyond the entryway, taking in the room before looking back at her. Katia stared at her in the face, knowing that her pain was at a level that she couldn’t hide, how her eyes were likely bloodshot and watering, her lips pursed while she clenched her teeth or bit on her lower lip to distract herself.

“Amy’s not just a nurse, you know; she’s a healer. That’s her power. Maybe it’d be useful in your case?” the blond prodded. “Of course,” Katia sighed, shaking her head. “No, I believe she’d never want to lay a hand on me.” Her own thoughts made her chuckle and she tossed her hair back as she sighed. “I was with Leo once, we were close. I told her as much last morning when we met and she seemed…surprised? And tense all at once. I know disdain when I see it. Leo hired me as a favor. A dancer can’t well make money if they can’t dance. Noctrem wasn't thrilled with the idea but when I applied there Leo got word. He doesn't know that it's this bad but he knows it's enough to make me be here.”

Katia paused, wondering where in the building he was, wondering what this woman intended to do. She had entered the room, still without introducing herself, and hadn't made any movement to find what she needed. Did Arcana even have what she needed? If Amy was a healer, the stock of drugs was likely very limited, a thought that made her increasingly uncomfortable. To be frank, Katia knew that she could have easily taken control of Rebecca's body in that moment and used it to get what she needed, but she doubted she had the energy and for some reason she didn't want to take such advantage of the woman. Yet. She was pissed at being found in this situation, but at least it was an adult and not a student, and she didn't seem like the type to blackmail or tattle.

"I won't ask for your help," Katia remarked, wondering if the woman was waiting for her to beg and say please with batted lashes to get what she wanted. "But I can't guarantee that the methadone won't have you morph into my mother, and that is not a hallucination you want to be."

The blonde listened quietly while Katia explained her situation with Amy… and her past with Leo. She raised both her eyebrows slightly in silent surprise. So Katia had been with Leo, and Amy had reacted poorly when told of that information? Well, that was… interesting. But none of her business, of course. That didn’t keep her from being rather curious about it, though. She nodded slowly in response to Katia, letting her know that she was indeed still listening. This all sounded rather odd. Since when did teachers at Arcana get hired not by ability, but by who they happened to have dated? The blonde didn’t particularly like that route. Maybe that was what had bothered Amy too? Then again, maybe it was the thought of another woman having been close to Leo. Or something. It’d make sense. She’d heard of people who got very possessive over friends. Oh, who was she kidding? She wasn’t that naïve. She’d sniffed out something between Leo and Amy a while back, but she hadn’t sought it out. Not that she was going to now either. Nope, if the two of them had something going, they deserved to be happy. She wasn’t going to meddle in that.

She was about to moved towards the cabinets, having decided to help Katia regardless of consequences, when the brunette spoke again, and Rebecca paused, looking at her in wonderment. Soon, however, it turned into soft laughter – then a little smile. “It wouldn’t be the first time drugs made me into an unwanted hallucination.” She started, ignoring the pang the hint towards her past shot through her. “Try and relax for a minute, will you? The only reason I haven’t found you the meds already is that I’m not really allowed to. None of us are, but I’m gathering you’d rather Amy didn’t find you in this particular situation, and a strange part of me gets that, so I’ll see what I can do.” She shook her head slightly, still a little smile on her lips as she looked through her bag, getting out a bunch of hair pins. After that, it didn’t take her long to unlock the first of the top cabinets, her eyes scanning the shelves. Nope. Nothing there.

She closed it again, relocking it, and like so she continued for a couple more cabinets until… bingo. Well, she knew some of them, so that was better than nothing. She turned back to Katia. “Ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen, ketoprofen or Sumatriptan?” She asked. She’d hurried, so the whole deal hadn’t taken too long, and if there was one thing Rebecca knew, it was pain killers. And lots of them too. She held the cabinet open with a hand on the door of it as she watched Katia, not for one second doubting that this woman hated being this incapacitated. This… unable to take care of herself. It was a feeling Rebecca knew well, and she imagined it would be even worse now that she was an adult. If she was in Katia’s situation, what would she be like? Most likely very bitchy. Hell, if Katia bit her head off for still being there, Rebecca wouldn’t even blame her, which was weird. She wasn’t that understanding. Most of the time she just got irritated with people moaning, because if she had to be perfectly honest, actual sympathy from her was rare. That was why she admired people like Amy, who had so much sympathy and caring to spare for everyone. Or maybe she was just curious about those types, because it seemed to be doing the impossible.

“I’m Rebecca Fields, by the way,” she then added on a second thought briefly after, realizing she hadn’t even bothered introducing herself. It had just seemed rather redundant to her in the beginning. “I teach History.”

---

”Noted,” Chase commented when Sky spoke of the fire and… not being the one who set it. It seemed like a rather odd thing to say if you asked Chase, but hey, if the guy needed to reassure him then fine. He didn’t get to say anymore, however, because Sky stretched and then… fell out of bed… naked. Chase let a sigh escape as he turned to the side slightly, picking up his bag to give him an excuse not to look at Sky, because honestly this was feeling very strange. He wasn’t even accustomed to public changing rooms, because he’d never really been in regular schools, where kids got used to things like that. Instead, Chase had always changed alone. He hadn’t been naked in front of another guy since he was young enough to be unable to shower himself. So though he had been naked in front of girls, it wasn’t really the same thing, and to chase this wasn’t actually natural. Sometimes he cursed his grandparents for homeschooling him, even though he knew it had been with the best of intentions.

He was ready to leave the room when Sky spoke up again, and Chase turned carefully, relieved to see Sky fully dressed in front of him. Well, that was a nice change wasn’t it? Chase certainly preferred Sky with his clothes on. He smiled when his roommate spoke of Arcana, and nodded. “I’m sure I will,” he replied, just about to excuse himself so that he could go get some breakfast, when Sky spoke yet again. This time it truly made Chase pause. He wanted to know about powers? Well, that was certainly different. “what’s your power?” wasn’t usually among the first questions he got when he met new people. In fact, his powers had always stayed in the family, so he’d never spoken to anyone but his grandparents and his sister about them. To just up and say something seemed almost impossible. Were all people in this place like this? Because if they were, Chase would have more than a little to get used to. He hadn’t expected things to be this difficult.

He rubbed his neck, unsure all of a sudden. At least Sky’s comment about the Noctrem fire made sense now, which was a small favor, but a favor none the less. Fewer things to be confused about. He cast a small smile in Sky’s direction. “Pyrokinetic? So you can create fire out of… nothing? That’s pretty cool.” He said, actually feeling a little curious. “I… well, I guess I can control time. You know, stop it, rewind, and fast-forward. All that…” He trailed off, surprised at how easy it was to talk about. Maybe Sky’s devil may care attitude was rubbing off on him… which was a really bad expression to use. No one was rubbing anything on him. Especially not Sky. Nope, no rubbing. Besides, it seemed like Sky had had plenty of “rubbing” already. No need for Chase then. Fortunately. Oh, gods, now he had those images in his head. A chill ran down his spine, and he ran a hand through his hair, clearing his throat. “Anyway, I’m gonna go get some breakfast; I’m starving. I’ll see you later, Sky.” He rounded that off with a polite smile before he made it out of the room.

In the hallway Chase took a deep breath, trying to relax. This had him wondering how his sister was doing. Was she alright? Did she have a sensible roommate? He took out his phone, typing as he made his way towards the elevator he and his sister had gotten to the second floor with. That, he at least knew where was. “Hey, sis. Doing alright? How’s your roommate? Mine happens to be gay. Yep. Gay. So guess what I woke up to. xD” He sent the text just as he reached the elevator, and once it was there, the brunette got in. Soon, Chase was on the ground floor and he took out his map, which was surprisingly easy to follow, so Chase found the cafeteria easily enough. The letters he’d gotten said food was included in the tuition, to that meant he could just grab whatever, right? Right. Chase moved around, getting a yoghurt, an apple, and a bun before looking around, tray in hands. He smiled when he spotted a darkhaired girl sitting alone. She was reading a black book. Which, to be frank, was what interested him the most. It didn’t look like a school book, which meant she read purely out of interest, or she was a writer. Either option hinted at intelligence of some sort.

And so, intrigued, Chase made his way over, stopping by the table she was at, a smile still on his lips. “Excuse me, Miss,” he began, his upbringing causing him to sound rather old fashioned at times, “would you mind my keeping you company?” He then added, always the type to ask before simply doing. To merely sit without approval would be highly impolite, and the last thing he wanted to do was intrude on her personal space.

Katia watched as the blond proceeded to smile at her, amused once more. The Italian felt ready to pounce on her. She didn’t know why, but the other appeared smug to her. And yet her mind continued to say that things could be worse. For all of the woman’s expressions, her words were far from the high and mighty taunts she’d thrown at her when she walked through the door.

“It wouldn’t be the first time drugs made me into an unwanted hallucination,” the blond said with a slight chuckle. Katia bit down on her tongue, clenching her teeth and closing her eyes at the comment. She tried to move but her back spasmed as she shifted her weight momentarily back onto her feet. Exhaling deeply through her mouth, Katia flickered her eyes open and glared at the stranger openly. Time was pain and she sure as hell didn’t feel like she needed to talk anymore.

“Try and relax for a minute, will you? The only reason I haven’t found you the meds already is that I’m not really allowed to. None of us are, but I’m gathering you’d rather Amy didn’t find you in this particular situation, and a strange part of me gets that, so I’ll see what I can do,” she told her, responding to the stare. It was a look Katia had perfected from a young age. It rivaled her parents powerful stares and it was the kind of raw intimidation that had her nicknamed a variety of…less than pleasant names by various dance companies and productions. She couldn’t help but be pleased with the stranger moved with hairpins and began to jimmy the locks on the cabinets. Katia knew she couldn’t move anymore. Whatever adrenaline she had in her from waking up and knowing that she needed to get something to stop the side effects was gone. She was left with the pain, wishing more than anything that she could just float off her feet…or just have the injury healed. All she could do in the meantime was just breath through clenched teeth, fighting the desire for her eyes to water. It was particularly bad this morning, a swift reminder by her body that dancing even for a few minutes was off limits…however fun. It reminded her of Chris and that thought just made her tense. The boyish teacher and former model just wasn’t her type. And Leo sadly was. As she waited, she knew she would have to seek out her employer, to say something and to seek more help than this kind of raw begging. She couldn’t sneak around this anymore.

It took several tries before the blond appeared to find what Katia had described needed. “Ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen, ketoprofen or Sumatriptan?” the stranger asked. “Is there valium?” Katia requested, curious if the powerful sedative was on the shelf. “Or Ativan?”

“I’m Rebecca Fields, by the way,” the blond added, at long last giving a name to her unfamiliar face. “I teach History.”

“I teach dance and theater. My power allows me to teach without demonstrating…I can control…other people’s actions,” she explained hesitantly. So very few took the news of her powers well. If she was maniacal, she could undeniably to a lot of harm with it – controlling important figures, making them do things. But she had never been able to make a person say something unless they were completely incapacitated, and moreover she could never control what they thought of her or of anything else, only what they did. It was far more limited than most knew, but it was powerful none the less and she had always had control of it from a young age, though Leo himself had taught her more in a few weeks than she had learned in years on her own.

When the pills finally reached her, Katia felt raw elation spread throughout her. She moved to grasp what was offered by shuffling slightly. Keeping her weight on the counter, she awkwardly shifted to a small sink. She turned the water on and cupped her hand to bring a mouthful to her lips, tilting her head back to pop the dosage and wincing as her back cracked audibly. She swallowed the sedative, closing her eyes and standing still for a few moments, trying to let it settle, waiting for the numbing feeling to spread through her legs and lower waist.

Blinking through the daze, she looked back at Rebecca and then eyed the mess she had made. “I’m sorry that we had to meet this way,” she commented lowly, her Italian accent clipping her words as she was slowly able to see what she had done…what her hallucinating body had been driven to do. There was an enormous amount of shattered glass on the one end of the counter. It was in many ways a wake up call and it made her sick to think that it had somehow gotten this bad and moreover that she was still just as, if not more so, inept and in pain.

People always said things about drugs, how easy it was to get hooked if you were the right type of personality. Katia remembered her father’s addiction to hard liquor, and her mother to the T3’s after particularly nasty broken leg, and later the sleeping pills when pain meds had made her an insomniac. She would be lying severely if she said that such addictions didn’t run in her family. But to have one…how long had she been taking it? She paled at that thought. Almost six months…far longer than the six week prescription that came with the bed rest demand attached to it. Christ how had that happened?

“I don’t teach class today. Does Leo? I don’t even know my schedule, or his but I need to speak with him.”

When Katia asked about other sedatives, Rebecca gave a slight shrug and a muttered ”let me check”, before turning her back once more to search through the top shelf of the cabinet too. As she did, she figured she might as well introduce herself, and for doing so, she was rewarded with yet another bout of information about her brunette colleague. However, the words caused Rebecca to stiffen slightly, but she did manage to turn around, now regarding Katia with a thoughtful mien, her mind trying to figure out how much of a threat she would be. To Rebecca, whose life had been steered for her in the most horrid of ways, the thought of someone being able to just… take control of her body, even now, even with all her training… well, it unnerved her.

It creeped her out, and in all honesty she wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it. Instead she put Katia’s desired drug, Valium on the counter next to her, cocking her head slightly. Then, finally, the blonde shuffled her feet, knowing she couldn’t judge Katia based on her power. However, if it every came to her using Rebecca in any way like that, this would change. Radically. Benefit of the doubt, Fields, she told herself, her voice sounding almost normal when she spoke, “to what extent?” Yes. This was a good question. A question she felt like she needed answered. Also, she had to admit she was kind of curious. Katia’s power was different from the ones she’d heard of, which spoke volumes since Rebecca had been a student at both Noctrem and Arcana, and now had been a teacher in both places too.

She’d heard of a lot of powers, from elemental control to advanced intelligence or telepathy, yet none of them had made chills run down her spine like this either. She really wasn’t trying to be judgmental, but it was really hard not to, in light of Katia’s power. When Katia then apologized, obviously just now realizing the mess she’d made in the medical room. Rebecca regarded her with a vague, yet friendly, smile and shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Really, I taught at Noctrem before the fire, and this is far from the worst I’ve seen.” As she spoke, she began moving around the room, cleaning up the mess Katia had made. Amy would know someone had been here though, so Rebecca might have to let a bit slip, although she would leave out all the details.

The least she could do, was respect Katia’s privacy, and let her keep whatever amount of dignity she felt like she still possessed after this. The blonde had just dumped a large amount of glass into the trash, all former contents of the containers in a pile on the desk, when Katia asked her about Leo and she paused, looking thoughtful for a moment before turning back towards the brunette. “I’m pretty sure he has a class or two. Most of us work every day. It sounds weird that you would have none on a Tuesday,” she explained, her voice perfectly level and pleasant. “However,” she then continued, “he’s oftentimes in his office during the day.”

Actually, he was in his office most times Rebecca went to look for him, doing headmaster stuff, whatever that particularly entailed. Probably a lot of paper work. He had to sort of be used to it by now, though, right? It seemed like Leo had run Arcana forever. It was at least a century or two old, wasn’t it? She couldn’t even remember, even if she was pretty certain she had been told at some point.

---

When the ravenhaired girl in front of him looked up, presenting him with intelligent, deep, blue-green eyes, Chase wondered if he’d been right in assuming her to be the kind of girl he’d like to hang around, because a little glint on her eyes seemed rather… calculating. Shrugging it off, however, he sat when she offered and smiled at her, placing his tray of food carefully on the table. He noticed her putting the book away entirely, which was a small triumph in his mind. If she put the book entirely away, it meant she was genuinely interested in talking to him, as she would otherwise keep the option of finding other pastimes available. So, not just a pushover. Great. Chase had never found pushovers attractive, although he did have friends who were like that.

He returned her gaze as she seemed to study him, a playful smile on his lips as he quietly took a bite of his apple, waiting for her as she took him in. He liked it. Not because he enjoyed being observed that way, but rather because it showed something in her he found appealing, except he wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it yet.He finished chewing, quickly sinking his food and putting the apple back on his tray as she at last seemed to have reached a conclusion to her studies and extended her hand, greeting him. He inclined his head slightly, taking her hand in a gentle, yet firm handshake. “You too, Amber,” he said, smiling at her, his voice kind and calm. “I’m Chase Westley.” Only then did he release her hand, gesturing towards her back as he smiled and said, “may I ask what you were reading?”

Chase didn’t work the way most other guys did. Instead of obvious, over the top flirting, he let girls know he was interested with subtle hints, like holding her hands just a little longer than necessary in greeting, or something of the like. If they got it, he’d know they were interested too, and if not, well then they weren’t interested. He’d found that women didn’t read a lot into the actions of a guy they only planned on a friendship with, but rather they read too much into the actions of a guy they did wish more with. It was a delicate balance. Besides, there was something to be said for the ability to read others.

Not that Chase wasn’t all for friendships. Really, he hadn’t come over with the intention of coming onto Amber, but rather to get to know some people. Something, he didn’t know what, in her eyes, had him thinking she could be more than a friend, though. She just… sparked his interest. He wasn’t going to be aggressive about it, however. He hadn’t been planning on a relationship here at all. He just figured he’d take the 6 months he’d promised his grandparents, even if they were academically redundant, and then move on to somewhere else… find whatever it was he needed to do. He should’ve already decided on what to do with his life, he knew that. He and his sister had taken their final exams about a month ago, so he should be starting college this summer.

The fact of the matter was, however, that he had no clue what he wanted. It irritated him, because he was the type to just decide on something and then do it, yet he didn’t want to start an education he didn’t feel for, or aim for a job he would never be happy in. Because, to be honest, all Chase wanted was to be happy. To have no years of sadness or unsatisfactory moments. He knew the road to happiness wasn’t through money, because to him life was so much more, and he refused to waste it.

Lulu sensed the awkward silence following her comment. Too wound up in her desire to talk about her brother and nightmares to the one person she could, she missed the curious glance that Alli sent her way. When she asked about her roommate, the small prod generated a long response. It made her pay attention to the present and not the frustration she felt.

"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 explained, trailing as she concluded. Lulu nodded. “The only James Bond movies are hilarious to me. The new ones are pretty good, much more…brutal and less comedic. I like that they’re trying to be more realistic but I’ll always be a sucker for black and white films,” Lulu replied. Still, silence hung there. Lulu continued to stare at the ceiling. Without anything to pay attention to, her mind wandered to across the hall again. Aldous might be willing to lend an ear. But she didn’t want to bother him when he was as solitary as he was. No. Today she needed Jackson. Her Jackson. The very same one who had seen the cuts and bruises, who understood Grey – who had met him. She bit on her lower lip. Normally she would just go right to him, or call, but she was still so stuck. He was there. She hadn’t heard any movement since her and Jessica’s departure. What the hell was going on in that room?!

"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,” Alli added. Lulu turned her head so that her cheek was to her pillow. She rolled to lay on her stomach, looking across the room at her roommate. “People watching is totally my thing,” she smiled weakly. “Seriously. I’m always on guard for other people. Kind of like a guardian my friend told me once. But I like to think of myself as karma most days, serving people up. But then I encounter the dilemma – do I really know justice? Professor Leo has told me that much. Too much to think about.” She sighed “Now. I know this sounds stupid and I know we just met. But I can’t remember much about last night, like I said before. But I may have…involuntarily left clothing somewhere. And I’m not so sure where these lounges are…feel like helping me out?” Lulu didn’t know why she was asking Alli for the favor. She could very well leave and search for the common rooms but for some reason she felt like she had a lot in common with this girl. Talking to her was distracting as well, and would keep her from running back to the two men who dominated her life across the hall temporarily at least. "If you don't want to, I totally get it. I don't even know when my first class is."

---

Katia could count on her hand the number of times someone had learned about her power and was reserved about it. Her explanation drew a stiffened reaction from Rebecca. The dancer watched the stranger shuffle and tense as soon as she had claimed herself to be a puppetmaster. Normally she liked that her power intimidated people. Yes, I can make you do things you don’t want to do, she thought with a small sigh, closing her eyes. For some reason she didn’t want to be threatening to this woman.

“To what extent?” Rebecca asked. “People of a clear mind with weaker wills are easy to control. I can manipulate a person’s actions but I cannot change how they think of me or others. There are a lot of people who can push back against me and make it harder or even painful. When people are drunk, or under the influence of something, it can be easier but most times it’s almost impossible because they’re irrational and clouded. I can’t explain it. And only one person at a time and I have to be able to see them,” Katia explained. Still, she felt the woman’s discomfort. “I could have taken control of your body as soon as you walked in the room and made you get the pills. But I didn’t and I won’t. I don’t hurt people unless they hurt me,” she added. The last sentence made her purse her lips and look at the floor. Or the one’s I love, she thought to herself. Her mother was still so heavy on her mind, her father too. She couldn’t help but apologize then. “I’m sorry that we had to meet this way.”

“Don’t worry about it. Really, I taught at Noctrem before the fire, and this is far from the worst I’ve seen,” Rebecca told her. “Normally I’m not apologetic,” Katia muttered, miffed with herself. “I don’t teach class today. Does Leo? I don’t even know my schedule, or his but I need to speak with him.” As Rebecca moved to collect a broom and sweep up the glass, Katia shuffled along the counter towards the small bottle of valium the stranger had left on the counter for her. She pulled the bottle into her left hand, her right gripping the counter tightly. Slowly she twisted at the cap. When she realized it was a child protected squeeze variety she put the edge of the lip under the ridge of the counter and pulled at it up, like she was opening a beer, and low and behold it popped off. She held the bottle close to her chest to prevent pills from flying onto the floor. The effort involved in opening something so simple as a pill bottle had her flushed and frustrated. She tilted it into the counter and took two of the small pills, popping them into her mouth before turning on the faucet to the sink, taking a small paper cup from a stack near it, filling it and drinking so that she could swallow.

“I’m pretty sure he has a class or two. Most of us work every day. It sounds weird that you would have none on a Tuesday,” Rebecca explained. “Maybe I’m not in the schedule yet?” she muttered to herself. Not that dance was an essential every day class as a non-arts school. “However,” the blond continued, “he’s oftentimes in his office during the day.”

Oh that office. That tense and awkward space she had visited too many times already. It was so formal and lawyerish. Still, she supposed it would work. She just needed to talk to him. And hopefully that Amy woman wouldn’t be there, all sick and green like the day before. Hopefully she hadn’t gotten some sort of infection from her, making everything worse.

“Thank you,” Katia said lowly as Rebecca concluded with the glass and stood across from her now. “I don’t know what I would have done…” she trailed, looking away, biting her lip, feeling the wave of numbness suddenly spread through her torso, hitting her lower back. The tension in her shoulders melted. The good thing about valium was that it was fast and long lasting. Just long enough for her to say something to Leo. If she could find him.

“I appreciate your discretion,” Katia added. Tentatively she stepped forward, testing her legs. The valium dosage was strong enough to make her thighs relatively numb. On a bad day she would have poor coordination. Today the medication was busy enough that she was able to remain standing. The pain in her lower back was tolerable, more like a small poker to her spine than the sledgehammer from moments before.

“I’m going to try and stop this,” Katia reassured Rebecca. “You won’t find me in here like this again.”

Amy was so out of it. She couldn’t believe she’d just said those words. And in front of her unborn baby too! What if her little bump could hear her? But she was just so frustrated and upset, and she didn’t know what to do with these intense emotions right now, except letting them out, and that didn’t even work for her. She looked over at Leo when he spoke her name, and she dropped her other hand to join the first one on her small bump. It was stupid, but she sort of felt like she could protect it that way.

Tears had begun pushing at her, but she was stubbornly holding them in. She didn’t even know what she was crying about, for Christ’s sake! She was angry, not sad. But then, she was frustrated beyond compare. Frustrated with her situation and pregnancy, frustrated with Leo, and frustrated with Katia, a woman who she didn’t actually know. It was all such a mess she could hardly describe it to herself, much less anyone else. She needed to talk to a woman. She loved Leo, and he meant the world to her, but there were certain things he just… didn’t get.

She sighed when Leo walked up to her, putting an arm around her, his other hand moving to rest on her small bump. Amy closed her eyes briefly, calming herself. All this arguing and panic wasn’t good for the baby, after all. She shook her head though, nearly giving up on her, when he chose to focus on the episode with Chris. She had only drawn in Chris to help Leo see how all of this with Katia made her feel. Obviously he couldn’t grasp that. Ugh, why was he being so… pigheaded about this whole deal? Couldn’t he just understand her and take her side and… kick the brunette out? Oh, that was so cruel. Why was she thinking like that?! What was wrong with her?

Perhaps it was a motherly thing; after all, Amy wanted to protect her family. If she lost Leo to Katia, she wouldn’t know what to do with herself…or her baby. She opened one eye to glare at him half-heartedly when he spoke of Katia merely being injured. “How long is a “little while”, Leo?” she asked him, her voice telling him she expected a short, while also honest, answer. She didn’t want to see Katia putting her greedy claws on her man. Ugh, again with the bitchiness! She shook her head, looking down at their hands on her stomach when he kissed her forehead. She silently told herself not to react to it.

He was trying to calm her down, and it really only served to piss her off all the more, but she tried to keep it in. However, it was just beneath the surface, boiling. At his next words though, Amy scrambled back, away from him, out of range, gaping at him. He had been the one who had wanted it? She had run out on him? He had wanted to date her? What if Katia hadn’t run? Would they have been together now? Her heart skipped a beat in fright, and she was hurt all over again. Finally, tears burst from her, trailing aimlessly down her cheeks, as she looked up at him, her eyes filled with anger and sadness.

They had unfinished business. If he had been the one to want it before, what would stop him from coming to want it again? And this time… she had come to him. She hugged her baby bump, taking another step away from him, which only caused her to bump against the wall as she silently sobbed, her breathing pattern uneven as she did. She couldn’t take this. It hurt, and so, as her legs began shaking, Amy sank to the ground, pulling up her legs, arms wrapping around them. It protected the bump better. She put her forehead against her knees, the sobs raking her body.

Her emotions were incredibly heightened, and so to some, Amy might be overreacting, but it seemed this pregnancy was going to rule her life for a while.

As Amy cried, she began speaking to him, her voice weak, but she was on the verge of screaming at him. Flat out screaming. She didn’t yet though.
“Leo, I can’t do this,” she choked out between sobs, “I can’t… can’t look at her every day, knowing you have unfinished business… knowing you wanted to be with her back then… knowing she was the only reason you weren’t. I… I can’t.” She hugged her knees tighter, not looking up at him as she weakly whispered, “I can’t lose you. P-please don’t make me be around her, Leo. Please.”

---

---

When the girls left, Lulu only managing a stuttered apology, which had caused a slight sigh to escape him, and Jess, well, her comments weren’t unlike her, so he’d merely smirked at her, replying with a simple ”good guys always finish last, baby.” Then he’d shut the door behind her and looked to Jackon, not entirely sure what he wanted to do, except keep the guy around for him to explain himself, not that he was yet entirely sure what he wanted to say. Surprisingly he felt really bad about this whole situation. Mainly because he knew it hurt Jackson, which in turn pissed him off. In some ways, Drake thought Jackson’s expression a little comical.

He was on the bed, still as stone, glaring at the wall ahead of him, completely naked. Drake was about to get the guy’s duvet, but stilled when Jackson spoke, his voice uncharacteristically harsh. Drake raised an eyebrow, glancing at him. “No.” He then simply replied, picking up the duvet and throwing it onto Jackson, a part of him getting that jackson’s situation was plenty embarrassing without the nudity too. But he wasn’t unlocking him just yet. Why? Well, it was simple: Drake knew Jackson would run out on him, and he needed to talk to him, which itself was a little odd. Drake didn’t usually give enough fucks to explain himself and his actions, but Jackson’s anger irked him a little.

Really, the guy was acting like Drake was hitting on his girlfriend. He was acting as though Drake had known of Jackson’s emotions when he’d begun having his own for Lulu, when in fact… Drake hadn’t even known Jackson when he started having feelings for Lulu, and now he was supposed to do what? Be unselfish and let her go? He would have, if that was what Lulu wanted, but it wasn’t. Drake didn’t quite see how Jackson’s claim on the girl was any bigger than his own. By chance, Drake and Jackson had become friends, good friend incidentally, but it seemed Jackson was going to blame Drake for actually having some semblance of feelings for once.

That surprisingly got to him, so when Jackson spoke again, his head falling back onto the pillow, Drake frowned, throwing the duvet on top of the guy. His tone was cold as he said “I know. I just don’t give a fuck,” in reply, finally looking wholly at the man he’d begun considering a friend. He sat down on his own bed then, still looking at Jackson as he continued. “You’re pissed about what exactly? That I brought Lulu here? That I happen to spend time with her?” He raised an eyebrow, placing the keys on the nightstand. Jackson wasn’t going anywhere until they’d resolved this. Drake wasn’t going to live with someone who potentially wanted to kill him.

“If it’s the first, I didn’t have much of a choice. My sister blew up her door; the room, her bed, her things – everything, is filled with splinters, and she was drunk off her ass last night. Leaving her to her own devices in there would’ve probably ended badly. It’s not as if we did anything in here. We slept next to each other. That’s it.” He continued, not giving Jackson the chance to cut in. “as for the latter, you need to get through your thick skull that I’m not using her. Nor am I spending time with her simply to get to you. I knew Lulu long before I ever met you and found out you have feelings for her. I actually care about the girl, which, frankly, is almost as rare as a polar bear in Arizona. And she was upset yesterday, which you know.”

He shook his head, sighing. “You’re acting as though I’m stealing your girlfriend, which I’m not. So get your head out of your ass.” Drake was being surprisingly blunt and straight with Jackson at present, which was another rare sight, but he figured he needed to talk some sense into the head of his friend. And hell, this was all the effort Drake was going to make. If it didn’t work – if Jackson was too self absorbed to understand Drake’s dilemma in this, then… well, then he’d simply have a friend less. It’d suck, but he’d live. He wasn’t really a fan of partaking in drama. He’d much rather start it, and then watch from the sidelines.

---

---

Max’s hands in her hair were so relaxing, she almost dozed off. She’d closed her eyes and was humming slightly in sign of relaxation, her muscles incredibly comfortable. This was quite enjoyable, and she rather needed it. Maybe she should treat herself to a day at the spa or something? This night and morning with Max had done a lot for her alone. She didn’t know why, although maybe it was because Max cared. She didn’t have, nor did she want, a lot of people to care about her, but knowing that Max liked her for who she was, well… it was a little satisfying.

Soon, however, his hands began exploring her skin and that was when thoughts of Jay hit her, causing her to tense up, all of her relaxed state of mind completely forgotten. Sweet memories of the two together in the shower almost caused tears to run down her peach-coloured cheeks, but she refrained, instead merely remaining rigid, her hands clenched at her sides in a stubborn attempt not to cry. She’d cried enough. He didn’t deserve her tears if he could do that to her… if he could actually fuck someone else. These thoughts had been the only things able to bring her to do what she had with Max.

Sex was therapy, and Max was a god in bed. Ergo: one very damned good psychologist, which was funny considering his job. It didn’t take her long to decide that she needed some sort of distraction, and so, her voice reflecting her current mood, she spoke, simply saying that they should repeat this: the two of them fucking, the sleeping together. It had been nice, and rather therapeutic. Most likely because it had given her something other than Jay to think about.

When Max replied to her, her name on his tongue filled with worried inquiry, she almost wanted to slap herself. Why hadn’t she just kept her mouth shut? She’d just had to say something, alluding him to her feelings and thoughts at present. It bugged the fuck out of her. Why did she have to be such a bloody idiot? She sighed when his hands began massaging her tense shoulders. She didn’t even want to reply, and so, she kept quiet. Right up until his hand moved to cup her face, turning it slightly towards him. She opened her eyes, her thick lashes fluttering.

She snorted at his words. He sounded so worried, and so diplomatic; careful, most likely wary of her reaction. He was talking to her as one would talk to a hungry lion about to attack. She had no actual expression on her face. In fact, she had no actual expression on the inside even. It was like she had suddenly slid into numbness. She sighed openly when he asked her whether she was aware that she could talk to him, and she turned around to face him, stepping fully into the water. She put her arms around his neck and closed her eyes as she leaned her head back, letting the water wash out most of the soap in her hair.

After a little while in silence, she straightened, eyes opening to look at him once more before he finally spoke, her eyes not quite readable. Most likely because Cor’s emotions were in turmoil – a turmoil she could not even access through the numbness. “Max,” she finally began, keeping her voice calm, but she couldn’t quite keep the pain out of the way she spoke. “I just lost the only guy I’ve ever loved. He left the party with a bitch, who I know sleeps around.”

“He was angry with me, and looking to get back at me for something I never did. He also happens to have been the sender of both note and condom. He wants to keep playing games, to keep hurting me, and I’m sick of it. So it’s going to be a while ‘till I’m feeling ‘okay’ again, alright? Asking me is redundant, because no… I’m not okay. I feel like tearing my heart out of my chest would be less painful than this, and I’m constantly fighting the urge to tear everything around me apart.”

She took a deep breath. Cor was being blunt, the only way she knew how to deal with things, even though she wanted to die, standing here being vulnerable. At the same time, though, Cor felt like Max had seen plenty already, so really, explaining all of this to him couldn’t possibly make things any worse. He’d seen her crying, for christ’s sake. Cor could count the amount of times anyone had ever seen her crying on one hand, and the majority of those had been when she was a kid.

She looked at Max’s chest for a little while, clearly wanting to say something more, but not quite sure how. Then, finally she looked back up at him, her hands moved to rest on his chest now. “Never had sex with anyone but him in the shower. Never showered with anyone but him.” Her voice was rather quiet, and though she didn’t want to be telling this to Max, she sort of knew she needed to. Not because of him, but because part of her recognized that if she was going to use Max the way she wanted to, he needed to at least know what he was dealing with,

And okay, maybe she did care about him... a little.

---

---

Chase nodded thoughtfully, chewing on a bite of apple as he listened to Amber speaking of her book. He’d hoped for something a little more academic, but looking at her, he could see the intelligence glimmering in her eyes, and so it stopped mattering to him. He wasn’t himself a huge bookworm, but he remained a smart guy, and so he didn’t expect girls to be either. It had merely been an indicator. And now, well, now he was a little interested as to her thought processes. If someone wrote down their thoughts, there was usually a particular reason for it, and that piqued his interest further.

He sunk another bite of the apple, and smiled at her when she asked him about his arrival, noting that she hadn’t seen him before. He hadn’t missed the fact that her lips had seemed to become redder all by themselves and he made a note to himself about asking her how that worked. He assumed it was part of her powers. Again, so weird seeing that stuff displayed so openly. He was having a bit of difficulty figuring out what her power might be, but he was rather fascinated. Not that he dwelled on it for long, instead preferring to answer her question like was proper and polite. He couldn’t just let her hanging simply because her lips had caught his attention… in more than one way. He was a young man, after all, and she was rather beautiful.

He only just started with a “well, I…” when her phone buzzed and she moved to check it. He immediately paused, his eyebrows raised just enough to be noticeable. She was checking her texts? Well, he told him as he regained his friendly smile, maybe she was just checking in case it was important. See, as Chase had been raised by two elderly people, the concept of cellphones had always been a little odd to them, and since he and his sister had never actually gone to a normal school while being old enough to have them, the rules had always seemed normal to him. And so, Chase considered it rather rude to be texting while in conversation with someone else. It showed a lack of interest, and it usually resulted in a decrease in the amount of attention given.

However, he recognized that maybe Amber simply had another take on this, and he didn’t really expect everyone to be the same way as him. He was just… having troubles shaking off the strict upbringing. He was determined to try, however. Chase had decided to try to school-thing, after… well, after being forced to, but well, he never did anyways half ways. He was going to try this and see it through. And he was going to learn in the process.

However, when she started typing, his toes curled. It was an involuntary reaction, and he wanted more than anything to be completely chill about this, because honestly he was starting to feel like a snob, which he wasn’t. There were just… certain things he couldn’t quite take and it was almost enough to quit the conversation then and there. Obviously she didn’t really have much of an interest, and he wasn’t about to push an unwilling girl in any direction. Hmm, maybe she was a pushover after all. He tilted his head to the side a little, regarding her curiously. All the while, he merely kept eating his apple.

Then, finally, she put her phone away and looked at him once more. Well, at least she apologized. And he didn’t really know what it had been about. Maybe she had a sick mother or something. He inwardly nodded to himself, deciding to forgive and forget, and so he smiled at Amber, putting his apple core into the nearby trashcan. He couldn’t help a little chuckle when she mentioned Sky though. “Sky, you say? Unless we have more than one Sky on campus, I believe he’s my roommate.”

He smiled at her before continuing, “regarding your previous question… yes, I’m rather new. I arrived during the party yesterday, but my sister and I decided to unpack and unwind after the long drive instead of joining everyone.” He chuckled, remembering Sky and his companion. “Although it seems we were missing out?” He couldn’t help it; he was actually rather curious. Maybe his roommate was merely the type who had fun no matter where he was. He seemed the type.

---

---

Rebecca thought over Katia’s explanation for her lacking classes on Mondays, and tilting her head slightly, she considered it. She supposed it was a possibility, but it didn’t really sound like the headmaster she knew. Leo had always been very thorough with these things as far as she knew, and she couldn’t quite imagine him changing the schedules again in a couple of days due to a new teacher putting Dance on the schedules. It would mess things up as they were changing schedules today. And so, concluding on that in her thoughts, she shrugged and sent a small smile in Katia’s direction. “Suppose so, but maybe you should double check. Just to be sure. We all just got new schedules today.” Then she continued by telling Katia about Leo’s usual whereabouts.

Rebecca paused when Katia thanked her, and she looked over at the brunette female, thinking without a remotely readable mien. She smiled in a surprisingly friendly manner when Katia attempted to elaborate, and feeling the woman’s discomfort with it, Rebecca brushed her off with a gesture. “Don’t worry about it.” She began, shrugging with her smile still present. “Really, it’s okay to need a bit of help once in a while. And you’re welcome.” She took the bottle of pills from Katia and put it back where she found it, closing and locking the cabinet. She wasn’t about to leave it around for students to get their hands on.

She looked around her, scanning the room. She’d removed the glass, locked up the cabinets. That left the pills out and about. She didn’t even know which went where and, well… Amy would notice different jars for them in any case. Her eyes soon went back to Katia, however, and she sighed when she was thanked for her discretion. However, she remained quiet as Katia began moving forwards, her legs a little too unsteady, but at least moving and she could stand upright on her own, so that was definitely improvement. She could see the relieve on Katia’s face and so, she decided to inform the woman of her own thoughts on this.

“I have to tell Amy something. You know that, right?” she looked Katia straight in the eyes, taking a stance in this for once. She had let the other run the show a little, because… well, Rebecca would’ve probably felt bad if she hadn’t helped her some in this situation. “She’ll notice the broken glass jars, the pills on the counter, the bottles rearranged in the cabinets and so forth. That wouldn’t really result in anything good for anyone.” She smiled apologetically. “So as much as I want to respect your wish of secrecy, it’s simply not entire possible. Well, either that, or you say something yourself. That way only what you want her to know, will be revealed.”

She was really trying to compromise with this woman, wanting to make sure no one got the sucky end of this. Which was a little weird. Rebecca usually wasn’t the type to pay that much attention to others. She would’ve most likely just gone to Amy herself without much consideration towards the stranger who had broken into the medical room. Maybe it was Katia’s blunt honesty that had earned her the blonde’s grudging respect, and on some level she knew Katia had told her more than she had told most others, and Rebecca didn’t wish to break that trust. Well, not particularly.

With Katia’s following words, Rebecca smiled, eyes landing on the stray pills on the counter once more. “I hope so. Although mostly for your own sake. This whole deal doesn’t exactly look comfortable.” The blonde checked the clock on her wrist, making sure she wasn’t in a hurry… which she still wasn’t. She had time before class. Her students would simply have to wait outside the classroom until she arrived. She wouldn’t be late in any case. She just wouldn’t be half an hour early either. She then looked back at Katia, adding a “you okay to walk properly now?”

She wanted to leave and yet the conversation wasn’t done. Katia listened to every word Rebecca said, watching as she shrugged off the gratitude the brunette expressed. The lack of any real reaction on Rebecca’s part reminded Katia of why she didn’t say such things that often. Really – who appreciated a thank you these days? Only those looking to be thanked it seemed. The selfish ones. It made her purse her lips momentarily.

“Don’t worry about it,” Rebecca shrugged with a small smile. The move was almost haughty. As Katia stepped closer, she noticed how the woman stepped back. She’s scared of me, she realized and that fact only served to make her feel pained.

“Really, it’s okay to need a bit of help once in a while. And you’re welcome,” Rebecca smiled. She took the bottle of valium where Katia had left it, looking back at the cupboards for its place. To have it locked away again was disheartening. A discomfort rose in her, and Katia felt like a panic was spreading over her shoulders, her hands tingling as she watched her remedy be locked again. Can I go without it? I just said I would but…

“I have to tell Amy something. You know that, right?” Rebecca announced suddenly. That comment was enough to make her visibly pale. “I—“ Katia started, finding herself without anything to say. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes more in her own frustration than in an effort to force the woman to keep it a secret. “She’ll notice the broken glass jars, the pills on the counter, the bottles rearranged in the cabinets and so forth. That wouldn’t really result in anything good for anyone,” Rebecca added. That much was evident. She had made a mess in her haste that was hard to deny. The soppy smile Rebecca tried to send her way only made Katia turned rigid. “So as much as I want to respect your wish of secrecy, it’s simply not entirely possible. Well, either that, or you say something yourself. That way only what you want her to know, will be revealed,” Rebecca concluded.

Katia felt her eyes water and she wasn’t entirely sure why. She settled her left hand on her hip and her right behind her back to support her lower lumbar column. Clenching her teeth, she looked at the floor and nodded, her body language little different than a child being told to suck up a punishment. “I will say something. I have to. I intend to,” she conceded, not that she had intended to hide it in the first place. “Please let me be the first person to say something or else I will be in a very bad situation. Worse really than this but still.”

“I’m going to try and stop this,” Katia reassured Rebecca. “You won’t find me in here like this again.”

“I hope so. Although mostly for your own sake. This whole deal doesn’t exactly look comfortable,” Rebecca replied, checking her watch before looking up and giving Katia a once over. She followed the blonde’s eyes, trying to stand up straighter. “You okay to walk properly now?” Rebecca asked. Katia rolled her eyes, jutting her hip out as if to give the woman sass only to wince. “I’m getting there. If you have somewhere to be you should go. I need to go anyways. Takes me freaking forever to navigate this school,” Katia sighed, twirling her hand in the air beside her before she ran her fingers through her hair and slowly made her way back into the hallway.

“Have fun with the kids,” she tossed over her shoulder, looking back at the woman and stopping to establish eye contact with her once more before turning forwards and moving in the direction she thought was best, leading back towards the front entrance of the school where she hoped she could navigate herself back to the office – and Leo’s by extension.

By the time she go to the main area of student services it was close to breakfast time she estimated. More students were certainly moving through the halls. The Valium had her legs relatively numb but she forced herself to walk as normally as she could, attempting to be fluid and natural but still coming off as relatively stiff.

As she stepped into the main office she was face to face once again with the bitter secretary. “Hello,” Katia smiled with a slight smirk. The woman frowned, staring at her sourly. In her movement to glare her glasses even slid down her nose. “Well that’s a pleasant greeting,” Katia scoffed, moving past the desk. “Where are you going?” the woman shot at her. Katia looked over her shoulder. “Do you need to know everything? It’s not like you ever leave your desk anyways,” she replied sharply. Her remark proved offensive. The secretary gasped and looked wounded. Katia only shook her head, moving towards Leo’s office. She stood outside it, seeing that there was no light on inside. She knocked politely before she opened the door, surprised to find no one inside. “Well,” she sighed to herself. “At least his couch looks comfortable.”

The brunette closed the office door behind her and settled herself in a chair opposite of his desk only to stand up the moment she was forced to slouch – too tall for it. Hissing in pain she moved over to a couch on the far wall, laying down on it with her head facing the door in waiting.

With his girlfriend tightly wrapped in his masculine arms, without holding her too tight in fear of hurting their unborn child, Leo kissed the top of her forehead, probably for the thousandth time that morning, hoping to console her in what little way he could. He felt useless, and horrible - it was his fault that his Amy was so upset, and there wasn't a thing that he could do about it, without hurting someone else, someone that he had once been very close to. Words flowed out of his mouth as he tried to make everything better, holding her into his chest - but apparently something he said was wrong; very, very wrong.

"A little while is a little while, Amy. You know I could just kick someone out who needed a place to stay; I did exactly the same as I'm doing for Katia with the Noctrem students. I don't even have to socialize with her all that much, darling."

Leo never had to think about what he was saying, all that much, until he got into a relationship - especially one with a friend as close to him as Amy was. And now, as he tried to think over the words that he had just said, there was nothing that he could pinpoint to be wrong. All he had done was tell her the truth about his past with Katia, and that there was nothing else there between them any more, was that wrong of him? An expression of confusion came over the male as he watched his girlfriend scamper away from him, as if she was terrified of him. His arms stretched out slightly towards her, mentally trying to will her back into his grasp, but to no prevail. Something had frightened her, so much so that even his embrace wasn't comforting any more, and that worried him.

Suddenly, when tears burst from her eyes, flowing in steady streams down her cheeks, Leonardo started to panic once again. "Amy?" His voice was almost frantic as he watched her sliding down the wall, collapsing onto the floor in a mess. He rushed to her side, and used his thumb to ever so softly try and wipe away some of her tears. Of course, they were just replaced by more, but it was the thought that counted, and he continued to do so, as she just sat there and cried.

At her words, Leo froze, pulling back a little, so that he was able to look her in the eye. "Amy... really? We have no unfinished business, I can promise you. And you know how sound my promises are. I love you, Amalthea Roerig, and I will until the world ends and I cease to exist. You are the only person that has ever gotten themselves so deeply penetrated into my heart, and you will forever be the only one there. You're never going to loose me, Amy. I swear to you." His hand reached out slowly again to brush away a stray tear that was about to drop from the end of her chin, a caring smile on his face.

"I love you, Amy."

---

Whilst the blanket over his most private of parts caused some relief for the Irish man, it still didn't relieve any part of the anger, confusion, or guilt that had grown inside him over the last few days. He was angry at Drake, for bringing Lulu back here, especially as he was sure that the man who was supposed to be one of his best friends had been told everything by the girl of his dreams. He felt guilty for using Jessica the previous night to get over his own stupid feelings for his friend, and he was also confused as to what had actually gone on the night before - as well as being slightly stunned at the feelings he was beginning to realize had developed for the beautiful brunette that had spent the night in his bed.

At least she actually like him back, in some way, which was a bonus.

He had wanted to be let go, purely for the reason that his wrists were in pain, chafing from the metal around his wrists, cutting into his skin. Jackson wasn't going to run out on Drake, and leave the conversation unsaid; he wasn't the sort of person to do that. In fact, he thought it would be good, for him to get out everything in his system, to tell Drake how pissed he was at him. He just lay there with his body arched slightly to accommodate the awkward position of his arms, his eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling above him as Drake started talking to him, asking why he was so annoyed with the situation.

Jackson kept inside everything he actually wanted to say to the man - about how he knew that even though Drake believed that he was feeling something for Lulu, that he was going to get bored of her. It was the same story with Drake, and he didn't want to see Lu get hurt. A small laugh escaped the male's lips however as he was told to get his head out of his ass, and he shook his head, a movement he instantly regretted when the whiskey induced migraine started to penetrate his temples. "Seriously? I need to get my head out of my ass, Drake? How fun." Jack's accent was thick with his Irish drawl as his irritated voice filled the room.

"I'm pissed, because I wasn't enough of a man to tell her I loved her. Because I have no-one else to blame but myself, and my stupid chivalrous ways, whereby I thought I was going to hurt her, so I tried to move on. And I lost her. But I don't want to blame myself, even though I am the only one to blame. So please, just let me go, so I can go apologize to numerous amounts of people, and have a couple of aspirin before I die."

---

It was strange, having Corentine in his arms without any incentive to bend her over and take her as his own, but it was also rather nice. It was different, but something he could definitely get used to, that was for sure. Relationships were extremely unusual and foreign for Max Henderson, and also something he didn't want in the near future, but he wanted something like this. With someone like Cor. Nothing expected, or labelled, but.... a companionship. Yes, that was a nice word - Max wanted Corentine to be his companion. A companion he could have sex with whenever he pleased, but still.

The silence after his words was soon broken when Corentine turned around in his arms and wrapped her own around his neck, pressing her wet, lathery body against his, but letting her head drop back. She looked incredibly hot in such a position, and he had to hold himself back from bending her over and letting his hands roam her perfect body. Instead, he decided to listen to her, his own hands moving to wrap around her waist, holding her against him. It should have made Max feel uncomfortable, having a girl bear her feelings to him, as it was something he just wasn't accustomed to, but it didn't - again adding to the strangeness that the male was feeling. He liked it.

A small shudder ran through the males spine as he thought about this, shrugging it off to the young woman in front of him that he was cold, not thinking about deeper things. "No more asking if you're okay, got it." He smiled gently, removing one of his hands from her body to run through her hair, brushing out the last remaining bits of shampoo that were trapped between her blonde locks. He could see she was beginning to feel as uncomfortable as he was at the moment, and he wanted to move the conversation on-wards, to anything other than Jaysin, or Rebecca, or even their strange little agreement. But, if he did that, he was sure that he would be seen as insensitive, dick-like, or something along those lines, and seeing as Corentine was being so open with him - he didn't want to loose that connection between them.

"I can always get out, if you like." Max shrugged his large shoulders, looking at the woman in his arms. "Once in a life time offer, pet. I'm not usually this nice, you know." His trade-mark smirk appeared on his lips, dancing on his face as he spoke, turning the conversation in a lighter direction, as much as he possibly could.