Jake Sanders's Story

The airborne dust caught in Chris's lungs as he ran, but he didn't allow himself time to cough. He hadn't run so hard since the sporting competition against Noctrem in his senior year, and never for such a distance. His heart pounded in his ears and his chest, but determination kept him running. Time both seemed to be flying and stopped. He didn't care that he could die. He had to do something.

The teacher's wing had never seen so large. Not until he was sprinting around it and hurdling the destruction. He was desperately trying to pinpoint the source of the screams that were just too familiar to him. They were the screams that no person ever wants to hear- the screams of their best friend. His mind was racing, his power in overdrive. Random things flashed through his mind, from how to cheat at blackjack to how to make the perfect creme brûlée. His body shouldn't have been able to cope with sprinting this fast for this long- but the adrenaline pumping through his veins kept his muscles from aching and kept his heart pumping fast enough.

Eternity passed in the blink of an eye as he ran. And, suddenly, he skidded to a stop. Someone was ahead of him. He had barrelled past everyone else, but something about this person made him stop. As whoever it was neared, Chris gasped involuntarily. It was Leo, carrying Amy. Relief washed through Chris, replacing the adrenaline and sudden exhaustion overwhelmed him. But something on Leo's face made Chris hesitate. Words were on his lips, questions that appeared on his tongue on looking at Amy, but then a scream pierced the air.

Chris glanced at Leo. "I'll deal with this!" He yelled, returning to his sprint. His mind was both numb and racing. Why was Leo with Amy? What had happened? Was Amy alright? Who was screaming? He shoved his way past anyone who got in his way, his hero complex starting to take over. As he ran, he felt like he was in an action movie. The bomb was going to detonate in three minutes. Chris was the only person in the building who could disarm it. He flew down the stairs, three at a time, shoving his way past students. As he swung down the corridors, a mirror shattered in front of him. He ducked, but a fragment tore the skin above his eyebrow. He straightened up and started running again, forgetting the pain as another scream tore the air. It was coming from Leo's office. He threw himself against the door, thankful that it was open as he burst in.

It didn't take him long to pinpoint the origin of the cry. Katia was pinned to the couch in Leo's office by a monstrous bookcase. As the memories of red wine and dancing assaulted him, he glanced up and down the bookcase. "Katia! I'll get you out!" He promised, dropping to his knees. Bracing one shoulder against the bookshelf, he shoved it up just enough to allow him to get his arm underneath and shove it back into position. Or, at least, that was the plan. As he had it almost straightened up, it slipped, the edge catching his shoulder. He staggered back a step when he caught it, but managed to prop it up. He ran a hand over his shoulder. It wasn't broken, but it was going to be as sore as hell when the adrenaline ran out.

Making sure the bookshelf wasn't going to collapse on top of them, he crouched beside Katia. "Are you okay? Do you need help getting out?" He tried to be gentle, but a little urgency crept into his voice as he spoke. This was the first time he'd allowed his body a break and it seized it, suddenly assaulting him with pain and exhaustion. It almost overwhelmed him, but he tried not to let it show.



A small, red, Mini Cooper wound it's way towards Arcana. Inside, Thirty Seconds To Mars blasted out of the car's stereo. Jake drummed on the steering wheel as he stopped at a junction. He glanced at his iPod, which lay in the cup holder between the two seats. The songs shuffled of their own accord as Jake pulled away, still tapping on the wheel. He grinned as he heard the song that started playing. "I was born of the womb of a poisonous man," He sang under his breath, leaning forward to try and catch a glimpse of the school that he had heard so much, both good and bad, about. He wanted to make a good impression- well, an impression anyway. His chances of a good impression had probably gone out the window when the headmaster had heard the words, "He was sent to prison for cybercrime." He had dressed relatively well and had his "Hi, do I really look like the type of kid who would hack a bank's central computer?" smile at the ready.

His adoptive parents had been understandably reluctant to let him go to Arcana. Last time he had been away from home, he had been in prison for hacking. Twice. The second time, he had been beaten up nine times in the space of three months. The bruising on his arms and stomach was still glaringly obvious- and sore. But, hell, it had all been worth it. Apparently, they'd nearly had to arrest the drunken asshole Jake had the pleasure of calling his father for assault when he found out what had happened. And most of the money had gone to a good cause.

Then, the earthquake had struck when Jake had been almost at Arcana. He had just been out of range, but his frenzied adoptive parents had still called him, saying that he didn't have to go if he didn't want to, if he thought it wouldn't be safe. His reassurances that he would be fine lasted longer than the actual earthquake. But seriously, it was a school for people with freaking superpowers! If anywhere was safe, it would be Arcana.

As Jake pulled in the drive, he began to wonder how true that statement was. It almost looked like the earthquake had originated at the school. The car stereo lowered it's volume a little as Jake pulled into the car park. He shut off the engine and climbed out of the car, pausing to swipe his bags from the back seat. He headed for the reception of the school.

"Holy shit..." Jake swore as he saw the true damage done to the school and the chaos that was currently ensuing. He looked around, soon regretting it. The sheer amount of blood made his stomach turn and his head feel light. He dropped his bags, staring. Just... Staring at everything in general. Things were much worse than he had thought.

Students and staff were emerging with various types of injuries, covered in dust from the earthquake. Some made his bruised arms and torso look like a graze that a kid would pick up in the playground. He hitched one bag over his shoulder and picked up the rest, heading towards the main lawn, where everyone seemed to be gathering. He glanced around, looking for comfort in a familiar face.

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The devastating sound of glass cracking rapidly and violently, filled Corentine’s ears, mixing with the roaring monotone of the earthquake. Her eyes only managed to widen in response before Max was there, grabbing her and shifting them both around, and crouched down, her arms over her head as Max leaned over her, as though he was trying to… cover her? Yes, that was exactly what he was doing. “Fuck,” She breathed, realizing this just as the shower’s door cracked completely and the energy transferred to the glass, was expressed through the sharp shards of broken glass flying in both directions like small missiles. Cor could only imagine how much of it had hit Max, because even she had had a few cuts from there Max’s body hadn’t been. Her whole body trembled with unused adrenaline as they both straightened.

The glass had cut a few shallow gashes across her arms and legs, blood trickling out wherever it could. Cor breathed quickly, looking up at Max, wide-eyed. She could see the blood on his arms already. Gods, how many cuts did he have on his beautifully sculptured back? He was visibly in pain, and still he spoke to her, grabbing her hand to pull her out of the bathroom. The physical contact broke this odd, panicked numbness she’d been experiencing and she shouted at him, her concern for him evident in her angry voice, “What the hell did you do that for?!” She dug her nails into the back of his hand, and even as he let her go to hand her a t-shirt and don a towel, she continued. “Are you suicidal or something?!”

But her words stopped entirely when she saw his hand flying to his head, and she quickly threw on his t-shirt, which barely covered her bottom, but she didn’t actually care much about coverage; Cor had always been exceptionally comfortable with her body… and nudity in and of itself. Instead she focused on Max. The way he was clutching his air indicated this was a power-thing. She frowned, nearing him slowly as he stood there, obviously trying to control whatever pain he was experiencing, because this was not due to the cuts. She knew physical pain. Hell, she dealt more than enough of it, and this wasn’t physical. Not like that. “Max?” She inquired, not even bothering to hide the subtle worry in her voice as she reached out, her hand gentle now on his upper arm, her eyes seeking his.

She knew Max’s power, and she knew people had to be freaking out everywhere, but… couldn’t he tune it out? He was too old not to have control of his ability, right? Or not, perhaps? Suddenly she was torn from her thought of Max, when Drake’s voice sounded and she jumped in surprise, turning her head, about to reply something, when Max called back that they were both in there. But his voice sounded almost weak. This was starting to grow really creepy.

The blonde didn’t bother adding anything to Drake as Max grabbed her again and dragged her along, and for once, she didn’t put up a fight about being treated like a damsel in distress; he already had enough to deal with it seemed, and if dragging her along like some helpless girl helped him cope, then she wasn’t going to take it away from him. She was trying this new thing where she wasn’t a complete and utter bitch to people she cared about. It probably wasn’t going to last long though.

When Max swung open the door, revealing her brother, she saw relief on his handsome features, but it disappeared when his eyes scanned her and Max. He knew her better than most others, and he probably had a pretty good idea why she was with Max. He also most likely had already noticed their cuts. “What the hell happened?” He shouted back, already moving with them, and Cor, as she ran with, her hand still in Max’s, replied “we were in the shower. It had a door made of glass. It broke.” She only vaguely noticed her brother shaking his head, but he said nothing.

As they ran, hitting the stairs quickly, Cor detected a louder crack. She looked around her quickly, trying to find the source of the sound, and just as she did, a large piece of ceiling had torn itself from the rest and fell towards the three of them. Her free hand flew up instinctively and a powerful wind picked up, tossing the giant thing away from them, then she picked up speed, suddenly very, very aware of the danger of being inside right now; the place was a death trap. “C’mon!” She shouted at the guys, suddenly angry that he brother had put himself at risk to come find her. She could handle herself. He didn’t need to end up dead for her sake.

Once they were finally outside, Cor closed her eyes to let her powers clear out her lungs, as she leaned forward calmly, exchanging all the air in her lungs easily. Then she hurried to grab Max’s shoulders. “Get into the forest. There are no people there, so you can be left in peace,” she told him hurriedly before letting go of his hand. She couldn’t join him right now even though she wanted to, and as she turned around to scan the grounds, the first person she registered was Erin, fortunately awake and she looked. She was about to head over when she spotted… Jake. Her lips fell apart as she stared at him. “Jake!” She then called out without thinking, grinning suddenly. The kid was sort of like a younger brother to her. In fact, he was to Drake too. The lost third Quellen… in a way.

He looked way confused. Had he just arrived? In the middle of an earthquake? “Timing never was your strong suit, was it?” She taunted him playfully as she skipped over, not caring one bit that she was literally only wearing a t-shirt and that she probably looked like a mess. She’d missed the guy.

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It felt like he had waited forever, when Max’s voice finally flittered through the wood of the door. But no reply from Cor? She was fine. She had to be. Max hadn’t said anything about her, so that had to mean she was with him, and safe. Alive. Cor was probably better off than Max was. That was just Cor. She wouldn’t let a little earthquake bring her down. She simply wouldn’t. She was far too proud and far too stubborn. Drake had to tell himself these things because the sudden silence on the other end worried him. Awful, it was.

And he hated waiting. It was the worst thing in the world, it really was. You just stood there, idle while adrenaline pumped through her veins, and you had no idea what could come out that door. He had no idea what state his sister would be in. Not mentally, and not physically. Well, mentally he didn’t expect her to be too well off. If he was right, Jay had messed her up again. Drake might be a cold jerk, and he didn’t usually pay the girls he slept with much mind, but he didn’t toy with them the way Jay did with Cor. As someone who had been there when Corentine had her first breakdown over that dick, Drake wasn’t too happy that they were falling back into some dysfunctional pattern.

Perhaps Max really would be a better option for her, not that he could ever see the two in a genuine relationships… much like he couldn’t see himself in a genuine relationship with Lulu. Ah well, it was none of his business until his sister decided that it was. Until she chose to include him, Drake didn’t meddle. Then the door was swung open and Drake felt relief flood him briefly as he scanned her, making sure she wasn’t too hurt. Then his expression changed, watching the two of them. They were both bloody, but Max much more so than Cor. What the hell had the two of them been up to?

He nodded at Max’s words. Hell yeah they were getting out of there. There were no more people inside he gave an actual fuck about. As he turned to run, he blinked, surprised to see Mr. Marinos with Miss Roerig in his arms. They both looked like someone had just killed their dearest possession. Miss Roerig especially was completely out of sorts, but it seemed neither Max nor Cor had noticed, because they were already running off. Drake took off after them, shouting to his sister, “What the hell happened?” He watched her wet hair fly through the air with her pace, Max’s hand still connected to hers – odd in itself.

Her explanation made him shake his head, but he didn’t pay it more mind as he sped up, bringing himself up to run in front of them, gathering every shadow he passed on his way; he might need them, but Cor was faster. Before Drake had actually registered the fact that they were going to die, Cor lifted her hand in the air and he heard a loud smack as the piece of ceiling hit a wall behind them. He was about to compliment her timing, when she instead rushed them all, speeding up. He kept pace, and soon found himself outside once more.

As he stumbled into the green grass in front of the academy, he fell to his knees, coughing up all the dust and debris he’d managed to breathe during all his running through the halls. His back was also calling to him, reminding him that he’d been smacked by a giant piece of ceiling only ten minutes earlier, if that. It hurt like a bitch and his hands grabbed the earth beneath him, keeping his body from falling all the way to the ground.

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Her pain was all-consuming. It settled itself in her lungs, making it difficult to breathe, in her legs, making it hard to move, in her head making it hard to think, and in her heart… completely annihilating any other emotion outside of his complete and devastating pain riding her very being. It completely shut out anything else. Never had Amy experienced anything like this, and she could practically feel herself falling apart slowly, bit by bit, her soul tearing itself to pieces. Into nothingness. Numbness. Amy would give anything to be numb to this pain. Anything in the world. She gasped for air even as Leo came in. She barely noticed him speaking to her over her frantic screaming. She couldn’t stop. She couldn’t accept this.

She looked up briefly, her screaming stopping only to be replaced by crying. Heart wrenching, painfilled, broken sobs raked her body the second she laid eyes on her boyfriend. How could she ever tell him? He would hate her. She hated herself. It was all her fault. Their… their baby was gone… because she’d moved… because she’d wanted to help everyone else. How could she have put anyone else above the safety of her little bump? The pain and guilt filled her eyes even as she stared at Leo, her arms going to her stomach the second the bookcase left it. She cradled the now lifeless bump, her sobbing only intensifying.

Amy folded herself into a ball, not even able to move herself. In fact, she couldn’t even think enough to understand that she should move. The fact that there was still an earthquake didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered was that she had killed her own baby. She’d killed her unborn little boy or girl. The thoughts ran on repeat in her mind, driving her insane, completely consuming her. So much guilt. How would Leo ever forgive her? How would she ever forgive herself? She clenched the fabric of her silk night gown, caught up in her own pain. So much so that she only noticed Leo when he picked her up. She let her head fall onto his shoulder, resting her forehead against his neck as she fell into his embrace, the warm embrace comforting in a way.

But then, he didn’t know what she had caused. He didn’t know the damage her stupidity had done to them. To the life they had created together. She needed to tell him; she had to. If she didn’t, everything would get worse. The young nurse began speaking then, her sobs causing her voice to jump and pause all the time, the words broken and uneven, but she couldn’t stop crying. Not long enough to speak. She simply couldn’t. She wanted to though, more than anything, she wanted to speak with Leo. She… she wanted all of this to be over.

“Le-leo…” She began, looking down at his chest, her face completely out of sight. She couldn’t face him. “I… it… it’s… it’s…” She couldn’t say it. The word. She couldn’t say it, she couldn’t force it past her lips, so instead she leaned in close and whispered heartbrokenly “gone.” She trembled in his arms, her body reacting outwardly to the pain in her heart and mind. It was too much for her to handle. She didn’t know how she’d ever move past this. She cried harder as she suddenly exclaimed “I’m so sorry… so sorry, Leo… so sorry…” She could hardly breathe. It felt like someone was crushing her lungs.

"Jake!" Finally, the familiar face he had been looking for. He grinned at the sight of Cor. They were like family, having spent so much time together, both during school time and outside of school . He raised his eyebrows a fraction when he noticed she was only wearing a t-shirt. "Timing never was your strong suit, was it?" He laughed as she skipped over to him. "Nope, not really." He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into a hug. "So, tell me, did I miss any gossip? Anything important I need to know?"

Even as he stood in the middle of an earthquake zone, he was glad to finally be back. He had missed just about everyone from Noctrem while in prison, but especially Cor. It was something about her fun sense of cruelty. It was better than the sense of cruelty belonging to the guys he'd been dealing with. They didn't take kindly to computer geeks, it appeared.

As he released her, he noticed the cuts on her arms and legs. The blood made his stomach turn. "What happened?" He asked, folding his arms. "And I want more detail than an earthquake. You're the first half-civilized person I've spoken to for about six months. Except for my parents. Even the judge resembled a baboon. Both times. And I think he made a mistake and put me in a prison for the criminally insane primates. Seriously."

Boston was probably the last time he'd spoken to anyone who was half-way intelligent. He'd been arrested shortly after arriving back in San Francisco. The court case had said something about tracing the signal back to his phone. But Jake had an inkling about the guy who had given evidence against him. Jake hadn't used his phone to hack into the computer, and the only time he had used it was while trying to get into the computer. He had made it look like he was playing a game on his phone, while really hacking into the computer. He was still wondering if the guy had some kind of power, similar to his own.

He wasn't afraid to talk about his time in prison. He'd had the guts to steal his own parents' money. Talking about prison was easy in comparison. And people tended to ask about his mottled skin, so he had to get used to it.

"So, was Noctrem quiet without me? No timetables mysteriously being rearranged, no computers consistently breaking in the same class... Actually, I'll correct myself. Noctrem is never quiet." He laughed. Throwing a bunch of teenagers with weird powers into a school together was dangerous enough. Add in evil intentions and you had yourself a recipe for disaster. "Hey, tell me, did they ever find out who started the fire? Was it some weird religious nut who thought we're all demons sent to destroy the earth? My money's on that."

God, he'd missed freedom.

Grief was a terrible thing. Pain, mind-numbing, all-consuming pain coursing through her very soul, and as she finally got the words out, telling Leo what had happened… what had happened to the little life they had created together. Getting out, however, hurt even more. It made the fact so much more true, like now it was indubitably, and definitely real. She couldn’t pretend it wasn’t, she couldn’t try to push it away, because now she was forced to face it. She could see her sorrow mirrored on her boyfriend’s face, his eyes being filled by that same sadness, grief and denial she’d felt just before. She still couldn’t really… think about it as though it was entirely real. Maybe when the foetus actually… came out.

Right now she still had that small bump on her stomach that she’d grown so attached to. But still, the look on Leo’s face made everything so much worse. She could practically hear his heart shattering at the news and it only served to further worsen her own state. She couldn’t even think anything, could barely sense anything beyond the man carrying her through the school. The man whose heart she had just broken, carrying a woman whose heart was just as broken… with a dead baby in her stomach. A dead baby. Dead. That same word kept circulating through her mind, filling up everything, taking up every space, until she felt like someone was practically screaming it through her head.

She leaned in close to her boyfriend, burying her face in his shirt as she heard him breathe word “no”, as though he couldn’t say any more than that, and Amy herself, well she was soundless, but every tear kept trailing down her chin, as though there was no end to. Just when she thought she had no more tears to cry, another came, and it started all over, the shaking in her body intensifying the entire experience. The rumbling of the school, the debris every… none of that mattered. Not the shaking ground, not the shattered rooms they passed through. None of it was even slightly noticeable. Only her little family, dead baby and everything.

She was placed on the floor suddenly, Leo following as he sunk to his knees. She only moved in close and put her arms around, seeking solace for both of them, trying to make everything better, even though nothing could. Nothing ever would. Not really. It couldn’t possibly. How would they ever get past this, the two of them? Could they? Some couples could… managed getting over losing a child, but… she and Leo hadn’t been together all that long, and it was all just too very, very overwhelming. And breathing hadn’t exactly down easily. It still felt as though a stone was nestled in the core of her heart, making ever single beat so very strained.

A loud sound soon claimed her attention however and she pulled away to look around, her face swollen and red from all her tears. As she finally looked up, however, all she had time to react to was the spray of red, thick blood hitting her face, her upper body. Her eyes widened and a shocked scream escaped her the second she caught sight of the man she loved. “No!!” She explained as he fell to his side, metal pole poking out of his head. “Leo!” She then screamed at him, trying to get him to react, even though… even though part of her knew he wouldn’t, she didn’t stop. Her screams rang through the broken school and she desperately crawled over to him, instantly pulling the pole out of his head, the giant hole in his head forcing new tears from her eyes.

“Come back, Leo… please come back,” she brokenly begged him, leaning over him without a single regard towards the blood. She dragged him into her lap, her hands cupping his misshaped face. “Come back to me,” she then whispered as she leaned down, rocking him back and forth, “please…” He had to… he couldn’t not come back, right? He was immortal. He couldn’t die. He couldn’t. No… no… he simply couldn’t. He couldn’t leave her like this, not here, not now, not ever. She loved him too much. He had to come back. She shakily drew in a breath, trying to gather herself at least a little among all the chaos hitting her. Her baby dying… Leo dying… the blood, the shaking, the broken school. Nothing was as it should be. Nothing made any sense!
 

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When Jake put an arm around her, pulling her into a hug, Cor just leaned into his, savouring this little moment of normalcy among the crazy and the chaos. Jake provided a short, but blessed little break, a bubble for her to pretend to be in for a little while. She smiled wryly when he spoke of gossip, however. “Dude, Noctrem moved to Arcana. Gossip’s heavy around these parts. There’s way too much to cover right now, but I hooked up with Jay again… and then everything went to hell, so now I’m screwing our English teacher.” She shrugged and looked around briefly, taking in everything. Erin was slowly making her way over to Drake, who was coughing violently. It made Cor wish she’d actually bothered to learn how to help others than herself with her power, but there was nothing she could do for her brother right now.

Then he drew back and she slipped out of his embrace, her gaze going in the direction of the forest. She couldn’t see max, so that was good right? Unless he hadn’t gotten far enough away. She had to check up on him soon. She just… needed to speak with Jake, and then Erin; they needed to figure things out. Then she was dragging Max further into the forest if necessary. She didn’t know where this new care for him had come from. Perhaps someplace in between him being considerate and helpful last night, to him making her life a priority just now. Still, though, she wasn’t romantically interested in the guy, but she was starting to regard him as a friend.

Jake drew back her attention when he spoke up again, however, asking her what had happened. She turned and noticed him looking at the blood on her. She couldn’t help a wry smile as he added that he wanted details, and that he hadn’t been around civilized beings in a long while. She knew Jake’d never been a fan of blood. Not his own, and not that of others. She snorted, amused at his comparing the judge to a baboon. “Oh, you poor thing,” she drawled then, grinning at him, “I’m surprised you didn’t find yourself at home,” she then teased, before briefly adding, “oh, and what happened? I was in the shower, shower-glass shattered, sliced me up a bit. Hit Max worse though.” At that, she glanced back at the forrest. Seriously, why did she worry this much about the guy?

When he then asked about Noctrem, she just laughed and nodded. “Yeah, you know us Noctremers. Never quiet moment. But nah, no one knows who burned down the school, and if we ever do, he’s got fucking hell to pay.” She smiled wryly then, “They’re forcing us to live with fucking Arcana brats, you know. Split up Erin and I real good. And Marinos? Complete idiot, if you ask me. Oh, and Drake’s getting it on with little Lulu.” As she added the last bit, she wiggled her eyebrows, her tone dry and a little bitter. “Yeah, that’s happening…” she glanced back at her brother with that, noticing that Lulu had approached as well. She made a face, before looking back at Jake, “apparently brother Quellen decided to have feelings for a girl… and then her, of all the hot chicks around here.”

A wry smile danced across her lips at that before she added, “sometimes I wonder if he’s doing it just to get on my bad side. You know how he enjoys anything that bothers me. Ah well, mum’s going to hate her “let’s help out those less fortunate and all hold hands”-attitude, so I’m good. It won’t last long.”
 

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Drake didn’t even notice anything until Erin’s voice caught his ears. He was swimming in pain, his eyes watering as he tried to breathe in between coughs, and the pain in his back making it hard to not just fall onto the ground, which he knew would only making breathing that much more difficult. Still, though, he knew he wasn’t that terribly off in this situation. At least he was alive, which was more than he could say some of the students and teachers he’d seen inside the school; people half-buried by pieces of walls and ceiling, or furniture. He shook off the memories of the blood and death inside the school, and instead focused on conquering the pain, and on clearing his air ways enough to breathe properly.

Erin’s words, however, dragged him out of his own world, and he laughed drily, breathlessly. “I don’t think…” he trailed, coughing violently before he could continue, “anyone’s really okay right now.” With that, he turned his head slightly to watch her. “Glad to see you awake though…” he then told her in between coughs, the words themselves wheezy and jagged. She probably knew it’d been him to get her out of the school then. As long as she didn’t grow all clingy about it, it was all good. Erin was great for a fuck or two, and she was Cor’s best friend, but that didn’t mean he felt much of anything towards her. Okay, so it was enough to get her out of a collapsing building, but… that was beside the point.

Drake could tell Erin was far from okay as well, but at least she was awake and alive, so that was something. The rest could be dealt with in due time, much like his back. Which really fucking hurt like a bitch. Before Drake had managed to get his bearing though, Lulu was there. He felt her hands on his shoulders, and he choked out a weak, short laugh. She sounded so worried he didn’t even know how to react. Mostly because he didn’t know where the two of them even stood, so that made a situation like this more than a little difficult. When she urged him to say something, he coughed, trying to laugh again, but stopped when pain tore through him, and he winced instead, sucking in a deep breath of air.

At least he could breathe better now. Air didn’t have to force its way through three tons of debris and dust anymore, and it made the whole situation just a little more manageable. So when Lulu urged him to say something, he let himself roll onto his back so he could look up at her, smiling through the pain consuming him right now. How the hell had he ignored this for so long? It was practically killing him. Instead of taking it too seriously, however, he merely said, “come down here and give me a kiss, gorgeous…” With that, he shot one of his typically charming smiles her way. It helped to straighten his back some, so that was improvement in a way, wasn’t it? Yeah, he’d just consider it improvement anyway, and then… see a doctor, or Miss Roerig… or something.

He figured the school nurse would be plenty busy with more serious issues, however. Like Erin, who looked she was in much more pain then he was. He couldn’t focus on that right now though. Until things calmed, he needed to keep his cool and ignore the pain in his back. It became difficult, however, as he reached out a hand to let his thumb trace across Lulu’s cheekbone, because pain decided to shoot through him just then, and he winced. In a way, this earthquake… the life-or-death situation they found themselves in… made him appreciate her so much more. He couldn’t explain it, but just looking at her made everything better. How, he had no clue, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know what it was about. Right now he was just… going with it.

"Oh, and what happened? I was in the shower, shower-glass shattered, sliced me up a bit. Hit Max worse though.” Jake raised his eyebrows as Cor kept glancing towards the forest. He was trying to take in everything he saw and not take it in at the same time. Drake, coughing violently... Erin, in so much pain... All of his friends, all of them in some sort of pain. Concern shot through him like a bullet. His power was of no use here... Or was it?

“Yeah, you know us Noctremers. Never quiet moment. But nah, no one knows who burned down the school, and if we ever do, he’s got fucking hell to pay." Jake laughed, but his mind was extending towards the phone in his pocket. His attention was shocked back to the situation, however, when Cor said, “They’re forcing us to live with fucking Arcana brats, you know. Split up Erin and I real good. And Marinos? Complete idiot, if you ask me. Oh, and Drake’s getting it on with little Lulu.” He wasn't sure what he was more shocked about. Being forced to live with Arcanians or Drake with Lulu. Cor elaborated. "Yeah, that’s happening… Apparently brother Quellen decided to have feelings for a girl… and then her, of all the hot chicks around here." Jake glanced over at the two. "Drake? And Lulu? Seriously?"

"Sometimes I wonder if he’s doing it just to get on my bad side. You know how he enjoys anything that bothers me. Ah well, mum’s going to hate her “let’s help out those less fortunate and all hold hands”-attitude, so I’m good. It won’t last long." Jake laughed again. "If not, we'll find a way to split them up. Sabotage. They won't expect a thing." He said dramatically, spreading his hands.

As light-hearted as he felt with Cor, he had to do something. Just like he couldn't have kept all of the money for himself in the bank, he couldn't stand idly by and allow all this pain to continue. He couldn't. He felt the familiar feeling wash through him,like a computer booting up. It was the sign that his power was kicking in.

He was suddenly aware of all of the technical devices in the area, their location and their processing speeds. He was suddenly glad that most of the school's computers were shut down. He could pick up the one in reception that was somehow still functional and all of the student's phones. Somehow, even in the midst of an earthquake, they still had managed to grab their phones and get out. Jake grinned. Time for them to be of some real use.

One by one, he tapped into them and started broadcasting a distress signal to the emergency services frequency. Each phone took a matter of seconds, and within a few seconds, all phones, including his own, were broadcasting an emergency signal. The radios of just about all EMTs in the area would pick up their signal. Such a strong signal would be sure to draw them to the area, even if they couldn't find the source.

Jake blinked as he returned to his own mind, grinning at Cor. The whirring in his mind gradually returned to a normal pace, until it was running at human speeds instead of the computer frequency. "Help should be on the way in a matter of minutes. As long as no-one screws around too much with their phone for the next few minutes."

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Jake made Cor laugh, the sound pearling and soft. “Won’t expect a thing, huh?” She said, smiling wryly now. “Somehow I doubt that.” She glanced back at the pair of them briefly. “Drake knows us too well.” At that, she grinned, reaching up to nuzzle his hair in a playful gesture, the way an older sister would do to a brother. Then again, Jake was used to it by now. Cor had no clue how their relationship had become what it was. It just had, she supposed. In its own odd, natural way somehow. It was strange really, considering Cor wasn’t big on letting people in like that. Jake had just sort of snuck up on her.

Soon, however, the mood seemed to change. Jake’s eyes became distant, his concentration and mental capabilities undoubtedly busy elsewhere. Cor frowned slightly, watching him. Jake only looked that way when he was using his powers, and when the subsequently grinned to himself, she let her gaze roam their surroundings, her eyes widening when she spotted Erin on the ground next to Drake and Lulu who’d already started their mini marathon of nauseating kisses. A rush of anger ran through the blonde then and she pursed her lips, narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched them, eyes cutting from Erin to the pair , constantly switching, trying to evaluate how badly off Erin was, how much help she needed.

Cor might be angry with Erin, but the other blonde was still her best friend. If only for a couple of hours longer, depending on whatever explanation she could come up with. She had been about to head over there when Jake spoke, drawing her attention momentarily. “Jake, you fucking idiot!” she exclaimed, frustrated, “you’ll be blocking the central completely! Do you think the Academy is the only place hit by the earthquake? Children could be dying somewhere!” For a second, too overcome by everything that was going on, Cor’s walls of complete selfishness broke. This place could handle itself. They’d live… most of them, and the place wasn’t too badly off; Cor could tell that much. As long as that fucking nurse made it out alive, they’d be fine.

She sighed deeply, eyes back to Erin once more. Concern hit her hard in the gut and as she witnessed Lulu cooing over Drake, She clenching her teeth. Cor’s legs took her only a few steps before she flung out an arm, still walking as a powerful wind picked up. It flew directly at Lulu, hitting her in the back, and tossing her a few meters away from Drake. “Fucking bitch!” She hissed angrily, glaring at Drake as if to dare him to say a word against her. This was the first time Cor had been physical with Lulu and she couldn’t care less what the other girl would do in return. She was too busy running to Erin’s side. Cor sunk to her knees beside Erin, looking her over quickly before she leaned in, caressing her cheek. “Erin? Erin?” She asked softly. When that earned her no response, she slapped her best friend across the cheek and shouted “Wake the fuck up, bitch! Don’t you dare die! You hear me?!”

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Drake merely cast Lulu a wry smile when she gave him a meak kiss on the tip of his nose. That wasn’t entirely what he’d had in mind, if he had to be honest, and if he hadn’t been more or less paralyzed by pain, he would’ve pulled her in and taken what he wanted himself. He didn’t particularly enjoy this compromised position but he’d deal; he always did, right? Even if he was going to have back problems for the rest of his life. Shit, he really didn’t want that.

His thought process was cut off when Lulu bent in and let his lips touch hers. He sighed, closing his eyes as he focused on the feeling of her lips on his, the way she tasted, the temperature of her warm, full lips, the wetness of her tongue as his own darted out, poking and prodding at her lips until he was allowed to enter. He didn’t fully start anything. His tongue rather explored and gave hers teasing little licks, than actually fought to gain any kind of control. It was a nice distraction from the pain, if nothing else, even if he itched to wrap his arms around her and draw her in close, deepening the kiss. He knew, however, that his body would scream at such a movement, so he remained still.

When she drew back to breathe, he opened his eyes, breathing deeply, painfully so, as he watched her, dark brown eyes seemingly exploring her face, taking in everything from the sexy dimples when she smiled at him, to the glint of happiness in her eyes, and she soft flush in her cheeks from slight arousal. He smiled himself as he watched her. His back was still aching and he knew he had to stay still, but being with Lulu this way still made him a little happy. In spite of everything, they were both still here.

In that moment Drake made a decision. He was going to enjoy Lulu all that he could. He wasn’t going to draw it out anymore. He liked her. He did, he knew it well enough, and almost dying today had made him realize he didn’t want to let this chance slip through his fingers. It felt good; he’d just realized that much, and if something felt good, you were supposed to take a chance on it, right? Even if he was probably going to end up hurting her, he was selfish enough not to care right now.

He merely smiled at her when she spoke, and he shook his head. “Lu, I…” he began, but was cut off when she suddenly disappeared. He tensed, clenching his teeth at the pain as he slowly lifted himself, groaning. He looked around, raised halfway. His eyes widened at the sight of his sister and his words made him glare right back at her. Until he realized what had pissed her off, spotting Erin. He drew in a deep breath, groaning at the pain at the same time. He couldn’t do anything about either girl now. Not Erin, not Cor, not Lulu. His gaze cut to Jack and he sighed, not even knowing where the two of them were at this point, but somehow content to know he’d found some distraction in Kate. Especially now that he hadn’t even realized that the other man had probably witnessed the girl he loved kissing another of his best friends. He closed his eyes momentarily before looking past him, turning his head to try to catch sight of Lulu, to make sure she was okay. Cor hadn’t exactly been gentle.

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Amy’s heart was in her throat, breathing past it seemingly impossible, yet somehow manageable. She stared at Leo, wide-eyed, nervously waiting torturously long for him to open his eyes, for him to come back to her. She had no tears left to cry, and the gory image of her boyfriend’s massacred head didn’t even touch her at this point. She just wanted him back. She’d drawn him into her lap, his head cradled in her arms as she looked at him rocking him obsessively, almost like she wouldn’t be able to stop, even if she wanted to. The movements were continuous, constant and in a steady, but fast rhythm.

Every breath seemed to hitch with a miserable hiccup, her one hand cupping Leo’s cheek. “Please, Leo… please…” she whispered softly, bending her head down to stare at his chest instead of his broken face. That was when she heard it. Amy blinked several times, certain it couldn’t be… but it could, right? He was immortal, so of course he’d come back and… she looked up a little to see him. His bloodshot eyes were looking at her, his wound in his head slowly closing. “Leo…” she whispered on a breath, her voice wary, as though she didn’t dare believe her own eyes, fearing that this might all just be a trick her mind had decided to play on her as a defense against the extensive trauma she’d experience today.

Then he reached up, his hand cupping her cheek, and the feeling of his fingers against her skin, brought a relieved smile onto her face as she began laughing softly with happiness, bending her upper body to allow herself to hug him tightly, still rocking their bodies. “You’re here,” she repeated his statement happily, for a moment forgetting about the baby, until she tensed. Amy straightened immediately, eyes wide as she stared at Leo. Then pain shot through her, and she screamed, letting go of him as she fell onto her back, her cries ringing out in the school which had begun to subside in its shaking.

Her hands went to the bump on her stomach, clenching the fabric of her clothing over it. Tears burned in her eyes once more, trailing down her cheek with the pain. Her body thrashed wildly, her back arched. Pain was all she knew, and it rode her violently like a mare, her body reacting without her mind. It was burning, prickling, stinging, and completely piercing through her entire body. It was like acid racing through her veins, she’d never experienced anything like it.

“Jake, you fucking idiot!” Oops. "You’ll be blocking the central completely! Do you think the Academy is the only place hit by the earthquake? Children could be dying somewhere!" He raised his hands to his shoulders in the universal gesture of innocence. "Cor, I fucking drove here! This is the worst hit! And do you really think that I would completely flood all the channels?" She didn't seem to hear his protests as she stormed away. He decided it was probably best to stay out of her way... for now. He appreciated his ability to breathe at the moment. Not that she would actually kill him... just impede it for a little while.

He deactivated the signal using his mind, Cor's words ringing in his head. The school was a relatively central location after all. While he thought he came from the more heavily populated side, it didn't mean that people weren't endangered in the surrounding area.

He wasn't exactly a type who was that great with medicine, so there was no chance in hell that he was performing heroic first aid. Besides, nobody seemed to be that badly injured. Okay, there was a few nasty injuries, but nothing that looked like it was threatening someone's life. Hopefully, because Jake was waiting for the professionals. Besides the whole fainting-at-the-sight-of-blood thing, there was something too ironic about a Noctrem student acting a hero.

He wanted to go wandering in the forest, but after hearing about the torching of Noctrem, he didn't exactly feel safe in large areas of highly flammable material. Even if someone didn't try and light Arcana, there was always electrical circuits that were seconds away from short-circuiting and setting the whole place alight. The woods were too close to the school for comfort.

He was seriously regretting not accepting the offer of a day off. One more day won't matter. It might do you a little good. But no, he'd insisted on going. He glanced at Drake and Lulu and smirked to himself. Even amid all the destruction, Noctrem students always found some time for drama. His grin only widened as Cor sent something flying into the other girl's back. Cor was trying to revive Erin. Concern lessened his grin for a moment or two.

Then screaming completely erased it. First, coming from the school itself. Then from a woman outside of the school. It pierced his brain and forced him to grit his teeth. He started walking. He didn't know where.

He found himself in the forest and sighed, forgetting all of his fears about fire. He slid to the ground, but he could still hear echoes of screams. Or had the screaming even ended yet? He gritted his teeth and dipped his head, covering his ears.

Pain was one of humanity's greatest flaws. Mental, psychological and physical. As he waited for the screaming to end, that was the only thought swimming in his head. Being curled up like this brought back painful memories, and he hated it. But he didn't have much of a choice. It was better than being out there, with all the awful screeching.