The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 31 authors
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.
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.
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.
Still so confused, the poor headmaster of Arcana carried his girlfriend through the debris that littered the hallways of his school, holding her as close to his body as humanly possible. He barely registered the fact that Chris seemed to appear in front of him out of thin air, and he could only blink in his direction as he was there one minute, and then rushing off in another direction the next. Leo was sure that he mentioned something about a scream, but he was in too much of a daze to really understand what he was on about, let alone realize the fact that someone had been screaming. There was so much noise in that moment in time, noise that didn't seem to be subsiding along with the shuddering of the earth that was finally beginning to cease, that he couldn't pin point any one sound.
Only Amy's voice. Amy's sobs. Her anguish, and sadness. Over what, he was still unsure.
Within another minute, they were outside, standing among the injured students and teachers that were crying, screaming, worrying about their friends and family, on their phones to worried parents. Leo continued to hold Amy to his chest, his arms around her back, resting on her hip, the other holding her up underneath her legs. Somewhere inside, he knew what she was upset over, what had caused her to loose touch with herself so much, but he didn't want to acknowledge it himself. If he did.... Leo wasn't sure what would happen if he did, even thinking about such a horrible thing happening was tearing him up inside. But then, softly, Amy's voice hit his ears, telling him. Her voice stammered over the final word, the word that the male had been dreading to hear.
"G-Gone?" He repeated, his own voice shaking over the very word that was causing his heart to break inside. His head slowly tilted down to look at his girlfriend as she trembled in his arms, his eyes bearing into hers. He shook his head lightly, having only just gotten used to, and happy about, the idea of the two of them having a child, and now that had been taken away from him. This horrific event had taken the most one of the most precious things in the world to him away, and broken the other's heart. Tears welled in his eyes as he placed Amy down on the floor, following her almost instantaneously, sinking to his knees.
"No..." Leo breathed, a single tear slipping from his eye, trickling it's way down his cheek. This couldn't be happening. Not... not now. Not when he was only just growing to be happy with his life. Everything had been going fantastically. His heart felt like it was shattering into a thousand pieces as he gazed down at the small bump that was his girlfriend's stomach, his head still shaking in denial. This wasn't true. It couldn't be true.
Suddenly, a huge cracking from above made Leo whip his head upwards, and he stared in shock and horror as one of the iron poles sticking up from on top of the school fell down, towards his head, spire first....
Then everything went black, death over coming him.
Erin didn't want to move. She didn't even want to breath, to be fair, her chest was hurting that much. She could barely opened her eyes, and her entire body was aching, blood and dirt covering her clothes. The shaking on the ground was subsiding, the earthquake that she was just realizing had happened was finishing, thank god. From what she could see from her position, the school was a wreck, ninety-nine percent of the student body was injured, and everyone was panicking about everyone else around them. Somehow, the blonde was able to shift herself around, a small whimper escaping her lips as she did so, looking around for someone, anyone that she cared about. Corentine wasn't in sight... neither was Addy, or Drake.. Wait...
As she thought about her friends, two of them came hurdling out of the school. Cor instantly branched off, out of her eye sight, but she watched as Drake collapsed to the floor, holding himself up shakily on his elbows and forearms. It didn't seem like much of a distance for her to get to him, and Erin set her mind to somehow, getting her way over to him. He had saved her... gone to her room and fished her out of whatever situation she had been in to end up like this and unconscious, so it was only right of her to go over and check to see if he was okay.
With a scream of pain that she tried to bite away, by chewing down on her bottom lip, Erin dragged her broken body up onto all fours, having to pause for a moment even then, shocked by the amount of pain that was radiating from her chest area. After a minute of deep breathing, the blonde took another intake before setting off, moving her limbs very slowly, bringing herself to tears almost by the bone shattering pain in her chest. It took her longer than she had thought to get to Drake, and it felt like she had been pulling herself along the grass for hours - her legs and arms were grass stained, adding to the mess that she was.
Once she got to him, Erin collapsed back onto her back, bringing her hand up slowly to wipe away one of the tears that had fallen from her eyes, slowly in-taking another breath, another thing that caused her more pain. She was sure that she had broken something there, most likely a rib or two.
"D-Drake... are you... okay?" She whispered, her voice shaky and completely out of breath, her eyes gazing up to the clouds. She couldn't even shift herself properly to look at him; all of her energy had been spent making her way over. "Your collapsed.... worr--worrying... me."
It felt like the silence between them had run on for ages, before Jackson heard Lulu mutter about her thinking that he hated her. A small smile pricked at the corner of his lips as he thought about how he could never hate over, as he thought about how happy she made him, and the fact that he always smiled when he was around her. He was about to answer her as well, to tell her that, when they were suddenly interrupted by Mo. He paused for a moment as he saw the non-smile on her face, an uncommon thing to see with Morgan, and he wrapped his only good arm around her when she hugged him. He was rather confused as to what was going on, until her telepathy whispered only one word into his mind. Goodbye... He took the note from her hand and whispered a small goodbye back to her as she walked away. Well, there went his only other female friend.
However, his mind was soon torn from Morgan's departure as Lulu threw her arms around his neck, causing a small gasp to slip from the Irish male's mouth, as his broken wrist was crushed against his chest. Somehow, he maneuvered it into a more comfortable position, if that was even possible, letting it hang from his side. Jack's other arm snaked it's way around her waist, holding her closer to him, listening to every word she was whispering to him. He felt bad for reacting the way he did, by the way that she spoke, and he knew that he just needed to apologize to her. And he also knew that he had to let her go for this, no matter how much it may hurt him to see her with Drake.
"Lu..." He whispered back softly, his head nuzzling into her hair gently, savouring this moment of being close to her, something he didn't expect to be happening again for such a long time, after their argument the night before. "I love you so god-damn much, and I hope you never forget that, okay?" Jackson pulled back, although only just so that he could look into her eyes, showing her the smile that appeared on his handsome, yet dust covered face. "And you know I could never hate you. I never have, and I never will. Even if you do go off and date Drake. I'll.... I'll be here. Always, for you." Moving his head back to it's original place next to her ear, Jack pressed a soft kiss to her temple, before whispering in her ear again,
"Always, and forever."
As he looked down, Jackson noticed a small piece of ripped clothing that had been torn and tied over her arm, blood starting to seep through. Burying his head back into her shoulder once more, the Irish man let his eyes slip closed and he focused on the stinging sensation coming from her arm, taking the pain away from her, and into his own body. What was a little more pain to add to his concoction, anyway? Better Lulu be happier and in less pain than him.
All Max could focus on was getting Corentine out of that death trap of a school, whilst the earthquake was still going on. He wasn't answering any of her questions, which was probably going to earn him a good shouting at when everything was over, and he didn't even care that all he was wearing was a towel, as he dragged her out of the school. Running through the corridors was painful, glass and shards of concrete and plaster were cutting at his feet with every step, but the pain was nothing compared to the explosion that was going on inside his mind. The horror, pain and panic of everyone in the school was overpowering him, and it almost made him stumble a few times as he tried to get them both out of the school.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of running through the hallways, Corentine having to save them once from a huge piece of ceiling that would have crushed them all to death if it had fallen, the three of them, Max, Corentine and Drake all ended up outside; but that just made his headache even worse. Worse than worse, actually. He was barely able to feel Corentine's hands as they set themselves on his arms, and his vision was blurry as he tried to make out her face. He soon gave up on that however and just nodded at her suggestion to go into the woods.
A bloody mess, covered only in a towel, Max ran towards the blurred forest, making it only a little way in before he collapsed against a tree. He was far enough from any student that they would be able to see him, but he could still feel every little cut on their body, all the pain of the dying students and teachers, and the world was closing in quickly on him. Within seconds, his head lolled to the side as he slipped out of consciousness, the pain in his mind too severe to bear.
Lulu felt him lean his head into hers. It seemed like such a mundane thing, but it meant the world to her. If he hated her as much as she suspected he did, then Jackson wouldn’t have given into her hug, he would have remained stiff as a board.
"Lu..." he whispered lowly. It was enough to make her throat jump and tighten with tears. Jackson was the only true friend she had had since she was little. If she lost him, then Lulu would lose any remnants she had of a normal life. Her parents hated her and her brother tried to kill her after years of torture. There was no such thing as family for her. If she had one she counted it as Jackson and his parents.
"I love you so god-damn much, and I hope you never forget that, okay?" he told her. "Okay," she murmured, repeating him for almost no reason. Lulu stared into his eyes, her lips trembling with relief, joy and so much more. His eyes were so warm in that moment, so kind and so him. It was the sight she needed to see in this chaotic environment. He was more relaxing to her than a bucket of puppies. "And you know I could never hate you. I never have, and I never will. Even if you do go off and date Drake. I'll.... I'll be here. Always, for you," he reassured her. Jackson moved back to hug her and Lulu heard herself moan happily. She was to a degree beyond words as he kissed her forehead and pressed his chin into her shoulder. "Always, and forever," Jackson added. “I’ll hold you to that you know, I always will,” Lulu told him.
Stepping away from him she sighed, smiled, but the carnage surrounding them was gripping, more than enough to make her choke on her breath as soon as she stepped out of her bubble with Jackson. Sweeping her eyes across the injured, she felt worried for all of them. Lulu was no healer, she couldn’t run and assist any and all who needed it. She looked at Jackson again, watching him lean his head onto her shoulder while she kept an arm around him. He closed his eyes and she suddenly felt the sharp sting of her slashed arm tingle and disappear. “Jackson,” she remanded him, but she couldn’t bring herself to make him stop. Without the pain clouding her thoughts she could see things even more clearly. And suddenly Drake emerged from the school again, collapsing onto his hands and knees not far from them. “Oh my God,” Lulu breathed. His sister Corentine stumbled after him, a teacher with her. What was his name again?
“He’s not okay Jack,” she commented, looking at her friend with dread before she rushed over to him, but not before Erin of all people crawled over to him on the grass with her own hands and knees. The blond she-hulk, the very same who had always been…rather negative towards her, collapsed and rolled onto her back in tears. Lulu didn’t know why she was watching the exchange. She heard everything as she came up to the man who had rescued her from her own drunken stupor last night.
Lulu placed her hands on his shoulders. “Drake,” she said worriedly. All the while she looked over at Erin, the poor girl’s voice shaking so severely that it was perhaps more worrisome. Where was Amy? Where was the school nurse who could heal any and every injury that came her way? Where was any person capable of helping? This was a school filled with supernatural students with powers and none of them could help? Were they just…all meant to do harm? Had her blast…whatever it had been…done anything at all? Or was it negative, like with Grey, and she had doomed them all. Her mind grew frantic.
“Drake, say something,” she pleaded, looking around her for Jackson, for anyone capable of doing…anything.
Katia held her breath as Chris moved to pick her up, his arm sliding under her back first before he grabbed her legs. She watched him bend her knees but she could barely feel his touch against her skin, a fact that made her swallow back growing fear and panic. Arching her back as he picked her up. Her spine cracked and she groaned, blinking rapidly as Chris lifted her off the couch entirely. She watched him and then she shifted her arms around his neck. "I've got you," he reassured her. “I’m good. It’s okay. The sound is good,” Katia swallowed, feeling some sort of release in her back, like a pressure had been lifted off her, reassuring him in turn as Chris began to make his way out of the office. Katia glanced around them both, her eyes widening at the amount of upturned furniture. Filing cabinets had opened and tipped over as well, sending paper virtually everywhere.
He seemed to hurry but she didn’t care. Katia didn’t feel the need to speak. She bowed her head into his chest and relished in the security she felt in this man’s arms. When they emerged from the school onto the outside grounds, Katia sighed in relief. “You’re a real life superman Chris,” she commented. It was the closest thing to a thank you he was going to get as he set her down and he started coughing, dirt and dust coating their faces and clothes.
"You know what I'm like. I'm going back in. I've got to get the students out," he told her. “Chris, you need to—“ she started, only for him to start coughing hoarsely again. “Dios, you need to stop. Please, you need to be looked after.” That didn’t stop him. "Don't make yourself any worse. Help is probably on it's way as we speak," Chris told her. “Help you need too!” she rebutted as he rose to stand. He left then, walking away. Had she any energy Katia would have puppeted his body back over to the injured group and forced him to stay where he was, but she couldn’t even if she tried. Before she could blink twice he was back in the school. The dance teacher laid back on the grass, her head hitting the ground with a thud. Her temples pounded, but she felt pins and needles in her legs as her circulation started to return beyond her hips.
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!
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.”
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."
- Loren's grip tightened each time she could feel his strength threatening to collapse; she could do that much for him. Silently, she resolved to stay, and be the strength he couldn't use right now. Because as foolish as a man's pride could sometimes be, she knew that right now, Zac Barnes wasn't strong. He couldn't be. As strong as his will is, he was too damaged and too physically hurt to be completely fine. She didn't say a word as he struggled to get up, even biting her tongue when he murmured beneath his breath. She didn't even gasp when he surprised her by lurching forward and grabbing her. She would remain steady and stoic for him, silent and reliable as a rock. She gripped his arms each time he tried again, refusing to make this moment even harder for him. Only once did she cry out, and that was involuntary, a mere sound that automatically left her throat. She swallowed and, with a quivering hand, matted down his hair affectionately before he tried once more again, this time succeeding, even if his success was a little shaky. "Let's go," he said. Loren nodded, and began taking a small step forward.
"I'm ready," she said softly, firmly. Her head hurt and her entire body ached, but she could do this for her best friend.
He bent down and picked up an iPod, his, and shoved it into his pocket. Loren tried to give him his privacy by looking away as he did so, though she couldn't stop herself from silently condemning him for caring more about a stupid device when their lives were on the line. Stupid, stupid boys. But then again, music was his life, and she could understand that... But not now, dammit! She just wanted to get out, and have this all over with. She would sacrifice all of her rebellious and restless tendencies if it meant being alive, with Zac Barnes right beside her. She gritted her teeth and glanced at him. He was avoiding her eyes, and his face was crestfallen...
Loren's frustration fell away, and she began to speak gently. "Zac, we should..."
"Loren," Zac interrupted her, "I'm sorry. Go."
"What?" Loren said, mouth agape as he continued with his crazy talk.
"If anything happens, you have to amke it out. You have to promise me. I'm not going to let you let me hold you back."
He was insistent, but when wasn't he insistent? Loren rolled her eyes and tightened her grip on him. "No!" she hissed, "I am not being held back, I am being held up." Because it was true. How many times had Zac helped her keep her calm in a situation as crazy as this one? She needed him as much as he needed her. The pig couldn't see that, he could only see his guilt and his shame, glorifying it and romanticizing it and trying to become altruistic and selfless because of one silly earthquake. Or a not-so-silly earthquake, Loren told herself, glancing at his injured leg.
"Go!" he said fiercely. Somehow, in the midst of Loren's inner ranting, he had leaned against the wall and met her gaze. She knew he wanted to be alone. She knew he was thinking of her first. She knew he was asking her to do this for him. But she wouldn't, because she was as crazy as he was.
"You can't get rid of me," Loren said lightly, shrugging her shoulders and holding her hand out. "You save my life... I save yours!" she said brightly, trying to smile in the middle of these strange and tragic circumstances. "Now, please, Zac, stop being stubborn and don't waste time; you know I can be just as bullheaded as you can be. So let's just go, okay?"
She was being as stubborn as ever. Most of what she said passed over Zac's head. He felt cold, and was rubbing his arms in a desperate hope to keep warm. His skin was clammy, and his breathing had involuntarily sped up until he was taking in fast, shallow breaths. The dust in the air was making it difficult. His heart was pounding in his ears, and he wasn't sure how long he could last..
"...let's just go, okay?" He suddenly heard her say. He wanted to fight, wanted her to go, but he just felt like he didn't have the strength. She held out her hand and he grasped it, desperate for a lifeline. Leaning on the guitar heavily, he opened the door and took his first few steps.
Each step made him feel worse. He knew he could easily worsen the fracture, but help was too far away. He could be crushed before anyone arrived or noticed he was missing. He was struggling to concentrate, and the dust in the air was causing him to cough. It wasn't helping his breathing, and he was already on the verge of hyperventilation. All he was really aware of was the pain in his leg and Loren's hand in his. He didn't know who was leading who- but before they reached the end of the hallway, Zac was pretty sure that she was tugging his hand.
The first time he stopped was at the top of the stairs. He could barely walk on a flat surface, let alone stairs. He was vaguely aware of Loren coaxing him to walk, to keep going. He didn't know where he found the strength, but he kept going, despite the immense pain he was in.
The second time was at the foot of the stairs. He thought he felt his hand slip from hers. At this point he couldn't feel much more than pain. He was barely conscious and felt like he was coughing a lung up. He was cold... so cold...
But she kept leading him, kept pulling his hand, and got him outside.
He collapsed on his good side on the lawn, his back arching as he coughed, trying to clear his lungs. He couldn't see the chaos around him. He could see everything, but wasn't taking anything in. "Loren... Loren, I'm cold..."
He didn't want anything more other than to sleep and feel her arm around his shoulders. He just wanted to forget the pain and chaos and wake up. This reality was worse than any nightmare. He was in so much pain, and everyone he loved was in pain or in danger too. Everyone except Loren...
She was the only person who was safe... Or even remotely safe. He couldn't be sure. Nothing made much sense to him.
"I love you, Loren."
What was he saying? He was still choking on dust in his lungs, hardly able to think, and in immense pain. Why was he telling her he loved her now?
"More than a friend."
There was only one explanation for his sudden declaration, one even he was only realizing now. He had almost lost her. The thought of losing her without telling her the truth was too much, too sickening. It was worse than the nausea in his stomach. It was worse than the coughing. It was even worse than the crushing pain in his leg.
He shoved the guitars and bass from his back, clearing the last of the contaminants from his lungs.
"And I'm still so cold..."
- She was aware of just how dramatic they were being. But it was a dramatic situation, and Loren was determined to get out of there, with as few words as possible. She stared at Zac until he grabbed her hand and, with a small smile at his surrender, began walking. Ha! she thought smugly, I finally got you to do something I wanted you to do. She pulled him through, stumbling a few times because she was frantically looking from the ground to Zac, from Zac to the ground. Part of her wanted to leave the guitar behind... part of her was afraid of what Zac would do to her if she let that happen. So she murmured and coaxed his way through the stairs, through turns in the building, ignoring the dangerous coughs of his and pretending he wasn't shivering and showing terrifying signs of someone too sick to do anything but lie down.
"Come on," she said, more to herself than to Zac, "come on, we have to get out, everyone's probably outside already..."
Finally, the two were out. Loren sat down on the ground and pulled her knees up, cradling her head in between her legs as she caught her breath. She wasn't as injured as the others, save for the bruises all over her body, but the stress had gnawed at her insides and her brain and everything else she had with a vengeance, and she was suddenly exhausted. She took deep breaths, as loudly as she could, reminding herself that somehow she had gotten out alive. With Zac. She had brought Zac out, even when things had seemed impossible. Oh, God, that was so badass.
With that revelation in mind, Loren raised her head and smiled brightly at Zac - but her face fell when she realized he was collapsed, coughing like he was dying, and clearly in pain. Uh oh. She rushed to his side and awkwardly patted his shoulder, trying to be comforting while giving him his space; after all, the two had just survived a colossal earthquake together, and somehow, after all of that, all Loren wanted was to be alone for awhile. Sure, it had been nice helping Zac - but she wanted to reflect on it by herself.
But Zac needs you, she told herself, hating that she was being so selfish in Zac's time of need. "Zac?" she whispered, looking around, hoping someone would see them and come over. But then he spoke, and she quickly changed her mind about wanting someone to interrupt this moment.
"I love you, Loren."
Her eyes widened and she nearly slapped him for saying something so crazy in these circumstances. "What?" she said in shock. No no no, don't turn this into a movie, she silently begged her best friend, because usually this is the part where the main character dies.
"More than a friend."
Loren stared down at him, too surprised to answer. So here was the answer to all of her questions. Here was the point where they couldn't turn back. They couldn't pretend any longer; they would have to face their emotions now. She had wanted this earlier today, but... well, this wasn't how she had wanted her day to go. The dynamics of their friendship had changed twice in a row, with no chance to absorb the changes in between. Now they had to face the guilt, and the implications of a romantic relationship. Now she had to confess, too.
"Save your energy and your words for later," Loren said comfortingly, deciding to talk about it with him later, when they weren't outside with the other Arcana students, in the aftermath of a tremendous earthquake. When they were alone. He might not even remember this moment, Loren realized. And she would be okay with that. She wasn't sure if she wanted to face her emotions so quickly. Right now, she just wanted to hide.
He shoved the guitar and bass away from him, bringing shame to Loren's cheeks for not doing it earlier. "And I'm still so cold," he moaned.
"Stop complaining, you little brat," Loren said halfheartedly as she propped him up and held him against her, trying to warm him with her own body heat. It wasn't so much of a hug as it was suffocation, really, but it would do. She rubbed his bare arms, putting his hands on the back of her neck, where it was warmest due to the covering of her hair. She looked around desperately, but Zac's body was blocking the entirety of her view.
"Hello? Anyone, can anyone help?" she cried out.
Drake shifted and Lulu saw the veins in his neck straining with pain as he rolled from his hands and knees onto his back. He looked winded from such a small action and Lulu sucked in a deep breath for him. As he looked up at her, he saw the dust on his face. Immediately the blond was on her knees, dragging her sweaty hand through the dirty to clear it away. There was dirt on his eyelashes and eyebrows, it coated his hair. It was everywhere. While it relatively shielded his face from her, he was still so clearly the man she adored. Seeing him hurt, it wrenched her as much as it had to see Jackson standing beside her. Lulu felt her lip tremble and she swept a hand from his hairline to his chin, peeling away a layer of the grit that coated him.
“Come down here and give me a kiss, gorgeous…” Drake demanded, his humor adding a slight glint to his eyes. Lulu giggled and her concerned frown melted into a smile. She swept a hand through his hair before she knelt down and kissed his nose. “All better?” she teased him. Lulu didn’t give him a chance to reply before she kissed his lips boldly, drawing his lower lip into her mouth with her teeth playfully before she gave him what she wanted.
It didn’t matter to her that Erin was laying, ailing, next to him on the grass. If anything, it was vindictive justice for the blond. Drake wanted to kiss her in the midst of this mess, and not the she hulk. The girl who had been one to make her life miserable since she had arrived at Noctrem now had to suffer watching a guy she hooked up with often kissing one of the most hated individuals at the school while she languished in pain. It seemed poetic to her, but she didn’t dwell on it right then and there. It didn’t even dawn on her. No. Lulu was conscientious of the fact that Erin was there, but then she ignored the blond completely. She didn’t want to be vindictive. She had other things on her mind than the fact that one of the people who had worked with Corentine to make her life a living hell was dying beside her.
There was the fact that Jackson was watching. That sent a chill up her spine. Lulu knew this wasn’t what he wanted to see. And they had just made up. She didn’t know what he was thinking, whether he would turn away from her again. It was concerning but she put that aside to.
Because truth be told, as she kissed Drake, she was concerned with pumping the man full of adrenaline, to keep him going. Whether she got the endorphins flowing by turning him on, or scaring the daylights out of him, she knew she had to because if he was high on that, then maybe what he was feeling would ebb, and the strain on his body would ease, and he would be more comfortable.
When she pulled away to breathe, Lulu bent her forehead to his, feeling her own body reacting to the kiss. Her thighs were clenched tightly, her fingers shaking to a degree. She felt the heat of his touch linger on her lips which only made her smile wider. Even though they were where they were, and he was on the ground in pain while her own blood was soaking through her shirt tied to her arm, she was breathless. How long had she been waiting to do that? Not that she remembered if they had done anything of this sort last night. But for now, this felt like a pretty damn hot and memorable first kiss.
"You're scaring me Drake Quellen," Lulu whispered. He was doing something to her. In the midst of the chaos, all of the desperation she was feeling seemed to disappear.
He felt her pull him into her. Almost involuntarily, he leaned his head onto her shoulder as she pulled his hands around her neck, desperately trying to keeping him warm. He knew her plea for help would go unanswered. Everyone else had too much on their minds. They didn't need to worry about him.
It felt nice being so close to her. Even if it was only because they had both nearly been killed in an earthquake and he was in shock, as well as having a broken leg. And yet all he could worry about was the fact she hadn't said it back.
If she didn't love him back... If she felt guilty... He would make her forget. Make her forget he had ever said it. It would hurt him to know, but she wouldn't have to know about his broken heart. He was good at hiding secrets. He had been doing it most of his life.
He didn't want to admit it, even to himself, but he was fighting to remain conscious. The pain of the break combined with the shock meant his mind was clouded and sharp at the same time. He was clinging to remain awake.
"Loren... Don't let me sleep. Just... don't let me sleep."
Sleep just seemed so appealing. But it was all wrong. She was supposed to be in his arms, not him in hers. He wasn't even properly in her arms. She was just supporting him, sharing her body heat so he didn't get cold. And he wanted to know where she was. Call it a paranoia after the events of the past few hours, but he needed to know where she was and to know she was safe. He didn't want to wake up without her in a strange hospital. He wanted to know she was still there for him, to make him smile when he needed it most.
"I want to tell you a story... But you can't let me sleep."
If it meant keeping her with him, he would tell her everything. If it meant hanging on that little longer, he would spill his guts.
"I know you've always wondered why I am the way I am.
My mom left us when I was four. My dad lost his job. His only option was to become a drug courier.
I first saw him dealing when I was ten. He told me exactly what he was doing.
Everything just got worse from there.
I was kidnapped when I was thirteen..."
He thought it would make him feel a little better, getting it off his chest. But as he spoke, he suddenly realized he was burdening her with it too. He hesitated for a moment, feeling his head swim.
"...I was beaten up more times than I care to think to get my dad to give the goods. I saw my dad shot when I was fourteen."
He trailed off there. What more was there to say? He had just poured his soul out before her. And now she had that on her shoulders too.
"No, I'm sorry. You don't need to worry about me. I'll make you forget..."
- He was going to make it; he had to. Loren tried to rub every inch of Zac's bare skin, desperately trying to battle the goosebumps with her body temperature and friction. This couldn't be good, his body had to react and fight the shock. She didn't want to let him go, this bundle of freedom that kept her sane and helped her forget her wanderlust. After years of being chained down by her parents, constricted by conservative unspoken rules of high society, Loren had only wanted to feel completely unbound; she wanted to fly and leave rules behind completely. And Zac helped her feel a little more free when she was with him. She wanted to be here with him until he was 100% okay.
"Zac, just hold on, okay? Someone's coming, someone will," she murmured in his ear. She continued to search the lawn desperately, crying out occasionally for a staff member to come and help. But they were so busy with the others. She heard whispers of more injured students, even some dead. She held back a whimper and hoped Zac was too hurt to hear any of it. His broken leg was already overwhelming him physically, and she feared that knowing some of his friends were dead would make him even worse. She stroked his hair down, murmuring comforts in his ear to distract him from the conversation going on and hopefully the pain and the cold while keeping an eye out.
"Loren... don't let me sleep," Zac said, his voice weak. She shushed him and promised, though she was a little distracted - as much as she wanted to stay with Eric at this time, the situation was beginning to scare her. She liked having fun and laughing with her best friend, and she had harbored feelings for him for awhile, but now that things had suddenly become incredibly intense and serious... it was scaring her. She was young; she didn't want to be caught up in a tragedy, and she wasn't sure if she was willing to give up the independence she had just so recently found for a boy, even if he was her best friend, even if she had liked him for a long time.
"I'll keep you awake," she repeated.
"I want to tell you a story..." and from there, he told her his story.
She thought she had it bad.
Fourteen years old, without a father. That was the age she had discovered her powers, the day she began hiding from everyone for fear of invading their privacy. He had been kidnapped by then. He had lost the only parent he had. Loren shifted so that she was embracing him. She said nothing, only attempted to convey her feelings through physical intimacy. He hesitated then, and finally spoke: "I'm sorry. You don't need to worry about me, I'll make you forget..."
Loren flinched. She had always wanted to know more about him, get past the mystery... and he had told her, and she had been so grateful, and he was regretting it. Was that how he really felt? She tried to fight the urge to pull back, but she ended up loosening her grip on him and losing the strength in her muscles, her shoulders dropping an inch in disappointment. So he was only shocked, in some sort of hysteria, saying things he didn't mean... including the three words that could have changed everything. She felt a pang in her stomach at that thought. Even though she had been thinking moments earlier how she was afraid of taking the next step, the silent rejection stung.
But even if she was disappointed and hurt, she was still his friend.
"No, we're best friends, Zac; I want to worry about you. I... I really care about you. You can tell me anything, you know that," she insisted.
Afraid that he still didn't trust her, she began to grab at empty space, trying to find the right words to convince him that she cared, she didn't want to forget, he could trust her, he didn't have to regret telling her anything... "My dad killed my twin brother," she confessed quietly. "My dad killed my twin brother so I ran away from home, and I used my powers to get money because I was a coward and had no talents besides knowing how to be a high society trophy. And they never came looking for me."
She squeezed him, returning her hug to its former strength and sentiment. "You and I, we both don't have a father."
"Do you trust me now that I've told you everything, Zac? You don't have to regret telling me anything, I promise you can tell me anything," she begged, her voice cracking.
Zac Barnes
There was a strange tone to her words, like she was hurt at his offer to make her forget everything.
As she spoke, something in the back of his mind realised that she thought he was disillusioned and delusional from the pain. She didn't think he meant his words. But why would she care? Was she afraid of hurting his feelings?
"Loren, look at me."
He pulled away from her and stared her straight in the face. What he had to say was more important than keeping warm.
"I trust you."
He took her hands and found himself staring into her eyes. He had to tell her. It would make it so much more difficult if he had to make her forget, but he couldn't rest until she knew.
"I'm not delusional. I love you. I'm telling you because I'm afraid of losing you. There are days when the only reason I get out of bed is so you don't worry. There are days when you're the only reason I smile. There are days when sometimes I can't even pick up a guitar- but I pick it up so I can see you smile and hear you sing."
He still felt cold. His mental function was improving, but he remembered reading that people in shock often varied from frenzied to lethargic and barely conscious. But he had to keep talking. He was gone too far to stop now.
"Losing you would be like losing half of me. I know I'd get over you eventually but... I'm not going to lie and say that I would never love another woman. But there would never be another Loren Craft. Not for me."
"If I lost you without you ever knowing who I am or how I feel, I don't know how I would handle it. I don't know if I could."
"I offered to make you forget because I don't want to see you upset. I don't want you to worry about me. I want you to smile, not that worried expression. If you... If you don't feel the same way, just tell me. I can make you forget, erase the feeling of guilt."
"Yes, I know you'll never love me back, but I can handle that."
"I couldn't handle losing you, Loren. Not without telling you. Even if you couldn't remember. Because that way, if anything happened to either of us, I would know. I hate not knowing, Loren. But if you don't feel the same way, just tell me. Because this is one time when my power is of some use. I can erase any memories that cause you guilt. Because I love you too much to let you live with that, with you thinking that you broke my heart."
This time, he pulled her close, enveloping her in his arms, holding the warmth of her body close. He felt the nausea wash over him again, coupled with exhaustion. But he couldn't sleep. He wouldn't. Not until he knew. Not until he had either made her forget altogether or until he knew.
"EVERYBODY CALM DOWN!" Kitty's head whipped around as she heard a male voice bellow throughout the cafeteria. She didn't exactly recognize him, but he was someone familiar. He was older than the rest of them, so he couldn't be a student. 'He must be a teacher.' Kitty figured. He began yelling instructions at the students. "Right." she said under her breath. "Buddy up." Slowly, she got up from under the table, trying not to put pressure on her hurt ankle. She winced and silently cursed her injury as she limped towards Amber.
The dark-haired girl sat silently under her table, staring off in the distance. "Amber?" Kitty started, slowly moving towards her. "We have to go outside. I hurt my leg, can you help me?" Her blue eyes shot towards the amazon and she slowly nodded, getting up to help her. Kitty took a deep breath as she put her arm around Amber. As the pair slowly moved towards the exit, pain burned in Kitty's ankle. She hissed, but as she heard the other students in the cafeteria leaving to go outside, a name came to her mind. Eric.
"Eric!" Kitty shouted, turning her head. Amber looked at her with a confused expression, but stopped moving all the same. "Eric! Eric!" She yelled his name, desperate to know if he was safe or not. She prayed to the Goddesses that he was alright. 'Hera, Isis, Freya, Mary. Whoever hears this, please just make sure he's safe.'
Katherine was injured. That much she had known the second she regained consciousness. And it hurt like hell. She had felt the sharp pain in both her side and her leg. She had reached the assumption that something had clearly fractured or torn in her leg. She remembered reaching a hand down to her side and pulling it away, seeing dark crimson staining it. The sharp shard of broken glass laying only a few metres away with one edge splattered with blood. It didn't take a damned rocket scientist to figure out how she'd cut herself.
She had managed to get herself into a standing position, although somewhat tentatively. Her head hurt like nothing else. She'd figured that the pain there was caused by whatever had knocked her out. Whether that be some random stone or a nasty thump against the wall. Her entire body was sore and just hurt. She'd never actually experienced an earthquake. Back home, in her native Ireland, such things were very rare. She was lucky she had been in other situations similar. Where she was in pain and confused. If she hadn't, she would've assumed that she would be panicking by then. She took a few steps. Her leg screamed in protest, but she ignored it. To give in to pain would be to contradict herself. Katherine Riley Shea never gave up. Actually, that was a stupid thing to even think. Of course she'd given up before. Plenty of times, in fact. But never when she needed to just keep pushing on.
She knew she had been pale, and wasn't sure if she was thankful that she had found no one on her way. She didn't take kindly to her incredibly weakened state, and was already about to collapse on herself. But she had to make it outside. If not to get out of the area in which she could be easily taken down by an afterquake, but to find someone.
Her mind had been racing as she moved at a snail's pace. Where the hell was everyone? Who's okay? Are they okay? Is Jack okay? She had almost shut her thoughts down at the last comment. She'd never really wanted to like him that way. It had just sort of... happened. And she wasn't actually very keen of trying to shut those feelings away because she enjoyed it far more whenever they were just hanging around. She actually enjoyed having her little crush. Kate would have laughed if it weren't for the fact that her lungs felt like they were burning. Which, all things considered, was a very cruel irony at the time.
Some time later...
Katherine brought her mind back to the present. And the present wasn't pretty. She was in pain, about to collapse, and she wasn't sure whether to jump for joy or feel sympathy at the sight of Jackson watching the girl he loved, his best friend, kiss a guy that Kate herself had slept with multiple times. She hesitated for a moment. Would he really want to keep her company now? Did she want to go to him now? The entire situation itself seemed volatile. And delicate. But then again, she was already limping and had a nasty laceration in her side so what did she have to lose? It wasn't like she was afraid of Jack rejecting her presence then. Naturally she was angry at Lulu. The witch always seemed to make her feel that way.
She shuffled forward until she was only a few metres behind Jack, the grass muffling the disfigured sound of her feet. She could see other people around outside. Apparently most of them had gotten the bright idea to get out of the godforsaken school.
"Jack, are you alright?" It was a stupid question but she'd already asked it. She mentally facepalmed as her eyebrows furrowed in concern. Her eyes wandered to Erin, laying in the grass. Next to Lulu and Drake, who had both clearly disregarded the presence of the blonde girl. Forgetting Jack's place in front of her, Kate's eyes seemed to burn with the spike of hatred she felt. She would have thrown out an insult but felt that if she moment she opened her mouth that Lulu would burn. So the other girl could control luck? She'd need more than she could get if she wanted to escape the sheer hatred that Katherine felt in that moment.
The darkness was welcoming. Everything was so much clearer in the darkness. Leo had nothing to worry about when he was here, nothing to make him sad, or angry, or embarrassed, worried or happy. Everything was so much easier and nothing here could hurt him. It was just dark, silent - nothing happened, or moved or spoke to him. No pain, no suffering - everything was nothing here. That was the best thing to describe it. Everything was nothing. Nothing was this place. And it was perfect. But Leo knew that he couldn't stay there, no matter how much he wanted to in that moment. A voice slowly started nagging in the back of his mind, and a pain started to erupt from his head. He was beginning to rouse, to come back to life from his world of darkness. An aching in his chest reminded him that he had been sad when he had died, and it didn't take long for him to remember what had been wrong. His baby...
Leo's eyes fluttered open as the whole in his head started to close up - the way his wounds did when he died and came back to life. It was blurry at first as his eyes adjusted to the light of the world, and soon, Amy's tear and blood stained face came into focus. "Amy..." He whispered, reaching his hand upwards and cupping her cheek. "I'm here..."
Erin just smiled weakly when Drake replied to her, keeping her eyes closed as she laid there collapsed on the floor. She summoned up the strength in her arm to move it out to the side, wincing as she did so. She gently placed her hand on top of Drake's upper arm, patting it a couple of times. She was too tired to speak, and it really hurt her chest when she tried to do so, but she hoped that he would understand that it was her way of thanking him for getting her out of the building. She knew it was him; no-one else was able to generate shadow men, and it made her happy inside, thinking that he had taken a little time out of whatever he had been doing, to come into her room and rescue her from whatever situation that she had been in.
As soon as another voice hit her ears however, the blonde let her hand slide from his arm, letting it hit the floor palm face down. Lulu irritated her, even in such a state like this, and Erin was just not in the mood to tolerate someone that irritated her in that moment. In fact, all she actually wanted to do was sleep. She didn't pay attention to anything that was being said by the people next to her, ignoring the sloppy kissing noises that came from their direction. Instead, she just took a few deep breaths and relaxed, feeling that unconcious darkness inside trying to take her over again.
Erin was happy to let it.
Having Lulu confirm that they would always be friends made Jack smile; he knew that somewhere deep down that he would never loose her properly from his life, despite how many unfriendly words were traded between the both of them. Of course, it would be awkward for the both of them to be around each other, knowing the feelings that he had and the ones that she didn't have for him, but they would make it work. They were so close, and knew so much about each other, that there wasn't anyway the two of them could ever truly loose touch or dislike each other. "You can - I'll be true to my word." He smiled, before hugging her again. As Lu told him off for taking away the pain, all he could do was to pull away and look into her eyes with a grin on his face. "Did you really think I was going to allow you to stand there, in pain?" He spoke softly.
It was then that her attention was quickly taken away by Drake emerging from the school and falling into his knees, followed by Corentine and Mr Henderson. He followed his best friend over to the male, another friend and watched as she started to fret over Drake's condition, looking back at him for some sort of help. "I won't be able to help... I can only dull the pain of minor things, Lu... if I could, I would. I mean, I can try but I'm not sure how much of it I could take away, if any..." He rambled, waving his good hand around softy as he spoke. All Jackson wanted to do was make his best friend happy, and if that meant adding some extra pain onto his day, then so be it. He would try and use his gift, if Lulu wanted him to.
As the two of them on the floor started to kiss however, the male turned away. As much as Jack loved Lulu and cared about Drake, and wanted them to be happy, he didn't want to see the acting so .... couply. Not yet, anyway. He couldn't deal with it so soon. It seemed the blonde on the floor opposite felt the same way too, laying there on the floor with her eyes closed, breathing softly. The Irishman thought about going over there and speaking to her, but another person caught his attention first.
His relationship with Kate was a strange one; not because he disliked her, or anything like that - it was because of her power. Jackson was terrified of fire. Ninety-nine percent of everyone in the school knew that fact, and Kate power was fire-breathing. But, he just couldn't bring himself to hate her and stay away from her, like he did with Sky. In fact, he kept finding himself oddly drawn to her. Jackson didn't like seeing the state that she was in, and he turned around to face her fully when she was standing behind him. "Kate, " The shirtless man began, checking her body over a couple of time, to see her injuries, "you don't look too good. I ... I can help, if you like? Only a little, but still.." He asked softly, brushing off her question about him being okay. He was fine - Kate, on the other hand, didn't look in the best shape.
Kate couldn't take her eyes off the almost disgusting sight before her. Never in her life had she actually seen such blatant disregard for a person's life. Never had she seen said disregard be displayed literally feet away from the person in question. Selfishness was the word that was paramount in Kate's mind, as it seemed that Lulu had other things on her mind besides the dying girl. Even she was worrying more about others than herself. Thinking about the statuses of her friends. Even as her head spun and it became hard to breathe, Kate didn't give so much as a damn for her own well-being. It was a different feeling for her. She was always looking out for herself, wasn't she? Rule number one. Always look out for number one. Except, in that moment, she was not number one. No one was. There were only priorities that demanded attention and things that could be dealt with later. And burning Lulu alive was quickly beginning to creep up on Kate's priority list. Kate didn't move. She couldn't. Paralyzed not by fear but by anger.
"Kate,"
Hearing her name being called by Jackson, Kate snapped out of her crimson-tinted trance. She looked to Jackson, watching his eyes flicker over her body in a concerned manner. Funny. Only now did he decide to give her body the light of day. Only when the girl he loved was off making out with a guy in the grass a few metres from him. She felt a sharp stab of anger in her chest but held it down. Of all people, she did not want to lose Jackson to her own emotions. Him, or Cor, or Erin. She didn't quite know what their relationship was. She just felt this strong and suffocating attraction to him but for what? He was her friend as far as he was concerned. Meanwhile she was off with a ridiculous teenage-hormone induced crush.
"You don't look too good. I ... I can help, if you like? Only a little, but still.."
He didn't answer. She, on the other hand, had plenty to say. What could she say? That she was currently in the process of deciding how best to barbeque his best friend? But no, that wasn't the question he had asked.
"I.. I could use a little help," She choked out as the previous fury dissipated. Her eyebrows furrowed in concern as they flickered between her friend lying on the ground and Jackson. She didn't realize how difficult it would actually be to talk, even if only to spit out a few words. She took another step forward and her entire body screamed in protest, blood from the laceration on her hip showing no sign of stopping any time soon. If she ever found that piece of glass again she would chuck it at a wall. She managed a small smile in Jackson's direction to show him that she was okay emotionally, if anything. Don't even know if he would care, she thought disdainfully. She shoved the thought away. She couldn't think like that. Made her sound too... weak. And Kate Shea did not do weak under any circumstances. Though in that second, giving in to the pain she felt seemed like a really good idea. Almost did, as her legs wobbled slightly and threatened to collapse under her, mere feet from Jackson. She didn't want to break down. Wouldn't. But her body was betraying her."Stupid question to ask, Jackson. Help Erin first. I-... I can wait."
A wave of coughing overcame Chris and he doubled over. An inner war raged inside him. He wanted to try and get more people out, but every fibre of his being was screaming at him to get out. He knew all the airborne dust was coating his lungs, and that the building was far from safe. When he could catch his breath, he screamed at the kids to get out, to move it. But that was becoming scarily less common as his body was racked with heaves and coughs. His shoulder wasn't getting better, and he was pretty sure that the cut on his brow was still bleeding.
He started to move, but his feet gave way from underneath him. How long had he been in the building? How much dust had he inhaled? He knew that it was the coughing making him weak. He pushed himself up, clambering back to his feet, but he stumbled, leaning against a wall as his body tried to repel everything that was in his body that shouldn't be. Something glass shattered and he felt jagged pieces of glass dig into his skin.
Was it his imagination? Or could he hear a siren wailing somewhere? Or was it just the panic alarm, undoubtedly triggered by the headmaster before he got out?
Even as Chris leaned against the wall, choking on the dust in his lungs, he started to worry about Amy. He hadn't exactly been the most popular guy in school- something about being too much of a show-off. Amy was the only friend he had seen since leaving school, and he hoped that she was going to be alright, no matter what was wrong with her.
He managed to start moving, despite the coughing that was on the verge of becoming dry heaving. The glass in his arm reminded him of his ordeal the day before. Corentine Quellen. He tasted something bitter in his mouth. For a second, he thought it was at the memory of her. Then, he realized that it was more salty than bitter- blood. He didn't know if somewhere, his lungs had been damaged, if it was just from the still bleeding wound on his forehead or if it was from all the coughing. He had heard that when a person was coughing as vigorously as he was for as long as he was, their windpipe could be damaged.
He found himself in the ruined lobby. It's grandeur and professionalism was gone, instead looking like a building site gone to ruin. He had to lean on what had once been the desk as his head started to swim and the floor lurched beneath his feet. His feet lead him out the the suddenly blinding sunlight. They carried him to the lawn and declared their job done, depositing him abruptly to the ground. He continued to cough, but the clean air he sucked in with every breath made a slight difference, replacing the dust-clouded air of his lungs with clean, fresh air.
Before long, he managed to sit up, looking around. He raised a hand to the wound on his brow, touching it tenderly and looking at his hand when he lifted it away. Sure enough, there was blood in his fingers. His body suddenly became aware of new wounds, and a fresh wave of pain rolled through his body as he examined the new cuts in his arm. The adrenaline started to fade, leaving him feeling achy and shaken. His shoulder felt slightly swollen and stiff.
Relief suddenly filled him as he realized how lucky he was. He wasn't that badly injured. He had escaped with mild injuries compared to a lot of the students. He wanted to help those who seemed in a bad way, but he still continued to cough, and he didn't particularly feel up to being a hero any more. He instead took a breather and waited for the coughing to subside.
He started to move, but his feet gave way from underneath him. How long had he been in the building? How much dust had he inhaled? He knew that it was the coughing making him weak. He pushed himself up, clambering back to his feet, but he stumbled, leaning against a wall as his body tried to repel everything that was in his body that shouldn't be. Something glass shattered and he felt jagged pieces of glass dig into his skin.
Was it his imagination? Or could he hear a siren wailing somewhere? Or was it just the panic alarm, undoubtedly triggered by the headmaster before he got out?
Even as Chris leaned against the wall, choking on the dust in his lungs, he started to worry about Amy. He hadn't exactly been the most popular guy in school- something about being too much of a show-off. Amy was the only friend he had seen since leaving school, and he hoped that she was going to be alright, no matter what was wrong with her.
He managed to start moving, despite the coughing that was on the verge of becoming dry heaving. The glass in his arm reminded him of his ordeal the day before. Corentine Quellen. He tasted something bitter in his mouth. For a second, he thought it was at the memory of her. Then, he realized that it was more salty than bitter- blood. He didn't know if somewhere, his lungs had been damaged, if it was just from the still bleeding wound on his forehead or if it was from all the coughing. He had heard that when a person was coughing as vigorously as he was for as long as he was, their windpipe could be damaged.
He found himself in the ruined lobby. It's grandeur and professionalism was gone, instead looking like a building site gone to ruin. He had to lean on what had once been the desk as his head started to swim and the floor lurched beneath his feet. His feet lead him out the the suddenly blinding sunlight. They carried him to the lawn and declared their job done, depositing him abruptly to the ground. He continued to cough, but the clean air he sucked in with every breath made a slight difference, replacing the dust-clouded air of his lungs with clean, fresh air.
Before long, he managed to sit up, looking around. He raised a hand to the wound on his brow, touching it tenderly and looking at his hand when he lifted it away. Sure enough, there was blood in his fingers. His body suddenly became aware of new wounds, and a fresh wave of pain rolled through his body as he examined the new cuts in his arm. The adrenaline started to fade, leaving him feeling achy and shaken. His shoulder felt slightly swollen and stiff.
Relief suddenly filled him as he realized how lucky he was. He wasn't that badly injured. He had escaped with mild injuries compared to a lot of the students. He wanted to help those who seemed in a bad way, but he still continued to cough, and he didn't particularly feel up to being a hero any more. He instead took a breather and waited for the coughing to subside.
- More than anything, Loren was conflicted. Part of her urged her to take the offer, to forget that this had happened, to continue living life simply, to take the opportunity for what it was and let this hell of an experience fade into nothing. But it would be unfair, for him and for her, no matter how easy it was. She took a deep breath and brushed the hair out of her eyes, at a loss for words. Holding onto Zac tightly, she continued breathing in deeply, stalling for time to gather her thoughts and find the words. He had always been good with words. She, on the other hand, had always struggled with saying the right thing. She couldn't spin an elaborate confession as he had just done; she could barely consider telling him simply that she felt the same way, too. They had been best friends for... forever.
Everything was going to change. And change could be scary. Extraordinarily so.
"Zac," she tried, her voice cracking, dry and unused to speech after such a long period of listening. She cleared her throat and pulled away from the hug, meeting his eyes firmly. Despite her steady gaze, her entire body showed an anxiety that didn't match her expression; her hands twitched and fidgeted, her foot tapped restlessly against the grass, her throat was going dry, and her insides were rioting against itself. But she had to try to tell him the truth, even if it didn't sound quite as... amazing as his had.
"I love you too," she said quietly. Her fingers still fidgeted, her feet still tapped, her throat still dried, and her insides still rioted, anxious for his response, magnified by a sudden fear of what would come next, now that the truth was out. Nothing would be the same again. Part of her was excited to see how it would evolve; others, not. He had been heartfelt and expressive and incredibly poignant; she was still unsure of the depth of her feelings. She cared for him, she knew. She wanted to be with him all the time, she knew. She wanted to kiss him, she knew. But her eyes had often strayed, she had disappointed Zac before, and at times, she became so frustrated with him she considered him a child. But then he did something like this, and she couldn't stay mad at him. The emotional control he had over her was astounding.
Loren cleared her throat and said it again, louder this time, attempting to cement it not only into his mind but also hers. "I love you." Then she smiled at him and wove her fingers between his. "Now go to sleep."
"I love you too." Zac stared at her, the words not really kicking in until she said it the second time. "I love you." She took his hand as he grinned at her.
He hadn't even allowed himself to dream about her feeling the same way. That was crossing the line into an unspeakable territory, one that could only end in heartbreak. Confirmation that she didn't feel the same way would be difficult enough, but he hadn't wanted to allow his heart and hopes to be fully smashed.
The pain didn't disappear, but it seemed to lessen a little. Suddenly he didn't feel so cold with their fingers interlocked, and his breathing seemed to ease a little. It felt like the end of a superhero movie.
Except for one major difference. In the movies, the guy usually saved the girl. It was the Prince Charming who arrived on a white horse, wielding a sword to slay the fire-breathing dragon and to save the princess. It was the superhero who swooped in to save her from the bomb. It was the handsome cop who shot the serial killer.
But not in their story.
Because in this story, the princess saved the prince. She was the one who slayed the ferocious dragon. She was the one to pull him from the burning building. It was the hostage who had saved the cop.
He couldn't stop smiling. Instead of a crushing exhaustion, he instead felt peacefully tired. And maybe now, now that he was sure she wouldn't let them take him away, he could sleep. He laid his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.
He'd forgotten how long it had been since he'd had a good dream.
It seemed the fairy tale analogy had continued into his dreams. He was the prince, and Loren his princess. He was even dressed like the fairy-tale prince. Loren looked beautiful in her ballgown. "You look amazing." He told her, smiling. Her eyes dipped then met his again, matching his smile. As they danced, Zac found himself looking around. Loads of people from the school were there. He spotted Corentine in a black dress, looking her usual self. She was standing with her brother and an unfamiliar blonde boy.
He spotted Jackson, dancing with a girl from Noctrem that he vaguely recognized. And was that Mr Marinos and Ms Roerig he saw dancing in the corner?
He couldn't shake the feeling that people were missing. Important people. He kept looking around, trying to detect who was missing. "Loren. Someone's missing, and I don't know who." He allowed a frown to settle on his face as she looked around. "You're right. I don't know who, though." She admitted, turning back to face him. A grin returned to his face. "Never mind. If they were important, I would know."
They kept dancing. There was nowhere else he wanted to be. Right here, with one hand in Loren's and the other around her waist, the two of them in their own private world, was where he belonged. It was night outside, but it wasn't dark. Stars lit up the sky, and the moon shone as though it was the sun. And they kept dancing.
She didn't remember passing out. It was only when she came around again that she realized she'd been unconscious. She was curled up small in the alcove she'd dived into when the earth had started quaking. She vaguely remembered hearing something about standing in a door frame during an earthquake, so she had guessed that an alcove would do the same thing. She'd shoved whatever had previously been there to the floor and... what had happened after that? She put a hand to the point where her skull was throbbing. It came away bloody. She stared at it, her stomach queasy. Besides that, she had gotten away relatively unscathed, other than a few cuts and scratches on her arms.
Her head was cloudy, but she could just about recall her actions before the earthquake. Her mother had dropped her off in the school. The atmosphere in the car had been icy cold, and Casey hadn't even said goodbye, just pulled her bags from the car and slammed the door. She'd given her name at the reception, hoping the headmaster would be available to see her and discuss her timetable and roommate and whatever. She'd been slightly irritated when the too-perky receptionist had told her to take a seat and wait. Casey had ended up wandering around the school under the pretense of needing the bathroom. She was glad that she'd actually checked out the bathrooms now.
Casey had her head buried in her hands, not wanting to raise it too quickly in case she gave herself a head rush or passed out again. She slowly raised it- and immediately wished she hadn't. Rubble had piled outside the alcove- not entirely burying her, but enough to cause her to panic. She suddenly realized how small the space she was in was. Her claustrophobia wasn't usually that bad- but the whole situation she was in was enough to force it into overdrive.
She curled up tight into a ball, which didn't make her breathing any easier. She was barely back to full health after her bout in hospital, and all the airborne dust wasn't making things any better. She didn't know what to do. Nobody knew she was here, except for the receptionist- and God knows what had happened to her? And would she even remember Casey?
She was tempted to create an illusion in the hope that somebody would see it and realize that there was somebody who needed help. But she doubted if she could create two pink butterflies for herself, let alone an illusion capable of delivering a message that was directed to nobody in particular. She tried kicking at the pile of rubble, but it just threatened to collapse on her. It was a streak of pure luck that the pile hadn't already collapsed or hadn't fallen on her in the first place.
There was only one thing she could do. She didn't know how well her voice would hold up to it, or how much volume she could get, but it was worth a try. She opened her mouth and let out a scream as loud as she could. In the enclosed space she was in, it seemed relatively loud, but she didn't know how far it would carry. She decided to try again. The second scream sounded louder, and she was able to hold it for a little longer.
Sheer panic and terror set in as she suddenly felt like both the wall of the alcove and the wall of rubble were closing in on her. She started screaming repetitively, hoping desperately that somebody would hear and save her.
Jackson was beginning to worry about Kate, more so that the other people in the courtyard. She was the sort of person who was usually extremely confident and never showed any signs of weakness, and that wasn't what the woman in front of him looked like. In fact, she was the complete opposite. This Kate was broken, and upset, and he hadn't seen her like this before, which was why it was worrying him. His eyes glanced over the couple that were kissing on the floor to Erin as she lay there on the floor, and he just shook his head softly. The blonde was fine. She was practically unconscious, which meant she wasn't in any physical pain, unlike Kate herself.
The male was about to say something to Lulu, and he turned around fully to speak to her. However, she didn't seem to care about anything else that was going on right now, except that man that was laying on the floor in front of her. A soft sigh escaped his lips, knowing that his best friend was only listening to her heart, caring about the man she was falling in love with, but he couldn't help but wish they would stop. Jack didn't like seeing the girl he had been in love with for years sucking off the face of the man he had come to see as one of his best friends, but there was nothing he could say about it. The two of them were happy, or so it seemed, and Jack didn't want to ruin that for her. So, he turned back around, facing Kate completely.
"Now, you." He started, moving to wrap his arm around her waist. The male had a feeling that she was going to protest what he was going to do, but there was nothing that was going to stop him from helping her. Slowly, he helped her get down onto the grass, holding her tightly as he knew her pain had to be almost excruciating. Once she was down, Jack moved to roll up the bottom of her jeans, however stopping when it wouldn't go up any further. There was a small rip in her trousers, and he quickly apologized to her before ripping the fabric, exposing the wound for him to see properly.
"Just relax, Kate." Jack's voice was soft, yet thick with his Irish accent as he placed his hand as gently as he could over Kate's leg, his left palm almost just brushing over the skin, the right still pressed against his bare chest. It was then that he dove deep inside himself, letting his eyes closed as he focused on taking away at least some of the pain she was feeling. He wouldn't be able to remove all of it for her, and dulling it would be the best he could do - but at least it was something. Soon, Jackson felt himself struggling to breath, his lungs beginning to almost burn in pain. The searing in his leg grew and grew until he was unable to take any more, and the brunette removed his hand from her leg, almost falling back onto the grass.
"Any better?" Jack smiled weakly in Kate's direction.
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?!”
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.
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.
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View All » Add Character » 100 Characters to follow in this universe
Newest
Alena Marie Pierce
"It's okay. Most people look at me like that."
Katherine Riley Shea
"So help me god, if you make a pun about my 'Fiery Temper', I'll skip the burning and just throttle you instead.""
Eric Lee
I'm the smartest in the room right now, and it feels awfully mundane.
Vince Zahren
"Welcome to Noctrem."
Loren Hanna Craft
"I know who I am, but I would much rather know who I may be. Who I might become."
Rebecca Fields
"I have better things to do than teach people who don't want to be taught."
Kitty Lee
"Who run the world? Girls!"
Max Henderson
"Oh, fuck off. I can't be bothered to say it any more eloquently."
Katia Hunt
I'm not afraid to defend myself.
Eden Haven
"You just got to trust that God has a plan."
Trending
Eden Haven
"You just got to trust that God has a plan."
Vince Zahren
"Welcome to Noctrem."
Jackson Murphy
"Mister Tall, Dark, and Mysterious, you say? I suppose I don't mind that."
Leonardo Marinos
"When you've lived for as long as I have... nope, things still surprise me today."
Erin Hawthorne
"Most people say that I have anger issues. My reply is that I'm very in touch with my primal side, and wonder if they'd like to see it."
Kitty Lee
"Who run the world? Girls!"
Amber Nicole Romano
"I know your little secret. Don't worry, it's safe with me...as long as you pay me the right amount."
Drake Mauri Quellen
"It's not that I don't like you. I just don't... give a fuck."
Katherine Riley Shea
"So help me god, if you make a pun about my 'Fiery Temper', I'll skip the burning and just throttle you instead.""
Amalthea Desolee Roerig
"Take care of your power, dear. There's a very specific reason it was given to you. You just need to find out what it is."
Most Followed
Amalthea Desolee Roerig
"Take care of your power, dear. There's a very specific reason it was given to you. You just need to find out what it is."
Skylar Fiammetta Byrnes
"Don't you get sick of always being good?"
Max Henderson
"Oh, fuck off. I can't be bothered to say it any more eloquently."
Rebecca Fields
"I have better things to do than teach people who don't want to be taught."
Alena Marie Pierce
"It's okay. Most people look at me like that."
Kitty Lee
"Who run the world? Girls!"
Jackson Murphy
"Mister Tall, Dark, and Mysterious, you say? I suppose I don't mind that."
Corentine Storm Quellen
"Let's play a game, hm? You run and hide. I find and... well, you don't want to know."
Erin Hawthorne
"Most people say that I have anger issues. My reply is that I'm very in touch with my primal side, and wonder if they'd like to see it."
Vince Zahren
"Welcome to Noctrem."
Fullscreen Chat » Create Topic » The Arcana Academy: Out of Character
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The Arcana Academy
1 ... 114, 115, 116by Imagine That! on Sat Jul 28, 2012 8:25 am
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The Arcana Academy
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Relationship Thread (3)
by Imagine That! on Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:11 pm
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by Imagine That! on Tue Jul 31, 2012 11:41 am
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Relationship Thread (2)
by Imagine That! on Wed Oct 03, 2012 1:24 pm
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Relationship Thread (2)
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Relationship Thread
1, 2by Imagine That! on Sat Jul 28, 2012 12:08 pm
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Relationship Thread
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