Happy 2036

Magic stood up and straightened out when Adeline stood. She seemed fine, as far as he could tell. Instead of walking ahead of her like he originally planned, he was going to walk beside her to make sure he was there if she needed help. "Heading back is the plan." He said. He started walking away from the area, making sure not to get too far ahead of Adeline. "If you need help with anything I'm right here." He said.

Oh yeah, right. They already agreed on going back. Ahaha... God, she was dumb, wasn't she? A nervous giggle bubbled up her throat. Her eyes shifted from her leg up to Magic and back as he slowly began to amble in the direction of the school. At least he didn't question anything yet, but dear lord help her when she would be stumbling the entire way to the campus. Adeline kept her fingers clutched around the metal handle of the kite, walking a little and she had to keep watch on the ground, the shimmering yellow glares of light bulbs helping her make sure she didn't lose her footing and trip again. But this was taking way too long and trying to keep up with his pace was more difficult than she had originally thought. "I-It's o-okay. I c-can walk m-myself." Those words made her feel like a kid trying to prove to their father that they were capable of doing anything that their mind could think of. She was stupidly childish and it bothered her more than anything.

He wasn't going to say she couldn't. He was just right there just in case she needed help. Magic didn't want her to push herself just to prove something to him. He didn't say anything else at the moment. Just looked around the forest looking at the scenery. It was kind of creepy, but at the same time it was also peaceful. The leafless trees. The snow covering everything thing. The soft glow of the kite's lights. Honestly it felt nice. In the distance he could hear the faint shouts of people celebrating back at the school. He wasn't looking forward to hearing those at full volume..

His eyes flicked up to the sky for a moment looking up at the stars above. Laine was probably out there looking at the same sky probably dealing with some gang stuff, or celebrating with the gang. Who knew? Magic didn't. He just hoped his friend was having a great time where ever he was. "Happy New year.." He whispered quietly.

He looked over to Adeline, attempting to make conversation this time. "So how was your new years eve?" He asked, it was a basic question, that only needed a basic answer.

They'd been trekking through the woods for awhile now, and for a few seconds, she almost assumed that they were lost. But then again, there was no way they could get lost. Magic didn't seem like the kind of person who'd find himself mixing up left and right, and besides, he could hear all the way back to the school. He definitely knew where he was going and all she was doing was following behind him with much shorter and shaky strides. Part of it was because her legs weren't as long as his and the next part was because she was much worker than him as well. The rest was all because her foot wouldn't cooperate. By the time the trees began to thin out until there was only bleak snow separating them from the school and forest, there had been at least another three or four times where she had to catch herself from falling. Again.

There wasn't anything to support her if they kept going. She wasn't sure if Magic had noticed this, but he had stopped and turned to her, asking her a question. Her... New Year's Eve? Adeline blinked, tilting her head to the side a little. Of all the conversation topics he could've chosen, he chose to ask about how her day was yesterday? Her eyes wandered around a bit, a finger placed on her lips as she did a mental rundown. A bit of talking to her brother and Callum, going to Rosebury, leaving her stuff at the cafe--- Oh, right. She left all of her belongings there. Heading over now would be a bad idea; Patty would've locked it up already and taking a slight detour on their way back would prove to be more trouble than needed. "Uhm... I-It was fun." she replied simply, a smile working its way up her features.

Fun. That was one way to put it, she supposed. Adeline turned back towards the white wasteland in front of them, hesitating to take another step without something to cling onto or keep balance. "H-how were the h-holidays for y-you...?"

Magic paused when she paused for a moment. "My holidays are like every other day. Nothing special. I think the only present I got was from you, which obviously I like." If he didn't like it, or find it useful he wouldn't be wearing them. He hummed slightly as he thought some more. "My brother came back to the school while you were gone." He couldn't really think of anything else. "My holidays are never anything special, even my birthday. They are just like normal days with a label to me. That is how it's always been." And that is probably how it always will be. He thought to himself.

His holidays weren't anything special, huh? Magic's family wasn't one to celebrate those kinds of things, were they? A mother he seemed to hate him and say spiteful things on a daily basis, a brother who he seemed to constantly be clashing with, and a father that he didn't ever meet. It was impossible to imagine a scenario where they would sit around the table and enjoy their dinner over friendly conversations about what they did that day, sitting with one another and acting like a family. It was impossible to imagine a scenario where they would be singing happy birthday and waiting for someone to blow the candles and make a wish. It was impossible to imagine a scenario where they would be unraveling gifts that were left under the Christmas tree the night before by Santa Claus. It was impossible to imagine a scenario where they would be laughing with one another or playing board games on the floor or taking walks by a park to go star-gazing. There wasn't anyway that the holidays could be special for him.

She was so insensitive to ask that kind of question. If anything, she had been lucky enough to be able to experience all of that year after year after year until she had ruined it for everyone else. Being able to have parents that had loved and cherished her and a brother she could confide every little secret into and admire while growing up, even if they were the same age. The memories she gained over all of that time and came to treasure every day, dearly missing over the years as the end drew closer and closer, was something that Magic hadn't lived through and couldn't. Why didn't she take any of that into consideration before she let the words leave her mouth? Why didn't she think?

You are a fucking idiot.

Her bangs overshadowed her eyes, a crestfallen expression blanketing over her features as she looked away from him. How sad it was that he couldn't ever experience it that way. Normal days with a label. Like grabbing a normal item and putting a special brand name on it and overpricing it. Maybe that was a bad comparison... Adeline opened her mouth to say something but closed it immediately, a ghost of a smile still remaining etched on her features. She couldn't find the right words to say to lighten the situation. She never knew what to say.

Whenever she made stupid mistakes like this, they never ended well. It always off-set the mood and it was practically unrecoverable. Out of habit, Adeline wrung her hands to ease the anxiety overflowing her, the levels hitting too high. She shook her head, squeezing her eyes closed and let out a shaky breath. This wasn't fair of her to keep him here or talk to him. They shouldn't be friends anymore. Maybe this would be a good time to cut it off. She wouldn't be much help to him or be able to fix any of his problems. She was useless. He needed to find someone else and forget about her already.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry for asking..." The words were quiet, drowned out by the roaring wind. Lifting her chin up a bit, a breathy laugh escaped her as she brightened her smile a little. If she looked depressed now then... well... She shouldn't be. "C-can you h-head back without m-me?" She wouldn't be able to walk back right now. She was too weak and relying on him to support her was too much to ask.

Magic shook his head. "You don't have to apologize for asking. It's not exactly a depressing thing to me. It's just how things were. Honestly I'm kind of glad we didn't do anything. Gave me more time away from my mother. Gave me more time to work on gang stuff. I was a hard worker with that stuff." He said, casually. He shrugged slightly.

He hesitated a little bit in response to her question. He looked back to her. "Why?" He asked. "Is there an issue?" He asked. He didn't just want to leave her behind. He wouldn't. Unless she was actually hurt, and just trying to hide it from him. A white puff escaped his mouth, as he let out a heavy breath. Then a yawn soon followed after, he was tired for once. That was a surprise. Maybe he could sleep a little bit tonight.

Adeline's fingers fiddled with the ends of her scarf when he answered, brushing it off as though it were nothing. Of course he'd say something like that. There wasn't anything melancholic about it because it was something that he'd never experience or look back on in the future. Magic was able to leave behind his past and not let it get to him all the time like she was. She admired him for that. She envied him for it. Maybe if her family hadn't been so close, none of them would be suffering from the mistake she made that split them all apart. It wasn't fair of her to do that at all when she should've just been a good little girl and kept to herself instead of lashing out at something that wasn't even her decision.

But with Magic...

To him, it wasn't something that he'd lost. To him, it was just another thing and he wouldn't ever know what it meant to be happy on those kinds of days. Well, sure, he met the gang and such later on and Laine and the others were all very nice and kind people, but... hadn't Magic ever thought about what his life would be like if he had been living with a normal family? Hadn't those kinds of things ever occurred to him at all? Ah, it wasn't any of her business anyway. If Magic was content with his life right now, then it shouldn't matter, right? It seemed too depressing to think like that... Even then, it didn't seem like Magic was all too happy with where he was right now either.

Her lips thinned once he finally responded to her question. Issue wasn't the right way to describe it. Hell, she was probably just making a big deal over nothing. A sprain really wasn't that bad at all and the only reason it was hindering her so much was because she was so weak. Any normal person would still be able to walk decently and not stumble every five seconds with this kind of injury. Adeline feverishly shook her head, allowing her smile to widen. "N-no. Y-you're tired... a-a-and..." It was too late at night now. Keeping him here to wait for her all the time wasn't good. "I'd j-j-just hold you b-back."

Mason just let out a small hmm.. as a response for a moment. "I don't mind waiting. It's not like I'm in a rush to sleep. I probably won't be able to sleep anyway. I haven't been able to for a while. I have probably developed insomnia or something." He shrugged. It was a simple thing really. It was better than trying to sleep and hearing the screams of people dying around him, and waking up mad at himself once again, or panicked. He should probably do something to try and fix that, but he probably couldn't. He was tired of trying to fix things for a while.

He didn't mind waiting? Why? Wait, insomnia? "Magic..." A concerned tone had laced its way into her voice. Magic shouldn't just shrug it off like that as if it were nothing. His hearing probably wasn't making it easy for him to sleep at night, but if he was going to be constantly tired and exhausted, it wasn't good for his health at all. At this rate, he won't be able to function properly during the day and it'd just hinder everything that he had to do. The corner of her lips curved downward into a tiny frown, a transparent white puff passing by with a shaky, nonexistent breath. He really should head back without her then. She was only holding him back from rest that he should be taking when he clearly needed it. It wasn't fair of her to keep him here to wait for her.

Adeline shifted uncomfortably, twisting the ball of her right foot into the ground and doing her best to keep her eyes away from him. Yeah, avoid looking at him will definitely convince him to go back without her. Wasn't this one of the signs of lying or something? Agh, what was the point? He could hear it anyone and detect it every single time without failure. Manipulating her voice wasn't something she could do and even then... Magic could probably tell the difference between a fake voice and a real one. Good luck getting out of this one. She wasn't sure what to think or say. She never really knew and it's what made her a social failure.

What now, what now? Finding an answer to that was proving more difficult than necessary. "Y-you r-r-really need the sleep. D-don't wait for m-me..." The clock was striking two o'clock. "Pl-please?"

Magic let out a huff. There was obviously something wrong now. "Alright. What's up?" He knew there was something wrong, and he was going to ignore his sleeping issues for the moment. Even if he wanted to sleep he would only be able to get a few hours, and besides he had been doing this for the past while so he was used to the lack of sleep. "There is clearly something wrong if you want to get rid of me this badly." He said. He could tell she was avoiding eye contact with him, but that's what she normally did so it wasn't anything to be concerned about at the moment, but the many sentences of her telling him to leave her behind is what was getting to him.

She was awful at lying in the first place, but now that Magic had called her out for it, she was silently pleading that she'd have some cheap cop-out of this situation like her brother messaging her or fainting again or anything. No, fainting probably was a bad idea anyway. This wasn't some kind of story where everything happened that conveniently and everything would all work out in the end. Real life was never that easy, planned out so perfectly like an intricate work of machinery where everything was where it was and allowed it to work without failure. Why was it that Magic had sound manipulation? If he didn't, then she'd be able to play along as though there was never anything wrong and nobody would ever have to worry about how weak and dependent she was on other people. Kearn was an exception, but this wasn't something she'd been expecting since she came back to the academy, to let her secrets fall out one by one because someone could read her like an open book.

Adeline feigned an innocent expression, her index finger resting on her cheek with her head tilted a little to the side. A faint, tranquil giggle bubbled up her throat, her smile only set further into its place. It was easy to pretend everything was fine and that everything was okay - she was so used to those kinds of things by now. There was no doubt that Magic wouldn't fall for this one either, but there was a slim chance that it would work. A very slim chance that would require fate to cooperate with her. One mistake now might mean letting go of something that he probably wouldn't want to hear. Don't mess up. Easier said than done... The towering trees spread shadows over her, the only small bit of light penetrating the darkness from her kite. The moon and stars couldn't reach where the forest still covered.

Time seemed to stop for a brief moment, but if only it could really stop. It was always moving, never slowing down its pace, and the blanketing silence fell over them as she kept quiet for those blessed minutes.

Blue eyes scarcely registered his figure when she looked up towards him, looking pass him as if he didn't exist and right towards the natural adornments of the pitch black night sky. Trying to fib and look straight at him was too hard and she was worried about coming off as some weirdo who was staring too much. "Wh-what are you t-talking about?" Pass it off, dismiss it, pretend he never said anything. Nothing was up, nothing was wrong, she wasn't trying to get rid of him. Nothing was wrong. Everything was definitely fine. Everything was most definitely fine. Absolutely nothing to worry about. It felt like she should be adding onto this or that there was more to say, but the more her mind searched, the less answers it gave her. So she didn't try and continue, letting the question linger in the air.

Why would she ever try to get rid of him?

Magic was trying to read too far into things that he'd never reach. She wouldn't let him. She couldn't.

Magic had a frown on his face, and he crossed his arms. He didn't believe what she was trying to do one bit. She wouldn't be able to pass it off. "You know what I'm talking about." She wouldn't be able to lie to him. Too many people tried to lie to him too often, and it was easy to tell when someone was lying, plus it helped to have his hearing.

"Did you hurt yourself jumping out of the tree, and just don't want to admit it?" He asked. Seriously, if that was it, then that wasn't that big of an issue to try and hide, or to send him away for. Sometimes he wish he could understand this girl, and her motivations.

"I-I... uhm..."

Even if Magic put it that way, she didn't know if she was actually hurt or if it was her own lack of balance making this difficult for her. But to blatantly drop it to him that she couldn't feel anything ranging from pain to whether something was hot or cold or even a simple touch on her skin was too much. There was no need for him to hear about that or anything else she'd lost over time. Ability to sleep or taste or feel hungry or thirsty. He'd just blame himself for something completely out of his control; in the end, all of it was her fault and she was fine with dealing with it. Magic shouldn't get involved with these kinds of things. He wasn't allowed to hear about any of it; he already heard too much from that night before. So what could she respond to him with?

Her shoulders shook from laughing again and Adeline shook her head. "No." The answer was firm yet soft, and she had surprised herself with outright denying it. It was one thing for her to go through and come up with reasons for a drama to exist, weaving elaborate lies together, but to say no like that was different. The word had come off her tongue loosely and she didn't like it. It didn't sound right or polite and she hated it. She hated refusing things and to outright say no was just... Agh, it was completely wrong. She had been taking too many steps backward, backing herself into a corner that she couldn't get out of.

With her back against the trunk of the tree, her small figure was able to stand straight at the very least. Hurting herself from jumping out of a tree... yeah. As if. "I-I'm fine." Adeline wasn't sure if she was repeating it to reassure herself or try and convince him again or if it was a little bit of both. She had to be fine or else there'd be something completely unnecessary taking place. Keep telling yourself that. If it only it'd be easy enough to just tell him and not bring unwanted concern with it. It was her burden alone... he didn't have to help her bear it.

Magic let out a sigh, one that made him seem a little annoyed. He kept his arms crossed over his chest, and said something else. "Alright then. If nothing is wrong then you have no reason for me to leave you behind. You should be able to continue on to the school with me." He said, keeping his eyes on her. He didn't mind a slow pace, it kept him from reaching the school to soon, and hearing all the painful noises he had to hear. He may have been slightly tired, but there was no rush to sleep. They didn't have any classes later that day. He could sleep as much as he wanted. Well as much as he could.