Eyes Unclouded [Closed]

ooc;; echo edited the crap out of this topic and her posts because she's an inconsistent pleb

Beata was rather... simple. Plain, even.

Not to say that was a bad thing, no not at all. It was actually a pleasant sight for sore eyes. The lumbering blue-tinted steel gates, campus rich with greenery and adorned with little trees that weren't exactly the oldest plants he had ever seen, but they were enough to show the age and how long the academy had been preserved. Even though the main building wasn't all that big, it stood proudly, gazing over the students filing in and out of school. Some of them must've been heading to that nearby town that he kept hearing about, the buzzing gossip. Rich mahogany bricks reflected the school's ethos, a central fountain where water sparkled and glistened like snowflakes as they cascaded down to the ground in the manner of elegance and pristine that they should be. Each passing second held only had more growing and growing.

Vines wrapped around the gates. His hands clasped onto a map. Somewhere ahead, there were the dormitory rooms and to the other side, the person could see the head of the gymnasium. He couldn't be interested in that, however. After all, he couldn't go there, even if he wanted to. The school was very old, not as modern as one would think, as though it were stuck in Victorian times for all of eternity. Perhaps that's what made it seem so simple - it wasn't overcomplicated or a giant amalgamation of the most expensive materials to come into existence. The lack of current technology wasn't as satisfying, and part of it made him miss what the outside world had. Gifted communities like this one were always hidden to the point where they isolated them so much. The headmaster probably didn't go outside all that much. A perfect mixture between the new and the old, in a sense, as means of signifying the tradition that it held and the legacy it carried.

Stone-engraved paths and timber wood were what made the floor that teachers and students placed their feet down. He was starting to think he was getting too used to his isolation to be thinking about all of the details here, but goodness gracious, it had been far too long since he saw something to this scale. Everything outside was ridden with technology for almost everything. A few people were walking around here and there, in uniform. He stood out like a sore thumb with his differently-styled clothes. It didn't match the uniformity that everyone had in the slightest; it was a uniform from a different school after all.

There was a culture in this place that he wouldn't ever quite be able to grasp at the tips of his fingers, even if he tried. Few got to... Actually, scratch that. Beata wasn't as selective as Sofia, after all. It didn't seem like it had that sort of undying loyalty and brotherhood among the students, but then again, that didn't really matter. He didn't care about those things.

His hands reached down for the wheels at the side of the chair he couldn't leave and pushed forward to get a closer look from where he was. Seeing everything a little nearer brought in a bit more appreciation. Other students probably thought he looked dumb, with the way his eyes were so enraptured by everything around, but that's what being confined to one place did to people. It had been way too long since he actually got to leave and go outside. Reading books never sufficed, an empty wish for a reality that would never come true - there was no escape.

I wouldn't mind getting used to this. He thought to himself for a few brief moments before scanning around again, craning his neck here and there, and immediately dismissing them. It only reminded him of how tired of everything he was and how pointless everything in the world was. Everyone should just shut up and die already. Green eyes were fixing onto the bag dangling from the wheelchair's handle. Inside was a present box. If he kept this up, some might think he was some sort of alliance-seeker or representative from Sofia offering peace or something. Then again, there was no reason for that - the two academies were on rather good terms, if he had to say so himself. Others might disagree with him. Their opinions didn't really matter.

That wasn't the reason why he was around anyway. Not at all. They would've sent someone who was actually worth the time and effort, someone who would guarantee that the olive branch offering was received; not some useless piece of trash. He had doubts that she would be out here now, but that wasn't really the point of his trip to the current location. Just... something to the side. "I don't think this visit will be appreciated..."

Magic had been wandering the campus for once, normally on a day like this he would be in his room or somewhere quiet where he didn't have to deal with all the noises of the day, but today for some reason it wasn't that loud. Maybe a lot of people were down in Rosebury for some reason? Well he wasn't going to go into town to find out. Simply enjoying a walk around the campus before heading back inside and burying himself in whatever he was going to do. Either Science stuff or doing nothing both sounded appealing.

The winter boy rounded some of the buildings, seeing the entrance in sight. He was only about half way done with his walk at this point. Though a sight he didn't normal see caught him a bit off guard. There was a kid in a wheel chair, in another uniform, sitting at the entrance. Now that he wasn't prefect anymore he didn't deal with new students, but something about this guy didn't feel like a new student.

Magic continued on, glancing at the guy occasionally trying to figure out who this guy was, and that was when his gift allowed him to hear that the guy was visiting someone, and it didn't seem anyone was going to approach the kid, so he might as well. The dark haired boy approached the kid with a neutral expression. "Are you here to visit someone?" He asked now noting the boy's Sofia uniform. He never thought he would see someone from that academy over here.

It would've been much better to at least send her a text message or any sort of call before he got there. At the same time, the idea of simply having it be a surprise or just for fun to see the expression that fell over was an amusing thought, only because it would be the sort where she was pretending to actually care about him. The last time they saw each other was back around Christmas and he wasn't allowed outside the hospital room; except that one time he decided to sneak out, but that was a special occasion. Hearing all of the banter and ruckus that the staff made about the body missing from the cot was much more laughable than he would've originally thought it was. They didn't even notice his absence until they caught him trying to sneak back in. Of course they wouldn't. Nobody would realize he was gone, even if he dropped off the face of the earth. He was getting too lost in his thoughts... again.

Unfortunately, that meant he didn't process that someone had approached him nor the words he spoke until a few moments later. Callum drew back, looking up at the stranger right in the eye. Gray-green wasn't all that bad of a shade and it was a rather nice color. Being confined to the wheelchair made him feel a lot smaller than he should've been - this student practically towered over him and that's only because he couldn't stand. If he estimated it just a bit, they would probably be the same height. But no matter, that wasn't something he should be concerned about. "I am." At least, that's what he thought the boy before him had asked. Guessing these kind of things was his specialty and that was the impression the Beata student gave him.

Callum turned his gaze over his shoulder again, half-expecting that someone might be coming or that maybe she'd whisk him back to where he belonged. Thinking about it, the entrance was the least likely place Adeline would've been at. It was either her dorm, the studios, the cafe, or maybe the forest or lake. Most of those places were rather secluded, save for the fact that she was the sort of person who didn't tell people it was her birthday and just continued to work and pass it off as a normal day. She was that kind of person, the kind who didn't want to trouble anyone. After a small bit of silence on his part, he hastily gave an answer, only realizing that he was wandering back into his thoughts once again.

"Do you happen to know Adeline?" Oh wait, that was a little vague. There could be more than one at this academy. The population seemed to be rather large and there was no doubt that, if it were at least like a normal high school, there would be people with the same first name. For all he knew, that was definitely the case. "Adeline Tempo, I mean." It rolled off his tongue rather strangely. At first, he wasn't sure why, seeing as this was what he always called her, but then it hit him. Idiot. She didn't use that name in America. He was too out of it. He had to stop getting too distracted, otherwise he'd bring up an unnecessary amount of suspicion.  

That was very careless of him on a lot of levels. It was her request that he didn't use that name when addressing her outside and such, but he messed up. Then again, he didn't really care what she wanted him to do. It didn't matter anyway.

Magic pushes his hands inside of his pockets as he waited on the boy to say who he was visiting. Honestly it seemed to Mason that this boy had a tendency to space out or get lost in thought somewhat often. At least this boy didn't get off a rude impression, and he wasn't uttering anything under his breath trying to hide anything or something. Maybe he was smart and kept his thoughts to himself.

As soon as he heard the boy speak his friend's real name, his mouth hung open slightly like he was about to say something but he closed it to get his thoughts together. If this boy knew that name he must know Adeline enough to be considered close to her. Magic wasn't too sure on where he stood with her anymore, they haven't really interacted that much since his birthday, except for the few times in their dorm.

"Yeah, I know her." He said with a slight frown on his face, and his arms moved to cross over his chest. "May I ask who you are?" He didn't want to take anyone to his friend even though what showed so far they were close. He wanted to be careful about this. Though this kid probably assumed that Magic was suspicious of him now, but he wanted to be cautious, that was it.

The reaction the other boy gave him was enough of a hint to know who he was. After all, she wasn't too big on spilling secrets, especially regarding herself. Said it would be too much of a hindrance or bother if people knew things about her and that she could handle it on her own. That didn't exactly stop Kearn from calling her and someone overhearing their conversation, though. From the information she gave Callum, this had to be the guy she brought up on a few more occasions. At least, she didn't talk about many people all that much and Adeline brought this Magic guy up quite a number of times. He was held in high regard to her and a good friend, even if she would avoid using the word as much as possible.

So a friend of hers was a friend of his. Callum held one hand out to perform the usual basic gesture one would make when they met a stranger for the first time. His fingers were covered in a few bandages here and there and anyone could see the stitches that had laced around his wrists, peeking out from underneath the gloves he wore. "A friend she is supposedly responsible for killing." That was the story they told him, at least. He knew that wasn't the case, but he would have preferred if he had actually died. "Callum Ainsworth."

A small smile crept up at the edges of his mouth, not enough that it reached his eyes though. It was quite a coincidence that he met Magic right off the bar. Worst case scenario was he was stuck having to use the word Lamia and nobody being able to lead him where he wanted or messed with him to give the wrong directions on purpose. But the people at the school didn't seem that bad, at least from what he had seen thus far. Sure, it was probably pretty dangerous and filled with students who suffered more than they should've for their age and a handful of them were our of whack, but it was just a process of growing up in the end. It was something everyone dealt with at one point or another. A rite of passage, as the fancy writers liked to call it. He didn't really concern himself with what others had been going through; they wouldn't concern themselves with his situation either and he didn't want their pity. If case came to case, he could overpower practically anyone at the school.

"It's nice to meet you, Magic. I've heard a great deal about you." Not so much the bad as much as the good. She brought up some questionable things here and there, but waved it off with a flurry of positivity. Seemed hard for her to admit that some people could be plain bad and evil when all she did was focus on the happy and good things. An admirable and naive trait. It was a shame, really. She made it too easy.

A friend she was supposedly responsible for killing? That was familiar.. Oh yeah, she told him about that forever ago, it was shortly after that incident in the gym. It's kind of funny thinking back to that incident now. He was freaking out over breaking Adeline's arm, and then a month or so later he destroy's an airport killing over a hundred people.

Magic removed his arm from his other one and shook the boy's hand. The winter was going to introduce himself but it seemed Callum already knew about him. Magic blinked. It seems his friend actually did enjoy his company at some point, enough to actually talk about him. He didn't know what to say about that. No one really bragged about him.

"Nice to meet you Callum." Magic said. "What have you heard exactly?" He kind of wanted to know. He wanted to know what this boy knew about him exactly the good and the bad. He could assume this guy already knew of his gift. But would he knew what he had done? And the possibility of what he could do? "You could probably tell me on the way to the dorms. I'm sure she is there." If she wasn't the two could wait until she came back, unless they wanted to go on a search for her, which be hard to do since she doesn't make much noise.

Callum withdrew his hand once the deed was done, placing it back on the arm rest at his side. The handshake was only because it was customary and civil, but if he had to keep it up any longer, he was sure he would've flinched. Better be cautious about not over-exhausting himself too soon, his arms were starting to feel like they were sagging and the prickly feeling brought on by the stitches on the underside of his skin wanted to poke in even more. He found it kind of funny that Magic would ask right away what Adeline had said about him. Very funny, in fact. Perhaps it was simply in human nature, finding out the very thing others said about you. People could pass it off that they didn't care about others' opinions, but secretly, they did want to know. The gossip, the curiosity gnawed at them from inside out until they finally got an answer, sometimes going to great lengths just to find out. Considering that Adeline always said he was one of those stronger individuals who didn't really care about trivial things, it was a little surprising. This could prove to be more interesting than he anticipated.

When Magic noted that they were heading to the dorms, he gave a simple nod. Might as well, since there wasn't anything much better to do. Yet. His fingers found themselves back on the wheel. Hopefully the dormitory building wasn't too far. It'd be a bit more trouble than necessary if he had to ask someone he barely knew to help him steer around. Well, actually, there was an easier way, but that might be expending more energy than he would've liked, considering how stupidly limited and weak he was at the current point in time.

Under normal circumstances, if he were alone, he would've started humming as Magic led the way. A habit formed from listening to the twins play their melodies; it was the only decent thing to hear and a subconscious tidbit he wouldn't mind getting rid of. Magic seemed like a good person, now that he met him for real and from the descriptions he got. But that was the thing - he was too great. It was annoying. "You're rather aggressive and tend to get into fights often." Starting with something slightly negative sounded better - it eased the way to make compliments all the more influential and inspiring or something along those lines. "Made it seem like you didn't care, with that attitude of yours."

He mused slightly, thinking back to the moments he found himself digging into newspapers, articles, and the computer just to find out more about the incident. For a few moments, Callum considered bringing it up, but immediately decided against it. That was way too into the past, and Magic wouldn't appreciate it in the slightest, he thought. It was something he would need to use later anyway. "You do care, in a way. Fiercely loyal and protective of friends and those you want to keep close." Reminded him of the closeness that Adeline and Kearn shared, if he had to be honest. But that may just simply be something common among a lot of people, people with bonds and relationships that he seemed to lack. "Like an older brother." Adeline didn't use those words, but it certainly seemed like it from the description she gave. He might've heard wrong, but he didn't care to attempt to correct himself.

"Your gift is sound manipulation, which is why you don't like to be around a lot of people." Callum didn't want to lie to himself - the opportunity to fight Magic sometime in the future would be a rather enjoyable experience. He sounded very skilled on the battlefield, maybe the kind to always know where his teammates and enemies were. Gang leader, yes. Fighting sound against wind would be rather entertaining, if he had to say so himself. An invaluable experience, and if he wanted to place any bets on someone he could take him out, it would be Magic.

"And you kissed her." His smile twisted itself into a dry, derisive smirk. "Be glad her brother doesn't know yet."

Callum might have saw Magic's asking wanting to know Adeline's opinion of him, and if she had said good things about him. Mason more so saw it as making sure Callum didn't know of things he wasn't supposed to know about. If wheel chair bound boy did know about somethings, Magic wondered if Callum saw him as a threat or a danger to their close friend. Even if he did, he hadn't mentioned anything so far. Would he knowing Magic's nature? Or would he say something to Adeline in private about it?

The winter listened when the sofia kid started to speak. His face stayed looking straight forwad, but his grey green eyes would occasionally glance over just in case the boy needed assistance. Magic would assist him, but again only if he need it. It's kind of funny. This reminded him of the time he had to help Adeline in her wheel chair when they were getting out of the hospital just.... just before the incident. There was a slight pang of disgust for himself that hit Mason, but he didn't let it show. Instead he just listened.

A bit aggressive? More like a lot.. The winter boy thought. Though he guess his winter friend didn't bring up his often aggressive behavior because she couldn't really say anything bad about anyone. Even the damn guy who tried to kill her. He was going to kick that guy's ass one day. He was taking out of his thoughts by Callum's next statement. Not caring was also true. He didn't really care about anything that wasn't Barry or Adeline. Even so he would still choose himself if it came to a life or death situation, but with Adeline he wasn't too sure of that answer anymore. With Barry yeah, but with Adeline.... He didn't know, seeing his reaction to Warren almost killing her, granted his life wasn't at stake then..

His protectiveness was brought up soon after. Again that was basically true but there were only a few people he held close, and Laine was the only other one, and that guy was away in Chicago probably safe from any of the conflicts that being a gifted caused. IN a big brother sort of way? He guessed for two of the three.

So the boy did know about his gift. Did he know the dangers of it? Did he know the risks in fighting him? There were so many questions that flooded the winter's mind. He wanted to know what the boy knew but he couldn't bring it up in case he didn't know, and then Mason might have another curious person on his hands. But the big thing on his mind was the fact if Callum knew he killed over a hundred people. Did Adeline even mention the incident? If she did she probably stated that it was her fault when it wasn't in the slightest.

Now the next thing Callum caught his attention enough for the winter boy to look over at him, with his mouth slightly open. The reaction only remained for a few seconds before his mouth shut, and his expression returned to something neutral or kind of uncaring. Though those few seconds were probably enough for Callum to notice. Be glad her brother doesn't know? "Even if he did, I'm not scared of him." He knew what Adeline's gift was, so if her brother's was the same then he knew how to deal with it. And besides if he was anything like his sister, he wouldn't do much damage to Magic before apologizing.

"Anything else?" The winter just had to be sure. They were close to the dorms now. He hoped the boy wasn't getting to tired. Though if he just left it there he figured Callu wouldn't say anything else. So he decided to take a chance and add, "As in the things I have done?" then he thought and things I might do?

It was rather nice actually, seeing the stoic and neutral expression engraved on Magic's face fall, contorting itself into something along the lines of being flustered and perhaps maybe frustrated or annoyed; his cheeks were a bit red, that was for sure. He seemed disoriented for a blessed few moments, almost as though he wasn't sure how to react to it. Callum put a bet on the fact that if he had been drinking water, Magic would've been choking and sputtering as he tried to regain his composure. Sure, the boy was intimidating and maybe a bit brooding or hard to approach, but to see him have a normal reaction, even if it was something small, it was oddly amusing and brought a chuckle, one that was more of poking fun at Magic's social awkwardness instead of anything else. He acted more human than he thought, trying to act like he was all tough and neutral. Magic didn't excel at it as much as he thought.

"Is that so?" Granted, Kearn wasn't exactly that scary. Black belt, fourth degree in Xing Yi Quan, and red in Tae Kwon Do. Time Theft wasn't the most offensive gift, especially against someone with sound manipulation. But Kearn could put up a nice fight and it might as well be a dead tie if they negated special powers from the equation. Maybe Magic didn't understand the lengths the twins would go for each other, though. They were very close, closer than normal siblings were. It wasn't like they didn't fight or argue - they have on a few occasions -, but it was almost as though they had some sort of telepathic bond. Kearn protected her and guarded her more than anyone would think. It was almost as though he were a siscon. "I don't think you should get on his bad side though," he noted, going through with more strength as they moved through the Winter hallway. Magic wouldn't have that much trouble beating him in reality, though.

109, 108, 107... It was a countdown. She had told him before that her room number was 102. Not too much further. Any longer and he would find himself struggling to keep up with Magic's pace and he didn't want to slow him down. "Kearn's a nice guy. Very overprotective though. I think you two would get along if you don't make too many moves." They would. Kearn was much more introspective and perceptive of others, intelligent and a jack-of-all-trades. A perfect kind of kid who drowned himself in too many responsibilities and pressures that made him a little more anxious and quiet than one would expect. Not to say that he wasn't popular or able to socialize, it was hard to read him, but that shouldn't be a problem for Magic. He was a good judge of character, with the ability to hear every layer of one's sentences. Callum didn't fear that or anything, though - he could block out Magic's ability to do so if he pleased.

They reached the door. The plaque held the number on the outside and the Winter symbol was embedded on the Victorian-styled gate. And Magic asked. He paused for a few moments, trying to consider what to say. Nothing that made him seem like he knew too much, but that he knew enough to get Magic to be satisfied. It wasn't like he was involved in that particular operation, anyway. "I know most of what happened at the airport. She used to message me a lot." It was their way of catching up after losing years of time they could've had together. But it had become very infrequent lately and it bothered him.

Kearn couldn't come today, so Callum promised he would find out what was up... Even if it wasn't supposed to be his priority. "She doesn't message me as much anymore." Even if she did, he rarely got the opportunity to reply back. He could only answer when it was convenient for her. Oh well, that didn't matter. The conversations didn't prove to be all that great anyway. His hand reached for the door knob, and he was a little surprised to find that the door was left open. Whoever had come in or out recently may have been a rush and forgot to lock with their keys. The dorm was empty. Nobody was inside. Callum wheeled inside, glancing around, scanning the vicinity. Not a soul in sight.

A small frown formed on Magic's face at Callum chuckling at his reaction. He should have expected Adeline to tell others, but her reaction he didn't exactly expect it either. She didn't get mad at him for doing so, but she didn't say anything about it either. He didn't really like to think about that night... They were still friends, and that is all that mattered. At least she didn't mention his feeling confession to Callum, though the kiss was probably enough to hint at that.

Magic cleared his head from those thoughts. That didn't matter now, it was done feelings weren't returned, he was moving on. At least he thought. So Kearn didn't have much to worry about, and Magic wouldn't ever find out what Kearn's bad side is like. Though he still wasn't scared, nothing scared the winter anymore. Well except a threat to Adeline's life, and maybe his own. He really need to stop thinking about this. He was going to end up angry about something if he kept this up.

Magic didn't think much more on the subject trying to avoid it for now. So he didn't comment on becoming friends with Kearn if he didn't make anymore moves. He wasn't planning on it. He just kept his neutral expression on his face. That expression didn't eve falter as Callum mentioned the airport. So that is all he knew about. So he did know he killed people, though Mason still got the feeling Callum knew more than he was letting on, but he wasn't going to press anymore seeing how they just reached the dorm.

Magic was caught up in listening to Callum, that he had forgotten to unlock the door, or go to see if it was unlocked. He was kind of curious as to why Adeline would talk to her close friend as much as she used to.. He still talked to Laine, it wasn't as much as he did when he was in Chicago that was an everyday basis, now they texted every few days, because they were both busy most of the time.

Magic blinked, coming out of his thoughts, when Callum and opened the door, and rolled inside. Magic stepped inside. "Weird. I coulda sworn I locked it when I left a few minutes ago. I guess someone stopped by.." The winter walked over to his room, and opened the door. He disappear inside for a moment to place his cigarette carton in a drawer of his then walked back out. "Well you are free to chill in here until she comes back." Mason walked over to the couch and flopped down. He made sure to keep listening for the sounds of anyone approaching.

"If you say so," was his simple response. He was more tired than he wanted to admit. Between sticking to the wheelchair and going twenty four hours without assistance after being forced to stay in bed for months on end, this was too much for his body to handle. It was exhausting and his arms felt sore for no absolute reason. All he had been through was moving from his house to the airport through Rosebury and then through the academy. In hindsight, it really didn't seem like it was all that much distance, but everything that ached told him otherwise. This was awful. Being told to stay still for so long, being confined to some mattress - let alone one room where it was constantly white and blinding and filled with nurses and surgeons always checking on his status - was more than overwhelming and draining. Callum didn't want to admit it to himself, but he was rather glad that Magic didn't suggest they go looking for her or anything, even if he would prefer to be outside instead of in one measly room. It reminded him too much of those days.

After some time to contemplate with himself about everything in the vile solace he was granted, he found his thoughts wandering more and more towards those accidents, those sessions of being chained down and beaten. He could've died. He should've died. But here he was, his heart was still beating and he could breath and be among the living. It was an undesired blessing and he found himself wishing more and more that he would just drop dead.

A droning bird sang its melody outside and Callum found himself by the window, staring outside. Students were filing in here and there, talking about the latest gossip and drama. The wind carried the sounds for him and he listened in. Something about a Gossip Girl who seemed to stalk everyone's lives. There was a few more tidbits here and there, but he didn't bother with trying to catch the conversations. His arms were folded at the window sill, head resting there. Sunshine bathed the area, refusing to darken in the slightest. A bit blinding, but he could bare with it. That was only what happened when he was always kept in the dark.

And there he was humming. It was bound to happen at one point. The same little melody that he kept hearing on a consistent basis; it was the only decently pleasant thing he got to hear every once in awhile. He wasn't the best musician or anything, but he liked to think he was an expert with this tune from repeating it over and over again. Just when he was starting to reach the part he liked the most---

CRASH!

Something loud sounded from one of the rooms inside the current dormitory. It was too loud, almost as though a body had hit the ground and something might've broken. Callum didn't bother trying to figure out the rest and with the last few bits of whatever strength he could muster, wheeled his way towards the source. Another door. He wasn't even sure if Magic was following or anything and he didn't bother checking whose room it was and turned the door open.

A girl was inside, easily distinguishable by the long dark hair she owned, contrasting her paper white skin on the pastel blue carpet. Her body was slightly twisted, obvious that she had fallen and her eyes had closed, as though she was wincing. Sheets of paper were scattered all over the floor, some crumpled here and there. She shifted her position up to a sitting one and violet gaze finally fell onto the people who had walked in, widening owlishly and her face brightening to a pleasant smile before turning away, flustered and ashamed. Probably thought she was staring again.

. . .

"Typical Adeline..." Callum sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He should've known she was hiding out in her room again. And that she would trip over nothing... again. "Are you alright?" He would've reached his hand out to help her up, if he could. But that wasn't really possible at the moment. Even then, he would have refrained from doing so anyway.

No response. Only a tiny nod and her mouth opening, as though to say something, but no words came out. It was common for her to have things stuck in her throat like that, entrapped and ensnared, yet it was never around him or Kearn. Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong and he already had a good idea of what it was. Callum didn't want to confirm it yet, but that was denying reality. He knew what it was. And at this point, he wasn't sure if he should bring himself to care.

Magci stayed on his spot on the couch. Even though it was quiet in the dorm, there were still sounds of the outside he could hear. It was typical that people would be talking about that stupid Gossip Girl. She was causing trouble, but Magic didn't get on that stupid Esper thing so he didn't know what exactly she spoke about, and he didn't really care either. If it was anything about him he didn't care. There would always be someone talking crap about him, it was something he was used to.

He honest glad that he was the person stuck with the super hearing and not anyone else. Anyone else might have used it for gossip or blackmail purposes. Well he use it for that as well but that was back in Chicago, when it was needed.

Then he heard it. That same stupid dog, barking at some stupid thing. It was almost an hourly thing it seemed. The bark was faint enough that it could be covered up by some other noise in the dorm, but currently there was nothing. Well that was until his visitor started humming. The sound he was creating was calming, and nice to listen to. It helped get rid of the annoyance Magic was feeling from the stupid dog. It was a rather relaxing moment for the winter.

When the loud crash could be heard, Magic nearly jumped out of his skin. He probably would have fallen off the couch if he didn't have a quick reaction. Instead he just stood up rather quickly looking around for a moment then determined it came from Adeline's room but it seemed Callum already figured that out. The winter boy blinked then followed him over to the door way.

Mason saw the girl sitting on the floor with paper scattered around. With that it was looking a bit more like his messy room, but not quite. He glanced around her room more so for paranoid reasons. His gaze returned to the girl, and he couldn't help but wonder if he should go in there and help her or not. He didn't want to go in there and offer to help her, and only have her refuse. "Would you like some help?" The winter boy asked.

The room had fallen to a deathly silence, only the breaths of those around and if one listened closely enough, heartbeats. Birds outside were still chirping away and in the distance, conversations that didn't concern him. But it didn't take a genius to notice how much quieter she was, to the point where there wasn't anything to really say anything about the situation. He knew, he knew, he knew. For a few moments, he didn't move, his eyes barely processing that she had shaken her head in refusal for the help and slowly moved to recollect the papers that had fallen out of place. Callum really didn't want to believe it, not at all. He didn't want to believe that she had been so absolutely stupid with what she had been doing to herself. There was a part of him that wanted to get up and run, but he couldn't do that. This was his punishment from a past ghost haunting him.

His fingers curled up into fists, opening and closing constantly as though he couldn't make up his mind on what he should do. Disbelief was written all over his face and expression, and he found his eyes unable to focus, unable to notice anything outside of blurs and disoriented shapes. One exhale and inhale came in rather unsteadily. His mouth hung ajar. He wanted to burst out laughing, as though it would help erase some kind of illusion or act that she was playing to get to him, but he was well aware that she was awful at those sort of things. She wouldn't be so underhanded like that. It wasn't in her nature.

For a few moments, Callum didn't realize the words had slipped out. He didn't notice that he was speaking. He wanted to stay in denial. "Adeline." It started off very quietly, the sentence was filled with trembling and quivering that if he was listening to himself now, he wouldn't have bothered recognizing his own voice. "How much time left?" Magic probably knew what he was talking about. He most likely did. Once the words finally finished spilling themselves out, he regretted that he said anything. He had no right to bring that up.

Adeline contemplated giving an answer, her bangs overshadowing her eyes for a few moments. The edges of her smile died a little. She refused to look at them, her lips opening and closing as though she was debating whether to say anything or not. But she couldn't say anything. If he had to wager, she'd be using that same giggle as always right about now. The one that didn't fool him or Kearn. Probably didn't fool Magic at this point either. She used it too much, to help hide everything. Even then, he would've heard it. It was too predictable.

She was smiling again, her head tilted to the side a bit. A very gentle and kind sort of smile and anyone who glanced at first wouldn't notice how absolutely fake it was. She didn't answer his question, but he had a rather good idea of how much was left. The short end of the genetics side - she was always much frailer and weaker than Kearn that even the side-effects of her gift reflected it. Kearn would have a loss of strength or a small bout of sickness with perhaps minimized senses for a brief while before he recovered. For all they knew, she couldn't restore any of it without stealing. And she never did that, not anymore. Proud of yourself yet? This was his fault. He wished he didn't care all that much about something he couldn't reverse.

"Answer me."

As the room grew into a great silence Magic shifted slightly as a sign of being slightly uncomfortable. He liked the silence when there wasn't anyone else around, but with others around the silence would allow him to hear their heartbeats if he was close enough, and currently he was close enough to Callum to hear his. While it could be useful, the sound was very unnerving, and just weird for the winter. So he ended up side stepping away from the boy in the wheel chair, so he couldn't hear the beat.

The winter waited for either of them to say something. There was something going on. Something he didn't quite understand. Something he didn't get. Magic just stood there with a neutral look on his face, trying not to get annoyed by the sounds outside. Finally the silence was broken by Callum speaking up. Why Adeline didn't speak Magic didn't quite understand. She hadn't really said anything to him, but they didn't hang out enough for him to notice her extended silence.

"Wait... Time left?" Mason was confused. He.. He never heard that. He just knew her gift was Time theft, he didn't know there was more to it. She never told him either. Why hadn't he made the connection? Stupid. The winter boy's posture deflated slightly. "Are you saying she has a certain amount of time left? And she knows how much time she has left?" Wait.. if she had a set amount of time.. then to heal others she probably had to give it away. So that meant.... she gave away her precious time... to him... over a few wounds? That weren't eve fucking fatal? That were nothing he had dealt with before?

The winter boy clenched his teeth tightly, trying not to get angry. His hands were tightly wound into fists. "Are you saying she gave away her time, just to heal a few minor wounds of mine? Minor wounds that I have dealt with before numerous times?" His gray green gaze went to the girl in her room. "I knew I shouldn't have let you heal me. I even told you once not to and yet you did it anyway. I could have dealt with those you know. I had worse before."

He was a bit pissed off on the inside that he had let this happen. Well more than a bit but he was trying to control it. He should have stopped her... but he didn't. Instead he only made it fucking worse by destroying an airport. And who knows how much more she wasted on people who didn't need it? A slight growl escaped the winter boy as his eyes narrowed into a glare which was cast down to the floor. "Do you still believe that people don't care? Do you still believe you should die? Whatever you did... I believe you have made up for it.. What you did after I caused the airport to collapse..." She had saved a good many lives, while he only caused death to over a hundred, and then went out and intentionally killed more? If anyone deserved to die it was him. "Whatever you did... It couldn't be as bad as what I did, and yet here I am not throwing my life away..." He said growing softer with his words.

His mind was kicked back into gear in the few moments that he heard Magic ask that question. He didn't know? She never told him? No, of course she wouldn't say anything. If anyone knew, they wouldn't even let her get close or try something like that in the slightest. There were many people desperate for healing and instant gratification, though. It wasn't a lie at all, people took advantage of it in the past and she just went with it. The few times she offered for him - Kearn never needed it since he could heal on his own, though he never actually did that -, Callum immediately refused. She didn't have to do any of that. Not at all. All she kept saying was how she didn't want to die, but felt that she had to. As though some higher power was playing around with strings and controlling every movement that she made. Fate decided everything. It wasn't that she was a fatalist; that was the last thing he would consider her, considering how she believed others deserved their chances to live, even if they were already a foot in the grave. His lips thinned, his eyes wincing from a sudden pang that burst through his temples, aching and refusing to leave. A maelstrom of scenes replayed in his head.

[ deleted scene because it didn't fit the character at all and i was too lazy to rewrite ]

Magic was going on about something and rambling more loudly than he originally comprehended, and Callum realized he slipped up in his lightheaded trance. Magic didn't know before. He didn't have to know either. Things started going downhill quickly. He was scolding her in a way, telling her that she didn't have to heal him. Callum find it stupid that he didn't catch on sooner - without prior knowledge, she managed to get away with it without him knowing that her senses had completely drained and were removed. But the moment Magic started saying something else, his gaze darkened.

People didn't care? Wanting to die? Making up for...? Oh, for Christ's sake. Adeline didn't try to look at either of them and Callum couldn't help but agree with Magic. He was furious, but for different reasons. At least those two had each other and people who actually wanted them around. They didn't have a say in what it meant to have an existence that equated to nothing. Magic was absolutely livid and it didn't take someone with super-hearing to tell that it was sinking into the layers of his voice. Callum was under the impression that he was very neutral and calm, able to keep his composure about these things, but it didn't even take a few minutes to be fuming. He was too easy to break. "Magic, calm down." He had to take the opportunity now to pretend that he cared when Magic couldn't focus well.

His head was still spinning. His chest hurt as though his heart wanted to explode. It was as though someone was holding him underwater by his neck for much longer than a few minutes, as though they intended for the air to escape and never let him come back up, letting him sink to darkness. It hurt, it hurt, it hurt. Just had to last for a few moments and then it would stop. It would stop. If it didn't, he just had to get the pills out of his pockets. That's all. No harm done.

Trying to talk was difficult, his throat was raspy and arid. "Don't---" Before he could finish what he was saying, a hacking fit stormed its way through. Callum held one hand up to prevent either of them from trying to approach, the other covering his mouth. He spoke, voice muffled by the cloth on his gloves. "I'm fine." It was just another stupid attack. "A-Adeline... Don't even... think about it." He could tell what she was trying to do when she started to stand up and try to reach over. That was obvious. There was no need to try and restore garbage.

She was way too caring for her own good. That's what was going to get her killed one day and what made her a fool.

Maybe it was simply too much for her to comprehend or something. What Magic said. She didn't know. Her lips thinned and she retreated her hand back. Magic misinterpreted what she said back then. How did he keep getting it wrong? That wasn't what she said at all. Not in the slightest. If anything went wrong, then she should be the only one who had to die. It wasn't that people didn't care, it was just that she was so easily forgettable. She didn't play a pivotal role in anyone's life and never had much impact. A powerful play would go on, but she couldn't contribute a verse. That wasn't what she was supposed to do. Maybe work in the background, but that was it.

Adeline blinked for a few moments, trying to keep the guilt that wanted to eat her alive away. She should've told him, but if she had, Magic would have stopped her from ever healing anyone. Besides, it was better that he didn't know. She knew exactly how much time she had left. Not that it mattered. The one embedded on her skin was inaccurate, anyway. At least, since she couldn't speak, Magic wouldn't know a thing. He wouldn't be able to listen to her voice and call her out on anything. That was something she felt terrible about taking advantage of, but... still. He didn't have to know.

Callum always refused her healing and took it upon himself to actually push her away when she tried. There was no need to have the instant relief, he said. He wouldn't learn from his mistakes if he had someone correcting it in the blink of an eye. But he was having an attack. The fact that he said no again was concerning. Why? She kept her hand close to her chest, clutching it and twisting the skin on the surface. But she would respect his wishes. Only because that was what he asked of her... and that Kearn would get angry later on, for some reason. No need to worry either of them. Magic would've probably stopped her this time too, huh?

It had been very long since she and Magic had interacted with one another. Not since his birthday. Funny to think, it had already been three months. She doubted that he remembered, but that was alright. It didn't really matter, even if that was why Callum was around. A deep breath, shaky even, but she walked up to Magic, standing in front of him with a small gap in between. She reached for his hand and turned his palm to face upward before tracing her own finger in letters across. It was something she reserved only for Kearn the few times she lost her voice as a child. Bound to happen to someone who got sick so often, after all. Callum recognized her doing this, eyeing her in an almost suspicious manner - her fear prevented her from getting that close to anyone, let alone physical contact.

Back when they were children, there was no need to use it on anyone besides Kearn. The three of them were always together, anyway. She didn't remember ever actually being alone with Callum when her voice was gone. Now that she thought about it... they didn't hang out as much as she originally thought. He was always absent from school and rarely outside his house.

'I A-M S-O-R-R-Y'

One letter at a time. Adeline was sorry about a lot of things. Lying to him, not ever saying anything, tricking him, and the airport... There really was no need for him to get involved with her. All it did was make him feel the same pain that she had subjected onto her brother and mother. That must be why Kearn didn't come. He didn't want to bear and deal with it anymore, it was too much for him. She took a step back, scarcely holding Magic's hand. She wanted to let go. She didn't want him to notice how much paler she was against him. But she couldn't let go. She didn't know why. But she couldn't.

So she simply smiled.