The Will to Live [semi-closed]

When she blinked open her eyes, she could faintly make out the shape of the roofing tiles. She hadn't realized exactly how blurred her vision was until craned her neck stiffly around the room. There were other beds, she noticed, all in whites and blues. Paintings on the walls. Just out the window, she could make out patter of rain against the window and the tree shaking outside, gently rapping against the clear glass.

While her sight slowly returned to her, she was still left completely clueless. 'Where am I?' Dakota frowned. Someone was stirring in the bed to her right. 'What happened?' It wasn't until she'd gathered her strength together and tried to pull herself up that it all hit her at once. A stabbing pain went shooting up her spine and her back felt like it was in flames, all over again.

That girl. Magic. All those people. She'd tried to save him. Tears began to gather in her eyes. She was so stupid. One moment, she was flying and the next, that crazy woman had struck her to the ground. And he had... He'd...

Magic. Mason. What had happened to him? Why did he attack the school? What...?

Dakota grit her teeth, forcing herself to sit up. Her head spun and her stomach turned over. The girl's hand shot up to her face, stilling herself and fighting back the urge to vomit, only then noticing the tug of IVs on her arm. She stared for a moment and pressed her fingers against the thick needle. Her green eyes darted around before she yanked it out with a slick tug, quickly placing the tape back on over the small puncture.

As she pulled herself out of bed, wincing, she realize exactly how filled the infirmary was - and how understaffed they must have been. Volunteers and nurses ushered around outside, but they seemed to have paid no notice to her. She wasn't the only one walking in a cheesy hospital gown. With a deep breath, she tucked her hair behind her ear, her usual tails and ribbon missing.

The Spring wandered around the infirmary. Which each passing moment, the longer she looked for his face, the more she realized he couldn't have possibly been there. Had he gotten away or was he...? Kota bit her lip, unable to think of any other option. Her hunt drifted away from looking for him and towards looking for any familiar face. How many had died? How many had woken to find themselves there, as she just did?

Once she turned the corner, she found her gaze latching on to one of the smaller rooms. Curiosity immediately got the best of her and she peeked inside. On another cot, all by his lonesome, lay someone she had known - finally. His blonde hair was a ragged mess, and it was hard to tell if he was even awake, but the sight of him was enough to bring a smile to her tired face.

"Will!" Dakota called over gently, swinging the door behind her closed and rushing up to his bedside, best as she could anyways. What had happened to him? He didn't seem hurt or anything. Why was he here alone?

She had so many damn questions...

Will's eyes cracked open for the first time since Rob had knocked him out using his gift. "Kota?" he said, voice cracking from not being used in a few days. What was she doing here, and in a hospital gown of all things. Was she hurt? Slight anger bubbled in his mind but his grogginess drowned it out. He felt absolutely dreadful. Since he had been knocked out, he hadn't had the chance to take the Power Pills and thus he felt some of the symptoms of withdrawal. He also felt weak from his gift being "reset" despite being unknown to him at the time. He sat up, wincing; a headache pounded in his brain. "What're you doing here?" he asked her.

Her grin only grew as he seemingly rejoined the living. She nearly lost her own balance as he pulled himself up. Was she hurt? Yeah, but in that moment, Dakota could hardly feel it. She was alive. He was alive. At the end of the day, after all the madness, wasn't that what really mattered?

His mind was puzzled, scattered, much like hers had been, but she was certain it would clear up for him in time. With little thought of her own, she leaned over the cot, throwing her around around and tugging him into a sweet embrace. "Same reason as everyone else," Kota murmured into his ear, savoring the hug before pulling away. "The attack on the school..." She paused. Magic was the one to attack the school, but it had been another student who'd shot her down. The girl shook the thought away.

"What about you?" She asked, emerald eyes shimmering. "Are you hurt?"

Will's smile grew larger as Dakota threw her arms around him. Thankfully it was only his mind that was sore, not his body. Then she mentioned the attack on the school. He'd been played into taking those pills and being controlled. He remembered the destruction he had caused. Thankfully he had been conveniently around one of the few people who take him out. Even thought he knew he couldn't hide anything from the girl, he still smiled and said, "I'm fine. Just a headache. And I feel a bit weird, gift wise. I don't have as much control over the gift that I used to. It's like being off those pills 'reset' the progress of my power. Did you take any?"

Pills? What pills? Dakota blinked, clearly puzzled as she allowed herself to sit at his feet - wincing as she straightened her back; the burn still feeling fresh across her skin. "What are you talking about?" The young woman caught onto glimpses of his memories, and those were hazy enough as they were from his own perspective. Had he really been one of the ones too attack the school? Despite her wounds, she found herself shifting around, somewhat uncomfortable in her confusion. "I don't think I have...? What pills did you take?"

Will's face flushed. "I'll take that as a no then," he said, looking away. Gathering his thoughts, he tried to think of the best way to explain the pills. Taking a breath, he took a shot. "Well, since I had taken that vacation awhile ago, I had gotten pretty far behind on my gift. So, when someone was going around the school selling these pills that were supposed to increase power and control of the person's gift, I was skeptical at first but still decided to try it. Turns out they worked. Go figure, huh? Anyways, everything was hunky dory at first. But when the attack started, all I remember is walking down the dorm on my way to the lounge when all of a sudden my mind went fuzzy and suddenly I was me, but I wasn't. I could feel my body move but I couldn't do anything. I could see my body being used to destroy the lounge. And I knew that no matter how hard someone hit me it would only fuel me more. Thankfully, there was one of the prefects there, Rob I think his name was. He has telekinesis or telepathy or whatever tele- power makes things move. He used his power to target my mind and make me go unconscious, ending my reign of terror. No one got hurt thankfully, but still," That was a lot more than he thought he was going to say. Once he had got going he couldn't stop himself from telling the whole story.

OOC: Infodump goooo

Dakota let her gaze fall between them and quietly tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear, quietly listening, trying to take in as much of the situation as she could and puzzle everything together in her own words. Once he finally seemed to be finished speaking, she wasn't sure she was any less baffled than before. "So..." She muttered, her green eyes finding his face again. "You're telling me you thought you could buy your way to a stronger power, just like that?" The Spring leaned back a bit, giving a mocking scoff and rolling her eyes. "Typical rich boy." Jokes aside, her mind was wheeling.

It sounded like he was luckier than most in his situation. But it wasn't as simple as the pill. It couldn't have been. Thoughtfully, she bit away at her cheek. Magic knew what he was doing, she thought. He wasn't out of it like Will had been. A lot of people had been hurt then. The infirmary was filled to the brim as far as she saw. And all those people that had been around her in the dorms, what happened to them?

"Lots of people have gotten hurt," Kota said. Her arm wrapped around her own waist, just grazing the edge of where her new scars could be found. "Maybe not by you, but the entire school was attacked, I think." Who the hell could really do such things? It made her feel even sicker to try and think about it.

Will's ears went redder at her comment about being a typical rich boy. He really didn't like being called that, even if it was in a joking manner, but he knew that it was true. "I can't even deny that," he replied, chucking slightly. Just then a chill passed over and he shivered. Did the whole room just get colder?*

He sighed when Kota had said that the whole school had been attacked. He hated that he was a part of this whole thing, but he was lucky to be alive. Thoughts raced through his mind, such as "Why do I deserve to live but not someone else? Someone more innocent?" He was about to speak his thoughts when from the bedside table his phone began vibrating madly. Who was calling him? Even his own family only texted him. Picking it up, he looked apologetically at the girl before checking the number. His heart dropped to his stomach as he recognized the number. It had been well over a year since this number had even appeared on his screen. He hit the answer button on the device and put it up to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked uncertainly. After a moment of listening to what the person on the other line had to say, his face turned from slightly reddish to pale white. Another minute passed and he nodded stupidly. "A-alright. Thank you for letting me know. I'll call you later for more details."

*For full explanation, go read my and Icee's infirmary topic

OOC: Things are abrupt but I'm tired and wanted to get this in. pls forgive.

Her smile slowly fell off her face and her gaze dropped again. It was hard to sit there and listen to his own thoughts, and at delicate times like this, she hated her own gift. It was painful enough to deal with what had happened on her own, but to know every suffering thought of those around her; it was hurtful for her. And, if anything, it felt plain wrong. She couldn't help but be intrusive around people during their most troubled times. It always left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Hey," Dakota had started to say, trying to find some words that could comfort him. What could she tell him? Okay, he was an idiot and did something stupid, but he didn't deserve to die? The red-head bit away at her lip, pausing when she her attention was quickly drawn to the ringing phone on the table, much like him. Man, what timing.

She bit back an apology. It must have been his family, or something, worried sick. She shouldn't have been the first intruder. Kota forced her attention away for the time being, keeping her own mind pre-occupied as to not ease drop on him, circling through what he told her already about the attack and what she already knew. None of it added up still.

Once he clicked his phone shut, she finally allowed herself to look his way again. "Everything okay?"

The Autumn nodded, then shrugged. "I think so. I'm not even sure what to think right now, honestly," he told her. How could this have happen? Thoughts raced through his head and he looked at the girl with pigtails, giving her a reassuring smile. It was instinct at this point in his life to smile even though things weren't great. It was Rich Boy 101 back home. All smiles all the time. "Kota.. I have a kid," he admitted to her.

His thoughts were racing so fast, it was hard for even her to keep up. "I think you need to lay back and relax some," Dakota answered, cracking half a smile and hiding away any worry that might have plagued her face. The man just woke up not a few minutes ago. If he needed some time to himself, she didn't mind leave. She was the one who barged in in the first place.

And then Will dropped the news on her. In all honesty, she wasn't sure how to reaction, shutting her mouth and leaning further back on the cot. A light blush swept over her face. "A... a kid?" Lost on what else what to do, she smiled uncertainly again, glancing towards the window and avoiding his eyes. "When? With who?" That must have meant he already had a girlfriend and...

Of course he did. She bit her lip, gently pulling her hair over her shoulder, a small distraction.

He thought back, back to before he arrived at Beata. "It was a long time ago. Or, it felt like a long time. It was shortly before I came here. A one night stand gone awry. Her name was Allanah. She named my kid Joseph. I wasn't even there for the birth. He's almost 6 months old, Kota. I didn't find out about him until just now," he said. He regretted a lot of his actions before coming to the academy, something he'd have to live with for awhile. But a kid he never knew about until now he'd have to live with for the rest of his life. Would Will get to see him? Would Joseph have Will's gift? That'd be interesting for Allanah to figure out in about eleven years.

She wished that she knew the right thing to say to him. Dakota really did. The Spring ran a few fingers through her hair, nodding and quietly listening to his words, to his frenzied thoughts. She couldn't imagine how she might have felt in his situation. To wake up to such sudden chaos, not only knowing what she had done before, but to find out she now had a child on top of it all? "Well, now that you know, what are you going to do?" Kota smiled weakly, looking his way again. "Congrats on being a father now?"

She paused. "Maybe things are for the best this way," The girl muttered. "Maybe you lived for a reason." Dakota was never exactly a superstitious person, but...

Will thought for a moment before answering Kota's question. "I'm not sure to be honest. I want to be a part of Joseph's life, but I don't want to leave the Academy. I need to be here right now, but Joseph needs me too," he told her. What if he could convince Allanah to move to Rosebury? That would solve things. But he didn't know what Allanah would think. In the middle of his thoughts, he caught what Dakota muttered and he gave a small smile. Maybe he did live for a reason, he just needed to find it.

His non-gifted ex-girlfriend move into a town full of magical powered people just so she could be around her run-away, not-even-graduated-from-highschool boyfriend... who just finished tried to attack the school after some random cultists tried to sack the place? Something, just something, told Dakota that it wasn't exactly likely, but she didn't want to push any stressful answers on him... At least not in the current situation he was in. "You'll figure things out," The Spring muttered under her breath, reaching out and nimbly putting a hand on his shoulder, trying her best to be reassuring. It felt awkward and unnatural to her, but genuine. She hoped it was enough."Right now, you just need to relax. Focus on getting better."