Happy 2036

Adeline tilted her head to the side a little, her tiny smile beginning to widen on instinct. Feverishly, she shook it, that same soft giggle bubbling up her throat. She really wasn't sure why she was apologizing, the gentle laugh cutting off when she found herself looking into his eyes, gray irises with green flecks in them that gave them a color unmatched or seen in other people. It was different and unique. Pressure hit her like a truck, and she wanted to move her head or anything, to stop looking at him and pretend that her interest was elsewhere. This was staring. Wasn't that rude or something? But it was stuck like glue, her hands clutching themselves at her chest in an almost protective manner, as if there was something she should be defending herself from, but she was too reluctant to.

Her mouth opened to speak again, the words never leaving. It was nothing. Magic didn't need to know about that, but they were.. really... close. Yet, she couldn't find herself moving, as though her feet were rooted to the ground. She exhaled, the white frosty puff leaving her and threatening to overlap with the bridge of his nose. Yeah, she should really move shouldn't she? This wasn't a good situation at all and that meant that her gift could go off at any second and this wasn't good. Nope, nope. Not at all.

He just sat there and looked at her. He was unable to look away for some reason. He looked at her eyes taking in every detail he could notice seeing all the various colors, that turned her eyes into something beautiful. Heat rose to his face slightly. He was thankful that it was cold, and that a natural pink covered his face. Everything in his mind told him to kiss the pretty girl in front of them. Well if she got mad at him then he could always explain that it was a new years tradition.

He told himself to take a step back, but his body din't respond. Instead he leaned forward slightly, leaning down a bit. One of his cold hands reached up, and pushed on her chin slightly to lift her face towards his. Quickly he pressed his lips to hers, a slight tilt in his head. Her lips felt nice against his, but he knew that he couldn't make it last that long. After a moment he pulled away. He turned towards the lake, his eyes looking up towards the sky, not evening seeing her in the corner of his vision. His face was redder than it should have been even though it was cold. He quickly shoved his hands into his pockets. "S-s-sorry.." He stuttered out quietly.

It was a silly habit, to keep smiling and being blissfully unaware of the situation. After all, there was no way that anyone would try to kiss her, let alone fall in love with her. There was no way that she got that close to someone. Everything was always limited to the friend zone. She always kept her head a little lower than necessary to ward off unwanted attention and never tried to have anyone give her much more than a slight bit of acknowledgement every now and then while she tagged along like a thirdwheel or that one ghost that everyone knew was there but pretended didn't exist. Something in her mind tried to dig for anything that would've been concrete evidence as to why Magic was getting so close to her, that this was just on purpose and he was teasing her for something that she didn't know what was. It wasn't like this was anything silly, there was no actual way that Magic would do this. He probably had a girlfriend or something already... she was only a convenient safelock for whatever secrets.

His silence was almost unsettling, his fingers bringing themselves up to her hair, pushing a strand away from her eyes. Haha, right, funny. This wasn't anything special. He was a gang leader before; he probably knew how to make someone think they were amazing and flatter them and act kind and think they were the only thing that mattered in the entire world for those few seconds, drawing them in. Magic had lifted her chin a little, forcing her to lock her eyes to his without letting her protest. Why was her heart beating so quickly, trying to pound out of her chest, at an erratic rhythm that was stranger than that of the steady beating of a drum? If she knew any better, her face was a rosy red.

It happened too quickly for her mind to process everything, not giving her so much as a chance to speak or think or move. He had closed the distance between them, their breaths mingling, and before long, he had put his lips onto hers.

For that brief moment, time seemed to have paused, blue irises widening owlishly, her entire body frozen like stone, the heat seemingly crawling up to the tips of her ears as bright crimson crept over her cheeks. She couldn't think or find any words to say, a maelstrom of emotions shifting from confused to surprised to embarrassed all at once. A strange flighty feeling bubbled in her chest and her heart was beating too loudly that she was sure that Magic could hear it, the anxiety crashing down on her faster than ever. What was he doing...? This was too much and too sudden. She felt awkward and wanted to shift away or draw herself to move, but she couldn't. She found that she wasn't able to do anything. But that problem was over when he widened the distance between them, taking a step back and not even trying to look at her, as though she hadn't existed and they hadn't done anything. It felt like an eternity before it ended, but she knew it was only a few seconds, maybe only a blessed three, five at most.

Butterflies were storming through her stomach and making her feel queasy. No need to fret, right? She was still so nervous and everything in her mind wished she could will the ground to open up and drag her away or if she could melt. Instead, Adeline nestled further into her scarf, opening her mouth as if to say something, but couldn't find the right words. What was she supposed to say? Her eyes were flickering restlessly around, unable to muster up the courage to even look at Magic. Why was this so nerve-wracking? He's not doing this because he thinks you're special. Yeah, yeah... of course not. There's no way he would. All he was doing was just trying to cheer him up or something because she seemed depressed or something. Agh, she was too bad at this. Too many emotions blowing and tearing through her mind. Discomfort, confusion, panic, and maybe a few million other things that bubbled in her chest and made her legs want to snap like lead.

Melting, melting... she wanted to melt with the snow when spring came.

Why had he done this?

Adeline wanted to say that she was light-headed and shakily, she let out a breath that she didn't realize she wasn't holding. It's not like he was kissing her or something. There was no confirmation since she couldn't well, feel anything. Yeah, it was just some illusion that came here - all he did was get a little close to her and that's all it was. There was no way she could faint, after all. That wasn't possible anymore. No, it's not. The retort came, and immediately, she felt too worn out, wanting to fret yet couldn't say anything that wasn't unintelligible. There was no way this brought anything more than anxiety for her, to blush, stutter, and freak out over something so trivial. Yet, she felt warm and tingly from head to toe, oddly calm that lifted her heart and condemned it to the pits of hell.

Wait... If she had imagined that, then didn't that...? Her face grew even redder, as warm as burning steel, and she found herself fumbling with her hands just a little too much under her chin, her fingers stumbling upon one another.  This silence was painfully straining, but there wasn't anything that she could say. Never in her right mind would she had thought this would happen or anything and she was sure she hadn't had any alcohol lately... A sip sounded rather nice. She felt too muddled up, and it took her awhile to even realize that he had apologized for something.

Oh. So he did kiss her. Dammit dammit. She found herself giggling again, a tiny smile rising. Her distorted reflection was on the ice. Heh... why'd Magic choose her of all people? She was plain, boring, and a complete mess. She was always troubling him. Don't get any ideas. This was just to mess with her or tease her.

Turning her head back over her shoulder, towards the exit of the forest, Adeline caught how he seemed to be panicking himself with a sideways glance. She wasn't the only one uncomfortable here. It was too awkward. Stupidstupid... stupid... stupidstupid.

She was awful at this. "A-ah, uhm... I-I-I..." Her voice trailed off into nothing as she tore her eyes away from Magic again. She was so bad at this. Sort of, not really. To be fair, her first kiss was with him too... She should just stop thinking. Yeah. That'd be a good idea. Agh, why? Of the many situations she thought she'd never be part of, this was one of them.

He shouldn't have done that. He was such an idiot. She was probably going to yell at him or something. No she probably wouldn't yell, she would probably slap him again, even though it wouldn't hurt too much.. Why was he so unsure? Why was this so hard? Why did feelings make this so much more difficult? This was a bit simpler back in Chicago... Well he never felt anything for any of the girls back there, but it was easy.. Girls would try to get with him. He always figured it was because of him being a gang leader.

A hand reached up and covered his mouth. He could still feel the kiss on his lips. It was nice, and sort of comforting. He couldn't describe it. He wanted to do it again, to feel what it felted like again, to be able to find the words to describe it, but he couldn't. The feeling would soon disappear, and he would be stuck wondering what it felt like again. Just like the accidental kiss that had happened.

With a sigh, Magic sort of fell down, sort of sat down on the could ground running a hand through his hair. Keeping his gaze away from the girl. Should he admit his feelings? He felt like this would only go badly.. But how much long could he keep this hidden? It would come out eventually.. He shifted slightly, moving some snow. Should he say it? Should he not? How would she take it? Argh, why did so many questions have to fill his head?

He let out a small huff. He brought his knees to his chest, his arm resting against one knee. His head leaning on his arm. "Adeline.." He said softly.. "I have.. feelings.. for you.." He said, pausing for a moment. "Strong feelings.." His grey-green eyes looked down at the ground next to him. "And I don't know what to do about it.." He wish he knew. He didn't know how to deal with anything like this. He never really felt anything like this before. It was stronger than he was used too.

Silently he was hoping that she had heard him, and that she was feeling the same way, but also at the same time he was hoping that she didn't hear him, and all of this could go ignored. Why did he come to this school again? Why didn't he just live with his gang, and not be bothered by all of this? It was simple then. Organize, command, and fight. That was the only thing that pretty much happened. It was pretty straight forward as what to do, but this? This was too complex, too confusing.

Feelings. Strong feelings.

Adeline blinked, tilting her head to the side a little. The entirety of the situation never dawned on her completely. It was completely normal for friends to kiss each other, wasn't it? That was a friendly activity and all, but she was profusely blushing and couldn't help but feel a tiny bit at unease. He was being so quiet that she must've misheard him or something... besides, being friends with someone meant that they could say something like that and not mean anything exactly special. Platonic, right? Yeah, that's definitely what he meant. Nothing else, nothing at all. You're still really bad at convincing yourself otherwise. No, she wasn't. That was all it was. People always emphasized the importance of having friends.

Friends were supposed to be valuable treasures that you should always have. They were the kind of people who would stand up to you and help you and do things to make you feel better. Ah, yes. That explained a lot of things now, didn't it? Love and friendship were on two completely different levels. Magic couldn't have meant anything much more. A tiny smile fell over her features. Silly her, that kiss didn't mean much. He saw that she was being unhappy and that it'd maybe cheer her up and well, it certainly worked. He was a really kind person, wasn't he? Blue eyes turned back over towards the stars, her hands reaching into her bag. Did she still have that knife with her...?

"I l-like you too." To say that she was a little proud of herself for letting the words come out so smoothly was an understatement. That was one of the few things she couldn't do. Speak properly. There wasn't much that she could do, in all honesty. But that was one accomplishment for now - it'll fade soon, but as she searched through her things, she could see the glinting metal, reflecting the light of the moon. Good, it was still there.

How late was it now? 3:27? "M-magic, do you w-want to head b-back...?" The school was probably still partying. There was no doubt that students weren't planning to sleep today. An all-nighter for the New Year. The first day of 2036 and they wanted to make it one of the best. Adeline couldn't argue with that, it made sense. They wanted to have their fun and staff was more than likely to let them off. It was only a day that happened once a year, after all. And it never came back, time never rewound like that. There wasn't much else to do outside now. She had done what she had promised to Kearn and Callum. Yeah. Time to get going...

There shouldn't be anything that she was forgetting, right?

Something in her mind told her that her own relaxation was suspicious. She was forgetting something important again. It seemed like the kind of thing that should be obvious but it wasn't. There wasn't any other part of the promise that she could remember, but maybe she was missing something? But she didn't recall bringing anything out with her except her phone and bag and well... clothes, but... ah... she didn't know. Bravo, bravo. You're an idiot still as well. She really was just being an idiot again, wasn't she? Adeline internally let out a sigh, fingers holding her bangs as she kept trying to think. Nothing was coming to mind, everything slipping in and out like water. The kiss was so unexpected that she couldn't remember what she had been doing before, but it wasn't like it was Magic's fault. It was her own fault.

Magic's heart jumped in his chest for a moment, but then slight dread covered him. He thought that she was returning his feelings but no. Her tone conveyed that she wasn't. It was just a platonic thing, and if that is what she wanted then, that is just what he would have to deal with. He let out a small sigh, and stood. "Yeah, I'm alright with heading back." He said. He then took a small amount of time to finish off his soda, and crush the can between his hands, and then shove it in his pocket for easy transport.

He looked back to her. She seemed to be missing something.. Oh yeah.. "Where is the kite you had?" He asked. If she was missing it then he could go look for it. It wouldn't take long.

Her... kite? Oh. Right. Adeline's eyes widened the moment they traveled towards her hand and saw that the item in question wasn't there. Shoot. Where could she have put it? Why was she always so forgetful and clumsy? It was too dark for them to see anything, but the lights were still attached. They shouldn't be too hard to find. Her lips thinned, fingers fumbling over one another nervously. It wasn't in the current vicinity; that meant it was somewhere in the forest. The dark, creepy, and oddly eerie forest that didn't sound anywhere close to pleasant where anything could pop out at you at anytime and jump in front of you to scare the wits out of end. Or you know, maybe a ghost.

She wasn't superstitious or anything, no way that she'd be scared of something like that at all. Haha, funny joke, no absolute way. Those apparitions couldn't be real and if they were, it wasn't like they were able to interfere with the real world, no matter how hard they tried. It wasn't like there was some kind of cold breeze blowing that was because a ghost was passing by or that the breaking of branches from behind was because some unidentifiable shadow was stalking them, step by step. How could she enjoy being outside - alone - in the dark so much when she was terrified that something like this could happen? At least at the lake bank she could still see the stars, but when the canopies towered over her like that and blocked out all of the light...

Swallowing down her anxiety, a mental count to ten began to calm her nerves. She couldn't leave without it. No need to let her own fears get the best of her, right? This should be easy... hopefully. "I th-think I... uhm... l-let go of it." Her words felt shaky and she could feel the dread crawling up her spine, telling her that she was about to go somewhere that she would prefer not to. But it wasn't like she could stay at the lake all night - she'd have to pass through the forest anyway to get back... "I-I'm s-s-sorry to ask th-this, but c-can you help m-me look f-for it?"

Magic shook his head her apologizing again. "There is no need to apologize. I will help you look." He would most likely help her no matter what. All she has to do is ask. He probably would be able to hear it before he would be able to see it, but the wind kind of made it hard to hear at his normal range. "I think we should follow the direction the wind is going. We will most likely find it that way." He started heading deeper in the forest in the direction the wind was going.

Adeline was already twiddling with her thumbs, shamefully keeping her eyes away from Magic's figure. Maybe she should've just said that she would go get it alone - that was too selfish of her to ask. The kite was her responsibility and hers alone. There wasn't any need to have him help her scavenge an entire forest, high and low, left and right, to find it and hope it was still in one piece. Thinking about that made her pale a little more than normal, skin as white as a sheet. What would she do if it was ripped to shreds? A hole was in the fabric? The string completely woven out of its handle, like a ball of yarn rolling around and losing its form? It wasn't like there was a place to repair kites around Rosebury and even then, patching it up would take too long. Agh, why was she so careless? Too many questions were overwhelming her mind and she had to clench her eyes closed to stop focusing on it. Kearn was going to kill her for real if it was damaged.

When Magic mentioned wind, her attention immediately perked up. Nostalgia was the only thing flowing in and out with the grace of a river of a childhood friend who manipulated air at the tips of his fingers, controlling the breeze as though it were the embodiment of his carefree soul. And to think he was willing to die for someone as pathetic as her... she didn't deserve it. His recovery was going well, at least. Maybe she should call him later. A soft smile fell on her features, ambivalently nodding to Magic's statement. Taking a few steps before transitioning to a light jog to catch up to him, a chill fell over her as she immediately felt queasy.

The creepy atmosphere, the strange hooting of owls in the air. Perhaps a few screeches signified bats were maybe in the area, the piano-steps of mice scurrying around, some having woken up from their hibernation temporarily. Yet, everything seemed to be deathly still in the dark, blanketed in fresh snow, as the quiet, whispering wind blew in, disturbing a leaf that still seemed to be there and giving the area an eerie quality. The only thing that seemed to be stirring was the crunching of snow from the pair's boots. As time passed by, she found herself inching closer and closer to Magic, trying to keep her anxiety from growing any further.

Repeating the same words in her head would've helped in any normal situation. There are no such things as ghosts... Haha, yeah. No such thing. But this was a gifted academy where anything was possible. Destiny - the Spring Prefect - was even a necromancer and her partner was supposedly some kind of ghost, but he looked as normal for a human as could get... except for the fact that he flickered to transparency every now and again. But he was kind of nice, wasn't he? Emotionless, yes. But nice. Maybe. She didn't know. They rarely talked. There was no such thing as ghosts. Or at least that's what she thought.

A rustling from the bush behind them had made her flinch a bit, and Adeline hugged her arms closer to her side. Still no sign of the kite. Could they leave already? Feeling more uneasy was getting a bit much. She shouldn't be this scared of the dark. They could scarcely see a sign of the night sky above, with only a minimal amount of moonlight filtering through the branches. The vine dangling down from one tree began to wiggle around, and within moments she found herself shying behind Magic, almost latching onto his arm. This was ridiculous... She was terrified for absolutely nothing. Even back home, Kearn used to guide her around when they left for the large elderwood tree in the middle of the night.

"N-no s-s-such thing... r-right." It'd be a lie to say that she wasn't trembling a little, almost like a lost child who didn't know their way around. Ghosts didn't exist... they didn't exist... they definitely didn't exist. Where was her kite?

"Hmm?" He paused when she had said something. He looked back to notice she fell behind slightly. "It's alright Adeline." He said. Trying to give her encouragement. He never realized she might have been afraid of the creepiness that was out here. He was used to thinks like this. Well sort of. He was used to being in creepy places, and he visited the forest often so it didn't really effect him. He just ignored all the noises, no matter how creepy they were.

"Do you want me to take you back to the dorm? I can come back out and find your kite later." He said. Any reason to get him away from the noisy campus. Any reason to get him away from the alcoholic drinks. He was likely to spend all night out here. It's not like he slept anyway. Though he figured in a few days he would have to skip classes, and sleep all day to catch up on sleep. He was starting to develop insomnia.

Alright was a complete overstatement, no matter how much she knew that Magic was trying to keep her spirits up or, you know, reassure her that there was absolutely nothing wrong in the spooky forest. Of course there was nothing wrong with a ghost coming up and crawling behind your back. Ghosts used to be people, right? Surely that meant that they were capable of being kind or have many redeeming qualities to them. But everyone always said that ghosts became ghosts because they wanted to seek revenge for what they believed was an unfair death and all they cared about was haunting and tormenting their victims. Her head was spinning too much. Adeline inched a little closer to Magic, practically using him as a shield while shied away, ducking low as though she didn't exist. When Magic motioned a small suggestion, she furiously shook her head in disapproval.

Blue eyes stared up at him for a few moments before blinking and averting away, the words fumbling out passed her lips in an uneasy and hasty manner. "I c-can keep going." Immediately, her hand shot up to cover her mouth, nestling further into her jacket out of shame. It was a sudden bout of determination and how quickly it came out almost seemed rude. Rosy red crept onto her cheeks. It felt mean, rude, and awful to say that. He had good reason to offer it to her, but she wasn't that scared. Maybe she should've just said yes. It pleased them more than anything when she simply agreed and Magic probably had his own reasons for putting the idea out there. This was selfish of her, but... she wanted to disregard his interests. That kite was her responsibility - not his. Having him find it wasn't right at all.

Without thinking, her pace quickened itself, gaze glued to the ground, widening the distance between the two of them by a small gap until she wasn't quite sure where he was anymore, unable to hear him breath beside her. After what felt like an eternity, a shining yellow glow could be seen caught in one of the tree branches above, the kite's tail blowing back. The light provided made her let out an internal sigh of relief. It didn't look damaged so far. If it was, it should be stuck by a hole or patch inside, right? Or maybe she was blind and couldn't see anything. That was so high up, though. Trying to climb the tree seemed like a bad idea. It probably was. She didn't know what demon compelled her to try anyway. You can do it. Haha, the tree back home was way bigger than this. The difference? Callum always provided a wind to keep them from falling or stooping down too low.

Hopefully the numbness of her senses would allow for an easy climb up. She couldn't be that weak, could she?

Adeline didn't wait or allow Magic to say anything as she searched for a route upward. A nearby, conveniently shaped rock was over there, and once she got to the top of it, one hand reached out for the nearest branch. Adeline was disappointed to find that she was a tad bit too short, even in her boots and their slightly boosted height. A few hops later, she managed to grab it and pulled herself up. At least the tree was sturdy... Dear lord help her if it broke while she was on top of it. Her kite seemed even further to reach, with the wind's roaring keeping it afloat. Her fingers could scarcely grasp the ends. It was like having something so close to you yet too far for you to reach. Wasn't that what some people explained as unrequited l--- Not thinking about that. Never mind it. Focus you, moron. Just a little bit further. You're so close. Thank goodness, she managed to get it soon enough. Once she was sure it was secured by her hands and completely untangled from the tree, her eyes fell to the ground. Okay, this wasn't all that high. Should be easy to jump. Easy-peasy.

One hand clung onto the bark, almost reluctant to let go. Her eyes clenched closed and with a deep breath, she leaped out into the swirling snow. The landing seemed smooth for the most part, the snow working well as a powdery cushion. With the swallow-tailed kite, it was almost as though she had wings for just that brief moment. Everything seemed to be okay for the time-being. It was definitely okay. If it was okay, then she would've landed just fine and wouldn't be on the floor. And that was good, so far. Her luck was better than she expected this time. At least she wasn't as clumsy as she could remember.

Hopefully anyway. Maybe she was pushing it... no, she was definitely pushing it.

Magic walked along in silence, keeping his hands in his pockets. He kept his ears open just in case Adeline got to frightened or wanted to do something else. It didn't take long for them to find the kite, the soft golden lights alerting them to where it was. Magic was trying to think of a way to get it down without having to climb the tree, but before he could do something Adeline was already going up the tree. "Be careful." He called to her.

He just sat there and watched as she got the kite. He honestly didn't expect her to jump down, and he didn't expect anything bad to happen when she touched the ground. It wasn't that bad of a drop. He let out a small breath he was holding onto when she landed smoothly on the ground. "Ready to go?" He asked her.

Her hands were stretched away from her body to re-balance herself for a few moments, mimicking the long poles that tight-rope walkers used. It was a little wobbly at first, but she hadn't fallen. That was a plus, right? That was definitely a good thing. Adeline reached up and pulled at her collar a bit, a frosty breath escaping from the chilly air. Ready to go? Well, unless she had forgotten something by the lakeside, then... yes. Maybe she shouldn't have gone to get her kite with Magic around or maybe she should've chosen a more discreet area. All of this trouble only because she had been careless, not paying attention to the fact that there wasn't something that she should be holding. With an almost imperceptible nod, her arms fell limply to her side and she took one step forward.

Everything seemed to be going fine, so far.

One... two... three... four.

Adeline wasn't sure whether it was the slippery ice or the clumsiness that she possessed that could rival a newborn chick's, but her leg snapped like lead within an instant. Before her mind could fully register what was happening, she was already on the ground, disturbing the snow that collected on her hair. The stark white seemed to blend with her pale skin, only juxtaposed by the midnight-coal color of black. Not a single shot of pain came, allowing her to sit up without too much trouble. God, this was to be expected. She shouldn't have jumped down like that when she was so fucking weak. Hell, she probably shouldn't have been clambered up a tree either. Thinking this and that. Yeah, not feeling anything was alright. No pain, but still gaining. But she didn't even think about putting her actual physical health into the equation.

Within a few moments, it clicked in her mind. Most likely a sprain. Her landing was smoother than she would've thought, but it was mostly smooth. Not... completely. Her fingers curled onto the kite's handle even harder and she bit down on her lip. Stupidstupidstupid. Stupid was right. What the hell was she thinking? Hesitantly, she turned toward her leg, which was only slightly twisted from a normal position. Nice going, idiot. There wasn't any need to heal it... she could still walk normally, after all.

The only problem was Magic.

After she had jumped down, and seemed to stand fine, he turned to start walking back towards the school. He wasn't facing her when she fell, but the sound of something hitting the snow caused him to turn around. Concern crossed his face as he saw it was Adeline who fell. He quickly walked back over to his friend, and knelt down beside her. "Are you alright?" He asked her, concerned was in his voice, but it was still normal sounding. He couldn't exactly see what was wrong for there wasn't enough light.

Numbly, Adeline nodded with a dismissive smile. Nothing to worry about. Yeah. A little sprain or something was nothing when you've had a knife pointed at your throat before or being drugged to death or had your soul ripped out of your body and turned into some genderbend mirror image of you to indirectly kill. Without a doubt, sprains weren't anything bad. "I-I'm f-f-fine..." Well, she couldn't necessarily answer that question now, could she? She didn't know how damaged her ankle was and not feeling it really wasn't helping her. But hey, maybe all she did was slip up a little. Or maybe that was being too optimistic. The more she ruminated on it, the more she was becoming convinced that it was a sprain than her own silly lack of balance. Her palm found its way to the rough bark of a tree, using it as a balance as she tried to stand up again, her stance too rickety, like an old rocking chair that creaked and couldn't stop moving.

Great, just... just, great. It was one thing to not have your sense of touch with you. It was an entirely other thing when your body was damaged and your lack of feeling was working against you, you had no idea how to fix it when you seemed to be injured and yet it was completely abnormal. And that was exactly what it was right now. She was hurt. She couldn't tell the difference between being in pain and not being in pain. That would make walking back from the forest to her own dorm a really difficult task. If only there were rails or something she could balance on the entire way back. Maybe staying in the middle of nowhere in the woodlands would be a good idea.

Or she could try and do something stupid again. Yeah, that sounded about right. "L-let's head b-back..." The words rolled off her tongue strangely. Adeline wasn't used to saying any kind of command like that. She immediately felt guilty about trying to make the decision and feverishly shook her head, white snowflakes drifting down from the motion. "I m-m-mean... uhm... if y-you want." Haha, that totally makes it better. She was starting to wonder how the hell she had friends when she had zero knowledge on proper socialization and her social grace was this awkward. Everyone was too kind for their own good... they deserved better than someone as useless and pathetic as her.