Welcome to Gaia! ::

"You--!" She sat up faster than a blink of an eye, only to painfully regret it. Clutching her stomach, she gave a hiss of pain, cringing as she did so. At some point when she had been out, the nurse had untied her usual ponytail, so now her hair made a convenient curtain as she tried to hide her pain from him. She took deep breaths, trying to ease the pain if only a little. It didn't work that much, and she clenched her teeth to keep herself from crying out.

"Hey, w--" her words were cut off as Ace caught her lips with his. Pinned to the bed with only a fraction of her usual strength, she couldn't fight him off, nor was she really trying. There was just something about his kisses that made her loose her train of thought. It was only when the disciplinary committee members stepped into the room did she snap out of her daze. Shooting Ace a death glare, she looked over at the group.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, a bit irritated at a certain someone."We just wanted to see how you were doing, and to wish you a speedy recovery." One of the members said after a moment of hesitation, uncomfortable by her visible hostility.Sighing, Alessa waved them in. Her face met her hand as she facepalmed. "Just come in. You might as well, since you came all this way…" As they crowded into the room, she looked up to notice one of the girls handing her a small bouquet of flowers. Smiling, she accepted the gift, grateful for the color. "Thanks. I take it that everything's alright?" She asked her, attempting at some sort of conversation.She nodded, glad to see that the captain was in a better mood. "How much longer do you think you'll have to stay here? What kind of injuries did you get anyway? You've never landed in the hospital before."Alessa sighed; she knew sooner or later they'd ask that kind of question. "I got a couple of burns, though I don't quite know the exact degree yet. As for when I get back… you'll have to ask the doctors about that one. I'd take a guess that I'm still going to be here for a couple of days though. Tell Tyler and Danny that they are in charge while I'm gone." She told the members, who were all listening to her now.

As soon as the dance was mentioned, the whole room burst into chatter. Alessa had gone from simply irritated to extremely annoyed. He knows just which buttons to press, doesn't he?! she thought to herself, glaring at him again. "On the contrary, Mr. Vice President. I will go. However!" She paused while some of the girls in the room squealed. It was rare that Alessa would admit outright that she was going. Clearing her throat loudly, she waited until they had calmed down for her to continue."However it will only be as security for the night, and that's only if the doctor gives me permission to leave the hospital." She ignored the disappointed groans of the students, choosing to not let the annoying sounds get to her."But captain! You never let yourself have any fun! Take a break once in a while!" One of the girls cried out, not afraid of the captain at the moment.Alessa gave a rare small smile, looking over at the girl who'd just spoke. "Well, someone's gotta make sure security's fine… besides, I don't trust some of those guys the president hired." Turning back to the rest of the group, she sighed. "How are the people who didn't come to the hospital? Are they alright?" The conversation turned to more everyday things as the visit went on, distracting Alessa from her biggest headache so far: Ace.

Just how much was he going to mess with her and her emotions?! She held in her argument until the last person had left. Thankfully, they'd shut the door, allowing her to vent her frustration on the boy that was leaning over her. Even though he'd kissed her, that wasn't enough to make her forget her anger. And here he was, egging her on with the temptation of another kiss. A frown settled on her face, looking up at the boy with defiance in her eyes. Without saying anything, she propped herself up on her elbows and touched her lips with his. She wrapped an arm around his neck, bringing him closer to her. When her stomach began to throb again, she eased herself back down, not breaking the kiss till a minute later. Quite satisfied for the moment, she launched her argument that she'd held in for awhile.

"You should know as well as anyone else that I don't have friends to go and 'enjoy the dance' with. Besides, I've never heard of the rule that a student can't work at a school function." she huffed, partly from her frustration and partially from the kiss. "And I have my damned reasons why not to trust those security men coming in. You couldn't have forgotten Waxman, could you?" her voice went lower as she brought up the memory of that fight; it would never be a pleasant one with her. She shivered slightly at the memory of being tortured by the son of a b***h with is electricity, edging away from Ace ever so slightly.

"How could you have--" She began to argue again, only to remember their conversation that day. "You honestly don't remember how you died?" she asked, a bit of fear creeping into her voice. Though she was glad that his powers allowed him to come back, it was still scary how it all worked. She really didn't want to recalling the whole incident, but if he really wanted to know, she would tell him.

Trying to change the subject, she still argued with Ace. "I don't really hang out with them. We're just comrades, that's all. And me and you going together is not going to seem like a business meeting to the school. You know as well as I do that going to the dance together is almost like announcing you're going out with them." As Ace began to get cuddly with her, she sighed. "…I'll think about it though, ok?" she finally agreed. She would most likely have her answer for him by the next day, and some gut feeling told her that Ace was going to be happy about her answer.

(yay, mini time skip. Sort of a broad overview. ^'^ I feel like writing, so sue me. lol)

Another day began for the students of Hexes Boarding School for the gifted. Sunlight peaked in from half clouded sky, clearing the fog to reveal the fresh snow. Early risers awoke to a crisp wonderland. The wizened old man who stood at his bay window looked out at the laughing children as they ran out into the white. Despite their varying stages of early adulthood, many were still children. He only wished he could provide them with safe refuge longer. But everyone grows up in the end. And everyone moves on to bigger and better things. The headmaster looked on, hoping that the lessons learned and the bonds made here would help this generation to overcome their impeding adversity.

So many had done so already. Stroking his beard, the old man spotted a girl positively radiating happiness as she laughed in the snow. Another slept soundly in the nurses station. No doubt their trials would be overcome, if their past actions were anything to sneeze at. Trials that he knew all to well. Shifting his milky gaze towards the dorms, he laughed at the scene. It seems that even when the boy is at his weakest, he still emanated such inner strength. No doubt he would be a cause for constant frustration for his creations, who now sat idly in the hall. Which brought him around to observing this groups unknowing guardians. Those who worked behind the scenes to make sure that they either weren't in over their heads, or at least never suffered boredom. It warmed his heart to see so much love growing within his halls. And it pained him to know that it would be tested as all things must.

A silent messenger crept into his study as the headmaster entertained himself with the various dramas unfolding outside. Before the errand girl could speak he declared it a snow day with a grand gesture of his arms and a broad smile. All classes canceled for the day. Nodding in understanding, the messenger slipped back out to spread the word as he returned to his vigil.

Her face began to turn bright red until it had reached the tips of her ears. "W-what are you saying?!" she stuttered out, pushing him away lightly. When he only cuddled closer, she sighed, giving in and letting him stay, especially since she saw him yawn. "I…I don't want to get too attached to them though." she admitted softly, absently brushing some hair from his face.

A knock came from the door, followed by a female voice. "Miss Kelull, I'm coming in." Alessa's blush turned one shade darker as she pushed Ace off of her bed. "Get off get off get off! The nurse is here!" she hissed, trying to fix her sheets so that it didn't look too suspicious. When everything looked fine, she called out to the nurse. "Come in." Opening the door, the nurse peeked her head in. "Sorry, but the doctors decided that we should change your bandages now. Is that alright?" Nodding Alessa looked to Ace. "It's alright, but you have to leave Ace." she said sternly, and her gaze dared him to defy her. There was no way she would let Ace see her… she blushed even more, and coughed a bit, both of the girls waiting for the one male present to leave.