[h3][color=mediumspringgreen]Alexandria[/color][/h3]

Alex bade farewell to Michael after a walk that felt too long. In another situation she might have felt a little weird at having a boy walk her home... but it was the least of her worries right now. She made no attempt to hide her late return home. She knew that her parents wouldn't care. 

Alex's room was a comforting place to return to after the frantic experience of her stint at Midnight. The blinds eternally shut; the lamp just barely casting enough light to allow walking without tripping. She just wanted to fall into her bed and sleep for several... dozen hours. Pulling her hoodie off her head, she sighed. At the very least she should do something to relax.

[hr]

Alex returned to her room from a thankfully uneventful bath. The sweet smell of strawberries helped calm her down, at least. She was just glad she wasn't visibly covered in bruises thanks to Michael's healing. That would have been far too awkward to explain at school, she thought. '[color=mediumspringgreen]Not to mention what would happen if my counselor decided to-[/color]'

[i]Ring![/i]

'[color=mediumspringgreen]-meet with me.[/color]' Alex's phone chimed in to interrupt her thoughts. She already knew what it was. She had set up her phone to use a specific tone for that number.

"[b][color=mediumspringgreen]Hello?[/color][/b]" Alex put on her most even voice for this. Her counselor never called unless something was up.

"[b]Alexandria. I've heard reports from the Rhean Police Department about an incident.[/b]" She cut straight to the chase. As expected of a professional.

Alex feigned surprise. "[b][color=mediumspringgreen]Oh no! W-Well I've been at home all day, so it's a good thing-[/color][/b]"

"[b]Some of the people there said there was a girl with an eyepatch throwing around 'spells.' They said she cracked the foundation of the building with a single punch.[/b]"

"[b][color=mediumspringgreen]A-Ahaha... I suppose there are all sorts of bodybuilders out there...[/color][/b]"

There was a brief pause, and a faint sigh over the phone. "[b]Alexandria, I'm trying to look out for you here. If you get caught up in the wrong place, with a Gift like yours, there's no telling what would happen. Not to mention that your parents didn't answer my call...[/b]"

"[b][color=mediumspringgreen]W-Well they probably didn't answer because nothing was up! I was home all day, of course.[/color][/b]"

"[b]Well. I'm going to schedule a meeting during club period at Laurels. You've been resting at home all day, so you'll be attending class tomorrow, of course.[/b]" The statement left no room for argument.

Alex looked over her uniform, which was hanging up separately, away from her other casual clothes. It was far too ornate for her tastes, stained far too easily, and had too many layers. She would have loved if her enrollment due to remedial schooling included a clause that waived the dress code for her. "[b][color=mediumspringgreen]Right. I'll be there.[/color][/b]" Eventually.

"[b]Stay safe, Alexandria. The incident at Midnight was very dangerous. And please tell your parents to contact me.[/b]" The call ended with a click.

Alex fell backwards onto her bed, sighing with exhaustion. '[color=mediumspringgreen]No chance of that happening. Sorry, counselor.[/color]' It was bad enough she had to go to classes tomorrow at all. Alex had already gamed out the amount she could miss without being flunked, and tomorrow would have been totally fine. As she fell back onto her bed, she could only wonder to herself:

'[color=mediumspringgreen]How will Wolf react when I come to see him... After all this time?[/color]' Her chest felt tight with the thought as she laid in bed.

[hr]

[h3]The next day...[/h3]

Alex's sleep proved to be terrible, mainly due to watching videos in her bed late into the night to drown out her own internal anxiety. Looking back on it, Alex considered it better than sitting in a dark room alone with her thoughts. She'd do it again. ...She may have to do it again, depending on Wolf.

Of course, her entire body was sore from the exertion of the fight at Midnight. She hadn't a clue how she was going to hide that from her counselor - She could barely stand from a chair without groaning. Maybe she'd just stand up the whole time. Or maybe she'd blame it on gym class... which she has a pass from due to her hospitalization. Alex frowned as her brain tanked her own potential excuse.

Perhaps worst of all, she hadn't brought any lunch. Given that it was now lunch time, she was becoming acutely aware of that issue. Unfortunately, she had not drawn the spell that summons food; she blamed it on not offering anything to her shrine the night before. Stalking the bustling hallways of St. Laurel's Academy, she tried her best to avoid bumping into other students, though her slightly off-balance gait made it clear that she was both sleep-deprived and running on fumes.

'[color=mediumspringgreen]Forget after school... I'm not gonna make it to my counselor's meeting...[/color]' Alex couldn't help but think to herself. No doubt it would be clear that something was wrong if her counselor heard that she was sent to the nurse's office during class today, and then her entire cover story would be blown. '[color=mediumspringgreen]Get it together...![/color]'