Not Sure What To Make Of You

It was getting pretty late when Adrienne made her way up to the Astronomy tower from her dormitory. It was a lovely night out, as her window in her room told her, and she wanted a better view. She thought, as she walked, about her exams and how she was looking forward to getting home. She had written to Wyatt and her parents a few days ago, but hadn't heard back yet. They perhaps were just planning on seeing her when she got home next week.

She entered the main part of the tower and walked out to the railing, pulling her scarf so it was tighter around her neck. Resting her arms atop the rail and crossing them over one another, she leaned against it, looking up at the sky. It was nights like this that she thought about Asher and how much they all missed him. Where was he? Was he even alive? Surely if he was he'd have come back or sent word. She didn't even want to think about the other possibility.

Addie heard the door open behind her but didn't turn to see who was there, still relatively absorbed in her thoughts. If they wanted peace and quiet, she'd give it to them by staying where she was and letting them do as they please.

The past few weeks hadn't exactly been the best. He didn't know know what he was supposed to do. His parents had written to him about a month ago, telling him that if he didn't find a suitable wife before the end of this year, they would arrange a marriage for him. He wasn't going to let that happen. He couldn't. Of course he had a feeling that the marriage had already been set up for him.

His parents weren't exactly the type of people to actually let him choose anything. They were always afraid that he'd make the wrong choices. And this was something that he knew they wouldn't allow a mistake in. The girl he chose to be his wife had to be a Pureblood in their eyes, she just had to be. That wasn't exactly a problem with Kaiden but he didn't know many Pureblood girls who he actually liked.

Except Alia. But Alia... wasn't an option for him. He wasn't going to let her be an option. He had to find someone else. He was going to find someone else, there had to be another person out there. But first, he had to get more time. He knew he shouldn't lie to his parents about this, but he had to. He'd written them a letter saying he'd found the perfect girl he wanted to marry. And he made sure to include that she was a Pureblood.

Kaiden sighed. He really hated having to do this, but he knew it would put them at ease for a bit until he actually found someone. Soon after having his owl, Vic, take the letter to his parents Kaiden went to the Astronomy Tower to think. He didn't know what he was going to do. Maybe he should've never sent that letter to his parents. Maybe it was all a mistake. Maybe... Maybe he should just let them do what they wanted...

No. No. I can't. I can't let them do whatever they want with me. I might be their son, but I can make my own choices. I can do this.

He sighed once more and entered the tower. The sixteen year old froze when he saw someone else there. He didn't think anyone else would be up there. He quickly became defensive for some reason. "What're you doing here?" he asked in a somewhat nasty tone.

Adrienne had let herself get lost in thought again before a voice called her back to the real world. Thoughts of Asher and Wyatt flew from her mind as she turned around quickly, surprised at the defensive nature of the question thrown at her. Her hair spun with her, and landed back on her shoulders as she looked at the boy standing close to the entrance. She couldn't think of a reason why this boy should dislike her. She didn't know him - except maybe from classes? He looked vaguely familiar.

Now that she thought about it, he really was familiar. He was a Slytherin, she was sure, because she sometimes had classes with them. That meant he had to be around her year. She had never spoken to him, and she couldn't place his name, but she also knew nothing about his personality really. In classes she'd perhaps glance around but never pay attention.

His defensive take on their situation made her immediately cautious as she tried to think of what his question was. It was like it had flown past her, rather than into her ears. Finally, she replied, "I was just.. thinking, I suppose. Needed a break from the world for a bit." Her voice was rather soft compared to his. She was sort of hoping it would get him to lay off of the apparent discomfort he was feeling at her being there.

Raising an eyebrow, she suddenly thought, And why is it his job to interview me about my being here? He is clearly here for his own reasons as well! She reached up unconsciously to tug on her hair - the left side, where her pink streak of hair was curled in among the rest. "Is there some reason I shouldn't be here?" She added finally, hoping if he was going to be upset with her he at least had some sort of reason to be. Catching herself playing with her hair - a nervous habit she'd gained over the years - she instead folded her arms over her chest in a way that she hoped just looked casual.

Stop being such an arse.

His conscious chimed in, trying to get Kaiden to be less tense. But it wasn't working, he was already too worked up about what was happening with his parents and the arranged marriage and all of that. He really hated it all, but he knew there was no way to get around it. Well... Maybe there was one way, but he didn't want to do it.

That involved showing he was weak. It involved falling in love. He wasn't going to be weak. He'd have to go against his parent's wishes too, that was just... impossible for him to do. How he wished he wasn't a Pureblood sometimes...

Stop whining. You're a Pureblood and you can't change that fact.

Sure he could, but that meant turning away from his family. If he didn't marry another Pureblood, he would be considered a blood traitor. He couldn't let his family's name be ruined. He just... He couldn't. The girl's question did catch him a bit by surprise though. Her first comment was expected, but he didn't expect her to ask him anything. He thought she would just apologize and leave.

The Slytherin swore under his breath. He felt his body tense and he turned away from her a bit with his head lowered. "No, you're free to be here." he said in a strained voice and he walked to one of the windows at the tower. He sighed and was suddenly overcome with anger for some reason. "They're all stupid." he hissed and punched the stone sill. He didn't feel any pain but the impact was enough to break through his skin and cause him to bleed.

The sixteen year old lifted his hand and stared at his bloody knuckles, following a stream of the blood that flowed with little emotion. He didn't bother touching the wounds or wiping the blood away, he just left it there. He didn't even pay anymore attention to the girl who was in there with him.

The boy said she was 'free' to be in the tower, which sort of bugged her but she decided to ignore it. She watched him walk to another of the windows, and decided that if they were both quiet they could just both get lost in their own thoughts and problems and let the other alone.

Well, she thought so until she heard something muttered from the other window, and a muffled sound of someone either getting hit or hitting something. Adrienne knew it probably wasn't her place, but she had become pretty good at healing spells if she'd heard the sound for what it was. And she really tended to look out for anyone and everyone if they needed it. Even if they had hurt her in the past, she couldn't stand to watch people hurt. The only people she could probably handle being injured were whoever took her brother away from her.

She walked lightly to look over at him. He was holding up a bloody hand. Ah, he'd hit the wall had he? Instantly, however, the blood took away the snark she should have had towards this person who had been so cold just moments before. Deciding he was getting her help whether he wanted it or not, she walked right up to him. "Are you okay?" She asked, looking from his hand to his eyes.

Not really expecting him to accept her help she added, "I'm particularly good at Healing spells. I've been working on them." She didn't exactly like adding the last sentence, but somehow it seemed to validate what she was saying. She looked up at his face looking for any sign of emotion there. Perhaps he was like her friend Zane who simply hid everything. "Let me help you." She said, voice quiet, as she reached a hand out to attempt to bring his hand closer so she could heal it.

Kaiden stared at the streams of blood that flowed from his knuckles as if he were just looking into water. There was no emotion and he hadn't given any reaction to the impact or the blood. He didn't even notice the girl had come near him until she started to speak. When she did, Kaiden looked at her and pulled away as she tried to bring his hand closer to her. He wouldn't accept any help from her - from anyone really. He hated having to be helped.

He didn't say a word to her, just tried to keep his distance from her. He didn't understand people like her, he'd just been mean to her, he'd been an arse yet she was trying to help him. Why did people do that? Shouldn't they be resented and leave him there hoping he'd feel the pain? That's what he would do, then again he had been raised in a somewhat destructive household. His family had started to fall apart when he was around the age of nine. His parents always fought, that was why he'd always act like he did.

No one else knew about that though. And he intended to keep it like that. "I'm fine." he said coldly, pulling away from her once more. He didn't know if she would stop trying to help him or not but he wasn't going to let her help him anyways." I don't need help, so stop trying to help me." he hissed.

Adrienne drew back in surprise at the boy's volatile reaction. He was either too proud or too shy our just too darn stubborn like she was. She stared at him as he pulled his hand back, unsure what she could say to change his mind. She doubted anything would at this point.

He kept claiming he was fine and didn't need help, but Addie wasn't buying what he was trying to sell. It would take a lot more than him claiming he was fine to settle her when she could clearly see the blood flowing around his fingers. At this point, she started to think maybe he was a bit crazy to just watch it like it wasn't him. But then she realized that it wasn't so very strange. When they'd told her Asher was gone, she hadn't exactly rationalized it. Adrienne had sat there in disbelief for hours, not able to comprehend that it was real.

"Look," She said, doing her best to sound absolute and firm, "I don't know who you are, and I probably shouldn't care about you and your hand. But either something is wrong and you need to rant about it, or you do need help and you're just too damn stubborn to admit it."

She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him. Sure, she seemed to have a death wish, but this guy had frustrated her. Adrienne wasn't often confused or frustrated, and it just brought out a grumpy side of her. She figured it may not help her case, but someone had to get this guy to calm down, before he started bleeding somewhere else.

"I said I didn't need your help."

Kaiden refused to let her help him. He wouldn't let anyone help, he could heal himself. But the pain from the broken skin and the blood flowing down his hand was finally starting to catch up with him and he winced. He clenched his hand into a fist, trying to make it seem like he was fine. But it hurt like hell to just do that and it showed in his face. The once expressionless face of Kaiden Poliakoff now showed clear signs of pain, but he still would not let the girl help him.

It wasn't that he was just being mean or stubborn. No, it was more of a pride thing. Kaiden was too prideful to allow anyone to help him, he normally tried to handle things himself, even when he knew he couldn't do anything to help himself. The Slytherin knew he'd lost a lot more blood than he should when he started to feel lightheaded, but he tried to act like nothing was wrong with him.

Of course just by looking at him anyone could tell that something was wrong. He brought his clean hand up to his head and sighed. Maybe I do need help... he pondered the possibility of accepting the girl's help.

Adrienne ignored his assurances that he didn't need help. Why did she feel like she needed to help him? She looked over his face - dark hair, skin bright with the only light being the outside lights shining on his face. His face contorted into what she interpreted as a pained grimace. She could tell that he was no longer hiding his reaction to whatever he'd done to his hand. Adrienne hadn't seen him as much as heard him injure himself.

She watched him make a fist with his injured hand, knowing the look he made well. It reminded her of her brother Wyatt when he had fallen off his broom or hurt himself. When he wanted to hide the truth about it.

Addie was getting frustrated. All she wanted to do was help this boy and let him get on with his life, but here he was glaring at her even though she could tell he wasn't doing too well. Deciding that she wouldn't reach out again - that hadn't gone well last time - she lowered her eyes and sighed. How do you help someone who dislikes you before you can talk to them? No, she thought quickly, reprimanding herself, It's not right to judge him even if he may be judging you. He probably just had a rough day.. She knew that feeling.

"Look," she started finally, "I can't just keep trying to get you to accept my help. I'm offering one last time: let me help you." She finished, her chocolate eyes staring into his. She couldn't tell much about what he looked like with the lighting, but his eyes seemed dark as well. She was clearly frustrated but did her best not to show it, her hand drifting to her wand in her back pocket.

Kaiden sighed, finally giving up. It didn't seem like she would give up easily, and he really wasn't in the mood to keep fighting with her. The pain from his injured hand finally caught up with him and he winced, holding his injured hand tightly.

"Fine. Do whatever you want." he scoffed, holding his hand out a bit closer to her. He really hated having to be helped, but he also didn't like the pain he felt right now. As long as she could take that pain away he didn't care if she helped him, but that didn't mean he would act grateful. Even if he was.

You're stupid.

Kaiden looked away from the girl, trying not to fight with his subconscious in her range of sight. I'm not stupid... he began fighting. I just don't want to feel this stupid pain anymore.