The hour late, the night free from the moon, and the weather seeming to sigh with a relief as the cold front lifted—Nightingale found himself dreaming, endless of a life gone by, of a time long since slipped from his hands, and of a face made of carving stone. His heart pounded in his chest, racing like that of a rabbit, but he didn’t startle awake. No, this nightmare wasn’t of the sort that would have him thrashing about, nor the sort that made him wish they’d kept him tied down. This was the sort of dream where he lived his life over again, in memories that he wanted to cling to, and of voices so real he swore that ghosts whispered against his ear with their dry paper like lips.

When his eyes opened, Gale looked out onto the room with both eyes, the blind one seeing what the healthy one could not, and as he sat up he shivered from the way the thin layer of moisture clung to his skin in a desperate attempt to pull his thoughts to the reality.

Wake up…

The last time he’d dreamed so vividly, he had sat off on the night without thinking, and ran into a man that still plagued his thoughts. He’d made the biggest fool of himself in front of Atash, and he swore this time he’d simply brush away the night terrors as if they never happened. His counselor hadn’t suggested that he take events like this lightly, but he couldn’t be pounding on her door every time he felt the least bit poorly. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t meant to be here in his bed.

Get up…Up, prince of the winter. He hadn’t felt much like royalty anymore, and as the reality sank in his head pounded. Gale slipped from the bed with ease, but missed his slippers. He managed to find his robe and pull it over his bare shoulders, and slipped out into the hall to trace the narrow path to where he could be in the night.

The Students were all in bed, and the patrols wouldn’t make their rounds for a while. So he was able to wander the halls vacantly and even be free from the prying eyes of the painting. All he needed was a little walk, and perhaps a glass of water and sleep would come again. However, for now he couldn’t escape the feeling of being free from the castle, and stepped out onto the stone path with ease. The cold didn’t phase him, not in this state of mind, but when he reached the breezeway the wind brought life to both his robe and his silken strands to tease him about being such a child. The fabric laughed in the wind, and little wisps of his hair whispered as they slid over his alabaster skin. The white of his vacant eye reflected the light almost like the moon over a glass surface, and when he noticed he wasn’t alone it only burned brighter. It pulsed with every beat of his heart, slow and steady now that the nightmare was over, but the figure he couldn’t separate from his dreams. He was awake, but she seemed so surreal—a phantom of the school, but as he moved closer he started to put together a name like piecing together a puzzle.

“Katy?” He spoke without stopping, his voice quiet and calm. “Katy, are you alright?”

Only rarely had life seemed like too much for Katy to handle and she'd always had someone to talk to about it.  Her mother had always given her the confidence to keep going with her unshakable faith in her daughter's abilities.  It had been heartening but it was gone now.  All gone.  On top of that, there was an tangible shadow that followed her everywhere she went.  It poisoned her inside and she just knew that everyone could see it, even if they didn't know the cause. 

Life, in all its gory death and reality was too much for Katy now.  She just couldn't bear it.  People looked at her with pity or curiosity, depending on which rumors they latched on to but none of them knew.  Her hands clenched into numb fists on the stone battlements of the castle's walkway.  She stared down on the dark grounds, feeling desolate.  Hair whipped in the wind and bit at the frigid skin on her cheekbones.  The sound of it drowned out the professor's approach but his voice did reach her.

“Katy?” He spoke without stopping, his voice quiet and calm. “Katy, are you alright?”

Whipping around, Katy threw herself backwards against the stone wall, the only thing between her and a long plummet to her death.  She stared at him with wide eyes.  Out after curfew, she could get into trouble, but she already had detention so it would be no great tragedy to bear it longer.  "I'm fine," she finally replied with a stiff body and voice.  "I'm sorry, I'll go back to my dorm."  She made to leave.

"Honey, you know you are not supposed to be out at this hour." He tried his hardest not to reprimand her, and kept a very calm nearly warm smile on his lips. Scolding her wouldn't do any good right now, not in such a fragile state, and Gale did his best to try and mask his concern. She didn't need pity right now. It would only make matters worse.

"Come inside. Come, I have a task for you to help me with before you return to bed." Distraction. It always worked for him. He counted the beats of his heart until she would finally be free from the stone walls, and his body would relax only when she was well inside. He worried of her jumping, worried greatly of the fall, and knew well he would go down after her.

She looked so cold, and the way the winter night painted her face he was reminded of his mother.

"Goodness, it just keeps getting colder and colder. Come, help me get this book down, and we'll get something warm." He touched her shoulder gently before ushering her down the hall towards his office, and finally remembered to breathe once the door was closed behind them. He would have to report this, but for now his biggest concern was seeing to Katy.

"Take a seat." He commanded, his voice firm yet light, and in doing so he wrapped one of his grandmother's quilts around her shoulders before moving to cast a few spells to start the tea. "Explain to me what you were doing out there this late at night?"

Katy wasn't allowed out of her dormitory unsupervised period, let alone so late at night.  It was part of her punishment and normally Katy would faithfully adhere to the conditions.  She hated being in trouble and her shame kept her to her punishments and usually, the intent behind them.  She just couldn't think sometimes, or deal.  She needed to run but wasn't allowed to.  She just felt so frustrated sometimes. 

Katy sat down when Professor Kesali told her to but she frowned when the quilt was laid over her.  Feeling forced to take it, she didn't say anything but let it slip down and did nothing to put it back.  "I know I shouldn't have been out, Professor, but if you don't mind, I'd like to just help get your book and go back to my dorm.  I have homework to do tomorrow."

"Katy..." Gale sighed, pulling his robe around him and tied it, the cold didn't phase him, but that look in her eyes did. Miss Bevans, didn't have that normal happy outgoing personality as the rest, but she had her good days and her bad. Yet, this look...this vacant need for more than just an escape scared him to the bone. She looked so frail, so young, and so defeated; he wanted to simply take her into his arms and protect her from it all. It wouldn't be correct procedure he knew, but this child was at her end and Gale felt that if he could simply shelter her while her world fell down that maybe she would survive.

"You know I can not just send you off to your dorm, Miss Bevans. This late, and out there like that...I'm afraid it would require me to wake the Headmistress, or even Professor Storm." He extended his arm to escort her, "It's more than just a write up, M'dear. But why don't we go back to my office, get warmed up, and see if maybe it can wait til morning?"

Katy trembled involuntarily when he mentioned the Headmistress.  Professor Storm.  She was already in so much stinking trouble, what would be the consequence for breaking, not only curfew, but her house arrest as well?  She hadn't thought of that when she snuck out among a group of seventh years going to the library after dinner.  She'd just needed that bitingly cold fresh air. 

"I'm sorry, Professor!" she blurted out, an edge of panic creeping into her voice.  "I won't do it again, I promise!  Please don't..."

Katy stuffed her knuckles into her mouth and bit down on them.  She'd almost asked a professor not to report her.  Oh, how humiliating.  Humiliating because it would never work and only a complete moron would even think to ask.  "I don't want to be expelled," she finished with a whisper.

"Katy...honey, calm down. You are not the first student to break curfew, and certainly not the last." He watched her with a bit of wonderment, pondering what it was she seemed so on edge about. With as busy as the last few weeks have been, he hadn't had the chance to check the detention lists to see if there was something else going on. However, that little look...that bit of true honest fear of being expelled came more from just one little rule being broken.

"Take a seat," He offered the chair by the fire as it came to life, and with a flick of his wand he whispered a few spells to get the tea going. She must have been so cold, as he swore he could see her shake, and Gale moved to pull one of his quilts around her little shoulders.

"So I'm not going to pretend that I don't know what is going on Katy, and I know you've had a very trying time this year. I don't know much about you other than you are a very good student when you wish to be, and I don't think that there is much in the world that we as professionals won't do for you." While talking he poured her a cup, put a bit of sugar in the dark amber liquid and handed her the saucer.

"I don't know the whole story. Only what little bit of whispering that goes on around us Professors, but you have to understand that you can feel at home here just as much as you can anywhere." Gale sat across from her, his chair not far, and close enough he could reach across and touch her cheek gently before folding his hands on his lap.

"You don't have to do this alone."

Katy's heart fluttered with anger at the professor's last words.  She didn't have to do this alone?  He showed his ignorance with that because she was alone.  She only had herself in this quagmire she'd found herself in.  Nick didn't know what she'd done, and couldn't think of anything to say to her about her mother's death that didn't sound completely trite.  Sasha knew what she'd done but was so wrapped up in his own losses that she hadn't been able to say anything to him.  The Professors who knew wanted to lecture her and all the students gossiped about her right in front of her face.  She couldn't even talk to Jay for fear of scaring him off. 

She clutched at the quilt.  There were so many things she wanted to say right now.  So many.  Things about how she'd hadn't just broken curfew.  Things about how much she hurt.  But she couldn't say those things.  Professor Kesali didn't know what happened.  Professors Sandusky and Storm would be furious with her for telling anyone.  And didn't it always just come back to that?  She needed to talk about it but the people who knew weren't helpful and the people who didn't couldn't be told. 

With a heavy sigh, she looked at her knees and mumbled, "If you don't mind, Professor, I'd really like to go back to bed now."  Unshed tears stung at her eyes.  She was so tired, but it was a bone-deep emotional tired she couldn't bear to face lest she be consumed by it.

"Katy..." His voice was quiet as he moved to sit beside her, "Honey," Sometimes words failed him, but right now it wasn't words that she needed. She had enough people trying to talk to her, he imagined, and though he didn't know all of what went on he knew enough. He saw that desperation in her face to be free of the guilt and heartache, but that wasn't the answer--it never was. And though he had his doubts she would have gone through with it, just the fact she had been thinking it scared him to death.

The lines between teacher/student had already been crossed, and though he would have to tell someone about what happened. He wasn't about to let her go now, and Gale did what no one seemed to do yet. Those unshed tears pulled on his heart until he pulled her close. She had a shield of his quilt around her, but he still pulled her to his chest to simply hold her. Sometimes you just needed a hug, but he wouldn't hold her too long--not if she didn't want it.

"I am afraid, Katy. Afraid that if I let you go, we won't see you again." He pulled back enough to look her in the face again, but his hands still held onto her shoulders gently, "You are in so much pain right now, and I can't stand it. I can't stand it because I can't carry it for you. I can't take it away, none of us can, but it will get better. I promise you things will be better."

She felt the warmth of the Professor's embrace in an idle, detached way.  She was confused by the action and was still puzzling about motives when he began talking again.  Won't see me again? she repeated to herself in confusion.  She pulled away and stared at Professor Kesali with a delicate indentation between her eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" she asked.  "I have class in the morning."  She rubbed her arm and looked around the room uncomfortably.  She had an inkling of what he meant, although her conscious mind was unwilling to speak it aloud.  "I wasn't thinking about skipping or anything," she assured him half-heartedly. 

In the grand scheme of things, it had never really occurred to her to end things.  As sad an hopeless as things seemed right now, that particular action had never even seemed like an option. 

Gale straightened and looked down at her, realizing that perhaps he was wrong--or that Katy was a rather good liar, "That if you keep breaking rules they will not allow you to return." He knew his cover was a long shot, but he did at least have to try.

"Go on back to bed. I'll let this one slip, but if I catch you up past curfew again I'll have to report you." He tightened the quilt around her shoulders and shivered slightly, "Be quick about it, I'll watch you to the dorm." He could at least watch her as far as at least the stairs, and moved to open the door and let her go.