So, I'm taking a big leap here by trying my hand at writing a multi-chapter fic, especially since I'm introducing two new OCs with this story. I hope anyone who stumbles across this and decides to give this story a chance, thank you and for future reference, reviews are love. So thank you again and I hope you enjoy!

Fault lines tremble underneath my glass house.

But I put it out of my mind

Long enough to call it courage

To live without a lifeline.

I bend the definition

Of faith to exonerate my blind eye.

'Til the sirens sound, I'm safe.

- Earth ~ Sleeping at Last

"One, two, three, and four. Assemble! Releve, changement, changement! Chasse, arabesque, bourree, bourree, bourree! Chaine, pose, fouette! Again, five, six, seven, eight!..."

Maeve was on autopilot, madame Eclaire's sharp commands guiding her through the ballet combination as sweat rolled down her neck only to be soaked up by her already damp leotard. The fifteen year old's feet were aching, she could feel her blisters rubbing against the canvas lining of her shoes as she rolled up en pointe. Over the loud notes emanating from the grand piano within the room, the pink-haired teen could hear the heavy breathing of the other girls in the room and the heat of the room was stifling to them. The combination seemed to go on for hours at length, the sound of the piano never-ending in the large studio room. With pain numbed limbs, Maeve slowly came down to rest on trembling legs as the repetitive combination came to an end at last.

Panting lightly, she joined the rest of the class in the curtsey before the ballet mistress dismissed them from over to her bag in a slight daze, the pinkette dropped to the floor beside her bag, untying her pointe shoes without thought. Carefully packing her things, Maeve rose with a groan of pain and exhaustion as she silently made her way to change out of her sweat-soaked leotard.

Quickly rolling the sweaty mass of black fabric into a ball, she tossed it in her bag, her damp tights soon to follow. Maeve paused for a moment, relishing in the feeling of the cool air on her salty skin. Continuing to dress, the pinkette pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans and a white tube-top, carefully putting on a black cardigan over it.

Looking into the mirror, the thin teen wiped her pale face clean of sweat as she pulled her hair out of its loose bun. With her pink locks falling around her shoulders in long, loose curls, Maeve looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her russet-brown eyes were surrounded by fine silvery-blond lashes that brushed her cheeks when she blinked, her eyes evenly placed on her face and almond-shaped. Maeve's skin was a shade off of being sickly pale, her usually pink lips tinged with purple, and dark bruises sat under her eyes. The teen's body was thin, with very little muscle definition along her long arms and legs, while her pink curls hung limp about her face, lacking their usual shine. In a single glance, anyone could see that Maeve was an image of living death.

Pulling on her brown knee-high boots, the ill-faced teen stood with her bag on her shoulder and a brown leather jacket in her arms. Walking out of the bathroom, Maeve came into the sights of a familiar, but angry face. A quick assessment of Alexander Blake was that the sixteen year old was beyond pissed.

Standing at six feet, the red-head towered over her, glaring at Maeve from under his long fringe. With his military academy uniform fitting over his lightly tanned and muscular body, his chin length dark red hair tucked behind his ears and his forest green eyes sharp with anger. Maeve wanted to shrink under his gaze but stood her ground against her half-brother.

Fixing him with a blank stare, the pinkette addressed the military cadet before her. "What's your issue, soldier boy? I thought you were heading straight home after Cadets to look after Grandfather", the fifteen year old played it cool, not wanting to anger the older teen any further. Her efforts were in vain though, as her nonchalant attitude just pissed the red-head off even more.

"You're my issue, Maeve! Why the Hell didn't you show up for therapy?! That's the third time this month! Don't you want to get better?!" Alexander yelled, glaring sharply at his half-sister as he crossed his arms across his thick chest in anger. His face betrayed none of his anger due to his military training, but the stance his body took radiated it all.

Refusing to be threatened by her older half-sibling, Maeve stared into his green eyes with her own dull red-brown eyes, giving Alexander a defiant look.

"I didn't go cause it's not helping me anymore. I'm never going to get better, and the pills and therapy aren't helping. So why pretend anymore? Why waste anymore of Grandfather's money?" she stated, frowning at him lightly as Maeve mirrored Alexander's stance.

"So you would rather live suffer through a living hell for the rest of your life, if you even make it to the next day? There are other options besides that specific medication! The doctor will have some recommendations, I'm sure!" The red-head pleaded, his stance unchanged but the anger in his eyes slowly ebbing away.

Alexander wasn't ready to lose another member of his family, not after losing his mother two years ago and not with his grandfather sure to pass within the next few months. The cadet stared at his sister's blank face, trying his best to get behind her emotional barriers. He hated when Maeve was like this, when she let her personality become that of someone elses, and not her own.

Sighing lightly, the red-head just shook his head gently before grabbing his younger half-sibling by the upper-arm and leading her down the hall towards the exit. "Come on, let's go home, Maeve. Grandfather is waiting for us," Alexander muttered lightly, knowing she would be able to hear him as she stumbled along after him.

Their journey out of the ballet academy was a silent one, Maeve only breaking it once to give her fare-wells to into her classmates before falling back step with the military cadet. Maeve glanced shyly to her side, observing her older half-brother carefully. The red-head's expression was blank, his forest green eyes betraying his hurt and pain over how she was willing to give herself over to death so easily.

Maeve deflated slightly, leaning her head against the strong-arm next to her since there was no way in hell she could reach Alexander's' sky-high shoulder. The pinkette could feel his penetrating gaze on her before a large, gloved hand came down to ruffle her hair slightly.

Looking up swiftly, the ill teenager caught the slight change in her companion's expression as Alexander's lips began to twitch upwards in a shadow of a smile. Giving the boy a shy smile in return, Maeve looked down with no small amount of sadness.

Her half-brother, older than her by a full year, had always been selfless; the young man had given up a normal high school experience to join the Military Academy as a cadet in hopes of bringing in some extra money while their mother was away on duty. Alexander had always been the hardworking one out of the two of them, always looking after Grandfather and taking care in making sure Maeve grew up to become a sweet girl.

It had always been that way but, the pressure had increased when their mother had been killed in action. With neither of their fathers in the picture, the red-haired cadet quickly picked up the slack around home, dropping out of regular high school to become a full-time student at the Military Academy. When it came time to pay for Maeve's tuition, she quickly raised her grades to earn a scholarship for the rest of the year.

Everything was working out alright but it quickly went downhill when the fourteen year old started getting sick. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong to be causing her sickness, but eventually one doctor sat her down for a few hours and asked Maeve many questions. The end result was a serious case of depression, and she began therapy and taking medication right away.

She leaned against Alexander's side, sniffling quietly as the pair waited for the bus to pull up to the corner. Her brother's stress, unhappiness, and worry was all her fault; all he wanted was for her to get better so they wouldn't be alone ever. But her refusing to continue therapy and take her meds was confirming that his darkest thought would come true in only a matter of months.

Maeve's lip trembled lightly as the bus pulled up to the corner and she silently followed her half-sibling on board. Sitting next to Alexander somewhere towards the middle of the bus, the pinkette let a few tears fall in silence. She wanted nothing more than to get better but, as she told her older half brother, the medication wasn't working anymore and there wasn't anything she could do but let herself die.

Maeve leaned against the window, staring sightless out at the streets passing by in a gray blur. The pink-haired teenager could vaguely feel her brother grasp her hand in comfort before a loud screeching filled her senses, jolting her out of her seat into Alexander's chest which knocked him into the aisle.

The sound of glass shattering and metal bending made the fifteen year old cling to her older brother even more, fear sinking its sharp cold claws into her insides. She could feel her brother's arms wrap around her tightly, the bus continuing to be crushed as it rolled down the hill. Maeve let out a high-pitched cry as she hit her head off a metal support bar, putting her in a daze. Slowly lowering her head against Alexander's shoulder, she felt her mind go blank.

Maeve felt beyond groggy, the loud bells sounding in the background pulling her out of her sleep. Besides the loud church bells, the first thing the pinkette was aware of was that her brother's arms were no longer around her in a protective embrace.

Opening her eyes in a panic, she found herself floating in a dark and empty space, with large bells ringing around her. Looking upwards, she was momentarily blinded by a bright figure before her limbs were encased by long ribbons of light, making her immobile. The tiny fifteen year old girl stared at the bright figure in fear, tears falling down her face as she whimpered lightly.

"Please...I don't want to die...I'm not ready to leave my brother behind...Please..." the pinkette sobbed, staring right at the large, bright figure floating in front of her like a deity. Maeve winced as the bonds tightened around her limbs as another ribbon of light shot out and attached itself to the side of her neck. The small teen cried out in intense pain as she felt a burning sensation against her neck before gritting her teeth against anymore whimpers of pain.

As the threads of light retracted, she gasped as her vision darkened slightly before it was filled with a series of flashing images: there was a girl floating up into the air, slowly becoming a statue of ice, and gathered around her were several figures, one of which was her brother; then she saw two towering figures, one dark and distinctly male while the other was light and feminine shaped before her vision completely faded to black, the sound of the tolling bells fading to nothing.

The young teenager heard was an unfamiliar voice shouting orders and could feel herself being lifted gently from the ground into a pair of arms. Her head was leaning against an armored shoulder, as a static-filled voice came through a radio on her savior's helmet. "Lieutenant Colonel Nabaat, we have a situation. Phoenix just created a l'cie".