EDIT: nooooooooo I skipped Marshmello's birthdayyyyyy D: XD & about it being my first half-decent chapter... I'm rereading it... I think my others were wayyyy better XDX

A/N: If you're epic, you'll go to my profile, click the link for my fictionpress, and read all my original poems & stories :3

nah, jk, you all are awesome anyways ._.

honestly, I think this might be my first half-decent chapter ._.


TIME UNTIL AISLINN'S DEATH DATE: TWO MONTHS 21 DAYS - DECEMBER 15TH, 1997


Aislinn rolled over in her bed, groaning in pain. What's going on?

"Ash? You okay?" asked her dorm-mate Casey, sitting up, her orange comforter slipping down as she did so. As soon as the ravenhead finished her question, she popped a piece of bubblegum into her mouth, then another, then another. The young girl kept several packs on the oak bedside table, along with a small lamp and a stack of books, and every waking moment she was always chewing at least two pieces.

"My stomach..." Aislinn managed to say while at the same time curling up in a ball and gripping her sides.

"Uh... S-should I get Roger?"

Aislinn shook her head fiercely for a moment, jaw clenched.

Casey's green eyes widened. "I... I really think I should go tell someone..."

Aislinn's jaws parted, letting out a pained gasp for air. "No... No... I don't need Roger..." Tears started running down her cheeks, and she shut her eyes, only to open them again as more tears flooded her vision.

Casey leaped out of bed, running across the room and flipping the light switch. Both girls winced at the sudden brightness, but Casey could tell that Aislinn had a headache from her reaction to the light. "Ash... I'm gonna go get Roger, I'll be right back," she said, turning tail and flinging the door open. She took off running down the hall, calling for a certain old man, and undoubtedly waking up everyone on that side of the orphanage.

Aislinn clamped her eyes shut once again, not understanding why she was in so much pain.

And that was how Roger found the young girl- Curled up in the fetal position, eyes streaming tears, and sheets knotted around her ankles. After trying to get sense from her pained replies of 'It hurts, it hurts' and failing, he left her room to call the House's doctor, concern creasing his already wrinkled face.

In the hall, children gathered, awaken by Casey's calls for help. Roger had told them to stay outside the room, but of course there was one boy who didn't listen.

Beyond Birthday.

Pushing kids out of his way, B burst into the room, running to the side of Aislinn's bed.

"Ash? What's going on Ash?" B noticed that the ravenhead's knuckles were bleached white, her tear-streaked face a similar shade, and that her nails were short and rugged, as if they had been continuously chewed for hours on end.

"My stomach... My head... It all hurts..." she sobbed, every word causing her to shudder with pain.

Beyond was utterly puzzled, confused, concerned. For the first time in his life, he didn't get what was going on, didn't understand, didn't know what to do. He was supposed to protect Ash, and now all he could do was stand there uselessly, not knowing how to react.

After what seemed like hours to both Beyond and Aislinn, the doctor rushed in, and B leaped out of the way of the large, heavy-set, white-clad man.

"Alright," the doctor began, his voice gruff, "Can you tell me what hurts?"

"My stomach... A-and my head... Aches..."

The doctor carefully pried Aislinn's hands from her death grip around her rib cage. Aislinn neither resisted nor helped him, just lay there limp and crying as the doctor listened to her heart rate, examined and felt her stomach, shined a light into her eyes, took her temperature.

Beyond stood there the whole time, making sure that the chubby man didn't hurt Aislinn, his eyes shining with fierce protectiveness. He mildly noted the doctor's name- Jadyn VanCharles Grant, and that his death date was only a year from now. If he hadn't been so worried, he might have mused at the oddity of his name and laugh at his expiration date, but at the moment he didn't feel like musings. All he wanted was to know what was wrong with Ash.

Finally, the doctor sighed, standing up.

"She has a stomach ulcer," he announced, matter-of-factly.

"And?" Roger pried, almost as worried as Beyond.

"I'm afraid there's really nothing I can do for it at the moment. Stomach ulcers are usually caused by stress..." The man's voice drifted off and his grey-brown eyes strayed from Aislinn to meet Roger's with a question.

The old man nodded knowingly. "I see... Thank you, Dr. Grant." With that, he showed the doctor out of the room and out of the orphanage, the two talking for a moment just outside the door, and then Roger came back, going upstairs again to Aislinn's dorm.

By now, the crowd had vanished, and the only ones to stay in the room were Beyond and Casey.

"Beyond, Casey, I really think you should leave Aislinn alone for a while. Perhaps you could share a room with Grace and Jaded?" the old man asked, directing the question toward Casey. The young girl nodded grimly. Grace was a little loud, or rather, VERY loud, and Jaded was... scary, but she guessed that she didn't really have a choice. Obediently she paced out of the room and down the hall, but Beyond stayed.

"...Beyond? Did you hear me?"

"I'm not leaving."

Roger sighed. This was going to be a problem.


A/N: Bwahahaha, Jaded has returned x3 And she's scaring little kids that are two years older than her x3 (For those of you who know anything about Jaded, yes, it is torturing her to share a dorm with Grace XD I'm just evil to my favorite OCs like that.)

Anyway, I hope you liked it! Next chapter will bring more of BB's angsty antics!