Note: Oh my Lord. I am sooooo tired... and we had some confusion with my email so that's partly why this took me so long. Other part is that I just started school and haven't really had time to even be on the computer, much less write any more of this. So this is basically a role play I had with my kismesis/best friend (even though the rp was with my fan troll...shmeah). R&R, I am still thirsty for reviews! (this means you, Mr. moirail/matesprit!) Also: thanks to anyone who favorited, followed, or reviewed this story, I love you all! Lastly, you know who owns Homestuck and it sure as hell ain't me.

~~~~~three days later~~~~~

Ella woke to a slightly odd, uncomfortable feeling in the back of her skull. She blinked and got up, groaning slightly as a wave of dizziness hit her. She stumbled into the kitchen and got quite a shock when she found all of her friends already up.

"Whoah, who realigned the planets? What're you all doing up?"

"Ella? It's almost eleven," John said, his face scrunched up in a look of (adorable) concern.

She stared at him. "...That's not possible. I always wake up at seven."

"Yeah, we know...we were worried but we didn't want to wake you so we kinda just let you sleep," said Jade as she dried her hands on a towel. "What's the matter with waking up a little late, though?"

Ella's expression darkened rapidly. "It's like clockwork. Ever since I was a toddler, I woke up at seven on the dot every single day. You think...you think there might be something wrong with me?"

"Nah, you're overreacting dude. So you woke up a little late. Big deal, it's not the end of the world," Dave replied, shrugging.

Rose nodded. "I agree with Dave. An interrupted sleep pattern is nothing to get worked up over unless you start having trouble sleeping at night, in which case you may have insomnia or some other sleep-related condition. Best not to get worried."

The short girl shrugged and sat down at the table. "Well in any case, I'm starving. What's the food status?"

Jade giggled. "You sound like you're asking for a progress report on some secret mission or something. We just finished all the bacon, but we still have toast and a couple pancakes."

"Non-Betty Crocker, of course," John added in seriously.

Dave rolled his eyes but Ella nodded solemnly. "She's evil, dude. So evil."

"You got that right. See, Dave? It's not just me."

"Whatever dude, girlfriends don't count."

"Ugh! I take offense to that, Strider!"

"Yeah whatever."

Jade interrupted the verbal battle by setting a plate of cold pancakes and buttered toast in front of Ella. "Breakfast is served, m'lady."

She laughed. "Oh come on, I am the polar opposite of a lady. I hate skirts and absolutely refuse to wear makeup, and I don't paint my nails or bother being all graceful or whatever and I definitely don't do fashion. You wanna see a lady? Look at Rose."

Rose thanked her daintily (very lady-like) and Jade laughed again.

"Just eat the food so we can get to work."

After waiting impatiently for their friend, the four others informed Ella that they would be helping Jade clean up after the hurricane. She got dressed quickly and the island was divided up into sections to make cleaning easier. Ella, John, and Dave set out together on one half of the island while Rose and Jade took the other half.

Ella dumped her armful of branches onto the ever-growing pile next to the house, wiping sweat from her forehead. The uncomfortable feeling in the back of her skull had been bothering her all day, and she decided it was time for a rest. She collapsed against the wall of the house and let herself relax, sighing in relief.

Suddenly, a searing pain split through her thoughts and she gasped, bolting upright and clutching her head. The white-hot pain continued, building behind her eyes and pooling in the front of her brain. The pain was intense, so bad that she saw her vision blink on and off and felt tears rolling down her cheeks. Far from relenting, the headache only intensified as it blotted out her vision completely. She barely registered that someone was screaming and not until later did she realize that it was her. Strong hands picked her up and a soft voice was murmuring comforting words that she could no longer understand. The screaming stopped as she felt herself being carried at a jog towards Jade's house, but that's all she had time to think before another wave hit her mind and she blacked out.

Ella woke up in the living room, her vision tinted red and her head throbbing. She let out a soft moan as the ache persisted, permeating her thoughts. A blurry figure was leaning over her, speaking words that she couldn't quite make out. She moaned again and sank back into the abyss of sleep.

A few hours later, she came around again. This time her head was quite clear and she could hear voices coming from the other side of the door. The room was still blurry, but she fixed that by feeling around blindly for her glasses and shoving them on her face. She sighed softly as the room came into focus.

Ella rolled off the couch and got to her feet. She tottered into the other room and was greeted by a tight hug from John, who had tear tracks on his cheeks and on his glasses. Ella awkwardly patted him on the back as she looked around at the others.

"What's all the fuss?" she asked hoarsely after her vocal chords decided to cooperate.

"Ella, you collapsed a few hours ago after a fit of screaming and clutching your head. You passed out," Rose said, her face a mask of concern. Dave and Jade nodded in agreement, both of them exhibiting various states of worry.

She blinked at them over John's shoulder. "I'm okay now guys, really."

"No you're not! We're going to get you taken care of by a professional as soon as we can get a boat to the mainland!" Jade insisted, accentuating her point by stamping her foot.

Ella stepped away from John hastily, her eyes wide and her head shaking vehemently back and forth. "Nope nope nope, no hospitals. Sorry, no deal, not happening, no way Jose are you getting me into one of those chambers of medical torture."

"Shhh, we won't make you go to a hospital. Jade's normal doctor already agreed to give you a quick check-up," John reassured her soothingly. Ella relaxed a little and allowed him to pull her back into a hug. The other three crowded around to make a group hug, Dave somehow managing it without looking uncool. Ella felt suppressed tears sting her eyes as she regarded her friends gratefully, burying her face in John's hoodie so they wouldn't see her cry.

"Thank you, guys... Thank you..."

The four of them exchanged anxious glances over her head, just one thought turning itself over and over in their minds:

Will she be okay?

Note: Welp, it turns out that I can write much more quickly when my plot actually has a purpose. I'm sorry that Ella gets all the attention, really I am, that wasn't on purpose at all. The others will get some of the spotlight, too, I promise. Until then, reviews are much needed! I need to know how I'm doing on this people! Even something as simple as "good" or "blank needs fixing" is helpful. Review! ~kandyblood has officially zoned out~