Alex's Story Chapter 27: The Last Night, a sky high fanfic

A/N: Here it is, the song that started it all. I had heard the song "The Last Night" by Skillet just prior to getting the idea for Alex's Story (if you haven't heard it, look it up on youTube, it's an awesome song). It just fit so well with Alex and Ana Lucia and everything with Violet and Magenta (although the idea for them came later). I always imagined Ana Lucia saying it to him (and consequently, Magenta saying it to Violet, specifically the second verse). So this chapter is a bit different. I'll be incorporating the song lyrics into the chapter. Should prove to be interesting. :-)

Chapter 25/The Last Night

You come to me with scars on your wrist
You tell me this will be the last night feeling like this

The minute the screams began and scores of unfamiliar teenagers swarmed the gym, I knew The SuperVillain Academy Alex was a part of had attacked. Lash seemed to know it too. The first thing he did was locate Stronghold and those with him. Layla had been his date to the Spring Fling and Magenta and Zach had been speaking to them by the refreshment table. I couldn't see Ethan or Warren in the chaos and simply followed Lash, doing my best not to lose him in the crowd.

Teachers were running back and forth, trying to protect the younger students and sidekicks who had not trained well enough to fight. The juniors and seniors were fighting already. Sometimes ice or flames would shoot by and people would have to duck or get hit by friendly-fire.

My mind instantly turned to Alex and fear clenched my stomach. I searched for him in gym but couldn't find him. I reached over and grabbed Magenta's arm when I was close enough. "Alex!" I cried, yelling to be heard over the noise in the room. "Help me find him!"

I could not get his face out of my mind. Him standing there, eyes downcast, as I healed the newest scars on his wrists, and then telling me he was leaving. He said he could not "take it anymore." I had often wondered what he meant by that. And the cutting. I wondered why he had begun cutting again.

'I just came to say goodbye
I didn't want you to see me cry, I'm fine'
But I know it's a lie

I knew it was partly my fault, for not spending enough time with him. He had needed to talk, but I hadn't been there for him. And I didn't even get to see him when he left. He kept himself invisible.

Magenta glanced around and then snagged Will and made him go in front of us, pushing past any obstacles. Lash went with the others to help the teachers. I saw Ethan melted on the floor, slinking in and out of people, making his way to outside. Hopefully he was going to find out how to get to the leader of this attack.

As we hurried from the gym, my mind returned to Alex. He never said he was having problems. He always acted as though he was completely fine. But I should have seen through his lie earlier. I should have confronted him about it early on, before it had escalated to this.

We turned a corner in the hallway and ran into a large tiger. Will skidded to a stop and I ran into his back, Magenta almost running into me but catching herself just in time. She looked around us at the tiger and suddenly narrowed her eyes.

"Violet?" she asked, her voice rising slightly.

The tiger suddenly morphed into a graceful girl who looked like an older version of Magenta, only without the purple in her hair. She was wearing a black leather uni-suit that showed off a model figure. I tugged at the waist of my dress self-consciously before I caught myself. Now was not the time to be comparing myself to someone. For heaven's sake she was the enemy! Violet looked at her younger sister and grimaced.

"You're with the Academy?" Magenta practically screeched. I exchanged a surprised look with Will. Magenta rarely lost her temper publicly.

"Now's not the time, Magenta." Violet's eyes were cold and she pushed past us roughly. I started to go forward with Will, but Magenta turned swiftly and grabbed Violet's arm in a vice-like grip. Violet winced and looked back at her sister.

"You don't belong here, you need to come home," Magenta said flatly. I felt uncomfortable observing this obviously private conversation and I could tell Will did too. However, we weren't about to leave Magenta alone with a potential villain.

Your parents say everything is your fault
But they don't know you like I know you
They don't know you at all

Violet barked out a harsh laugh. "Oh that's rich. Home. What is that Maj? That's not our house. Not with our parents. You know how much they hate me. How much they're disappointed in me. I was supposed to be the model child and look what I did." Surprisingly tears stood out in her eyes.

Magenta's eyes shone bright as well and her cheeks flushed. "They don't hate you," she whispered, and Will shifted uncomfortably next to me. I glanced at him and saw him studiously studying the ceiling. I could still hear the fight in the gym, but, again, we weren't going to leave Magenta.

'I'm so sick of when they say
"It's just a phase, you'll be o.k. you're fine"
But I know it's a lie'

"Maj, listen to me." Violet jerked her arm away from her sister's grasp and placed her hands on her hips. "Mom and Dad like everything to be perfect. I tried to tell them how I felt but they didn't listen to me. They just said 'oh, you're fine, don't worry about it.' But it wasn't fine. They never treated me like I was fine. They treated me like I was a villain. So that's what I became. A villain." Looking over at us, her lips curled in a sneer. "And that's the end of this discussion."

With that she stomped off. Magenta tried to run after her again, but Will grabbed her arm and kept her with us.

"Let her go, Maj," he said quietly, and I felt a pang in my heart as I watched the tears run down Magenta's face. I started to say something, but stopped suddenly as I thought I heard a scream. It was very distant, but it was coming from further down the hall. Glancing at Will I saw that he had heard it too. We hurried along, Magenta fuming beside us.

She had some colorful words to say under her breath as we half-jogged, half-ran down the hallway. When we finally reached the hall I thought the scream had come from, we were faced with several different closed doors. Will threw open each one as we moved down the hall. Finally we came to the last door. Mr. Medulla's lab. Will pushed open the door and we were suddenly confronted by a girl I did not recognize, but Magenta did.

"Megan," she hissed. From the blood down the girl's front, and what I remembered Magenta telling me about the girl, I assumed she was not one of the good guys.

"Out of my way, hero scum," the black girl spat. She spun around and kicked her leg out as if to knock us down, but Will grabbed her leg and sent her flying across several desks.

"Alex!" Magenta cried as soon as we entered the room. "Ana look! It's Alex!"

We rushed over to him as Will dealt with Megan. I could hear crashing and cursing behind us, as we bent over the pale boy on the ground. "Oh Ana," Magenta breathed, and I found myself feeling slightly sick.

Blood was everywhere. I inhaled sharply when I saw the numerous wounds on him. His bottom lip was torn in two, his chest was covered with ten long scratches, and his forearm was gushing with the scarlet liquid. His face was pale and that was the only way I recognized him. His hair was cut short and his body was lean and wiry, something it had not been before.

I could tell right away that the arm wound was the most severe. If that did not close up soon, he would bleed to death. I motioned for Magenta to switch places with me and she pulled his head up into her lap, cradling it with a tenderness I had never known she had. I took his arm in my hands and closed my eyes, concentrating on healing the wound. Once it was closed I felt better about the situation. He had still lost a lot of blood, but his life was no longer in danger.

"Oh Alex," I murmured as I placed my hands over his chest. "I won't ever let you go again. I promise."

This is the last night you'll spend alone
Look me in the eyes so I know you know
I'm everywhere you want me to be
The last night you'll spend alone
I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go
I'm everything you need me to be

Moving to his lip, I looked up at Magenta, but her eyes were fixed on Alex's face. Her hands were absently stroking his hair, but I could tell her mind was a million miles away. I took the opportunity to look him over for other wounds, kicking myself inside for ever letting him out of my sight. I made a promise to myself then that I would be there for Alex whenever he needed me, wherever he needed me, and however he needed me. Whatever had happened to drive him to this Academy had to stop now.

I finished with his outer wounds, but I could tell a couple of his ribs were broken, and his blood pressure was extremely low, I could tell that from his paleness.

"He needs to get to a hospital," I said quietly to Magenta. She looked up at me then and frowned slightly.

"How are we going to get him there?" she asked. We heard a grunt behind us and Will stood from where he and Megan had just finished fighting. He looked weary and haggard and for a moment just like his dad.

"I can take him," Will said. I glanced behind him at the prone figure of Megan.

"What happened?" I asked; she looked dead.

Will sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. "She knew she couldn't beat me. So she grabbed a scalpel and . . ." he gestured helplessly and I didn't need him to elaborate. Walking over to us, he knelt next to Alex and then slowly lifted the boy into his arms. Alex's limp form and pale visage made him look even more dead then Megan did.

"You know where to take him?" I asked softly, thinking of the Bureau and their hospital for superheroes. Will nodded.

"I'll be back," he promised.

I shook my head. "No, stay with him. We'll come to you when this is all over."

Will looked uncertain but he nodded and, shifting Alex more comfortably in his arms, he ran from the room. Magenta and I exchanged a look.

"To the gym," I said. She nodded.

Together we made our way back the way we had come. When we arrived in the gym, we saw that, surprisingly, the fight was almost over. Apparently some of those in Academy had turned on their fellow students. After that it had only taken several minutes to turn the tide of the fight. Many of the Academy students either surrendered or retreated. One of those who had surrendered however suddenly began to convulse on the ground, as if something was eating him up on the inside. Magenta and I exchanged horrified looks.

"There's a device inside of us," one pale Academy girl said. She was petite Asian chick dressed in a cute formal dress. "It explodes when someone presses a detonator or we leave the boundaries of the city. The detonator's in our ship."

The panicked voices of the Academy members began to escalate. Mr. Medulla rushed forward and told everyone to calm down. Whipping out a small device, he told everyone who had a device inside of them to follow him to a corner of the room. The rest of us convened in the middle of the room.

"You okay?" Magenta asked a weary-looking Warren. He hesitated, then nodded slowly. Ethan and Zach and Layla joined us. Layla's face was white and she was leaning against Ethan. Warren moved to her side and took her from the smaller boy.

"You hurt?" he asked in a low, gruff voice.

She looked around at all of us. "I'm fine," she said quickly. "Where's Will?"

"He took Alex to the hospital," I said, wondering where Lash was.

"Is he okay?" Worry lined Layla's forehead. I nodded.

"He'll be fine."

"Dude, your leg is bleeding," Zach told Layla, pointing to her leg where a gash could be seen through a long tear in the skirt of her dress. We all looked down at it.

"Boy could shoot knives out of his hands," she explained, and bit her lip. I moved forward.

"May I?" I asked, holding out my hand. Layla nodded and I went to work healing her wound. Once I was done, Warren released her and she stood on her own.

"I should go look for more wounded," I said, looking around at those in the gym, wondering again where Lash was.

"Here comes Principal Powers," Ethan spoke up suddenly.

The woman looked grave. "We're rounding up the wounded right now," she told me, obviously having overheard my words. "You and the others with powers like yours will get to work right away. Those you can't heal will be taken in a bus to the Bureau of Superhero Assistance." She sighed.

"Principal Powers?" Layla spoke up quietly. "Did we lose anyone?"

I noticed Warren's jaw clench and our principal looked at us through sad eyes. "Three freshman sidekicks," she answered. "And two hero upperclassmen."

I inhaled sharply for the second time that day. Five students. Five of our students gone. I was suddenly gripped with fear. Lash was an upperclassman and a hero. Was he among those who lost their lives? I felt my stomach clench and felt lightheaded.

"How many of theirs?" Warren asked tightly and he surprised me with his question. I glanced him but his eyes were on Principal Powers.

"From we can tell, eight of theirs," Principal Powers answered. She glanced toward the doors and noted the students filing in, many of them wounded in some for or another. She excused herself and gestured for me to follow her. I did so silently, worry gnawing at me from the inside out.

I had avoided Lash somewhat for the past few days leading up to the dance. I had agreed to go with the dance with him before the Penny-incident, but afterwards I was hesitant. I knew Lash was not perfect, but the thought of him in the arms of Penny Hayes made my stomach turn. I never thought of myself as a jealous girlfriend, but I would be lying if I didn't say I was not happy with Lash for his moment of weakness.

Now however, with the possibility in the air that he might be dead, I could only think about how much I loved him. How much I wanted him to be safe. I didn't care if he made out with every other girl in the school. As long as he was alive and well, I would be content.

I got to work right away on those wounded. Some of the Academy students came over to be checked out as soon as Mr. Medulla was done with them. I noticed Violet among them but she did not look wounded so I kept to my work. I noticed however, Magenta striding across the room toward her sister. Violet's eyes grew wide and she turned to hurry away. Magenta followed.

They were right next to me when Magenta caught up with her sister and I could hear them clearly from where I finished patching up a young freshman with a shoulder wound.

"Violet please," Magenta spoke earnestly, and I was surprised to hear the emotion in her voice. I honestly did not know what to make of this girl anymore. The Magenta I kept seeing today was completely different than the one I had known for so many months.

"Magenta, it's not possible," Violet said. "You have the rest of the family, don't you? You're fine. You can live without me."

"No I can't!" Magenta said, stomping her foot in what I thought was a very childish way. "I need you. We need you. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to be with you only to spend the night alone." She turned her eyes onto the ground and I raised an eyebrow.

Violet seemed to soften. She stepped forward and placed her hands on her sister's shoulders. "Hey," she said softly. "Has it really been that bad?" she asked.

"Yes," Magenta said, nodding. "Mom and Dad are getting divorced. Lilac pretends like she doesn't care, but she writes letters to you all the time and hides them underneath her pillow. And Indigo misses you too. Our family is falling apart and it's all your fault. Because you left us." She lifted her face to meet her sister's gaze. "And you shouldn't have to be alone anymore."

Tears came to Violet's eyes and she was now the one to hang her head. Magenta stepped forward and hugged her fiercely. I looked away, knowing it was a private moment. I finished up the last student with an outward wound and I began to then look around for Lash. I still could not see him anywhere.

I stood to join the rest of my friends when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and then took a small step back as I looked into the dark brown eyes of Violet Walker.

"Hey, are you Ana Lucia?" she asked softly. I nodded slowly, wondering what she wanted and how she knew my name. "Alex talked a lot about you," she said with a small smile. Something in the way she said his name made prickles go up my spine. How close had Alex come to know this villain? I knew I wasn't being fair to Violet, but that was my first reaction. "Where is he?" she asked after a second when I didn't say anything.

"He was severely wounded," I said. "Will Stronghold took him to the Bureau hospital."

Violet's expression turned to one of concern to worry. "Will I be able to see him?"

I paused. "The next bus out has some room. Layla and I were going to go. Would you like to as well?"

She nodded and Magenta stepped up, indicating that she wanted to come with. I felt another tap on my shoulder and turned to face the little Asian Academy student who had spoken up before. She didn't look so pale now, and I was again taken aback by the Academy student's beauty. Did they all have to look like supermodels? Pushing away the thought, I looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to state her business.

"Are you going to see Alex?" she asked. I nodded, thinking 'what's it to you?' but of course not saying that aloud. "I want to come too," the girl stated. Suddenly two boys from the Academy flanked her sides. "Us too."

I glanced warily at Violet but she seemed to not mind their presence. I sighed. "If Principal Powers agrees," I said finally.

Turns out they were a part of a secret resistance to the Academy. They called themselves Maquis. I had to smile at the obscure World War II reference. Magenta just looked confused. Given that knowledge, Principal Powers agreed to them accompanying me and Layla to the hospital.

The ride there was long and silent. The bus windows turned black as we descend in order to not reveal the location of the Bureau. I thought this was a little silly, considering it was disguised as a bank anyway and armed with heavy security.

The hospital ward of the building was behind a false vault door and most of it was underground. I asked for Alex Newton's room and was escorted there by a nurse. Only Layla and I were allowed in first.

He was lying on the hospital bed looking pale and worn. He was still unconscious, and Will was sitting next to the bed, his head in his hands. Layla went quickly to the side of her boyfriend. Laying a hand on his shoulder, she bent forward and spoke quietly into his ear. He looked up suddenly and met her gaze. Together they glanced at me and then seemed to make a silent agreement to leave the room.

I ignored them, my focus was on Alex. Moving forward slowly, I sat down in the seat Will had just been sitting in and reached over to take Alex's hand in mine. Turning his hand over so his palm was facing up, I lightly traced the faint scars on his forearm with my fingertips. He had cut recently, I could tell: within the past two months. My chest ached to think of what could have prompted him to do it.

"Now you listen to me, Alex," I scolded him while tears ran down my cheeks. "I don't want you getting into any more trouble like this, you hear?" I realized I had switched to Spanish, but I ranted better in my native tongue anyway.

"This is the last time I let you go out with people I don't know who claim they're your friends. This is the last time I let you use silence to answer my questions concerning your emotional well-being. This is the last time you get away with turning invisible on me and running away. And this is the absolute last time I'm going to give you reason to say you hate me." Tears ran down my cheeks and I lifted his hand to my mouth, closing my eyes as sobs racked my tired body.

I must have looked a sight. Collapsed halfway across Alex's hospital bed in a spring dress with my hair tumbling around my face and my running mascara making me look like some Goth girl, I was sure I looked way less than attractive. But I didn't care. Alex needed me, and I was not going to go anywhere.

A hand rested on my shoulder but I shrugged it off. "I just need a few more minutes," I said to someone who I assumed was Layla or Will.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright," came a voice that sounded like neither Layla nor Will. Looking up, my tear-streaked and mascara covered face turned toward the voice.

Lash smiled crookedly at me. "Was there a leak?" he asked, teasingly.

I was instantly in his arms, sobbing all over his nice dress shirt. He held me tightly and did not say anything for a while. He stroked my hair and murmured sweet nothings in my ear until I calmed down enough to step away, swiping at my eyes.

"How is he?" he asked, nodding to Alex, the concern on his face touching me.

"He's okay now. Just has a couple broken ribs. He's still unconscious though; they had to do a blood transfusion. He had lost a lot of blood." I sniffed and wiped at my nose. Lash grabbed a Kleenex from a box next to the hospital bed and handed it to me.

"Did you have to heal him?" he asked soberly as I blew my nose. I nodded.

"It was horrible," I said. "Blood was everywhere."

"I noticed." Lash's eyes traveled down my dress and I looked down to see red stains all around the bottom of the skirt. I wavered slightly on my feet as dizziness threatened to overcome me. Lash quickly put a steadying hand on my back.

"Where were you?" I asked in a hoarse voice. "I thought you were dead."

"I was one of those severely wounded. They took me straight here. Fixed me right up." He grinned slightly and that's when I noticed his battered face. Reaching up, I stroked his eye and mouth lightly, channeling my powers out so that they healed his face. He took my hand in his and kissed my palm.

"It's going to be okay, Ana," he said softly. "You'll see."

I glanced over at Alex. "We're keeping Alex," I said softly. "We won't let him go away again, right?" I looked back up at Lash, hoping he would agree with me.

He paused, looking over at Alex's pale face, exposed in full now that his hair had been cut. Lash pursed his lips. "Right," he said with finality.

Together we approached Alex's bedside and I reached out to retake his limp hand.

I won't let you say goodbye
And I'll be your reason why
The last night away from me

Away from me

So that's the (long) chapter. The next one is the last one. It's already written, but I'd like to get at least five reviews before I put it up. So there's a little challenge for you. ;-) So review and tell me what you think of the chapter! :-P :-D