Questioning Oneself

A month went by since her 'talk' with Stein had taken place, and ever since that day, he's been observing her. Stein was frequently bumping into her and was trying to gain her attention which was working perfectly, but not in a good way.

Alice quickly caught on to his suspicious behavior and began to avoid him as much as possible. She was constantly hiding and always on the lookout for any signs of Stein being nearby. Even getting help from her friends when Stein would appear seemingly out of nowhere to come and talk to her.

It pained her to avoid him like this but Professor Stein was taking this situation to a whole other level and taking the role of a stalker to an extreme.

She's grateful for her friends' help and she hasn't seen him outside of class for almost two weeks now.

A soft sigh escapes from her lips as she rested comfortably on her soft yet comfy couch.

Her apartment complex wasn't all too special and was like any other apartment around Death City. It had two bedrooms (her room and a spare guest bedroom), one washroom, a narrow linen closet near the washroom, a small broom closet near her room, a walled kitchen and a roomy living room.

Alice pulls a loose strand of hair behind her ear; she had her hair combed up into a messy bun with her bangs hanging freely across her face.

Today was like every other Saturday morning. The only difference was that many of her friends were out collecting kishin souls which meant they wouldn't be back for a day or two.

The thought of it made her frown significantly, hugging her legs close to her chest and resting her chin in between her knees.

It's been two years since she transferred to the DWMA and she's been a tremendous student. The only downside about her is that she's never had a Weapon partner. No one wanted her to be their Meister even if she was extremely talented; they simply refused for unknown reasons.

Just the mere thought of it made her feel pathetic, and then she squeezes her legs tightly in response.

'I don't know what to do. Am I even needed in the academy? No one wants me to be their Meister.'

She remained motionless on the couch for a couple of minutes before unwrapping her arms from her legs and stood up with a look of determination written on her face.

Alice made her way into her bedroom, looking through her wardrobe and picks out an outfit.

She threw on a black sleeveless shirt, and then on top, she slipped on a white sweater that had two navy blue stripes on either side of the upper arm. Next, she had on navy blue shorts which were being engulfed by the bottom of her sweater, making it look like she had nothing underneath. Finally, she slips on a pair of black over-the-knee high socks accompanied by gray, closed toe shoes.

Alice walks over to the full body mirror and stares at her reflection. Her hand moves upwards, landing on her choker; her delicate fingers touching the academy skull gently.

There was a look in her eyes that she knew all too well. A deep sadness was suddenly overwhelming her and she could feel the lump in her throat forming, the ache was making it harder for her to swallow. She shook her head, brushing these emotions to the side, and was now heading out the front door.

Alice snatches her backpack from the coat hanger near the door and then heads out the door.

.

.

.

.

.

Alice was now wandering around the empty halls of the academy and was eagerly searching for the Death room to speak with Lord Death, but she ended up getting lost along the way. Even after two years since she transferred and yet she still gets lost.

She never understood how everyone knows where they're going, excluding the classrooms, throughout the deepest parts of the building. Everyone in this academy has some sort of trick that prevents them from getting lost.

Just the thought of it caused her to huff loudly in irritation.

Her solution to her predicament was to use Soul Perception to see the people's souls around her. The first thing she notices was that there wasn't many academy personnel around which made it harder for her to get around.

Alice's ability to easily describe a person's soul and their personality traits are remarkable. She's only nineteen and yet she's considered to be one of the most talented Meister to attend at the academy, this included her friends. But when her skills are used in battle is outstanding!

Her extraordinary use of her agility is what she's exceptionally talented at and Black Star had certainly got a good taste of her skills. When she first attended the academy he enthusiastically challenged her exactly two years ago.

She certainly taught the self-centered Meister a lesson when he began to criticize her in front of various students who were present around the courtyard that day. Those who were present were Tsubaki; his Weapon partner, Death the Kid, Liz & Patty, along with Maka and Soul. So it was no surprise to them when the fight ended almost instantaneously.

Alice had targeted the pressure points on his arms and legs which disrupted his wavelength flow and temporarily paralyzed him, thereby preventing him from moving for a period of time.

That particular memory made her smile like an idiot.

On that same day, Kid had introduced himself along with his Weapon partners. He was kind enough to give her a tour around the academy and his positive remarks regarding the structure of the academy building certainly caught her interest. But then something amusing happened.

Somehow Black Star managed to recover some of his movement to his legs and was running down the halls looking for her. He found her alright but then he stumbled forward with such force and literally did a barrel roll straight at Kid.

Black Star carried poor Kid across the hallway and thankfully, they came to a halt after coming in contact with a wall. Both were sprawled on the floor and were groaning loudly. By the time she got there, Kid was having a meltdown. Apparently, Black Star had ripped Kid's sleeves right off of his tux during their little ride across the hallway and now Kid was berating to himself, complaining about his outfit not being symmetrical anymore.

She walks over to him and knelt down, resting her hand on his shoulder. He turns to face her with tears streaming down his cheeks and he was utterly surprised to see her smiling down at him which caused his cheeks to flush with embarrassment.

Instantaneously, they became the closest of friends.

Alice just stood there completely motionless after the memories had flooded her mind. Her lilac eyes twinkled under the ray's of the laughing sun, a warm smile plastered on her lips.

The serene moment, however, was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps echoing through the empty halls.

She instinctively concealed herself in the dark parts of the hallway she was at, and she could see the person's soul coming from around the corner. It was Professor Stein.

Alice moved silently in the darkness while her hands were tracing across the walls, hoping to find a door handle so that she could hide from Stein.

'Wait - - why am I trying to hide? He's my professor for Death's sake!' she mentally questioned herself.

The feeling of a metal handle graced her fingers and she didn't even think twice before quickly and silently opened the door, closing it gently. She pressed her ear against the wooden door frame, quietly listening to the sounds of his footsteps pass by the dark room she was currently in. Just when she felt relief washing over her, however, this feeling didn't last long when she could no longer hear the sound of his footsteps anymore.

'You've got to be kidding me... I can't face him right now. I-I'm not ready!' she closed her eyes shut.

The next thing she knew, her eyes flew open and the shivers traveled all the way down to her spine like wildfire.

"I know you're there, so come on out and show yourself."