White Thorn | On Hold

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Arya woke up in an all too familiar place: the hospital.

It was actually rather alarming how many times she'd ended up on a narrow white hospital bed, staring at the incredibly white ceiling. Familiar grey eyes were soon peering down into her own, concern marring the man's expression as he stared down at her. Rian folded his arms, sighing somewhat in relief.

"Arya."

"Rian."

"You remember my name?" He smiled. "That's a good start." He was still worried, though. The amount of blood he'd seen dripping from her head when Blu had carried her into the room was enough to send shivers down his spine. It was a miracle that she'd woken up so soon. "Do you remember how you got here?"

"Nope." She tilted her head, her eyebrows knotting together. "Why am I even here? What happened this time?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Jake..." She mumbled. "Jake dragged me out of my room at some godforsaken hour in the morning... It's still Saturday, right?"

"Sunday, actually."

"Oh."

"Blu carried you here yesterday after an incident with a light not properly attached to the ceiling." Rian explained. "Somehow, it seems like you don't have a concussion... and all that seems to be wrong with you right now is that you've misplaced your memories of yesterday."

"Oh goodie."

"Well I wasn't expecting you to come out completely unscathed, but to be honest, I thought it'd be worse."

Arya shrugged. "Just lucky, I suppose."

"Hardly." Rian snorted, sitting forwards in his chair. "You somehow managed to sit under the one faulty light in the entire school – not very lucky if you ask me." Flynn had already informed him of the strange cut that'd disappeared within minutes, and that rumour had soon been found to be incredibly accurate.

Arya didn't have a scratch on her.

It was a fact that both puzzled and amazed the man in charge of Riverdale High's hospital. She was a human. Not one of them... but it wasn't like that would make any difference. Even he wouldn't have healed that fast.

He didn't know a single person who could.

"Well, you're free to go whenever you're ready... though I think Flynn wants to have a word with you about your antics as of late." He said, staring at her with renewed interest.

"Ugh." Arya muttered, her shoulders sinking.

"Psst!" A familiar brunette head popped through the open window by her bed. "This way!" Velvet hissed, ignoring the way Rian's grey eyes widened at the sight of her in the third-floor window. "Quickly!"

"Get down from there!" Rian ordered, striding towards the Second Year, freezing when a black mass flashed passed him. He blinked, staring back at the empty bed, his head swivelling back around just in time to watch Arya vault out of the window with alarming ease... almost as if she'd practiced it many times before, and that didn't reassure the man in the slightest. "Arya! We're on the third floor!" He was by the window in a flash, hands slamming down on the sill as he watched the pair land safely on the ground. "ARYA!"

His shout made the girl in question smile. Since coming to Riverdale, hearing someone shout her name in a very angry tone had become rather familiar. It was nothing like it'd been back at her home, and yet she got the same vibes from the place.

Riverdale High was quickly becoming her second home thanks to all the people who'd welcomed her with open arms... especially the particular troublemaking Second Year who was, at that moment, sprinting along the courtyard next to her.