Greater Heights

[Ella Robbinson]

Ella rarely went to parts of Hammel's campus that weren't the dorms. She lived there. She worked there. If people wanted to find her - people she knew, anyway - they knew exactly where to find her, and that was perfectly okay with Ella.

But on that particular afternoon, she was looking for someone else. But it was always difficult to pin down the location of someone who wandered through shadows like time vortex corridors. Milan usually found her before she'd ever find him, but it couldn't hurt to try. So she did. The Staff lounge seemed like a relatively decent place to start looking; if she didn't find him, she'd likely find someone who'd seen him that day.

However, as she pushed open the door, she found someone else in there instead. At first she hardly recognised him - it was hard to recognise anyone from the back of their head. But the moment he turned around, Ella simply stared, searching for the light of recognition. Then she stared in disbelief, because what were the odds that the world would actually be this... Harsh.

Moments later, she curled her fingers a little tighter around the handle and pulled the door shut in front of herself, staring at the literal block she placed between herself and who she thought she saw.

Nope. Not today. Not ever.

[James Lawrence]

James spent a fair amount of time in the staff lounge. It got him talking to his coworkers and provided a nice change of pace. Provided that someone was actually there.

He was alone today; probably because at this time teachers had classes to teach or lessons to plan and trainers were out with their students. Right now, he had some time to kill and hoped to find someone else with a free block to spend it with. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case.

Hovering by the coffee machine, James poured himself a cup of the strong liquid and took a sip. He could spend his time more productively, but first he'd enjoy this cup before heading back out.

He could hear the twist of the doorknob before the door swung open. James turned around to face the sound after setting down the cup, his gaze landing on a lone woman with dark brown hair.

And not just any woman.

It took him a second to process years of memories to place who she was. Clearly, she'd done the same thing. The two of them stared at each other; one in disbelief and one in confusion. He was confused, because what were the chances that they would find themselves back at school. He'd tried to get out, only to fall back in.

And then she closed the door.

An incredulous expression crossed James face. His eyebrows narrowed together, a whirlwind of everything hitting him at once. He'd taken the few necessary steps to the door, pulling back on his own side to reveal her still standing there.

"Ella." He breathed. It was her

[Ella Robbinson]

Standing there in front of the door, Ella Robbinson still gripped the handle tighter than she really needed to. Her knuckles went white against the steel. It was arguably the stupidest response to being struck by the sight of someone gone. Someone lost. A literal ghost from the corridors of high school; the corridors they were evidently both walking.

This was a joke. Or... He was incredibly new. No, he might have just been visiting for... The sake of nostalgia. Did he seem like a nostalgic boy when she knew him?

Not really.

Lingering where she stood was a worse idea; one she hadn't registered in time because moments later there was pressure on the door from the other side. The door handle shifted, and it opened. She was still there. She hadn't moved. And he was suddenly up close.

He remembered her name. She pressed her lips into a line to keep the twitch of a smile at bay. There was some flattery to being remembered, but she kept her face and pulse in check.

But her eyes were wide - a total deer-in-the-headlines expression that even she couldn't control.

"Sorry?" Clearly confused, but by what she couldn't even say.

[James Lawrence]

James couldn't explain what came over him after seeing her for the first time in eight years. Of course, he'd noticed her in the halls after their first and only encounter, but his pride killed any chance of him stopping to say hello. And she wouldn't either, for different reasons. Was it the looming feeling of failure and rejection that came with seeing her face again?

He didn't have an answer for his question even as he swung back the door on impulse. What was he even going to say to her?

Even after all this time, James recognized her. She wasn't the first to reject his advances and certainly wouldn't be the last. He stood there, the arrogant smirk still recognizable after all these years. While time has run its course and James' look was more refined and mature, it was still distinctly him.

"Darling," He drawled out the word, for emphasis. "You can't say you don't remember me. I know that would be a lie." James' smirk rested.

"It's been awhile." He observed, leaning against the door frame with one arm.

[Ella Robbinson]

It was impossible to forget their high school encounter. When one of the most popular people had their attention flagged, it was impossible to determine what was next. People looked at her. They wondered who she was. She developed friends from that encounter; friends who no longer existed, but at that time, they were everything.

He gave her a name, even if he didn't realise it. He made high school bearable.

And he wore the light of recognition as he looked back at her. Ella stared, because she always did and she doubted she could control the urge to now. Her gaze dropped to his mouth to catch the way he was smirking at her. Some things never changed with time.

She refused to blush underneath his eyes, and she refused to respond to the way he called to her. But she couldn't stop the way her nose crinkled just as it had years ago.

"I was just leaving." Ella replied, pointing behind her as she looked towards his eyes again.

[James Lawrence]

His friends had teased him after their encounter. Made fun of James for not being able to land the girl, as he'd done before. Soon, they'd forgotten a week later and only he was left remembering the conversation and how things didn't go exactly as planned while pursuing other female students. They never spoke again, until now. He didn't expect to see her here; not not, not ever. A fleeting moment in time.

And, here they were. James noticed her staring, his smirk only widening in response. She recognized him. Although the hair was very much different from his high school days, he hadn't changed much, if at all, otherwise. She looked the same too; a bit older, but still her.

His gaze landed on hers, an amused expression on his face after seeing her crinkle her nose at the 'darling.' Seemed to be a common response. Still, that wouldn't deter him.

"Oh really?" James pushed himself off of the door frame. "You came here for something." He pointed out, nodding his head back towards the staff lounge. He took the imperative step forward, closing the distance between the two, all without breaking eye contact. "Or, I can come with you too." This time around, James wasn't going to let her slip away.

[Ella Robbinson]

Damn, it was just like it had been. Wasn't it? The way his grin broadened with a stroke to the ego because Ella couldn't stop looking. He looked good in his age, and she doubted anything about his personal mentality had settled through that passage of time. He still looked arrogant. Beautiful, but very, very aware of it.

Darling. Yes, she still didn't like it. It seemed futile to change her mind considering he must have used that kind of nickname for every pretty face he crossed paths with.

"Really." She replied on instinct, and it felt childish. She scolded herself for bothering.

Ella took a breath and held it when he stepped forward. At least he wasn't trying to touch her. She pressed her hands into her sides before drawing them away, interlocking her fingers behind her back.

"No, that's fine." She replied, her voice strained as she took a small step back, "I'll come back later."

[James Lawrence]

James was still very much the same personality wise. If anything, his arrogance had only gotten worse. It was evident in the way he held himself, confidently and all knowing. It had gotten him this far in life and so it would continue. His gaze wandered down the length of her body, lingering before resting back on her face. He felt drawn in, much like James had been all that time ago when they were students.

He let out an amused chuckle. "Really really?" Now James was having a little fun with her.

When he stepped forward, James could hear the sharp intake of air coming from Ella. The uncertainty. It didn't take long for her to retreat into flight mode, voice strained and making excuses for an escape. "I'm the only one in here, if that answers your question." He said, watching the gap between them grow again.

"Since when you been here?" James asked. Provided that she was also a staff member. Presumably so since she had come, her intentions still unknown to him. He stepped forward, now in the hallway with her. Only this time, there was nobody else around. Silent, except for them.

"You know, you don't have to run away from me." He stated casually, looping a thumb through the belt loop of his slacks.

[Ella Robbinson]

Ella felt herself being stared at; she found it just as daunting as it had been years ago to be scrutinised underneath his gaze. She was almost positive he was searching for some kind of discrepancy; something wrong about her.

"Really." Ella replied flatly. It wasn't really funny. It definitely wasn't banter worth laughing at.

It was a bad excuse. She mentally called herself out on it straight away, but she kept the strain off her face. He did answer her question, so she felt no need to ask.

This time she made no move to step away as he breached the distance she just created. It had been a stupid reaction anyway; one as idiotic as the way she tried to get out of the encounter. But his presence made her feel like she was in high school again. And there was nothing more daunting than that.

"I'm not running," Ella reasoned lightly, trying to play that nervousness off as something a little more nonchalant, "I've been here for years."

[James Lawrence]

She wasn't laughing. James' grin fell into a hard line by default. If there was something wrong with her, then he couldn't see it. His staring was merely observational, but could still be read as unnerving.

She also didn't say anything more on the matter of coming back later. He figured that, by process of elimination, it was a someone she was looking for, rather than a something. He too, didn't say anything else. The younger James would have questioned everything and made a smug statement, but he managed to hold his tongue for the time being.

Closing the distance, James let the door to the staff room close behind him. This time, she didn't back away. His gaze seldom left her face, only to look briefly down each way of the hallway. "I don't buy that." He said, a smirk returning to his lips. Nodding towards her, James asked "Is that why you closed the door immediately after seeing my face?" She had every intention to run, and he knew it.

"Or is looking at me... overwhelming?" He inquired with an eyebrow raise and a wink.

Years? The curiosity was clear in his features. "Years?" James repeated, for good measure. Himself, he'd been back only for a couple. Had she stayed here after graduation?

[Ella Robbinson]

Ella somehow managed to look a little cross when he said he didn't believe her. That he didn't buy what she said. She could feel he wanted to question her further; his eyes practically burning holes through her stoically driven expression. She wasn't about to break to him, no matter how charming he thought he could be. She was so incredibly sure.

"That's not running." She replied on instinct. No, it was just... Closing the door. On her own face. Putting a literal wall between them.

But he winked at her, and that was understandably a little harsh. He was just doing it on purpose. He was acting this way on purpose; he knew how it got to her then, and he was probably testing the waters now to see just how she'd respond.

"Years." Ella replied, attempting a bold expression as she stared back at him. But she faltered on a moment, her gaze flicking to his mouth for a heartbeat before she looked at his eyes. Then over his shoulder. "There wasn't anyone else in there? Not even a shadow traveller?" Ella asked instead, raising her chin a touch, "Recruiter? Tall, dark hair, bright blue eyes?"

[James Lawrence]

"Maybe not physically." James retorted with a slight tilt of his head. His eyes didn't leave her face, even while adorned with a cold and perhaps bitter expression. He was amused, but also curious as to her response. To him. Had he known what she was thinking, James would argue that he didn't just think he was charming, he was. And that was an important difference.

It was definitely an intentional act of separation, though.

When she confirmed that she had been here for years, the shock manifested itself on his face. How was he unaware of this? "Huh." James mused, not catching her falter. "Funny how we haven't encountered one another yet. Been here for two."

Her next question seemed sudden, and for once, James was the one caught off guard. He raised an eyebrow at the description of someone he could only presume to be one of their coworkers. "Nope." He answered, shaking his head. "I was the only one in there." And he didn't match the description.

Changing the subject, his gaze wandered down the hall back to her face, to her lips. "So, how've you been?" It was a lame interjection for him, but James couldn't help it. She, seemingly wasn't interested. He still was.

[Ella Robbinson]

Two years? And somehow Ella had never seen him? Was that purposeful or was it by choice? Had he genuinely missed her existence like she had his, or did he know and actively avoid her until what he deemed to be the right moment? Or until he was caught? Would he even think that through so intently? She doubted it. Maybe it was just a surprise.

No Milan. Not even a glimpse of him, but she knew that was a long shot. And she knew asking might have seemed a little strange.

Still, she found the question dry. Standard. A little lazy, really, but she wasn't about to say something like that. Not aloud. At the very least, she supposed he deserved something.

"I never left." Ella admitted, finally letting her eyes settle on his again. Still, it was impossible not to fail under the way he was looking at her. As if she even knew just what he might have been thinking or considering. "So, really, not much."

[James Lawrence]

This year technically marked the beginning of James' second year back at Hammel as a trainer. He too, was just as surprised as she was. How had they never encountered one another before? It wasn't like they were in New York city with a population of eight million. It was Pilot Ridge.

In case he doubted her, James made a vague nod towards the staff room door. "Feel free to have a peek, though."

It was a safe question. Standard for conversation protocol. He didn't want to think about who she had intended to find in the staff room. Their eyes met, and the same feeling of deja vu from all those years ago came flooding back, from their previous encounter. Just like that, he found himself drawn in to her.

She admitted that she'd never left the small town. "Never?" He repeated. The day after graduation, James had left, not looking behind him. Not a care in the world about his classmates, or friends, or Ella. He'd been a selfish and naive kid, thinking that stardom would find him overnight. "Been here all along." James mused out loud, his gaze not leaving her face.

[Ella Robbinson]

Ella briefly glanced over his shoulder towards the door she'd so adamantly closed. "No, that's okay." She replied. Given the randomness of the encounter, she highly doubted he was lying. It'd be a strange thing to lie about.

But now that she was looking at him again, she found it incredibly difficult to deter her gaze. The door and the person she was looking for was slowly fading from her mind. She shook her head as he repeated the all important word she'd given him; never. And she was highly aware that she was one of the very few who chose to do such a thing after graduation.

Suddenly she felt strangely self-conscious about the choice. The safety behind it.

"Yeah." She replied to his musings, though she wondered if he expected her to speak again at all, "Why would I leave? Where would I go?"