Peace and quiet, that was all she needed and all she was asking for, well perhaps not complete peace and quiet. She didn't like when it was deathly quiet, but it would have to do. Everywhere else that she went was too quiet. She would suffer through a few hours of studying in the peace of quiet.

Damn midterms and damn final projects. why was it that teachers and profs overload them with work. It was almost as if they talked together and found a way to make their students life miserable. Made sure that all their midterms were at the exact same time or the same week. She passed a had through her dark black hair, pushing it back and out of her eyes.

She laid back in the chair, trying to release the tension of cramped muscles in her neck and upper back from bending over her textbook and notes for too long. She glanced quickly at her watch. It had been fours hours so far and she still had a lot to do. She glanced at her overstuffed backpack at her feet and let out a quiet groan, she would never get through the endless amount of work she had. She would most likely have to take a week or so away from the club and she hated to do that.

She needed a distraction, there had to be something to distract her for a brief while before returning to her studying. If she had any religion beliefs she would pray to God for something, anything to take her mind off school for a little while longer. With another sigh, she glanced almost disgusted at her botany textbook.

The night was young, and Nate was spending that time learning about the game Go. He wanted to do that so he could play with Nikki and his grandfather. The usual black attire was replaced with a blue t-shirt, denim jeans, and a hoodie that matched the blue of the t-shirt. He knew that people probably thought that he was a tomboyish girl, but he didn't mind at all.

Balancing five books in the crook of his arm Nate was busy reading one of the books on the basics of Go. The other five were based on different strategies ranging from Feudal times to present.

Without looking Nate walked over to the table that a girl studying was sitting at. With a sigh he placed the books down and sat down across from the girl without even looking up from what he was doing. When he really got engrossed in something he could be a little oblivious, but he still had the courtesy to pay attention if he heard someone talking to him. "Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked without interrupting the flow of his reading.

Alexa watched the young man carrying the books with slight interest, wondering what he was doing with so many books. Children of his age were either off studying at home or being in gangs, this one seemed one of the former, yet here he was obviously reading and trying to get something done, simply like she was doing or she was trying to do. A pain really, too much studying and no time to do it in.

Did she mind? Was the sky red? No was the answer to both questions. At least she's have someone near by that would rustle the pages and put her mind at ease when it came to sound or so she hoped. She simply needed sound or else she was going to drive herself insane and maybe he would help whether he liked it or not. "No not at all. Please sit down." She had been looking for a longer distraction but she supposed that would have to do.

She placed both of her elbows on the table and rubbed her eyes with her palms, tiredly. Her eyes would sore, but they would have to deal with it. She would be more tired by the end of the semester than she was now. Giving another sigh, she opened her gray eyes and stared determinedly at her textbook and notes. She would know all the damn definitions and every thing that she had supposed to had learned so far. She would and if it killed her, she wouldn't be that great of a loss.

Nate nodded to what the woman said. She was definitely older than his appearance, and he could feel the frustration she was feeling like it was his own. Sometimes he hated being an empath, but most of the time it allowed him to help. Nate finished the chapter he was reading, and placed a bookmark in it to hold his place. Standing up he walked over to the other side, and peered over the woman's shoulder. "What're you studying?" He asked curious to find out what the hell was stressing her out so much. Then again the books and the studying did give it away. Must've been a huge test or something.

She had pretty grey eyes, but he wasn't interested in her. He only had eyes for Nikki right now. Nikki...how Nate missed that boy so. "Oh I see..." He said scanning over the woman's notes. So this was what people nowadays had to learn. Nate's sire always said that he should keep up with contemporary studies, but most of it didn't interest the vampire that much.

Alexa was still eying her textbook with great distaste. If she could simply chuck it into the fire she would be very pleased with herself. Unfortunately, she needed her notes to study and she couldn't simply give it all away. It wasn't the first time she was studying for her botany mid term, but she could hardly way until it was over.

Startled she looked up at the younger boy. "Botany, and now I'm starting to wonder why I took it as a minor." Perhaps she should have taken history or something that she liked. She shook her head, her eyes closed. Reopening her eyes, she turned to the young boy. "Do you see? So you really? It's a lot more complicated than it seems. Besides when studying for a midterm, it makes it that much harder." Her gray eyes were tired, but there was a spark of determination.

Nate smiled at the woman as she was startled. "A botany? Never really interested me at all." He said with a smile. "Yeah it is complicated, but once you figure it out it's a piece of cake." He said as his eyes scanned the open pages, and took in what they saw. It wasn't that difficult to figure out, but then again Nate had been living a hell of a lot longer than the woman.

"Oh my name's Nate." He said offering his hand. "There must be a lot of pressure." He said with a sigh. Nate felt bad, but only she could really study and get it down as good as she could.

Alexa smiled at him. "I always loved the environment and what better way to love it, then by understanding it and helping it." Her smile didn't lessen. "Perhaps to you it is, but I need to remember it all and the human brain can't remember everything especially when stressed." She knew that the midterm was going to be stressful, after all most exams and tests tended to stress people out.

"I'm Alexa and it is a pleasure to meet you." She glanced at her book and turned her gaze away from it, settling on the younger boy. "It is a lot of pressure, but later, I'll be doing exactly what i love in life and I'll be happy doing it." She hadn't stopped smiling, this was the person she was when she wasn't stressed out by her school work.

Nate nodded as she spoke smiling at him. "That's good...definitely better to love what you want to do." He said with a smile. Nate wasn't really interested in botany, but he also didn't really like the pollution that had accumulated over the years. He remembered how it was in London, but even that wasn't as bad as now.

Nate shrugged as the woman spoke. "If you're stressed then take a few minutes break." He said with a soft smile. Nate could feel the stress radiating from the woman.

"The pleasure is all mine." He said offering his hand. Nate wasn't trying to hit on her or anything, he was just mildly interested in what the girl was doing. Nate set a hand on the table and another on the back of Alexa's chair. "You want to become a botanist?" He asked a little interested. Nate wouldn't have to drink blood until the next night so he didn't have to worry about that.

Alexa smiled, he was a nice guy, but she wasn't interested in him as a boyfriend. Hell she didn't even want one. Her studies were more important and she loved what she studied, even when it exasperated her. Her studies were in part what drove her what separated her from her parents and what kept their ongoing disagreement alive. "It is good."

"I am stressed, with all the studying it is no wonder that I'm stressed. I have midterms on top of midterms and then assignments and labs. Professors are trying to kill me, I'm sure they are, with all the work it is no surprise."

She took his hand and shook it. He seemed like a nice guy and interested in what she was doing and also what she was trying to do, though he was perhaps unaware of it. "Oh no, botany is simply my minor, I'm taking environmental sciences. I want to save the environment, I'm an idealist."

Nate laughed as Alexa said that professors were trying to kill her. "I have a feeling people are trying to kill me too sometimes." He said with a sigh. "It's hard for a guy with my looks." Nate laughed and patted Alexa on the shoulder. "It's a whole barrel of laughs when I run into people who're drunk and anti-homosexual." He said the smile didn't waver at all. Even though Alexa meant it as a joke Nate wanted to put it into perspective.

Nate smiled as Alexa said that she was an environmental science major. "That's an interesting field. I don't really know what I'd major in." He said with a sigh. "It's hard thinking about that when you're home schooled."

Alexa winced. Poor kid, homosexual? Well at least Canada was open to the idea as a country, if not everybody in it was. She had no problem with homosexuality. To her, it was a choice like any other. It was one path of many. She was hetero and happy that way, he had chosen a different path, well they had one thing in common. They both liked guys.

Alexa smiled at him and she understood that being homosexual wasn't easy. She looked at him and nodded. "It wasn't easy, I wanted to go into animal biology a few years ago, but I then realized that I would be following why parents dream not my own. So I chose environmental instead. i like it." She hesitated as she looked at him. "Maybe you should see what you like, what subjects you prefer, it might give you an idea."