Mix It Up

Laurie couldn’t eat. She just couldn’t. Although, that wasn’t a rare thing for her, today just felt different. She had written a letter to someone who could change her life, and if there was any life which needed changing, it was most definitely hers. Her emotions could finally be accepted in society. It all depended on that one owl. On that one word.

An owl swooped down to her, and dropped a letter in her palms. Laurie almost couldn’t breathe. She held the letter to the light, her almost smile dropping instantly. The name ‘Mikey Forville’ was shining, written with black ink. How could this be possible? Great. Now she had to wait possibly another half hour to get the letter. And her dreams.

She climbed up the staircase, just to remember she had left her wand in the dorms. Today, almost everything seemed to be dragging her away from getting the damned letter. And she wasn’t even sure if the news in it was good, or dream crushing. Considering all the hold up, it was probably the latter, but Laurie had to keep hope. Hope. Such a simple word, wasn’t it?
She went down to the Slytherin chamber, frantically rushing from the common room to the Girls’ Dorms. Where on Earth was the wand? She quickly checked her trunk, her eyes getting wider and wider. She lifted her pillow, to find her wand lying peacefully. Laurie exhaled, a load lifting off her chest.

And now, for the letter, she checked herself in the mirror once again, and stepped out. Where…..was the Owlery? It was one of the towers, she just couldn’t remember which. Guess she was going on her intuition. She climbed the staircase, going for the East towers. Wait a minute. The East towers had the Astronomy wing and the Headmaster’s Office. She climbed down again, to go the other way. Everything was just going wrong today.

She remembered how excited she had been, sending off the letter. She had sent it to one of the biggest music producers in the land. Her songs had always been her way of expressing herself, when her emotions were neglected. She had sent of a sample of one of her best songs, asking for a music producer so she could have her vocals in it. Of course, being accepted in was a long shot, but at least there was some hope.

She walked into the owlery, holding Mikey’s letter, trying to find him so they could exchange the letters. The room was full of squawks from owls, and the smell of parchment. She started looking around for Mikey.

Mikey couldn't quite figure out how much time had passed since he'd taken up sitting against the wall. Not very long, probably. Just seemed longer because of the noise from overhead and the endless parade of strangers passing through. Every time the door opened, his eyes drifted up automatically and only returning to their place on his knees once it became clear it wasn't the person he was hoping for.

By now, the name had become less strange even with the lack of an accompanying face.
With careful fingers, he traced the outline of the letter again careful not to crease it. His eyes wandered to the floor, lingering there only a moment until another shift drew his attention up again.

This time, his eyes meet hers. Something about the way she moved made him take notice—nothing overt, just a certain confidence in her actions. Didn't walk aimlessly around the way everyone else tended to do. Didn't stop to secure a letter or check the perches. I was as if she was looking for something, or someone.


Mikey sat up straighter as he watched her step into the room. He looked down at the letter in his hands and then back up at her. "... No way," Mikey whispered to himself. It wasn't confirmation. Maybe it was more like a hopeful guess. He got to his feet, brushing a loose feather off his shoulder as he stood. After a second, he wondered if he was about to make things awkward, and likely decided that yes, it would be would be.

Still, Mikey took a few steps toward her, closing the gap carefully until there was only a few feet between them. He stopped for a second. "Hey" He broke off, his eyes darting back to the envelope. "Laurie?" He lifted the envelope just slightly so she could see the writing on it. "I think... This belongs to you." His shoulders hunched slightly "I found it in breakfast. Realized it wasn't mine only later, sorry." He offered the letter hesitantly but not forcefully to her. "I thought whoever owned it would probably come up here sooner or later."

Reducio

Interacting with: @Mikey Forville
Wc: 303 words
Speech

“Y-Yeah, that’s me.”
Laurie exhaled, a deep breath out, as some calmness returned to her mind. Phew. She had the letter now, in her hands.
“That’s ok, happens to the best of us. Even I realised it as I was about to go to class.”
She reassured Mikey, it wasn’t his fault, she should have been more aware too. This could change her life.
“Thanks, I was really worried.”
She passed a small smile to Mikey.
She looked at the envelope in her hand. Such simple words. Laurie Holmes.
But the content inside could either be the best news she ever heard or the nightmare that haunted her. That was really good motivation. Her mind suddenly started thinking of the worst, knowing how hard it would crush her.
She suddenly became hyper aware of her surroundings, the screech of the owls as they flew, and the strong smell of parchment and hay. She went to the other side of the room and stroked Bella, chirping happily. The one living being that still cared about her. The one who didn’t think that she was exaggerating her emotions. Partly because she probably didn’t understand what they were. Bella was her entire family at this point.
She opened the letter, her eyes closed.
She opened it, heart pounding.

Nonononononono.
The letter slipped from her hands hitting the ground. This can’t be real. What if this was all a dream? No, she wasn’t sleeping.
She stared at silence, unable to believe it. She should have been prepared for it, but she still couldn’t accept it.
Laurie slumped down on the floor, eyes still wide in disbelief as she read the letter over and over again. The harshness of the words.
For the first time in a year, she felt her eyes well up. So long, dreams.

Mikey hadn’t moved far after handing her the letter. He’d taken a couple steps back, giving her space without really thinking about it. It felt like the right thing to do, like she might want some level of privacy to read her letter. So he waited, and at first, he didn’t look directly at her. His gaze drifted up toward the rafters, following the slow shifting of owls, then down to the floor, then back again. Just… not at her. Not until the silence stretched a little too long.

Then the letter dropped from her hands. His head snapped up. "Hey” The word came out before he could stop it. There was a second where he froze, like he wasn’t sure if stepping in would make things worse. She’d gone still in a way that didn’t feel normal and Mikey hesitated. Then he stepped forward. Like he didn’t want to startle her or make it seem like he was intruding on something he wasn’t meant to see. “Uh… Laurie?” His voice was quiet. He stopped a short distance from her, eyes flicking briefly to the letter on the ground before landing on her again. She looked… not okay. That much was obvious. And suddenly, he had no idea what to do with that.

He moved one hand, lifting it slightly before dropping again, like he’d almost reached out but thought better of it halfway through. “Was it?” he started, then stopped. That felt like a stupid question. Of course it was bad. He glanced away for a second like he was trying to figure something out, then looked back at her. “I mean… you don’t have to, uh” he gestured vaguely toward the letter, “you don’t have to read it again. Or… right now. Or anything. ” That didn’t sound right either. He frowned, clearly not convinced by his own advice.


“Hey, it’s okay.” He tried to sound confident but it came out like he didnt actually knew that for sure. More like he wanted it to be true. He crouched down a bit, lowering himself so he wasn’t standing over her but still leaving space. He glanced at the letter again, then back to her. “If it’s… bad,” he said, carefully, like he was testing the word before saying it out loud, “then… I mean, that sucks. Like really sucks.” A small awkward laugh almost left him, he was way out of his element. “Not very helpful, I know.” He tugged lightly at his sleeve, eyes flicking to the side again before returning to her.


“Do you, um… want me to stay? Or, I can go, if you want.” He paused. Then he added “I just… didn’t want to leave if you didn’t want to be alone.” He stood there awkwardly wanting to help but not sure what he could do. He didn't even know what was in the letter. Come to think of it he didn't really know who this girl even was. So he just stayed there, a little unsure, a little awkward, trying to provide some sort of comfort.

Reducio

Interacting with: @Mikey Forville
Wc:402
Speech

God, this was so awkward. She was the girl who had sworn she had no emotions, what was wrong with her? She looked at the letter, then Mikey, and then Bella. Embarrassed, she picked herself up from the floor, standing up shakily. She needed to get a grip on herself, this wasn’t usually her. Besides, it was her fault to actually think things would go her way, when did they ever? Stupid honestly, to think she would actually get a chance with fame. No, she apparently didn’t have what it takes.
She was just being hot-headed now, maybe there was someone more deserving.
“Y-Yeah, it was. At least…to me. ”
She sounded like a literal coward. Her aunt would be ashamed of her. Then again, her aunt didn’t know about most stuff. In fact, she was so caught up in work and bills, she probably forgot Laurie existed. Fine by her honestly. What difference was one person who cared going to make? No one else did. They never would.
As Mikey told her repeatedly that it was ok, Laurie was staring into the distance, not really hearing what he was saying. She remembered the little girl inside of her, the one who had always wanted to be on a big stage. She couldn’t even make friends, what was she thinking?
Laurie looked over at Bella, still perched over quietly, clearly understanding that her owner wasn’t ok. She flew and sat on Laurie’s shoulder, a small comfort.
She could see Mikey uncomfortably shifting, he didn’t know what happened. She must seem like a little kid right now.
She opened up her songwriting journal, flipping through all the drafts she had written, hoping that one say the world would understand Laurie, in the one way she could express herself. She flipped over to her most recent page, the one she had sent. It was possibly her most sad song yet. All of them were. There wasn’t anything happy in her life to write about. She hugged the diary to her chest, tears slipping off and splotching the page. It wasn’t worth saving now.
When Mikey asked her whether he should stay or not, Laurie snapped out of her trance. How long had she been in here for?
“You should go. Don’t want you getting late for lessons.” Laurie gave him a nod of approval, she couldn’t fake a smile just yet.

Mikey hesitated. It wasn't that he hadn't heard her. It was that somehow, the tone in she had said it had seemed to fall flat. As though she were saying whatever crossed her mind at the moment, and not necessarily what she actually meant to say. He moved his hands, fingers tugging lightly at the edges of his sleeve, eyes flicking over towards the door and then back to her. For just a minute, he thought maybe he should just leave. It would've made everything a lot easier. Maybe even what most people would have done.

"Right... yeah," he muttered quietly to himself, as though he was trying to talk himself into making a decision rather than having already made it. His gaze drifted downward to catch the letter on floor before him before moving away again. She had told him to leave. That was enough of an answer. But then again, it wasn't enough because she just didn't seem like somebody who should be alone. "I mean... I can go" he began after a brief hesitation. "If that's what you want."

He let the sounds of the owlery fill the quiet around him. It gave him a sort of place to hide as he spoke. Mikey's eyes went towards the door again before returning to her once more, a frown starting to form on his face. "But... I really don't have anywhere else to be," he finished with a hint of reluctance to his voice. A little laugh half escaped as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I just don't want to make things worse," he continued. "By standing here not sure what to say or... saying the wrong things." A smile touched his lips just briefly. "Which, obviously, I'm really good at." He paused there for a moment. “I'll just stay. Out of your way, I guess," he finished quietly with a vague gesture towards the wall beside him. Another breath escaped him. He still wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do, but he wasn't leaving. Unless she really wanted him to.

Reducio

Interacting with: @Mikey Forville
Wc: 444 words
Speech

Well, she hadn’t been very convincing when she told Mikey that she was ok. Yeah, let’s face it, she was the exact opposite. But of course, she had to put on a brave face. She couldn’t be seen crying in the owlery of all places could she? Her dignity was going down day by day, and this would make it skip a whole year. Provided she lasted that long.
She could see that Mikey was clearly uncomfortable, and she didn’t blame him, it was a bit weird to see a random girl who you didn’t know crying, without knowing the reason she was doing so. Maybe she just needed to be left alone. But there was some small part of her that still wanted Mikey to stay, so that she could talk to someone who wouldn’t judge her, wouldn’t think she was over reacting too much. The biggest obstacle being Laurie herself.
She couldn’t bring herself to trust Mikey, not just yet. What if she said too much, and then he would hold it against her? What if he would stab her where she least expected it? He seemed sweet enough, but weren’t they all?
But then again, maybe she should take some risks in life. Maybe there were some people who she genuinely could trust out there. Lately, they had all been disappearing. It had become routine at this point. But it hurt exactly the same each time.
She sighed, and faced Mikey, not exactly looking into his eyes as she spoke.
“It’s just….I really thought I had it, I worked really hard and poured my heart and soul into that paper.”
Reality hit her too hard. It always did.