Coming Thro' to Rye PV Clifton Troublefield Fin

"I wouldn't call it weird - more like brilliant!" and she did have that perception of both him and his family. She watched the dishwasher, wondering how it did all those things...washed them AND dried them and then turned her attention back to Clifton.

"So a water party, I better hurry and go change. "Un moment, s’il te plaît,” she grinned to him because he had mentioned wanting to learn more French. "...Means one moment, please." She always used the familiar version of her expressions to him, never the formal. If anyone would get the familiar when it came to her, it was him.

Heading upstairs she changed into swim attire but also pulled on some clothes over top of it all and grabbed her bag with sunglasses, sunscreen, and of course some lemon drops. Together they headed out into the sunshine and Alina paused to close her eyes and draw in a slow steady breath. "I like it here," she said to him. "It's like the scent of the ocean and the breeze from the waves call to you, beckoning you to come back, like the sirens of Greek Mythology." She assumed whoever created such a legend probably lived along the coast, feeling that feeling quite often.

He held out his hand to her and she took it and the two began to walk among one of the prettiest villages in England's Southeast. It was very picturesque, with steep cobbled streets lined with preserved medieval houses. It felt like a town suspended in time and she could almost imagine generations worth roaming these very streets.

They got to one particular building with a sign that hung out front similar to Ollivanders in Diagon Alley and it caught her attention. But it wasn't an O like that one, instead it was a mermaid and fittingly, the place was called The Mermaid Inn and a small sign said it had been welcoming traveler for 600 years. The Cellars dated from 1156 and the building was rebuilt in 1420 after The Mermaid and the Town of Rye were burnt to the ground by French Raiders on June 22nd 1377. "Uh oh," she said paused and looked to see if Clifton had read that as well. "Maybe I should keep my French on hold for now...I don't need the whole entire Town of Rye coming at me with pitchforks."

"If anyone asks, my name is Alina Ross," she teased, knowing that Rosier was about as French as you could get. But she didn't really feel threatened there at all, not in the least. It was a very charming town and she loved that he was sharing it with her.

Clifton had read the sign before, but for some reason he'd never connected it to Alina's nationality. He nudged her with a smile.

"Maybe that's where the temper comes from."

"Actually, the inn has some interesting stories," he said as they continued on. "Dad says that a murderous group of smugglers made it their meeting place. I think they were called the Hawkhurst Gang. Something like that."

They were definitely taking the long way. In reality, the park was about eight minutes from his house, not forty-five. And he must've explored this street on his own dozens of times, but it felt new again with her at his side. It amazed him how she could see the same world in so many more colors. Like how just stepping out onto his front porch made her think of Greek mythology. He found that he no longer wanted to interrupt her when she got lost in thought because he loved watching her expression. Wherever her mind swept her off to sometimes, it made him want to follow.

They walked the rest of the way down the cobbled street, trying to decide which buildings were their favorite or wondering what it must've been like to live in them. Gradually, their surroundings became more busy and Clifton led her back down a different street toward the park.

The party was already in full swing by the time they arrived with kids playing, laughing, and chatting. A decent sized kiddy pool had even been set up and, some distance away under a gazebo, a few adults were starting to set up lunch.

"That's the slip n' slide," he explained, motioning toward the enormous rectangle stretched out across the grass, surrounded by sprinklers. "They put water on it so that you can slide down. It's a little like the bouncy floor, there's not much of a point to it. Just for fun."

One boy with red hair and freckles let out the equivalent of a battle cry before charging toward the slide. He flopped down on his belly and slid so fast he took out one of the girls who was trying to get out of the way.

"That's...Jack. He's the one the party is for. He's kind of hard on the ear drums sometimes, but he's alright." Clifton looked around to see if there were any other muggle things to explain and ended up making eye-contact with Arlo, who was standing several feet away among a group of other familiar faces. The boy's eyebrows rose and he nudged the others, nodding toward them.

"And all those gawking kids over there are some of my friends," he laughed. "They're fun. But they're probably really curious about my new school, so I'm sorry if they bombard you with questions."

Clifton glanced Alina's direction wondering if she was nervous. Not likely. She rarely was, he just wasn't exactly sure how she would react to all this. And he wasn't exactly sure how he would either. Not because of her, but because of them. It was one thing to bring Alina to his house. She'd seemed to fit in so naturally with his family.

But, frankly, she was a breath of fresh air when it came to circle of childhood classmates. Not that they weren't fun to hang around. They were all good kids and he shared at least one interest with most of them. But something about having to start fresh at Hogwarts made Clifton realize how much he didn't have in common. They were still stuck in Rye and their own drama while Clifton had explored an entirely new kind of life with new kinds of people. And it wasn't until now, with them all staring, that he began to feel his two worlds about to collide.

For now at least, Clifton shrugged it off. He figured the best thing to do would be what he and Alina did best. Adventure.

"Come on," he grinned, kicking off his sandals and pulling off his t-shirt. "We know who can climb the highest, now lets see who can slide the fastest."

The park was just as nice as the rest of Rye, nestled in the heart of it. Trees reached up high to the blue sky, allowing shade. There were flowers and pathways, a shelter house, and tables with tableclothes and balloons and even a banner for the Birthday Boy. It was a space of urban environment and it was nice to see some green among all the cobble stoned streets.

She had been watching the slip 'n slide ever since she saw Jack run across it and thought about how she loved all this muggle stuff that was for no other reason than for fun. How great was that?! Cliff let his things be there on the grass so she tossed down her bag and put the rest of her belongings there to rest as well.

Alina was eager to meet his friends and she wasn't going to mind the thousand questions about school. She had a pretty good idea of what to say and what not to say to those that weren't of magic about a magical school. You just leave some parts of it out because it was more normal sounding to them.

But what she was most eager for was that slip n' slide. That plastic looking covering on the ground with the water running over it. The concept seemed clear enough, you ran at it, then flew yourself into the air, onto the plastic coating, and skidded from the water across and all the way until you reached the other end. Quite fabulous.

"Jack!" she called out, trying to get the Birthday Boy's attention. When the loud boy looked her way she smiled and waved. "Hi! I'm Alina!" Yeah, definitely not nervous. She was excited! "Clifton invited me, I hope you don't mind." The boy seemed to be receptive of her greeting and waved back. "Happy Birthday!" she then followed up before giving out the same type of battle cry he had before running full force to the start of the slide. She then threw herself into the air and fell onto the slippery surface, skidding effortlessly across it, laughing all the way. That was even better than she thought it was going to be!

Clifton laughed. He should've known better than to think Alina had any reserves about joining the fun.

Relieved, he eagerly followed after her, getting a good running start and then sliding clear off onto the grass. Jack slammed into him seconds later, making him laugh again, this time in pain as the boy was notably more stout than him.

"Cliff!" the boy yelled despite being not even inches away. "Didn't see you there." He hopped to his feet and offered Clifton a hand up. "When'd you get back? I missed you, man!"

"Couple weeks ago. I--"

"And whose your friend? Because she's brilliant!"

Clifton laughed and gave him a playful shove. "You didn't miss me, you liar. She's from my other sch--"

"Hi Alina!" Jack stuck out a hand toward her as she came over. "Glad you could make it."

Alina took the handshake and Jack beamed. "Don't let Clif bar here fool you. Our school is WAY better, even if he voted himself off the island."

"Clif bar?" Clifton raised an eyebrow. "Like the granola bar?"

"It's a nickname we all gave you after you left. I dunno, ask Riley. Anyway," he turned back to Alina. "I've been waiting for someone FUN to show up." Then he looked back at Clifton. "Everyone's gotten lame this year. It's all sports and crushes and blegh."

Clifton laughed and threw an arm around his classmate. "Jack. It's always been all sports and crushes and blegh. You've just finally noticed."

Jack shrugged. "Still lame. Hey, you guys wanna see who can surf on their feet the longest? I've been practicing."

And to think that back at school Alec and Leo had thought he had too much energy. Clifton grinned. "You're on."

The three of them ran to the front of the slide then took turns to see who could stay on their feet the longest. Jack commentated each attempt, even his own. Clifton knew he wouldn't make it far with his ankle, but tried it anyway. He wasn't the least bit surprised when Alina made it the furthest.

"Only by a hair!" Jack argued. "Wait, I want to try one more time."

Clifton smiled as the boy made a show of backing up nearly the length of another slip n' slide before sprinting.

"Hey," Arlo's voice sounded to his left and he turned to see the boy, arms folded, looking at him expectantly. "You weren't joking, she's great. Aren't you going to introduce her to us?"

Clifton grinned and nodded over to Jack who was busy proclaiming to Alina--as well as half the park--how impressed he was at her victory. The attention had drawn some of the other kids too and they began talking to her and asking where she was from.

"You might have get in line."

Arlo rolled his eyes. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"That my girlfriend just whipped everyone at surfing? Not really."

"No, that Jack's all over her like that."

Clifton's brows furrowed in deep annoyance. Maybe things had changed since he'd left.

"Why?" Clifton asked. "Does it bother you? Nice of you talking behind his back like that after he invited you."

"He didn't," Arlo grumbled. "I told you, Riley and her friends wanted to surprise him, remember? Besides, I'm the one who told you about it. And said you should bring your friend."

Clifton frowned, sensing a scheme he did not feel like being savvy too. He didn't even try arguing that he'd found an invitation at home later. "Well, Alina's not hiding, Arlo. If you want to meet her, you can just walk right over there like Jack's real friends."

"Okay everyone!" One of the adults hollered. Clifton turned to see that they'd positioned two enormous coolers across from each other like goal posts in an empty part of the park. "Time to start the water balloon fight! What do you think, Jack? How should we divide teams?"

Jack shot Alina a competitive grin. "Boys against girls! And I'm gonna win this time."

Clifton smiled. Then looked over at Arlo. "It's summer, Arlo. Give all that a rest and come pelt some people with water balloons."

Then, not bothering to wait for him, Clifton hurried over to the fun. He grabbed an armful of balloons from the boys side and winked over at Alina in challenge.

The water balloons fascinated her too but she knew not to stop and stare. Sure she had seen balloons but never filled with water. Who thought you could fill it with anything other than air? Muggles. Muggles thought these things.

She dodged an incoming balloon quickly before taking a few in her hand and tossed them when she thought was the best opportunity to hit one of her male opponents. A few came around her and it felt like being in some kind of battlefield and she weaved around trying to avoid them.

Bringing herself around, she found herself temporarily behind a tree that stood nearly at the middle and coincidence had it that there was Clifton doing the same. "Why, Mr. Troublefield...fancy meeting you here. You are thine enemy...whatever shall I do with you?" She did have one water balloon in her hand and she looked down to it, taking a moment to see the water slosh inside the blue encasement before looking back to him and smiled. But instead of lifting the balloon she lifted herself to kiss those lips of his quickly. "I can't fraternize with the enemy, Sir. You'll have to understand," and she hurried off from the refuge of the tree back to the war zone.

It was a nice way to spend the warm sunny afternoon and several of the kids helped gather up the popped balloons while Jack's mom got the cake ready. She gathered hers up and placed in one of the trash bins, glad to help out. Alina, although now more likely to admit it then when she first started school, was a Hufflepuff, through and through.

She quickly ran her hand through her hair, just to make sure it would dry in a decent manner. Clifton had gathered up their things and she met him at one of the picnic tables under the shelter house where she pulled her clothes on over her now nearly dry swimsuit. Nearby were some of Clifton's other friends and she liked being among them and she felt comfortable, not like the odd one out.

Clifton was sitting on one the edge of one of the empty picnic tables catching up a little with his friends as Alina walked up. They were getting him up to speed about the school year by teasing him about all the text messages he'd missed. And even Clifton did feel like his interests and his mindset were headed a different direction than theirs, it was nice to just hang around and talk about nothing. He realized now that he really had missed them. Or maybe he'd missed just being a kid the past little while.

Arlo and a couple others continued to sulk near the edge of the group for some reason, but Clifton decided to not give it any attention. Alina reached them and found her spot next to him and Riley, a girl with large eyes and now-frizzing curls reached out and touched her arm to get her attention.

"Okay," she said, her tone genuinely impressed and excited all at once. "We all want to know how you did it."

Clifton cocked his head to one side, confused. "Did what?"

"Not talking to you Clif Bar, I asked Alina. I saw you both behind the tree. How did you do it?"

"Yeah," Kate laughed as she toweled off her long, blonde hair. "How'd you get past all the seashell collections and model airplanes and hiking trails and space and music playlists and sports? I know girls who've been chasing Cliff around since the third grade. Guess we're too boring."

Clifton rolled his eyes. Sometimes it was annoying having small-town friends that knew him since he was five. Especially when they liked to exaggerate. "You do not. Like who?"

The girls exchanged glances and the rest of his friends laughed.

"My point exactly," Kate smiled wryly.

Jack joined the circle, his mouth already full of dessert he'd stolen. "Your mom makes you look like some kind of model and your dad makes you be nice to everyone. Try every girl in our whole class."

Cliff tried to laugh it off. It was a topic they teased him about a lot, but one he'd never taken seriously. Not until Alina was here and he felt like a blushing idiot. He wondered if this was just more of their playful henpecking for missing so much. "Alright, I get it. I shouldn't have left. I'm gone for one year and--"

"Oh no," Riley grinned. "You should have. How else was someone going to get through?" She smiled warmly at Alina. "Sorry. I think we're all just very impressed. Not surprised though. It's too bad you don't live here in Rye."

"Alright, Jack!" Riley's mom called over to Jack. "Time to blow out what part of the cake you haven't eaten already."

With a whoop, Jack hurried over. The kids sang a rough chorus of the birthday song and he blew out the candles. Then the adults began handing out cake as he opened his presents. Clifton had managed to pick up a video game gift card for him on the way to the train station. It wasn't anything amazing, but you'd never know by Jack's reaction.

"Wicked! I am SO buying the banana armor, Cliff! And then I'm gonna beat you into the dirt with it! Thanks, man!"

"Anytime," Clifton shrugged with a laugh. But his attention was partially divided. There was a car that had parked nearby several minutes ago. One that he'd noticed pull up shortly after the water balloon fight as they were cleaning up. It had caught his attention, because it looked like his mom’s car. Except that it was too early, even for her.

So he’d shrugged it off at first, but it was still idling there and something about it felt off. It wasn't until he looked closer that he realized it was his mom’s car. It had the fancy air freshener hanging from the mirror and everything.

So why hadn’t she come out to greet everyone, like she normally did? Clifton set down his cake and began digging through his and Alina’s things for his phone. He had one text message from her.

I’m here in the lot by the gazebo. Please hurry.

That was it, no teasing comment or trademark string of emojis. He looked up again, but another car had pulled in, blocking his view of the driver. Decision made, Clifton pulled on his t-shirt and stuffed his phone and his sandals into the drawstring backpack he’d brought.

Then he looked over at Alina. She seemed to be enjoying the fun and he hated to take her from it. For a moment, he considered braving it alone but knew that wouldn’t be right. Or smart. He wouldn’t have made it out last time if he’d been alone.

Besides, they were a team now. A reality that he really liked until it was Alina’s turn to do the comforting and the protecting. But wasn't he always the one asking her to trust him? As much as he hated the idea of bringing her into more danger, something like that only worked if it went both ways.

He slid his fingers through hers and leaned close to her ear, keeping his voice calm so as not to alarm the other kids.

“That woman in the car is not my mom. We need to leave.”

She could sense the concern he felt and reached out, taking his hand in hers and smiled at him, letting him know she was there with him. She had lots of fun at the party, but they were this team and if he needed her elsewhere then elsewhere is not only where she needed to be - but wanted to be. "It was nice meeting you all. If I ever get the time I'll write down an instruction manual on How to Snag a Troublefield," she teased and smiled to Clifton before looking back to the others.

Jack was coming up to thank his grandmother with a hug for her present and she caught him before he headed back to his other presents. "Thanks for a fun time, Jack!" she told him and collected her bag. It really had been the best Birthday party she had ever been to and while she hadn't been to many at all, she was pretty sure everyone else there had fun. Even the skeptics like Clifton's friend Arlo, who was now talking away at another table with some friends. He was enjoying himself more than he would have if he had stayed at home. She was certain of it. Everyone had enjoyed themselves.

Even Clifton, although she knew his mind was wandering. Alina had been watching Clifton that afternoon. She caught the way he was near the tree during the water balloon fight and he seemed slightly distracted even then and ever since.

Together, the two headed out from the main part of the park. "What's going on in that head of yours, Clive?" she whispered. Her voice was full of concern but she wasn't really scared. - More like cautious.

Summer had seemed to bring big things upon the both of them. Big things for someone of their age but chaos didn't discriminate, did it? Plus these situations were happening now and not waiting until they were older and more mature, knew more ways to possibly go about solving them. They were happening in the there and the now. Still, these two had the upper hand in two respects; 1) they were going to fight them/solve them/figure it out and not be submissive to it, and 2) they had each other.

"What's going on in that head of yours, Clive?"

Clifton cast a quick look over his shoulder as they began crossing the park in the opposite direction of the parking lot. “I’m not sure you really want to know, because it’s going to sound like I've gone mad. But remember how my mom said she would pick us up? Well...her car came. But I don’t think she’s the one driving it. Or the one texting me.”

He looped one arm out of his backpack so he could find his phone again and then showed her the text.

“My mom is never that patient. Or that boring,” he scrolled through her previous messages, full of gifs and emojis and novellas worth of texts. Many of which were lumped together long before Clifton ever replied. “Even if I’m not late, she comes out and finds me. It’s kind of annoying actually, but that car was sitting there for almost half an hour. I think…” he sighed, realizing how paranoid this sounded. “I think it’s a trap.”

“Just like what happened at football camp. Because if those freaks knew exactly when to attack your owl...I don’t know. My dad made me promise I’d be careful today. And I think we should walk back instead.”

“But I hope I’m wrong. Because if they have her car and her phone…” he shook his head. “Let’s just get home first.”

He made to quicken his pace, but instead slowed down, remembering both his twinge of guilt at dragging her into all this and the fact that sprinting would probably only draw more attention.

“Sorry to leave early like this. I think they’re probably annoyed that I’m stealing the life of the party. They really liked you.” Then, with a teasing sort of smile, he added, “But guess that’s what you get for fraternizing with the enemy.”

They reached the opposite parking lot and he was just beginning to think that maybe a calm, blending-in sort of walk home would work best when the white car pulled up directly in front of them, cutting off their path. He and Alina backpedaled in surprise.

The driver’s window rolled down to reveal what--by all appearances--was his mom. For a second, Clifton felt a little foolish. Until he realized Clover’s car seat was empty.

“And where do you think you two are going?” she said, leaning out the window.“I said I’d pick you up, didn’t I?”

Something in his gut was screaming at him to run. Fast. Alina would probably think he’d lost his marbles and maybe she’d be right. But he was not getting into that car.

“Right, sorry,” he said, by way of apology for what he was about to do. Afterall it looked like his mom. Clifton approached the car as if to get in. Then, in one sudden motion, he swung his bag hard toward the disguised stranger. Sandals, sunscreen, and a cellphone didn’t make much of a weapon, but the surprise was enough to scare her into ducking back inside, cursing. Using phrases he'd only ever heard at his new school.

Clifton used the split second of distraction to grab Alina’s hand and make a run for it.

The two ran, and Alina knew if this was anything like his time at football camp, there might be more than just one person in the car. While that woman DID look like his mom, she trusted him. She trusted that he knew her mannerisms and she also noticed no Clover in the back. They were to keep an eye on Clover when they got home from the party as his mom had her and surely there weren't any hired help at the Troublefields to keep track of her while his mom was out on a car ride.

They ran and they ran fast. Those times on the grounds of Hogwarts or running from prefects through the corridors had paid off but she did worry about his ankle. He wasn't letting that bother hm right now and rightfully so. They kept running...but where?

It was impossible to go to the house. If his mother was actually there with Clover it would only put them in danger plus it didn't make much sense. If these people were after Clifton then they surely knew where he lived, didn't they? They also couldn't go back to the party because that would not only bring about danger to Clifton's friends but cause far too many questions that she knew didn't have easy answers. They didn't even have the answers yet.

The most logical conclusion was to run towards the center of the town, where the streets were narrow and the shops were filled with tourists - more witnesses that way and sometimes more witnesses meant more protection.

Clifton had a bit of prior experience with this, unfortunately, and he dodged around things, weaved around others. He too knew there could be others around that wanted him just like before. Alina wondered if that also meant his friend Leo was somewhere around to try and protect them.

From their walk earlier, an idea sparked in her mind. At least to give them time to think. "This way," she whispered to him and turned down another rather crowded street. She remembered that Clifton had mentioned the network of secret cellars and passageways used by smugglers in the past at The Mermaid Inn and luckily with Hogwarts, they had a bit of experience with secret passageways. They had discovered the one from the statue of the one-eyed witch in the corridors of Hogwarts that brought them to the cellar of Honeydukes in Hogsmeade. Maybe they could get lucky again and find an escape, or at least temporary refuge.

Sneaking around with @Alina Rosier

His girlfriend was a genius.

He wasn't exactly sure where she was leading him until they neared the narrow, cobblestone streets they had visited earlier. It would be hard for a car to reach them here, but of course he was sure there were people on foot following too, making him grateful to see a few tourists now strolling along, enjoying the warm day.

In swimsuits and summer clothes, they looked a little like vacationers themselves and didn't draw much attention as they ran toward the Mermaid Inn. Clifton pieced together what she must be thinking. It was brilliant, if they could pull it off unnoticed.

"It's still a real inn," he explained as they reached the door. "Someone owns it, so we'll have to be quick. The only passageway I know about is supposed to start in the cellars and then leads to another inn on the next street over. Let's hope these creeps don't know their history as well as my dad."

They stepped into the inn and were greeted with the smell of fresh seafood and distant chatter. Clifton had never been inside and it felt a little like stepping into an old painting with all the red carpeting, antique woodwork, and touches of stained glass. Alina led the way forward like they were guests, passing the front desk and main lobby, reaching a crossroads and a hanging wooden sign that directed to the restaurant and main bar.

"Which way?" she asked.

The Main Bar was probably their best bet for wine cellars. It had a sign that said Closed and, even if it hadn't, he doubted an eleven and twelve year old would be allowed to just walk in. Still, neither of those kinds of things had ever stopped them in the past.

"This way," he said, leading her the rest of the way down the hall. They pressed the heavy, wooden door open and slipped into a small dining area. A staff member was inside, shining up some of the antiques, but he had his back to them.

Clifton didn't want to miss their chance and began scanning the area for any sort of door. His gaze stopped on what looked like a closet in the corner. Alina had noticed it too and they exchanged glances before silently creeping across the carpet toward the door.

Clifton carefully clicked it open and let Alina slip inside before following her. But he hadn't expected such narrow stone steps on the other side and his ankle gave out, causing him to pull the door shut much more loudly than he intended. She caught him, but so had the staff member.

"Hey!" the man hollered from the other side of the door. Clifton and Alina hurried the rest of the way down the stairs and around the corner. Clifton tried searching for any sort of secret entryway, but his focus was distracted by his angry ankle.

"Over here," Alina beckoned toward what looked like part of a wooden trapdoor, painted white like the rest of the stone around them. It was covered by a crate and Clifton helped her push it away. They could hear the scuff of staff member's shoes against the stone steps as they shut the trapdoor over their heads.

They stumbled through the musty darkness for a few extra meters, for good measure before finally stopping to catch their breath.

Clifton laughed between breaths, the sound of it echoing a little off the passageway walls. "Alina, you're way too good at this kind of thing."

He began fishing for his phone again and tried not to be blinded when the screen lit up. He pulled up his dad's number and sent a quick text. It was the only thing he could think of that their pursuers might not be able to look up online. At least, not very quickly.

In the 1960s, how much money did the CIA waste on the AKP?

The reply came almost immediately: $20 million. Plus the cost of kitty litter. Where are you?

Clifton breathed a sigh of relief. Accurate facts and use of the American dollar, so his dad was okay. He thought about sending their location, but hiding from maniacs in a dark and rumored-to-be-haunted set of passageways, his nerves got the best of him and replied with:

Almost to Old Belle's cupboard

You what?

On my way

Clifton kept the phone out so they could have some light, then found Alina's hand again.

"My dad's coming," he smiled. "We'll be okay."