Tea Parties and Sneak Outs pv Alec Mason Fin

"Greville Smyth Park.. Not too far from here. I had planned on just stopping at the petrol station or something, but Greville isn't to far from here, anyway. About ten more minutes of walking."

“Of course there are parks here…” In Cokeworth, there weren’t parks. Just few small areas of dirt where the stray dogs ate the bones of the stray cats. Wyatt only learned that those were cat bones recently. It was a drab old town, few people took the dogs in because no one could afford them. Everything was gray in Cokeworth... it becomes comforting in it's own way after a few years.

“Are you giving me a rich kid look right now? Because I think I can feel it.” Every time Wyatt had said something like you actually have tea parties, for example, Alec would give Wyatt this look. Like Wyatt had said he enjoys murdering squirrels and watching children fall and scrape their knees or something.

“Cokeworth doesn’t have parks. Just a little playset thing in the back of the school, and sometimes teenagers hop the fence to get high in the slide. Kids just go play in the forest that somehow hasn’t been completely chopped down yet. Some kids die, some go missing… it keeps things interesting.” Wyatt smiled. It was a funny thought, a town needed crime to be interesting. It may be twisted to smile at things like that... but sometimes the bullies would "go missing", and- it was a pretty terrible thought, wasn’t it…

“I’ve only ever gotten scars,” the boy said the last sentence almost disappointedly. He pointed to the raised lines of scarring on his face. “Not all of them are from tripping on rocks, though, I’m not that dull.” His hand fell on his face and he started… almost petting the scars, subconsciously, of course. He hated them, they made him look so… ugly... mean, too.

Most of all, he hated the scars because of who gave them to him.

_{@Alec Mason}

It hadn't been that. Just the way the boy had said it. Like he was annoyed by it or something. The eye roll type tone. It wasn't excessive or anything.. Alec knew of kids that were so much more 'spoiled' then he was. Maybe Alec was just as spoiled as those other kids. He just hadn't realized it yet. Like his life was the most perfect thing in the world compared to Wyatt's. Even Alec getting upset that Wyatt was staying at his house this summer. Maybe he was just some selfish, spoiled rich kid. Maybe that's why people didn't want to be friends with him.

“Cokeworth doesn’t have parks. Just a little playset thing in the back of the school, and sometimes teenagers hop the fence to get high in the slide. Kids just go play in the forest that somehow hasn’t been completely chopped down yet. Some kids die, some go missing… it keeps things interesting.”

Alec just stood there listening he'd stopped walking. He didn't know what to say or how to react. And was bothered that Wyatt didn't seem distressed by it at all. Kids going missing..? Dying..? It was a lot to take in for a twelve-year-old like Alec. He knew teenagers like to pickpocket kids and such if you want down the 'bad' street. The one Wyatt had almost gone down a bit ago. But it was nothing compared to that. It was nothing compared to anything Wyatt had said. And it was only proving Alec's point more.

“I’ve only ever gotten scars,” It was a bit before he spoke again. “Not all of them are from tripping on rocks, though, I’m not that dull.”

Alec was more uncomfortable than ever. He hadn't asked Wyatt to talk about this. And he would have been better off not knowing. There was an odd sort of look on his face. Like Alec couldn't tell whether he was upset about it or uncomfortable and not at ease thinking about it. Alec wasn't looking at Wyatt anymore, his gaze was focused on the ground as he messed with the sleeve of his shirt as a nervous habit. "I-I um.. c-can we please talk about s-something else?" Alec asked. His voice was only a whisper, and it was hard to hear with the rustling of the wind. Anything else would be better than this topic.

The thought was scary to Alec. As it would be to any twelve-year-old. The thought of going missing was scary. But what was even more scary was the thought of your family not caring enough to find you. Alec wasn't sure how his parents would react if anything happened to him. He hoped they would care, but as he thought about it. He realized that might not be the case. Now back to the other point. This thought had scared Alec. Which was a rare thing. Sure, he was worried all the time. But never really got scared. It was a weird thing for him and something he hated much more than anything else in his life.

@Wyatt Starkey

Alec peeped something small from behind Wyatt.
"I-I um.. c-can we please talk about s-something else?"

Without skipping a beat, without thinking, really, Wyatt said,
“Does reality scare you, Alec?”

He nodded. He wasn’t even facing Alec, just staring ahead.
Before he stopped walking, he sighed... why did he have to say anything?
Couldn't he just have stayed quiet?
“It scared me too.”

Wyatt kicked a rather large rock into the gutter. Everything felt so dark, and cold. Like a trillion dementors were swirling around Wyatt. Just... Wyatt.












Lost in his thoughts, he barely even noticed the pounding headache… the hyperventilating… that feeling of dread, sorrow, like nothing will ever be good again… like you’re dying. He raised his hand to his forehead and felt the cold sweat.

As he began walking, he quickly diagnosed himself. A panic attack. He’d been getting those a lot, he got one last night, this wasn’t new. Wyatt had been getting panic attacks for years, they’d just gotten… worse… somehow. If only he could see himself. It was a miracle he hadn’t fallen yet. The clumsy way he was “walking” could have just as easily been called tripping upright.

He started walking even faster, he just needed to get as far away from Alec as he could.

He looked.. distant. It made Alec freeze in his tracks even if he hadn't been walking at all. “Does reality scare you, Alec?” Stabbed in the chest. Not actually, but it still hurt. It was a shove to what is Alec's manliness whether it was an insult or not was a whole another thing. But he was right. And that's what hurt the most. He knew he was right too. Quickly picking up and pinpointing Alec's unease. But only seconds later the boy spoke up again. “It scared me too.” not an insult. Noted. Maybe not everything the boy said was one.

And then the boy seemed to be more than just distant. Like he was a million worlds and universes away. Trapped in his own little world of worries.. Wait it wasn't worries no that's not the right word for it. Trapped in a box in a disconsolate world. Yeah, that described it a bit better. If you didn't know any better, the boy would've looked like he was sleepwalking while having a nightmare of some sort. Interesting, wasn't it? How much and how little insight you could get by the way someone's shoulders were, or the way they dressed, spoke, or act. It described everyone's every living being with just one look.

You find out both so much and so little. You never truly know what's going on in someone's head. But with the right body language or tone of voice, it was easy to tell. Easy to know how one feels without never actually knowing why. You don't have to know why to comfort someone. You don't have to know their whole life story to know they might need some sort of encouragement, all that's needed is body language.

Alec caught in thought finally snapped his head up only to see Wyatt. Walking and very far ahead of Alec. Where was Wyatt going? Alec was pretty sure Wyatt didn't know where he was going. Then again, Alec could be wrong. But most likely not. Now the real question was. What was Wyatt doing? Alec started walking, quickening his pace. There was no way Alec was going to catch up with him. Would he stop once he noticed Alec hadn't followed? It was a weird feeling.. With Wyatt walking away Alec felt more alone than when he actually went alone himself.. Did Alec say something that upset Wyatt..? Alec had just asked if they could talk about something else. Please don't say what I think you're about to say. "Wyatt! Wait up your going to get lost" Alec said. Idiot. How is that supposed to help? He probably can't even hear you. And now your enemy thinks you actually care I mean not that you don't, but that's not the point.

@Wyatt Starkey

Alec said: "Wyatt! Wait up you’re gosit.ing to get lost."
But, what Wyatt heard was: "Wrrb! Whrb urg yerb gerg o ger rorst."

He turned his head, only to make a confused and pained face at Alec, but he kept walking forward, his hand still on his forehead.

Wyatt tried to go over what he has to do when he has a panic attack… sit… ok. Looking to his left and down, he saw a curb. He sat down there.

Breathe. In… out… in… out. It was a miracle he could even think. It was like sirens were going off in his mind, but at the same time, all of his senses were dulled.

He put his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. Things were getting better… less hazy and less awful. His head wasn’t pounding after a good 30 seconds of just sitting.

“I’m sorry,” he said, genuinely. “You just wanted to have a good summer, but you have to know. I didn’t choose to be here.” The Slytherin’s voice was low and groggy, in a way.

Looking up, he noticed Alec’s face. The Lion seemed genuinely concerned. It was an odd look on a person. People weren’t that great, in general, or at least that’s what Wyatt had learned through experience. Alec was no exception, but recently, he’d shown that he actually cared when Wyatt did anything that wasn’t “normal,” or seemed to be in pain.

Maybe he wasn’t terrible, but Wyatt had a feeling something that would happen the next day would change everything like it had this morning after their pleasant conversation the night before.

_{@Alec Mason}

Alec frowned, his brows furrowing. "Don't be" Alec said. "I know you didn't really have much of a choice in the matter of coming here" Alec said as he sat down next to Wyatt. "I've just been a bit.. upset lately with all the stupid problems I have in my life. And it seems I've been taking it out on you. I clearly haven't learned much about hospitality" Alec said. After all, Alec had been one to start most of the arguments whether he'd realized it or not. A lot of what Alec had been doing included being a bit mean to Wyatt. All he could ever think about when talking to Wyatt was how they met. It didn't exactly put Wyatt or Alec in the best light. Guess people are true when they say first impressions are important. It tends to define how you view the person from then on.

And that's when Alec got an idea. If first impressions were everything. "Look, how about this? let's just start over" Alec said. Clearing his throat so Wyatt would pay attention, he began to speak. "My name's Alec, well Alec J. Mason to be exact. Nice to meet you" He said as he tried to hold back a laugh. Alec then held his hand out so they could shake hands. "Don't suppose we've met before?" Alec asked tilting his head slightly it being obvious he was still trying to keep from laughing.

"Now," Alec said as he stood up, a small smile on his face. "You can sit there like a lump on a log and continue your pity party with me sitting next to you, Or" Alec said pausing for a bit of dramatic effect. "We can go to Greville and have a bit of actual fun instead of moping around," Alec said. Then added. "Of course. There's always the third option. We could head back and get some rest if you really want," this was followed by a small shrug.

And who knows? Maybe Wyatt wasn't that bad. Maybe Alec's summer wasn't going to be that bad after all. In fact Alec would go as far as to say. It might actually be bit of fun with Wyatt around. Better than just hanging out with your family all through the summer break, anyway. You know.. Alec was only starting to learn it. But there was definitely a lot more to people than just what you first see or when you first meet. It seems even Alec's enemy is capable of some sort of emotion. And maybe he isn't just mean all the time. Honestly, Alec was starting to believe Wyatt might be a bit of nice person. Even if he doesn't let it show all the time.

@Wyatt Starkey

Alec’s ridiculously childish and cartoonish look of realization seemed it needed a lightbulb to go off over the boy’s head. That seemed to be a reoccurring theme with Alec, the childish behaviors, but really how was he supposed to act, he was twelve! Wyatt had always been slightly ahead of his classmates in maturity and self-control, so he sort of assumed everyone should be the same way.

"Look, how about this? let's just start over." Alec cleared his throat, which seemed it was for the purpose of getting Wyatt’s attention, though he already had it.

"My name's Alec, well Alec J. Mason to be exact. Nice to meet you." Again with the first, middle, and last name bogus.

“Wyatt A. Starkey, it’s a pleasure.” If you could ever hear an eye roll, it was the tone Wyatt was using. This idea was straight out of a corny rom-com from the eighties. Besides the rom.

It slowly dawned on Wyatt that Alec now knew his middle name started with an A. An A that belonged with the name Andrew. Andrew is the name of Wyatt’s no good, horrible, terrible, awful, sick, twisted, son of a bitch father. It was a name he was forced to take.

The parselmouth hoped Alec would just… not mention it.

"Don't suppose we've met before?" Alec tilted his head so childishly Wyatt felt as though he might vomit.

"Now," Alec said as he stood, wearing a sly smile... or at least a smile Wyatt interpreted as sly. "You can sit there like a lump on a log and continue your pity party with me sitting next to you, Or," and there was a pause. Wyatt began to realize Alec was drawn to dramatic effect. It fit his personality well in a way, didn’t it?

"We can go to Greville and have a bit of actual fun instead of moping around. Of course. There's always the third option. We could head back and get some rest if you really want."

That boy seriously watched too many sappy movies.
“Don’t make me choose, Alec.” Wyatt knew that if he thought about it long enough he would choose to turn back. He always let his thoughts drive him away from the unknown and adventure. It hadn’t gotten him anywhere good in the past- and look, he’s doing it again.

“Fine, let’s go to Greville before I overthink this.”

He stood.

Wyatt, you should start a conversation or something. “Have you tried to listen to music?” That’s… fine. It wasn't an amazing question, but it had been bothering him for a bit. “I just can’t imagine a world without it.”

_{@Alec Mason}

Alec looked at Wyatt as if Wyatt was crazy. "I listen to music. I just don't do it often. And when I do it's either for some stupid pureblood family gathering thing or while I'm sketching. Which I'm told to turn off anyway, " Alec said. "My mom get's a bit annoyed because it's ruins her 'peace and quiet' or something like that. So for not wanting to get yelled at by my mom my most recent answer for this would be no. I've practically given up" Alec explained this was followed by a shrug as they turned a corner. There were only a few things Alec knew about his taste in music. He hated classical music and it should be burned. He probably would've learned to love it if that wasn't the only music he every really got to listen to. But look at that. It was.

This brought Alec to his next train of thoughts, which was more random than if Jackie were to appear out of nowhere. Greville without the Smyth park part. Sounded like the name of a drink. Something fancy probably like Greville, the black herb tea or Greville, the best culinary spice in the word. Well okay, that wasn't a drink but the whole point was still there. It sounded like all the best chefs in the world would use it. Maybe even Alec if his cooking skills got beyond cereal and fish and chips. Highly unlikely. But possible.

After a few more turns here they were!

"Nice, isn't it?" Alec asked with a grin."I wish I could come more often" He said. "It's so pretty out here at night. The moon shades everything just perfectly. And when it's windy, the leafs rustle as if their dancing to the song of the night" Alec said. Everything he said being around the sort of context. The boy was exhilarated just being here. It brought a smile right to his lips. It was his 'safe place' or whatever the muggle term was for that. It calmed him even while keeping him talking and exhilarated.

Just some lame old park to most people. But it meant a lot more to Alec than everybody else. It meant a lot more than words could explain. "I haven't sketched this place yet.." Alec said. It was more than he hadn't just gotten the time to do it. He was making sure he didn't have the time to do it. He wanted to do it, but he couldn't. He was worried about messing it up. Messing up this place.. messing up the feeling of happiness it gave Alec when he went to it. He didn't want it to be misrepresented for some.. some boring old park that you could find anywhere. It was special. And Alec felt he couldn't put that type of thing on paper.

@Wyatt Starkey

"My mom gets a bit annoyed because it ruins her 'peace and quiet' or something like that. So for not wanting to get yelled at by my mom my most recent answer for this would be no. I've practically given up."

“Aren’t Gryffindors supposed to not give up? You’re a pretty disappointing Gryffindor, Mason,” Wyatt said playfully with a smirk. “You’re more like a Hufflepuff… not in a bad way, I guess. I just don’t see Slytherin, Gryffindor, or Ravenclaw in you. The sorting hat isn’t allowed to be wrong, though, is it?”

Wyatt thought the sorting hat was wrong sometimes. Like with Autumn Ivy and Hufflepuff. That girl definitely does not deserve to be a Hufflepuff. She has all the traits of an evil Slytherin, yet she’s a badger.

What at odd hat it was.

Wyatt was glad he didn’t own it, which reminded him, wasn’t it stolen? There’d been rumours about it going missing along with a few other items previously owned by Solomon Lear, who’d also gone missing. Hopefully he’d be back soon, the school fell apart since he’d left.

Wyatt put his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky. It was a miracle you could still see some of the stars with all the light pollution from the streetlamps above. They were quite nice, weren’t they? Space is a very pretty thing. With the planets and constellations and whatnot.

Wyatt wished he had a spaceship, and that he could fly himself into space whenever he wanted to. Alas, there was no spaceship for Wyatt.

“Anyway, if you want, I can show you the wonders of music. Music is the most beautiful thing in the world. It can make you feel. If you choose the right song, it could even feel like they’re singing to you. Music wouldn’t be popular if people couldn’t relate to it on some level. Even if you can’t relate, a good song is a good song, I guess.”

Another turn, and they had reached Greville.

"Nice, isn't it?" Alec asked with a grin.

“Hm.”

"I wish I could come more often."

Wyatt nodded.

"It's so pretty out here at night. The moon shades everything just perfectly.
And when it's windy, the leaves rustle as if their dancing to the song of the night."
Wyatt rolled his eyes. Alec definitely was trying to make his life into a sappy movie.

“How poetic,” he drawled.

Wyatt was curious if the boy had any sketches of the park.
Wyatt hadn’t seen any, but they could have been hidden somewhere.
“Have you-”

"I haven't sketched this place yet."

“Why not? It seems like it’d be the first thing you’d sketch…” Wyatt was interested in the boy’s answer. Alec was sort of an enigma. An enigma that would spill it’s whole life story if you asked nicely, so not really an enigma. Only an enigma to Wyatt, since the boy would never ask… especially not nicely.

Still, Wyatt thought Alec was interesting.

He turned his head slightly to look at the curly-haired Lion, before looking down at the ground. He barely processed that he’d just had a panic attack in front of the daft Gryffindor.

_{@Alec Mason}

Alec gave a nervous laugh. "I don't know it's kinda hard to explain.. " Alec said with a shrug. "I guess I'm just worried I'm not doing this place any justice if I sketch it." Alec said. Alec had seen sketches before of places capturing perfectly how the artist felt when they were there. It was hard for Alec to even wrap his head around. But you knew you could feel it. And as Alec said, he wouldn't be doing this special place any justice if he couldn't carry through with it. I mean he was only a twelve-year-old, what good sketch was he going to make out of this amazing place?

"And don't call me a hufflepuff" Alec said finally getting to it. "Not that hufflepuffs are bad or anything I just don't want to be one. I can only imagine what my parents would think if I was one. It'd be worse than being on gryffindor in their mind. And if I actually cared that much about listening to music. I would. It's just not that important to me," Alec said. "Although besides that, one of my first friends at Hogwarts is a hufflepuff. He's um.. sweet, I guess. Way to optimistic. He knows it too. He's tappered down a bit though. Even if he decided on the second day at Hogwarts, he was going to steal a beater's bat... It did not turn out well for him.." Alec said, grimacing slightly. He was about to step in but as soon as the beater had socked Clifton in the jaw the beater left. Alec had also just realized he was talking quite a bit. He hoped he wasn't being to annoying.

"He was also the first person I talked to after the whole meeting you.. incident. Of course he wasn't exactly too happy about it.." Alec said. He didn't like to think about it. How he just let the boy do it. And let him off like that.. Even if it was the more responsible choice after that, in the sort of sense. If Alec did any more harm, than the boy had done to him Alec would've been the one in trouble. And in big trouble at that. It was the one thing that made Alec a bit mad at himself. Right now it was just stupid witty remarks which weren't even witty because they weren't even acting like enemies right now.

@Wyatt Starkey