To Look Twice
Dialogue, Thoughts
IC date: September 1st
Location: King's Cross Station
Time: 10:30 AM
Mentioning: @Vivienne ThorneWord Count: 505Light poured in from the windows overhead, transforming a pair of distraught eyes into golden suns.
The boy was oddly young to be wandering King's Cross Station alone, yet old enough for crowds to scurry by without looking twice. He was quite tall for his age, lugging a trunk in one hand and clutching an apple in the other. The trunk blended in perfectly with the sea of suitcases carried by important businesspeople, who were always rushing somewhere important.
Fifteen minutes earlier, Atlas had gotten off the bus with no idea where King's Cross Station could be. The carefully written instructions he'd received for accessing Platform 9¾ did not include a map of London, and he had never been to London anyway. Mrs. Woodrow must be really desperate to get rid of him.
It was a woman named Tara Stevenson who came to his rescue. The aunt who'd been mentioned a total of two times his entire life. She was an interesting individual, beaming an eccentric, nose-scrunched smile as she met her mysterious nephew. Curly shoulder-length blonde hair bobbed as she strutted down the roadside pavements. She wore a fuzzy green sweater with red and glittered stripes- precisely the epitome of an ugly Christmas sweater. Flared jeans and red heels covered her lower body, bedecked with a shiny black belt and ankle bracelets. This was the tacky woman who drove Atlas to King's Cross Station. People often looked at her twice.
Then, she left, wishing him good luck at his "boarding school" in the same accent the self-absorbed girls at his school spoke in.
As the clickity-clack of his aunt's heels faded into the sounds of a busy train station, an unfamiliar loneliness settled in. Perhaps having his mother here wouldn't be so awful. The boy had no choice but to make his way to Platforms 9 and 10 and pray the stretch of brick wall was actually there. Occasionally, kids his age would be seen walking the same direction but disappeared too soon before Atlas could deem them wizard or muggle.
His jaw ached. An unsightly bruise had appeared on the edge of his face this morning; he had seen himself in the light reflection of the bus window. The apple he held was warm from hours of tight gripping but also bore a dent that fit perfectly with its holder's jawline. Mrs. Woodrow must have really been going mad.
Atlas finally reached the supposed entrance to Platform 9¾. A trashcan nearby caught his attention, which prompted him to toss that stupid apple in without a second thought. It was better no one saw it, lest anyone make the assumption he was clumsy enough to crash his lower face into an apple. The bruise was awful enough on its own. If there was one thing he'd noticed about Wizarding families, it was that their faces, elbows, and knees were clean of any injury. There must be some kind of healing spell or potion.
Speaking of Wizarding families, he wondered if he'd see Vivienne again...
Stamina: 8 | Evasion: 2 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 6 | Arcane Power: 9 | Accuracy: 6
Impartial | Y2 Ability | Y3 Ability
To Look Twice
Date: September 1, 2026
Time: 10:30 AM
Location: King's Cross StationInteractiong: @Atlas Woodrow
Outfit: blue top, jeans
speaking:#8b2909The day was a bright one, filled with sunlight and the usual activity around the crowded area. King's Cross Station was loud, but not unpleasantly so, simply loud in the way places became when hundreds of people were all trying to be somewhere at once.
Vivienne made her way toward the main part of the station. Her parents were here to drop her off, of course, along with her two brothers. They had made their way through Floo; straight to the Ministry of Magic Atrium where her father had needed to stop by. Vivienne was lucky enough to have gained the permission to travel to the platform alone while they finished business and followed her. And so, the eleven-year-old found herself alone on the platform, her trunk in hand, in all her excitement.
While her mind was haunted by the prospect of leaving everything behind, it was also thrilled beyond measure. Would she miss her family? maybe. Would she be starting something new entirely on her own? also yes. And while that might've been intimidating to someone else, it felt like the perfect opportunity for the young girl, to prove to herself that she really was something without her family name.
Rolling her eyes, Vivienne interrupted her own train of thought. She was supposed to be more excited than philosophical. More anything other than philosophical, really, because she was going to attend Hogwarts for the first time, after waiting for years. This was probably going to be one of the biggest days of her life. She would travel on the train, get sorted, make friends, and then so much more she couldn't help but imagine.
Out of the corner of her eye, Vivienne saw a familiar face. A familiar face, throwing an apple in the dustbin, with a bruise on his face. Ouch. And it made Vivienne wonder how Atlas got that one, on his face like that.
Vivienne made her way to the boy, who was standing near the Entrance of the platform barrier. Atlas Woodrow. She'd met him earlier in the bookshop, and had helped him get his books. She remembered the day vividly, she'd made one of her few pre-Hogwarts acquaintances that day, how could she not?
Anyhow, Vivienne's smile came naturally as she approached him. She would hope he'd like seeing her again. “Hey, Atlas!” Vivienne greeted him, now almost standing directly in front of the taller boy. “You're here alone?” She questioned, subconsciously taking a closer look at his bruise. She'd been doing this a lot lately—questioning. But then again, how else would she make conversation?
word count: 431
The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?