17 Aug 2023, 20:35
first day jitters
September 1, 2023As Crystal finished hugging her moms and gathered all her stuff together in preparation for boarding the train, she felt that inevitable feeling of existential dread sink in. Pulling her sweater tighter around her, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to hold in the tears she felt forming. As she stepped onto the train, with her luggage in hand, she found the nearest empty compartment and took a seat in the corner by the window.
She pulled a book out of her bag and tried to read it, but the tears threatening to break through the dam of her eyelids were too much. Instead, she closed the book and hugged it tightly to her chest, refusing to allow the tears to come through. I've done this before, she thought. So why am I so damn scared? Grow up, she scolded herself. She could understand why she was anxious at this time the previous year, after all the looming threat of spending a whole year without your family is a lot for a young child to handle, but she didn't understand why she was feeling the same way a year later.
"It's not that deep," she said aloud. "You're a smart girl. You have friends here. You should be fine. Why are you like this?" Last year on the train, she had had a nice time with a few other girls in her year. She didn't talk much, but it was easy. There wasn't a lot of pressure, as none of them knew anybody else and they were all arriving at the school for the first time.
She wished that this second time could be as easy as the first. As much as she appeared to like being alone, what she really wanted was another person to sit with.OOC: Anybody who wishes is free to join!
~ crystal n. walker ~
"am i allowed to look at her like that?"
- dodie
24 Aug 2023, 16:55
first day jitters
The memories of saying bye to her parents lingered in Hailey's head and heart. While she was of course overjoyed that magic was real and she of all people was a witch, going to Hogwarts meant saying goodbye to her old, comfortable life. The life she was used to.
As much as she liked to complain about her parents, they really were her support system, and without them, she was already feeling scared. She knew already she would not be sorted into Gryffindor- she'd never been very brave.
This wasn't helped by the fact that she didn't know a single person at the school, and wasn't at all confident in her ability to talk to strangers. The moment she got in any public space she would always start to feel extremely self conscious, like everyone was judging her, even though they probably couldn't care less. And this feeling was only exacerbated by the fact that everyone around her seemed so used to being a wizard- and she was definitely not.
Shaking her head of all her thoughts (though she couldn't shake the stomach-ache of nerves) and concentrating on the task ahead of her, Hailey stepped up onto the train. She tried to focus on the feelings of awe and excitement that hadn't left her since she received her letter.
The sounds of laughter and conversation reminded her how everyone knew each other, and she knew no one. She walked slowly down the aisle, glancing into cars for someplace she would feel comfortable sitting down.
Finally, after passing many groups of friends in their later years of school, and after passing many Slytherins, Hailey saw a Ravenclaw girl sitting alone. She looked nice, and Hailey was kind of hoping to be a Ravenclaw, so she decided this would be a good place to sit.
You can do this, Hailey thought to herself. This is an opportunity to make a friend! I'm sure she's nice, there's no need to be so nervous.
Hailey slid the door open with nerves and hope coursing through her body. Overthinking started to creep in, thoughts like What if she's waiting for her friends and gets annoyed at me sitting here?, but it was too late to turn back.
Hailey took a breath, smiled, and asked "Can I sit here?"
As much as she liked to complain about her parents, they really were her support system, and without them, she was already feeling scared. She knew already she would not be sorted into Gryffindor- she'd never been very brave.
This wasn't helped by the fact that she didn't know a single person at the school, and wasn't at all confident in her ability to talk to strangers. The moment she got in any public space she would always start to feel extremely self conscious, like everyone was judging her, even though they probably couldn't care less. And this feeling was only exacerbated by the fact that everyone around her seemed so used to being a wizard- and she was definitely not.
Shaking her head of all her thoughts (though she couldn't shake the stomach-ache of nerves) and concentrating on the task ahead of her, Hailey stepped up onto the train. She tried to focus on the feelings of awe and excitement that hadn't left her since she received her letter.
The sounds of laughter and conversation reminded her how everyone knew each other, and she knew no one. She walked slowly down the aisle, glancing into cars for someplace she would feel comfortable sitting down.
Finally, after passing many groups of friends in their later years of school, and after passing many Slytherins, Hailey saw a Ravenclaw girl sitting alone. She looked nice, and Hailey was kind of hoping to be a Ravenclaw, so she decided this would be a good place to sit.
You can do this, Hailey thought to herself. This is an opportunity to make a friend! I'm sure she's nice, there's no need to be so nervous.
Hailey slid the door open with nerves and hope coursing through her body. Overthinking started to creep in, thoughts like What if she's waiting for her friends and gets annoyed at me sitting here?, but it was too late to turn back.
Hailey took a breath, smiled, and asked "Can I sit here?"