Closed Puzzling notes Solo

September 14, Evening

Agata sat down on the ancient stone stairs leading to one of the numerous outdoor green spaces that the school had. Thr rainforest was slowly starting to come alive as the sun dipped near the horizon. It was near the end of the day, the time free of any classes and sports practice Agata might have. She relished it.

This year she had chosen a new sport to tackle, broom racing. After the Summer and the delightful win with Beauxbatons, Agata had decided that she'd done her duty with Quidditch. She'd done all there was to do with the broom sport. The thing was, she loved being on a broom too much to give it up entirely. So, after much consideration, choosing broom racing seemed like the logical choice.

But right now, it wasn't about that. She'd had practice yesterday, sweating through the humidity and long practice hours to get her turns and evasive manuevers just right. This night, with the warm breeze flicking up the loose strands of her braids, was about relaxing. And home.

A letter and parcel sat on the stairs next to her. The crisp, white paper of the letter told her it wasn't from her parents, whose own stationary was always a little yellow and blotchy. She'd been curious at the earlier mealtime when she'd recieved the parcel, but hadn't truly had time until now to look at it.

Sliding a finger undermeath the green wax seal, Agatas eyes flicked across the paper in earnest. What was written made her even more curious as to the other part of her delivery.

Dear Sister,
I hope this letter finds you well. I know how much Mother and Father speak of you, and are proud you are continuing the family tradition of potioneering. I hope your studies are going well, and that you are finding time to have some fun.

I know you don't hear from me much, but I found this when going through Abuelas things and thought it might prove useful to you. I feel somewhere inside that you might need this.

The box is a puzzle box, something made for keeping prized objects safe. It is a bit of a challenge and some fun. I opened it myself and as I said, thought you might need it.

Keep it or discard it, that is your choice. But know I love you little sister.

Please write back to me.

Forever keeping you in my heart,
Sofía

Water dripped on the page and Agata swiped at her face. Was she crying? Shd hadn't even realised. Her heart clenched as the girl read over the words again. This was the first communication from her eldest sistet in years. The memory of yelling and screaming came back to the girl unbidden. Sofía had left in a rage, furious that her parents would not support her in her love for politics and law making. It was a fools job. Such distrust there. She should be continuing the family tradition of herbology. Or potion making. Like Julián. Or Adriana. Something outside of the family business was wrong, especially working for the Ministry as a lowly civil servant. But Sofía had proclaimed it was good, steady work. And she wasn't always going to be at the bottom of the ladder. Except her zealous ideals had clashed with their parents, and one day Sofía had stormed out never to return. This letter was the first contact in years. Agata was sure her parents would not be receiving a letter. Brushing the letter reverantly, Agata was pleased that Abeula was caring for Sofía. A rush of tenderness filled her. There was still love in the family.

Folding and placing the letter aside, Agata picked up the puzzle box. It was solid, with no clear latch or opening. Setting it on her lap, Agatas forhead scrunched. She'd seen a few similar boxes before, at Abuelas. They had been Abeulos. But she'd never opened one herself. Sliding her hands around the outer edge, she found an indent. She pressed. A gasp pierced the warm evening air as a wooden bar shot out of the side of the box. Agata pulled it, but it remained fast to the box. Hmm. This wasn't going to be easy. What if she twisted it? Eureka! The bar twisted, the horizontal direction becoming vertical as it was moved. As it moved into place a click sounded, and a small circular disc popped up from the top of the box. A laugh echoed around the space. Of course Sofía thought this was fun. Her sister had always been one for knowledge. Pressing on the disc, it wouldn't budge. She couldn't pull it up either. Twisting did nothing but make it go round and round in circles. Pushing it though seemed to do the trick. The Peruvian girls eyes went wide as she realised what it was. A magnet. Her hand flew across the box, sliding the disc to and fro until, right at the bottom, basically mirrored to where it started on the top of the box, she heard a click. Something seemed to come loose. Leaving the disc there, she slid her hands aound until she found what she was looking for. A seal. Opened with the slide of the magnet. Carefully prying the lid open, Agata sat back fully, staring at the contents in surprise.

It was a necklace. A sliver set of small pipes inlaid on a thin silver chain. Small enough it wouldn't get in the way of her attire, and pretty enough it wouldn't be out of the ordinary to wear it. Her eyes started watering again, and Agata swiped at them before any water droplets could fall. How did Sofía know? She'd been struggling to find a way to tell her parents about her passion. That she didn't want to continue the family tradition of plants and potions. Sweet melodic music and notes was what she wanted. She wanted to create. Make people feel. Bring them together. But she couldn't do that with the weight of her parents over her. Fingering the necklace lightly, she picked it up, making it gleam in the setting sun. Perhaps she should go after what she wanted. What she dreamed.

Putting the necklace on, she eyed the letter next to her. It was special. Important to her. Picking it up, she placed it in the box and closed the seal with a resolute feeling. A new year, a new chapter in her life was about to start. Holding the box, she stood and turned to go up to her room before heading to dinner, the melodic notes filling the air from a music room somewhere above her.