12 May 2018, 02:45
Huff... Puff... Wheeze...
It wasn't just whatever, it was a lot of things, but anything but whatever. There was relief, pain, joy, and a lot of other things that mixed itself within him. Noises to him seemed like loud sounds and sounds seemed blurry visions, robbed of clarity in even the most mundane senses. Nevertheless, he was grateful to be here and wherever here was. His legs nearly gave way out of pure exhaustion and mere relief. As he was helped towards a bed, he had seen a few of the others and none of what he saw made his forlorn expression disappear.
The bed comforted him soon enough though, a simple pillow and some blankets was all he needed. The wounds were there, not as worse as the others, but they were there both on his skin and in his heart. It was too late to beat himself over it, he could mope all he wanted but none of this would change. There was a time for anger and regret, a time to reflect and everything else that made his question who he was or if he was even fit to be a wizard. But that time wasn't now, it would be when he least expects it and when he'd be filled with doubt.
In many and all of the sense, he was weary after today and yet he couldn't sleep. The adrenaline was spent, the energy was too, his bones weren't anything superhuman and he was only just a kid. But experience was a great purveyor of fear and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to get some rest tonight. Perhaps he'd ask for some candlelight - despite the fire that almost ravaged them. He glanced around silently, looking as if he was still shell shocked from it all. In all of this, the voice of Serena didn't reach his ears and not even his name called him back.
The shirt that clung to his chest was soaked in sweat and blood, some of the blood wasn't his. But the nurses and the helps eventually came around, his wounds were gone, sealed and closed for another day. He wasn't all cleaned, but this wasn't anything that bothered him since he wasn't bleeding out anymore. Yet the loss of blood made things hard, it caused the boy to seem sluggish and a little lightheaded. Still he managed to hold onto his soft drinks and chew on the marshmallow in his hand. He had a few on his lap, it was great food for warriors after a battle.
He forced himself to swallow the soft treat, finally glancing to his side to see Serena and another boy. He seemed familiar, but the name was escaping his foggy mind. Reid was just happy to see the Prefect alive, he last saw her in such a hellish state that it felt like there was no coming back. It still hurt to see her that way in the first place though. The boy waved his hand ever so slightly at the pair, turning his attention back to Solomon.
Even after all of this, the man still had the power to tell stories, that was some relief. He imagined Solomon to be the commander who may have lost an arm or two and still could tell a good tale about it. "Stories sound good, maybe not too scary this time?" he managed with a light smile. Reid wanted to hear Lear's own story if no one offered.
"Trouble usually finds me."
14 May 2018, 15:13
Huff... Puff... Wheeze...
Roma wakes up, and the memories of what had previously happened rush back to her. She grumbles out a "I'm so stupid-" before breaking out into a fit of violent coughs. She gazes around, recognizing many of the people there, and there were other people too, people that she'd never seen. They must be visiting. She sighs. Being so shy, she hadn't had the time to make any friends, so nobody would so much as talk to her, visitor or not. She wallows in her own regret, thoughts like "Why did I have to go and be a part of the trouble instead of helping it" and "Why didn't I help that other girl who had run into the forest as well" running through her head. She realizes that a tear has found its way down her cheek, and she quickly brushes it away, hoping nobody noticed. She turns her attention to the soda and smores, picking up the smore. She'd never seen one before, she'd only heard about them so this was a magical little thing to her. She nibbles on it and found that it tasted wonderful. She looks down at her arm to see a thin layer of bandages surrounding it. She didn't remember scraping her arm, but perhaps she'd burnt it in the fire.
The fire...
Her wand!
She frantically searches for her wand, hoping that it hadn't gone up in flames, and sighs in relief as she spots it on her side table. Thank the stars.
The fire...
Her wand!
She frantically searches for her wand, hoping that it hadn't gone up in flames, and sighs in relief as she spots it on her side table. Thank the stars.
Because we all have those little twinkles and those little twinkles are all important and beautiful and without even one the sky just wouldn't be the same.
22 May 2018, 20:59
Huff... Puff... Wheeze...
OC: Sorry, for some reason I have had limited access to Hogwarts.io and no access to the Discord. I have some catching up to do, my apologies.
IC:
Children were resilient creatures. Hours earlier they were fighting for their lives against a barely conceivable threat but through shear force of will, loyalty, strength and fidelity they were able to work together and survive the assault. Through the leaded windows he could see the woods still ablaze, the blackened and charred skeleton of the forest reminded Solomon of a row of fractured gravestones in the dead of night. The periphery still burning, the blaze was starting to die on its own. The woods here were not terribly dry thankfully and the natural moisture in the ground was making the next tress harder to catch fire. Still, a bit over an acre would be likely lost if he was to make an estimate. The springs would creak beneath him as he shifted his weight, there were other things for the man to think about.
“Thank you, Professor. And…I’m sorry.”
Cynthia accepted the smore and apologized. It as not her fault, not really. He was not going to explain that fact, he would never be able to do that. What happened was terrible but necessary. She did not feel powerful, brave or accomplished but at the very least she could feel alive. And that was a good thing. Having a healthy fear of muggles was important for wizards. It was part of what kept their way of life safe and consistent. Moreover, that sense of fault would prevent her and others from looking too closely at the situation and the events that were soon to unfold.
“Are my parents coming, Professor?”
Cynthia asked, he shook his head no. "Nobody is coming... nobody has been told about what happened." His voice had a somber tone as he said this. There was nothing to stop them from telling their parents. There was nothing stopping them from wanting to go home for a few weeks if they wished. He hoped they would. He hoped that he would receive an owl from some irate parents. That they would demand his head. He did not care, not really. His name and position meant nothing to him if his students were dead. "But if you feel that you need them, you can always reach out to them," he was basically waving his career good bye but he did not care. He had other things that he could do with his life but these kids needed to have the opportunity to live theirs. "I know that this was a scary experience... I would not blame any of you one bit if you ended up wanting to head home for a few weeks to deal with the traumas that you experienced." Yes, he was even feeding into it a bit.
Pressing matters such as what to do with the children now. They had survived the ordeal, he never would have let them die even if some were more fragile than he had expected. Some of them would be traumatized, subject to night terrors. Their coping mechanisms underdeveloped, their minds unprepared, but at least they and their friends survived. That was all that truly mattered in the end.
Serena had started to stir, she seemed interested in only Reid. She had said his name a few times. At least she was alive. She was going to be OK, Isaak said so, but there was much more than broken bones and burnt flesh to a broken person. That was something that few practitioners truly understood. He would glance in her direction.
The chaos had drawn some Hufflepuffs that had decided to sit out the camp out such as Amadea and Howie, perhaps it was for the best for them. It had also drawn a member from a different house, a Gryffindor in fact, their Prefect Siege Aramastus Bal. He seemed rather attached to Serena, Solomon could not help but notice. There was no way for him to know if there was a relationship, a friendship or something else between them. He could guess and of course he did, this was more than a dangerous game to the Professor. This was a means to an end for him, a cost he was willing to pay with blood. "Serena is strong," Solomon would assure Seige. "She would do better with muggle care for those burns," he continued testing the Prefect's sympathies and passions with the choice terms. "But our magic here is Hogwarts is unparalleled," he falsely assured Seige, knowing the opposite would be planted in his mind. He wanted the Griffendor to get angry, he did not care if it was him that Seige berated, he simply wanted the negative interaction in a semi-public forum. He wanted the children to communicate with their parents what happened here. He wanted the outcry. The anger. He wanted them to push Hogwarts into sending the students away, into forcing the staff at Hogwarts to admit the fact that the children were in danger or even use this incident as an excuse to send them away for a few weeks. A few weeks until they found out the truth. Found the culprit. Brought them to justice.
It was unfortunate that whatever sentiments this Griffindor had towards Serena, if any, were either not requited or she felt them more strongly towards Reid. It was a bit disheartening but as far as he was concerned, Reid was a better catch anyways by the virtue of the fact that Reid was a Hufflepuff - a loyal and devoted friend indeed. What is a Griffindor if not reckless and hard-headed? Serena needed neither of those things in her life, regardless of the Prefect's sentiments.
James was awake as well, he was one of the few that remained standing throughout most of this incident. The kid could take a hit. He was not particularly bright, but he was tough and he had a gentle nature. Solomon knew nothing of the friend James had lost, one of the few casualties in the fire -- a spider. The kid was a spider-whisperer as far as that spider was concerned at the very least, if only the other spiders shared the sentiment they might have survived. Alas, much like in DnD and Pathfinder (I mean DnD 3.5), the NPCs are common victims to the DM's discretionary evil.
Solomon was not even looking at Seige, he was looking at Isaak. Did Isaak even know about the theft? There was no way for him to know anything for certain and his tongue was tied regarding the matter. She was still muttering Reid's name at this point but she was beginning to stir. He could see her arms and her legs start to move and she would awaken with a startle.
"Reid!! Reid- Where are you? Are you okay-"
Solomon could not help but be drawn to the noise, as others were as well. She was up and then right back down. "He's here," Solomon replied. "He's fine," he added keeping what he had to say short and simple. It was his first instinct to approach her bed now that she was awake but she was already being flanked by a pair of boys. "Huffle-tough, remember..." He tried to make a joke, he even forced a small chuckle that hurt more than he expected it to. Isaak was already there, doing whatever it was that the magical medical sorts do with her anyways. He was not one to try to define their medical hocus pokus but the girl was coming to and that was all that mattered.
She was having a moment with Seige.
"Siege... I- I'm so glad you're okay..." She whispered into his ear, as she had her face pressed up into the side of his, "I- Th- I thought- that everyone had-"
That everyone had died? Yes, almost nearly.
"It- The fire- And then- it went dark- and-"
She was crying, not that he could blame her. A part of him wanted to comfort her, but again she already had enough love all around her. He was not necessary and if anything he felt guilty.
"An- And Reid- what happened to Reid? And every- they all- did you- did you save them?"
Reid was fine, sitting right near her. Well, laying. "He's fine," Solomon announced. Reid could have said something but he didn't. Well fine might have been a mild exaggeration, but he was good enough. Stable if he wanted to sound like those medical folk. "Reid tried to pull you out, he got you part of the way but he got hurt too. Marissa dragged you out," Solomon explained keeping it simple. "He's a tough guy, recovering over there" he assured her, Reid was simply in the bed adjacent. It was true, he, like James could take one heck of a beating but they both seemed to have a hard time casting much of anything. "He is also very much awake," Solomon announced letting the cat out of the bag over the fact that he failed to speak up and answer the clearly panicking Prefect.
Ezekiel was there as well, the Slytherin Prefect. He had helped carry Orion to safety. "Thanks," Solomon called over to Ezekiel, too tired to make his way across the room and likely Ezekiel too tired to make his way to Solomon. "Keep awake," Solomon cautioned the Slytherin. He did not know what happened to everyone but he was concerned. Isaak was a wizard first, healer second. They had a deep understanding of the mystical arts but they lacked the scientific understanding of human anatomy that muggle doctors possessed. He tired hard to ensure that there would only be injuries, not deaths. Ezekiel was a clever boy, many Slytherins were more clever than credited for. He would know how to survive and if he was a true Slytherin how to take full credit for the entire party's survival.
Roma was awake as well. Everyone was all right, including (probably Orion who never posted). Storytime had started.
The smores would be passed around the room, hot and gooey, sweet and crunchy -- what could go wrong? For once that rhetorical question could be answered with: nothing. Sarafina shared a ghost story. It was just what the children needed, a moment of normalcy. A moment of childish relief. "Good story Miss Rivers," Solomon smiled, it ached a bit as he did so. Both his face and his heart hurt a little. He failed, his body was burned and he was in more pain than he was letting on but he was not thinking about that, there was something else that hurt even more deep inside. It felt like his heart was being squeezed by an unseen hand. He knew that he failed, Isaak was not going to send these kids away and this incident would prove fruitless. The kids here suffered for nothing.
Solomon would add his own.
He let out a hacking cough before he started.
"I once knew a boy that looked exactly like me. We all have them don't we? Twins? Doppelgangers? Mirror Images? For the most part we hear about them from a friend, someone who claims that they met someone so similar to us that it was uncanny. We often shrug it off and carry on with our days, mildly humored perhaps that someone had thought of you in the course of their day. Perhaps a bit curious but never enough to actually look into it.
Well, I was forced to face that fact once. The year was 1990. I was here, in Hogwarts. I was entering my senior year and I could not be any more excited. I started my day in Transfiguration, at the time my favorite class and my Professor had an announcement to make. We had a new student. His name was Gavin Abbott and he had come to us from Castelobruxo, they had sorted him into Slytherin which should have been a dead give away of course but that was not his most outstanding feature. That was the fact that he looked just like me. Same blonde hair cut short and left messy but there was more effort in those 'bed head' spikes than I cared to mention. His hair was perhaps a few shades blonder than mine but still rather similar. His eyes, hazel like mine. They varied between blue and green but his were a bit brighter. The same almond shape essentially. His nose, like mine in shape but smaller. His smile a bit wider, his teeth a shade whiter. Yet strangely enough he looked just like me, only mildly improved.
My teacher thought I was playing some sort of prank, we were similar enough that she was not entirely certain which person -- myself or Gavin was standing at the front of the room. There were murmurs through the class, some more boisterous than others that would say their thoughts out loud. That I had a twin. That one of us was an escaped clone of the other. That this was obviously some sort of joke. It became quickly obvious that was not the case when the Professor and the other students saw the expression on my face. The color had left me, my mouth agape. A look of shock and worry on my face.
No, it was no prank and if it was, Gavin was the cause. Gavin seemed confident. Indifferent perhaps to our similarities. Maybe he was simply dumb and did not notice. How could he not see it? It was a s clear as day. But unlike everyone else in the class, including our instructor he never said a word about it.
The Professor had a sense of humor. He directed Gavin to take the seat next to me and tasked me with showing Gavin around the school. Apparently Gavin had come from Castelobruxo as a part of their exchange student program. Gavin was apparently skilled in Magizoology, a specialty of that Brazilian school. We shared in that interest and we found that our physical similarities were not where the similarities ended between us. Our parents had similar professions. Academically were were both quite similar. Our passion for Transfiguration and Magizoology was a common source of conversation. It was easy for us to become casual friends.
Gavin would join me and my friends in episodes of mischief, at first it was us playing tricks on them admittedly but he very quickly also became friendly with the same friends I had. It should not be a surprise for me that we gravitated to the same people. That we got along so famously well. The students and some of the teachers would even call us the 'brothers' as we looked so similar. If it was not for Gavin's mild accent that some of the girl's found charming, many struggled to tell us apart. Some honestly thought that we might be more closely related than we thought. Neither of us entertained the idea in anything more than jest.
At first things went well. It was neat having someone so similar. But there was something unsettling as well. It was the afternoon, a Friday I would like to think. Me and the guys were playing Quidditch when Gavin flew over. He was considered witty by my friends so of course he greeted us in a manner that would eventually become somewhat repetitive. "Funny, I did not expect to run into me out here." My friends would all of course laugh, they found this hilarious because we were 'mirror reflections' of each other as they often reminded us both. So they laughed but I did not. The joke unsettled me, and it did every time thereafter when he said it.
Eventually Gavin would branch out, make some of his own friends as well. He got along well in his House Slytherin. Academically he did well also, he spent a lot of time in the library and got to know a number of the Ravenclaws as well. For the most part nobody had a negative thing to say about Gavin. He got along with almost anyone he met. There were a few loners that hated him on principle, even they would eventually warm up to him. In this way he was unique in comparison to me, he was universally popular. I was happy for him. At least I told myself that I was. Gavin was likable and very much similar to me, therefore I was likable as well. And I told myself that and it worked for awhile. You see there was a little part of me that was jealous, why did they like him more than me? it was not that I was a loner or an outcast, I had my circle of friends still. They were also his and they never told me that they preferred him over me, but there was something about the quantity even if my quality was excellent because Gavin had those same 'quality' friends as well. I was jealous. I tried to swallow it and I did. I even tried to socialize more but I quickly came to the conclusion that I only had so much social currency and when it was spent I was simply exhausted.
Gavin seemed to have endless social currency.
That is not where things ended of course. The Yule Ball was something I was looking forward to for some time. There was a girl that I had an eye on, Valentina Greene... the prettiest girl I had ever seen. I had been planning on asking her to the Yule Ball for months. Well, so hadn't Gavin. Guess who got to her first? Actually, it was me. I should have won this one, but I didn't. You see when I asked her out she rejected me, she told me that she was interested in someone else and that she could not see us as anything but friends. I was disappointed, sure but I could handle it. I found another date and went to the ball with another girl. She was pretty and nice and she wanted to go with me but she was no Valentina. At the Yule Ball I saw her there, she was happy and she was dancing. She looked like she was having a good time. Whoever she brought with her really was making her happy. Most of me was happy for her, there was of course a petty part of me that thought that I would have made her happier... I was of course wrong, in this case i would have made her just as happy. You see, she brought Gavin to the Yule Ball.
Weren't we pretty much the same people? Didn't she reject me, incapable of seeing myself and her as more than just friends? Now here she was with a guy that looked almost like me. Acted almost like me. But let's be real. It was ALMOST. He was a bit better looking than me. He was more popular than me. More outgoing. Even his grades were better than mine.Yes, even his grades. Just a bit better but it was noticeable when I really looked at it.
After the ball, I fell into a depression. I isolated myself from my friends. I stopped sending owls to my family in London. A few people tried to reach out, they noticed that something was wrong. It did not help, my grades would suffer even further. As the year continued on, salivation appeared to be in sight. I was a senior this year. Soon enough I would be free of this place. Free from the comparison. Free to be the ONLY me.
I applied for every place I could think of, I was going to pursue a career in magical creatures. Knowing full well if things persisted as they had that Gavin would do the same, I applied to every place I could think of. I would take the place that Gavin rejected, it was a bitter pill to swallow but I would get over it in time. I would have to. Knowing that there was another person out there that was just like me, only a little bit better in every single way.
I found that I hated Gavin for this fact. I hated his face, causing me to hate mine. I hated his charisma, something I could have had... I should have had. He was only successful because I existed I told myself. He made his first group of friends here because of me. That gave him the confidence to make more. He did so well academically because of me. Because of my friends. because it gave him the footing that he needed to study. That Brazilian accent was fine and all but now that I thought about it I had to wonder how much of it was forced. It was not that distinctive, bedsides my voice was charming too wasn't it? So much better than an American drawl.
My depression festered into hate. not self-hate, but hate towards my reflection... towards Gavin. he was only a copy. I was the original. I wondered how much of my behavior he copied. How much of me he copied, just mildly improving upon what he saw each and every time. I was the first!
I did not realize how angry I was. A part of me had always felt it I was certain. That the other me could not exist. Should not exist. I could not go on living knowing that there was a copy-cat version of me out there. That there was some big old faker taking from me everything that I had. Everything that I could have. Knowing that I would always be second-pick. That when given the choice, they would take Gavin over me because he was 'better' in every conceivable way. It was an objective fact.
I knew what I had to do, even if I did not want to admit it to myself. It started subconsciously. I appeared to resign myself to my fate, I accepted the position offered to me. It would take me to Japan where I would study Tsukomogamis. It was not my first pick but it was my second, you can guess who got my first pick. Yes, it was Gavin. It only reinforced what I knew. A part of me wondered if he was stealing my owls and looking to see where I was applying. The similarities were unsettling.
I was planning his murder. I did not even notice it at first. I had purchased a knife. Not just any knife, but an incredibly sharp knife that had no magical properties what so ever. For the most part we are surrounded by our magic but in this case I did not want a magical link back to me. Back to anyone. I had gotten myself a change of clothes and I had hidden them in a back street in Diagon Alley. I found an excuse for us both to be there at the same time, there was a demonstration regarding Magical Creatures in muggle areas. New theories on how to hide their presence without using our magic. How we could explain it all away. The speech was being given by an expert in the field, Gregory McDarwyn. I would not miss it for the world and I knew that Gavin would not miss it either.
I had everything set. I had a venue. I had an escape plan. I knew where my victim was going to be because my victim was essentially me. So I arrived early, excited. Gavin did the same. In fact Gavin approached me. I was a little surprised, we had drifted apart partially due to my isolation and his popularity and partially due to the fact that Gavin was very busy.
"Hey Solo-man" he said, making a quip at my anti-social behavior has of late. "I did not expect to run into me in a place like this," there it was again. The same tired joke that always made people laugh. In fact a stranger did when they heard Gavin say it. It only fed into my hate. I hated his handsome, charming face. I hated his bright blue eyes and awesome hair. I was a dapper young fellow, that you can be certain of. "We are graduating next week. What a year." He commented, making some small talk. "You and I should grab a bite after, I know this great place that is a bit out of the way," he offered out of nowhere.
He was doing all of my work for me. Coming up with an excuse, an opportunity to get away from everyone. In my left pocket I felt my wand, in my right my blade. "Yeah, sounds excellent. We really need to catch up." And like that we were in agreement, I would take him on his last outing.
After the seminar ended, I was drunk with excitement. Gavin was as well. Still, I refused to forget my mission. So we left the hall and wandered the Alley, past the shops and the curios. If I had no other objective I would have enjoyed window shopping. Still, I departed from the well trod path, pointing down an alley claiming it was a short cut.
Gavin did not even question it. He simply smiled and complied. The walk was quiet, almost eerie. We rounded a few corners, found the 'worst' part of town. I was going to simply claim I got lost if I was questioned. He never questioned me. Perhaps he was seeking this terrible fate.
There was nobody there, not on this narrow street. No windows nearby. Nobody as far as the eye could see in any direction, just tall brick walls. It was now or never. I pulled my wand from my pocket and I muttered the incantation: Petrificus Totalus. I heard an echo. My doppelganger had said the exact same thing, his wand out in his hand. It should not have surprised me but it did, not that he was doing the same thing oddly enough but the fact that we shared the same core. When two wands share the same core, they are known as Brother Wands and when they are used together they are stronger than when used alone. However when they are used to conflict with one another, an event known as a Priori Incantatem transpires.
When a duel occurred between wizards with wand cores harvested from the same creature, simultaneous spell-casting by both parties would trigger a rare, powerful effect called Priori Incantatem. Both wands became linked through a single, golden thread of energy and the casters are forced to compete in a battle of wills. When one wand managed to overcome the other, it forces the losing wand to regurgitate "echoes" of the most recent spells it had cast, in reverse order.
We had both cast the same spell at the same time at eachother, but neither of us were bound by that curse. Instead we were holding onto our quivering wands tethered to one another by a thin, golden strand of light. I refused to let go, to give-up and for the first time ever I saw Gavin's face twisted into a hideous expression of hate. That was my face, that was exactly how I looked I realized just then. I did not deter me. I made me hate him all the more.
"You copy-cat! You good for nothing faker!" I shouted at him.
"Faker. ME! I am a better version than you in every way!" Gavin shouted back, clutching onto his wand as tight as he could. "You are just an inferior, and I cannot go on for another minute knowing that there is a lesser version of ME out there in this world."
The Priori Incantatem broke, Gavin's wand the victor. I should have known his would win. He knew it would win. My wand had not been used for much of anything, something ashamedly apparent when the Reverse Spell went off. I dropped my wand as it started to splinter, before it broke in my hand. My right already had the knife drawn, the decisive factor between us I thought.
But no. As I lunged at him, Gavin stepped to the side and reached out and grabbed my wrist. My knife stabbed past Gavin and in a single seemless motion Gavin had already drawn his blade and stabbed it into my gut. I did not even feel it enter, I just felt the pressure and then a sense of shock and dread. It was not supposed to happen like this. My knees buckled and I feel to the ground. Gavin gloated.
"You're not the first. You're not even the second. Just an undeserving copy. A twisted, grotesque image of ME."
For someone who had killed before, he really did not realize how long it takes for someone to die. How fragile they were. I was not dead yet and I was still armed. With a single upward motion, I jammed my blade just beneath his jaw. He seemed surprised, just like I did. He did not expect a 'good for nothing copy' to get anywhere, but I was no copy. HE was. I was the original and soon to be once more a 'one of a kind.' "Only one of us get's out of here alive. The REAL one, right? The BETTER one? The ONLY one?"
I did not assume he was dead, I kicked his blade away and my knife went into him again... and again... until I was absolutely certain. I had never seen a dead person before, but there is a point where you just know. He... I... was dead. I was wounded yes, in the stomach. Just barely missed my liver. I dragged him to the dumpster, one of the reciprocals was empty in anticipation of this moment less my bag with clean clothes. I changed right there in the alleyway, nobody rounded the corner. Nobody cared to search for the sounds of a pair of boys fighting, in the poorest, meanest parts of towns such as these that is a nightly occurrence.
I loaded Gavin into the dumpster, placed my bloodied clothes on top of him and a few rogue bags on top of that. He would not be found for several days and by then I would already be long-gone to Japan. I had gotten away with it. I was FREE.
I found no evidence that Gavin had anything waiting for me, but he appeared to be prepared. Had he made his plan with the assumption that I was going to try to kill him? That he knew I was going to try? I tried to avoid thinking about it.
In the weeks that followed, nobody came looking for me. I heard a vague rumor that Gavin had run off. Some assumed he was fleeing responsibility, perhaps overwhelmed by the prospect of being an adult. Some thought he might have fallen in love with a Veela and ran off with her. I never heard anyone mention finding a body, it was likely disposed of in a massive dump somewhere. His bones picked clean by the gulls.
I had a new lease on life. Without Gavin there, my studies improved. I felt more ambitious. More outgoing. My life improved in every conceivable way. I had less fear. Less inhibitions. I knew I was capable. I was strong. I was one of a kind.
I moved to Japan after I graduated Hogwarts with honors, my grades rebounded after my victory in Diagon Alley. Once there every once in awhile someone would mention that I seemed familiar. That they had seen me before. I laughed it off, even if a secret part of me was unsettled. Perhaps it was the fact that I was the only tall blonde there, after all we 'all look alike.' I made a few jokes of a similar nature and they laughed it off as did I until I saw what they were eluding to. No, we did look exactly alike. A young researcher from Germany, part of my expedition party. He looked just like me, his hair a bit more brown than blonde. His blue eyes more closer to a hazel brown-blue. His mouth and eyes a bit smaller, his nose a tad crooked. I was about an inch taller and my waist an inch thinner. The resemblance was astonishing.
The researcher's name was Kevin Nobb. Even his name was somewhat dorky. I would take in a deep breath. He looked at me astonished. His face a shade of ghastly white. It was then that I realized what I was. what I was really. That I was not nearly as unique as I thought I was, not that it mattered because i was the first. I was the original. I was not going to let another stinking fake take my spot. Take my fame. My glory."
It was there that Solomon stopped his story. It was all fake, probably. He let out a laugh. That laugh hurt a bit more than he was willing to admit. "Your turns."
OOC EDIT: Been awhile... I am going to assume that there is nobody posting in here any longer. I am going to leave this thread.
IC:
Children were resilient creatures. Hours earlier they were fighting for their lives against a barely conceivable threat but through shear force of will, loyalty, strength and fidelity they were able to work together and survive the assault. Through the leaded windows he could see the woods still ablaze, the blackened and charred skeleton of the forest reminded Solomon of a row of fractured gravestones in the dead of night. The periphery still burning, the blaze was starting to die on its own. The woods here were not terribly dry thankfully and the natural moisture in the ground was making the next tress harder to catch fire. Still, a bit over an acre would be likely lost if he was to make an estimate. The springs would creak beneath him as he shifted his weight, there were other things for the man to think about.
“Thank you, Professor. And…I’m sorry.”
Cynthia accepted the smore and apologized. It as not her fault, not really. He was not going to explain that fact, he would never be able to do that. What happened was terrible but necessary. She did not feel powerful, brave or accomplished but at the very least she could feel alive. And that was a good thing. Having a healthy fear of muggles was important for wizards. It was part of what kept their way of life safe and consistent. Moreover, that sense of fault would prevent her and others from looking too closely at the situation and the events that were soon to unfold.
“Are my parents coming, Professor?”
Cynthia asked, he shook his head no. "Nobody is coming... nobody has been told about what happened." His voice had a somber tone as he said this. There was nothing to stop them from telling their parents. There was nothing stopping them from wanting to go home for a few weeks if they wished. He hoped they would. He hoped that he would receive an owl from some irate parents. That they would demand his head. He did not care, not really. His name and position meant nothing to him if his students were dead. "But if you feel that you need them, you can always reach out to them," he was basically waving his career good bye but he did not care. He had other things that he could do with his life but these kids needed to have the opportunity to live theirs. "I know that this was a scary experience... I would not blame any of you one bit if you ended up wanting to head home for a few weeks to deal with the traumas that you experienced." Yes, he was even feeding into it a bit.
Pressing matters such as what to do with the children now. They had survived the ordeal, he never would have let them die even if some were more fragile than he had expected. Some of them would be traumatized, subject to night terrors. Their coping mechanisms underdeveloped, their minds unprepared, but at least they and their friends survived. That was all that truly mattered in the end.
Serena had started to stir, she seemed interested in only Reid. She had said his name a few times. At least she was alive. She was going to be OK, Isaak said so, but there was much more than broken bones and burnt flesh to a broken person. That was something that few practitioners truly understood. He would glance in her direction.
The chaos had drawn some Hufflepuffs that had decided to sit out the camp out such as Amadea and Howie, perhaps it was for the best for them. It had also drawn a member from a different house, a Gryffindor in fact, their Prefect Siege Aramastus Bal. He seemed rather attached to Serena, Solomon could not help but notice. There was no way for him to know if there was a relationship, a friendship or something else between them. He could guess and of course he did, this was more than a dangerous game to the Professor. This was a means to an end for him, a cost he was willing to pay with blood. "Serena is strong," Solomon would assure Seige. "She would do better with muggle care for those burns," he continued testing the Prefect's sympathies and passions with the choice terms. "But our magic here is Hogwarts is unparalleled," he falsely assured Seige, knowing the opposite would be planted in his mind. He wanted the Griffendor to get angry, he did not care if it was him that Seige berated, he simply wanted the negative interaction in a semi-public forum. He wanted the children to communicate with their parents what happened here. He wanted the outcry. The anger. He wanted them to push Hogwarts into sending the students away, into forcing the staff at Hogwarts to admit the fact that the children were in danger or even use this incident as an excuse to send them away for a few weeks. A few weeks until they found out the truth. Found the culprit. Brought them to justice.
It was unfortunate that whatever sentiments this Griffindor had towards Serena, if any, were either not requited or she felt them more strongly towards Reid. It was a bit disheartening but as far as he was concerned, Reid was a better catch anyways by the virtue of the fact that Reid was a Hufflepuff - a loyal and devoted friend indeed. What is a Griffindor if not reckless and hard-headed? Serena needed neither of those things in her life, regardless of the Prefect's sentiments.
James was awake as well, he was one of the few that remained standing throughout most of this incident. The kid could take a hit. He was not particularly bright, but he was tough and he had a gentle nature. Solomon knew nothing of the friend James had lost, one of the few casualties in the fire -- a spider. The kid was a spider-whisperer as far as that spider was concerned at the very least, if only the other spiders shared the sentiment they might have survived. Alas, much like in DnD and Pathfinder (I mean DnD 3.5), the NPCs are common victims to the DM's discretionary evil.
Solomon was not even looking at Seige, he was looking at Isaak. Did Isaak even know about the theft? There was no way for him to know anything for certain and his tongue was tied regarding the matter. She was still muttering Reid's name at this point but she was beginning to stir. He could see her arms and her legs start to move and she would awaken with a startle.
"Reid!! Reid- Where are you? Are you okay-"
Solomon could not help but be drawn to the noise, as others were as well. She was up and then right back down. "He's here," Solomon replied. "He's fine," he added keeping what he had to say short and simple. It was his first instinct to approach her bed now that she was awake but she was already being flanked by a pair of boys. "Huffle-tough, remember..." He tried to make a joke, he even forced a small chuckle that hurt more than he expected it to. Isaak was already there, doing whatever it was that the magical medical sorts do with her anyways. He was not one to try to define their medical hocus pokus but the girl was coming to and that was all that mattered.
She was having a moment with Seige.
"Siege... I- I'm so glad you're okay..." She whispered into his ear, as she had her face pressed up into the side of his, "I- Th- I thought- that everyone had-"
That everyone had died? Yes, almost nearly.
"It- The fire- And then- it went dark- and-"
She was crying, not that he could blame her. A part of him wanted to comfort her, but again she already had enough love all around her. He was not necessary and if anything he felt guilty.
"An- And Reid- what happened to Reid? And every- they all- did you- did you save them?"
Reid was fine, sitting right near her. Well, laying. "He's fine," Solomon announced. Reid could have said something but he didn't. Well fine might have been a mild exaggeration, but he was good enough. Stable if he wanted to sound like those medical folk. "Reid tried to pull you out, he got you part of the way but he got hurt too. Marissa dragged you out," Solomon explained keeping it simple. "He's a tough guy, recovering over there" he assured her, Reid was simply in the bed adjacent. It was true, he, like James could take one heck of a beating but they both seemed to have a hard time casting much of anything. "He is also very much awake," Solomon announced letting the cat out of the bag over the fact that he failed to speak up and answer the clearly panicking Prefect.
Ezekiel was there as well, the Slytherin Prefect. He had helped carry Orion to safety. "Thanks," Solomon called over to Ezekiel, too tired to make his way across the room and likely Ezekiel too tired to make his way to Solomon. "Keep awake," Solomon cautioned the Slytherin. He did not know what happened to everyone but he was concerned. Isaak was a wizard first, healer second. They had a deep understanding of the mystical arts but they lacked the scientific understanding of human anatomy that muggle doctors possessed. He tired hard to ensure that there would only be injuries, not deaths. Ezekiel was a clever boy, many Slytherins were more clever than credited for. He would know how to survive and if he was a true Slytherin how to take full credit for the entire party's survival.
Roma was awake as well. Everyone was all right, including (probably Orion who never posted). Storytime had started.
The smores would be passed around the room, hot and gooey, sweet and crunchy -- what could go wrong? For once that rhetorical question could be answered with: nothing. Sarafina shared a ghost story. It was just what the children needed, a moment of normalcy. A moment of childish relief. "Good story Miss Rivers," Solomon smiled, it ached a bit as he did so. Both his face and his heart hurt a little. He failed, his body was burned and he was in more pain than he was letting on but he was not thinking about that, there was something else that hurt even more deep inside. It felt like his heart was being squeezed by an unseen hand. He knew that he failed, Isaak was not going to send these kids away and this incident would prove fruitless. The kids here suffered for nothing.
Solomon would add his own.
He let out a hacking cough before he started.
"I once knew a boy that looked exactly like me. We all have them don't we? Twins? Doppelgangers? Mirror Images? For the most part we hear about them from a friend, someone who claims that they met someone so similar to us that it was uncanny. We often shrug it off and carry on with our days, mildly humored perhaps that someone had thought of you in the course of their day. Perhaps a bit curious but never enough to actually look into it.
Well, I was forced to face that fact once. The year was 1990. I was here, in Hogwarts. I was entering my senior year and I could not be any more excited. I started my day in Transfiguration, at the time my favorite class and my Professor had an announcement to make. We had a new student. His name was Gavin Abbott and he had come to us from Castelobruxo, they had sorted him into Slytherin which should have been a dead give away of course but that was not his most outstanding feature. That was the fact that he looked just like me. Same blonde hair cut short and left messy but there was more effort in those 'bed head' spikes than I cared to mention. His hair was perhaps a few shades blonder than mine but still rather similar. His eyes, hazel like mine. They varied between blue and green but his were a bit brighter. The same almond shape essentially. His nose, like mine in shape but smaller. His smile a bit wider, his teeth a shade whiter. Yet strangely enough he looked just like me, only mildly improved.
My teacher thought I was playing some sort of prank, we were similar enough that she was not entirely certain which person -- myself or Gavin was standing at the front of the room. There were murmurs through the class, some more boisterous than others that would say their thoughts out loud. That I had a twin. That one of us was an escaped clone of the other. That this was obviously some sort of joke. It became quickly obvious that was not the case when the Professor and the other students saw the expression on my face. The color had left me, my mouth agape. A look of shock and worry on my face.
No, it was no prank and if it was, Gavin was the cause. Gavin seemed confident. Indifferent perhaps to our similarities. Maybe he was simply dumb and did not notice. How could he not see it? It was a s clear as day. But unlike everyone else in the class, including our instructor he never said a word about it.
The Professor had a sense of humor. He directed Gavin to take the seat next to me and tasked me with showing Gavin around the school. Apparently Gavin had come from Castelobruxo as a part of their exchange student program. Gavin was apparently skilled in Magizoology, a specialty of that Brazilian school. We shared in that interest and we found that our physical similarities were not where the similarities ended between us. Our parents had similar professions. Academically were were both quite similar. Our passion for Transfiguration and Magizoology was a common source of conversation. It was easy for us to become casual friends.
Gavin would join me and my friends in episodes of mischief, at first it was us playing tricks on them admittedly but he very quickly also became friendly with the same friends I had. It should not be a surprise for me that we gravitated to the same people. That we got along so famously well. The students and some of the teachers would even call us the 'brothers' as we looked so similar. If it was not for Gavin's mild accent that some of the girl's found charming, many struggled to tell us apart. Some honestly thought that we might be more closely related than we thought. Neither of us entertained the idea in anything more than jest.
At first things went well. It was neat having someone so similar. But there was something unsettling as well. It was the afternoon, a Friday I would like to think. Me and the guys were playing Quidditch when Gavin flew over. He was considered witty by my friends so of course he greeted us in a manner that would eventually become somewhat repetitive. "Funny, I did not expect to run into me out here." My friends would all of course laugh, they found this hilarious because we were 'mirror reflections' of each other as they often reminded us both. So they laughed but I did not. The joke unsettled me, and it did every time thereafter when he said it.
Eventually Gavin would branch out, make some of his own friends as well. He got along well in his House Slytherin. Academically he did well also, he spent a lot of time in the library and got to know a number of the Ravenclaws as well. For the most part nobody had a negative thing to say about Gavin. He got along with almost anyone he met. There were a few loners that hated him on principle, even they would eventually warm up to him. In this way he was unique in comparison to me, he was universally popular. I was happy for him. At least I told myself that I was. Gavin was likable and very much similar to me, therefore I was likable as well. And I told myself that and it worked for awhile. You see there was a little part of me that was jealous, why did they like him more than me? it was not that I was a loner or an outcast, I had my circle of friends still. They were also his and they never told me that they preferred him over me, but there was something about the quantity even if my quality was excellent because Gavin had those same 'quality' friends as well. I was jealous. I tried to swallow it and I did. I even tried to socialize more but I quickly came to the conclusion that I only had so much social currency and when it was spent I was simply exhausted.
Gavin seemed to have endless social currency.
That is not where things ended of course. The Yule Ball was something I was looking forward to for some time. There was a girl that I had an eye on, Valentina Greene... the prettiest girl I had ever seen. I had been planning on asking her to the Yule Ball for months. Well, so hadn't Gavin. Guess who got to her first? Actually, it was me. I should have won this one, but I didn't. You see when I asked her out she rejected me, she told me that she was interested in someone else and that she could not see us as anything but friends. I was disappointed, sure but I could handle it. I found another date and went to the ball with another girl. She was pretty and nice and she wanted to go with me but she was no Valentina. At the Yule Ball I saw her there, she was happy and she was dancing. She looked like she was having a good time. Whoever she brought with her really was making her happy. Most of me was happy for her, there was of course a petty part of me that thought that I would have made her happier... I was of course wrong, in this case i would have made her just as happy. You see, she brought Gavin to the Yule Ball.
Weren't we pretty much the same people? Didn't she reject me, incapable of seeing myself and her as more than just friends? Now here she was with a guy that looked almost like me. Acted almost like me. But let's be real. It was ALMOST. He was a bit better looking than me. He was more popular than me. More outgoing. Even his grades were better than mine.Yes, even his grades. Just a bit better but it was noticeable when I really looked at it.
After the ball, I fell into a depression. I isolated myself from my friends. I stopped sending owls to my family in London. A few people tried to reach out, they noticed that something was wrong. It did not help, my grades would suffer even further. As the year continued on, salivation appeared to be in sight. I was a senior this year. Soon enough I would be free of this place. Free from the comparison. Free to be the ONLY me.
I applied for every place I could think of, I was going to pursue a career in magical creatures. Knowing full well if things persisted as they had that Gavin would do the same, I applied to every place I could think of. I would take the place that Gavin rejected, it was a bitter pill to swallow but I would get over it in time. I would have to. Knowing that there was another person out there that was just like me, only a little bit better in every single way.
I found that I hated Gavin for this fact. I hated his face, causing me to hate mine. I hated his charisma, something I could have had... I should have had. He was only successful because I existed I told myself. He made his first group of friends here because of me. That gave him the confidence to make more. He did so well academically because of me. Because of my friends. because it gave him the footing that he needed to study. That Brazilian accent was fine and all but now that I thought about it I had to wonder how much of it was forced. It was not that distinctive, bedsides my voice was charming too wasn't it? So much better than an American drawl.
My depression festered into hate. not self-hate, but hate towards my reflection... towards Gavin. he was only a copy. I was the original. I wondered how much of my behavior he copied. How much of me he copied, just mildly improving upon what he saw each and every time. I was the first!
I did not realize how angry I was. A part of me had always felt it I was certain. That the other me could not exist. Should not exist. I could not go on living knowing that there was a copy-cat version of me out there. That there was some big old faker taking from me everything that I had. Everything that I could have. Knowing that I would always be second-pick. That when given the choice, they would take Gavin over me because he was 'better' in every conceivable way. It was an objective fact.
I knew what I had to do, even if I did not want to admit it to myself. It started subconsciously. I appeared to resign myself to my fate, I accepted the position offered to me. It would take me to Japan where I would study Tsukomogamis. It was not my first pick but it was my second, you can guess who got my first pick. Yes, it was Gavin. It only reinforced what I knew. A part of me wondered if he was stealing my owls and looking to see where I was applying. The similarities were unsettling.
I was planning his murder. I did not even notice it at first. I had purchased a knife. Not just any knife, but an incredibly sharp knife that had no magical properties what so ever. For the most part we are surrounded by our magic but in this case I did not want a magical link back to me. Back to anyone. I had gotten myself a change of clothes and I had hidden them in a back street in Diagon Alley. I found an excuse for us both to be there at the same time, there was a demonstration regarding Magical Creatures in muggle areas. New theories on how to hide their presence without using our magic. How we could explain it all away. The speech was being given by an expert in the field, Gregory McDarwyn. I would not miss it for the world and I knew that Gavin would not miss it either.
I had everything set. I had a venue. I had an escape plan. I knew where my victim was going to be because my victim was essentially me. So I arrived early, excited. Gavin did the same. In fact Gavin approached me. I was a little surprised, we had drifted apart partially due to my isolation and his popularity and partially due to the fact that Gavin was very busy.
"Hey Solo-man" he said, making a quip at my anti-social behavior has of late. "I did not expect to run into me in a place like this," there it was again. The same tired joke that always made people laugh. In fact a stranger did when they heard Gavin say it. It only fed into my hate. I hated his handsome, charming face. I hated his bright blue eyes and awesome hair. I was a dapper young fellow, that you can be certain of. "We are graduating next week. What a year." He commented, making some small talk. "You and I should grab a bite after, I know this great place that is a bit out of the way," he offered out of nowhere.
He was doing all of my work for me. Coming up with an excuse, an opportunity to get away from everyone. In my left pocket I felt my wand, in my right my blade. "Yeah, sounds excellent. We really need to catch up." And like that we were in agreement, I would take him on his last outing.
After the seminar ended, I was drunk with excitement. Gavin was as well. Still, I refused to forget my mission. So we left the hall and wandered the Alley, past the shops and the curios. If I had no other objective I would have enjoyed window shopping. Still, I departed from the well trod path, pointing down an alley claiming it was a short cut.
Gavin did not even question it. He simply smiled and complied. The walk was quiet, almost eerie. We rounded a few corners, found the 'worst' part of town. I was going to simply claim I got lost if I was questioned. He never questioned me. Perhaps he was seeking this terrible fate.
There was nobody there, not on this narrow street. No windows nearby. Nobody as far as the eye could see in any direction, just tall brick walls. It was now or never. I pulled my wand from my pocket and I muttered the incantation: Petrificus Totalus. I heard an echo. My doppelganger had said the exact same thing, his wand out in his hand. It should not have surprised me but it did, not that he was doing the same thing oddly enough but the fact that we shared the same core. When two wands share the same core, they are known as Brother Wands and when they are used together they are stronger than when used alone. However when they are used to conflict with one another, an event known as a Priori Incantatem transpires.
When a duel occurred between wizards with wand cores harvested from the same creature, simultaneous spell-casting by both parties would trigger a rare, powerful effect called Priori Incantatem. Both wands became linked through a single, golden thread of energy and the casters are forced to compete in a battle of wills. When one wand managed to overcome the other, it forces the losing wand to regurgitate "echoes" of the most recent spells it had cast, in reverse order.
We had both cast the same spell at the same time at eachother, but neither of us were bound by that curse. Instead we were holding onto our quivering wands tethered to one another by a thin, golden strand of light. I refused to let go, to give-up and for the first time ever I saw Gavin's face twisted into a hideous expression of hate. That was my face, that was exactly how I looked I realized just then. I did not deter me. I made me hate him all the more.
"You copy-cat! You good for nothing faker!" I shouted at him.
"Faker. ME! I am a better version than you in every way!" Gavin shouted back, clutching onto his wand as tight as he could. "You are just an inferior, and I cannot go on for another minute knowing that there is a lesser version of ME out there in this world."
The Priori Incantatem broke, Gavin's wand the victor. I should have known his would win. He knew it would win. My wand had not been used for much of anything, something ashamedly apparent when the Reverse Spell went off. I dropped my wand as it started to splinter, before it broke in my hand. My right already had the knife drawn, the decisive factor between us I thought.
But no. As I lunged at him, Gavin stepped to the side and reached out and grabbed my wrist. My knife stabbed past Gavin and in a single seemless motion Gavin had already drawn his blade and stabbed it into my gut. I did not even feel it enter, I just felt the pressure and then a sense of shock and dread. It was not supposed to happen like this. My knees buckled and I feel to the ground. Gavin gloated.
"You're not the first. You're not even the second. Just an undeserving copy. A twisted, grotesque image of ME."
For someone who had killed before, he really did not realize how long it takes for someone to die. How fragile they were. I was not dead yet and I was still armed. With a single upward motion, I jammed my blade just beneath his jaw. He seemed surprised, just like I did. He did not expect a 'good for nothing copy' to get anywhere, but I was no copy. HE was. I was the original and soon to be once more a 'one of a kind.' "Only one of us get's out of here alive. The REAL one, right? The BETTER one? The ONLY one?"
I did not assume he was dead, I kicked his blade away and my knife went into him again... and again... until I was absolutely certain. I had never seen a dead person before, but there is a point where you just know. He... I... was dead. I was wounded yes, in the stomach. Just barely missed my liver. I dragged him to the dumpster, one of the reciprocals was empty in anticipation of this moment less my bag with clean clothes. I changed right there in the alleyway, nobody rounded the corner. Nobody cared to search for the sounds of a pair of boys fighting, in the poorest, meanest parts of towns such as these that is a nightly occurrence.
I loaded Gavin into the dumpster, placed my bloodied clothes on top of him and a few rogue bags on top of that. He would not be found for several days and by then I would already be long-gone to Japan. I had gotten away with it. I was FREE.
I found no evidence that Gavin had anything waiting for me, but he appeared to be prepared. Had he made his plan with the assumption that I was going to try to kill him? That he knew I was going to try? I tried to avoid thinking about it.
In the weeks that followed, nobody came looking for me. I heard a vague rumor that Gavin had run off. Some assumed he was fleeing responsibility, perhaps overwhelmed by the prospect of being an adult. Some thought he might have fallen in love with a Veela and ran off with her. I never heard anyone mention finding a body, it was likely disposed of in a massive dump somewhere. His bones picked clean by the gulls.
I had a new lease on life. Without Gavin there, my studies improved. I felt more ambitious. More outgoing. My life improved in every conceivable way. I had less fear. Less inhibitions. I knew I was capable. I was strong. I was one of a kind.
I moved to Japan after I graduated Hogwarts with honors, my grades rebounded after my victory in Diagon Alley. Once there every once in awhile someone would mention that I seemed familiar. That they had seen me before. I laughed it off, even if a secret part of me was unsettled. Perhaps it was the fact that I was the only tall blonde there, after all we 'all look alike.' I made a few jokes of a similar nature and they laughed it off as did I until I saw what they were eluding to. No, we did look exactly alike. A young researcher from Germany, part of my expedition party. He looked just like me, his hair a bit more brown than blonde. His blue eyes more closer to a hazel brown-blue. His mouth and eyes a bit smaller, his nose a tad crooked. I was about an inch taller and my waist an inch thinner. The resemblance was astonishing.
The researcher's name was Kevin Nobb. Even his name was somewhat dorky. I would take in a deep breath. He looked at me astonished. His face a shade of ghastly white. It was then that I realized what I was. what I was really. That I was not nearly as unique as I thought I was, not that it mattered because i was the first. I was the original. I was not going to let another stinking fake take my spot. Take my fame. My glory."
It was there that Solomon stopped his story. It was all fake, probably. He let out a laugh. That laugh hurt a bit more than he was willing to admit. "Your turns."
OOC EDIT: Been awhile... I am going to assume that there is nobody posting in here any longer. I am going to leave this thread.
There is something about ambition, how it not only propels you but also defines you.
5 Jun 2018, 21:13
Huff... Puff... Wheeze...
Half asleep, Serena attempted to listen to the words being spoken around the room. It was difficult though. She was struggling to stay awake and concentrate on what people were saying. There were too many voices and words being spoken. People were trying to figure out what was going on, comfort each other and forget about the event all at the same time.
Hearing the familiar voice of her Head of House, she struggled to look up to him. Keeping her eyes open was going to be a struggle, that much she knew, if nothing else. The Professor assured her that Reid was fine. He was a Huffle-tough, after all. She blinked a little, trying to absorb the information she was given. A small smile appeared on her face. Serena nodded. Huffle-tough was a good name for them. Looking around the room, it was apparent that Hufflepuffs were tougher than they looked. They were all alive. Just about.
Serena blinked as Solomon explained what happened to her. She was grateful that he was keeping the explanation straightforward. Her brain probably would not be able to handle anything complicated at this point. The Professor explained that Reid had attempted to rescue her before getting hurt himself. A wave of panic started to wash over her. He got hurt too... Reid got hurt too... trying to pull you out... Her widened eyes quickly darted around the room, trying to figure out what was going on. Luckily, Professor Lear continued to talk. He explained he was tough, recovering and apparently fine.
The Hufflepuff's heart was going crazy over here. She sat there, internally freaking out. She would probably be waving her arms around the place, pacing up and down the room and screaming out her thoughts if she could. But in all honesty, there was little energy left in her body. Even keeping her eyes open or listening hurt her right now.
A girl called Marissa apparently helped to drag her out too. Serena did not recognise the name. At least, it was not a name that she could instantly associate with anyone's face. However, it was definitely a name that stuck in her head.
Marissa? Marissa...
Whoever this girl was, she would have to find out. She might owe this girl her life, as scary of a thought as that was...
There were too many thoughts running through her brain right now. None of them made much sense. But for the most part, it seemed like everyone was okay and right now, that was enough. That was more than enough. It was all she wanted right now. For everyone to be alive and well. They could think about everything else later... There was too much to think about later, it seemed...
A few single tears flowed down her face, as her body seemed unable to cope with all of the thoughts racing through her mind and the feelings surging through it. Her eyes drifted shut, too tired to continue to stay awake. She had so many questions and not enough answers.
But today was not the day for answers. Today was the day to just give in to her body's request and shut down. There was little else she could do right now. She was using up all of her energy and concentration just trying to stay away and it was failing, quickly.
Within moments, Serena's body fell limp, passing out into a deep slumber.
[SERENA FALLS ASLEEP LEFT TOPIC]
Hearing the familiar voice of her Head of House, she struggled to look up to him. Keeping her eyes open was going to be a struggle, that much she knew, if nothing else. The Professor assured her that Reid was fine. He was a Huffle-tough, after all. She blinked a little, trying to absorb the information she was given. A small smile appeared on her face. Serena nodded. Huffle-tough was a good name for them. Looking around the room, it was apparent that Hufflepuffs were tougher than they looked. They were all alive. Just about.
Serena blinked as Solomon explained what happened to her. She was grateful that he was keeping the explanation straightforward. Her brain probably would not be able to handle anything complicated at this point. The Professor explained that Reid had attempted to rescue her before getting hurt himself. A wave of panic started to wash over her. He got hurt too... Reid got hurt too... trying to pull you out... Her widened eyes quickly darted around the room, trying to figure out what was going on. Luckily, Professor Lear continued to talk. He explained he was tough, recovering and apparently fine.
The Hufflepuff's heart was going crazy over here. She sat there, internally freaking out. She would probably be waving her arms around the place, pacing up and down the room and screaming out her thoughts if she could. But in all honesty, there was little energy left in her body. Even keeping her eyes open or listening hurt her right now.
A girl called Marissa apparently helped to drag her out too. Serena did not recognise the name. At least, it was not a name that she could instantly associate with anyone's face. However, it was definitely a name that stuck in her head.
Marissa? Marissa...
Whoever this girl was, she would have to find out. She might owe this girl her life, as scary of a thought as that was...
There were too many thoughts running through her brain right now. None of them made much sense. But for the most part, it seemed like everyone was okay and right now, that was enough. That was more than enough. It was all she wanted right now. For everyone to be alive and well. They could think about everything else later... There was too much to think about later, it seemed...
A few single tears flowed down her face, as her body seemed unable to cope with all of the thoughts racing through her mind and the feelings surging through it. Her eyes drifted shut, too tired to continue to stay awake. She had so many questions and not enough answers.
But today was not the day for answers. Today was the day to just give in to her body's request and shut down. There was little else she could do right now. She was using up all of her energy and concentration just trying to stay away and it was failing, quickly.
Within moments, Serena's body fell limp, passing out into a deep slumber.
[SERENA FALLS ASLEEP LEFT TOPIC]
PC: Serena Towers | iNPC: Arjan Oberoi | Other: Hjørdis Jensen & Xiomara Torres
Part-Goblin | Evasive Maneuvers | Beastmaster | Paragon of Health
Sta: 10 | Eva: 17 | Str: 3 | Wis: 15 | Arc Power: 10 | Acc: 15
Part-Goblin | Evasive Maneuvers | Beastmaster | Paragon of Health
Sta: 10 | Eva: 17 | Str: 3 | Wis: 15 | Arc Power: 10 | Acc: 15