There was a dragonfly that wouldn’t go away. Tiny and fast, it zipped around the neighboring bushes and cool grass with pretty pink wings that carried it over the marsh. It’d become the sole focus of his work, a messy half drawn doodle on the side of one beat up shoe that could face the consequences if he failed in his newest needlework.

It wasn’t quite good. Messy and smudged with fabric chalk not meant for a shoe but it was enough. Drawing had never been his passion, nor a particularly strong talent of his but an outline was all he’d ever needed, if even that. His mind would fill in the blank spots as his fingers worked.

Dull gold for the outline and details, he hadn’t gotten far yet. Content to take his time and watch the dragonfly everytime it hovered close enough to admire but every second he paused between stitches and messy chalk lines to admire it Elsian could feel the gaps being filled; coral pink for the wings, something like a deep sunset gold stitched to shine like sunlight on the edge of 1 wing.

The body stayed stubbornly blank in his mind.

Curled in on himself he let himself sprawl against the ground, twisting around until the grass tickled his cheek and his shoes pressed against the trunk of the tree he’d been sitting against. It was a good, relaxing day. The type where the sun wasn’t so angry and the constant, cool breeze soothed the heat, perfect to simply close your eyes and exist in but even so the dragonfly flitted about like a bug on a mission. Distantly he wondered whilst putting the shoe aside, next to the long abandoned packet he’d done so well ignoring and carefully tucked the spool of thread and needle into the shoe, if that would be him in the future. Constantly busy. Always working.

It wasn’t an existence the teenager could quit picture, but that must have been true for most people. A year or so ago he’d never pictured playing any sports, let alone quidditch, nor could he have ever predicted falling in love and then being loved back so easily.

Sighing he turned on his side, watching the dragonfly.

“‘Do I dare hold onto hope that the pondering expression is you thinking over all the wonders in that packet?”

There was a ruffle of a blanket. Elsian craned his neck towards the voice just in time to see Aunt Matilde sit down atop the blue blanket with a stern look aimed towards his dry, mud caked shoes propped up against the tree. He snickered, flopping back down onto his back with a stretch and that was all the answer she needed really.

“Or…could it be you’ve shoved off the choice for future Elsi.” She sighed, a small grunt of disgust escaping her as she dusted away a few ants from the newly claimed packet in question. “Honestly, Elsian! Did you even open it?”

“I read some of it!” He defended.

“Ah, huh…and then ignored the rest for how long?”

He picked up the shoe to fiddle with rather than meet his aunt's eye. “It was just a break…”

“Well break’s over, the future is now.” She tugged his work from his fingers and stored it out of sight.

“C’mon,” she patted at his arm, ignoring his grumbles and urging him up, “time to get up!”

Elsian didn’t much care to. He didn’t want to read the rest of that stupid packet or think about what he was going to do next summer, next year, after; having to think about it at all felt like a punishment. A timer ticking down he’d have been far more content ignoring until needed but growing up apparently meant having to do things the right way, not your way, so he halfheartedly dragged himself up with a sigh to stare down the lake waters in the distance.

Silence. It dragged on, stretching uncomfortably in a way that rarely meant good things when aimed at him and he warily peeked at his aunt and watched pointy nails flip through paper and photo alike.

Usually, he was left to do as he pleased. ‘Low maintenance’, his mum used to laugh, at least, he certainly gave the illusion of it. Decent enough grades, no big attitude, good friends and 0 recorded detentions worked wonders in being left alone apparently; the fact he now had a partner and was being sociable enough to go to…camp of all things…? His family hadn’t been this proud since they found out he and Dori were officially together. That should’ve meant he’d be left to do as he please again. Another summer of countless freedoms and the joys of no responsibilities to speak of aside from taking care of dear Kitty.

Should have.

“You know, it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

Apparently this was the one thing they wouldn’t let him simply ignore. The so-called final straw he’d thought he could escape forever. The worst part?

“They just want the best for you, and if you don’t like the program you could always drop it.”

He couldn’t even be annoyed or angry about it.

“Though I honestly think there’s a good chance you’d enjoy the challenge Elsi-”

Not when they were doing it in an attempt to be…ugh, supportive…

“It sounds like a lot of extra work,” he began slowly, voice barely restrained from the grumpy grumble wanting to form. “And I’m already gonna be busy with homework and practice. Everyone's always going on about focusing on the here and now, all that’s gonna do is pile more work I don’t need.”

“Improving yourself is always something worth doing.” She explained calmly and spread out the papers along the grass between them to look over. “It might help, it might not, but at least by trying you’ll know for sure.”

“I know for sure it’s extra work for something I don’t even need to worry about for another 2 years,” he challenged, though a raised brow from his aunt at the sudden attitude almost had him regretting the sharp tone. Still, Elsian stood his ground. He didn’t see the point. It was more work, and for what? “Besides, I don’t know what I want to do yet!” Liar. “What if I don’t go into fashion?” What else could you go into?

“And what else would you do?” She laughed incredulously. “Go into business? Teaching? Darling I say this with love, you’d wither in any other profession.”

He pursed his lips in a thin line against the sharp bloom of pain in his chest. He knew that. He already knew that, they didn’t need to tell him.

The silence stretched but he couldn’t bear looking anywhere other than the distant water. The dragonfly was long gone.

“Elsi, darling, you have a talent. I know you can do this if you put that brilliant lazy mind to it! Would it truly hurt to try?”

Elsian wondered if he’d ever finish that dragonfly.

“I guess not.”