Settling in (1st year Girls Dorm) on Crotalus Commons

Brianna Japos

June 11, 2011 10:05 AM

Settling in (1st year Girls Dorm) by Brianna Japos

Over all, Sonora seemed to be going fairly well thus far. Some of the other students were a bit intimidating, but not yet to the point that Brianna was completely uncomfortable. She knew that there may come a time when she did feel uncomfortable around someone, inevitably this was always the case. Whether that be another student or a staff member remained to be seen. But, she had no complaints so far. Well, except for maybe the wagon ride. The seats could be a bit more comfortable. Especially for the students like her who had to fly long distance. But everything else had been amazing.

When Brianna first asked to go to Sonora with Attoria, her parents had been extremely hesitant. Their main reason was her friendship to Attoria. Her parents had never really liked her friend, but they were also worried that any fallout of their friendship would compromise their jobs. But, since most of the time they were never around to enforce Brianna to stay away from her, their friendship had remained and now Attoria was the closest person to Brianna. Their other reasons were less to do with Brianna’s choice in friends as it did with certain names and figures that Sonora was associated with.

They had spewed out names to her just before heading off to Sonora, but Brianna had forgotten them entirely during the wagon ride here. But now standing in front of her new Head of House, Brianna was certain that ‘Pierce’ had been one of the names she was supposed to remember… she just couldn’t remember if it was a good name or bad name. She would have to ask Attoria if she recalled the message that was associated with the Pierce name (whether it be her HoH or just the Pierces in general).

For now though, Brianna stood quietly to listen to her Head of House. She wasn’t entirely sure how to handle being remotely threatened by an adult. Well, threatened in not so many words. Brianna understood why it had to be said. She had been the victim of much bullyng during her life in that New York City condominium building. Just about everyday someone poked fun of the way she looked or of her personality or of her parents. It was almost a routine now for her. Wake up. Eat breakfast. Get called ‘duck face’. But she also put it on herself. She still was happy when they were nice to her and did as they asked, which usually ended up with her getting hurt (emotionally, physically, or both). Still, the only saving grace she had was Attoria. And now, Coach Pierce.

When they were dismissed, Brianna decided to go up to the girls’ dormitory to figure out her sleeping arrangement and unpack. The room looked cozy, but at the same time, spacious. She wouldn’t have to worry about getting into anyone’s way. Her room at home was tiny. It was only big enough for her twin bed and a desk. She didn’t even have a chest, instead her parents had her hang everything up. Not that she had a lot of clothes. Most were second hand that Brianna bought in shops. She tried her best to pick outfits that were in style (or close enough), but it was extremely difficult so her closet wasn’t very full to begin with.

Brianna waited to see where Attoria would sleep so that she could pick the bed beside her. Attoria had told her in the wagon that she wanted Brianna to be next to her. Brianna knew better than to disobey. So, once the beds were asituated, Brianna began to unpack. “It’s too bad they don’t give us an extra day to figure out this school.” Brianna commented to the room. “I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be able to find anything tomorrow.”

6 Brianna Japos Settling in (1st year Girls Dorm) 203 Brianna Japos 1 5

Jenny Owens

June 11, 2011 4:12 PM

New home... by Jenny Owens

Jenny had decided that she liked Sonora. She was comfortable there - the building was lovely, the people were nice and the teachers were a brilliant mix of authorative and personal.

She had recognised her House Mistresses surname, Pierce, with instinctive shock. She remembered a few years ago her parents had a gigantic fight over the Pierce family - her mother was strictly against any association with them, whilst her father found them amusingly brave. She liked the Head of Crotalus, though, and had long since learned to form her own ideas and opinions - especially in regard to people.

She pushed open the door to her dormitory hesitantly, unsure of what would be there. She had never shared a room before - in fact, when her mother had heard that she would have to, she wrote to the school to ask for her daughter to be given separate quarters. The idea had been rejected, of course, and now Jenny hoped that none of her room-mates would learn of the embarrassing situation. "Not that the Doradino-Owens family would ever think themselves above others" - that was what her mother had said to the Headmaster. One of the things that made her family unique was their ability to raise themselves onto a pedestal whilst simultaneously putting themselves down; they probably didn't even realise they were doing it anymore. And that was why Jenny - Jennifer - had chosen to drop her full name and park of her double-barrel surname in favor of the not so noticeable name of Jenny Owens.

In truth, the dorms weren't so bad. They each had a large personal area, complete with a soft bed and an area (be it a chest or a small wardrobe) to store their belongings. It was simpler than her room at home, and felt less...her. But it would do.

Jenny was suddenly overcome by tiredness. She desperately wanted to stay up late - making lifelong connections with these girls who would hopefully be like her family for the next few years; giggling and sharing secrets. But, logically, she knew that they should sleep and prepare for what was likely to be an exhausting day tomorrow. She chose the bed closest to the window and pushed her bags underneath it, leaving out only the smaller one in which she had packed her essentials for the night. Straightening up again, she caught a glimpse through the hangings into the garden.

It was a little disappointing, she decided, after the fabulous labyrinth of hedges and the waterfalls, to see just a plain lawn, but it wasn't a nasty sight. Tomorrow she would have to go exploring.

'Hi,' She said to her room-mates, some of whom she knew already, 'I'm Jenny Owens. Nice to meet you all.' She shot a smile at Brianna, who was already there, making an effort not to stare at her overly large lips, and looked around for Cherry, the other girl that she knew.

0 Jenny Owens New home... 0 Jenny Owens 0 5

Cherry Bosko

June 12, 2011 10:54 AM

Doesn't feel like it yet by Cherry Bosko

It was a really good thing that the students at Sonora all had roommates, Cherry reflected, very good. She could feel a bought of homesickness coming on and even a minute alone might have been enough for it to take hold. Cherry pushed open the dormroom door and was greeted by the sight of big beds, lots of Crotalus red, and Jenny and Brianna and a girl Cherry didn't know. Never a moment alone. It was very, very good.

Cherry chose the bed closest to the door so she wouldn't disturb anyone if she had to get up for the bathroom in the middle of the night... and so she didn't have to worry about tripping over other people's things. It was also still free--Jenny had already claimed the one next to a window.

"Hi, I'm Cherry," Cherry greeted the girl she didn't know. She was too tired to make it proper and Bosko didn't mean anything to anyone anyway. Not like Pierce would have. Cherry was not exactly knowledgeable about wizarding families, but she did know that the California Pierces were involved in the Squib Rights and that it made her family feel better about how active the Hodges Family Squibs (aka-the Hodge's California Fringe) were in the movement. Cherry wasn't sure which type of Pierce her HoH was, though, and if she'd mentioned it on the way to the dorm, she must have said it while Cherry was starting at the moving portraits.

Cherry lay down on her bed--it was bigger than her bed at home--and sat up again before she could relax too much. She was even more tired than she'd thought, and she had no intention of sleeping yet. Judging by the beds, there was still at least one more girl coming up.

The prarie elves had brought up their belongings, so Cherry dragged hers over to her bed and started picking through the contents until she found what she was looking for. She held it aloft.

"Exploding snap anyone?"

0 Cherry Bosko Doesn't feel like it yet 0 Cherry Bosko 0 5

Valerie Lennox

June 13, 2011 5:15 PM

Agreed by Valerie Lennox

When Deputy Headmistress Pierce called for the first year Crotali, Valerie could not have been more relieved. She was possibly more exhausted than ever before. This had been the longest day of her life and it had used up more energy than Valerie had ever been allowed to extend or as she was finding out apparently capable of doing so.

She followed behind the other first years and their Head of House on the long walk to the Crotalus Commons. Whether it was actually a long walk or not, it still felt very long to Valerie.

After the speech that Valerie had tried desperately to pay attention to, noting no more than where her bedroom was and something about how everyone was supposed to be equal, which Valerie hoped meant the other girls would be nice to her and made her feel slightly guilty about her exception from flying lessons on medical grounds, she had gone up to the first year girls' dorm with the others and sat down instantly on one of the beds.

Valerie was a little concerned about beds. Even if hers at home hadn't been charmed to be extremely comfortable to her, the idea of sleeping in an unfamiliar one, regardless of how comfortable it actually was, frightened her slightly. Her bed at home was where she had spent a good deal of her time. It was familiar and comforting.

Naturally, she did not express these views. She knew that beds were not what normal people were concerned about aside from possibly in terms of location. Melanie never seemed that concerend about hers, and she was sort of Valerie's standards for what was normal.

Instead, the first year turned and looked towards the other girls. Valerie was most definitely not used to sharing a room with so many others. She was normally kept seperate from other people and their germs. Valerie had a primary immune deficiency and picked up infections rather quickly so if one of her new roommates had a cold or something, she was sure to end up in the hospital wing.

She listened as Jenny and Cherry introduced themselves. Valerie wasn't too sure about Jenny's family, she had heard of a Dordino-Owens family, which may or may not have been the same thing and Cherry hadn't given her last name at all. The third girl had not even introduced herself. Valerie didn't honestly care much, she just wanted them to be nice to her, but she knew her mother did. Tamara Lennox, like many pureblood women, wanted her daughter to be friends with the "right" people.

"I'm Valerie Lennox, of the St. Louis Lennoxes." Valerie introduced herself, the way she had always been taught, though she didn't curtsey as she was sitting down. She felt a little odd about it given but that third girl might have been from an important family and cared about such things.

She shook her head as Cherry asked about playing Exploding Snap. "No, thank you." Valerie wanted to just put her nightgown on and go to bed. She was getting more fatigued by the second and her head was starting to hurt, as was her throat. She wasn't even that concerned that the noise from the game might keep her up given how tired she was.

11 Valerie Lennox Agreed 204 Valerie Lennox 0 5

Attoria Covington

June 15, 2011 7:29 PM

One Step at a Time by Attoria Covington

The feast had gone well enough in Attoria’s opinion. She had met a boy of proper standards that she may be able to be friends with or at least gravitate in the same social circles as. Plus, she had ended up in Crotalus, which from what was ascertained was quite possibly the best House to end up in. Though, one could give a bit if they were in Aladren since they were considered to be bright and no one could possibly wanted to be considered brainless. And, of course, Brianna was in this House. Brianna was going to be her roommate and hoped that it would prove to be beneficial. If nothing else, Brianna’s large lips would distract from any possible folly on her part.

Hmm, the way Pierce talked she doubted her new Head of House would be thrilled to know such a thing. Well, that would be why she would never find out. Besides, so what if she did? What was she really going to do? Kids picked on kids all the time in her building. It was just a fact of life, a matter of survival. Neither management nor the parents ever did anything about it. Management was too afraid to say anything, because then they would lose their clientele. Parents didn’t say anything, because most of them encouraged their children to rise to the top. Here would be no different. Money and prestige spoke volumes. And new ideas were not welcome. She wondered if her roommates would be like the former or latter.

Entering the room, Attoria found it to be about the same size of her room at home, but her was part of a suite with adjoining sitting and dressing rooms. Not to mention, she wasn’t expected to share the room. She closed her eyes and took a moment to breathe. She just had to remember that this wasn’t really her home. She was only going to have to spend whatever time she had at school in this room. She neglected the fact that most of her time would be spent at school. Opening her blue eyes, she resolved that everything would be fine. She would just have to make sure she had the best of everything.

Starting with her choice of bed. She didn’t pick the one by the window, because she was worried that the sun would come in far too early for her liking. Or maybe the moon would be too bright. As much as she loved sitting at the window at home, she also required darkness for a restful night. If she didn’t get enough sleep, she could be an absolute terror. Hopefully, none of her roommates would snore or make any other weird noises. She also didn’t choose the one by the door. Again, because then people might end up disturbing her. She opted for the bed the most away from anything that would be considered a potential problem for sleeping.

Attoria was pleased when Brianna chose the bed next to her. She hadn’t really doubted that Brianna would since she had told her to, but it still made her happy that she had. She would never tell Brianna so, but right now, she needed her. She put on a big act about how wonderful she was and such, but when it came right down to it, she was a sad, little girl who depended on someone that she mistreated far too much. She offered her friend a smile before sitting cross-legged on the bed with her hairbrush. She was dying to start her nightly routine, but knew it would be rude to do so before all introductions were made.

First came Jenny Owens. She gave no introduction to where she came from so it was difficult to say if she was someone important or not. Other than that, Attoria only came to the conclusion that the girl was polite. The other girl was Cherry. No last name, no place, no anything. That made her doubt that she was anyone of significance. Of course, she could be wrong. She could turn out to be highly popular. In which case, Attoria would undoubtedly want her as a friend. Then, there was Valerie Lennox. Important. Though, she didn’t look of interest. She would have to see how that would go. If anything, maybe she would be the same type of friend Brianna was. Then, it was her turn. She gave them her best smile. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Attoria Covington of the New York Covingtons.”

She shot a look at Brianna for not having introduced herself properly first before speaking, but still answered the question anyhow. “I’m sure it won’t be that difficult. We’re going to have all the same classes. Besides, after a couple of days, it will be just like home.” She hoped the words she said were true, but she really didn’t know. What if this was all a horrible mistake? Grabbing her hairbrush, she ran it through her dark hair. Hitting a knot too quickly she winced a little. She hated being nervous and right now she wished she had her own room in order to calm down. Sigh. She still had yet to unpack. Maybe she could get Brianna to do it for her.

Before she could suggest it, the fruit girl suggested playing Exploding Snap. “Sure, I’ll play.” If nothing else, she figured it was a good connection builder and she could find out more about the girl. It wasn’t like a game cemented a friendship or anything, so it was relatively harmless until she found out more about the girl. “Brianna, do you want to play?” It wasn’t really a question, but it wasn’t like she could call her out on it in front of a whole bunch of people either.

0 Attoria Covington One Step at a Time 202 Attoria Covington 0 5

Brianna

June 17, 2011 10:24 PM

Before the world comes crashing down. by Brianna

Brianna hadn’t realized that they had another roommate until she turned and heard the introduction. If she wasn’t already blushing out of embarrassment of her own failure to introduce herself, Brianna would have been by the look that Attoria had thrown her way. Brianna gave Valerie an apologetic smile. She hadn’t meant to be rude or ignore the girl; Brianna just hadn’t seen her that was all. “Hi Valerie, I’m Brianna Japos.” She said, still blushing but at least Valerie knew her name.

She returned to unpacking her belongings while the other girls finished the introductions and Attoria replied back to Brianna’s comment. Brianna still felt that they needed the extra day to figure the school out so that they could actually find their classrooms and their way around before they were on a schedule. Apparently though, Brianna was the only one who thought so because none of the others even commented on it.

The night was getting late and all Brianna wanted to do was make this as much of her home as possible before she climbed into bed to go to sleep. She didn’t really mind what the others girls did. She often fell asleep to the sound of her parents arguing, so noise wasn’t a problem for her. She figured some of them would want to chat and gossip, but the wagon ride, the feast, and now the unpacking was finally wearing her down.

Except that Attoria clearly had other plans for her. Brianna was torn between saying no to Attoria to claim sleep and doing what Attoria said. Although Brianna only wanted to finish up and go to bed, she knew better than to deny Attoria anything. Brianna pursed her oversized lips before finally nodding and moving closer to the other girls. “I haven’t really played this much.” Brianna admitted.

0 Brianna Before the world comes crashing down. 0 Brianna 0 5

Jenny Owens

June 19, 2011 1:55 PM

Hopefully not too hard by Jenny Owens

Jenny froze when she heard the name Covington. Pureblooded families tended to stick to knowing other Pureblooded families - and the New York Covington's were deffinitely in the same circle as the Doradino-Owens'. Her hands began to tremble and she had to breathe deeply several times - missing the other girls' introductions - before she could concentrate again. It would be alright. Last year she hadn't attended her parents' annual Easter Ball, and the year before she had been ill - so that meant that Attoria wouldn't even have seen her in two years. And, she couldn't remember any kids faces from two years ago,the evening tended to blur, so why should this girl remember her?

Still - she was stupid to think she'd never be caught out. Someone, somewhere, would recognise her. Someday, the truth would come out and she would have to face the consequences of being a young girl who didn't want to be part of one of the most respectable Pureblood families in America.

She turned around, 'I think I'll pass on the snap,' she said, faking cheerfulness, 'I don't really want to end up in hospital on my first night - maybe tomorrow!' She sank to the floor next to the few playing snap, smiling widely at them all and wishing she had Brianna's big lips to cover up her expression a bit.

'So,' she added, hating group silences and not wanting Attoria to have time to think and possibly recognise the more common part of her name, 'What are you all most excited for?'

0 Jenny Owens Hopefully not too hard 0 Jenny Owens 0 5

Cherry Bosko

June 21, 2011 10:13 PM

Hard enough to notice by Cherry Bosko

Cherry was a little disappointed by the response Exploding Snap had gotten, but at least Brianna and Attoria were up for it--Attoria of the New York Covingtons. It sounded so important Cherry almost thought she'd heard of them. Almost. She hadn't heard of the St. Louis Lennoxes either. But then, unlike her father, Cherry did not actually read the Chicago Sentinel. She mostly just looked at the pictures, and that was only when something stuck out as more interesting than her American Girl and Young Witch magazines.

Cherry slid from bed to floor and started dealing out the cards. She was pretty good at exploding snap, or at least, she thought she was at least okay. It was hard to tell when your usual opponent was only three years old and needed special rules so she could understand the game. Still, Cherry had played with her cousins before and it had not been a disaster then, and she had no reason to expect she would make a complete fool of herself now.

As silence reigned, Jenny asked about what everyone was most excited about.

"Finding a map!" Cherry joked, "I am going to get so lost tomorrow!"

0 Cherry Bosko Hard enough to notice 0 Cherry Bosko 0 5

Valerie

June 23, 2011 9:08 PM

Perhaps we should take cover by Valerie

It turned out that the first girl who had spoken was Brianna Japos and the other one was Attoria Covington. Valerie didn't recognize Brianna's name but she did recognize Attoria's. She gave them both a friendly smile though as Attoria was the kind of person her mother would approve of-though as far as Valerie was concerned proper purebloods were just as dangerous to be around as muggleborns, they still carried germs too-and Brianna seemed a bit embarassed. Valerie felt a bit bad for her, the situation was new to her too and she really wouldn't want someone else to feel awkward.

The two girls also clearly knew each other. Valerie wondered if it would be harder to make friends with either of them that way. She also wondered what it would be like to be here with someone she knew, but she would have to wait two years until Melanie came. The first year rather missed her sister already. Melanie was always so nice and caring towards Valerie, keeping her company when she was feeling awful. The Crotalus had some cousins here but she had never met them, not even at family events. Her parents tended to skip those or at least she wasn't able to go because of the amount of people that she could be exposed to.

Valerie felt slightly uncomfortable when both Attoria and Brianna agreed to play cards. What if she was the only one who didn't play? It wasn't as if she was physically unable to generally speaking, as Exploding Snap was not too taxing. It was just right this moment, she was so incredibly tired, much too tired to play a game. Valerie really needed her rest.

So, she felt a bit relieved when Jenny decided not to play either. At least she wasn't the only one. Hopefully, they wouldn't take it as her snubbing them. That was not the case. Still, Valerie didn't want them to know quite yet why she was reluctant. Why she just wanted to go to bed. They would know soon enough about her condition when she inevitably fell victim to a long string of illnesses that she just couldn't shake and she certainly didn't want to look like she was just trying to get sympathy. Valerie didn't care about sympathy, just as long as they weren't mean to her.

On the other hand, Jenny sat down on the floor with the others playing and Valerie really wasn't comfortable doing so. Not only were ladies not supposed to sit on the floor, Valerie wasn't allowed to sit on the floor. The floor was where people walked and tracked dirt. There were all sorts of germs down there. She knew she would probably seem a little paranoid to most people but Valerie really did not want to get sick and she had to be extra careful about these things.

Instead she moved to the end of her bed, lying on her stomach with her head facing the other girls. " The Crotalus considered Jenny's question. Excitement was generally not a good thing for Valerie "I...don't really know. I think coming to school in itself is exciting." In fact, she had been kind of worried that she wouldn't get to go to Sonora at all.

11 Valerie Perhaps we should take cover 204 Valerie 0 5

Attoria

June 28, 2011 10:45 PM

I call under the bed. by Attoria

Attoria made herself comfortable on the floor. She really wasn’t one to normally sit on the floor, but for tonight she would make an exception since there were more important matters at hand. She had no idea if the fruit girl was important or not. She supposed she had better get her name correct in case she was. Berry? Cherry? Yes, Cherry, that was it. Cherry Berry. Even if Cherry Berry didn’t have a prominent surname, she could still become popular. She really wasn’t sure why a whole bunch of people would want to be friends with someone that didn’t come from the right type of family, but she was aware that weird things like that could happen. Or maybe she would simply pretend to be ‘right,’ like she was hoping Brianna would do. Either way, she wasn’t about to write off the other girl until she knew one way or not.

Though, the brunette wasn’t sure what to think about Cherry Berry’s answer to Jenny’s question. A map wasn’t very exciting at all. Of course, Valerie’s hadn’t been either. It had seemed like a bit of a canned response. Wasn’t everyone excited for school to begin? It was new and there was no telling what could happen. “I suppose I’m looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures. I heard on the first day we get to see a real dragon…” Her voice trailed off into a terrifying whisper as she glanced at the other girls. She paused for a moment or two to allow for reaction before continuing on, “No, I’m just teasing. I highly doubt that we will see an actual dragon. They’re highly dangerous. There’s really nothing in particular that I’m excited about. It’s all pretty exciting really. I’m not looking forward to Potions though. The ingredients can be fairly gruesome.”

Attoria pulled out her wand for the game. She had gotten her wand, a beautiful chestnut with peacock feathers forming the core a couple days ago. It was so much better than a training wand. Her training wand had been fairly generic, not personalized at all. This one was hers, all hers. She had even purchased wand jewelry in the form of a star. Being her, the star had real diamonds encrusted in it rather than rhinestones. She wasn’t sure if anyone else at the school would have any wand accessories and knew it was a bit of a risk, but she figured if all went well, she would become a trendsetter, which was what she really wanted. If not, she would simply take it off. She wasn’t good at being an individual for the sake of being an individual, but rather an individual with followers.

“So, Cherry Berry, do you want to play Classical or Patience? Classical would probably go faster than Patience.” While she wasn’t overly tired, she was tired enough that she didn’t want to get involved in a game that would go on for too long. More than likely, if it went on longer than she wanted, she would start to get cranky. That wouldn’t work very well. Her new roommates would end up thinking she was a crabby person and really she wasn’t. It was just when she got tired. And really, who could blame her for that? She just hoped if she managed to be tonight she didn’t end up being cranky in the morning. She guessed that would depend on how quiet her roommates managed to be at night.

0 Attoria I call under the bed. 0 Attoria 0 5

Brianna

July 01, 2011 5:58 PM

I call the closet by Brianna

Brianna tried to get as comfortable as she could on the floor beside the girls and then waiting quietly for whatever game they were going to play. As she sat silently, Jenny asked them what they were most excited for. That was a tough question to answer for Brianna. There was so much to be excited for.

Sonora held a vast majority of possibilities for Brianna. Back in New York City, Brianna was a nobody. She came from nothing. Her parents were nobodies. Her name meant nothing. Brianna was constantly made fun of, picked on, abused by the other kids in the building. Her parents hated one another – each blamed each other for their current predicament – so their small apartment was usually filled with their angry shouts of contempt. She had no real sanctuary in her so called home. New York City was a constant battleground for her.

Brianna wanted Sonora to be the world in which she never had. She wanted people to accept her. She wanted to not have to listen to the same argument every night before she fell asleep. Brianna wanted to know that life could still be okay and Sonora was her way of doing so. Unless Attoria somehow had other plans. Brianna really hoped not. The other girl already had everything, but she was also the sort of girl who didn’t want someone else having the same as her or even worse, more.

When Cherry answered, Brianna just stared at her for a moment. Hadn’t that been what Brianna was getting at earlier? To have an extra day to learn the way of the school or else be lost? Had these girls learned about her from the walk back from the hall and that’s why they were ignoring her? The only way for that to have happened was if Attoria told them. Brianna didn’t think her friend would have done that…

Valerie’s response was similar to Brianna’s thoughts. The idea of leaving home had been an excitement to her. Of course Attoria wanted to go above and beyond, but Brianna’s thoughts on this remained mum. “Oh, I suppose just being able to finally use my wand is exciting.” She said quietly to them with a small shrug. She really didn’t have anything else to contribute to the conversation, so instead she sat back and waited for the other to decide on what they wanted to play.

0 Brianna I call the closet 0 Brianna 0 5

Jenny Owens

July 03, 2011 11:33 AM

I'm just going to run and hope for the best! by Jenny Owens

The response to Jenny's question had been...rather a disappointment. Having been starved of real human contact for several years - in particular that of girls her own age - she had gained all her knowledge of boarding schools from magazines that her maid - who was sympathetic and kind and helped her out in whatever way she could - had smuggled up to her room. The way that 'Witches: 11-13!' had portrayed it was as one long slumber party. Jenny had come prepared for lots of giggling and life-long friendships made in one conversation. What she had received was both a shock and a relief. The most alive response had definitely been Attoria's, and she did seem to be the girl who was most confident.

Brianna's response, though, gave her pause. She had assumed, perhaps stupidly, that Brianna's being a Pureblood had meant that she moved in a more priveledged class. However, Brianna had just said that she was excited to start using her wand. Perhaps she had meant her new wand...or perhaps she had never had an under-11s wand. Jenny was worried...if the case were the latter than Brianna might be in for a tough time in Crotalus house, and Jenny didn't want that for her, even with her strangely large lips.

'Yes,' she spoke to the room in general, 'It is all very exciting. I think I'm most excited to meet more people and have a good experience, I've lived well into the country all my life!' That was a lie, but she could hardly tell them that she was only excited to get away from her family and the actual school filled her with a sense of dread, and nor could she just ignore her own choice of topic.

At that moment, though, her eyes caught on the bejewelled wand that Attoria was pulling from her pocket. Heart falling harder than Julliet had for Romeo, she felt a claustrophobic, panicked sort of fear, like a heavy blanket had come over her head and she couldn't find a way out. The star glittered daintily at her from the polished wood, mocking her, and several images appeared in front of her.

One was of her older sister, Cynthia, smiling the same sweet little smirk that made suitors rush to her and their mothers give them their blessings, as she sliced open Jenny's palm, the tip of her decorated wand directing the cruel magic. The other was of Attoria, who had suddenly become more beautiful in a sleek, dangerous was that was both horrifying and alluring, wand held out in front of her and Jenny cowering before them.

Thanking every lucky star she was born under and the religious witch which had blessed her as a newborn that she had been born into a class that required everyone to be able to act as though they were fine when they were dying inside, Jenny rose to her feet. 'Excuse me,' she apologised politely, smiling round at the group on the floor and Valerie on her bed, 'I will be back in a moment.'

Crossing casually to the bathroom, she locked the door and looked around. It was nice - a good sized shower, a bath with all the necessary wizarding adaptations, two sinks and several mirrors of different sizes. The light colouring was pretty and the silver and red skirting boards balanced each other out well. And, in the top right had corner on the wall opposite the door, above a sweet little cupboard which had the red curtain of Crotalus, was a small, barely noticeable window.

Pausing only to cast a whispered silencing charm on the door, Jenny threw herself up over the sink, onto the cupboard and pushed with all her might against the pane of glass. It opened silently, without breaking (again, Thank God for magic), and she hauled herself roughly out onto a small walkway. The gap was small, and a tight squeeze. Jenny vowed yet again to go on a diet. But then all her troubles were forgotten as she looked up at the sky, a cool breeze flowing across her face.

Stars twinkled at her, reminding her of all the beacons of light in her life and, a long way below her, the great green walls of the maze sighed and swayed together. It was nearly silent.

Where are you Charlie? She wanted to shout her voices all the way from this desert to her home. She could imagine her little brother curled up tightly in his bed, tiny hands pressed against his ears as he tried to block out the sound of their parents raging at each other, and she had never felt more guilty in her life.

0 Jenny Owens I'm just going to run and hope for the best! 0 Jenny Owens 0 5