Playing in the garden... on Labyrinth Gardens

Grail Markner

December 03, 2006 7:05 PM

Playing in the garden... by Grail Markner

Peace and quiet, and once again Grail was alone next to Martin. She was still reading that Labyrinth book, and of course that meant so was Martin. Next to her was a small tote bag Hector had given to her in Detroit. It had a few letters in it. From her mother, Alais, Hector, and her father. She had yet to read all of them yet, but she told herself once this chapter was done, she would. Well, two chapters later and she still hadn't touched the pile.

She had a feeling her mother's and Alais's letters would have to do with Grail's new baby half brother, Merlin. Grail remembered wincing at the name. Merlin! Couldn't Marina have given her son a better King Arther like name. Auther the second, after Grail's late older brother maybe? Or Leo, despite the fact she may confuse it with her friend, Leo. But still, anything but Merlin. Now whenever she heard people say the word Merlin here as a cure, Grail frowned. She felt bad for Jesus's siblings when they went out and heard their brother's name as a curse.

Grail flipped another page in her book and read more about Alais's story. Then she looked over to where she believed Martin was. "Should I read the letters now?" she asked the quieter insanity. She felt like Martin gave her a look... and possibly a shrug. Ugh, she had to stop talking to nothing, but it was hard. Ariel was too annoying, and Martin was too quiet. But neither were real, so why couldn't she get rid of them? And why did she awlways try to talk to Martin? "Because you feel that awkward silence, even though I'm 'not real'." The voice in her head stated. Hah! Martin! Wait... no this was bad, she shouldn't be happy she got her insanity talking!

Grail bit her lip and looked at the colorful tote. Hector's girlfriend had made it in a class at the college, but didn't want it. So Hector had given it to Gray for her birthday. Her fingers slipped in it and pulled out the head of Hector's cigarettes. She hadn't known why she had taken them. Gray only tried one over the summer, and knew they were bad but...
There was a lighter in the tote too...
Grail pushed it back into the bag and looked quickly back at her book. "Where's Ariel?" she asked suddenly, as if she wanted someone to talk to. Even if it was nothing. Gray felt the annoyance of Martin in her head. "Somewhere, I don't know..." came from her, and Grail looked back at the tote. Her fingers slipped in again, but this time to pull out a letter. One from her mother.

Opening it slowly, Grail hoped her mother didn't mention her insanity over the summer. Stupid Ariel made her mother desperately worried about Gray's health. Gray read it slowly. It was about Merlin's health, at least the first paragraph was. How he was doing. The second was on Alais and her... doubt... of coming from the right family. That girl was a whiner. Next was on the twins, Libby made the soccer team and Chali was just being Chali.
The last one was the one she was dreading. It started out simply enough. How's school, are you doing okay. But then it went on to her insanity. Marina had been worried about Grail and wanted her to come home for Midterm to see some doctors about her "problem". Angrily, Grail stood up and threw the paper to the ground.

"I don't have a problem!" she hissed at it. Grail could feel Martin laughing in her head. If only he was real, she would slap him. No, Gray didn't want to see a doctor. It would make her feel crazier. And she didn't want to explain to some stranger about what's been going on. Someone who probably wouldn't get it. Once again, she said aloud, "I'm telling Dad! He won't make me go..." Grail slumped up against a tree branch. "Oh, shut up, Martin," she muttered again. But then realized the clearing throat wasn't coming from her head. Quickly, she turned to see who had come.\n\n

0 Grail Markner Playing in the garden... 0 Grail Markner 1 5

Leo Idoya

December 04, 2006 8:46 AM

Mind if I join you? by Leo Idoya

It had taken a while, but finally, Leo had tracked down one of his two friends from last year, Gray--the one he felt more comfortable around, though it felt somewhat disloyal to say that. After all, Nikki had been his first friend, and he, hers... but still. He always seemed to get into arguments with the blond Mexican. With Gray, that wasn't a problem.

He'd been wandering the paths for some fresh air when he heard a familiar voice. Grail! He quickly backtracked in that direction. "...have a problem! I'm telling Dad! He won't make me go..." Leo frowned, stepping unobtrusively up behind her and peering around--she was alone. Who was she talking to? He cleared his throat to announce his presence. Then, in a different tone of voice, she said: "Oh, shut up, Martin."

Leo's frown deepened. Martin? What was she talking about? "Gray?" he queried, his voice a little deeper than it had been the year before. He stepped forward a little, but couldn't make up his mind to sit down. Instead, he looked at her, appealing for an invitation.\n\n

0 Leo Idoya Mind if I join you? 0 Leo Idoya 0 5

Nikki Ramirez

December 04, 2006 3:52 PM

There You Are by Nikki Ramirez

Nikki had been searching for her friends for about an hour. Last night she hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Gray or the twins. With Leo and Gil, it was because they were in Crotalus and Teppenpaw respectively. With Gray, it was because Nikki had been very tired last night and had fallen asleep before Gray had come up to the dormitory, and had slept in until after Gray had left. International flights in a covered wagon could really tire a person out.

When Nikki had seen that Gray was not to be found in Aladren, Nikki had gone off in search of her friends. On her way down to breakfast, she had looked in the library and hadn't found them. Then she had gone down to the Cascade Hall, which was full of people, but had not produced any Idoyas or Markners. Grabbing a biscuit, sh had walked down to the Quidditch pitch. Gil and Gray had both been on the house teams the previous year, and Leo enjoyed the sport as well. Finally she had come to the Gardens.

She spotted Gray, who was talking to herself and appeared to be mad at a piece of paper she had thrown on the ground. Just as Nikki neared her friend, Leo stepped out of the shadows from behind her. 'Gray?' he asked. He seemed uneasy, a quality Nikki had not often seen Leo exhibit.

Before Gray could answer, Nikki arrived next to her friends. "Hola," Nikki said brightly "Did you two have a nice summer?"

((OOC:Hola=Hello))d\n\n

0 Nikki Ramirez There You Are 0 Nikki Ramirez 0 5

Gray

December 05, 2006 7:27 AM

Seems we're all here by Gray

Gray looked over at the one who'd come from the shadows. It was Leo. Of course. Gray blushed, about to make something up about her odd behavior, when Nikki's voice also came through. Did Nikki hear too? Gray bit her lip and looked down at her mother's letter. Stupid letter. Stupid Martin. Now she really did look insane. Gray didn't want to look insane. She wanted to look normal. Because that's what she was... right? "Do normal people talk to voices in their head?" Martin asked, and Gray winced. Shut. Up.

So, before Martin could say any more, Grail acknoleged the both of them and turned over to Nikki's question. "Hi Leo, Nikki," she tried smiling. It looked fake. "Yes, I had a nice summer, spent most of it in Detoit. What about you, Leo? I got a letter from you, how's your cousin? I heard he got into Aladren." She was talking a bit quickly now. It sounded like babbling. Grail stopped talking. She was with Leo and Nikki, her two best friends, she had to calm down.

Bending down, she picked the cursed letter up and placed it back into her bag. While pushing it in, she pushed the cigarettes and lighter back far, near the bottom of the bag. Gray didn't want that to come out on accident. She also slipped her book in to look like she was simply cleaning up, not getting rid of the insanity topic. Finally, when she was done, Gray smiled at her friends, and sat down. Beckoning them over.\n\n

16 Gray Seems we're all here 113 Gray 0 5

Leo Idoya

December 15, 2006 2:56 PM

Looks like it... by Leo Idoya

No sooner had he spoken than Nikki showed up. Leo couldn't decide, for a moment, whether he was glad to see the blond girl or not; certainly he'd been looking forward to seeing her again (last year's fights notwithstanding) after vacation, and with Gray acting... oddly... he found himself grateful for her presence. But Gray immediately started babbling, and Leo had a feeling that if the other Aladren wasn't here, he might've been able to keep the chatter to a minimum. He frowned a little suspiciously at Gray, but quickly smoothed out the expression as she looked at him and turned Nikki's question in his direction.

"Summer was fine. Too busy," he said with his usual terseness. "Yes, Cisco's in Aladren; we never really doubted. I just hope--" he cut himself off suddenly. His cousin, while intellectually Leo's match or possibly superior, was so weak when it came to magic that for a long time his parents and grandparents had been afraid Cisco was a squib.

Then, of course, he'd turned their cousin Jacinto's hair violet, and all doubting had ceased. His wandwork was still weak, though he had a penchant for potions and was bright when it came to theory and logic. Leo just hoped that he wouldn't catch too much flak from his fellow Aladrens for his shoddy wandwork.

"--he makes a few friends. He's a bit of a loner. How was your summer, Nikki? I'm sorry I didn't write... Abuelo kept me busy with lessons."\n\n

0 Leo Idoya Looks like it... 0 Leo Idoya 0 5

Gray

December 16, 2006 7:14 PM

Am I pushing you two away now? by Gray

Grail felt her shoulders slump from her spot on the ground as she breathed outward heavily. Leo had started talking about summer and his cousin, so everything was off her. Off her and Martin. And the cigarettes hidden in her tote, of course. And the letter sitting on the ground where her mother tells her she was crazy. Gray was glad attention was off her and on Nikki now.

Or was she? Grail couldn't help but feel a little bit of jealousy when he started talking more to Nikki's direction and not hers. Gray looked away from the two and over to the colorful tote Hector gave her. She wanted to be in Detroit about now. Her father and Hector made her feel very welcome, and Gray always had someone to lean on. Family to trust.

Here, she hadn't even met her little brother, Merlin, yet. Gray was the immediate family member that hadn't seen the newborn child. the newborn child with a name that would get him teased the rest of his life, of course. According to her mother, the boy had soft blonde hair, like all the Markner children. He also had the family brown eyes (which was odd, because the eyes were dad's eyes, and he wasn't Merlin's dad). Gray wanted to see him.

Grail wanted to go home right now. And she didn't feel like talking to her two friends either.

Martin, apparently, didn't like Gray's attitude. "Suck it up," he sighed angrily. "All summer, you wanted to come back here and see this Leo guy, and now you want to go home? Gray, stop, I'm you therefore I know you. You're better than this. Just suck it up, already." Gray breathed out shakily to stop the tears, and nodded. Martin was right. She had to start talking, or she'd lose her two friends.

"Well, Nikki and I'll make sure Cisco's okay and all. If you want, that is," Gray muttered to Leo quietly. "Oh, and..." Gray looked up, eyes wide. "I have to get pictures of my newborn brother to show you!" Gray smiled, her brother was an okay topic for her. Safe.\n\n

16 Gray Am I pushing you two away now? 113 Gray 0 5