Alone..

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Athene Perthro

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((Open, but I'd rather you only join if you plan on being literate.))



Alone. The word echoed inside Athene's mind, again and again. She closed her eyes against the repetition, but it didn't halter. She felt the cold stone of the wall against her back as she fell against it, her entire body shaking.

Alone.

Tears stung at her eyes, and she felt herself fall, sliding down the wall. She shivered as she came to a halt, although if it were because of the iciness of the the floor or not, she could not tell. Her legs were curled loosely up to her chest, and her head lolled against her knees. Her breathing was sharp and shaky.

Alone.

Her eyes were open, but she could see nothing. It was morning, and yet all she could see was blackness, an abyss inside her head.

"I'm alone," she whispered, letting the tears flow down her cheeks. They tickled at her neck and caught on her lip, but she didn't wipe them away. The salt reminded Athene how alive she was. That she could still taste. The fingers of her right hand loosened, and her wand rolled soundlessly out. It wouldn't be any help to her now.

It was May 1st; Athene's birthday, and the Anniversary of her twin sisters death.

I'll always be alone.
 
Professor King was leaving the Gryffindor common room after checking up on his house, quite pleased that no fights had broken out but still upset that they were behind on house points after just winning the cup the previous year. He was now headed towards the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom to prepare for the final few classes of the semester.

His footsteps echoed in the seemingly empty hallway as he approached the staircase. His mind was occupied with marking the prior week's quizzes and the work that would entail, he hated tedious work but did it nonetheless.

Just before the staircase he noticed a young Slytherin girl from his class shaking, crying, almost in a ball against the wall of the corridor. Her wand was beside her on the floor, and judging by the position of her hand he figured she had allowed it to role from it.

"Are you alright Ms. Perthro?" Professor King inquired in a very sincere tone, stopping and facing her, a look of mild concern on his face. He wasn't sure what would cause who he had assumed to be a strong person to act in such a way, but whatever it was he figured it must have been pretty bad. Waiting for a reply he recalled everything he could about Athene.
 
Athene heard someone approach, although the footsteps sounded a lot further away. The voice too, sounded distant, and the words; meaningless. She let them pass over her, and drift away, having no idea what they were or who had said them. She didn't open her eyes, or look up. She didn't care.

The tears continued to fall silently and freely down her face, blinding her. She couldn't think, or adjust to her surroundings enough to notice whoever it was that had approached. Memories flooded her vision and she wanted to scream, to tear out her own eyes, although she knew that even blindness wouldn't stop them from coming.

Dead.

"She's dead." Her voice was harsh and pained, and muffled by her knees. She choked on her tears and began to shake all the more violently, a sob escaping her lips and echoing through the corridor.
 
Professor King looked at Athene in a more concerned manner as she did not reply, 'What could have happened?' was the question that plagued his mind at this moment. Tears streamed down the young girl's face and he couldn't help, he couldn't console her, he didn't even know why they were there, and he did not think the girl would much appreciate having her mind read. Therefore he was left standing there, waiting, hoping she would speak.

Finally, the girl spoke. It was only two words, but enough for Professor King to get something out of. He knelt down, his feet still supporting his body but his knees bent. "Who's dead?" he inquired soothingly, if such a tone is possible in a situation where somebody is dead and you're asking for more information, more of a recollection. He waited again for a reply, hoping not to upset Athene, but not entirely sure she could get much more upset.
 
"Who's dead?"

Who's dead? The closest finger to Athene's wand twitched, her sobs became shallower, and her eyes opened slightly, although all she could see was the darkness of her knees and the blinding light of the corridor in her peripheral vision.

She couldn't comprehend, make head nor tale, of the question. She grappled at it, trying to hold onto the words in her mind, but it washed away as though it were water, cupped in her hand.

Who's dead?

She looked up with effort, her head felt like a dead weight. Her eyes were red and puffy, her face glistening with tears. She blinked, her lips slightly parted. She couldn't adjust her eyes to the figure before her, so she stopped trying.

"Artemis is dead," she croaked, before passing out. Her body fell limply to the floor, hitting the stone with a soft 'thud'.
 
Professor King watched Athene as her head rolled up, she seemed so separated from the world. 'Aretemis is dead.' she had stated and just before 'Who the hell is Artemis?' entered Professor King's mind Athene slipped towards the floor. Kneeling down beside her he ensured she was not dead. Once he had confirmed this he considered levitating her to the Hospital Wing. This would have been appealing, had there been more nurses on staff and had Athene still had her wand, neither was the case. Supposing he brought her down to the Hospital Wing he could not be certain when she would be served, and he was much against taking another person's wand, even if it was just to move them to another location.

Withdrawing his own wand he pointed it towards her, "Ennervate" he declared, and a small spark left his wand and entered Athene. "Are you alright Ms. Perthro?" he inquired again, choosing not to yet pursue whom Artemis was.
 
The first thing Athene noticed when she woke up was the bitter cold of the stone beneath her cheek. It felt like a block of ice, only dry. Each breath was warm against her arm, lying parallel to her face. Her breathing was steady and slow.

It took her a moment to realize what had happened. One minute she had been sitting in the corridor and now... her entire body was pressed against it. Had she fainted? Been stunned? Fallen asleep? And then she remembered. Someone had been there.

"Are you alright, Ms. Perthro?"

Her eyes snapped open, and this time she recognized the mature, aged voice of King. Her head hurt, and she didn't sit up. She just stayed there, huddled on the floor, ignoring the iciness beneath her.

"What do you want." It wasn't really a question, in the sense that Athene both knew the answer and didn't want to hear a reply, but she felt like she had to say something, all the same. Although mainly for her own sake, to see if she still could.
 
(((Aged? :( He isn't that old :-0 )))

Professor King watched as Athene came back to consciousness, she didn't move, just opened her eyes. When she spoke it took him by surprise, the last two things she had said didn't at all seem directed towards him and this undoubtly was.

"How about you answer me first." Professor King started as he stood up again, looking down at Athene, still very confused as to the entire situation but acknowledging that she probably needed some form of help, even if he could not assist in it.

He felt sympathy for Athene, despite not knowing what was happening to her or what she was exactly feeling.
 
((OoC: Your nearly as bad as Nick for commenting on an RP and killing the moment, Bella :o Just kidding ^_^ I'm glad your enjoying it. And I can only go so long without writing a bit of angst. I only realized yesterday that Athene hadn't had any angsty roleplays yet, so thought it was about time I started one. :D

And Nick, 29 is old to an 11 year old.))

Athene took a deep breath, and noted that it no longer shook. Her eyes were now relatively dry, although her face was still damp, and it seemed that fainting had knocked out all her desire to cry. She now felt quite apathetic, and couldn't care less about what happened next. She felt as though she could lie there forever, her hair strewn over her face and her legs brushing the wall, on the floor of the corridor, and be completely content about it.

She wondered, despite herself and her selfless state, whether King really expected an answer. She wondered at the evidence there was that she wasn't alright, and weighed it against that that said she was, and came to the conclusion that King was an idiot if he couldn't do the math himself. This thought made her smile slightly, and she wondered if she really was feeling all that apathetic after all.

And then, to conclude her wondering, she wondered if she was going insane.
 
Professor King stared on at Athene expectantly, a few moments passed and no reply was made. He did, however, catch what seemed to be a small smirk cross her face. What this smile was about he didn't know, but it didn't comfort him. He wondered if Athene had been jinxed by somebody, though no jinx up to Fourth Year ability could cause her to behave in her current manner.
"Well then, I guess we can start with who Artemis is." Professor King started, skipping the formalities of asking if she wanted any help or somebody to talke to because she clearly did not want to reply to more obvious questions, and he didn't care about how she may have unswered them anyhow.
 
Athene sniffed. Why wouldn't he just go away? Why does he care who Artemis is? Did I even mention Artemis at all? fu@k. The questions swam around in her mind, giving her a headache. She closed here eyes again, and counted silently to ten, her lips moving wordlessly. When she opened her eyes again, everything seemed a little clearer.

"Artemis isn't anyone," she answered finally. "Because she's dead, and dead people don't exist." Her voice was a lot stronger now, and her words firm.
 
Professor King stared at Athene for a few moments, her lips would move a little, butno words would come out. He wondered for a moment if she was going insane, if she would need to be brought to the Hospital wing -- or even St. Mungo's, just when he was prepared to make her move to the Hospital Wing she spoke.

"I believe the ghosts in this school would beg to differ." Professor King started, becoming slightly annoyed with this girl and her constant change of behaviour/attitude. "Even if she isn't a ghost, you don't know that she doesn't still have conscious thought and can't possibly know until you too are dead." he
continued, hoping to get his point across to Athene, though he was not sure if she would be in a proper state of mind to understand, "Now who was Aretemis Ms. Perthro?" he concluded, hoping to finally discover what had caused one of his pupils to behave how she first was.
 
Athene laughed, somewhat hysterically, at the comment about ghosts. Merlin, how much she hated ghosts. Artemis would never have become a ghost... she was too strong for that, Athene was sure. But if she wasn't a ghost, what was she? Where was she? Athene felt the pain beginning to gnaw at her heart again, and she shut her eyes tight, trying to extinguish the thoughts. It didn't help.

"Go away, King," Athene croaked. She wished that King could just leave her be, so that she could either just die of hypothermia, or wait for the stampede of Gryffindors to wake up and pass by. Surely they'd either trample her to death, or curse her till she was numb. She wasn't very popular among the Gryffindor students.
 
Professor King stared at Athene as she had her fit of laughter. Had he not already known she was not well this would have definatly drove the idea home. when she stoped her laughter long enough to speak his expression changed immeadiatly. It had held one of pity and concern, but now it was filled with annoyance and disconcern.

"Perhaps respect for your elders is something that would should be better taught in Slytherin." He said in a very calm manner, still in awe at how rude this yound girl could be when she clearly needed so form of help. Then, after a few more moments he spoke again, "Do you need help up Ms. Perthro? We're going to the Hopsital wing."
 
Athene's head began to throb painfully, and she screwed her eyes up even tighter. She swore softly at the building head ache.

What did King want? How dare he judge the whole of her house on her own actions! She only respected people who respected her, and it was obvious that King didn't. She supposed she ought to thank him for taking her mind, momentarily, off of the date. Off of Artemis. But she couldn't control the building fury. What made him think she needed the hospital wing? She didn't need his help.

She was surprised to watch as her own emotions changed so suddenly and so drastically. It was as though she were suddenly channeling all her pain and hurt into anger. She shook and clenched her fists, and the floor seemed to her no longer cold.

"I don't need help," she said through gritted teeth.
 
(((If he didn't have any respect for Athene he would not call her Ms. Perthro, I assure you. ;-) )))

Professor King heard Athene swear but ignored it, deciding to choose his battles and at the moment that was not one he felt was necessary. He looked down at her, she seemed to be in more pain than just moments earlier.

"Fine then, you don't need help getting up, but you certainly need to go to the Hospital Wing." Professor King insisted. He then allowed his eyes to move their gaze to the wand still on the floor beside Athene, "You should take your wand with us."
 
((You have to remember that this is all from Athene's point of view. Respect to her is a little more than just addressing someone correctly.))

Athene shivered and curled tightly into a ball, trying to block everything out. Her emotions, her thoughts, everything. She wanted to return to that apathetic state that she had been in a minute before.
"I'm not going anywhere," she whispered, only just loud enough for King to hear.
 
(((Respect means more than that to Professor King as well, but he won't show even that if he has no respect for a person. And telling her to respect her elders is not disrespectful. And the actions of any memeber of any house reflects on the house. Now if only she would vocalize her thoughts. :p [-( )))

"Ms. Perthro, you will not tell me no again." Professor King stated, his voice rough and unrelenting. "If you do not get up I will force you to, which I do not imagine you will be very appreciative of." After he finished stating this he withdrew his wand and held it by his side prepared to move Athene himself.
 
Athene opened her eyes and bit her lower lip. Her face was now completely dry, but she was still shaking. Her cheek was numb from where it was pressed to the stone. With great effort, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, and she let her back fall again against the wall, so that she was no longer sprawled on the cold stone.
"I've done nothing wrong," Athene replied softly. Her lip trembled slightly. Why were her emotions so confused? She really wished King would just go away.
 
Professor King watched as Athene pushed herself up against the stone wall. He frowned at this and shook his head slightly.

"Though it could be argued you have done a few things wrong today that is not the matter." He really didn't want to force Athene to the Hospital Wing but would if it came down to that. "Now stand up and go to the Hospital Wing." he urged again giving his wand a short flick which made Athene's wand roll towards her.
 
Athene didn't even look at her wand, but she heard it roll softly towards her till the Bloodoak touched her fingertips. She really didn't want to go to the Hospital Wing. I'm not ill, she thought in distress. I'm just... Just what? She wasn't sure. She thought she had been over Artemis. It had been nearly a year since she had had decided to forget about her sister and move on. In that time she hadn't cried once. She'd been sure that she could now cope, and that she would have been able to celebrate today, rather than mourn. How very wrong she had been.

She took a deep breath and, swallowing her pride, said "please, Professor. I'm not ill. I just need to be alone." Her voice was a little shaky, but stronger than she could have hoped.
 
(sorry for interupting but please from Athene sounds really good to hear.I wish Kasey would have been instead of Nick,but I guess Athene wouldnt be pleading her :lol: )
 
Taken aback that Athene had actually said please, which was quite different than just moments ago Professor King shook his head. "Even if you are not ill you still are not well either. Now stand, I will not say this again." he urged one final time, aiming his wand at the girl, prepared to force her to move. Though he did not truly desire to move Athene he knew that if it was in her best interests then he had to do it.
 
Athene bit her lip harder. Why couldn't he understand? She had even sunk so low as to beg, and he still refused to listen. Would he force her to move if she didn't? How? With the imperious curse? Wasn't that illegal? Panicked thoughts shot through her mind, until she began to think a bit more reasonably.
She shook her head, refusing to move. "There is nothing wrong with me being here," she said quietly. I just want to be alone... but the moment she thought it, she had to question it. Hadn't she, just moments before, not wanted to be alone? Hadn't she wanted someone to talk too? However, she argued with herself, King wasn't exactly who she had had in mind. She wanted a friend, not a pestering teacher who cared about nothing but her grades and how well she represented the school. She looked away from King. If she wanted to mourn, she would. And King couldn't stop her, she decided.
 
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