Alone

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Sophia Stark

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OOC First Name
Kaela
Sophia had used her Time Turner so that no one would miss her. She was currently in Potions, so it was unlikely that anyone would go looking for her in the Forest. With her new boots on Sophia had made her way quite quickly to Forest and sat down somewhere near the edge with her back against a tree. She was not too far in, but she was far enough away from the very edge that she felt comfortable and confident that she would not be seen.

What Sophia needed right now was privacy, and she was sick and tired of her room. Over the summer she had developed a small liking for the outdoors that she was not quite ready to admit to. So, she would enjoy the beauty of the Forest alone, and in secret.

Upon sitting down Sophia had set her messenger bag down beside her. She then took to looking through it, soon withdrawing two letters. Sophia knew from the handwriting that one was from her father and the other her mother, and she did not want to be near anyone when she read them. Her feelings toward her parents and the whole situation were still very murky, she did not know what to think.

Opening the letter from her father, Sophia scanned the page with her golden eyes.
Dear Sophia,

My daughter, I cannot express to you how terribly sorry I am for the way things have played out.  The last thing i want is to see you hurt, and it is absolutely excruciating not knowing how you are.  I have just settled in to a new apartment in New Zealand, so I am quite close to you now.  I will let you do as you will for your Winter Break, but I do hope that you will stay with me for the summer.  I am, after all, your father, and I would like it if you would stay with me.  As upstanding as I am sure this Bruin Dumbledez is, he is not your family.

I am giving you some time to think this over and get used to the idea.  But, I would very, very much appreciate you staying with me.  Feel free to write to me, whenever.

Your father,
Sammael Stark
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Setting the letter on the ground Sophia opened the one from her mother and began to read it.
My Darling Sophia,

I know I have been terrible about contacting you, so I will cut to the chase.  I miss you.  I apologize for my lack of communication, I figured you already had enough on your mind.  I am sure by now your father has spoken with you, and has probably thrown a number of lies at you.  Your father is not a trustworthy man, be careful what you say to him and what you choose to believe.

It has been awful not speaking with you.  I really do miss you dearly.  No doubt your father has already contacted you about the summer.  However, I was wondering if you might like to spend your Winter Break with me.  I can understand completely if you hesitate to trust me, and I would not blame you for saying no.  However, I simply had to extend the invitation to my only daughter.  You may even bring a friend or two with you if you would like.

Well, that is really all I have to say for now.  I look forwrd to hearing back from you.

Love,
Your Mother
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Sophia set the second letter down atop the first and stared straight ahead. Why was this all so confusing? She had never felt such an awkward mix of emotions before. Anger filled her body as tears glazed her golden eyes. She simply sat and stared, wondering how long she could stay in the Forest without notice.
 
Bruin had a rare day off from both work at Gladrags and classes and was at loose ends on this late fall day. He was unsure what to do with himself and decided to go for a walk down near the forest. He had not spent much time in the forest and was somewhat intrigued by it after their recent venture into it with Professor Taggart.

Bruin had been a little disappointed by the degeneration of his skills in the woods, particularly at having been unable to spot the Bowtruckle until Professor Taggart had pointed it out and was determined to hone his observation skills a little. With his Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them textbook in one hand and his wand in his other, Bruin slowly made his way into the forest, taking efforts to proceed slowly and make as little noise as possible.

At one point he thought he heard some minor rustling up ahead, but he couldn't quite place the sound and decided to proceed with extreme caution. He wasn't very deep into the woods and decided that he would only go a couple of hundred feet in at most today, certainly no deeper than he and his classmates had traveled with Professor Taggart earlier in the week. As Bruin passed a tree he noticed a familiar looking pair of boots near the base of a tree not far ahead and decided not to scare the individual wearing them. Bruin stopped and cleared his throat, a subtle cough that would be loud enough to alert the person ahead, but not so loud as to scare them. With a couple of strides, Bruin was able to see that it was Sophia that had also ventured into the woods.
 
Sophia jumped at the sound of the cough, a small gasp escaping her lips and her left hand immediately reaching for her wand. Her heart racing she turned and was quite surprised with what she saw. Sophia had not expected to meet anyone in the Forest, let alone Bruin.

Her tear-filled eyes were wide with worried surprise. Sophia immediately turned her head away from him and wiped the tears way as inconspicuously as she could. "What are you doing here?" she asked softly, slowly turning back to face him. Sophia was not upset that he was there by an means, but she was caught off guard and a bit embarrassed. She bit her lower lip as she waited for his response, hoping he had not noticed her tears.
 
"Actually, I was just doing a little exploring. Trying to become a little more familiar with the forest in case Professor Taggart brings us out here again. I get the sense that there could be a practical component to his exam and I want to be able to find my way around in here and know where some of these creatures hang out." Bruin had noticed that Sophia appeared a little upset, but didn't want to press her on it, deciding to take a different approach and see if she might give him a clue as to what might be bothering her.

"How about yourself? What brings you into the forest all alone?" Bruin said as he looked around. "You are alone, aren't you?"
 
Sophia frowned slightly despite her best efforts as Bruin spoke of Professor Taggart. Care of Magical Creatures was a class she had been struggling in as of late. But she decided not to bring the subject up and instead answer Bruin's question.

"Yes, I am alone. Or, was, I suppose. I just needed a break from the castle, and the crowd." She idly put her left hand on the letters that were beside her and picked them up. "I also wanted to have some privacy while I read these." She looked down at the letters for a moment before looking back up at the Forest, and then to Bruin. Her expression was an odd one for her, a mixture of sadness and loneliness, among other things.
 
"Oh, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to disturb you...forget I was even here..." Bruin replied, a little confused. On the one hand he wanted to stay and try and cheer her up, but on the other he didn't ever want to crowd her and make her feel that he was bothering her. "I'll steer by this way on my way out, just in case, uh, you know, you have had enough time alone." Bruin added as he turned to continue his trek deeper into the woods.
 
"No!" Sophia called out, a bit too enthusiastically. She bit her lower lip in embarrassment before adding. "Bruin, you do not have to go. I...I would rather like it if you stayed." She could feel her cheeks blushing but knew she could do nothing about it. Her only hope was that the shade hid the color.
 
"Oh, okay...sure." Bruin responded coolly, but his insides doing a little flip-flop in response to her enthusiastic request for him to stay. "So, have you already had a chance to read your, uh, letters?", he asked tentatively, not intending to pry, but trying to understand why she might have been upset earlier.
 
Sophia smiled softly as Bruin turned back. "Yes, I have read them. Here," she said and held the letters out to him in her left hand. Not only would Bruin get to read her letters, but it would bring him closer. As much as Sophia might appear to want to be alone, she was really very glad for the company.
 
Bruin was rather surprised at Sophia's change of heart. First indicating that she wished for privacy and then requesting that he not only stay, but even read her letters. He wasn't sure why, but he decided that she needed a friend more than he needed to wander further into the forest. Bruin walked over and sat down beside her so that she could look over his shoulder as he read.

Bruin glanced at the bottom of the first letter and noticed that is was from Sophia's father. He returned to the top of the letter and read through it slowly, surprised to see his own name in her father's writing. At least he referred to me as upstanding, Bruin thought to himself. Bruin folded the letter and handed it back to Sophia.

Bruin opened the second letter and noticed the more feminine handwriting and Sophia's mother's signature at the bottom. Bruin re-read the section where Sophia's mother referred to her father as "not a trustworthy man" and began to see why Sophia often felt conflicted about her family. Bruin couldn't imagine having parents who felt this way about each other and would put him in the middle of some twisted tug of war. Bruin finished the letter and then folded it up and handed it back to her.

Bruin looked at Sophia for a moment, unsure what to say. He wanted to tell her that it would all work out, but he didn't know these people and, at least from how it sounded, it would be a lie anyways. After a moment's pause, Bruin finally managed to speak. "Wow, looks like you have some big decisions to make. Any idea what you are going to do?"
 
Sophia had begun watching Bruin as he read the first letter, but decided soon after that she did not want to. She turned her head and looked forward, thinking. What am I going to do? When Bruin finished the first letter she took it and set it on the ground on the other side of her.

She kept her head facing forward as Bruin read the second letter. Once again as he handed her the letter Sophia took it and placed it on the ground beside her. A multitude of conflicting thoughts had been running through through her head.

Sophia turned to look at Bruin, her expression laden with sadness. She listened to his question and, after a small pause, let out a sigh. "I do not know. I had just begun thinking that same question when you happened along."

Her attempt to hold her face straight failed and Sophia looked away from Bruin as her mouth fell into a frown. She bit her lower lip, not sure of what to say. She had wanted privacy, yet she had asked Bruin to stay. Her thoughts made no sense. Sophia sat in silence, unsure of what to do.
 
Bruin watched Sophia closely, unsure of how to help her. He knew that his parents would probably welcome her back at his home without question, but he also got the idea that Sophia would need to deal with this parental problem sooner or later and that the longer she delayed the inevitable, the harder it would likely be.

He leaned over and rested his hand gently upon her shoulder. "You are more than welcome to come back to my parents any time, but if you want my advice based on these letters and my limited understanding of your family, well..." Bruin paused for a moment, trying to make sure he picked the right words.

"I guess it comes down to one question for me. Do you trust your mom? If you do, then why not go and spend the winter break with her, take a friend with you if you need to, but at least give her a chance to explain what her side of the situation is and then go from there. If your dad loves you and trusts your judgement, than he will give you until after the break to make a decision about next summer." Bruin squeezed Sophia's shoulder gently, trying to let her know that he would do what he could to help her through this difficult decision.
 
"I did trust my mother," Sophia said sadly, still looking forward. She turned to Bruin and looked at him. His face just made her want to smile. She could feel his hand on her shoulder and she did let a weak smile through. As much as she wanted to protest and say that she was sure her father did not love her, and never had, she refrained. Bruin's comforting was welcomed by her and she did not want to get into an argument.

"Thank you," she said after a long pause. "You are a good friend Bruin." Sophia smiled weakly up at him.
 
"Thanks...and you're welcome." Bruin's replied awkwardly with a warm smile. "Although being your friend hasn't been hard..."

As Bruin said this, he began to think about what Sophia had told him about the situation with her parents and wondered why she might doubt her mother. Yes, she had left Sophia and her father, but maybe it was because he was a dangerous man and she had feared for her own safety. Maybe, her mom also knew that he wouldn't hurt Sophia.

"Listen, I don't pretend to understand everything that's going on, but if the only reason that you don't trust your mom is because she left and what your dad says about her, well, don't you owe it to yourself to find out if it's true?" Bruin paused. "I don't know if you have anyone else in mind, but if you need a friend to go with you to your mom's for the Winter Break, well, all you'd have to do is ask and I'd go with you...I mean I'm not trying to invite myself along if you don't want me there, I'm just saying that, well, I'd go if it would help you."
 
Sophia's face lit up and her lips curled into a sort of smile. "You would really come with me?" She had of course wanted to ask Bruin to come with her, but was afraid to ask. All of what Bruin said had already run through her head, and Sophia agreed completely. She needed to see her mother and hear her side of things. The fact that Bruin was willing to come with her meant a lot to Sophia, and it showed in the appreciative look on her face.
 
"Of course I would..." Bruin replied simply, without any hesitation as he saw the sadness disappear from her features. There were other things running through his mind, but he couldn't voice them, at least not with any clarity. For once, he simply kept his mouth shut. "So, do you want to stay here or would you prefer to walk for a bit?"
 
"Well, I suppose a walk could not hurt," Sophia said with a soft smile. The sadness had indeed seemed to have washed away. "We can look for faeries." She realized only after she had said it that her tone had been a bit more enthusiastic then planned. Sophia had never before shown interest in girly things such as faeries. Her cheeks began to burn, the blood making its way to the surface of her pale skin and she looked away from Bruin, wondering what he would say.
 
"Uh sure..." Bruin replied with a grin, noticing an odd excitement in Sophia's voice, but tending to agree that finding some Faeries would definitely be preferable than angering some Bowtruckles and having their eyes gouged out. Bruin noticed Sophia was blushing, but decided not to mention anything, knowing that how often he had felt awkward around her lately and not wanting to add to her embarrassment. He got up quickly and then extended his hand to help Sophia up. "Alright then, shall we?"
 
Sophia hastily stuffed her letters into her messenger bag and turned to Bruin. Taking his hand she got to her feet with his help. "Thanks," she said with a smile. She draped her messenger bag over her right shoulder and across her chest.

"Any ideas on where to look?" Sophia inquired quietly. She was still smiling slightly, but her cheeks were no longer quite so pink.
 
"The Faeries the other day seemed to like that sunny little clearing, so I suppose we should look for a place with enough sir space for them to fly." Bruin looked around and noticed that the trees appeared to become more tightly packed to the left and straight ahead, but somewhat more sparse off to their right. "Maybe over that direction where the trees are further apart?", he offered.

"I don't want to go too far in today. I'm still trying to get the lay of the land around here." Bruin added, his comment appropriate both for their physical surroundings and their developing friendship.
 
"You are much more familiar with nature, so I will take your word for it." Sophia had only very limited wilderness skills, and those that she did have came form her summer with Bruin.

She smiled at Bruin when he said he did not want to go too far in. "No, I agree. Best just to get a feel for it. Besides, we are not exactly supposed to be here..." her voice trailed off as Sophia remember just what had happened the last time she was in the Forest without permission. Her smile faded somewhat as she waited for Bruin to lead the way.
 
Bruin began to walk slowly and carefully off towards the clearing to the right. He was careful to watch where he stepped, not wishing to disturb nature or any other creatures that might be underfoot. The sunlight filtered through the branches above their heads and Bruin stopped and looked skyward, hopeful to see the fluttering of little wings. To his dismay, he saw nothing and even more surprising, heard nothing. It was altogether too quiet he felt and he stopped walking, anxious to pick up the sounds of the forest again. The air was still and he got the distinct feeling that they were being watched, a feeling that he didn't like.

Bruin turned and looked at Sophia, trying not to appear as nervous as he suddenly felt. "Ummm, I hate to tell you this, but I get the distinct feeling that we are being watched.", he muttered under his breath. "And to be honest, I am not sure by what...". As a Gryffindor, Bruin was supposed to be brave, but not stupid and he began considering whether it might be time for a strategic retreat.
 
Sophia followed Bruin, trying not to think about Professor Manteia. She would hate to see what would happen if she were caught in the Forest again. But then Sophia remembered that she was currently in Potions, and the thought of getting caught misusing the Time Turner came to mind. It was at this point that Bruin stopped, and Sophia stopped beside him.

She was about to ask if something was wrong when Bruin turned to her. "Being watched?" Sophia whispered back to Bruin, more confused than worried. "But what would be watching us?"
 
"To be honest, I have no idea, it may be nothing...." Bruin replied. He was so used to forests that were full of sound, even when peaceful that the total absence of noise at the moment was worrisome. "...something just doesn't feel quite right."
 
Sophia frowned, worry beginning to fill her. She was now starting to notice just how oddly quiet the Forest was. After taking a cursory look around Sophia looked to Bruin.

"Perhaps we should leave..." she said in a whispered breath.
 
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