Closed Be Seeing You

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire had never dreaded going back to the orphanage like this before. There were so many people she would miss this time. Kira, Onyx, Jacob, Ava, the Quidditch team... Mervyn. She wished she could just stay at the castle with the lot of them. But she couldn't, so there was no use in dwelling on it. There was, however, one last thing she needed to do before she left the train.

Goodbyes. Ugh.

She glanced over at her sleeping brother. Onyx would be the hardest to shake, so there was no use in waking him. She stood up, slowly, and gathered her things quietly. They would reach the station soon and she needed to make a quick exit. She left a note next to Onyx, knowing he'd see it when he got up.

Nyx. Love you. I'll write soon. -Sapph

She made it out of the compartment without any trouble. She had a few more goodbyes to take care of. The first person she found was her spunky little blond. Sapph peeked into the compartment. She didn't recognize any of the people Ava was with, save for a boy and a girl. She thought the one might be Dianas little sister, but she wasn't sure, and the other might be Philip. Sapph knocked on the window to get Ava's attention and beckoned for the girl to come out.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Avaria chattered happily with her friends. She had so many plans for.whem she got home! She still needed to paint her room, and teach Papa how to skate with her if she could talk him into it, and a million other things. She wanted to bring all her friends home with her, but she also wanted to spend all her time with her Papa. How was she supposed to choose? She was startled by a rap on the window.

Ava squealed happily when she saw Sapphire waiting for her outside the compartment. She excused herself quickly and hurried out to see her friend. "Hi Sapphy! Did you come to say bye? That's so sweet of you!" Ava hugged her tightly. "I'll miss you! I can't wait for school to start again so I can see you and everyone." She gushed, squeezing the girl tight one more time before letting go.

"Bye Sapphy I love you!" She told the girl with a bright smile before turning back to return to her other friends.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire smiled to herself as Ava hurried out. This girl really was a ray of sunshine. She patted Ava's back in response to the hug, feeling a little awkward at the girls energy. She always had a hard time keeping up with Ava's bouncy, happy-go-lucky attitude.

Sapphire didn't even have to speak for Ava to know what she wanted, or tell the girl she didn't want any long farewells. Before she knew it Ava had bid her goodbye and left Sapphire standing alone again.

With a small smile and a shake of her head Sapphire continued on. She made it halfway up the train again before she found someone else to say goodbye to. Kira. Though with Key it wasn't as long a separation so hers would be the easiest. Sapph stuck her head into Kira's otherwise empty compartment and called out to the brunette.

"See you later Key." Sapph told her with a smile.

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira was always eager to head back to the Inn. She missed her siblings terribly when she was away. Besides, Caelen might come to visit. The thought of the boy so suddenly surprised her. She shook her head and returned to her book. Her legs were tucked beneath her and she leaned against the window. The passing scenery held little interest for the Ravenclaw. She was busy in Narnia.

She hadn't gotten far, however, when a voice brought her back down to reality. She glanced up, not surprised to see the Raven haired girl in the doorway. "Bye Sapphire," Kira told her with a smile. "I hope you told your brother the same." She reminded the girl gently, having a nagging suspicion that Sapphire was attempting to slip away mostly unnoticed- again.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire wrinkled her nose at Kira and hurried on her way. They were getting closer to the station, and if Onyx caught up with her there was no telling if she would be able to escape. She hoisted her bag over her shoulder and stood as close to the exit as she dared. As soon as the train stopped Sapph pulled up her hood and jumped off. Getting through the crowd of waiting family and parents was as easy as it ever was.

She made it out of the crowd and off the platform. She slowed, reaching into her bag and pulling out muggle cash from the secret pocket. It was so easy mixing it up with her galleons sometimes. And frustrating. She began counting out how much she had, not noticing she'd been followed. She wished she'd seen Jacob- or Mervyn, even. They must have been further back on the train than she'd been.

Sapph stuck her money into her hoodie pocket and reached back into her bag. She had full access to her phone again, thankfully, and all the music she had downloaded. She smirked to herself as it turned on at full charge. That would last until she made it back, at the very least. She picked a song and put her headphones on. She had considered switching to earbuds, but she preferred the look and feel of the old bulky headsets.

With a sigh, Sapphire rolled her shoulders. Okay. Back to the home.

 

[Mervyn Strangewayes]

As the train rolled to a stop, Mervyn hoisted his luggage down from the rail and slid open the compartment door. The corridor was already teeming with students, each of them carrying their own bags, so that he couldn't have squeezed out if he'd wanted to. Rising up onto tip-toes, he glanced around for Sapphire, wondering whether he was going to see her again - if she would wait for him to say goodbye. "Oi, 'urry up - move it," he said, nudging a pair of first years who hadn't noticed the corridor had cleared. Then he followed after them, moving as quickly as he could while dragging a suitcase behind him.

Stepping out onto the platform, Mervyn's heart sank. There was no way he was going to be able to find her amongst all these people - parents, siblings, students, all embracing each other and talking excitedly about what they'd done at school. Mervyn was used to travelling home alone, but he always felt a pang of envy towards the girls and boys who had loving parents to pick them up at the station. Shaking his head, he weaved through the crowd, scanning every face, every shoulder, ever bag for something he could connect to Sapphire. And then he saw her. "Sapphire!" he yelled, hoping to slow her down so that he could catch up with her. When he finally did, he let go of his suitcase to free up his hands. "Oi - you gonna leave wivout sayin' goodbye?"

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

The music had just barely begin to play when Sapph thought she heard someone call her name. She paused, pulling her headphones down around her neck. Had Onyx caught her? The furrow in her brow cleared when the voice spoke again, and she smiled widely. She turned to see Mervyn standing there.

"Merv!" She halr-ran forward, hugging him. "I was just thinking bout you," she started. Sapphire froze and pulled back quickly, bright red. "T-that is, uh," she stammered, not looking him in the eye. "Sorry, I'm not used to- no that's not- uh, bye!" She chuckled nervously, backing up. She waved quickly and pulled her hood up. She turned and tried to flee, kicking herself for being so awkward.