Closed Best Laid Plans

[Cameron Roswell]

Cameron bundled his jacket tighter around his shoulders as he slipped out of the main door and tried to hurry his way across the lawn in the dark. The lake was still and quiet, just a faint, cool breeze skidding across the water that made Cameron's forehead itch as it ruffled his hair. It wasn't that much further till he'd managed to find the rock they'd agreed to meet at earlier, nearly tripping over someone's foot in the dark as his eyes struggled to adjust in the dim light. "Ouch, budge over," he hissed, aware of how quickly the sound could travel over the water as he tried to settle himself down, hoping the grass under him was just cold and not already damp with dew. It was colder up on the cliffs than it had been on the lawn and Cameron tucked his chin further into his collar, insistent that the thrill of sneaking out was what had him feeling so jittery and not the cold.

 

[Isadora Novak]

Isadora had put on her new cloak, the one that had been Natalia's but her sister had barely ever worn. She was grinning as she sneaked out, even though there was a pretty cold breeze outside. This felt exciting, like a real adventure. Isadora giggled as she made her way to the cliffs. Isadora felt the urge to whoop loudly but held it in. She grinned, nudging Cameron as he arrived. They had arrived around the same time and were now just waiting for Margo. "Hi." She said as she grabbed Cameron's arm, it felt safer to hold onto him somehow. Even though Isadora knew he was going to complain.

 

[Margo Fox]

Margo had paced back and forth in her room for several minutes as she built up the courage to sneak out and meet her friends. The plan had hatched rather quickly around her and she could do very little to stop it. Before she knew it things were set and now it was up to her to follow through. The night was much colder than she expected and it brought a sense of clarity that cut through her earlier nerves. She let out an excited and nervous giggle when she spotted Isadora and Cameron. She pulled down her knit cap farther over her head as she ran to meet them. "Hi." she greeted breathlessly. "I can't believe we're doing this." Margo added, nerves back again and catching up with her.

 

[Cameron Roswell]

Cameron flinched when Isadora grabbed his arm, forcing himself to relax in her grip. It was marginally warmer with her clinging to him, though he couldn’t resist saying something. “You scared you’re gonna fall off or something?” He said, goading her, though he quietened down as someone else approached, relieved that it was just Margo. “How did Isadora even beat you, she had like a million flights of stairs to go down,” he whispered to her, wincing as he imagined he could hear his voice carry over the lake. “It’s not like we’re doing anything crazy,” he added, ignoring how excited and nervous he was. If anyone asked he would mark down the shakiness of his own voice to the cold and nothing else. “Should have brought a blanket though, I don’t want my butt to get all wet if we sit,” he added sourly, glancing at the dark grass behind him.

 

[Isadora Novak]

Isadora grinned and let out a breathless laugh at the sight of Margo approaching. She beamed. "Me neither." She said, before nudging Cameron while still holding onto him. "More like worried you'll trip and fall into the lake." She teased. "It is pretty dark." As Cameron questioned how Isadora had gotten here before Margo, she just shrugged. "I'm very fast." She said simply. Isadora snorted when Cameron said they weren't doing anything crazy, wondering if he had any idea how much his voice betrayed him, but she didn't say anything. "We can sit on my cloak." She said. "I don't usually get that cold."

 

[Margo Fox]

Margo was unsurprised but still annoyed when Cameron found something to complain about. She had several flights of stairs to sneak down herself even if it wasn't quite as many as Isadora. At least Isadora probably hadn't spent nearly as much time nervously pacing as she did, but he didn't need to know that. “Sorry I had to fight a troll.” she said sarcastically and rolled her eyes and he went on. Of course he would find a way to take all the fun out of their adventure before it even began. "Are you scared of a little water?" she teased and remembered something her grandma always said. "I don't think you're sweet enough to melt." she giggled and looped her arm through Isadora's as the crept father along the rocks. She wondered just how far they planned on going and if they'd be able to see the edge in the dark.

 

[Cameron Roswell]

Cameron muttered indistinctly when Isadora nudged him, annoying that his own grip on her arm tightened just a fraction at the mention of slipping. "I have excellent night vision," he insisted instead, rolling his eyes when the girls started to tease him. "Yeah yeah, you're both hilarious," he groused, hoping Margo wouldn't through off their balance when she joined arms with Isadora on her other side.

"Let's stop here," he said in a loud whisper. Cameron had been on the cliffs before but he couldn't figure out where they were at all, except for where the lake was in the moonlight, and despite all the joking, he really didn't want to slip anywhere. "Think we could get a rock into the water?" He offered, still pondering sitting down but not wanting to take up Isadora's offer to share her cloak and having the girls tease him all over again. Instead, he just crouched down, searching the ground for a pebble or a stone and quietly hoping the motion would drag the other two off-balance in the process.

 

[Isadora Novak]

Isadora laughed softly at Margo's words. Though she hoped Cameron wouldn't start complaining too much if they were both teasing him. The last thing Isadora wanted was for him to storm off in a huff. He'd likely get caught and get both of them in trouble as well. Walking in between them, Isadora suddenly felt giddy. She loved being at Hogwarts, she loved having friends. She never wanted this semester to end. Once Cameron told them to stop, Isadora pulled her arms free and put her cloak on the ground so they could sit on it. Cameron, predictably, didn't. "I'm sure you can." She said. "It's a pretty big target."