Brutal Honesty

[Devlin Howard]

Have you ever run a knife across your bare skin, not hard enough to draw blood, just to see what it feels like? Did you ever hold that knife close to your neck, and wonder what would happen if you pressed just a little harder? And with that knife, did you ever stab a nearby table, trying to take out your anger and hatred on to something that wouldn't complain? Whenever that knife hit the table, making a terrible cracking noise, did you ever wonder what it would sound like if that knife was stabbing human flesh instead? Devlin Howard does that all of the time. A lot of people like to believe he was messed up, and that's what made him a little... different.

Opening his cold brown eyes Devlin realized something wasn't quite right. His auburn hair fell into his face messily. He fixed it before he sat up and looked around the room, which was anything, but familiar to him. His sixteen-year-old mind couldn't quite process where he was or why he was there. He was bored, and he needed to do something, fast. Turning his head a little, he saw a young boy probably younger than him by a few years. The boy had short copper red hair with hazel colored eyes and pale skin. He also had noticeable bags beneath his eyes. He looked so mismatched and so colorfully clothed that Devlin thought he could've been in a circus of some sort. He shuddered as he thought of clowns.

Devlin hated clowns.

They were creepy freaks in his personal judgment.

Devlin smiled slowly, eyes displaying little to no emotion as his lips tugged up in a dark smirk and held in place. Permanent humour masked his features like an amused cloak weaved out of lies and blood. Why was everything so d@mn funny these days? He chewed the band on his wrist, canines piercing holes into the rubber as he watched, the boy standing uncomfortably by the door, half-slumped leaning against the drawers, his mind began to tick; taking in ever line, feature, scar, and curve of the boys body. He registered his posture, the dazed rabbit look in his eyes, the way he tried to melt into the wall. He was intimidated by Devlin; good. His smirk grew wider when the said boy had run away from him, probably out of fear but he was disappointed as well, knowing that he had just lost a potential prey. "Stupid little weakling." He said, standing up as he looked out of the window of the room, which now that he had looked closely, was his last classroom for the day.

 

[Adalyn Jez]

Adalyn sat in the library finishing yet another late paper. Having late night band rehearshals have been taking a toll on her classes, papers have been getting handed in later and later and now she sat in the library writing one she had managed to get an extended day to finish. Looking at the clock she noticed classes had finished and she needed to finish quickly in order to catch the teacher before he retreated into his study till his next class.

Hurrying the last bit she folded it up and stuff it into her bag before walking out of the library as quickly she could manage without being found running. Once out in the hall she took off knowing she'd be late if she went any slower. Reaching the door she was almost run over a young boy running out. Adalyn had to pause at the door, seeing an older boy sitting in the class. He was mumbling something his tone wasn't one that she had run into for sometime. She reconized him as a 6th year, a few of her own friends knew him, but he wasn't ever brought up in gossip. Which could be good but also bad, it meant he wasn't one of those out there crazy-stupid people, but then again she didn't know anything about him then. Opening her bag as she walked into the class she pulled out the paper she had just finished in the library and looked for the teacher. The guy had a smirk on his face and was looking out the window and she wondered what his issue was.

 

[Devlin Howard]

Devlin had quickly turned around when he heard footsteps right near him, he had actually expected the boy to have come back, no, actually, he was hoping for it. Thinking that it would actually be to his advantage if he did so. However, who he had saw had actually disappointed him, it was another student, a girl actually. Frowning, he decided to lean back on the window once again. The girl doesn't look that interesting to him at all, of course, she did look different from the others, but she doesn't look like one that he would easily target as his prey.

"What are you doing here?" He said, his eyes still fixed at the scene before him, the girl looked younger and he hadn't really saw her around before. It doesn't look like she know him either, for if she did, then she should have known better than to stay in the same room as him, she should have run away already out of fear, yet, here she was standing there wordlessly, not really expecting that he'll probably do something.

 

[Adalyn Jez]

Adalyn's eyebrows raised on her head when the boy addressed her. It was a classroom, anyone could come in when they wanted too so his question and tone made her wonder what was going on. "None of your buisness that's what," she said looking around for the Professor who seemed to be already gone. She figured she could leave the work on his desk but didn't trust fate enough to put it there and leave. She wanted to know what the kid's deal was before she trust her work to be left in the same room with him.

Thinking back to the younger boy running out she figured he must be one of the students who enjoyed to bully the younger ones and braced herself for anything that could be coming her way. She wasn't sure what he would do to her for coming into their Professor's room, he didn't quite have a right to harm her anyways. Maybe scare her, but Adalyn wasn't intimidated very easily, it was more of girl's that were more hardcore then her she was intimidated by and nothing else. "You are?" She questioned him, not liking the fact that he could easily know who she was and yet she didn't have a clue who he was, it was odd.

 

[Devlin Howard]

Devlin had had to turn around when he had actually heard the said student's reply, so she was more worth than she was appearing to be like, maybe she was indeed interesting unlike the others, specially unlike the first student that had happened to come there earlier. "touche" He said with a smirk, his eyes boring into the girl's own, his suspicions were right, she really didn't know him, and he really didn't know her as well. Figures though, seeing as he had just transferred there on his 5th year.

"No one." He said flatly as he heard her ask his name, no, he wouldn't give her the liberty to actually know his name, not until he discover who she really was first. "Who are you? and don't even think of saying that you're a nobody, you'll be imitating what I had just said." He stated, sitting down on the nearest chair to him and placing his long legs on top of a desk, he didn't really care if anyone would see what he was doing, he was bored, and he'll do whatever it was that he wanted to do.

 

[Adalyn Jez]

Adalyn tilted her head at his reply, she wasn't sure if this conversation was actually going to go anywhere or not. Touche, touche, what did it mean, it was a french word the English had adopted. Ah to admit the otherside made a good point. A smirk placed itself on her face and she moved towards the desk and put down her paper in the center. Turning around she faced the older student once again. No, he hadn't been to one of the jam sessions yet, he didn't reconize her. Of course, that could be a good thing afterall, it wasn't very often in the school that people didn't know her and the vivous rumors that went around about her. No one knew the truth these days it seemed.

Adalyn watched as he moved from the window and to a desk and chair. She followed his movements and sat on top of the desk next to the one that was holding up his legs and feet. He seemed to be tall like her, of course her long legs sometimes seemed alittle too long in her opinion. Adalyn wondered if this guy would be one who would want to spend time around her because of her clothes, which all outfits she wore were alittle racy; or if he would actuall be someone there for conversation and friendship, -she hasn't come across many of those types yet. "Oh, I'm somebody that's for sure. But I believe I asked first," she told him leaning over towards him to stare into his eyes. People always commented on how blue her eyes seemed against the darkness of her makeup, but they were always that blue either way.

 

[Devlin Howard]

Devlin raised an eyebrow as the girl smirked and move herself to the desk just near to where he was. She didn't look like the type who would be easily scared off it seemed. It might have been fun to intimidate her and see how she would react, but then, he was in no mood to do such thing. He had lost that desire when the first student that had come across the room had go running away from him. Yawning, he turned to look at her. She was wearing something that was not considered to be normal probably, just like the first student before, but then again, he didn't really care about her clothes as much as he cared about that clown'-looking one before. He never did care about other's appearance after all, well, not unless he was insulting them just for the sake of insulting someone.

"Whatever.." He said flatly as he saw her lean over towards him, he was not intimidated by such close proximity from her, in fact, it made no effect on him at all. "I'm not one who would just go around and introduce myself, I'm not looking for any friendship as what you folks might say." He added, not even bothering to move an inch. He would have just turned away and go in his way by now, but then, this girl looks interesting enough to talk to, after all, it was rare that he would ever get the chance to actually have a proper conversation with someone, it was always insults and arguments with him, maybe he could just give her an exception for now. "Devlin." It was a very short answer to her previous question before, but that was just the way at which he would say his name, he believe it unnecessary to use so many words when in fact, what the other party was asking was just a name.

 

[Adalyn Jez]

Adalyn almost felt like laughing, the boy in front of her was a piece of work. He didn't seem to be interested in one bit, but maybe that was because she was putting up a fight letting him know she wouldn't be bullied. Of course she has dealt with the same bully since first year and she's sick of it. The boy was hard to read, unlike most people she has met. Alois was super easy to read he just let his emotions pour out of him. Jack was more of the big time jock guy but then again he had his head held high being a seventh year and all. This Devlin character didn't seem to pour his emotoins out which was nice change, Adalyn didn't deal well with emotions.

She didn't have much to say about what he was saying, it didn't make much since her mind but then again she wasn't very good at English and there were more then a few words she didn't know. "So, Devlin No-one. I'm Adalyn Somebody," she said but didn't hold out her hand like she would most people. This boy was a bully and she didn't want to take chances with him, not just yet. She was afraid of him and her face didn't show any emotion, but she didn't like to trust people arund this school very easily. Her being not much of a talker, she was going to wait for him to continue on the conversation; he was the one who would have to want to talk to her and keep it going, not the other way around. Adalyn didn't find many uses for friends these days. There was her brother and her bandmates. Then boyfriends that never lasted to long, because they always wanted something she wouldn't give them, and everyone else was whatever in her mind.

 

[Devlin Howard]

This girl, Adalyn as she had introduced herself, was really different from the ones that Devlin had met before. She doesn't look like the type who would get intimidated so easily and she was trying to put up a fight and stand against him, that makes her a bit interesting yet annoying at the same time. But even so, the part of him that was a bit interested in whatever it was that she would do overpowers the part that was irritated by her being to sarcastic and weird for him. He had figured that it wouldn't hurt to actually stay there and just let his time pass by if there would actually be a real conversation right then and there.

"You're not funny, you're quite aware of that aren't you?" He said flatly as he stared at her. His black orbs boring into her own eyes. It might be pretty entertaining to mess with this girl if only he would be able to know what her weakness was, or if he would actually be able to intimidate and scare her for even quite a bit. But if not, then that makes this meeting much more entertaining for him. He, after all, does like challenges, but he does hate to lose as well.

 

[Adalyn Jez]

Adalyn eyed the boy, she wasn't really trying to be funny, the girl barely laughed, really laughed, in the first place. There just wasn't room for humor in her life. He didn't seem to be a very interesting person, just a bully, but she figured there might actually be someone under his top layer. Adalyn however wasn't the type who would want to stick aruond and dig out that person. She prefered her life of lonliness, spending time with her bandmates and such. Shifting herself she leaned back her arms supporting her weight as if she was outside int he sun, soaking it up.

Biting her lip she looked around the room wondering when she'd be able to leave without worry of being attacked. Even though he looked lazy enough, you couldn't really trust anyone in Durmstrang. "You're not very interesting, do you know that?" She asked in return finding the boy to be very annoying, his tone wasn't something she liked to put up with. Adalyn was always blunt and straight to the point and she wondered what this would do if she approached him like she had with Alois, act the same as Alois stunned and unable to speak, or would he be one of those rare students who plays along.

 

[Devlin Howard]

Devlin had almost laughed at the girl's statement, that is, ALMOST. He never did laugh after all, at least, not on a situation like this. He only laugh whenever he see someone suffer because of him, or in other cases, when he was with his few close friends, which were pretty much very rare. "You're delusional, are you not? You're the only one who said that, though, I don't really mind if I'm interesting or not, what matters is that, the person that I'm talking to would be able to entertain me." He said, an annoyingly arrogant smirk gracing his face. He had decided to mess with this girl even for a moment, just so long as she can continue being rather amusing, for he's certainly a person who looses his interest rather quickly. He often viewed others as his toys, persons whom he would play with just so he can amuse himself. It might have sounded rather narcissistic and sadistic, but that was just who he is.

 

[Adalyn Jez]

Adalyn wondered if his little speech was a challenge for her, to be amusing. She could be amusing if she wanted, afterall she had a stage persona that followed her everywhere, Adalyn had no trouble changing herself to suit others. But she didn't want much to do with the guy in front of her, maybe to change his ways from bullying but other then that she couldn't see herself with him. A smile appeared on her face for a second as she figured out the meaning of the one big word he used, it almost seemed right to call her that. Pushing herself from the desk she was sitting on she moved over to the one where he was sitting. She sat down next to his feet as her long legs moved up and her feet found a small place on his chair for themshelves. "So, you like to be entertain?" Adalyn asked him a smile on her face as she leaned forward her elbows on her knees as her hands got placed under her chin. Her eyes were looking down at Devlin wondering where this would be leading too. Prehaps she'd make a sort of friend out of this older boy.

 

[Devlin Howard]

Devlin had to raise his eyebrow as Adalyn moved from her chair into his. He really can't quite figure out how this girl's mind works. She's hard to read, she's unlike all those other girls who's emotions were pretty much written on their faces. She's one of a kind it seemed, a challenge, and being who he was, he would love to test this girl's limits then. A smirk appeared on his face once more as he heard the girl's statement, he wasn't quite sure what she meant by then, but it's not like he would voice that thought out loud. "That's what I said, isn't it?" He told her, that smirk never leaving his face as his eyes were looking at her own.

 

[Adalyn Jez]

Adalyn looked down at the older boy unsure of what she should do. She did feel more comfortable around him then she had with Alois that was true, but prehaps it was because the boy in front of her was closer to her brothers age then Alois. Yet he was a bully which Adalyn didn't really care for, but it was hard to find boys who weren't bullies in the school, as it was a pretty tough school. "Well prehaps you should find yourself a puppet," she told him not pulling away just yet. She didn't have any real friends besides the band, yet she wasn't very close to many of them either because they were all too close in age to her, besides Enzo. Adalyn never found herself to be very attractive and most days her eyes were covered in dark liner and shadow, her blue eyes even more pirceing when she did so. She was pretty sure that no one in the school besides her own brother had ever seen her without the heavy makeup since second year.

 

[Devlin Howard]

Devlin had to suppressed a laugh at the girl's answer. She was indeed interesting in his opinion, cause if she wasn't, then she would have gone off crying already just like what the other student did earlier. Smirking at the girl, he stood up, glaring at her coldly as he did so. Not that he was being annoyed at her right now, but he figured that everything would end up to be rather boring by then. "I already have them.." He said in an uninterested manner as he transfered to another seat, one that was farther from where she was sitting already. "But they were boring, not so much fun at all." He continued on. He had always viewed others as his marionettes, ones that were always there to do his liking, but still, it can be really annoying once they just do everything that he had tell them to do, there's not much of a challenge and that makes him a little bored and uninterested by then. "I'm looking for a more valuable toy, but I guess that this school was just full of trash." He was not really liking the school right now, yes, he had transfered there solely for the fact that the school teaches Dark Arts, but then again, it had became pretty dull after the couple of months that he had stayed there, yes, watching duels can be pretty amusing at times, but somehow, it had just become a norm. He would give anything if he would be able to find something that would be able to pull him out of this plain life that he was leading then, anything would be fine, really.