Clearly Upset

[Kaleb Styx]

Kaleb walked out into the great hall, not looking at all like himself. His outer appearance was the same, and yet, it was different also. His eyes were cloudy, and he was overall not feeling like himself over the death of his mother. Having run and hid for the past month. Jaken had been a great help and all but he was just not enough. Kaleb wanted his mother back, back from the dead. He even checked the family tree, and it revealed her death date. Along with Aleyha's mother, dead. He didn't know that Aleyha's mother had died, but rather, just left. But the tree was never wrong, and Kaleb wanted to just forget about it all, and go back to Germany where his mother would be waiting.

Kaleb sat down at the Slytherin table, and folded his arms on the table. He couldn't eat anything. In fact, he probably hasn't eaten in a week. Kaleb though reached for a glass of pumpkin juice, and took a sip of it. He thought that he was going to go into a coma and never return. He never been so depressed in his life, but then again, he never had a reason to be sad either. First his sister, and now his mother? What was next? Kaleb couldn't bear to think of anything but his mother. Kaleb buried his face in his arms, and just remained like that.

 

[Carmen Peregrin]

Carmen entered the great hall and spotted her best friend immediately. She wanted to be angry with him as she hadn't seen him in ages but as soon as she neared the table she knew she couldn't be. Something was definitely wrong. He wasn't his usual self at all. Carmen walked quietly to his side and sat down at their table, a gentle hand was placed on his arm.

"Kaleb are you alright?" she tilted her head a little to look at him better, something was seriously wrong. He looked awful as if he hadn't eaten or slept in ages. She knew it wasn't anything to do with his school work, that type of thing never phased him at all. Maybe it was girl trouble, she bit her lip hoping it wasn't. She seriously didn't know if she could sit hear and listen to him moan about ... what was that girl again, Leia?

Her hazel eyes drank him in, wanting to be some help somehow.

 

[Kaleb Styx]

Kaleb was slightly carried away in a happy reverie of when his entire family, with Alessine as well, together and just being themselves. It was a happy memory, even Kalif was smiling and laughing with everyone. It was a rare moment in history, but Kaleb was lost in it. A hand on his arm awoken him to reality that he never wished to relive. He opened his eyes and lifted his head to stare at Carmen, his best friend. He had neglected her, and he almost expected her to be mad at him for it. She had every right to be.

Kaleb sighed, and answered softly, "My mom...she's dead." Those four words explained it all, the cruel reality. His brother was a stone in the wall, stable and handling it much better than he. Even Kalif seemed a little off about it. Kaleb wanted comfort, but did not know if he could ever ask for it. The hand on his arm, it made him feel better. He stared at Carmen, still in denial at the obvious feelings he had for her. All he thought of them was that they were best friend feelings. And that was it...

 

[Carmen Peregrin]

Carmen looked into the face of her best friend as he turned to her and told her about his mother. She knew she probably paled at the news. He had already lost his sister this year and now his mother. Instinctively she threw her arms about his neck, comforting him the way she knew she would crave to be comforted if she were in his shoes.
"Oh Kaleb, I am so sorry" she whispered to him, she didn't care who was looking. Her bestfriend was in pain, her arms stayed about him for a while offering him the comfort she thought he needed. The scent of orchids from her hair very gentle. Slowly she released him but reached for his hands instead to hold. In Carmen's mind touching was always a way of demonstrating affection, comfort and so many other things.
"How are you feeling? Is there any thing I can do?"

 

[Leia Evans]

Leia had been up in the Owlery sending a letter to her mother and decided to go down to the Great Hall for a quick snack before she did her homework. The Hufflepuff girl had been keeping busy ever since Kaleb had stood her up at the Halloween dance and tried not to seem desperate in searching for him in the dungeons or anything of that sort. She had just concluded that Kaleb had a really good reason for his absence, since someone as sweet as him would never deliberately blow someone off.

Leia walked into the Great Hall in patterned one shouldered blouse and skinny jeans as her chocolate colored eyes scanned the hall in a usual manner. Immediately her heart skipped a beat or so as she spotted Kaleb for the first time in, was it weeks? She hadn't seen him in so long and now that she had, she knew something was clearly wrong with him. He didn't seem like his usual charming self. To make matters worse, Leia watched as some blonde girl, whom she knew vaguely as Kaleb's best friend through references, was comforting him and wrapping her arms around him.

She knew then that this wasn't something to be jealous over, Kaleb was clearly in some sort of pain over something and Leia wanted to know why. Walking over to the Slytherin table and ignoring the stares she got assuming it was because she was crossing over to uncharted territory, Leia walked up to the two with a sympathetic expression in her facial features. "Hey Kaleb," she said softly, her voice ringing out musically. She smiled weakly at the girl, not knowing for sure if her name was Carmen so she didn't want to identify her incorrectly. Leia boldly took a seat beside him as she tucked a strand of dark black hair behind her ear. All pre-planned conversation starters she had imagined saying when she saw Kaleb again vanished the second she saw him in such a state and instead came out, "What's wrong?"

 

[Kaleb Styx]

Kaleb stared at her, and smiled faintly, the twelve-year-old boy just lost his mother, and there was nothing she could do, nothing he could do. Nothing. He allowed her to comfort him. In his mind, he was thinking, This right here is all I need... But he did not notice that a single tear had escape from prison. Kaleb glanced down at his hands, which were now in hers. It felt right, and he assumed that it was because of the whole best friends comforting thing. He murmured, "You are helping me now, just by being here and not yelling at me for neglecting..." Kaleb felt the wetness on his cheek, and reached to wipe it away.

He saw Leia coming, looking as pretty as ever. However, he knew that he preferred blond girls with hazel eyes. Those two things looked so beautiful to him, but Leia had something else that he was naturally attracted to. And he did not get that either. He assumed that it was the competitiveness. Kaleb glanced at Carmen, but refused to tear away from her touch. He spoke, "Carmen, can you tell Leia? I don't think I can... Not without losing it." Kaleb really needed Carmen, almost like a life and death thing. Their bond was not to be underestimated, and he realized that now. If he had to, he would ignore half the girls he spoke to just for his best friend.

 

[Carmen Peregrin]

Carmen's hazel eyes wanted nothing more than to well up with their own tears for his loss. She felt it deeply as if it were her own. She saw the tear fall and reached herself to wipe it as he did the same.
"Kaleb I could never yell at you, don't even think about that nonsense now" it seemed so petty now her worries about their lack of time together. She squeezed his hands gently just as another girl sat down beside him and just as she whispered,
"I'll always be here for you".

She wondered at first who the girl was, knowing she was in one or two of their classes. She wasn't a Slytherin that was for sure and though Carmen was a beautiful girl she became aware very quickly of how stunning this dark haired girl was. Relief washed through her that Kaleb kept his hands in hers only to be short lived when she discovered who the girl was. The other reason he had not been spending time with her. It took all her strength of character to calm the churling in her stomach, she did not understand why she should feel like this. She nodded her head at his request and looked at the girl.
Her voice was strained but only because she was more upset for Kaleb than any petty jealousy of her own.
"Hello Leia. I'm sorry we're getting to meet like this" she looked at her best friend once more before turning back to Leia, "Kaleb's mother died".

She kept it simple and to the point, not thinking it fair on Kaleb to hear the words out loud either. She certainly didn't know how she would react to the news of her own mothers death.

 

[Leia Evans]

Leia looked at Kaleb as her brows furrowed in concern, especially after hearing what he'd just said. When he couldn't even say it himself, she knew something was clearly wrong. Leia noticed Kaleb's hands were still in the other girl's, Carmen, as she had thought, but it didn't bother her, not now when Kaleb was clearly so distraught with something. Leia's brown eyes focused instead on Carmen as she waited for her to explain what was going on. She smiled weakly at the girl, agreeing with her statement, yes it was unfortunate that they meet this way. Once she said what was wrong, Leia's voice caught in her throat. "Oh my," she began to whisper, biting her lip as she focused once again on Kaleb. She couldn't even fathom what he must be feeling this very moment. "Kaleb, I'm so sorry," she whispered to him softly, reaching a hand out to place it on his back. She didn't know Carmen well, but she knew she was Kaleb's best friend, part of her felt jealous that she and Kaleb weren't as close as they were, but she put that aside - it was obvious they both had his best interest at heart so she couldn't dislike her at all. She hoped the blonde girl wouldn't mind if she said, "We're here for you now, you can talk to us."

 

[Kaleb Styx]

Kaleb smiled warmly, and it was his own, signature smile when he wasn’t acting. It went along with his features perfectly, even better than a smirk did. Kaleb almost wanted Carmen to yell at him. But then again, he was ashamed that he neglected her so. She should have been his first priority. Kaleb positioned himself on the bench so that his back was against the table, so that he could see both Carmen and Leia. Though he still did not let go of his best friend’s hands. The words that were said out loud, he loathed them, but alas, he needed to hear them. To get the truth into his head. To make it more of a reality than a dream. It would help him in the long run.

Kaleb thought it was odd to be comforted by two girls, but still, it helped a great deal. Kaleb murmured, “It’ll be fine. What am I kidding, it won’t be, but it is just something I will have to live with for the rest of my life. But I find it odd that when my mother died, Aleyha’s did too at the very same time.” Kaleb shrugged lightly. He smiled at them both faintly. Kaleb was too vulnerable right now. He couldn’t act, or even be cold. Kaleb was being like a normal child would. “She was the best… Why her?”

 

[Carmen Peregrin]

Carmen couldn't help but smile at Leia. She would otherwise have been out of her depth, this kind of grief she had never dealt with and didn't know if her hands in his or even if her very presence was in any way helpful. He might simply want Leia there with him now and Carmen felt she understood this. The bond they had was different, so strangely unique and special as if they were two peas in a pod. So individually different but necessary for the other all the same.
She moved slightly so he could turn himself around and yet he didn't leave her hands go, maybe her being there was some sort of help. It was so hard to know in these circumstances, she didn't want to say the wrong thing to him though she usually had an uncanny knack for calming and reassuring people.

Her eyes opened wide when he said that her room-mates mother had died the same time and Carmen wondered had it been a dual accident or something more sinister. She would never voice her thoughts out loud incase they pained him though.
"How is Aleyha coping? Does she have someone with her?" Carment felt instantly for the other girl hoping that she did have someone to lean on right now.
She watched him as he spoke about his mother and her heart ached for him. She leant her own back against the table and very gently leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Do you want to speak about her?" Carmen was only 11yrs old and had never dealt with grief of this magnitude but hoped that the little she did say and do were of some help.

 

[Leia Evans]

[Sorry if I've been holding this up. ]

Leia watched with nothing but utmost concern pooling in her chocolate brown eyes for Kaleb. She couldn't possibly imagine what he was feeling at this moment so she didn't know what to say, she was almost at a loss for words. Of course there were the cliche words of condolences but they all sounded so mediocre and impersonal if she were to say them to him right now, she didn't want him to think she didn't care about him. Leia watched as he turned himself around, never letting go of his best friend's hands, and nodded her head when Carmen suggested that he talk about her. "You need to let your feelings out, it's no good suppressing them," she said to him softly with a reassuring smile. She had a small feeling that suppressing his feelings was exactly what he had been doing in the privacy of his dorm room, didn't he mention sharing one with his brother? That combination of grief must not have been a happy environment. Part of her wished to say something that would make him smile, even if for just a fraction of a second, she just wished to see Kaleb smile again, to know that even if he didn't think so right now, he was going to be okay eventually.

 

[Kaleb Styx]

Kaleb closed his eyes, wondering why his mother? Why him? Why did his family end up so dramatic? Probably because my family is one of the most sinister families out there. There has to be a curse on us. Kaleb had no idea how oddly right he was. The Zhefarovich Family usual had a knack for killing each other off, which was exactly what happened when it came to Namina and Dorothee. Only the Head had a say in the matter whether or not someone deserved to be in the family, and that was Asparuh. Kaleb wanted just to have a normal family, with his father there and his mother, and all his siblings. But that was just never going to happen. Not now, and not ever again.

Kaleb glanced at Carmen when she spoke of his cousin. Kaleb shrugged, “I don’t know. I fail to remember if Aleyha even cared for her mother. She was always a daddy’s girl. Besides, she has Fenrir to talk to.” Kaleb sighed, and wondered if Aleyha needed any more comfort than just a snake. Well, she had her own friends as well as that snake of hers. Kaleb gave Leia a reassuring smile, “I have grieved a lot since I heard of the news. I’m fine..”

Kaleb sighed, as he began to speak of his loving mother, “Mom was awesome. She was blonde, blue eyes full of happiness, the very opposite of my dad. She could calm him down just by a pat of the arm. Merlin, mom got between Jaken and dad when both were very hot tempered. Two big men going at it, and mom would just stop them. She was amazing. Grandfather didn’t like her at all. Mom was warm, reassuring, always put herself last.” Kaleb stopped, and he smiled to himself, “I was lucky…”

 

[Carmen Peregrin]

Carmen was amazed when Kaleb began talking about his mother. She had heard so many other negative things about the men in his family that she had begun to wonder herself where Kaleb got his own nature from. He differed greatly in her eyes to his grandfather and father. She smiled kindly at him sitting up to look at him.
"I wish I could have known her, she sounds wonderful" and she did too, "You were very lucky Kaleb. You got more than some people do. I don't believe in a heaven or hell but I'm sure where ever she has passed on to, she is looking out for you."

Carmen hoped this was true with all her heart.