Conflicting emotions overwhelm me.

[Kailey Harrington]

The memorial service hadn't been over long. Ten or Fifteen minutes at most. Njord was still in the great hall and though Kailey was overjoyed that he wasn't dead she couldn't see him with all of her compiled emotions in such a mess. Her relief and happiness that he was alive were batting her anger at thewhole group of them for pulling such a dirty trick. Sure it had been to teach a lesson to the pranksters, but Kaileys mind had already picked out several faults and consequences of it that her anger was starting to grow.

She looked down at her clothes, A black and white dress shirt, a pair of black dress pants she had gotten owled in with a top speed owl by her mother and a pair of dress shoes. All of it seemed so inappropriate now. She bent don, wiping the dust out of the floor and sat on the clean spot, hugging one knee up to her while her other one streched out infront of her along the floor, threatening to trip an unobservant passerby. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. What should she do?

 

[Katalina Harker]

Kat had sat in the Great Hall for a good four or five minutes after the memorial service had ended still trying to make sense of what had just happened. On one hand she was relieved, but on the other hand she was a little hurt and upset at what had gone on. Shaking it off she realized that Kailey had gotten up and left. Knowing that her friend would need someone to vent to (after all who wouldn't) Kat hopped up and headed out of the Great Hall and off in some random direction as she really wasn't sure which way Kailey had headed.

Still going over things in her mind and not paying attention to where she was going Kat tripped over something that was in the middle of the hallway. "Yeow!" she exclaimed as she hit her knees and scraped up her hands in the attempt to stop her fall. "Geez louise..what the...oh just who I was looking for," she said as she looked at her best friend. Kat turned herself over into a sitting position and dusted off her hands and knees, noting that she'd ripped a hole in her tights. "So...you gonna talk or am I gonna have to drag it out of you?"

 

[Kailey Harrington]

Kailey felt something hit her leg, then heard a thump and the voice of her friend Kat exclaiming her pain. She opened her eyes and shot her head off of the wall with a jolt. Kat was now sitting beside her with ripped tights and scraped up hands. "Crap Kat... Sorry, I guess I shouldn't really stick my foot out in the hall like that. Are you okay?" she asked her friend who seemed to be fine but Kailey had to ask anyways, she would feel horrible if she had hurt her friend. After making sure that Kat was okay Kailey thought about her next question.

After one or two seconds Kailey figured that if she was going to talk to anyone about this whole thing, and her feelings about it it was going to be her, Rhyspa, or Zazuka anyways. So why not? It's not as though trying to hide things from them had done any good in the past. No matter what it was good or bad Kat and Rhyspa always managed to wrestle it out of her in the end, and Zazuka had quite the knack for getting you to spill your guts to her without even trying. Or maybe Kailey was just a softie when it came to her friends. More than likely it was a litte of both.

"Well, after years of being friends with you I've realized that trying to keep anything from you is pretty much pointless." Kailey said lightly "Not that I really mind, it usually helps. But most of the time I know exactly what I'm feeling." she started pulling her oter leg back so she wouldn't trip anyone else and fold them both up beside her one after the other. "This whole thing honestly... Has me torn emotionally. I mean... I'm so happy that Njords okay that I couldn't even begin to describe it. But still, that happiness is being weighed down, not much... But enough to frustrate me. What they did goes against my morals." Kailey summaized "Death s just something you don't mess around with. You know?" she ended waiting for Kats response.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"Meh, I'm fine. You know better than I do that I'm probably one of the most accident prone people on the face of this earth. Nothing a little essence of dittany won't fix," she stated with a half smile. "And I guess better to trip over your foot than my own...less embarrassing that way!" Kat was hoping that would make Kailey at least crack somewhat of a smile.

She smirked at Kailey's comment about not being able to hide anything from her and she was right. It was the same for Kat when it came to Kailey and Rhyspa...never was she able to hide anything no matter how much she tried. It was always pointless. She simply listened as her best friend vented. Kat herself had some mixed emotions of what had just occurred, but she wasn't really pissed off. Sure, what had happened was a bit cruel and maybe the rest of the prefects could have been in on it, but maybe in the long run the 'ultimate prank' pulled on the pranksters would prevent something like this from happening ever again.

Kat knew that Kailey had lost a brother a few years back so this whole scheme affected her in a totally different way than it affected most other people here. "That part I am going to agree with you on. Maybe they could have gone about this a little better or maybe clued others in on what exactly was going on. I mean of course we are all relieved that Njord is, well you know, undead, but I just don't know...I still think it could have been done differently." she agreed, still pondering on just what her exact feelings were over the whole situation. "You...well...maybe...I think you need to talk to Njord once you've settled down. I wouldn't do it now or even tomorrow for fear that you might say something you'll regret, but definitely need to talk things over with him." Kat said after a moment of thinking about what kind of advice her friend needed.

 

[Kailey Harrington]

"And seeing as I'm somehow clumsier than you I should've known it wasn't too bad." Kailey joked with a weak laugh. Kailey had probabl taken more crash landings into the stone floors of these corridors over the past four years she had been living in this Castle than Kat and Rhyspa combined had. Not they Rhyspa was as clumsy as her and Kat were. Her balance had started to right itsself more recently, somethng Kailey was gatful for but she was still nowhere near graceful yet.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks like this. After I saw him I was so damn confused... Part of me wonders if I'm actually awake..." Kailey admitted "Also, I think we know which first years were behind it all now. They need to be punished badly." she added "Even though they did it with good intentions and to put out a message that pranks could go too far. But I agree wth you when you say they could have handled it better, or done something different. I mean, what are they going to do next year when a new crop of first years comes in that didn't witness the whole thing?" Kailey asked

"Yeah... I know I need to talk to him in a few days. But not right now, knowing me I probably will screw everything up if I don't give myself a few days to sort things out. But I'm not letting him off for scaring me like that without atleast a punch in the arm or something." she trailed off laughing at how idiotic that had sounded "But knowing that he's still here and okay.." Kailey started letting out a deep breath "I can't stay mad at him for long. I don't like what they did but he's alive and well. Which is the most important thing in the end." she ended her oice getting soft as her eyes melted as the fact that he was indeed okay was setting in with her.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"Well you are a fair bit clumsier than I am. Must be why we're best friends huh?" Kat joked as she nudged Kailey a little bit. It was definitely one of the many things that she and Kailey had in common and they had Rhyspa to help balance them out more often than not. "To be honest I'm still confused at it all too, but I guess in the end it'll all work out. And those first years need to learn their lesson...hopefully they have, but there are a few of them I highly doubt it." she said leaning back against the wall and closing her eyes. She then sat up and looked back at her best friend who had that dreamy sort of look on her face. "I know that look. You're in love with him!"

 

[Kailey Harrington]

"Yep and Lunas catching up to us." Kailey commented having observed her sister dancing with Scorpius stomping on her toes the whole time. It reminded her of Her and Brian in her second year, okay but just not right. But when she danced with Violets little brother Kailey thought they looked adorable. "They definitely need to learn. An occasional prank is okay but they took it way too far. Something tells me the girl with the neon hair and the blonde aren't going to stop, if anything they'll get worse." Kailey said "I know that look. You're in love with him!" she heard Kat exclaim.

Kailey nodded, had they never talked about what had happened near the beginning of the year? Oh well, better late than never. "Yeah... We're in love. We realized it a while ago, I'm surprised I never squealed with you and Rhyspa about it." Kailey started, half waiting for Kats shocked 'OMG I can't believe you didn't tell me' reaction. "I think I have the letter in here somewhere." she said dgging around in her smaller, black bag she had brought. She pulled out a large purple muggle wallet. Stuffed to the brim wth folded papers, It was filled with her most important letters and notes from Friends, Family, and Njord. News, gossip, and Njords sweet little love notes.

She picked it out immediately, the olds worn from being read so much those first few days after they had gotten back together, and less often through out the year. If had been anyone but Kat, Rhyspa, Zazuka, or Luna she wouldn't have let them read it or even let the see the wallet. She handed the slightly worn out piece of paper to Kat. "No I'm not a weird obsessive person or something. Just a pack rat." she explaned the wallet to Kat, incase it seemed weird to the other girl.

Kailey,

I'm so sorry for how things ended on the North Tower. I was confused. I was scared and didn't know how to react. And as usual I did the wrong thing.

When you told me that you had seen someone else over the summer I got so jealous, and when I realized why it scared me. Having not seen you all summer and then holding you on the tower showed me once and for all that...that I love you. I'm in love with you. I always have been and I guess, I'm just not used to this emotion. I've never been in love before and it scared me.

When I said I needed to think, it was to sort out my crazy feelings, not about us, I just didn't know the right words to say.

I hope you will forgive me and meet me on the lawn tomorrow afternoon. If I don't see you, I'll know I've made a big mistake and I'll understand if you don't forgive me.

With all my heart,
NA

 

[Katalina Harker]

"I knew it! A little miffed that you didn't tell me before now, but at least I know for certain now." She read the letter that Kailey handed to her. It was absolutely the sweetest thing she'd ever read in her life and she wondered if she'd ever find anyone that was as in love with her as Njord was with Kailey. Kat chuckled at the wallet full of letters that Kailey kept, but thought it was a cute idea. She herself just shoved everything in a box under her bed.

She sighed heavily and said, "He is so going to owe you big time. This has expensive date night written all over it." Kat couldn't help but giggle just a little under her breath. The last week had been emotionally draining for a good portion of the student body and it felt good to laugh right now. "So what are you going to say to him?" Kat asked curiously, thinking that it might be a good idea to go over what Kailey was going to say so that she wouldn't get frustrated fumbling for words and start yelling or such.

 

[Kailey Harrington]

"Now you see why this bag, or my other one never leaves my sight or reach." Kailey said with a small laugh. She had always kept her bag with her at almost all times for it had her letters and many other things she held dear to her inside it, not to mention all of her favorite books. Her mother must have charmed it to fit more or something because It held alot more than it should have. "I could have sworn I'd told you. But I guess I hadn't... I wonder how much Rhyspas reaction will match yours." she asked though it was more of a statement than a question.

Kailey chuckled under her breath at the expensive date night comment. After the week she had had it felt extremely good to laugh. She couldn't hardly smile for the past week, let alone laugh. Kailey thought over Kats question for a little while. What was she going to say to him when they finally did talk? She scrunched her face up in concntration and after about 30 seconds she shugged her shoulders."I really don't know." she admitted a bit sheepishly.