Flirting With Death

[Zdravko Olaf]

It was March. The very real sort of March which was mostly filled with rain and boredom. It was two in the afternoon and Durmstrang was near silent, the rain drumming heavily against the window pains. A room in one tower, had been taken over by the students during the downpour of rain. Games like wizard chess, gob stones and cards, had all been set out. Of course, the options being so slim, one student in particular, could not suppress his boredom. Why couldn't they fly their brooms around the castle? It had only been three days since his last, month-long detention, had ended, yet, Zdravko Olaf was considering risking it all.

And, why should Zdravko care for his 'freedom'? It wasn't like there was anything to do, anymore, all his classmates having matured and gone to focusing on exams. He just wanted to have some fun.. But then, his ideas had altered, a lot; he had once had a long-distance relationship with a really fun sort of girl.. But it had dissolved with the lack of communication, and Zdravko had become single, once again. It wasn't as if he could write to the girl- he had always struggled to put his thoughts and feelings into words. Then again, it wasn't like he had many thoughts and feelings. He stood up from his perch on the window ledge, and walked from the classroom. He just wanted some fun.

Zdravko travelled along the corridors, a little way, coming to one darker than the others. The rain on the window at the far end, spread a dripping shadow along the corridor. Zdravko didn't notice any of this, but what he did notice, was a line of dead-looking spiders, all along the wall. He stepped forward to examine one, giving it a prod with his index finger; It was certainly dead. He stared at it for a moment, before turning his head, getting the feeling that he was being watched. His eyes skimmed the corridor, seeing a dark figure by the large window.

 

[Sunako Koshiba]

Sunako had been experimenting again. This time with another substance that was less stable. As a result a good chunk of her controlled deadly spiders where now truly dead. Sunako felt nothing of it though. Death was a natural reaction of progress. There was nothing that came without a price. The ones along the wall where just about half of the spiders that Sunako kept for experimentation. She wondered if Hoshi-sama would send her more soon. Another one of her experiments had gone wrong in another way.

Sunako had taken a make-up set from one of her room mates to which she bore no objection for fear that Sunako was going to cast curses on her. With this set Sunako set to make a potion that would be simpler to make than a Polyjuice but with the same effects. Half way through finishing it the potion exploded in Sunako's face. Sunako thought that this should have left her severely disfigured but it didn't. Instead the explosion had taken away every spot, every pockmark, every stray hair, every dark bag. What it left was a smooth and very beautiful face. Still Sunako kept it covered with her long black hair.

Sunako didn't want anyone to see this face either because it would call unwanted attention to her. The unwanted attention that her dead white spiders called from a boy she had seen around. "I have others that are not so dead. Do you really want to stay?" Sunako said her voice low and smooth. There was a part of her that hated when people found her like this. This was her space, her dominion where darkness breed and evil simmered. It was a lovely darkness that she made an effort to keep. Still there was the slight hope that she would be able to take a life without anyone noticing.

 

[Zdravko Olaf]

Zdravko heard the words, but his reactions were not the same as any normal boy. His hyperactivity had caused him to overlook many details of a person, and this girl, was no exception. He didn't seem to realise what she was like, that she had killed these spiders, even though it would have been obvious to most. But, then again, Zdravko cared little for anything that did not keep him entertained. Doing as he so often did, Zdravko approached the potentially-deadly girl, standing only a couple of metres away. He could see the hair draped over her face- a face which he found his eyes focusing on, trying to pick out every last detail. And she was beautiful.

"Yes." He replied with a smile, not understanding that this was intended as a threat. "I'd like to see your spiders." It had been a strange thing to say, even for Zdravko, but it sounded, to him, like fun on this very dull day. There was a distant shriek and giggle. Girls. They were obviously doing that stupid chatty thing that girls did. Zdravko detested it. Since they had grown up, girls had stopped being fun, just chatting among themselves, wearing make-up and attempting to brew love potions. Where had the fun ones gone? Why did nobody climb trees or have duels or blow stuff up, anymore? But, with their loss of 'fun', they had gained something else, something that caused Zdravko to stare at them, to watch them, to think of asking one out. He was sickened by the very thought.

Straight off, Zdravko could see that this girl was different, that she was interesting and she wasn't giggling or smiling or talking to him in a strange voice.. Well, the last part may have not been one hundred percent correct. She was very strange. And Zdravko liked that.

 

[Sunako Koshiba]

Sunako's eyes narrowed slightly as the boy walked up to her. Her hair was thick and consiled her face well enough but there where those that could look past the long coils and see what was underneath. She could see that this boy was one of those people. There was also something off about him, something that made him overlook the clear presence of a dark force around Sunako that made most people shiver in the corner crying to themselves. The giggle broke through her thoughts like a lance and Sunako hissed under her breath.

"Stupid, vapid, fluff brained..." Sunako muttered as she took something out of her sleeve. Her long pail fingers tapped the vile three times before she corked it again. Slowly small drops of black liquid slid across the floor, the faint smell of tar following in their wake. Weather it was a creature that was spawning from liquid or something much more unnatural no one could really tell. With this she turned back to the boy who talked to her. "The spiders live farther down the corridor. If you want to see them follow me." She said her voice now holding a bit of amusement.

She took him away from the chatting girls who would soon be scared out of their minds with the tar creatures that Sunako had managed to produce. The screams would distract her really. She lead him down another line of white spiders what only looked dead. "These are the ones that serve me the best." She said holding her hand out. Suddenly, in jerky movement the spider slid from it's web to Sunako's pail, bony hand.

 

[Zdravko Olaf]

Zdravko didn't hear the girl's mutterings- or, at least, pretended not to. He watched as she dripped something onto the floor. Something black. The way it slid across the floor would have been a warning, to most, but not to Zdravko; whether it be bravery or stupidity, he remained standing, smiling, even, at the girl. Zdravko listened to her speaking, explaining that the spiders were further away. Naturally, he allowed curiosity and this girl to lead him. If he would leave these corridors alive, was anyone's guess. Zdravko cared neither way.

They walked from the the chatting girls and soon arrived at a row of dead-looking spiders. Her words did cause Zdravko to raise his left eyebrow, but only as a spark of curiosity hit him. His eyes followed her hand as she held it out. Something very strange happened, next, and Zdravko observed it with nothing less than interest. A spider was on her hand, a hand he thought quite delicate, now enchanted with a spider. A long smile crept up his right cheek, stretching abnormally far, but still appearing natural and friendly.

"Nice." He commented, gesturing to the spider. "So.. Are you part-veela, or something?" He asked this in a truly unsure way. Some may have taken it as a compliment. Zdravko may have intended it as one, the way he looked at the girl. She was so much more interesting than other girls. "What's your name?" He tilted his head to one side as he asked, as though trying to guess, himself.

 

[Sunako Koshiba]

Sunako was interested now as well. it wasn't often that someone kept smiling even after they had seen one of her creations. Sunako wondered if maybe she couldn't keep him around for a while. Test some things out on him before she dispatched him. There was something that she had always wanted to try but had never found the right subjct for. The curios boy asked her if she was a Veela and Sunako hissed. "If I where I would have slit my own throat already." She said her voice a soft growl. Sunako didn't like Veela's though it was her dearest wish to dissect one some day if she could catch one. The thought of sliding a blade into a creature like that made her shiver. "My name on the other hand is Sunako." She said her voice less dark than before.

The boy's smile was like something out a cartoon that her brothers had been so intent on watching so long ago. It made her want to see if it could not stretch farther maybe with the help of a slit or two on the corners of his lips. It was to early for that though. "I haven't had the pleasure of learning your's." She said as she let the spider crawl from one hand to the other. She looked at the boy again then walked closer to him. "Would you like to hold it?" She asked suddenly. It was rare for Sunako to let people touch her creations but then there was something to be gained from doing so.