Head First

[Madlyn Ateara]

The sun blocked her view from observing the horizon settle right in front of her. She held the black lenses steady to keep it from giving her blinds spot, no matter how she would twist the muggel camera, the blinds spots beat down at her arrogating her eyes. She moved further underneath the shaded tree, but without light she could not captured what she been working on aiming for all day. It was Saturday midday, the weather picked up a little, the wind blew constantly all day since this morning. To bad not a cloud was in sight to at least keep the sun away. She stood giving up the spot, perhaps somewhere else she'd get the picture she's been working on all day.
- - - - - - -Returning to school was no picnic, nor was anything getting better for her at all. She disliked Briar, and she was pretty sure Briar shared the same feelings. She picked up photography for a while, she asked Professor Prodan Zhefarovich if by any chance he had something muggel lying around. That's how she ended up with the muggel camera, pictures didn't move like wizards one did and this one was really old. No electricity ran through it, it clicks through a long wire and somehow the muggel function camera composes real pictures without a spot of colors in them. They were pretty, every picture she develop she would scrap book in somehow, weather the content was good or not, she savored everyone of them. This was therapeutic to her, for a while, it kept her away from her feelings. She moved onto the cliffs, taking more photos there, this view had more sunlight than where she sat earlier close to the tree. Giving up, she put away the camera and just sat down for a while, escaping within the waves crashing against the cliff, holding onto just the rhythmic of the waves to keep her okay for a while.

 

[Laura Montiez]

The brunette woke up late that day, she was too late for breakfast in the great hall, but she was also too early for lunch. Not that Laura minded this, as she had better things on her list of things to do than consume yet another meal. Laura needed to study, and study was what she wanted to do, and needed to do in order to be the perfect daughter to her parents, and differ from her twin sister, Isobel. For some unsaid reason, instead of making her way over to the library like she usually would in the morning, Laura went outside with her school supplies, and walked over to the cliffs, all while ignoring her growling stomach. The satisfactory limbo created by Laura's unintentional sleep in gave her the leeway to skip lunch as well as breakfast, in the case she needed to explain herself to anyone. Laura had not needed to do this so far, however people had been shooting her unusual stares in the corridor since her return to Hogwarts New Zealand, and the intelligent Ravenclaw made the assumption it had been her weight gain during her fifth year. Laura had not noticed anything until Isobel had made a few comments about it, and her insecurity had worsened since her return to school.

The cliffs were almost deserted, as it was midday by the time Laura arrived there, and most students would be having lunch. Stuffing their faces with the high calorie food that covered the tables. Even the thought made Laura shudder, luckily she had been too busy with school lately too worry too much about food. Laura slowly strolled around, her anxiety heightening when she noticed she wasn't going to be alone on the cliffs that day. Somebody was sitting in the grass, and the sixth year made the effort not to be noticed by this other girl, Laura did not know whether she could handle another stare from a complete stranger. So Laura sat down underneath a tree, and started to lose herself in one of her many school text books before making the realisation Madlyn was the girl sitting in the grass. The Ravenclaw looked up, and smiled at this, partly relieved she knew Madlyn, but also feeling sympathy for her friend. Of course she had heard the news of Professor Margera, but unfortunately she hadn't been able to talk to Madlyn about it yet. The brunette closed her book and returned it to her backpack. Before approaching the Gryffindor, uttering her words with a pleasant smile "Long time no see, can I join you?" Asked the witch, bringing up what she could only assume was a touchy subject, was not and would never be the first thing for Laura to mention at the start of a conversation.

 

[Madlyn Ateara]

Madlyn dark brown eyes turn over to see Laura her Ravenclaw friend had asked if she could join her while viewing the cliff. ”Sure” she approved with a nod, why would she deny this beautiful view to her? It be selfish to stand there alone hogging what Mother Nature bless them with. Plus she craved a little company; everyone she knew or knew of her ignored her all the time. They were being kind by giving her space, but really on the inside she just really needed someone to talk too, possibly share a few laughs. She hadn’t done that in a while, except with her little sister Jackie did she crack a smile or two for the young eleven year old. Anything to be brave and make Jackie feel happy would depend on the job of an older sibling.

Contain to the view, she remain in silence. She enjoyed the bit of wind ruffling her thick curly hair. Most of it was tied in a ponytail; the rest collided at the side of her wide olive tone face. She brushed a flock of it away from her eyes and continued to observe the sea set out right in front of them. ”Okay what’s wrong? Your worse than those emo Hufflepuff” she pointed that out to her friend. The comment made her grin a little, between her and Laura, she like being her less mopping self. It help her forget what happen last year, it brought her back to a place where she seem familiar with and happy to be there. When dad was still alive and all she ever worried about was the next type of board she will be getting to skateboard with, she remembers those days. Now she can’t even roll on a board without breaking, and dad was gone so nothing matter now.

 

[Laura Montiez]

The sixth year Ravenclaw felt her half-forced smile widen once Madlyn complied for the two to sit with one another. The awkward silence that filled the atmosphere after Laura's arrival was so familiar to the fifteen year old, that she had not registered any form of silence had occurred, and before she knew it Madlyn was disrupting her daydreaming with piercing words. A question the brunette had no intention of answering in full truth, so her eyes directed themselves into the distance, while her answer remained in falsetto. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just tired, mostly." Laura's words sounded numb, and much like everything in her world recently, it was emotionless. The Ravenclaw would rather worry about people who needed the effort of other's worrying, instead of someone like her who had merely been wallowing in her own self-pity since the holidays ended. Laura ran a hand through her wavy brown hair and turned to face her Gryffindor friend, focusing the conversation n Madlyn other than herself, because unlike Laura, Madlyn needed somebody to talk to, or so the sixth year thought. "Tell me about how your holidays went." Stated the brunette, her smile changing to one more genuine. Surely Madlyn's holidays would have been more eventful than that of what Laura experienced, also somewhat interesting in comparison to the days Laura watched pass by while she spent the winter break in her room studying.

 

[Madlyn Ateara]

Half convince Madlyn let it go for now. A question was directed to her, a question she was confused to answer. She didn’t know where to begin with, Jackie, mom, Briar and now Aiden. ”it was okay, sucks but it was alright” she held back some emotions. She could feel the inside rattle yet her outer appearance function normal for the sake of the Ravenclaw friend she spared her the pity show. ”Besides me not wanting to come back for a while, I don’t know just seems like a weird dream” she glance down at the cliff’s bottom. The waves cycled in slowly. She could smell the sea green air; it was relaxing as it rose from the depths of the ocean and into the air. It caused her hair to prickle from her arms and goose bumps to raid her skin because of the coolness effect of the sea. She rubbed her arms a little over, embracing herself to a light warm hug. "How was your Holiday?" she asked her fair brunette friend.

 

[Laura Montiez]

The brunette pursed her lips together, inspecting her younger friend. Her holidays had not been the interesting sort, most of her time bring spent inside her bedroom, sitting at her desk, piled with books and written notes. Amazingly, Laura had left her desk dishevelled the morning she parted her family to return to Hogwarts New Zealand for another school year. The Ravenclaw smirked at thought of her desk remaining engulfed in books and crumpled up paper until she next returned to her home in San Diego. What would usually end up being another contribution to Laura's ever increasing stress, was now a small rebellion, something that temporarily took her attention off everything which seemed to being going downhill, with no way of getting back up. "Pretty much all I did was study." Replied the sixth year, she did envy her Gryffindor friend, because at least Madlyn could see everything in a surreal fantasy. Having everything feel like a dream must certainly contain better traits than facing the severity of reality. Laura focused her attention back out into the distance, the New Zealand scenery could only be described as the perfect example of a perfect distraction. With that note, maybe the Ravenclaw would eventually end up studying outside again, she missed how the sun gently graced her pale skin while lying on the great lawn mid-afternoon. Her third year held so much better days than her sixth year could ever provide, and the year had hardly started yet. "Are you sure you're okay?" Laura asked, subtly prodding the younger witch for answers she might not get. If Madlyn did not want to speak, the two did not have to speak. They could just stare out into the distance without words to fill the silence slowly creeping up on them, their thoughts causing them to ignore the other's existence.

 

[Madlyn Ateara]

Madlyn look at her friend weird, could she have really spent the entire Holiday studying? It's likely that she did, but to spend the entire Holiday studying would pretty much bum the Gryffindor out. She didn't have in herself to pick up the books, instead she spent her Holiday crying, laughing, wishing, mopping, thinking you guessed it. She spent her entire Holiday completely confused and just wanting this whole ordeal to be over with. "I don't know to be honest, I mean I want to just be okay but the side of me won't let be than the other side of me fights it's to be okay. My life a mess, but enough about that" she looked angry now out at the sea. She wished that she didn't have to explain herself everything someone ask if she was okay, but Laura should be different. Madlyn liked the girl and was close to seeming normal out of all the students she knew at Hogwarts, Laura was the normal girl. Or close to normal to knowing Madlyn. "You sure you're okay?" she asked now, hinting the weird vibe filling the air between them.

 

[Laura Montiez]

Laura shook her head, attempting to dispel her negative mind set, this attempt worked and the Ravenclaw had distracted herself from thinking pessimistically by making herself even dizzier than before. Knowing the intelligence Laura forced on herself, one wouldn't think a bright girl like her would do something so stupid, it was too late to go back now, and Laura felt her vision fuzz at the edges. It was just a simple head rush, nothing major caused by standing up too fast, the unusual trait of Laura's head rush was she hadn't stood up. The brunette fell backwards into the grass, and stared up at the clear blue, and pixelated sky. Laura looked normal, or used to and she did not draw much attention to herself, she mostly sat away from other students, and kept her intelligent mouth shut. But in recent weeks the sixth year had been slowly corrupting the thought of herself being normal, as she thought she had gone insane. Although this was a theory with no test of practicality, as in truth the brunette was far from insanity. "I'm good, super good. Do you want to do something a little more fun?" Said the Ravenclaw, lying through her teeth using a hint of drowsiness to her voice, and a tender smile gracing her features to mask her lie while her gaze remained facing up at the sky, causing the teenager to squint at the brightness of the sun's rays.

 

[Madlyn Ateara]

Madlyn caught her little friend falling when she turn around to stare at her again. She was confuse for a second weather it was by accident or on purpose did she take a plunge to the floor? She had a normal expression, Madlyn worried eyes soften. She was not the only one missed up here, if only she could figure what was wrong with Laura. "Yeah guess we can" Madlyn search back out to the cliffs scene. "What about cliff diving?" she said out of the blue. "You ever tried cliff diving?" she smile, Madlyn nip at her bottom lip. All her dilemma was put on hold, she'd do anything to feel different right now so cliff diving would be perfect.

 

[Laura Montiez]

Cliff diving, a recreational sport, that is if it was considered a sport at all. Laura was not an adrenaline junky, neither was her family, or most people she had met for that matter. It was Laura's book worm intelligence, laced in with her sense of curiosity and her need to know everything which is what sorted the now sixth year into Ravenclaw, and the brunette was going to give it a try, spite the facts telling her it was unsafe, and that she would have to explain everything about herself to the nurses if she ended up with an injury. Honestly, Laura liked the idea of risking her secrets, it would distract her from her growling stomach long enough to have a bit of fun for a change. "Nope, but I would like to. Come on." Replied the sixth year as she stood up and pulled Madlyn to her feet. Laura's own strength did surprise her, and it did when she managed to make Madlyn stand up, especially when she felt so fragile. She took a few steps towards the edge, leaning over to get a better view of where she would be 'diving' once the two decided they would actually jump. Laura turned around, to face her friend again and walked away from the edge, diminishing all possibility for her Gryffindor friend to push her. "I don't want to jump alone. You'll have to jump with me at the same time." Said the teen, a mischievous grin crossing her pale face.

 

[Madlyn Ateara]

Out of Character:

Actually she's been standing up :3

Madlyn went from being normal to being completely shock her friend would actually take a chance of cliff diving. Not everyone would do it, not everyone was up for the thrill like she had been in comparisons to years ago. Risk taking had been a big thing in her life, yet as you grow older you become the absolute opposite in the way you use to be. Height had really slowed her down too, or she'd be boarding again. Hitting up rails, climbing more hills, rolling down them, just whatever she use to do to catch a natural high. Mom would be worried, dad would let her be, her older sister Mandela didn't say much, Jackie watch up into when she wanted to do tricks of her own. Having a little sister and being responsible would slowed you a lot more. "You sure you're up for it? Madlyn pealed off her shirt and jeans, she stood in tank top and some shorts. She tied her hair up and slipped away her shoes, she look at Laura she was game. "There's no pressure."