I'm not hiding

[Lynette Ferguson]

Lynette sat in the quiet, empty classroom, staring into space, feeling slightly lonely. As the door opened, Lynette glanced up, a little shocked, only to find she knew the student who was coming in. She smiled, pleased it was her, and not a student she didn't know. It always felt dangerous to Lynny when she met someone new, and there was no escaping talking to them. Now, she stopped swinging her legs and met the student's eyes, her own eyes sparkling with excitement. "Hey", she said, looking at the desk next to her as if to signal she should come and sit down.

 

[Alice Hills]

Alice was wandering through the corridors, finding the lack of lessons hard to cope with. Her schedule normally being full with lessons and revision sessions to make, she found the empty hallways almost eery and the still classrooms desperate. Deciding that instead of moping around for a while and living up to her name of a Ravenclaw, she found herself wandering towards the abandoned classroom, deciding that this was a good classroom that should be empty and therefore it was easier to cope with. Rolling her eyes as she walked and the logic occurred to her, she gently pushed open the door, not expecting to find anyone there. However, discovering that she was wrong and indeed someone was there, she paused to collect herself and smiled at the girl. "Hey." She replied, her tone warm and friendly as she found herself looking at a good friend of hers. "You alright?" She asked, her dark eyes filled with friendliness and concern. She knew that Lynette was quite unique and needed space, but she worried about her as a friend should. Perching on a nearby desk that she found at her disposal, she looked at the girl and waited for an answer, conversation starters springing to mind about the school as she began to wonder whether Lynny would talk or not.

 

[Lynette Ferguson]

Lynette found she was quite comfortable talking to Kate Alice, although she still had to concentrate on what she was saying, or she'd accidentally slip up. She smiled softly as she glanced at her friend before looking back at the old posters on the wall. 'Hi', she murmered, gazing into what seemed like space, whereas only she could tell what she was looking at. 'I guess', she replied with a smile in Kate's Alice's direction. She was lying, really, but she didn't want her to be worried. It was something Lynny hated, other people worrying about her, and she'd do her best to avoid it if she could. 'You?', she asked simply, hoping Kate Alice didn't think she was purposely being rude. She seemed to understand her, anyway.

*Edited*

 

[Alice Hills]

Alice smiled at the short replies of Lynny's responses. It seemed like the girl was hiding something, and although she only wanted to help her, Alice decided that pushing her to tell would only lose a new friend, and it was best to let her come to her in her own time. However, trying to help, she began to talk, only cutting her sentence off quickly. "Are.... Well if you need to talk to someone, I'm more than willing to listen." She explained, her voice warm and friendly but strongly dosed with concern. Nodding to the question fired back at her, she shrugged. "Im alright. I would like the lessons to start soon, otherwise i just feel like im wasting my time away." She admitted, happy to talk to a fellow Ravenclaw who would hopefully understand exactly how she was feeling. She liked the young girl who was sitting in front of her, and began to wonder whether Lynette felt the same or whether she was just being polite by talking to her. One thing that Alice had found was that over the past year, the girls in her year group had become quieter and quieter until it had reached the point where Alice was barely talking to any of them. This made her desperately sad, because they were the only people of that group apart from her. Sighing away her worries to herself, she put on another smile and waited for the younger of the two of them to begin some more conversation if she felt like it.

 

[Lynette Ferguson]

Lynny inaudibly sighed, wishing she could tell Alice exactly how she was feeling, but it was too much. They'd only been friends for a while and Lynette wasn't particularily trusting of other people anyway, no matter how close they were. She was glad that Alice hadn't forced anything else out of her, and it felt as though she'd been through something herself which caused her to understand exactly how she was feeling. She nodded with a tiny smile, glad Alice was talking to her properly instead of making fun of her. 'Thanks', she replied, and she nodded a little more eagerly, 'Me too', she said truthfully. As soon as lessons would start, she would finally feel at home at Hogwarts. A little flustered, Lynny fanned her face with her hand and pulled up her sleeves. Bravely she said, 'What lesson are you looking forward to the most?' And continued to fan herself.

 

[Alice Hills]

Alice smiled and nodded at the girl. She knew exactly what was going through her mind, not wanting to really talk to someone about what was bothering her because she didn't feel she could. All Alice needed was a friend, so she would be that exact friend to Lynette and hopefully, she would be able to tell Alice and then Alice could go about helping her find a solution. "Um... Im looking forward to Transfiguration and Potions, because last year they were my favourite. How about yourself?" She asked, remembering exactly how she had been feeling that time last year. She couldn't wait for the lessons to start, but had been unsure of what each one held and how they would work out. She knew a little about each of the subjects now, but the professors had changed, and she wondered whether the lessons she liked would still be the same.

 

[Lynette Ferguson]

Lynette smiled happily as she chatted to Alice, making a mental note of which Lessons she liked, though she was sure she'd have forgotten by tomorrow. 'I'm looking forward to all of them really, none in particular..' She trailed off as she closed her eyes momentarily, looking a little worried but trying to stay focused on their conversation. Not now.. she though to herself as she forced a smile, but it was so obvious that she was frightened. She held the edge of her robe, fingering it nervously, and tried to swallow her fear. 'I.. I..', Lynette stopped, not even knowing what she was trying to say. 'When do lessons start?', she asked shakily.

 

[Alice Hills]

The younger girl began to delve into longer conversation and Alice smiled to herself. She knew the feeling of feeling inferior to other students, and now enjoyed the fact that this didn't exist between her and the younger students - well at least not on her side. Wondering whether all first years felt that way for their first term or whether it was just her. She had always felt that way in different circumstances, whether it was just her or everyone else as well. Finding her thoughts wandering, Alice smiled and shook her head to bring her back. "To be honest, im not particularly sure. I think the professors are still sorting themselves out, and we always have a little break, but they should be starting soon. Have you read any of the books yet?" She asked, her confidence peaking as she began to fall back into the part of the conversation where she felt most comfortable - books. She as a first year had read all the books the moment she had gotten them, and since had carried on reading them. She had enjoyed all the learning and couldn't wait to prove this when the lessons began and she was able to put the words into magic.

 

[Lynette Ferguson]

Lynette nodded eagerly, happy to be giving pleasure to somebody else. It was difficult for her to enjoy it though, when her heart and mind were racing with adrenaline from fear. Ignoring this, she tried to looked into Alice's eyes, but she wasn't yet confident enough to look straight at anybody, and immediately her eyes darted elsewhere, as though nothing had happened. Feeling hot and dizzy, but glad she was sitting down, Lynny looked down at her feet. Embarassed, she was trying desperately to ignore the fact that the walls were closing in on her, and she was trapped, because she couldn't run. 'I.. I've been to the library', she said, her voice wobbling slightly. She needed to go outside, but she didn't want to look pathetic in front of Alice. She was her friend, and she didn't want her to turn on her because she wasn't quite like everybody else. Not daring to speak of how she was feeling, Lynette couldn't even say anything any more.

 

[Alice Hills]

Alice sat there for a moment watching the younger student. She seemed to be panicking about something, but putting it down to just chatting, Alice tried to ignore it as she continued the conversation. However, it seemed that Lynette was having trouble with her side of it, and running out of things to say, Alice found herself ending that particular topic. "Ok then." She said, her voice plain but masking the concern that she found herself sending the girl. "Look Lynette, i know you don't want to talk about it... but please at least tell me the truth - are you alright?" She asked, her tone now warm and comforting. She only had the best interests at heart, but worrying that her approach had come across wrong, she stopped talking and waited for a reply now.

 

[Lynette Ferguson]

Lynette couldn't be bothered to lie anymore, and when Alice asked if she was ok, she shook her head slowly and nervously. However, she'd frozen on the spot, and she felt as though she couldn't speak or move. Her breathing was uneven and she was taking short, sharp breaths. She closed her eyes, trying to block out everything, but her stomach churned, and her head spun. She didn't want to make a fuss, though, but she had no idea how to handle the situation. She'd never panicked in front of anyone before, she'd always been alone, and now she was so embarassed. Letting her brown hair fall over her pale cheeks, she wanted Alice to go away, to leave her alone, but she could never say such a thing. It would have been rude. But the alternative was for her to leave, and it seemed to be the only other option. Lynette sprung up from the desk and bolted to the door, tears streaming down her cheeks as she suddenly realized she'd been crying. She didn't even bother to hide it as she began to run. Unfortunately, she'd happened to have run straight into somebody, and she fell to the ground elegantly.

 

[Alice Hills]

Nodding her concern as the younger girl admitted to not feeling well, Alice was ready for anything but what actually happened. Standing up as the younger girl began to writher in pain, she took a step forward before finding Lynette out of the door. Sighing at the bad luck she had received of having run after someone, she shook her head, pushing her own worries out of the way and realising that it was Lynette who needed her help now, not her own worries. Running after her, she skidded to a stop as she saw Lynny lying on the floor ahead. Wondering what happened, she looked around for the student who she had run into. Running over, she dropped to her knees, catching her breath and swiftly tying her hair back behind her head. She was used to doing her hair quickly, but pulling it back into a pony as quickly as possible proved difficult in her moment. When she could finally see through the mass of dark hair, she looked at Lynny and tried to assess the situation. Her dad, being a muggle doctor would have told her to not panic and to stay calm, trying to concentrate on the situation at hand rather than worrying. Telling herself this, she took a deep breath and began to speak. "Lynette. Are you alright?" She asked, her tone calm and steady, much unlike how she was actually feeling.

 

[Lynette Ferguson]

Lying on the cold stone floor, Lynette felt Alice nearby, and she opened her eyes. She'd blacked out from hitting her head, but was slowly regaining her consciousness. But as she tried to move, she winced. She'd twisted her ankle badly and her foot was pointing at an odd angle. 'N..No', she whimpered, trying to push herself up with her arms but screwing her face up when she realized her left wrist hurt too. She wondered why the floor had to be made of stone, but not one to complain, she pushed herself to sitting with her good arm, closing her eyes to stop herself from passing out, not from the pain, but from the dizziness that had been caused by her hitting the ground so hard. She felt sorry for Alice, knowing that she'd be worried. She just wanted everyone but herself to be alright. She didn't mind if she was in pain, it was the others Lynette cared about more than herself, and she looked at Alice sympathetically. 'I'm sorry', she mumbled, aware she'd made her friend scared, even though she seemed to be hiding it well.