Open Lonely Birthday

[Edmund Westwick]

Today was Edmund's favourite day of the year. Halloween, his birthday, and yet in this moment, Edmund didn't think there was a single thing on earth that could bring him joy. The excitement he and Theodore had always shared, preparing their matched costumes had been replaced by stony, hateful silence. Lingering in the shadows outside the Halloween party, Edmund couldn't bring himself to go inside. Having no costume was a humiliation, and he had nobody to mock his classmates inferior costumes with any longer. Edmund couldn't bring himself to return to his dormitory either. Theodore was likely there, and there was nobody Edmund would rather see less. He was fifteen years old today, on the scariest and most fun night of the year, and Edmund had nobody in the world to spend it with. To his embarrassment, Edmund almost wanted to cry as he lurked alone in the shadows on the outskirts of the room, far away from the doors to the party he had once so looked forward to. He had no-one left in the whole world.

 

[Amethyst Michaels]

Amaya wasn't sure why she was here. She didn't have a costume, and she didn't really care about the party. Maybe she just wanted to see her cousins and her brother look ridiculous. She made her way to the great hall alone. She hadn't really made any friends yet. Not that she minded. Things were simpler when she was by herself. She noticed a boy lingering by the door. Hm. Maybe that could be interesting. Amaya went over and leaned against the wall next to him. "You look just as bored as I am," She told him idly. "Couldn't find a costume?" She knew what it would look like once she went in. Everyone else seemed all for it. Maybe he didn't see the point in it either.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

The list of people Edmund would be happy to see right now even under the best circumstances was an excruciatingly short list, and someone he didn't know came near the very bottom of the list. As the younger girl approached him Edmund greeted her with a sneer, stepping away from the wall he had been leaning against. "Leave me alone." He spat, glaring at her. It only added insult to injury that she wasn't wearing a costume. Never mind that she didn't know Edmund at all, it only felt additionally inconsiderate that she wouldn't even bother dressing up for his birthday, the best holiday on the calendar. "If you can't be bothered dressing up, you should go back to your room. You don't deserve to be at a party." The festivities Hogwarts put on for Halloween were far too festive and not creepy enough, in Edmund's opinion, but he knew other students enjoyed them, and the thought of someone not even putting in the effort to dress up for the best holiday on the calendar, but hoping to enjoy the party anyway repulsed him. He wasn't wearing a costume himself, but that was different.

 

[Amethyst Michaels]

Amaya raised a brow at the boys' abruptness. Well, he's hardly welcoming. She thought offhandedly. "And how do you know?" She asked casually, hands in her pockets. "I could just be dressed like a crazy person or a mass murderer," She pointed out with a sly grin. "They look like perfectly normal people until they snap, then boom!" She made a face, her tongue sticking out and eyes wide. "You're dead." She grinned, amused with herself and with this boy. She wasn't sure what his issue was, but he didn't seem to enjoy being here.

"If there's anyone who shouldn't be at a party, you'd think it was the guy who doesn't want to see people." She commented, leaning back against the wall again. "There's not really a party without people." It was the plain truth. It wasn't her fault if he couldn't take that.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund couldn't hold back a scoff at the girl's assertion. He knew without a doubt that he knew far more about serial killers than this girl, the twins long-standing interest in the macabre having led to them amounting quite a collection of books on the subject. "Please." He scoffed, stepping even further away from the girl. "Do you think that's cute? You don't know what you're talking about." Edmund said, his tone dark and firm. He wasn't interested in a conversation with this inane girl with no respect for Halloween. He scoffed again at her retort, though his stomach sank a little. It was true. Coming here had been stupid. He had no costume, no twin to share his birthday joy with, no girlfriend to accompany for the evening. It had been a foolish, softhearted mistake. But there was no chance of him letting any of that on. "You're just not any of the people I want to see." Edmund spat in response, glaring at the girl. "You're a bored, boring, naiive child. If you have no interest in Halloween, I would advise you return to your room, before you get hurt." Edmund hadn't heard this much venom in his own voice in a long time, worn down by his emotional burdens, and as much as he ached for his brother's voice echoing the insults, it was a relief to discover that at least he hadn't been worn down entirely to nothing. Edmund was still Edmund, and he could still behave the way he always had, with or without Theodore.