Nightmares

[Isabella Haden]

Dusk was approaching, and the Romanes twins had arrived at their home. Their parents waited for them, as well as their hyper little brother. Isabella looked at her father, and she winced slightly when he stared right back into her eyes, which were not hidden by blue contacts she wore when she was at school. She glanced over at Ostensia, and she uttered, “I am going to put my things away.” Isabella walked through her home, her suitcase dragging behind her as she bowed her head as she walked up the stairs. Things were not going smoothly for the young Slytherin. She was now entering her second year, and she seemed a little older and different from before. She had wanted to go to Beauxbatons, still wanted to in a way, but things were impossible now. Isabella and Ostensia were doomed to return to Hogwarts, which she had come to think that it was not all that bad. Even so, Isabella still yearned for that Beauxbatons air and the ice sulptures that were used as decorations all around their Great Hall.

Upon going to bed that night, Isabella tossed and turned, and dreamed of the most horrible things. Her father was yelling at her, emotionally beating her down, saying that she was nothing more than a waste in the family. She was nothing. Isabella feared this, most of all, even though this did not really happen to her. He just put upon her a lot of expectations, and she imagined things a little too far. However, he did yell at her the most, and often felt his anger more up front than anyone else. Isabella would not confirm to their nice manners and all, she wanted more than that. She just did not know how to explain it to anyone. Isabella woke up, her scream echoing in the room, cold sweat over her brow. She breathed heavily, and did not know what else to do. She could barely sleep. She could barely dream and all without someone hounding on her. It was something that she just could not live with. Isabella curled up in her purple covers, and she brought her knees to chest. Tears moistened her eyes, and she didn't know what else to attempt to think about, because her nightmares just kept coming back.

 

[Ostensia Metzger]

Dusk had arrived and the Romanes twins were home now. Though Ostensia wasn't exactly thrilled about the thought of being home for an entire summer She had fallen in love with Hogwarts and couldn't wait to go back and start her Second Year of Wizarding School. Ossie adored being a Hufflepuff, her Head of House was as sweet as pie, and she had even made a bunch of new and exciting friends who were now her roommates! She also had an ultimate goal for next year that she wanted to be accomplished over everything else. There was this group of girls in the school that looked really fun and had an amazing sense of fashion. Girls around the school called them the Glam Squad or a bunch of snotheads while they just seemed to call them by their own names and everything. But one thing was for sure and that was that Ostensia wanted so badly to hang out with those girls. So sit with them and be admired by them for her sense of fashion that she assumed was fairly decent. They even had this really cute boy that always hung out with them! "Mmkay." Ostensia told her twin softly with a lighthearted giggle as she headed into the kitchen for a bottle of water. Ostensia could only wonder if Isabella would thing she was an idiot for wanting to be friends with those girls. The Slytherin seemed to be in a bad mood so Ostensia figured that maybe if she asked her later the girl would be less likely to bite her head off. She couldn't wait to tell her parents about how her year had gone anyways. She knew that they always loved to listen to her stories and adventures.

Ostensia had woken up to a piercing scream that sounded like Isabella. The blonde turned to look at the clock and noticed that it was still in the middle of the night and hurriedly got up to check on her sister. The twins were pretty close so of course the Hufflepuff was going to be extremely worried about her sisters wellbeing and everything else. Opening Isabella's door softly Ostensia peeked her head into the room and turned it to look at her sister. In less then a second she made her way into the room and walked over to the girls bed. In looked like she was still cuddled in bed and everything, was she okay? "Isabella! I heard a scream...are you okay?" Ostensia shook her sister softly as her Italian accent slurred her words together. She figured that being Italian as well her sister would be able to understand her. It worried her that she had heard Isabella scream but nothing but seemed to be chaotic here. Was she sick or something? Ostensia would stay in here for the night if she needed to.

 

[Isabella Haden]

The small blonde slowly glanced up at Ostensia. She bit her lip and she did not know whether or not she could tell her sister. Isabella loved her sister more than anything, but could she really...speak to her? Isabella shook her head and she clinched her magenta eyes shut. She was about to speak, but her voice got the better of her. Isabella was scared of their father, how could she say that? Her dreams were what scared her into many restless nights at Hogwarts which in turn gave her inspiration to be the best that her father wanted. She dropped the sheets and she moved her hair from her face. She swallowed hard and she muttered in Italian, because she could be understood better in Italian as her English was still rather broken, "Nightmares." At least it was the truth. Isabella patted the side of her bed to tell Ostensia to come over and sit with her. Isabella needed someone to talk to, and who better than her other - better - half? Isabella fought to be like Ostensia in a way, but in another, she wanted to be someone on her own. She had to choose a path, and soon she will come to that destination. Isabella hated feeling inferior to Ostensia, but she did not want to feel superior to her either.

 

[Ostensia Metzger]

Ostensia continued to stare at her sister softly when she said that the screaming happened because she was having nightmares or something. It had been a long time since the Hufflepuff had any sort of dreams like that so she was a bit surprised to hear her sister talk about it. Ostensia quickly sat down next to her sister and looked at her softly with her blue eyes before she decided to question the dreams. "What were the nightmares about?" Her voice was soft and quiet so she wouldn't risk waking anyone up and making everyone come in here to see what was going on. She figured that Isabella wouldn't really appreciate a scene in her room. Her sister didn't seem like the type to love the spotlight and being the center of attention as much as she did. They may have been twins but they had their own personalities and things they liked and disliked. Ostensia was pretty sure that Isabella liked Quidditch and stuff while she liked make-up, cute clothes, and flowers. No matter what they liked and disliked though, they would always be around for one another when they needed someone to talk to.

"You do look so good either." Ostensia pointed out as she felt her sisters head to check if she was warm or anything. Maybe the dream had just really shook her up or something. Isabella didn't feel sick or anything. If she was though, Ostensia didn't want to catch it. It was summer time and she wanted to go out and do stuff like shop and swim in the Ocean before they went to back Hogwarts for another fun packed year.

 

[Isabella Haden]

Because of the constant nightmares, Isabella had a hard time getting any sleep at all. Her breathing was shaky but now it seemed like Ostensia had somehow calmed her down as well. Her magenta eyes met with Ostensia's own, and she saw the differences between them. They were not identical, and because they were so different, they were in different houses. Isabella was in Slytherin whereas Ostensia was in Hufflepuff. Then Isaia would be going to Hogwarts soon and sorted, and then after that, Emilio. She just hoped that she did not wake anyone in the house up, and she adjusted her position on the bed. She crossed her long legs indian style, and she stared at her twin sister. Whispering, she answered, "I'm...I'm being beaten down and disowned by dad." There, she said it. The hidden fear of her father had increased so dramatically, Isabella was having nightmares about the man. Sure, she did make him mad by not being the perfect princess he wanted his daughters to be, but Isabella wanted so much more. His teachings basically said that if Isabella wanted to be in the family, she would have to be perfect.

"Osa, I have not been sleeping well for the past few...years because of my reoccurring nightmares," confessed Isabella, almost close to tears. The usually silent and cold girl that some were used to seeing reading or minding her own business has broken and become like a child once more. "I don't want to be disowned or rejected. I have to please daddy. I don't know where I would go if I don't!" There was always an uncle or something in the family to help her but she was taking things a little out of proportion. She was taking words a little too literal, and she also thought that if it weren't for that accident when she was little that changed her eye color forever, she would be normal like Ostensia. But that would never happen, no matter how much she wanted to be.

 

[Ostensia Metzger]

The words that left Isabella's mouth made Ostensia's eyebrows raise and her mouth drop just ever so slightly. As if she were horrified that her sister would even say something like that. Her hand went forward to rest on her sisters back as she rubbed it and attempted to calm her. "Why would dad do something like that? He loves you..we all love you." It was then that it seemed to show obvious naive the Hufflepuff could be to things.Ostensia rarely noticed anything but the good things in her life and tried to avoid the bad. What would make her sister think or focus on such a negative thing that seemed almost unrealistic? She thought that her father had calmed down quite a bit. Then again as Ossie thought about it it did seem that Isabella and their father didn't have as strong of a relationship. Was something going on? If so they the Hufflepuff would not be shy about stomping into her father's room and giving him a piece of her mind like she had done in the past when he mistreated her sister.

"Why didn't you tell me about these nightmares sooner Isabella?" Ostensia pretty much demanded an answer from he sister as her voice got a little bit more tight and sharp. She didn't like that her sister had kept this from her and because of it she wasn't going to be sure about what to do about it. This made her scared and worried for her sister, what if these nightmares became a serious problem? She didn't know what she would do if her sister need serious help out of this.

 

[Isabella Haden]

What Ostensia had said to Isabella had made since. Why would their father do such a thing to his only Slytherin daughter? Her sister's hand brought nothing but a comforting sensation to her. Ostensia had done nothing but be there for Isabella all of her life, and now she was hiding the fact that she was terrified of her being in the family unless she forced herself to make perfect grades and all. She was destroying her sleeping and her relationships with society with her ongoing pressure upon herself. She let out a soft sigh and she murmured, "I don't know... I'm not his princess in his eyes. You are... He yells at me over things that I don't know how to do in the correct way. I'm...not girlie enough for him. He may love me, but does he accept me for who I am?" Isabella glanced over at her sister, her magenta eyes pleading for an answer, something to comfort her from this pressing nightmares.

Her father and Isabella did not get along in the least bit. He wanted her to wear the best clothing that he could afford but she wanted to wear jeans and shirts, something a normal person would wear. Ostensia loved to be fashionable, whereas Isabella could really careless what she wore. She preferred comfort over style. It was just the way she always had been. And then there was the fact that he was so proud of his perfect grades and expected nothing less from his children, but he had told her that he did not expect much from her. How could she react to that? But what he had really said was, "I don't think it will take much for you to make perfect grades." Isabella bit her lip. Why did she not tell Ostensia about her nightmares before? Her voice was a little more stern and it was a bit more demanding. Isabella mused over her words before she answered, "I did not think they were relevant really. I also did not want to make much of a scene. You know how I hate attention." That was something not really her fault, but she did not think that having nightmares was a serious matter.

 

[Ostensia Metzger]

Ostensia felt like she had been so oblivious to everything that had been going on between her father and Isabella. She was a little bit concerned for her sister and angry at her father now. How could he do this to Isabella when she was only trying to be herself, be it girly or not she was still a Romanes! "He should accept you for who you are and if doesn't he's going to get a very lovely complaint from me. Besides Isabella, you should be doing this for you and not for him." She told her almost wishing she could yell at her father right now. Ostensia didn't think it was fair to force anyone to be anyone but who they wanted to be. Her father yelled at Isabella? Thats was just so silly. No child deserved to be yelled at for something that they did wrong, after all thats was childhood was all about. Making mistakes and learning from them so they could be a better person when they grew up. With the rate father was making Isabella go, her childhood was being sucked right out of her. Just like this whole Glam Squad thing, it might be a bad idea to want to be like those girls but if it was then Ostensia would just learn from it. Ostensia heard Isabella say something about her not ever having a problem getting perfect grades and she snorted softly. If Isabella thought that Ostensia got perfect grades then she was seriously missing out in something.

"Heh, Me perfect grades? Trust me..when dad sees what I got on my Potions Exam I'm probably going to get a lecture too. You do fine in school though...and I know you hate attention but..you can tell me anything you know. Ostensia crawled over and hug her sister tightly before she ruffled the girls hair and motioned for her to keep talking and spilling whatever else she had on her mind. Ostensia liked to hear what her twin had to say. If it kept her talking and involved then she would have her sister spill every little thing she could. Besides Ostensia wanted to hear more about how her father treated Isabella when she wasn't able to see.

 

[Isabella Haden]

When Ostensia was speaking, it was as if her eyes were opened. Isabella did not need to do this, working so hard and killing her social life for her father. She needed to do this for herself. She needed to do everything in the name of Isabella Carina Romanes and not Marco Vitale Romanes. Iasbella needed to think of what will be the best for herself, and herself only. She needed her own life, and did not want to live under the expectations of another. "You are right, Osa, I need to start living for myself and not for him. If he starts on me again, I'll just ignore him and know my place." Isabella smiled a little bit. But when Ostensia revealed that she did not made perfect grades, Isabella could not believe what she was hearing. She did not make perfect grades? She was an average student? They could not be. Isabella did not believe Ostensia. She had to be humbling herself down to make her feel better, but then she remembered, she was top in Herbology. Perhaps Ostensia was not as perfect as their father had Isabella believing. "Oh potions? You could not have failed that. It was an easy class!" Isabella hugged her sister when Ostensia had and she fixed her hair back when she ruffled it up quite a bit. "Nothing else is bothering me... Just what I told you. I think I might be able to sleep in peace now." Isabella scooted herself under the covers once more, and she rested her upper back against her pillows, so that she was not laying down precisely. It seems like this had brought the two very different sisters back together. Isabella could tell Ostensia everything, and that was something comforting to know. The relationship was strained before because Isabella had fought tooth and nail to not go to Hogwarts New Zealand when Ostensia had thrown it out there, but now, Isabella did not mind so much. Her future was still bright as the sky, and as clear as oxygen.

 

[Ostensia Metzger]

Ostensia grinned and nodded her head happily when it seemed that Isabella had made the conclusion to just ignore their father. Thats the only way anyone would ever survive in this world and that was if everything they did was for themselves and not for anyone else. Ostensia had done everything and anything for herself, to keep herself happy and on the ball. Just like her wanting to join or be like the girls from the Glam Squad, if people didn't like it then they could clearly bite her because she didn't care. Hopefully Isabella would keep this attitude though, Ostensia wasn't sure how much more she could keep her sister guarded on her own. "No class is easy when you space out for like a good hour of it like everyday." She blonde returned her sisters hug as she cracked a soft grin. She knew her sister was usually better at keeping her attention focused during school and everything. Perhaps this was just why her and Isabella were different when it came to school and everything. When Isabella told her sister that she thought she was able to sleep now Ostensia nodded and hopped off her sisters bed. The Hufflepuff was pretty tired herself so she wasn't going to complain about going to bed. "Goodnight Isabella." Ostensia muttered quietly before she exited the room and closed the door softly behind her.