Pay You Compliments

[Carson West]

Higher and higher the young girl climbed, the stairs seemed never ending. It was almost like they didn't want her to reach her destination where ever that happened to be. Really Carson had heard tell of a tower, not like that of a fairy tale, but a North tower where the stars could be seen with ease in the mist of their beauty and glory. However it was not night time and no stars were in the sky. It was about mid day right after this young blue eyed brunette had finished up her lunch. With a full stomach she decided to make an effort to explore the so called tower. Maybe it would turn out to be just as the rumours said. Maybe it would become her favourite place in the castle spending night after night up there watching the stars. Maybe she would hate it and decide that the lakefront, which she hadn't quite been too but only saw out her window, would be the spot to be. There were a lot of maybe's in the equation and the only way to sort through them all was to make it up all the fleets of stairs.

On and on she went until finally she had reached the top. It wasn't a very big area. Surely it was big enough. It had a few windows that Carson wasted no time in going over to. As she glanced out of the window the view outside amazed her. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. In that moment she realized that she would be spending loads of time up in this place. It was not just comfortable and had a view that made her crystal blue eyes widen. It was quiet. Perfect for star gazing at night and time alone in the day. Though Carson wasn't fond of beling alone so much. Maybe as she met more people she would bring them up to the Tower and have them enjoy the view as she was. Staring almost longingly out the window at the clouds in the sky, she couldn't help but feel at home for the first time since she arrived at New Zealand.

 

[Grace Winter]

Grace was loving her new found freedom. She had gone to lunch and eaten what she wanted, which was in fact just a salad, and then wondered off. Grace wondered what to do with herself. The castle was huge and there was so much to see and do. She didn't have a fixed bed time. Well she did, but those more guidlines Grace figured. She was smiling to herself. Skipping as she walked up the stairs. No idea of where she would in fact end up. Gracey was the kind of girl who would skip into a sunset. She would smile and just mind her own buisness. Each stride that she took was like a reflection upon her. A laid back, devil may care aspect on walking. She would take her time, even if rushed. Grace believed that life nowadays was lived too fast. People were too caught up in living in the moment and doing everything at once, that they forgot how to relax and just go for a walk. This did not mean that Winter was naive about Life. She knew it was short, she knew it was magical, she knew that it wouldn't last forever, but she didn't care. She was 11, with little worries, and only a sense of Gryffindorian pride running through her viens.

Grace was unsure where she'd ended up. She looked over the edge of the stairs, and down all the steps she had walked up. She was pretty high but not high in the area of Gryffindor. Grace tore her green eyes away from the staring at the floor below the many, many stairs. She turned round and headed towards the coridor of this high place. Grace walked slowly, making her feet purposely hit the ground lightly so that no one could be aware of her coming. This was slightly better thought than done. Grace's converses were not the quietest of shoes. The young Gryffindorian then noticed a girl, standing, by the window. Grace thought that she looked familiar. Maybe at the sorting. Grace, knew this could well be a slytherin, but she decided to risk it. Grace sneaked on the very tips of her toes towards the girl. Grace, walked up behind her, grabbed her shoulders suddenly and said

"boo" In a voice that was both cheery and mocking. She hadn't even yelled, just said it. She hoped to get some kind of reaction that was scared from the girl, if not Grace could hang out her scaring shoes forever.


[Yeah, couldn't think of anything else. Hope she likes being scared ]

 

[Carson West]

Carson was so zoned on the outside world. The lovely while fluffy clouds, the one cloud that looked like a dove while the other looked like two rabbits with tophats one holding a carrot in it's furry little palm. Then of course like any good cloud watcher, she saw an icecream cone. It seemed every time Carson looked at the sky she saw an icecream cone in the clouds. This young child always played it off that she needed icecream at that very moment. Her mother being the person she was always gave in, her father however found it completely unlogical. Though not everything in Carson's life had to be logically. With floating icecream cone cloud a smile played its part on her lips.

Moving her eyes from the clouds above to the others playing out in the lawn. It looked like fun. Maybe in a tiny bit Carson would go outside and see if she could join in the game of tag, one of her favourite yet pointless games. Like everything being logical not everything had to have a point or purpose. This was another thing her father didn't understand yet her mother did. It related somehow to fashion as well. Take for example the bracelet. A bracelet served little purpose to the outfit as function went though it was still a much needed part of the outfit simply because Carson liked adding bracelets. That was how the game of tag was. That was how many of the childhood games such as leap frog and duck duck goose were.

Thinking about all the games that she would soon play outside, didn't notice a young girl coming up behind her. The slight sound of boo being said to close to Carson's ear made the young girl jump slightly and turn around faster than she would have expected. Seeing a girl about her age, Carson let out a small laugh at her own overreaction. "Guess we can say my reflexes are in check. Though my observation skills may need a bit of work" Carson spoke her eyes looking over the girl for a brief moment almost finding her familiar. Maybe from the sorting ceremony, maybe just looked like a friend back home, maybe Carson had never seen this girl before or anyone like her and she was just imagining the familiar feeling. Any of the reasons could have been more than possible.

"I'm Carson" Carson introduced herself extending her pale hand to the girl. Her own heart beat now safely at a normal beat.

 

[Grace Winter]

Grace let out a little Giggle. She smiled widely at the girl she'd just slightly scared the girl oh front if her. Her dad would tell her that she was really just binging on the amount of tine she had alone and was doing everything that she could before the start if classes. Grace took a few steps away, giving the girl a little room to breath after being scared. For the first time Grace was taking a proper look at the girl. From why she could tell bunts girls smile and way that she had not screamed her head off, punched her, it walked away, showed to Grace that maybe this was someone with whom she could be friends. Grace took the girl's hand and shook it wih a smile.

"Grace Winter, or Gracey or Winter Grace." Grace said in a friendly and cheery manner, she wasn't too bothered what people called her. As long as utbwas a girls name. Grace let go of her hand and peered over the shoulder of the girl. It was quite the drop. Grace wondered what it would be like to jump from such a height. With a broom of course and proper protection. Grace looked back at the girl.

"Are you perhaps a gryffindor?" Grace asked her Scottish accent pushing through strongly.

 

[Carson West]

Carson waited for an introduction or at least a simple name from the girl standing in front of her. Soon it was given in the form a few names. Nicknames. Again something this young Gryffindor would never understand. She had never had a nickname nor had it scarred her because she never did. Though everyone around here at a nickname of sorts. Sure it might be normal to be called by your last name. Carson was often times called West, but mostly it was just Carson. Maybe this was a New Zealand thing, Nicknames. Or maybe just Carson never experienced it with her group of friends back home. It really didn't matter though. Carson had nothing against nicknames. It was just something new, but afterall everything here was new. She was at a school for wizards and witches for gosh sake. Magic in general was new. This school was new. Her life seemed to be new. Why not add nicknames into the mess of culture she was learning about.

"Nice to meet you Grace. And yes I am in Gryffindor actually" Carson said guessing this meant the young girl before her was as well in Gryffindor. "What house are you in?" She asked anyway not wanting to make the assumption. Though more importantly Carson caught onto the accent. For a place in New Zealand there were certainly alot of accents that Carson didn't think belonged. Of course in her mind everyone but her had an accent. In her mind there was no such thing as an American accent nonetheless a California accent. "Scottish?" She said with a soft smile making an assumption that seconds before she didn't want to do such a thing. "So you're not from around here then?" She spoke.