Closed Stay Calm

[Jacinta Ingo]

Keep walking, eyes down. Jacinta pushed through the crowds of people. Where are they? Nerves started to kick in. Surely her parents hadn't left her, surely they were just at the next corner. She couldn't remember what town she was in, let alone what street they had agreed to meet on. You'll be fine, just keep going. She got to the next corner. Nothing. She couldn't see them. She stood in place for a minute, tapping her foot. Still, no one came. She blew air out of her nose and turned to the seat that was on the corner. They'll find me, they could've left me. That's a silly thought. She sat down, crossing her legs underneath her. She was taking up most of the seat, but at that moment she didn't care. As long as no one asked to sit...

 

[Kara Munn]

Kara's father had taken her to town with him, he was looking for some parts for his newest invention. She felt rather tired and was hoping going outside in the sun would help wake her up. Her dad told her she could wait just outside the shop at the seats by the corner.

Making her way into the bright outdoors, she looked over towards the corner. There was a girl sitting on a bench taking up most of the space. Kara made her way over but realized she was too anxious to ask to sit. She stood awkwardly next to the bench and looked around like she was looking for someone.

The sun felt good on her face, warm and comforting. She opened up the flap of her bag to retrieve her journal, dumping the contents of her bag in the process. Immediately the feeling of warmth from the sun was replaced by flushed cheeks of embarrassment. Why are you always so clumsy? She began picking up the contents of her bag that had spilled on the bench, under the bench, all over the place.

 

[Jacinta Ingo]

As someone came towards her, she waited for the question."Can I sit here?" But it never came. Jacinta ignored them, focusing more on trying not to bite her lip off from stress. Suddenly, stuff flew everywhere, from the inside of this person's bag. Should I help? It would be polite. So she did."Here," she said, handing the person some things.

 

[Kara Munn]

Kara accepted the help from the girl that was sitting. "Thank you." She said taking her pencil bag. Her bag was always carefully organized and it stressed her out to shove everything in the bag. Kara was unsure what to do with the items in her hands.

"Do you mind if I sit with you, so I can put my stuff back where it belongs?" Kara asked the girl with a nervous smile.

 

[Jacinta Ingo]

Jacinta shrugged and made room in the seat. She kept an eye out for her parents. They'll be here, just wait. They said this corner. She sighed and crossed her arms. Why did her parents not pay attention to her. She had told them that they would take to long and that she should just go with them.

"I'd be happy to hold onto some things for you. I know that I struggle putting things back into my bag." May as well make small talk. Be helpful, Jacinta. This wasnt really one of her strong points, since she had lived by herself for her whole life. School will be different now, get used to talking to people.

 

[Kara Munn]

Kara let out a sigh of relief at her kindness. She sat down on the bench with the thing and began putting her pens and pencils back in her pencil box. Note to self, buy a pencil pouch before school begins.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." Kara said with an embarrassed smile. "My name is Kara, what is yours?"

 

[Jacinta Ingo]

"Don't worry about it. I'm Jacinta. Do you live nearby?" Jacinta had finished buying her school supplies - actually, her Muggle school supplies for her new school - and knew the struggle of fitting everything into a bag.

 

[Kara Munn]

"I do. I live here in Auckland." Kara replied. "I haven't always lived here though." She had only been living in New Zealand for a few years now. She carefully put her journal inside the front flap of the backpack.

"What about you? Where are you from?" She asked, placing books neatly back into her backpack.

 

[Jacinta Ingo]

"Oh, I'm from Queenstown. Born and bred. My parents and I have come up for a little holiday before school starts." When Jacinta finished saying this, she had a quick look around."They said to meet them here, but I'm still waiting for them." She smiled slightly, though it was a little forced. Don't show how nervous you are."I actually just finished buying my schools supplies."

 

[Kara Munn]

Kara followed the girl's eyes as she looked around. "My dad is in that part store over there." She said pointing to a nearby shop. "He told me I could hang outside to wait on him, so I didn't have to stand around the store."

Kara set her bag on the ground by her feet and held the strap in her hands, something she often did as a nervous tick. "I am nowhere near done shopping for my school supplies," Kara said nervously. "But there is still time. That's awesome that you've already completed yours. Are you going to school in Queenstown?"

 

[Jacinta Ingo]

How do I answer this? Jacinta knew that she wasn't attending a school in Queenstown, but she also knew that announcing she was magical was a really bad idea."No, I'm going to a boarding school, uh, down near Wellington, I think." Oh gosh, this is harder than I thought."What about you? Are you attending school here?"

 

[Kara Munn]

Kara's eyes brightened with curiosity. How many boarding schools could be around there? She tried to shake the thought out of her head, there could be several.

"I'm actually going near there as well," Kara replied. "Quite a ways away from home. 8-hour drive. Not as far as Queenstown though."

She avoided asking the name of the school, in case the girl would ask where she was going. Although it wouldn't be too weird for her to not tell someone she just met a personal detail like the exact boarding school she would be living at.

"Are you looking forward to going? Have you ever been to boarding school before?" Kara imagined most kids had questions about their going away from home for a while. "Do you think you'll get homesick?" Her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment and her voice faded off as she realized how many questions she asked and how fast she was talking.

 

[Jacinta Ingo]

"Yeah, it is far. But it sounds like a good school, so it'll be worth it." Jacinta didn't want to mention the name, especially since it was stranger than most school names."I haven't been to boarding school before, so I'm sure that I'll get homesick at some point. But I'll be able to go home during the holidays." Not that I'll want to, she thought. She wasn't happy with her parents not talking to her. School would probably be more interesting than home, especially if she could do magic during the break!

"What about you, have you been to boarding school before?" Jacinta was trying to think of a way to ask if Kara was magical, but how?"I'm looking forward to visiting the library. I love reading, so I hope that there are some good books. Maybe some on magic, I love fantasy stories." Nice job, Jacinta. Now not only do you sound like a nerd, you don't at all sound like a person who can do magic. Maybe she isn't magic, maybe she'll just think you're a little strange.

 

[Kara Munn]

"No, I have never been to boarding school before. Just regular primary school," Kara said. "I will definitely get homesick, I think anyway."

Her eyes shifted toward the ground. She really wasn't looking forward to that part of leaving home. Kara constantly had to remind herself that if she wanted to be a potions master, she was going to have to go to Hogwarts and do really well.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard magic. Kara's eyes widened and she looked at Jacinta. Her fault for getting distracted.

"Fantasy stories?" She said. "Magic books, oh yes, those are pleasant to read." Kara wasn't telling a complete lie, she did enjoy reading muggle fantasy books to compare them to reality.

 

[Jacinta Ingo]

Jacinta wondered if she should be bold and risk trying to make a connection."I often wonder if magic and those creatures used to be real. And if they disappeared one day and everyone forgot about them." She laughed."I must seem crazy." It was a pretty obvious comment, because they did kind of disappear, but they were still around. Just hidden."I have a cousin who can do amazing card tricks, but he thought I was crazy when I mentioned my hope for magic being real." She had mentioned this after she got accepted into Hogwarts, a blind comment in hoping he was also magical. He had laughed in her face and she had spent the rest of the week in tears. She doesn't need to know that you have struggles with emotions. Just leave it at that, nice and concise.

 

[Kara Munn]

Kara shifted in her seat. Of course, magic was real. She has known about it her whole life. "I don't think you seem crazy." She wanted to comfort the girl, but couldn't confirm or deny magic. "Magic tricks can be fun, that's awful that he thought you were crazy. Wouldn't everyone wish magic was real?"

Wouldn't everyone wanna be magical? It never made sense to her while muggles were so scared of magic other than a little jealousy. They have magic in their own ways though, through technology and what not.

"What would you do if magic was real?" Kara asked the girl, again trying to avoid saying anything she knew for certain.

The girl could be magical, but it was still risky to talk in such a public environment. Besides, what was weird about two young girls talking about magic and "fantasy"? That's a fairly normal thing for them to talk about at their age, muggle or not.

 

[Jacinta Ingo]

"Well, I would think that everyone would." Jacinta was trying to not make it sound like she knew something. She had continued to look around, trying to find her parents, and thought she spotted them. She stood up for a moment, her heart beating faster, but it wasn't them."Sorry," she said to Kara."I thought I saw my parents."

Kara asked if she would do magic if it was real. Jacinta smiled. Once I learn how to."I would, it think it would be super cool. Would you?" Mum, Dad, please come quick. I won't know what to do if I give myself away!

 

[Kara Munn]

“I’d enjoy it for sure,” Kara said, continuing to worry. “I think anyway.” She said looking to see if her dad had come out yet.

Kara had to think of something to switch the conversation to. "What do you like to do for fun?" She asked, hoping to spark a new conversation.

 

[Jacinta Ingo]

"I spend a lot of time reading in my room. I'm an only child, so my house is pretty quiet." Jacinta was glad for the topic change, because she would rather talk about her life at home than her new school."What about you?" She was still getting used to the whole conversation thing. It felt awkward and wrong. But she was determined to make it work.

 

[Kara Munn]

"I have a little brother, but I spend most of my time helping my dad with his inventions or writing," Kara replies. "Do you like to write?"

Kara's home life was relatively calm. Her dad spent time in his office working on different magical gadgets and her mom often did things outside in the garden. Her little brother was often just annoying and ran around making lots of noise.

"What's your favorite book to read?" Kara asked she loved learning what books people enjoyed. They usually loved to talk about their favorite book.

 

[Jacinta Ingo]

Jacinta shrugged when asked about writing. She wasn't really into writing, since she had gotten used to writing boring assignments."I think I'm too used to assignments. I get a little bored with writing." She was asked what her favourite book was. This topic was nice and safe, especially since she had been reading since she could talk."I love fantasy novels, like I said before, but I'm not sure if I could pick just one. There are so many!" At home, Jacinta had a 'hidden' doorway to a different room which was full of books. She spent most of her time there, since her parents started being distant."I enjoy books that are based on real life, but are written more as fiction. They interest me a lot." She realised that she had probably been rambling a little and should ask what Kara's favourite book was."Sorry, I was rambling. What's your favourite? Maybe I've read it and liked it too."

 

[Kara Munn]

"Fantasy novels are a good read," Kara replied with a smile. "The Phantom Tollbooth is my current favorite book, it's a pretty old book though."

She didn't mind that the girl had rambled, Kara wasn't typically good with conversation and found it easier to listen than to talk. "Have you read the book?"

 

[Jacinta Ingo]

Jacinta shook her head."I haven't," she said, a little disappointed."What's it about? Should I read it?" She wanted to bring some books to school, since she didn't think there would be many non-magic books. Sure, fantasy had magic in it, but she didn't think they would have the type of books she liked.

 

[Kara Munn]

"It is about a boy named Milo. He goes on an adventure through a magical tollbooth into a world that is very literal. With numbers, words, everything." Kara said with excitement. "It taught me a lot about patience and jumping to conclusions. I definitely recommend it."

She glanced over to the shop where she could see her dad near the counter, she wasn't sure if he was checking out or asking questions. Her dad could take hours or minutes sometimes. "What's your favorite subject in school?" She asked.

 

[Jacinta Ingo]

"That sounds cool, I'll have to find a copy." Jacinta loved finding new books to read."I enjoy my art classes, mostly because they tend to have fun assignments and I love creating things. I'm looking forward to going to my new school, since it has a lot of hands-on subjects." Stupid stupid. That's the one thing you don't say! Jacinta was annoyed with herself that she had mentioned her school again. Hopefully Kara wouldn't ask which school she was going to.