The Truth

[Arianna Tipley]

Arianna hurried down to the Lakefront. She had just been to her sixth Charms lesson, and was determined to master the marking spell they had learnt. She had been attempting it in class, and had just conjured up black mist, which had yet to take shape. She plonked herslef down on the grass under a big willow tree. She had made a quick trip up to her dormitory before coming down here, so she was now wearing faded cut off jeans, and a black shirt. Sighing as she relaxed in the lush green grass, she pulled out her wand, quill, and the wrist watch she had been practising with in the classroom.

Before attempting to mark her watch, she thought it was best to warm herself up with some simpler charms. Crossing her legs, she picked up her wand and directed it at the quill."Winguardium Leviousa" she murmered. The quill rose up into the air, and with practised ease she directed it over the lake, making it skim over the water, creating tiny ripples. She brought it back, and ended the spell. She swiveled around, so that she facing away from the lake. She placed her quill a foot away from her, and waved her wand at it, as if trying to wave it away "Depulso" she said, and the quill flew away from her, landing in the grass out of site.
"Accio quill" she said, bringing the quill back to her with a flourish.

After Arianna had caught the quill, she placed the quill back in the grass in front of her, using the same waving technique "Everte Statum" she recited, using all her concentration. The quill flew away from her again, but this time it went faster, and further. Satisfied with her spell, she summoned it back.
Turning back to the lake, she crossed her legs again. She closed her eyes, listening to the birds chirping in the trees, and the gentle slap of the lake against the bank. She summoned all of her energy and concentration, before opening her eyes, now full of determination.

Pointing her wand at the wrist watch, she didn't let anything else penatrate her mind. "Inflicio fur" she said in a strong clear voice.
The black mist swirled around the wristwatch, like it had before in the charms classroom, she dropped down to stare at it. It didn't take shape, but seemed to be taller and skinnier than before. She sat back up, and tried to clear her head, deciding to take a break. Concentrating that hard was tiring.

 

[Vivienne Esquire]

Vivienne had been reading in the common room after charms class, flicking thorugh the pages of her favourite book of poetry. After a short time, a large group of older students began to flood the room, chattering loudly. Her thoughts twisting themselves into complicated knots, she found the words on her page hard to read. Shutting the book, Vivienne wished she had someone to talk to, but glancing around, she found her self alone in the crowded room.

Rubbing her forehead, she flicked the book back open and turned the page until she found what she was looking for. A section of the book dedicated to poems on friendship. The first page of the chapter had been ripped out, and in its place was a thick blue envelope. Vivienne went to pick it up, but stopped herself, hand hanging inches above the page, and brought it back to her side.

With a sigh, she pulled out her new glasses and slipped them on. She ran her finger down the opposite page, trying to make sense of the words there. Her head was swimming, the noise in the room was too much for her to bear. Suddenly, she jumped to her feet and stuffed the book and her glasses into her bag. Slipping her green coat on in one swift motion, Vivienne left the common room. She walked quickly, yet it felt as if she was in slow motion - her whole life was in slow motion - while everything around her was a normal speed.

Before she knew it, Vivienne was by the lake, heading towards her favourite willow tree. Then, as she got closer, she realised that someone was already sitting below its safe, comforting branches. It was Arianna, the very person she wanted to see the most. Or was it least.. Vivienne didn't know. She slid her hand into her bag, feeling the smooth parchment of the envelope, and continued on. Every step felt even slower than usual, but she found herself standing near Arianna within seconds.

"Ari.. hey, I haven't seen you in ages.." she said with a small smile, before looking down at her feet.

 

[Arianna Tipley]

After practising the marking a spell a few more times, and still getting the same swirly black mist, Arianna flopped back onto the grass. Concentrating that hard on trying to produce her mark was extremely tiring. She stared up at the clear blue sky through the thin leaves of the willow tree. The thick grass underneath her created a soft blanket to lie on. Her happy mood evaporated. Lying on the grass here reminded her of seeing her sister at St. Mungo's, curled up and dying.

She tried to push the memories out of her mind, but they kept flowing. Instead of trying to fight them, she relaxed, and let them cloud her vision. The sky disapeared from her sight, and a long hallway, lined with doors appeared. She was running down the hallway, tears falling thick and fast. Bursting through a door on the right, she searched the room frantically, not seeing any anything except a a small girl, her blonde hair matted with blood and spread out on the pillow around her unmoving head.

A voice suddenly interupted her nightmare, Arianna sat up quickly, looking around wildly. She spotted Viv walking towards her. "Hey Viv" she said, her voice shaking. She was suddenly feeling very sick, and put a hand up to her mouth. When she did so, she discovered that her face was wet. Wiping it dry hurriedly, she smiled tentatively.

 

[Vivienne Esquire]

Vivienne continued to look down at her shoes. A happy yellow. A lie, just like the rest of her. But I haven't become a fake, I've always been one.. she said to herself, finally accepting that everything she was wasn't real. She had worn a permanent mask her whole life, and now she wanted to take it off. But she couldn't. Vivienne couldn't show her upset, her disappointment that no one had rescued her when she needed it. She had to continue her alter-ego, commonly known as 'Viv'. Only when she was alone could she become the real her. But what was the real her? She'd felt lost for a while, but only now, standing here did she realise. If she was worth anything, then wouldn't someone have saved her? Only Taylor had noticed that something was wrong, but even then they weren't very close. For now, Vivienne kept a smile on her face and her loneliness behind it.

Vivienne looked up as Arianna replied. Making eye contact, she was surprised to see that her friend didn't look pleased to see her. Quite the opposite, actually. Had she done something wrong? "Ari.. are you okay? You seem different.." Vivienne said quietly, remembering the last time they'd seen each other, at her house during the holidays. The two had been best of friends then, but now.. something had changed. Ari can't be upset with me.. there's no reason for her to be. If anything, I should be upset with her! Vivienne thought, as everything that had happened while Ari was away came flooding back.

 

[Arianna Tipley]

Arianna looked up at Vivienne "I'm fine, just not feeling so good" she said, willing herself not to be sick. "How are you?" she asked, studying Vivienne's face. She was smiling and everything, but there was just something...
There was an awkward pause. "Why don't you sit down?" Arianna said quietly. She wasn't sure what she was going to say to Vivienne. She was her best friend, so what was she supposed to tell her? Oh yeah, my sister tried to commit suicide, that's why I went away. She didn't know what to say, so she looked out over the lake at the far bank.

 

[Vivienne Esquire]

Vivienne squinted slightly as she studied Arianna's face. There was definitely something wrong, and she wanted to help. However, if Arianna didn't want to share, then it would be rude to pressure her. Vivienne just hoped that it wasn't anything important.. But she knew that if something was wrong, then Ari would come to her. Wouldn't she?

"Um no.. I'll.. I'll stand, thanks." Vivienne said, looking down at her bag. One hand was still inside, frozen against the blue parchment. She wished she was able to pull it out and share it with Ari. She wished that everything would be better then. She wished that she wasn't a coward.

Vivienne stood in silence for a few seconds, weighing everything up. On one hand, sharing the envelope might fix things. Arianna might reply with something along the lines of: "It's okay, everything's going to get better now!" In.. an ideal world. If she wasn't feeling well, then bringing this up could just make things worse, and open up old wounds. It would hurt, but getting it over with might be worth it. It would be very selfish, but then again, wasn't that what Vivienne was? A selfish, fake, worthless being?

"I.. I wrote you a letter," she said, looking straight at Arianna. Viviennne slowly pulled her hand out of the bag, the envelope clutched tightly inside. "But I didn't send it.." she explained, as her eyes began to tear up slightly.

 

[Arianna Tipley]

When Vivienne chose to stand, Arianna stood up slowly too. She had been happy to see Vivienne, but she didn't think Viv seemed her happy self. She studied her face. It seemed more closed, almost hurt. Had Arianna done something? She hoped not, if she had though, she wanted Viv to tell her, so that they could work it out and go back to normal.
"Sorry I haven't been around, I... yeah" she said slowly. She wasn't sure why she wasn't telling Vivienne about her sister.

Vivienne told Arianna she had a letter for her, and all thoughts of Clare were pushed from her mind. Was Viv breaking up their friendship? Arianna panicked, knowing it would be her own fault. Going without notice, not sending any letters, and then just expecting them to go back to normal when she got back. Self disgust welled up inside her, and a single tear rolled down her cheek and fell to the grass. She wanted to apologise, but her mouth didn't seem to be working.

 

[Vivienne Esquire]

As Vivienne opened the envelope, she didn't notice Arianna cry. If she had, she wouldn't have read what was inside. Pulling out a crumpled piece of parchment, Vivienne flattened it nervously. As she began to read, she fought back heavy tears, her voice cracking several times.

Dear Ari,
Everything's so wrong. I wish you were here, I just want someone to talk to. Where have you been? So much has happened since you've been gone.

My father's gotten sick again. I think his tumour has grown back. He has all the same symptoms as last time, but he won't go to the doctor. Mum and dad live in France now, and are working 24/7, so there's nothing I can do. What if he dies this time? What will happen then? I know mother won't live without him, so what will I do if I lose them both? They look like shells of what they used to be, so I think I'm losing them already.

There was a prank to the school.. for weeks, I was made to believe that the death of a student was partly my fault. It was all a horrible joke, though. I can't describe the guilt I felt for those long days. I couldn't bear to close my eyes because of the nightmares I had. Why would anyone play a trick like that? They didn't stop to think of what it would do to people that were already going through a hard time.

I feel so alone. Arisa was cut up for so long over the prank. She's better now, but not the same. Everyone seems to be moving in different directions, so I don't know who to lean on. I couldn't even tell you what direction I'm moving in. I feel like I don't even know myself anymore. Noah was almost found and sent to military school, so I've been putting my attention towards helping him.

I cry more than I sleep these days. Although the nightmares have stopped, the sleepwalking is much worse. I went to the North Tower last night. Imagine if I'd climbed the ledge? Maybe I should have. One less worthless being cluttering up the planet.


Where are you when I need you?
V.

Vivienne paused and turned the page over. She quickly wiped her hand across her face, continuing the rest of the letter.

PS: I'm so selfish. For all I know, you're gone because something horrible has happened to you. Something worse than the silly things I'm stressing over. If that was the case, you know I'd be here for you too, right? Because that's what best friends are for. Are we even best friends though? I don't see why anyone would want to be mine..

Glancing up from the dampened parchment, Vivienne caught Arianna's eye, before quickly looking back down. "Where were you?" she whispered, embarassed for showing so much weakness.

 

[Arianna Tipley]

Arianna listened as Vivienne read the letter out loud. More than one tear escaped her this time, but she didn't even try to stop them. When Vivienne reached the part about falling off the North Tower, Arianna looked up fiercly, all sadness forgotten. She let Vivienne finish the letter, and looked her straight in the eye. "Don't ever say that" she said refferring to the part about the North Tower. She wrapped her arms around Viv, and hugged her, breaking down completely. "I'm here now" she said through sobs, "And I am so sorry. I am and awful awful person"

She had soaked the back of Vivienne's nice green coat. "I'm sorry" she said again "I hope your coat is machine washable" Arianna knew that there were no washing machines at Hogwarts, but she wan't really paying attention to what she was saying. "Better tell you why I was gone" she mumbled looking down. "My sister tried to commit suicide" she stammered "That's why I was so touchy about you saying you want to fall off the North Tower" she said, the sobs returning "I can't the thought of losing my absolute best friend"
"I'm sorry" she repeated, hoping that might be a small chance that Vivienne could forgive her.

 

[Vivienne Esquire]

Vivienne was shocked when Arianna hugged her suddenly. She was unsure how to react at first. Should she accept the hug, or take a step back? Without even considering the latter, Vivienne was hugging Ari back just as tightly. "You're not awful!" she said, tears pouring more than ever. "I was just lonely. But like you said, you're here now.. And forget about the darned coat!" Vivienne added, laughing and crying at the same time.

As Arianna explained why she had been away, Vivienne instantly felt even more disgusted with herself. "Oh my gosh," Vivienne whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. "I'm so sorry!" she said, crying even harder. "I should have owled you sooner, or you could have owled me! We could have helped each other!" Vivienne tried to calm herself down. "Your sister's okay now though, right?" she asked, breaking the hug to look into Ari's eyes.



(( Sorry for the incredibly lame post -_- I'll try not to ruin this thread any more by shutting up now ))

 

[Arianna Tipley]

((It's good!))
Arianna was over the moon when Vivienne hugged her back. Maybe she didn't hate her afterall. "I am! I didn't even send you an owl!" she wailed. She laughed shakily, when Viv told her not to worry about the coat. It just sounded funny to her.

"I'm sorry, I should have owled you!" Arianna said, still crying.
"She's fine, still recovering, but good" she replied happily "We still don't know why she tried to... kill herself" She had to force the last two words out. "Because the after effects mean she won't be able to talk for a while. Which might be a good thing" She grinned weakly, her sister really did talk too much.

((This sucks, sorry!))

 

[Vivienne Esquire]

(( Sorry for such a late reply I've had really bad writer's block recently -_- ))

"No! I know now why you were too busy to owl me, I was just being selfish! I'm the awful friend.." Vivienne said quietly, putting her face in her hands. When Arianna explained the state her sister was in, Vivienne suddenly felt as if she had a lump stuck in her throat. She tried to speak, but her voice was a croaky whisper. "Oh my gosh.. she can't talk?! That's horrible!" Vivienne sobbed, attacking Ari with another hug.

The tears continued to flow, but they weren't just of sadness. They were also of joy, because Vivienne finally had a friend back. Even though her father was still ill, and she was still sleepwalking, at least one thing was better now. At least she had someone.

 

[Arianna Tipley]

((Oolie oolie! ))

"No no no! You're not selfish! The only thing you've done wrong is forgiving me so quickly" Arianna wailed. She squeezed Vivienne tightly when she hugged her again.
"None of it matters, as long as we're best friends" she said firmly, though she knew her sister did matter alot, and so did Vivienne's father, but they weren't going to think about that right now.
"So, best friends?" she asked, pulling back, and giving Viv a watery smile.

 

[Vivienne Esquire]

Vivienne opened her mouth to disagree with Arianna again, but realised that they could go on all day. Instead, she smiled and nodded. "Best friends." she said, as the tears began to become less frequent. Realising what they were doing, Vivienne laughed, wiping a hand across her wet face. "We really should stop this. We must look like something out of a cheesy soap opera!" she glanced around, pretending to see if people were watching. However in reality, she couldn't care less if anyone saw. As long as she had her BFF back. "Oolie oolie club forever!" she laughed, raising her arm slightly for Ari to link through.

 

[Arianna Tipley]

((Lol, yeah ))

Arianna smiled back at Vivienne "Hmmm, it's lucky technology doesn't work here at Hogwarts, otherwise we would probably be being filmed" she said, with a light laugh. Ari knew that Viv sometimes worried about what others thought of her. Ari hoped this wasn't the case. The only thing that mattered to Ari was that they were best friends again.
She beamed at Viv, taking her arm "Definetly" she said firmly "So, what should we do now?" Ari asked eagerly. There were so many fun things that they could do now.