We Cannot Be Parallel Lines

[Frankie Tillington]

It had been a busy time back at school for Frankie, although not in the conventional way of study and classes. Rather, she was busy soaking up the New Zealand air again and the weird sunlight that looked too bright to be real - like someone had just cleaned the windows or something and she was about to smack into glass that she couldn't see. She usually wasn't great with metaphors, but smacking into newly cleaned windows was something she had some experience with over the years and that was definitely what the grounds looked like now that she was newly returned from the L.A. heat haze. And there were a bunch of people to catch up with, as well; Frankie was popping all over the castle to check in with the friends she made in the previous year. But while she was happy to begin the semester with a quick dash past most people she knew, stopping only long enough to ask about their holidays and give them a hearty clap on the back, Frankie knew that she had to put aside a good chunk of time to talk to her sister - and at a time that the other girl wouldn't find inconvenient.

Gabriella had always been a little more hesitant than herself to discuss their situation - their separate but shared family, their different lives in London and California. Frankie had known her sister needed time to process meeting one another again; time to get used to having such easy contact with someone who had once been practically impossible to send so much as a letter to. (She'd tried, once, when she was six, but a child's scrawl addressed to 'Dad & Gabby, England' hadn't given either the Muggle post office or the owl post much to work with.) But now that it was a new school year, now that she'd had months at home with her mom to talk and talk about the surprise and reality of finding Gabby again at Hogwarts - Frankie knew that she and her sister couldn't go on living their lives as if the other was a stranger anymore. It just didn't feel right. She wasn't expecting them to all suddenly - or ever - become a perfect happy family, but there was... a chance for something. Something good. And it all started with this tiny step. "Hey, Gabb-riella," Frankie called, finally within earshot of her sister after chasing her all the way down the Great Lawn and out to the lake. She waited until Gabby had turned to face her before continuing. "Do you have time to talk? I wanted to... I wanted to talk to you." Frankie really hoped she would say yes, but she couldn't tell from her sister's expression which way the answer was going to go.

 

[Gabriella Tillington]

The more time Gabriella spent at Hogwarts, the clearer it became to her that she just wasn't very good at the whole social aspect of school life. She was doing well in her classes and managed to keep up with her studies, but she hadn't made many friends. There was Athena who she hadn't seen yet this year, Patrick who she liked to talk to sometimes, and Chante. Chante was an odd one, as she seemed like they were complete opposites but the girl still seemed to like to talk to her. Every time they had an interaction, Gabriella felt more like an awkward robot that just didn't know how to react. The girl proclaiming she would go to the forest had just made it more difficult for her, as she didn't think she could be friends with someone that broke rules for no good reason.

Though the semester had started and classes had begun, Gabriella hadn't seen much of her older sister Francesca. Or Frankie, as she preferred to be called. They had grown up apart, and only met for the first time in ten years during the previous school year when they found out they were attending the same school. Even though they had spent the first three years of Gabriella's life together, it had still felt like a first meeting. She could hardly remember her older sister from their shared youth, and they had grown up to be completely different people. Frankie was everything Gabriella wasn't. Fun, spontaneous, social... but Gabriella thought she probably had the better grades of the two. After having nearly a year to get used to the idea of having her sister in her life, Gabriella finally felt herself opening up to the idea a little bit. She was curious, and wanted to know what she had been missing over the past decade.

The lake was still Gabriella's favorite place in the entire school, and she felt herself relax slightly by just being near a body of water. Once the weather would get a bit warmer, perhaps she would try swimming here. She missed the sport a lot. Her name was called by a familiar voice, and she turned to see her sister. Looking at her, she supposed they looked alike. Both had the long blond hair and they had similar features. But the easy confidence radiating off her sister was something she couldn't match. Her question didn't come as too much of a surprise, but Gabriella was glad to hear it nonetheless. She had the same need to talk to Frankie, though she hadn't known how to seek her out to tell her that. It was nice that Frankie took the lead on this. "I have time." She said, brushing her fingers through her hair as she glanced back at the lake. "I wanted to talk to you too. I think we have to." It was striking how different their accents were, and it was just another reminder of their complicated history.

 

[Frankie Tillington]

Frankie was glad that Gabby had responded positively to her desire to talk - she wouldn't have ever said that she was afraid of anything, but Frankie could admit to herself that she had been a little worried that her sister still wouldn't have wanted to have anything to do with her after their only proper conversation last year - well, the only proper one where they knew they were sisters, anyway. She realised now that Gabby wasn't the same sort of person as she herself was, and though she couldn't even begin to guess at the reasons why they had turned out so differently (beyond the obvious) Frankie respected that. It was why she had given her sister space last year, time to get used to the idea that they were now real fixtures in each other's lives. But now it was time to try again - especially considering the envelope she had shoved in her pocket. Frankie wasn't planning on bringing it up just yet, and didn't even know if she would give the letter to Gabby today. But it would be there if the moment was right.

Coming to a halt, she stuck her hands in her back pockets and regarded her sister with a grin. "Great, that's good." She paused for a moment, waiting to see if Gabby wanted to take the lead, but with no indication Frankie decided to forge ahead first. "So did you enjoy your summer, and being back home? Not that I'm digging, I promise," she held up a hand in a placating motion. "I just... wondered a lot about it. I suppose an English summer isn't much different from an LA one, but I don't imagine you were at the beach as much I was - I live right next to it, almost." Frankie explained with a smile. She'd spent a lot of time with her friends, skateboarding along the beachfront and swimming out in the ocean, but Gabby had been on her mind at least once a day. What she would think if she was there with her... Frankie almost chuckled again now at the thought. She wasn't bothered by the difference in their personalities, but it was very clear that it was there and she wouldn't mind knowing if she and her sister had anything in common at all. "Do you ever go to the beach? Or is it other things you do for fun?" If there was one thing all her musings had led her to over summer, it was that she really did want to know more about Gabby... if the other girl would let her.

 

[Gabriella Tillington]

Even though Gabriella had only spoken to Frankie a handful of times, she knew what sort of person the other girl was. She was someone who had no trouble making friends, someone direct and fun. Something Gabriella could only imagine. It made her wonder what their mother was like. Probably a lot like Frankie, as she was nothing like their father. Perhaps just her more chaotic side, Gabriella thought wryly as she thought back to her father's messy desk. She had the feeling any desk of Frankie's would look much the same.

Even though it was undeniable that they were related, despite their differences, talking to Frankie felt awkward to her. She kept worrying about what she would say or do, as she wanted her sister to like her. At the same time she wanted to like Frankie as well. She was glad her sister took the lead in the conversation, but that didn't make it less awkward. Playing with her hair, she averted her gaze. "I had a pleasant summer." She said vaguely. "I swam a lot, trying to make up for... well, no pools here." She glanced at the lake with a small shrug. Her gaze snapped to Frankie when the girl admitted she lived right next to a beat, her mouth dropping open slightly. "Really? That's so lucky!" She exclaimed, unguarded for the first time. There was some envy, but mostly amazement. A part of her really wanted to see this house next to the beach where Frankie lived. Though voicing that much would feel like too big of a step. "I wasn't at a beach as much, you're right. Though I wish I had been. I love the ocean a lot. It's why I love the lake here, it's the closest I can get." It hadn't occurred to her that Frankie might love the beach as much as she did, and now she wondered what else they had in common. It was too easy to focus on the obvious differences. "I do go to the beach sometimes, but not as often as I'd like to. I end up spending most of my days at the pool instead. I used swim all the time." She said witha small shrug. "Did... you go with your- our mother?" She asked, her voice faltering on the words. "I usually went alone." She added before Frankie could turn the question around. "Dad is... busy, a lot." Another shrug was meant to show how little she cared about it, even if that wasn't entirely true. "What's your favourite food?" The question escaped her before she could think on it much. It was perhaps a childish thing to ask, but she was looking for more things they might possibly have in common.