Far From The World { OPEN }

Anna walked quietly across the courtyard. Last time she was here, she had met Belle and Oliver here, but she hadn't seen them often since. Her life has also taken a downward spiral and she didn't want to talk about it.

Thankfully, it was night time, so no one would be out. She wanted to bury her face in her hands, which was what she did once she got to the nearest bench and sat there. She then felt a stream of tears roll down her cheeks.

She had no idea how else she was going to cope anymore.

Alexis walked carefully and soundlessly. She didn't know why she bothered to risk coming here. Going to the grounds would be much safer.
Anyways, exploring is good, she told herself till she saw a figure on the bench. She was going to turn back soundlessly when the shilloutte looked familiar.
"Um, Anna? How're you?" Anna was awfully quiet today in classes. It worried her slightly.

Anna looked up. It was Alex. She felt a bit suspicious; no one sane would dare go out here in the middle of the night. Then again, Alex wasn't exactly the sanest person she had ever met.

"Me?" Anna asked, wiping the tears from her eyes. Her voice was shaking, and she hated the fact that it was. "I-I'm good. I-I j-just... um, needed to um, think."

Alexis nodded, though the tremor in Anna's voice gave her away, and she could see a wet trail on her face.
'Do you want me to uh, leave you alone? I know we're not very close friends perhaps, but I'm here if you want to talk about it. Yeah?'
Alex stood leaning on one of the columns nearby, ready to leave if Anna wanted to be alone.

Anna shrugged her shoulders. "I'm fine about you staying," she replied, trying to clarify a few things. "It's just that... what I'm so upset about... it's dangerous, Alex. I don't want you - or anyone - to get hurt."

Alex sat beside Anna, 'Is knowing the thing dangerous or the thing itself? We're not safe anywhere in the current situation. Anyone might get hurt anytime.'
She was silent for a moment. 'I'd like to know, if you want to tell me that is.' she murmured at last.

"I-I s-suppose I can tell you a little bit..." Anna stammered. If telling someone could help, she might as well do it.

"Um... you know I'm an only child, r-right?" she began, obviously hoping that she won't cry as she started talking. For some reason, she started jabbering about her story in Dzongkha, a language that nobody but her understood. She understood her mistake when she heard Alex say nothing.

"Uh, sorry. I must jabbered on in Dzongkha," she smiled sheepishly. "Um, in short, if I don't have a little brother by the time I turn eighteen, I die."

Alex frowned in confusion. 'I don't really understand. Is it a prophecy? Or some curse in your family? There must be a way to avoid it.' She couldn't wrap head around it. It sounded so...so unnatural.

"Um... I think it comes with being a wizarding family," Anna replied, her voice sounded a lot less shakier and as if it had found some stable ground. "So, it's definitely a curse.

"What's worse is that my parents... um, they're not together anymore."

Alex frowned in thought, "Well, that's complicated. Looks like someone placed it to make sure the family has a heir. Can't you, you know adopt a boy as your brother? There are things like magical adoptions I heard."

Anna shook her head. "If that were possible, I would have made my father do it ages ago," she sighed. "But I need a baby brother, someone who really is my baby brother... I don't want one, but I need one in order to live."

Alexis thought long and hard, but couldn't find a single thing to say. A posibility of the problem being solved, any consolations... nothing. She just touched her shoulder,
'I wish I could say something to make you feel better, Anna. But I don't know what to say. Can't you arrange for your parents to meet and talk?'

Anna laughed at Alexis's answer. "Well, if they did," she replied. "I wouldn't be surprised if my house got blown up into bits. There's a reason they're not together anymore, and that's 'cause they can't be in a room with each other without bickering."

This time Alex couldn't find anything to say. Whatever she could think of sounded hollow and empty even to herself. She rested her hand on Anna's shoulder and patted her lightly.

Anna smiled when Alex patted her shoulders. "Thanks Alex," she replied, her tears dried, making her skin feel as if they had been poured with some sort of desiccant. "You're cool, you know that?"

She stood up and walked away from the bench, finally feeling some weight drop off her chest.

Alex chuckled and waved as Anna walked away, her eyes red and blotchy, but lookinh better than before. Alex congratulated herself and lloked up with a soft smile.
Its a clear and beautiful night. The milkyway shimmering across the sky like a river, Sirius major winking from above.
'Beautiful night, isn't it?' she murmured absently.