how do you get up from an all time low?

Alec sat at the border of the lake, eyes focused on nothing. He had been sitting there for a while, and there wasn't anything to do, but he was just glad to be away from home. Away from the fighting, away from the hate, away from his sister's cries.

He got a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one up. He put it to his mouth and instantly felt better, calmer. He knew he shouldn't smoke, he was only thirteen, after all, but what did he care? He felt better. And he had to feel better, he had to be stronger. He couldn't stand to be a weakling.

He sighed and laid down on his back, putting his earphones on and turning on his iPod. His eyes trained on the water, he felt himself calm down as Fix You bean to play.

He was almost drifting to sleep when he heard footsteps near him.

Quinn finished getting ready in a dark blue bikini and put on a summer dress with her flip flops. Quinn walked to the lake and smiled. She loved going to the lake when she was a kid, she remembered when her childhood friend would throw her in, but he moved. Quinn smelled smoke and when she got closer she saw a boy smoking. He looked around her age, maybe older. Quinn realized that she interrupted him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you" Quinn apologized to him.

Alec opened his eyes and was faced with a brunette, perhaps a bit younger than him.

"It's nothing," he replied. These days, whenever someone talked to him, he would eventually just shut them out, but for some reason, he was a bit glad to run into someone that wasn't his family or his 'smoking buddies' .

He frowned and took a better look at the girl, thinking he recognized her from somewhere. "Do you, by any chance, go to Beauxbatons?" he asked her.

Quinn watched him open his eyes and talk. She had to admit it was nice seeing someone who really didn't have a care in the world. Quinn then heard him ask her a question. Quinn smiled. "Yeah I do, I'm a second year, do you go there too, you look familiar?" Quinn asked. Quinn took in his feature and saw that he really did look familiar. She waited for his answer.

"I do," he replied, "I'm a third year Prideux."

He got up and held out his hand, "Alec Blanchard. And no, contrary to popular belief, I have not slept with a teacher. Don't know who made that one up and I honestly don't care, but thought I'd clear it up before someone asked me like they always do."

"That's cool, I knew I recognized you from somewhere" Quinn smiled at the 3rd year. Quinn gracefully took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you Alec, my name is Quinn Mikaelson" Quinn disconnected their hands and looked at him confused. "I wasn't going to ask you that, yes I heard the rumors but I don't believe in rumors unless the person who the rumors are about verify them, so no need to worry about me judging you, I no what that feels like to get assumed for something you never did" Quinn told him honestly.

Luce walked along the path, knowing that she didn't know where to go at this time of day. But honestly, she loved doing nothing during summer. It's the best time of the year as they all agree. She can do whatever her heart's desire. One thing for sure: Just plain sketching and doing her stuff. Freedom. Nothing and no one to think about. But is it really?

What about her mother? Is she still alive somehow? Where is she? How is she? Would Luce go back? No way. It hurts enough to go away. But it will be even be worse to see what was the outcome of her leaving. Or rather, of her mother cursing her to go. Would they forgive each other? Probably not. For Luce, she will never after coming to conclusion that she had done nothing wrong to make her mother crazy. It's just plain love as she thinks of it to be. Stupid and foolish love. Does she believe in that?

She sighed deeply, playing with the rocks against her shoes as she trotted from one tree to another. She gazed up at the clear sky, overwhelmed that it was still a good day. Nothing to be worried about going wrong. Not even the thought of her past. She looked straight through the buses and ran towards the opened lake with anticipation, hearing the crunching sound of the grass underneath her feet and came into view.

Luce turned her eyes as she saw other people there first. She walked over to them, gladly in her best mood and spoke, "Is it okay if I join you two? I just love it here. You can go on with your conversation. I'll just do my thing." sitting beside them a meter from afar and getting into her most comfortable position to draw. She took out her pencil and laid her sketchbook on top of her thighs, and began to make out perfect angles of the beautiful scene.

After minutes of doing so, Luce already felt that there's something missing. She took out her box of cigarettes, picking out one, and lighting it up as she smoked. Now she felt even better to do her thing.

Alec smiled, "It's nice meeting people who don't judge at first sight. Gets irritating after a while."

"So, what brings you here?" he asked and tried to keep up the joker thing he had going on at school, "Not thinking of drowning, are you?"

He heard footsteps and a girl's voice addressing him and Quinn, and he just nodded. But he knew that voice. That voice was a familiar voice.

He spun around and saw the girl, she was drawing and smoking. He got a bit closer, just to be sure, and grinned, "Luce Armonda. Smoking, eh? Naughty girl."

Quinn nodded. "Yeah I no what you mean on that" Quinn told him, having that happen to you too. Quinn rolled her eyes at what he said next. "Well just came here to get away from things, you no" Quinn shrugged. "No, I'm not" Quinn smiled. Quinn heard foot steps and looked to see a girl and heard Alec talking. "No we don't mind" Quinn told her. "You smoke to I see and you can draw, impressive" Quinn said watching her draw and realized she sucked at it, like really bad.

Alec nodded. "Yeah, that's what I came here for too. I've always found the lake a better place to think," he admitted.

"What about you, Lucie?" he teased the other girl, "Don't tell me you're here just to draw?"

Luce peered over from her sketchbook, slightly narrowing her eyes at the joke. She puffed, thinking of a sensible answer and replied, "Just the view. All my life I've found everything amazing in the universe. Don't want to miss a bit of it so I draw."

She smiled shyly at the younger girl and changed her tone from the previous one, "I smelled smoke somewhere before I got here. It looks like he started it, huh? Well, third years are obviously naughty. So you better not follow in our footsteps, Quinn." and laughed softly.

"Didn't I met you before? See, I'm not much of the socializing monster in the past. It's like I've waited three years in Beauxbatons before coming out of my shell." Luce cited with a curious glance at the other third year who knew her, and who's also sort of too close. Still, she wouldn't mind anything so long as she's right there doing what she loves.

"Yeah, we've had a couple of classes together over the last three years in Beauxbatons," Alec answered her, "I make an effort to know at least everyone in our year, and since you're in my year and house. . . And yes, I know you don't really socialize, which is why I found it shocking you came sit with us."

"Still, I don't think we've been properly introduced," he held out his hand, "Alec Blanchard. In other circumstances I would say you probably knew who I was, but . . . Though, I think I may have played a prank or two on you last year."

"You did?! I was sure I am not aware back then." Luce answered back with a shocking tone and sketched rapidly, shading the shadows and reflection of the lake portrayed on her drawing. She peeked again, raising an eyebrow and replied, "Well, I sort of thought of changing nowadays compared to those nightmare of years. I don't want to live forever in the dark and just stick to what's going on. Still, it's not so bad isn't it?"

Luce accepted the friendly gesture that the half-stranger had given, and returned the favor, "Juliette Luce Armonda. Don't even think about calling me Juliette." and smirked with a short huff from her cigarette.

Alec raised an eyebrow, "Your real name's Juliette? Really?" He shrugged, "Luce fits you better, anyway."

"Oh, living in the dark is must be a bore," he stated, looking over the lake, "I'm not sure I'd have survived Beauxbatons without joking around." He took a peek at her drawing, "Nice lake you got there."

Luce slightly smirked then shrugged at Alec's expression. Well, she always expected people to react that way. Her name doesn't suit her right. Or as she would tell herself, it was useless to be called a name because of its reasons. But talking about it will even make things worse.

"Yeah. Juliette. Bad story behind it though. So I just baptized myself as Luce. Shorter yet what I want." She said casually, recalling how did she survive all that darkness in school. Without socializing just a bit. How the hell did she do that?

"Thanks." Luce chose to acknowledge the compliment than to reply even before she would come up with a nice explanation of her thoughts. She smiled at her work, proud once more that her hobby's becoming better and better as the days go by.

She sighed, closing her sketchbook after doing her short sketch, and dropped the cigarette. She looked around, finding more mysteries she can solve easily and tried to have another kind of conversation. Thinking of one that they can both relate to, she spoke with wonder,

"People say that what I'm doing is really bad. Well, you know those parts if you look at me. Those terrible and bad habits. What would happen if I drop them all of? Would I dare go back and repeat it all over again? You for one, you're like me. Have you ever thought about it?" and glanced at Alec with a curious expression.

Alec didn't bother asking what the bad story behind her name was. He had learned that if he asked too much, most girls would just hit him.

He shrugged, "I don't know. Never really thought about it. They might be bad habits, but would you really be you if you dropped out? I honestly don't know. If I tried to escape I just think I would come back eventually."

He thought of his sister, and how she was always telling him to quit smoking. "Sometimes it's much more than just a bad habit," he admitted, "Sometimes it's just your way of dealing with pain."

Luce skipped a beat at what Alec had just said. He was right. So right. It was the past that had led them to these things. It's not a bad habit after all. People don't get it. They don't know their stories. Unfortunately. If only it was possible to go around letting them know. Then they'll leave in peace and not be the accusing type. But the world is just too unfair to notice. And she knew that ever since she lived.

Staring at the dazzling lake, Luce tried to answer her best without letting him know that she was reminded of that explanation. Reminded badly and clearly. Well, she can try to find out.

"Um . . . yeah. I guess you're right." She whispered nonchalantly and embraced her knees against her petite body, picturing the past. All of it.

Alec saw Luce's expression, like she was thinking of everything that had happened to her, all the reasons she was now who she was.

He thought back to when he started smoking. He still remembered the day like it was yesterday. It was the worst day of his life. From there, it just went downhill. And smoking, somehow it made him feel better.

He tried to lighten the mood, "I'm always right, aren't I?"

Shaking her head after coming into notice of the full minute of unconsciousness, Luce sighed once again and glanced around to view Alec. Trying another best to not sound so forced, she asked with a curious expression, "Always right? Since when? I never had a conversation with you but this." and smirked.

Luce thought of a way to get rid of the topic she had just started in the first place and spoke all of a sudden with a casual tone, "What lessons would you plan to take up once the year starts?"

Amélie couldn't take it anymore. She heard one big crash downstiars and that was all it took. Sobbing, she ran to her bedroom window on the second floor and threw it open. She'd found that the tree outside her window was just close enough for her to grab and swing into. She did so and rapidly descended the trunk, hitting the ground with a thump and taking off running.
Amélie didn't really know where to go, so she headed in the direction her brother had gone when he'd left earlier, towards the lake. She walked as fast as she could without running and found Alec talking to two other girls, but mostly to one. And holding a cigarette.
"Oh Alec," she said sadly, walking behind them. "You're not smoking again?"

"Well, that's true," Alec said, smirking, "But now you know, I'm always right. No matter what."

He was about to answer when he heard another voice. He turned around, "Mel! What are you doing here? Do mom and dad know you're here?"

Amélie folded her arms and cocked one hip defiantly. "Do Mom and Dad know you're smoking cigarettes?" she retorted. "As a matter of fact, they don't know I'm here, they're..." she trailed off, glancing at the other girl, who she didn't know. "They're busy," she finally said. "i didn't feel like being there anymore, so I left."

Luce raised an eyebrow at Alec and wondered what was going on with him. How could he be all that right and perfection would suit him? Clearly, she had no idea. But some part of her said that she had to believe him for one. And that's what she chose to be.

Glancing the way other once she heard a stranger's voice, Luce waved at the what's supposed to be Alec's sister and greeted sarcastically, "Hi. So you're the one preventing this boy to smoke, eh? You can add me on the list if you want to."

Alec glared at her, "Them knowing whether I smoke or not doesn't matter. You're not old enough to just run away whenever you want."

His gaze softened, however, when she said they were busy. He scoffed, "I'm sure they're busy." He patted the space next to him, "Come on, sit. If you're going to sneak out at least stay somewhere I can see you."

Alec looked at Luce, "Uh, yeah, this is my sister, Amélie. And this is my," he stopped. What was Luce? They were from the same school, same house, and same year, sure, but they had never really talked before today, so she wasn't exactly a friend, was she? "My housemate, I guess."

Mel muttered "Fine, I won't run away anymore," and plopped down in the space next to her brother, snuggling into his side like she used to when she had bad dreams when she was little.

She raised an eyebrow. "Housemates, hmm? Alright then, if you insist. Hi Luce." She waved a little around her brother.