Empire State of Mind

Lucky.

Juliet would never be the first one to call her self such a thing. It was just one of those things that you couldn't make yourself fit into. In fact, Juliet wasn't sure she bought into luck at all, but if she did, she certainly wasn't one to try and make herself lucky. She felt as if it was one of those things, you either were, or weren't and there was no point trying to change it because it was just the way you were.

Still, as she found herself hanging off the edge of a giant sink hole, the bottom no where in sight, the rough rocky edge ripping across her skin she couldn't help but wonder...

Well couldn't she just be a little bit more lucky? Or even just a little stronger, able to pull herself back up. Lord knew she had already tried, and the last time she tried she had barely managed to keep her grip.

Swallowing hard, she watched her vision sway, and was slowly wondering if she was going to have to face the truth. She might just fall.

In fact, if no one came soon...

Her pinky finger slipped from its grip, then her ring finger. She was hanging by no more than three fingers now. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes.

If she had to face the end, she didn't want to watch it.

"Help?" her voice was hesitant, she was so far in the cave she felt foolish yelling at no one. Then her panic rose and her voice pitched closer to a screech, "Help!"

Savannah paused in her mindless digging of the cave wall, tilting her head towards the sound of screaming. Well, maybe screaming was an understatement, but there was most definitely someone in trouble. And the voice sounded rather familiar...

Pulling herself up, she shoved her shovel into her backpack, rubbing her dirty hands along her equally dirty jeans. And then she ran as fast as she could towards the sound of the voice.

Skidding to a stop by the hole, her mouth gaped open. "Merlin," she breathed, eyes widening before they fell on her best friend, and then they were suddenly full of dread. "JJ - oh, god. I - I'll get you out of here, just hold on."

Nodding repeatedly, she shrugged off her bag, beginning to rifle through it.

It was an interesting moment, that time between realization of oncoming death, and the actual fact itself, that left one - if they were able to absolve themselves of panic - to give a true reflection on life, and mourn what they would not have.

Sometimes, Juliet found, it was rather surprising, even shocking what you mourn. It wasn't so much people that flashed through her mind, though she was sure, upon later reflection, that there was people behind each flash, but moments, emotions. A glance here, happiness there, flash of hair, a beloved smile, the stroke of a hand on tender skin, the profile of a face, ja-

Footsteps and hope shattered what was waltzing through her head, with a new found strength, Juliet managed to grip the ledge with her left hand, just as the last remaining fingers on her right gave out. She opened her mouth just in time to see a familiar face hover above her.

Relief flooded her.

Only to be replaced with slight horrified wonder at the next action the girl chose to take.

"Savannah," her voice shook above its slight growling tone, "You know I love you, and your special ways... but now is really not time for show and tell!"

She was rifling through her bag with the wholehearted intention of finding rope to pull her best friend out of the hole. But as she was pointed out both kindly and harshly, she'd never put any rope inside her bag. But it was a magical bag, she argued, shouldn't it give me whatever I want?

Glancing back at Juliet, Savannah said, "No, no. This isn't for show and tell. This is - aha!" Grasping something that felt like the frayed ends of a rope, she tugged, finding herself holding the end of a broken shoelace. Staring at it for a moment, she muttered a sorry, shoving the shoelace into a pocket of her jeans.

Pulling out her wand next from its spot at the very bottom of her bag, the third year frowned down at it. "But we're not allowed to use magic outside of school," Savannah murmured.

So you're going to let your friend die because of a bloody rule?

Her grip on the wand tightening, her blue gaze was steely. "Screw the rules." Pulling herself up, she pointed her wand at the brunette. Praying that this would work, she said firmly, trying as hard as she could not to let the panic seep into her voice. "Wingardium Leviosa."

"Vannaa," the name came out as a disgruntled whine as the girl pulled out something akin to a grungy shoelace - in fact Juliet was pretty sure it was a shoelace. What did the girl think she was going to accomplish with that?!. "Will you quit playing and actually -"

Her words cut off with a whoop as she felt deceivingly weightless, and instead of having to worry about gravity pulling her down a force was dragging her up. There was a relieved grin flirting with her expression.

"That is more like it... though... you want to put me down somewhere now?"

For a tense moment, Savannah wondered if Wingardium Leviosa worked on people. Merlin, what'd she do if it didn't? Biting on her bottom lip worriedly, she let out a relieved sigh as Juliet floated in the relatively safe air. At least now they didn't have to worry about her falling to her death.

"Right," she said slowly, craning her head up to get a better look at her. "If only they'd taught me how to do that. So I just - move my wand?" With those words, she moved her wand slowly away from the sinkhole, away from the edge. "Like - Like this?"

Part of Juliet wanted to snipe about either her friends lack of paying attention, or the new professor's lack of education, since she knew that, but fleeting thought that Miss Mad had taught her many things they didn't teach the rest of the class kept her mouth shut.

After all, even though her nerves were still frazzled her friend did just save her life.

"Yes," she repeated as she began to move, responding to the girl's actions, "And once you have me over solid ground, just.... move you're wand down... don't just let me go please. The cave floor doesn't look that soft."

As Juliet began to move in the direction she moved her wand, Savannah broke out into a relieved smile. She'd just saved her life, hadn't she? And well, didn't being a life-saver make up for all the terrible things her luck had caused?

Savannah thought so. Even Ava begrudgingly had to admit it.

"Aye, aye, JJ," she grinned, saluting the older girl with her free hand, all the while taking care that her wand hand moved slowly as it guided the Hufflepuff down to land softly beside her.

"There," she nodded, "I think that went well, don't you?"

Juliet had never been so relieved to feel solid ground beneath her. A fact she celebrated by sprawling out across it, spreading her arms out, getting the closest she could to hugging the large, endless surface.

After she had finished her moment with the floor, she tilted her head up to grin at the girl.

"Has anyone told you you're amazing? Cause, really, you are. Just simply..." she let out a bubbling laugh, completely unsure what had come over her.

Savannah let out a small amused giggle at Juliet, watching her flop down on the ground with a grin tugging on her lips. She hardly blame the older girl for being so happy to be on the ground, but Merlin was it funny.

And it was rather nice to see Juliet so happy just moments after a near death experience. If it'd been her, Savannah was sure that she'd be inconsolable.

"You could stand to mention it a bit more," the third year teased, sprawling out beside her best friend, shooting a grin in her direction. "It'd be very appreciated."

Seeing that her friend was closer, she let out another half giggle - part of her brain realizing that if she kept this up she was going to start sounding hystarical, but at the moment she couldn't bring herself to care about that fact - and pulled herself the rest of the distance, wrapping her arms around her.

"You are the most amazing wonderful, life saver of a friend that anyone could ask for," she said her hold tightening for a moment before she pulled away, and looked her over for a long moment. "God, I thought I was never going to see you or anybody again."

She felt an odd coldness settle in around her.

"I was going to die."

She blinked, almost unprepared for the hug. Hugging back, a small frown flitted across her face. She could understand being happy to be alive, but Juliet seemed almost a little too happy.

"Thank you," Savannah nodded, letting go of her best friend, watching her warily. "For a moment, I thought I wasn't going to be able to do it," she admitted, frowning down at the ground underneath them. "But I did, right?" she nodded, glancing up, "And that's what matters in the end."

She nodded slowly, "Yes, you were. And you're allowed to freak out over it for as long as you want. Just call me ... the person who lets you freak out at her?" She gave a small, amused shrug.

"Of course that's what matters in the end! And I knew you could do it, always, completely and total faith in you, 110 percent," she was nodding her head now, constantly, not entirely sure that she could stop. "And, you know... those snarky comments, I didn't mean those. I was just... going to die- its a little emotional you know."

She let out a shaky laugh, pulling away from the girl and looking around the cave instead.

"I'm not freaking out... I'm just... wow, I never though I'd be so glad to see... Anything."

She grinned a little bashfully. The compliments were sweet. "Aww, thank you." Her grin widened a little, and she gave her hair, which was already accumulating dust, a small shake.

"I know the feeling," Savannah waved a hand dismissively. When she'd been kidnapped, half of her had been convinced that they'd never be rescued and that she'd have to live out the rest of her life in a cave. "I don't take it to heart." Knocking on her head, she grinned. "I have thick skin. I'll deal."

She followed Juliet's gaze around the cave, humming in agreement. "Everything looks better once you've almost died. You appreciate it more."

She let out a breath, flopping tiredly backwards just staring up at the cave's ceiling. Thoughts that she had had in those moments, the thoughts that had just streamed passed her in panic, came back again, slightly slower.

Juliet had more time to ponder them.

"Do you ever wonder... if there's more... you know, more than this? What happens when you die? Are you just dead or is there... something more?"

"Like heaven and hell and that sort of stuff?" Savannah questioned, following Juliet's gaze up to the cave roof. She wasn't even sure what she thought about it all.

It was nice, the idea that once she died, she'd be able to, in a way, still live. But just because things sounded nice didn't mean they were true.

"I like to think it's real. Amazing people can have awful lives. It'd only be fair, I think."

"I hope so too, but I just..."

Juliet frowned for a moment slowly pulling herself up into a sitting position. She pulled her knees into her chest and frowned at a spot on the floor. "I just think it feels like... well, I don't know, unlikely? Or maybe it just feels... I guess I thought, if I was ever going to know, feel like there's something beyond all this I would have felt it then." She nodded her head towards the hole in the ground. "And I didn't."

Looking up at Juliet, her face was pulled into an identical frown. Sitting up, the brunette dug her fingers through her hair, glancing back at the hole.

"Maybe it doesn't work that way?" Savannah asked, tilting her head towards the Hufflepuff. "Maybe you would've only felt something more if you were actually, you know, falling." She shivered, the idea of losing her best friend too unbearable to even think.

"The whole time I was crownapped, I thought I was going to die, but I don't think I felt anything ...more."

"I suppose so," she agreed slowly, nodding her head. "I just wonder if there can really be... I mean, you'd think if there was something there would be some way to tell. And I just... can't."

Trying to make sense of the world in less than an hour was perhaps not the wisest idea - in fact it was probably not even possible, but Juliet couldn't help but feel completely compelled to try.

"I just... want something to support my faith you know? Just a little sign."

"I guess even with magic, there are some things that we can't do." Savannah said softly, rubbing at her head. She should be able to say more than just state the obvious. But her fourteen year old brain didn't seem to want to contemplate life and death's secrets.

She lifted her shoulders, a semblance of a shrug in the action. "Aren't there signs everywhere?" she repeated Ava, tilting her head at the girl beside her. "Isn't me showing up just in time to save you a sign that miracles exist? The leaves turning red and gold and yellow in the fall - that's a miracle. I mean, we take it for granted every autumn, but it really is spectacular when you think about it. And rain, that's pretty miraculous as well."

The third year nodded, "See? Miracles everywhere around us."

Juliet gave a little smile and a laugh, looking over at the girl, her best friend, "When did you get to being the optimistic one?"

She took a deep breath, and let it out, leaning her head on her clutched knees. Life felt so... well different since she had first met the other girl. Juliet had been... young there, naive.

But maybe happier. Had she been happier? Or did she just think she was.

"I guess so. I think meeting you in general was pretty miraculous."

"I don't know," she giggled, shrugging amusedly. "When you became the thinking deeply about life one?" She laughed for a moment longer, but when she calmed down, her gaze drifted around the cave. "It's nice being optimistic. It's a nice way to see the world."

She grinned, ruffling her soft hair. Yes, being optimistic had its perks. There were great things she would've missed out on.

"Aww," she ducked her head, waving off the praise embarrassedly. "Thank you. Meeting you was pretty miraculous as well."