Seven Shades of Crazy

Casey stood in the clock tower, sitting on the low wall with her knees drawn into her chest. She was lost in thought, staring out at the snow dusted courtyard. Although she should have been cold in her t shirt and jeans, she didn't even feel chilly. It was miraculous sometimes how she didn't feel cold. As her eyes unfocussed further, she suddenly realized she wasn't seeing Hogwarts anymore. She saw instead a dark tunnel, moving quickly past, as though she were running. There were foot falls behind her, and although they were getting closer, she wasn't loosing them either. Her breath came in short gasps and her ribs burned. The sound of footsteps in the real world broke her out of her reverie and she turned toward the sound.

Quinn was walking to the clock tower. It was a little chilly outside so Quinn put on a long sleeve red shirt with dark blue jeans and completed it with chucks. She had her hair down and straight and she heard a noise. She followed the noise until she saw the girl Casey from her year and house.

"Hi, am I interrupting something, I can leave" Quinn suggested to her.

Casey shook her head, half to answer the question and half to settle her thoughts. "No, no, it's fine. Quinn, right? I haven't seen you around in a while." She swung her legs off the wall, offering the girl the seat beside her. "How's England treating you then? Getting on well with Tobias?"

Quinn looked at the spot next to her and took a seat next to Casey. "Yeah, it's Quinn, and you're Casey" Quinn replied to her. Quinn listened to Casey speak and nodded.

"Yeah, I've been busy with helping my friend and boyfriend settle in around this place. England's been treating me great, I miss my home though, hopefully I can go back to Beauxbatons for my owl year but I don't know" Quinn explained to her. Quinn blushed at the name of her boyfriend. "We've been great, I decided that after I've finished school that I want to be like him, but for right now I want to continue on with my human life" Quinn said to her.

"Um, if I remember correctly, how are you and..... Liam doing" Quinn forgot his name for a second. "You guys doing good".

Casey grinned. "That's my name, don't wear it out," she answered cheekily.

Casey smiled at Quinn. "I'm glad. If you need any help helping them, you can ask me. I'll show them around, I've had longer to learn the secrets." Casey grinned wider at Quinn's blush, but was surprised by her declaration. "Really? I mean, it does make sense. But you'd be full, not half right? Are half vampires immortal?"

Casey looked down and fiddled with her skirt hem. "Actually, he hasn't been around much. I think there's trouble at his house or something. But we owl. I just miss him. A lot."

Quinn had to laugh at that. "Nice, there's humor I haven't used in a while" Quinn joked.

Quinn nodded. "Thanks, I'll shall find you when I really need help with them, but I really need to no one of the best secret passage way in this school" Quinn joked. Quinn nodded. "I think his dad is turning me, I'm really not trying to think that far ahead, I really don't want it to be painful but than again, I will become undead" Quinn said thinking about it. "I think they're" Quinn nodded to her.

Quinn patted Casey's shoulder. "Don't worry, he'll come back when everything settles down, than you can make out somewhere in the school" Quinn teased.

Casey grinned. "I use that humor whenever possible. Which isn't very often, now that I come to think of it." She looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged.

Casey laughed. "Ok then, I look forward to it. And the best one is the third floor, northwest corner, behind the statue of St. Hedwig. Tap her right hand with your wand. It takes you into this great tunnel. It has a branch off to every floor." She sighed happily. "Many a time have I used that one." She nodded understandingly. "I can get not wanting to think about it."

Casey nodded, looking back up. "I know he'll come back. It's just the in between part that's hard." She laughed and bumped her shoulder into Quinn's lightly. "Please, we have more class than that."

Quinn had to laugh at that. "Yeah, my humor just comes when ever I feel like using it" Quinn said to her. Quinn waited for her to continue but Casey just shrugged, which mean't it was the end of that convo. Quinn tried not to laugh.

Quinn listened to her and nodded. Hanging onto every word her fellow Gryffindor was saying to her. "Okay, I'll have to take Tobias and Camille there one time, maybe even Tobias for our make out sessions" Quinn teased. Quinn nodded. "Yeah".

Quinn sighed. "I know how you feel, in my relationship with Tobias, there was that same feeling, I never knew how to deal with it but everything is all better now" Quinn explained to her. Casey bumped Quinn's shoulder and Quinn nodded. "I thought Tobias and I did as well, but were we dead wrong" Quinn replied.

Casey grinned. "Just make sure you stop at making out," she teased. "I wouldn't want to be walking along that passageway innocently and come upon you and Tobias doing anything more... Risqué than that." She winked. "And obviously don't tell too many people about this, because then it wouldn't be a secret passage anymore."
Casey smiled a little. "Well at least I'm not the only one. That makes it a little easier. I still wish I could see him more often. That's not going to change." Casey grinned. "We aren't that far gone yet. No making out in public so far."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Ha, you're so funny I forgot to laugh" Quinn teased. "But he ain't getting that far" Quinn replied. Quinn pretended to zip her lips up. "The secret passage way, will stay a secret with me" Quinn promised. Quinn nodded. "You will see him again, don't you worry" Quinn reassured. She returned the wink. "There's the spirit".

Casey grinned dazzlingly. "I do tend to have that effect on people. But hooray for standing our ground!" She made a a fist pump in the air, grinning. "And thanks for your secrecy, it means a lot. There are some people who would just go blabbing all around." She rolled her eyes. "They're a pain in the butt."

Casey smiled. "Thanks Quinn, it's great-" She didn't finish the rest of her sentence. On the outside, her eyes glazed over and she got very still, hardly even breathing, until she started gasping extremely hard. Inside her mind, Casey could see flickering tourch light on cave walls. She was being held in a kneeling position on the floor. Her chest heaved as she glanced around wildly. Suddenly, a man came up in front of her, leering unpleasantly. "You could always just join us you know," he purred. "So much easier. You could see your father again-"

When she spat a reply, she spoke with Lyssa's voice. "My father would never join you and I won't either. I mean come on! Caves? How rustic can you get?" While the man was distracted, Casey/ Lyssa yanked her arms together, causing her guards to knock heads and then she was running...

Casey returned to the real world with a gasp. She bent forward, with her head in her hands, moaning. "What's happening to me?" she asked desperately. Looking up, she said, "I think I'm going insane."

(OOC: just so you know, she's seeing out of her sister's eyes. Her sister's hunting through the Mafia for her father.)

Quinn laughed at Casey's craziness. "Funny and this time I did laugh" Quinn joked. Quinn nodded, agreeing with her. "I know what you mean, but there is nothing to worry about with me, I'll be very secretive and trustworthy on who I tell or take there" Quinn replied.

Quinn was listening to her but than Casey stopped. Quinn looked around and watched as Casey looked like she was in some sort of pain or trouble. "Casey" Quinn shook her but nothing. "Casey!" shouted this time. Before Quinn knew it, Casey was back and Quinn stopped.

"What was that" Quinn asked confused.

(OOC: Okay, I tried to play the part well of Quinn getting worried)

Casey shook her head. "I don't know, I don't know! It was happening right before you got here too! It felt like- like I was seeing through my sister's eyes, like I was in her head looking out. I was still me, but I was feeling what she was feeling, seeing what she was seeing, saying what she was saying..." Casey shook her head again. "I don't know what's going on." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Lyssa was adopted. She thought both her parents were dead, but she got information that her dad was alive, being held by the mafia. She went hunting. And now I'm feeling what she is."

Quinn listened and did her best to come up with words that could try and keep Casey from doing something that she'd regret later. "Listen Casey, the only thing you can do is be strong for your sister, contact Auror's and have them track her down. The only thing to do right now is to have faith that she'll come back and everything will be okay" Quinn replied.

Casey shook her head. "I can't tell on her to the Aurors, as bad as that sounds. I trust her not to get killed, not to mess this up. And if I sent in the Aurors for her right when she was close to finding her dad... She'd never forgive me. I have to give her that chance, no matter how much I'm worried for her, because she'd do the same for me." She ran her hand through her hair. "I can be strong for her though, as much as possible. She will come back because she couldn't take losing to anyone." She have a sad little laugh. "It was kind of her thing."

Quinn understood perfectly. "I understand Casey, but if something happens to her than that would be worse, besides maybe it was a trap. Maybe they wanted your sister to believe he was still alive because they'd know she'd come looking for him. That would be the best way for her to get captured" Quinn opened up that possibility. Quinn smiled. "From the short amount of time I've known her, I can pretty much believe that".

Casey ran her hands through her hair again. "I know. I do. But I still am going to let her do what she needs to do. I don't know where she is anyway, I can't point them in the right direction. I have to let her do this. It's her choice." She shrugged. "I can't know if it's a trap. It might be her perfect chance. And if I send in Aurors after her, I could spark a full out war. Neither of us want that." She smiled. "Yeah. It's pretty easy to believe."

Quinn nodded. "True but you're her sister, you know her better than anyone that walks this damn earth" Quinn reassured. Quinn has never been in this kind of situtation before, so this was all very new for her. Quinn nodded once more. "Maybe so, but our generation is kick ass" Quinn grinned. "Oh it is".

Casey laughed quietly. "Ain't that the truth? I guess it's even more true now, seeing in her head and all. We would finish each other's sentences before this. Maybe now wew'll finish each other's thoughts." She smiled. "Oh hell yes we are. We are just BAMF." She smiled again. "Wow. Yeah, thanks for putting up with...this." She waved her hands in a vague gesture in the air.

Quinn laughed. "See, now that could be awesome, oh I just realized, if you guys do the owls you guys can totally do that freaky mind thing and ask each other the answers, now that would be totally cool if you ask me" Quinn said thinking about how cool and awesome that would be.

Quinn shrugged. "I've put up with worse, trust me on that, your little issue doesn't seem that bad, more cool and curious in my opinion but it's definitly not a bad thing".

Casey smiled. "Yeah, that would be pretty awesome. And just think of the pranks we could pull off!" She smiled into the air, almost forgetting the scary parts as she thought of the 'practical' applications of mind reading. "We could do so much. it would be amazing."

Casey cocked her head to the side. "Worse? Like what? And I do know that this isn't too bad. It's just a bit... alarming the first time."

Quinn nodded to her. "See, there is always perks to every downer situtation, you just need to find it or someone else has to find it for you" Quinn said to her. Quinn grinned. "It could be amazing, you guess can achieve a lot of things with that little gift you have" Quinn replied.

Quinn sighed. "My life, is what is worse. You think, I thought you were seriously going to drop dead on the ground at first" Quinn replied back.

Casey smiled at the French girl. "Yeah, there are. Thanks for helping me find the good parts Quinn. You're the best." She could handle it now, now that someone knew and she knew she (probably) wasn't going crazy. It could be dealt with, she could live with this. Honestly, was it worse than knowing people's emotions all the time?

Casey sobered. "What happened, if you don't mind telling me? Is there anything still going on that I could help with?" She wanted not only to help Quinn because Quinn helped her, but because she truly liked the girl and didn't want her to be suffering.

Quinn returned the smile back to the English girl. "No problem Casey, glad to be of help when I can" Quinn shook it off. It felt great to help a fellow Gryffindor. Quinn thought that today she made a new friend that actually liked her for her.

Quinn watched as Casey asked what was going on. Quinn took in a breath and let it out. She decided to tell Casey the story. "Growing up, my father abused my mother and I, it was so awful, I hated being in the house, my father only wanted a girl, he never wanted a boy, I don't know why but I can kind of figure. When I was 8 and my father was at work, my mother finally had enought and packed up my things along with hers. We fled away from there" Quinn started. "Right when I knew my life would get better, I felt happy, because I was safe and away from him. Last year when I started my third year of Beauxbatons, I've finally started letting people in, because of that I got an amazing boyfriend I love so much along with two amazing best friends. That was the same year my father found me and beat me for running. Before I came back for my fourth year here, he did it again" Quinn explained to her.

"Even though I escaped with my mother, he still finds a way to bring me down. I don't let him win though, I fight back the best I can but yes I still get hit but I'm trying not to give him satistfaction. Oh and let's not forget the part where he called my mother and I names, the one that got me the most was whore. Coming for this year I found out I have a half brother that goes here, my father liked to travel for his job, didn't know that he had affairs as well. He is a man whore, he can't handle kids because the same thing happened to my brother" Quinn shook her head.

"Sorry for dumping this on you" Quinn apologized.

Casey saw red and gritted her teeth, making fists. "If we're ever out somewhere together and we see your dad, tell me and I'll kick his ass, k? I can't stand bullies of any kind." Her expression gentling gentler as she looked at Quinn. "I'm sorry you had to go through that and I'm really glad it didn't break your spirit, that you're still strong and still you. I can always teach you self defense, I know a ton. And if you don't mind me asking, who's your brother?"

Casey hugged the girl. "You can talk to me any time you want to Quinn. I'll always be here to listen and help."