#claritxs

⇨ @claritxs​

SUNSHINE  had slithered in through the cracks high in the walls and in the ceiling,   alerting her that morning had arrived.   birds didn’t chirp here,   but at least the squeaking of mice as they roamed the cracks of the cement walls were familiar,   unlike the gentle cries and occasional SCREAMS.   the squeaking was preferable to focus on  ────────  she could pretend she was back in her room,   hiding rodents and pests from her family.   her wrists ached,   arms heavy as she lifted them onto her knees and sorely crawled into a tiny ball.   cowardly, she fought sleep away.

she had not slept at all since she’d arrived.   not the right kind of sleep, anyway.   unconsciousness had claimed her a few times after cass visited,  DEMANDING potions nina knew she’d eventually get.   nina had succumbed and given her the correct constituents this time.   lying that first time had proved to be a dangerous mistake.  her cowardice did not allow for a second attempt at it.   nina would have to make the potions.   the cold trepidation that ran down her spine no longer shocked her   ────────   a constant COMPANION in this forsaken cell.

whatever idea or plan she managed to conjure,    FEAR was faster and quicker at dispelling it.   the chains around her wrists, for example. . .   nina was almost certain she could remove them.   but for what?   ANGERING cass didn’t seem like the right move.   yet somehow she felt more of a prisoner to her own mind than an actual prisoner at the realization.   FEAR peeked in again when a loud squeaking and rattling sound came near   ────────   as something HUGE and GREY crawled from under a crack near the door.   nina knew it would be a RAT before it managed to get its body through the tiny slither.  she let out a breath.   maybe it had come to save her?

the rat did not come closer to her.   maybe she should have been grateful for it.   . . . she wasn’t.   they were carriers of disease,  volatile,   but so were some humans.   besides, she’d befriended far worse creatures.   ‘ don’t tell me they got you too? ’   she found herself joking,   feeling insane.   she wanted to go to it,   but nina had been imprisoned to a bed for so long,  frozen with fear,  she didn’t know if she could do it.   after a long few breaths,   nina ignored the panic.   the hard cement floor was cold under her feet and under her injured knees as she kneeled next to him.

‘ where did you come from? ’  rats usually came in packs.   this one was huge so they likely had plenty of food to go around.   DEAD BODIES sprang to mind.   she shoved that thought down along with the nausea that it brought along with it.   she reached out a hand.   ‘ you probably think i’m crazy. ’   . . .he would be right.   nina sat there a while,   watching him rattle around the room and collect crumbs and dirt from the ground.   eventually,  he rested by her knee,  staring at her with eyes that were pure black.   she petted him a few times,  comforted.  when he moved to disappear back through a slightly bigger crack,  she followed him. 

NINA’S HEART skipped a beat at the sight of feet,  when she stared through.  someone else was laid on the ground.  their feet were as dirty as hers  ;  they wore rags for clothes.   nina only dared to look for a single second,   before she rushed to sit against the wall.   who was that? who else was here? . . . nina clasped her chained wrists to her chest,  then bent down to look again.   did she recognize the girl?   the features she bore were familiar yet hollow.  she seemed knocked out cold,  a layer of soot covering her golden hair. 

‘ NATALIE? ’   she found herself breathing aloud,  unsure of her own sight.  her mind was aflutter with thoughts.   is she dead?  i should stay away. . .   maybe i can save her. . .  oh, but i can’t even save myself.   thought after thought,  her desperation grew.  nina knew she would do the right thing as always.   this may be her last chance to be KIND.  nina tried to raise her voice,   but the sounds of plumbing were too loud.  then suddenly,  like a true knight in shining armor,  the RAT was back.  she had an idea   ────────   nina’s magic was weak,  BUT SHE STILL HAD THE OLD INGREDIENTS-

unable to hesitate,  she sprang from the ground and went towards the small desk.  white dittany,  rusted metal powder,  azelias,  shredded norwegian mushroom,  vegetable oil,      ────────   but no wand.  WANDLESS ENCHANTMENTS. . .   she wasn’t the worst,  but she was better with a wand.  still,  she could wake natalie at least.   it didn’t take her long.  five minutes,  and a small contained fire later,  she’d made. . .  SOMETHING.  after enchanting it to mistify through its glass beaker after two minutes,  she knew she had to act quick.  using her hairband,  she tied it to the rat she now named  HERO,  lightly shoving him through the crack.    

   she coaxed him into going near natalie,  hoping the TIMING worked.            ‘ C’MON HERO────────   ’ and with that,  brown powder exploded. 

◆   ◆   ◆

    JACK AVOIDED HER THE FIRST DAY BACK. not properly, but he also hadn’t gone down to his workshop as normal. he couldn’t make himself face it                  not even after jamie’s words and josh’s advice. his chest had felt uncomfortably tight that night, as he wondered if she was there whilst he sulked in his room. that feeling hadn’t gone away, and now he couldn’t stop himself from going to see if she was there, even if he wasn’t sure what to hope for. was he hoping she was? was he hoping he’d fall down the staircase and not have to deal with this at all? . . .hard to tell. it was also hard to figure out why he couldn’t stop thinking about her, even during LESSONS. she played on his mind, worse than any machine he couldn’t fix. 

    BUT COULD HE FIX IT? HUMANS WERE NOT METAL. humans were complicated, which he proved by being like this. his feet took the final steps down to the basement, his mind too familiar with the path for him to think about it                  and his eyes searched the place casually. at first, he saw nothing. disappointment coursed through him, and answered his earlier conundrum over what he had been hoping for. but then he saw it. a flash of SUNSHINE HAIR, resting lightly against marble. his heart accelerated like an old engine that he wasn’t entirely sure would make it, but after wiping his hands nervously against his trousers, he walked in. the light was dim, and cast shadows on her face. still, she looked. . . 

    ‘ HEY. ’ WORDS HE SPUTTERED, before he lost his nerve completely. after days and days of guessing at what she might feel or what he might feel, he wasn’t sure what he saw on her face now. EXHAUSTION, definitely                  that constant state of tiredness she was constantly stuck in, even if she wore it so well. it tore at him, and it was the only thing he’d change if he could, even if he was sure she was a MASTERPIECE that he could not touch. ‘ are you doing okay? ’ in hindsight, maybe he should have asked something less direct, or more precise. what if she told him she hated him? she could. he’d get it. he wouldn’t very much like it if his friends went around kissing him just because they FELT LIKE IT. 

    REALLY, HE JUST WISHED HE WAS BETTER AT READING HER. he hadn’t really minded not being able to before. humans were interesting, but not enough. not like her. the other people he cared about were already used to him; not to mention BIOLOGICALLY programmed to LOVE HIM. he felt his pulse rush, as he tried to look away from the soft indigo and the sheer rose tint of her cheeks                  but instead, he only managed to look downwards for a moment, arms crossing as he inhaled the familiar scent she brought to the sawdust covered room. it reminded him of the faint taste of SWEET TEA on her lips. as much as he wanted it again, he felt nothing short of DOUBT as he faced her.

                                ' ARE YOU MAD AT ME? I’M SORRY. ’      WAS SHE?                                           HE DIDN’T WANT TO LOSE HER- ‘ I REALLY AM. ’  

( ᵐᵃⁱⁿ⁻ʰᵒᵍʷᵃʳᵗˢ / ᵛᵉʳˢᵉ )

          ‘ IS THAT WHAT YOU’RE WEARING TO WAR? ’ natalie macmillan was not dressed for the occasion. rose was not dressed at all, and was still in pyjamas. lydia was wearing head gear and an outfit that did not appear warm enough for scottish spring. luke finnigan and kieran jordan were wearing magically inflated clothes so that they looked like sumo wrestlers. suffice to say, scarlet did not look at the others ─────── it was best to NOT KNOW. she had opted for green camouflage and war paint, although there wasn’t a lot she could do about her hair. at least it was RED? it went with gryffindor. ‘ -alright, listen up. we need to work together. ’

          SHE HUDDLED EVERYONE CLOSE, taking particular care in assuring she placed herself between natalie and lydia. she looked between them all, happy to see that despite their sleepy looks, everyone seemed as ridiculously prepared to beat the others as she was. ‘ first of all, i want to assure you that whatever alliances i have with the others, even if they’re my best friends, are eradicated for the time period of this event. erin burne, for example? means NOTHING to me. ’ . . .what? all was fair in LOVE and WAR. ‘ secondly, i expect the same from all of you. if i catch any mercy, even for HUFFLEPUFFS, it will be your death. clear? ’  

          CLEARLY, DRAGON LADY WAS RUBBING OFF ON HER. but, in typical gryffindor fashion, no one seemed to openly object. ‘ third, our strategy? . . .PANDEMONIUM. ’ scarlet grinned deviously ─────── eyes travelling to everyone. ‘ i’ve given you all your assignments. do not let me down. ’ with a cheer, they disbanded. the assignments all included a team and a particular person for each to rattle. for example, kieran jordan? was in charge of distracting both erin and eric mckenna. rose and lydia would be spying and pranking slytherins to create chaos and get someone to slip up on the flag. luke finnigan was flirting with TERI BOOT. 

         THERE WAS ONLY ONE MORE TASK. it had to be done before the forest fully woke, since she didn’t want them to be followed. ‘ nat? you’re with me. if that’s okay? ’ if scarlet was being honest, something about natalie always made her sweeter than usual. if she had to guess, she’d call it FEAR. after years of hearing words of terror uttered in natalie’s nightmare-ridden sleep along with ominous divination lessons, scarlet had grown WARY of her. maybe it was part awe too, but the redhead was definitely to blame for the fact they never got close. which. . . sucked. ' we need to hide the flag. i have a plan, but it’s dangerous. you can say NO. ’  

                 as reckless as she was, NATALIE might not be the same──────                             ‘ how do you feel about underground caves and. . . THE UNDEAD? ’