"Another morning. Another school day. Another boring waste of...t-time..."
Lavender's words were cut off, as she yawned, rubbing her black-ringed eyes with weakened fingers. She made way over to the Gryffindor table, and sat, barely, before her head was in her arms, and she was near dozing yet again. Yet she couldn't sleep, no matter how tired she got. She could close her eyes and be quite close to doing so, but sleep never came.
She sat up irritably, and snatched up an apple, eyeing it hungrily. As she stared, her exhausted brain fixed itself to different thoughts.
Why should she have to go without sleep, to always be aware for when this 'guy' was supposed to be coming? Why couldn't anyone else? Why was she responsible?
Irrational of these already solved things, she growled, squeezing the apple in her palm with her renewed fit. After a moment or so, she blinked, and again fixed her eyes to the fruit.
"Now I ruined this!" she hissed.
And as if the apple was itself the enforcer of her anger, she raised her arm, and threw it, completely forgetting herself, watching the thing hit the stone wall, and shatter, with the inhuman force built up within her.
She folded her arms across her chest, annoyed now at the silence of the empty hall around her, of which seemed to be mocking her with words only she could hear.
"Oh, Shush."
Ginny slipped into the seat beside Lav. "Thay already have."
"Humph. Perhaps, but only to come back in ten minutes." Lavender growled. She continued to watch the reminants of the poor apple, her jaw clenched, her eyes dulled in utter tiredness.
"I see your point." Ginny picked up her own apple, but ate hers instead of throwing it. She was hungrey.
"Do you, then?" she uttered wickedly, though her tone now settling, as her ruffled feathers were being again pressed down. In her overly-exhausted state, anything seemed to be over dramatic, and exaggerated, so a short response from others was not setting her off into another rage, for she could not dramatize anything, accidentally.
"Absolutly."
Lavender sighed melodramatically, took up yet another apple, and bit into it angrily. She rested her elbow on the table, set her chin upon her palm, and chewed forcefully for a moment or so, before her thoughts again began to wander. Her eyes became unfocused as she did so, and without realizing it, she was yet again squeezing her food to a ruined pulp. She stared over the empty tables, quite blankly for one who's mind would not settle down..
"You know, your gonna get a headach like that." Ginny finished her apple and poured herself some orange juice.
"Going to?" she said darkly. "Too late, fear. And I can't help it anyway."
She chucked the apple same as she did the other, folded her arms, and sighed, giving up on eating, feeling as if she would throw anything more.
"To bad we have clsses today. I'd skive off with you, but if I miss another class, I'm going to fail."
"I cannot skip classes either. I have testing. If these tests I did not need, I would not be up this early, and I would not be inside the castle this day."
"Understandable." Ginny stood and streached.
Lavender sighed, threw another scathing look towards the food, and stood, treading out of the Great Hall towards what she knew was going to be a horrible day. Tieing her raven hair behind her in a crude knot, she stormed downward into the depths of the dungeons, alone, as usual, and mentally fuming as she entered the classroom and took her seat, took up her quill, and began to test.
Ginny smirked after Lavender's trail and made her way to her own classes, keeping tabs on Lav.
Four hours later, and through six tests, Lavender found herself staring at the parchment before her, unmarked, with not a thought of what to do. Equations. Why didn't these stupid things make sense?!
Lavender stood at her desk, simply grabbed her bag, and exited the room, despite the hollering of the professor behind her. Slamming the door behind her, Lavender started at a fast pace down the empty corridor, her raven hair falling out of its knot into streams behind her. She blocked her mind from Ginny's reach, and started down the grand staircase.
*Payne was leaning on the banister when she saw Lavender walk past her at a fast pace. Smirking she called after the girl* What's your hurry?! You kill someone?
Lavender turned, no longer haugtily, but dangerously coolly, her green eyes reflecting greyishly.
"No one I regret. Today? Not yet."
*Payne put her hands up to surrender* Alright just checkin'. *She walked over to Lavender* But I'm wondering what got your string strung.
"What's got my 'string strung'?"
Lavender watched her come towards her, a catty flash of a smirk upon her lips. Her eyes liquidized from greens, to grays, to blacks, to greens again, as if their colors were not made up to be certain yet.
"Where should someone like me begin?" She hissed.
Payne held her ground
"How about before your eyes started looking like they were on mushrooms and around the time somebody started peeving you off, the person before me of course."
She said.
"Person? Dear, dear, dear, I think you have the wrong idea. But I suppose we should assume the basics. Forget it."
Lavender sighed, and turned, continuing down the stairs soundlessly. She snapped her pale fingers, and her school bag was gone, along with her heavy cloak. She rolled her shoulders, and continued at her pace.
Payne looked at Lavender.She ran up to the girl's side and said,"Okay I'm not into the whole 'let's talk about our feelings' thing but I mean come on, storming out of class. If you do that then something has got to be wrong.But I guess if you don't want to cooperate than that's fine.No pressure."Payne walked over to the edge of the banister and jumped off landing on her feet and walked off.
Ginny felt Lavander block her and frowned. She too stood up and gave a look to McGonagglle, who understood that Ginny needed to leave and ran out of the room, leaving her bag where it was. She caught up with Lav within minutes. She steped beside her.
"Why's you block me?"
Lavender tilted her head slightly, to acknowledge Ginny beside her. Her eyes, still changing in their colors, reflected no emotion, of the slightest. Her gaze cold, she again fixed on the view before her, descending the staircase.
"You should know by now I do not like to be tagged. I will not be tagged. Simple enough."
"You also know you'r stilltagged, I just can't get deep into your head. As if I'd want to, it's you mind, so it's gotta be a scary place."
"I know it. I've been so since I was a child. Yet, back then, I would track down, and murder those who kept tags on me."
She flung open the grand doors with a glance, exiting out to the grounds. Outside, she seemed to get a greater grip of herself, and her shields became higher, though still not reaching their full height. If Lavender had truly wanted to be alone, she would have become untraceable, even to a telekinetic such as Ginny.
"My mind a scary place? What a marvelous way to say it. Yes, for another it must be quite terrifying. For me, it is home," she finished darkly.
"People become crazy when they cannot accept their minds as thier homes." Ginny kept in step, hoping that they wern't going to walk forever.
"So, what made you storm away from a test?"
Was her mind a home? More like a prison cell she was forced to stay bound to. But no one else would ever completely understand her in those sorts. Some day, she would be free of her own mind... Some day...
"I was getting Closter phobic," she whispered.
When Lavender began to feel caged, it was natural reaction to her to nearly freak out, and free herself from the enclosure. She hated the feeling, and would do anything to get away from it. That, was something that could make one such as her lose control. And with an odd, unspoken force lurking in the back of her head, with no sleep for many a days, she was at constant workings to prevent this losing of control.
Ginny nodded. She understood about losing control and how Lav must have felt when she did so.
Lavender shook her head violently, wincing as she abruptly stopped. This unnamed presence in the back of her head was growing, and really beginning to annoy her.
"Ginny, have younoticed anyone new -different-, at the castle, lately?"
"No one except for that Payne girl. Or do you mean in otherways." Ginny wondered if Lav ment if she had noticed any one new with her mind.
"Other ways, Gin," Lavender said, in a weighted, tired voice. "In other ways.."
Great. How was she to explain this most recent of events?
"Well, somebody...but I'm not sure who...or what."
Lavender's features suddenly became unnervingly cold, and still. She finally sensed what she had earlier been unable to. Her eyes shaded now from between the grays of heavy stormy skies, and blacks from the depths of Hell. Her hands clenched at her sides, and her pace became that of a wild animal, coolly slinking about, sensing, but yet to place its quarry.
So she was here. She, who had actually mustered the courage to come and find her, Lavender, after all these years. She, who actually dared come near, when at their last meeting, each had sworn to ultimately kill the other that seeked them out. The ***** actually came! Lavender's sources had not failed her. Though they were sketchy on the details, they had deemed worthy.
Lavender suddenly grinned, a devilish wickedness flowing from her very presence. The rat had ruined her earlier life, and now, Lavender would fulfill her oath. She would find the snake and rid of her once and for all.
"Good," was all she said. She now knew she had not spent days awake for nothing. With an inhuman alertness, she continued on, not to the forest, but toward the gates of Hogwarts.
"Wait up! Who is it Lav?" Ginny ran to keep up with Lav.
Payne walked down toward the library and flung open the doors. Grabbing a book she sat down,put her feet on the table,opened the book,and read.
"Why, it's Avila," she replied wickedly.
Once, and only once, had Lavender ever spoken of the girl. In her second year at Hogwarts [her Fifth], Lavender had let a few small details slip. She had doubted many had caught them, but if any strung the pieces together, now, Lavender didn't care.
"Avila used to be the closest, sister like person I'd ever known, since toddler. One afternoon, she decided to betray me, and destroy those friends close to me. So now, I will destroy her."
Details, Lavender left out. It seemed, she did not care about them anymore. It was, that she did not care about them.
Ginny didn't need any details, for to have someone you trust betray you so cruly was something she rememberd from her first year at Hogwarts. She nodded.
"I'm going to sticky by though, if you don't mind."
Payne felt anger emitting from somewhere in the school.Payne jumped up and quickly mentally signalled Ginny,~What's happening?~
~Lavander.~
"Oh, not at all."
Lavender was slipping again. She could not stop herself, and this time, she had nearly dug the ditch for herself to fall into. But unlike any other time, there was nothing she could secure herself with. This time, there would be no recovering. She would be forever changed, perhaps forever lost. But she had gone and past the time of return.
She turned her head toward Ginny, a fine eyebrow raised, her cold eyes darkly amused. Indeed, she heard their thoughts, now easier than ever before.
Her passion-less anger was affecting the lands around them as they walked, a blackish haze settling, fog-like, over the earth. Ice suddenly layered the ground in inches, and the skies, began to roll with black weight.
Payne ran out of the library and followed the anger energy til she got to Lavender and Ginny."Give me the deets."(DEETS is Details)
"Lavander simply needs to kill somebody, and I like to watch her when she does this as it is never the same." Ginny seemed bored. She knew that at Lavander's high tension she could hear ever thought that wasn't heavily guarded, and even some of thoise Lavander could probley hear.
"I want to help!"Payne begged putting her hands together in a pleading gesture,"I haven't killed anyone in ages!"
"No. Lavander needs to do this herself."
Payne's head hung in dissappointment."Oh,alright."