butterfly's repose ━━ remus lupin

𝐱𝐢𝐱. trying new things

     "No, silly," Lily laughed playfully. "It's not an invite party. Everyone just shows up."

     This made it ten times harder to try and get out of whatever Lily was planning for the two of them. Nervously, Selene pulled sleeves further down her arms so that they covered half of her hands. "Oh, I don't know."

     "What? Come on, Selene, it's Halloween!"

     "I was never one for Halloween, to be honest, Lily."

     "Well, there's a first for everything!" Lily beamed and she was very convincing, even if Selene knew she had no intention of agreeing to a party, even if everyone was technically invited. "What else would you be doing with your Saturday night? And please don't say homework because not even I would want to do that."

     Selene was definitely going to say homework. Wincing, she offered another answer. "Read maybe?"

     Lily tilted her head slightly to the side as if to plead come on. She even pouted her lips a little. "Selene."

     Selene matched the girl's tone. As far as she was concerned, she was not showing up at any party. Because that wasn't what she did. "Lily."

     Lily's shoulders sagged as the girl realised she was running out of begging material and it was becoming increasingly difficult to get Selene to say yes now that she had said no quite a few times. "Please can't we just have some fun once in a while?"

     "We?"

     The sad truth was, there wasn't a lot of we's in Selene's life. She had her family, which she treasured dearly, but when she came to school and she felt forced to shut herself away, all she really knew was isolation. But now that Lily was referring to the two of them as a we, it made her heart swell a bit.

     "Yeah," Lily said as if it was completely normal for the two of them to be associated as a pair. "I'd feel much more comfortable at a party if you were there with me."

     "Really?"

     "Yes."

     Selene could see the genuineness in Lily's eyes as she took a step closer, her features soft around the edges.

     Selene surprised herself by considering going. It had its pros, maybe, but it certainly had its cons. A party? With far too much alcohol, a whole bunch of people packed into a too-small area, and much too loud music? It wasn't exactly her scene. And what would she do at a party? She wasn't a regular attendee, so what on Earth did people do at these things?

     Then, she supposes, it would be a time to find out, to try new things, and not lock herself away because she thinks that's what she deserves. Selene had hidden from everyone, even herself, because of her condition for far too long. Would it really hurt to give fun a go, for once? To forget that little boy and his attempt at a so-called "scary" costume and let his hold on her finally release?

     It would be one night of being a normal teenage girl, doing normal teenage girl things. No transformations or full moons or worrying her classmates would find out about the monster she truly was for this one perfect night. She deserved this.

     Selene felt her whole body become lighter just by coming to this decision. "Oh, alright then," she said to Lily, who immediately erupted into victorious applause.

     "Yay!" The girl grinned. "Now, for the most important part."

     Selene cocked her head to the side dubiously. "Which is?"

     Lily looped her arm through Selene's and they began walking down the staircase and towards the outskirts of the castle. "What are you going to dress up as?" The redhead asked enthusiastically.