Ch: 1 The Beginning
Song For Chapter: Carried Away - Passion Pit
"I'M GOING TO MISS YOU guys this summer!" Tenderly, I hugged my two friends as we sat by the school's pond and played in the tall grass. "You both have to attend the wedding."
The air was humid and warm, but a nice spring breeze wafted in from off the mountains and through the valley where Sorcellerie School for the Gifted resided.
Lana rolled her hazel eyes and let out a low chuckle, one that I immediately knew the reasoning behind. I watched her sprawl back against the trunk of the wide oak tree that our group was nestled under. "I can't believe Trey is getting married," she teased. We both snuck a quick glance in Jenna's direction; as we both expected, she was pouting, her full lips downturned as she sat on her tree branch, legs flailing in the air above our heads, wisps of downy blonde hair gliding on the wind.
Jenna sighed, her pale cheeks flushed from the heat, and crossed her arms over her chest, huffing a defiant air. "This isn't fair. He and I are made for each other," Jenna teased. "We're soul mates!"
I laughed and shook out my brown locks. Jenna's obsession with my brother, Trey, had always slightly disturbed me. I was happy he was getting married. Hopefully Jenna would realize that he was not into her, nor would he ever. Really, it had been a joke between Jenna and I ever since we'd met that had just gone on too long. Kinda like a fond memory that no one found funny anymore.
Lana pulled a clump of moist grass out of the ground and threw it at our disillusioned Jenna. "Eww! Trey's nineteen! We are just finishing our third year, he's got to be five years older than you, blockhead."
Jenna merely replied by sticking out her tongue and lightly jumped from her spot on the branch, wobbling a bit as her feet met the grassy hill beneath the tree. "I think it's time we started to head back. My mom said she'd be picking me up at eleven-thirty," Jenna said.
'That was a sudden change in emotion,' I thought with a sarcastic tone.
"When are you leaving Elle?" Lana flipped her red hair over her shoulder as she pulled herself up from the ground. For a moment, I was distracted by the crazy, fire-engine red hue. Over the years that I'd known Lana, her hair had been gradually dyed a more and more obnoxiously bright colour, eventually turning from its natural blonde to this one, which was almost stop-sign reminiscent. Somehow it worked on her. After all, everything looks fantastic on you when you're a quarter Veela.... and when you were threatening enough for most people.
I sighed and looked at my pocket watch. The second-hand tick-tick-ticked away with a steady rhythm. "Gladis said she would be here at eleven-thirty, so I'm leaving around the time you are, Jenna."
Lana groaned and her auburn head in defeat. "But, you always stay late with me. What changed?" She asked.
Jenna pulled her wavy hair into a high ponytail as we walked back to our dorm room, dodging the throngs of students moving out and randomly placed luggage blocking the halls of the cobblestone walkways. "Yeah, usually I'm the first one to leave, then Lana, then you." She cast me a wary look, which quickly turned to feverish hope. "Wait! Is Trey picking you up?" She jumped up and down with a new pep in her step.
I sighed. 'Secret is out'.
"Yes, he is, but only because he and I are going to lunch before he leaves for London." Trey was anxious as his wedding grew closer and closer. Since his bride-to- be, Allie Wanger, is from England all of her relatives are there. It made more sense for our small family to travel to hers then vise versa. I told Trey that we could have lunch before he flies there; I can always calm him down.
Jenna's loud, obnoxious scream yanked me from my thoughts. "Oh my God! I have to get ready! Why did you not warn me? I'm not even wearing any makeup!" Jenna urgently grabbed both my hand and Lana's and took off towards our dorm. "You guys have to help me pick out the cutest outfit!"
I caught the amused glance Lana was smirking as we tried to keep up with Jenna's extreme speed. "Jenna! The man is getting married in a week," Lana giggled at Jenna's desperation.
Abruptly, Jenna halted at our dorm door and cast Lana and I a naive but playful smile. "He's not married, yet. I still have a chance!" Then, she pounded open the door and bolted to her closet.
Flopping down on my bare mattress, I glared up at the ceiling in irritation. Trey and Gladis would be here in an hour. I could tell by the anxious way Jenna was sifting through her suitcase that it would be a long sixty minutes.
✧
"How's this one?" Jenna stepped out of our bathroom showing us her outfit. "How do I look?" Honestly, I was surprised that she could change so quickly. She could be a runway model if she grew a few more feet.
'Desperate.' I chanted in my head. The clock read eleven o'clock and I knew that if Jenna didn't decide on one soon she would make me late. "It is gorgeous!" I praised the outfit. It was nothing special, just a yellow sundress and sandals, which paired nicely with her hair.
Lana gave me a withering look as if to ask if I had somehow gone blind during the extremely boring fashion show. I hinted towards the time with a quick side glance. "You really think so?" Jenna hopped up and down in her dress, her eyes hovering towards a pair of heels in the corner of our practically empty dorm room as if she was about to change for the third time.
Quickly, Lana caught on. "Yeah! I really like it. If Trey doesn't go for you. . . he's gay!"
I snickered at Lana's sarcasm and hopped up to help Jenna finish her outfit, so I could get to the main hall before my brother got here. I love Jenna, but sometimes she just gets so caught up in everything male.
Around eleven-twenty, we all gathered around the front of the school's main hall and claimed one of the circular tables, with big cushioned seats so we could wait for our parents comfortably.
Sorcellerie's School for the Gifted was a small, private academy for young men and women on the West Coast of America to gather and learn magic. There were other, more prestigious, schools of wizardry in America and even better ones around the globe. However, I really loved the scenery of our small school, and on nice days -- such as these -- it was great to be able to sit and enjoy myself.
When the people watching grew boring, I glanced towards my friends.
I watched Jenna fix her hair in a small, compact mirror and pout her full lips to make them seem bigger. With a sigh, I looked away from her. Jenna just couldn't see how pretty she really was and it was a shame.
Maybe one day she'll meet a guy who she has feelings for and he'll return them. I truly hoped that this guy wouldn't be a jerk.
Jenna Chase was a very nice girl with a good heart and speaks her mind, but... when it comes to boys... she's lacking in the confidence factor. And, that tends to rub people the wrong way.
The sound of a blaring horn snapped me out of my daydreams. "Hey! Loser, hurry up!" Trey stuck his mop of golden hair out of the passenger side of the car and honked his horn some more. "We have a date soon, remember?" He smirked as I rolled my eyes at his strangeness.
"No incest!" I yelled at him. Something I couldn't read flashed behind his eyes, but he quickly covered it with a loud snort and hopped out of his truck to help me with my bags. After a whole year away, one can imagine that it was a lot of luggage.
"So, learn any new spells this year, Elle?" Trey asked as he shoved my last suitcase into the bed of his truck with a heave.
"Tons. So, where is Gladis?" I looked around. Gladis was our housekeeper, she usually picked me up from school on the last day since she only worked during the summer and the wizardry school is only a few miles from her home. The fact that she wasn't with Trey was a little unsettling.
However, Trey wasn't phased by the question and simply laughed it off, blue eyes sparkling. "Changing the subject, are we? And, Gladis is sick so Mum gave her another week off," he helped me off of the truck bed.
"Trey?"
I felt Trey's hand freeze under mine as the smooth and sultry voice rang out. I coughed, trying to hide a sudden fit of laughter that Jenna's miraculous appearance brought on.
Trey cleared his throat and gave Jenna a warm smile. "Hello, Jenna." He was never really comfortable around her, I had always assumed it was because he probably knew she has had a major crush on him since we were six years old, him being eleven at the time.
"How are you?" Jenna asked innocently.
Trey looked anywhere but at her. "I'm fine. . . are you coming to the wedding?" He blurted. I giggled and watched as Lana threw some funny faces in my direction from the corner of my vision. Trey has always been socially awkward, so I was used to filling in the blank, small talk.
Jenna beamed at him with a genuine, happy smile. "Of course! I wouldn't miss it. I am excited for you and Allie!"
Trey, just for a moment, looked a little taken aback, but smiled and scratched the back of his head. "o-Thank you, well, yeah, I'm excited too."
"Weeelllll," I diverted this awkward train into an escape route. "--this has been fun, but we really should be going. Right, Trey?" I elbowed Trey when he gave me a confused glance.
"U-Uhm, . . . yes. Elle's right, I made reservations and we really should be heading out now, but it was nice to see you, Jenna." Trey played off my lie to a 'T'.
Just when I didn't think Jenna's smile could get any bigger, she surprised me and huffed out an overly excited: "Really?"
I face-palmed myself.
"It was nice to see you too, Trey! I'll see you at the wedding!" Jenna's face burned a deep shade of red as she looked at her feet before giving me a quick hug and scurrying away. Hopefully somewhere to steam off for a little bit.
I shook my head and waved goodbye to Lana. She just flipped me off with a smile.
Strange child.
✧
"So, where are we heading?" I turned to face Trey as he pulled his old hunk-o-junk truck onto the freeway. Luckily the traffic wasn't too clustered today. Some days it was so bad that the freeway was backed up for hours.
"Olive Garden." Trey shrugged and put on some music. It was a rock and roll throwback, a song that I liked. However, even though I liked the song, it didn't settle quite right with me.
Reaching out a steady, and slightly aggressive hand, I turned down the music and threw a glare at my older brother. "Olive Garden. . . ?"
"Yes. . . ?" Trey mocked my dramatic pause, raising a brow as he watched the road. If he wasn't focused on being the best driver in this situation, I imagine he would be throwing some mad side-eye at me. "I thought that was your favorite restaurant. Since it's 'cheap', and 'Italian'."
"It is." I gave him a pointed look. "But, the only time people take me there is when they want to compensate for something bad that has, or will, happen to me. Last time I went, Mum told me that she accidentally ran over my dog."
Trey chuckled but quickly stopped when he saw that I wasn't telling it as a joke. "I just thought we could go somewhere you enjoy. After all, it is our last time together before I leave. Something nice for a change." Letting the subject drop, I bit my lip and leaned back against my seat, casting dark eyes out the windshield with heavy suspicion.
My brother had always been nice to me. Well, ever since I had turned nine, anyway. All of my family were no-maj. That wasn't saying too much since my mother and brother were the only family I knew on the Roberts side. It was a shock when we found out that I had the gift of magic in my veins. I got a letter from Sorcellerie's School for the Gifted when I was five. They take the kids in when they are at a younger age so that the kids will be brighter and learn to have more control as their powers become more pronounced over the years. It was also a precaution to prevent things like the Salem Witch Trials from happening again. The school wanted to start at the developing age for kids, to protect them from accidentally using magic out of their control and causing the community to fear.
Trey didn't understand why I was so different, but eventually he stopped teasing me and then we became really close. As close as two siblings can be.
The rest of the ride was a heavy silence. The whole time I could just feel as if Trey was holding something back from me. There was something bad about to happen in my life, or at least a major change was about to take place. The way he kept giving me awkward sideways glances gave me all the information I needed. Something is certainly up, I just wished he would grow some balls and spit it out already. When we reached Olive Garden, I practically scrambled to get out of the awkward car.
"Table for two?" A pretty hostess greeted the two of us as we walked into the restaurant. The American Italian atmosphere did little to improve my spirits, however. It sucks when the place you love hold so many terrible memories.
"Yes, please." Trey smiled.
"Trey," I whispered to my brother, so low that the lady could not hear us, "Pst, Trey, I want a colouring book, menu-thingy." Trey ignored me; what an ass-hat.
The hostess, who hadn't hear my whisperings, nodded, grabbed two menus, and led us to our table. "Your waiter will be here shortly." She gave us one last, friendly smile before going back to her podium. 'I could never be a hostess,' I realised, watching her go, 'false smiles and I do not mingle'.
"So what do you want to get?" Trey asked me, unfolding his menu and skimming the pages.
I already knew what I wanted, I didn't even need to glance over the menus. Every time it was the same food, and every time something was bound to be spilled out, some gossipy secret, over the last breadstick.
The rest of lunch was perfectly nice, to my surprise. Trey and I talked about older memories and how strange it was for him to be getting married. "Are you getting cold feet?" I kicked him lightly under the table. "Cuz, you know you could always ditch Allie and go for Jenna," I sniggered.
The appalled look in Trey's eyes was enough to cause me to cackle slightly. Composing himself, my brother let out a small cough. "No, I don't have cold feet and. . . Jenna is not really my type." He chuckled softly.
"Are you sure?" I nudged him again, this time earning a kick from him. "You seem pretty young to be tying the knot. . ." I grinned to let him know I was just messing around. I could tell how deeply in love they both were with each other. I hope to one day find a love like that, yet unfortunately, I can only see myself with a dozen cats as I age and grow old. Sigh.
But, Trey was young. Nineteen was hardly an age to get married. But, I guess I would just have to trust my brother's decision, it wasn't my life, after all.
By the time the waiter came with our check, the heavy tension was back once more. This time it was thick and I finally understood the literal meaning of 'you could cut it with a knife'.
"Is everything okay?" I tugged on a strand of my hair and gave Trey my 'tell me the truth or die' face.
Trey smiled, but instead of it easing some of the tension, I swear it added almost ten pounds of it onto my shoulders. "Of course, I am just running late. I have to catch my flight which leaves in two hours, so I will only have time to drop you off at Mum's," Trey explained.
"That's okay. I'll see you soon after anyway," I reminded him, but I could still sense that this wasn't what he had wanted to say. "I am coming to the wedding to see you make a huge mistake, you know."
Trey's eyes were cold even though he pretended to laugh at the quip from me. We walked out into the warm, spring air and my brother scratched the back of his neck, walking towards the truck. "Hey, look. Uh, Elle, Mum. . . Well, Mum has a surprise for you when you get home." Trey said staring down at his shoes as we walked to the old, rusty bucket.
I stopped in my tracks. "Woah, wait. A surprise. . . Good surprise, or bad surprise?"
Trey gave me a half-smile. "Depends on how you look at it, huh?" His words caused me to frown, why was he being so evasive?
But, as I glanced back at the Olive Garden's sign, I knew. It was a bad surprise. Suddenly my heavy creamed pasta didn't seem like such a good idea after all.
✧
Trey dropped me off at the house a few minutes later. "It was nice to see you before I left." Trey nodded in my direction but avoided my eyes.
"Yeah. . . it was good to see you too." The frown on my face only got bigger and grabbed my things out of his truck. Even though I had been away at boarding school, it was only a school trunk, my owl's empty cage, and my pillow.
I turned to walk into the house when Trey called out to me, one last time. "Hey! Good luck, Elle." Then took off down the road. Strange.
Sighing, I rubbed at my eyes, not even bothered by the fact that I messed up my make-up, and gathered my things on the front porch. It has been a long day. I just wanted to go to my room, wash off my face, and sleep for the next few days.
But, then I remembered that there was still something to be taken care of inside the house. Why was Trey acting like a weirdo? Did something happen? Was it the surprise Mum had for me? Do I even want to know what this surprise is? I rolled out my shoulders and groaned. I had better get this over with.
The sooner it was over, the sooner I could sleep.
As soon as I knocked on the rose-red door, it quietly creaked opened. My Mum was standing in the doorway with a big, plastic grin on her face. I took in her appearance and noticed that her makeup was smudged in the corners of her light azure eyes; she had been crying.
"Mum, are you okay?" I reached out and gave her a quick hug, worried by the scene before me.
She laughed and rubbed at her eyes, making the situation worse, then pulled some of her blonde locks away from her face. "Yeah, I'm fine. We have some guests here who are anxious to meet you!" She quickly changed the subject. Quickly, she wiped a couple fingers across her cheekbones and erased the smudged charcoal colours.
Poking my head tentatively into the house, I turned around the corner to see an older man and a woman awkwardly standing in our small living room. Both of them were wearily wringing their hands as if they were anxious. For some odd reason, they looked very familiar as if I had known them a long, long time ago.
Hidden behind one of the walls, where I knew the couple could not see me, I motioned for my Mum to come closer.
"Who are they?" I whispered softly in my Mum's ear, trying not to be rude.
She stepped aside and helped me bring in my luggage instead of answering my question. We hauled my suitcases to the staircase, but the base was already occupied by two small luggage bags.
They were mine.
Sharply, I turned around and faced my Mum. "What's going on?" I didn't bother to whisper this time around. A sudden feeling of dread filled my stomach. Why did she pack up all of what was left of my room? Before she could answer my question, I bolted up to my bedroom to further inspect things for myself.
What is going on?
_______________
Hey, so this IS a HP story, I dont own any of the characters-except for the ones that I make up-the rest belong to JK Rowling.
(10-Years-Later) AUTHORS NOTE: yikes, this editing job is going to be harder than I'd thought. Are y'all sure you wouldn't rather me just permanently delete the series?
Did /you/notice the subtle differences? Let me know haha! Happy Halloween!