Chapter Four- Evening Confessions
"Ki, I know that this may sound ridiculous, but I'm scared about tomorrow…" Olivia admitted shyly as she attempted to brush her fluffy strands.
Kiya stopped unpacking her trunk and quickly moved to her best friend. She sat on the bed and pried the ivory-blue brush from Olivia's hands.
"Livi, you have nothing to worry about. You've done this before; we all have. All the teachers are probably going to love you!" The brunette said as she started to comb the blonde's tresses.
"I suppose you're right, Ki… But it still frightens me." Olivia said as Kiya chuckled knowingly.
"Well, let's move on to another subject… I noticed that Derek was very affectionate tonight…" Kiya smugly whispered and Olivia blushed lightly.
"Well, he was, but, I don't know if he's really in love with me…" Olivia quietly murmured as she unconsciously rubbed her arm.
Kiya placed a sisterly hand on her best friend's shoulder.
"Olivia." She said seriously. "He's over the moon for you! It's so obvious! If you asked him to get you a star from the night sky, he'd do it with gusto. He would wither away to nothing if anything ever happened with you. Like when you almost died last year… He's a smitten kitten…" Kiya concluded her little speech with an edge of humour.
Olivia jokingly feigned a confused look.
"I always thought he was a dog." She cracked.
The two girls giggled and then Olivia sobered.
"But, I don't know if I'm in love with him…" She muttered.
"Livi, you are always by his side! You talk about him a lot. Whenever he's sick, you take care of him. Starting to see my point?" The brunette prattled out.
Olivia was about to open her mouth when a quiet, almost timid knock came from the door.
Kiya rose from the bed and cautiously inched to the door. She slowly opened the door.
There, a pajamas-clad Callista stood, softly sniffling as she rubbed her teary eyes.
Olivia suddenly leapt from her bed and nearly sprinted to the crying girl.
"Callista! What's wrong?" Olivia concernedly queried as she ushered the young child to her bed.
Kiya noiselessly closed the door as her best friend sat the little blonde on the cot.
"It's nothing… I shouldn't be bothering you two…" Callista softly whispered as she gazed down at her feet.
Kiya sat down next to Callista as Olivia placed an almost motherly hand on the little girl's small shoulder.
"Callista!" The petite woman admonished with shock. "We always have time for you. Don't ever assume that you're bothering us!" Olivia tightly wrapped the girl into a tight, comforting hug.
"Trust me; you're not." Kiya finished quietly as she awkwardly patted Callista's back as the little girl looked up at Olivia and then at the standoffish brunette. Kiya eased her body as the little blonde tentatively flashed a little grin at the two young women.
"Well, this may sound a little silly…" Kiya flashed a look at her best friend. Olivia threw a serious look back as her pale arms loosened around Callista. "I'm feeling a bit homesick…"
Olivia let loose of the little female and she rose from her bed. She moved to her trunk and lifted a glimmering cloth from the open suitcase.
Callista's brown irises brightened as Kiya grinned a smile of recognition.
The blanket had a large crescent moon with glittering blue stars dancing around it. Occasionally, a burst of emerald and sapphire would streak across the dark fabric.
Olivia perched comfortably on the bed and gently draped the sparkling blanket on Callista's small frame. Olivia hugged the little girl again.
"Well, Callie," Olivia whispered softly as Callista looked up at the blonde. "I have a sure-fire way to get rid of the homesick blues!" The woman finished with her Boston accent evident in her voice. Kiya jumped off the cot. She moved to the night table and grabbed Olivia's pad of crisp parchment and her companion's blue feather quill.
She quickly handed them to her friend.
"Do you want to write the letter or do you want me to?" Olivia quietly queried as she held her pen in her hand. Callista shyly grabbed Olivia's quill.
Olivia smiled as she placed the pad of paper in Callista's lap.
"Go ahead and write your letter, Callista. Do you own an owl?" Kiya asked as the girl slowly shook her head.
"Well, we happen to know a beautiful owl… Kiya." Olivia murmured as Kiya silently nodded. She walked outside as Olivia aided Callista with her letter.
A few minutes later, Olivia nimbly retrieved her wand from the night table as Callista neatly folded the piece of parchment in thirds. She timidly handed the folded note to the elder girl.
Olivia held the letter in one hand and her white wand in the other. She set her friend's letter down on her bed and ripped another piece of parchment off her thick pad.
She glanced at Callista and smiled thinly.
"Now, watch what I do." Olivia softly ordered as she tapped the tip of her wand on the ripped piece of parchment. "Foldius Evelopiusa!" Olivia chanted as the paper started glowing a bluish colour.
She rapidly let go of the paper as it burst into azure flames. It plopped onto the bed, still ablaze.
Callista's brown eyes widened as the flames died down and a detailed envelope rested languidly in its place.
But the thing that the young pupil was most amazed about was the obvious evidence that the blanket that had been her cape a few minutes earlier was not even scorched by the small embers.
Callista's mouth opened and closed without a sound, as if she were an asphyxiating fish, gasping loudly for air as it slowly suffocated.
She glanced at her older friend, her thin blonde eyebrows crinkling up into her wild fringe.
Olivia looked down at Callista and smiled, understanding what the little girl that she had rapidly come to adore in a sisterly/motherly way was silently questioning.
"How, you ask?" She predicted as she toyed with her wand's blue silky tassels located at the hilt of the stick.
Callista nodded with a curious glance at the taller blonde and a fleeting one at the envelope.
Olivia snatched the cooling package carrier from the elegant cot and plopped down gracefully on the starry blanket. She positioned her wand behind her left ear and patted the area next to her with her long fingers. The first year hesitated at first and then slowly perched next to the woman.
"In America, the schools' curriculums are far more complex than the ones here in Merry old Europe. A certain spell that the students would learn here in their second year, we would learn in our first year of school…" Olivia explained patiently as she fluidly located Callista's letter inside the detailed carrier. "That particular spell, "Foldius Evelopiusa", a simple spell so that when our designated mailers fly the letters in bad weather or they are assigned to travel a long distance, the envelope would not become drenched or weathered by the harsh conditions. My two friends, Kiya and Derek, and I learned that spell in our fourth year. So, for you to be learning it, you would be in fifth year." Olivia finished professionally as she plucked her wand from her ear.
She looked down at Callista as her pale irises twinkled brightly, making the little girl feel as if she were with her mother.
"What's your favorite color, Cutie?"
Callista softly giggled and silenced as she shyly studied her feet.
"Yellow…" She answered delicately as Olivia waved her wand with a simple jerk to the right, a flourish circle to the left and tapping the front of the closed package.
Callista widened her eyes as a river of gold flowed from the tip of the stick and pranced its way thorough Olivia's tresses.
It swam around Callista and dived into the front of the letter with a flamboyant splash.
A gold seal with a fluttering butterfly trapped in the center sealed the lips of the envelope.
Beneath it, the initials "CN" penned itself in beautiful cursive. Olivia smiled at the girl again, and shook her hair.
Little specks of golden sparkles floated off of the bouncing strands and turned into microscopic flecks onto the dark scarlet carpet.
"I could never get that spell to perform perfectly." She muttered with a serious edge in her voice, but she grinned jokingly as she caught some glitter in her hand and blew them into the little girl's hair, making Callista chuckle. Olivia smiled gently and opened her mouth. "Now your parents will know for sure that this letter is from you."
She snapped her fingers and gold ink wrote "Mum & Dad" on the front.
Then Olivia placed her wand in a thin vase with a blooming blue rose for its companion.
She moved away from the nightstand and stood up with Callista.
Callista suddenly hugged the woman, taking Olivia off guard.
She felt tears falling upon her chest and she dropped the letter.
She picked up the girl and hugged her closely, Callista crying into her shoulder.
For minutes, Olivia stood in the middle of the room, comforting her friend.
Callista finally composed herself and Olivia let her down. Callista looked away from Olivia.
"I'm sorry…"
She was interrupted by the older girl.
"Callie! Don't be! We all cry." She got on her knees and looked the girl in the eye. Callie stared back and sighed.
"I never had anyone who was this nice to me, except my parents… I had no friends…"
Olivia embraced the girl and stroked her strands.
"Oh, you have friends now! Me, Kiya and Derek! And you'll make friends really soon!" She encouraged as Callista hugged her back.
"You think so?" Callista whispered hopefully.
Olivia pulled away and placed her hands on the blonde's shoulders.
"I know so!"
Callista smiled brightly. Olivia kissed the girl's forehead and rose to her full height. They stood there, grinning at the other.
"Uh… Am I interrupting something here?"
Olivia turned at the voice.
Kiya stood at the door, a blank and confused expression drawn on her tan face.
Olivia blushed subtly as Callista hid behind the taller girl.
"No Kiya! Of course not!" Olivia quickly mentioned as Kiya dragged a frightened Derek into the room.
Derek straightened and whispered to Kiya.
"That is the last time you do that!"
Kiya narrowed her black eyes and leant to him.
"You keep saying that every single time!" She muttered without moving her lips, which were locked in a bright smile.
Derek grinned at his girlfriend and moved closer to Olivia.
A loud, haughty coo startled him and Kiya and Olivia laughed.
On his right shoulder, a very ticked off owl narrowed her green eyes at him.
She ruffled her long golden feathered wings and nipped his ear gently with her ebony beak.
She cawed loudly again and Derek grinned at the bird.
"I believe Topaz is not a bit happy with you, Derek." Kiya stated as Derek threw her a glare and tried to pet the animal.
Topaz flew off and settled herself on top of Olivia's head. Olivia smiled as the bird looked at Callista with kind eyes.
"Topaz and I heard that someone was feeling a bit homesick?" Derek questioned as he smiled down at the little girl. She smiled uncomfortably at him.
Derek knelt down and tilted his chin for the girl to turn around.
Callista did so, and laughed cheerfully as Topaz hooted light-heartedly as a giggling Olivia tried to coax the bird off her head, failing miserably.
Derek plopped on Olivia's bed, whistling softly.
Topaz looked at her master and hopped into his arms.
Olivia grasped the forgotten letter from the floor and tied it to Topaz's leg.
She turned to Callista and placed her hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Why don't you tell her your parents' address?" Olivia whispered.
The girl quietly told the owl the address as Kiya moved to the closed balcony doors and threw them open with a dramatic flair. Derek moved his arm, rousing the bird to ruffle her wings.
He moved to the balcony and looked up at the blue stars in the black sky. Topaz sat impatiently on his arm and she cawed irritably.
"Don't get lost, you damn bird!" He muttered to Topaz as she spread out her wings and soared into the vast horizon.
Derek grinned at the disappearing dot flying and unhurriedly spun around. He closed the balcony doors behind him and moved back to the three females in the room.
Olivia was still sitting on her bed but she held a morose-looking Callista on her lap. Kiya rested on the carpeted ground with her legs crossed in an Indian style. She watched the two girls with concern.
Derek moved quickly and sat down quietly next to his lover and the young girl that she protectively cradled in her arms. He awkwardly glanced at the wall above Olivia's bed and tentatively brushed his long digits through Callista's loose strands.
He flinched as he felt a strong hand squeeze his broad shoulder encouragingly. He turned his head slightly and viewed Kiya, who now perched next to him with a positive grin playing upon her full lips. He beamed back at her and averted his attention back to Olivia and Callista.
Kiya dropped her hand from Derek's shoulder and studied the scene blooming before her.
Olivia whispered soothing words through Callista's light tresses as she leisurely swayed her upper body.
Derek now had his muscular arm wrapped lovingly around his girlfriend's small shoulder and was softly humming a song. Olivia slowly rested her head on his shoulder and nuzzled her face into it.
Still humming the song, he relaxed his head on top of hers and closed his eyes. Callista's weeping slowed into silent breaths.
Kiya smiled at the trio.
She just couldn't get over how much Callista Newman looked like her two best friends.
The little girl's long curly strands was the exact same shade of blonde as Olivia and her brown eyes reminded her of Derek's hazel irises.
She just wished she could show the obvious evidence of how much Derek and Olivia looked like Callista's parents.
"I'm sorry Olivia, but I still feel a little homesick…" Callista whimpered softly as she gazed up at the couple and then at Kiya.
Olivia hugged the girl and shared a knowing glint with Kiya. Kiya smirked, stood, and kneeled before Callista.
"Well then, you have to meet Sahara…" The dark-eyed brunette said mysteriously and Callista's gloomy face morphed into one similar to a curious child. Derek's eyes widened as he looked at Olivia, his irises a brilliant amber.
"You brought her?!" He whispered stridently as Olivia nodded speedily before subtly pointing to her eyes.
"Derek, eyes!" She hissed noiselessly. Derek gasped silently and closed his eyes. Kiya noticed Derek's eyes changing and she quickly grabbed Callista's petite hands, gently tugging off of her friend's lap. Olivia grinned gratefully at Kiya, who was hastily telling the blonde girl a joke as her left hand was unlocking Olivia's travel trunk. Derek opened his eyes and blinked a few swift times.
When he stopped blinking, his irises were back to their usual hazel with golden flecks colour.
Kiya opened her friend's suitcase and moved back as Olivia moved to the trunk and sorted quietly through it.
After a few moments of searching, Olivia straightened with a miniature wolf with golden fur and a white underside in her arms and closed the container with her foot.
The wolf appeared to be a toy, Callista noted mentally as Olivia set the golden canine at Callista's feet.
The little girl bent down to pet the canine when suddenly one of the wolf's ears twitched.
Callista fell back onto the red ground with shock as the animal barked quietly. Olivia smiled with amusement as Kiya chuckled.
"Callie, meet Sahara." Olivia introduced as Sahara practically pounced into Callista's arms and enthusiastically licked the little blonde's face, making Callista giggle heartily.
Kiya smiled as she moved to her own large suitcase and fumbled with the chained lock. Olivia stepped to the smaller girl and her pet and scratched Sahara behind her ear, making the wolf's bushy tail thump with pleasure.
"I like she likes you, Callie…" Derek stated the obvious as something dark shot through the room.
Kiya grimaced with embarrassment as her hands gradually closed the lid to her black chest.
Derek ducked rapidly as the speedy object sped mere inches over his head and then crashed roughly onto the bed.
Kiya put her hand over her eyes and dragged her face down as she rolled her eyes.
"VINCENT!" She admonished loudly as Derek and Olivia shook their heads simultaneously. Sahara wore an exasperated look in her tawny eyes and Callista just was confused.
On Olivia's sparkling blanket laid a dazed-looking little black bat.
"Vincent! You crazy old bat! How many times do I have to tell you?! No reckless flying!" The female brunette coldly lectured the tiny animal as the bat tried to regain his sanity.
"So, who are Sahara and Vincent from? Obviously they must be important to you if you take them with you when you're traveling…" Callista excitedly questioned as Olivia's joyful demeanour darkened into a cloud of solemnity. She glanced somberly at Kiya and then Derek.
"Callista," Olivia's voice sounded hollow, a morose shadow of her former happy personality.
"They're from our parents…" Kiya finished in a whisper, hugging Vincent to her body. Callista stroked Sahara's smooth fur and stopped abruptly, her brown irises still twinkling with content curiosity.
"Oh! Are they living in America?" The young student assumed happily.
Olivia wordlessly plopped down on her bed and Derek grasped her delicate hands. He stroked the soft skin as tears glittered dully in Olivia's irises, refusing to fall. Kiya morbidly stared at the wall next to her, petting Vincent's fuzzy head. Derek glanced at the light-haired first year as he played with his girlfriend's tresses. He swallowed his nervousness and slowly unhinged his mouth.
"Callista, you should be very grateful that you're one of the very lucky people who still have parents who are still surviving through this cursed war…" Derek whispered as Olivia burrowed her head into his broad shoulder, silent sobs convulsing through her petite body. His arm snaked around her small waist and he hugged her to himself securely. His thin digits tangled themselves in his lover's long strands and he pressed his cheek on top of her head as he whispered sweet nothings into her feathery mane.
Kiya inhaled sharply as she gently set Vincent down on her dark bed and quietly squatted in front of the confused student. The female brunette grinned bitterly and scratched Sahara behind the ear. Her red lips settled into a grim line as Kiya looked straight into Callista's brown irises. She dropped her hands gently on the younger girl's shoulders and opened her mouth slowly.
"Callista… Our parents are dead. They… died in a fire when we were just babies…" Kiya confessed to the little Gryffindor, who dropped Sahara and covered her gaping mouth with her hands.
"What?! How sad!" Callista whispered sincerely as she stared at the trio with teary eyes. Olivia looked up towards the girl and quickly swiped at any tears that were rolling down her pale face. She moved off the bed and dropped to her knees in front of Callista and grasped the female's little hands, squeezing them lightly.
"No, Callie! Don't feel sad for us!" She reassured as she lifted Sahara off the ground and stood. She placed the wolf into Callista's arms. "Go ahead and borrow Sahara for as long as you need to! She could use someone else to protect. Go ahead…"
The older blonde grinned as Sahara's bushy tail wagged excitedly. Callista smiled brightly and hugged the golden animal closely.
"Well Callie, I think it's time for you to turn in. We all better get some sleep so we don't drag ourselves through the day tomorrow…" Olivia lectured light-heartedly as Kiya rolled her dark eyes.
"Oh no! Callie, run away! Olivia's in her professor mode!" Kiya shouted jokingly as she pretended to cower of fear. She opened the door with a flourish and grinned radiantly at the three people in the room.
Olivia smirked as she placed her hands at her hips. Derek chuckled loudly as he rose from Olivia's bed. Callista hugged Olivia and moved to the open door.
"Thank you, Olivia, Kiya and Derek!" She called out as she walked down the hallway to the First year's dormitories, Sahara bouncing happily behind her.
"No problem. Good night." Kiya said loudly as she shut the door.
"She's a sweet girl." Derek commented casually as he moved to Olivia, his eyes glinting mischievously.
Olivia smirked knowingly and giggled quietly as Derek suddenly pulled her into his arms.
"Yes, she's a very sweet girl…" She whispered and was interrupted as he tenderly pressed his lips to her's. The blonde woman moaned with obvious pleasure as her boyfriend's tongue glided sensually across her full lips, asking for entrance. She obliged, opening her mouth. Their tongues dueled passionately for a few minutes, much to Kiya's amusement.
"Ahem." She coughed as Derek opened his eyes and looked at the brunette with annoyment. Kiya shook her head as her friends still were lip-locked.
"Don't you two have any shame?" She admonished light-heartedly as Derek narrowed his yellow eyes at her.
"You two are incorrigible!" She shouted teasingly as she threw up her arms.
Olivia and Derek pulled apart. Olivia licked her swollen lips and blushed darkly as she looked at Kiya. Derek lifted her chin and kissed her lips lightly. He rested his forehead against her's. Olivia gradually opened her light azure irises and looked up at him. He kissed her forehead and the two smiled lovingly at each other. They hugged briefly and released each other.
"Good Night, Livi." The lanky man whispered as he moved towards the door.
"Good Night." She echoed softly and Derek disappeared into the hallway as the door closed behind him.
The blonde smiled dreamily as she eased onto her bed. Kiya sat next to her with her friend's brush trapped in her hand.
"I see what you mean." Olivia murmured and Kiya smirked as she started combing her companion's tresses.
