I don't own anything from Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.
Thank you, thank you, to ReadingRobyn for being a wonderful beta.
Please review. Seriously, they really do make me want to keep going and help me feel less stuck. Reviews are wonderful.
.:x:.
Lela stepped through the meadow with ease, avoiding the spots where thistles grew and where roses blossomed. She had a spellbound look in her eye, as if she was looking or waiting for someone. She stopped once she reached the end of the meadow and the beginning of the forest, shading her eyes and staring off into the trees.
It was quieter than it usually was in utopia. The crickets weren't chirping and the birds weren't singing like they normally did. All that could be heard was the breeze blowing through the grass and the stream babbling along its course. The sun was shining, but for the first time, clouds were starting to appear, casting their shadows along the ground. The forest was dark, the dancing lights were gone making it appear more menacing and dangerous.
Suddenly the wind began to blow more furiously, tearing petals from their blossoms and ripping leaves from the trees. Lela turned her head in the opposite direction of the blowing wind, closing her eyes to stop the dust from getting into them and firmly planting her feet on the ground. The wind ripped the tie from her hair, letting the braid unravel and let her curls blow in its fury. Once the wind had passed her eyes flew open and she looked around, clearly expecting to see something or someone.
There was another girl in utopia. She had bright blonde hair that shown and glimmered making it seem almost white. Her face was thinner than Lela's, but their resemblance was uncanny. Her eyes were a brilliant blue, but they had the same gold flecks around the irises like Lela's had. She stepped forward, a small smile growing on her face.
"Look at you," she murmured, looking around utopia. "I must say, I'm impressed, you've done better than I thought you would."
"Well thanks; I suppose that's a compliment in some manner." Lela crossed her arms, squinting into the sunlight.
"How's it coming?" The girl said quickly, as if in a hurry to get the words out. She put her hands on her hips, clearly meaning business.
Lela laughed quietly, somewhat sarcastically, her eyes darting to the ground almost instantly. "Nice. No, how are you? Or even an update on your life?"
The other girl shook her head, clearly annoyed at Lela's obstinacy and cynicism. "I think it's best that we keep personal matters away from this. We have a job to do, and anything that might distract from that is unneeded, you should know that."
"I do," Lela snapped, her eyes blazing as she stared the other girl down. "I know that better than you even, don't make me remind you."
"Then tell me, how's it coming?"
Lela pressed her lips together, forming them into a thin line. "Not as well as I could hope."
The other girl nodded, her face not showing any emotion. "Explain."
Lela sighed, plopping down into the grass while the other girl remained standing, looking stoic and hard.
"She's treating me like a friend, and just that."
The other girl frowned in confusion, "That's good, that's what you're supposed to do."
"No," Lela shook her head. "She just tells me things, like how her day went or what's annoying her. Stupid, trivial things like which person whispered about her in school. She doesn't ever mention what's going on behind closed doors and she definitely doesn't ever mention him. She's gone soft since I've been in her mind, but it's not the kind of soft like you described." Her tone had an incensed, blaming type of ring to it that made the other girl harden, if that were possible.
"How so?"
Lela paused, gathering her thoughts. "Her soft isn't a broken, susceptible soft. It's more of an unrealistically thinking, dreamier kind of soft. Since she's been able to come here, she's living vicariously through the kinds of things that happen while in here. I'm not quite sure how to break her, how to get the information out. I can't blow my cover, but I have to figure it out somehow…"
The other girl plucked a rose from a nearby bush; she pricked her finger on a thorn but went right on with her business, ignoring the small bubbles of blood forming on the tip of her index finger. She focused in on the petals, tracing the veins with her bloody finger and smelling the blossom, and smiling slowly before looking up at Lela with a menacing gleam to her gaze. She stuck her finger in her mouth and licked the blood off, her ominous smile never faltering.
"It's common knowledge that once a flower has been plucked from its bush, it dies," she said thoughtfully, stroking the stem and scraping her fingers with the thorns.
Lela shifted her weight unnervingly, rolling her eyes. "And this is relevant how? Honestly, do you always have to be philosophical?"
"Some would say to kill it, just cut it off from the source," she said sharply, waving her hand and causing the rosebush to catch on fire. "I, for one, say manipulation and ultimate control of the outcome is far, far more effective." She waved her hand again and made the fire stop, but as she slowly closed her fist the bush began to cave in on itself, crushing the delicate blooms inside.
"How?" Lela leaned forward, narrowing her eyes. "How do I do that?"
The girl smiled, knowing that she had Lela eating out of the palm of her hand.
"It's simple," she began, plucking a petal from the bloody rose and letting it spin to the ground. "This child thinks that she controls this utopia, that she can make it whatever she wants, when in reality, this is all because of you. You did this, did you not?"
Lela nodded and leaned back on her elbows. "Go on."
"So think about it. If you can make this what you want, you can make it anything. You can manipulate it and change it to your will, controlling not only your outcome, but her mind," she practically whispered, waving her hand and making the crushed roses begin to appear to bleed.
Lela smiled, throwing her head back and laughing. "And this will work? You're sure?"
"Trust me." The girl nodded, helping Lela to her feet.
Lela narrowed her eyes and raised her arms, focusing in on something. Suddenly the winds began to blow, bending the trees and furiously blowing flower petals and leaves about. The sky began to grow darker, clouds moving over the once brilliant sun. Then the unthinkable happened. The clouds started swirling and spinning, making a tornado to touch down on the plains of utopia, ripping and tearing through everything in its path. Lela let out a shrill laugh, watching the whirlwind approach them and letting it tear into the forest before lowering her hands and looking back at the other girl, who was shaking her head and chuckling.
"Sometimes you are so full of yourself."
Lela shrugged, snapped her fingers, and everything was quiet again and peaceful again. She stretched her arms and neck, looking pleased with herself.
"It's my best quality, don't you think Sara?" She said Sara's name with a mocking tone.
Sara shook out her blonde hair and began to walk away.
"Just don't waste time with theatrics, just get it done with, so that we can be through with these stupid little games." She called to Lela over her shoulder.
Lela yelled after her "Trust me, I'll get the job done, you just wait, tomorrow, the real game with the little girl begins. And I'll win, you'll see. You'll all see."
