And shit is hitting the fan... There really isn't much else to say to THIS...
Anyway, enjoy! And maybe if you've got a little time left let me know what you think about it :)
Love,
Hatysa Black
Their saturday night practice gets interrupted before it can really start. They have just met up, Gem has greeted him with a kiss as usual and Joe and Cherry with hugs when a group of boys shows up. Their leader is a truly massive boy with beady blue eyes and thin blond hair and Adam has to hide a disgusted sneer. Though he also finds it rather curious that the group is coming over to them. Are they looking for trouble? For a fight? The big guy in the lead certainly looks like it.
'Freak.', the fat guy greets his eyes trained on Gem and Adam feels her stiffen next to him. Can it be?
'Cousin. What brings you here? Haven't found enough grade schoolers you could beat up this afternoon?', Gem unknowingly confirms his creeping suspicion with a truly horrendous sneer on her face and venom in her voice. If he hadn't known that there was no love lost between her and her relatives her tone right now would've been enough to tell him.
'Wait, that's your cousin?', Joe interjects his expression completely flabbergasted. Adam can practically hear what Joe is thinking. This can't be right. There is absolutely no family resemblance between Gem and this minature whale. Gem nods with a grim face.
'Dudley meet Adam, Joe and Cherry. Guys meet my dear cousin Dudley.', she introduces them lopsidedly and on the last three words her voice takes on an absolutely saccharine tone that tells them exactly how 'dear' her cousin really is. Her cousin treats them all to a once over and Adam is very well aware of how his eyes linger on his and Gem's clasped hands.
'Whoring yourself out to foreigners now? Did you tell them what a freak you are? Should I tell them that you're calling another boy's name in your sleep? Cedric, no, please stop, Cedric.', the fat boy taunts her and Adam can practically feel the tension rising in the air. It's something heady and powerful and dangerous that he's never felt before and it's coming from Gem who is glaring absolute murder at her cousin. Adam gives her hand a reassuring squeez. Regardless of what her cousin is implying with that last taunt he knows she isn't cheating on him. But he can't deny that he's curious about this Cedric guy now. He thinks he remembers Gem mentioning him once in her letters as her fellow competitor for Hogwarts.
'Careful Dudley. I think I've told you about my godfather and his best friend. They're only a call away and tonight is a fullmoon. My godfather's friend's kind sometimes eat people during fullmoon nights. And there is so much meat on you. It would be a feast.', Gem almost croons back with a truly nasty grin full of sharp teeth and vicious delight. From the corner of his eyes he notices Joe's and Cherry's expressions.
They are pale and look completely aghast and Adam can't fault them for it. Just what kind of people does his Gem surround herself with? A godfather with the reputation of a massmurderer, now someone who apparently eats people during fullmoon nights. What's next? And just what kind of person eats people anyway?
He notices with delight the hesitance and insecurity on her cousins face but her words bother him. He'll have to get an explanation out of her for that one or it'll bother him forever.
Before Dudley manages to find a good retort to her threat thunder crashs above them and Adam remembers that Carla's weather forecast this morning had mentioned an incoming storm. Looks like there won't be any skating tonight.
A moment later the floodgates open and cold rain is pouring down on them. Within seconds they have gathered up their boards and Joe's backpack and are running for cover Dudley and his gang only a few paces ahead of them. Their destination is a nearby tunnel.
When the rain doesn't let up after a few minutes Dudleys friends one after another decide to try their luck anyway. They likely all live fairly close by and don't have as far a way as him, Joe and Cherry do. Next to him Gem shivers and he draws her into his arms trying to warm her up a little. She gives him a grateful smile and slowly stops shivering.
Next to them Cherry is shivering as well. When Joe lends his shirt that has remaind mostly dry courtesy of his light summerjacket to the slender boy Adam shares a small secretive smile with Gem. It seems the thing that he missed happening between them is growing into something sweet. Cherry takes the shirt with a blush and puts it on but he doesn't stop shivering.
'Why is it so fucking cold all of a sudden?', Cherry complains after a moment and Adam has to agree with him. It seems to be getting colder by the minute. With how wet they all are it's not a good thing in any way, shape or form.
'I don't know. But I think I hear...', Gem begins but draws in a sharp breath and goes very rigid all of a sudden. She makes a strangled noise in the back of her throat that draws all of their attention to her, even her cousin's, and they are treated to wide panicked eyes and a horrified expression Adam has never seen on her face before.
'Run.', she whispers so quietly it's almost inaudible but with the silence surrounding them they all hear her clearly. Before anyone of them can say or do something though she's already bolting for the exit of the tunnel dragging him with her. She has an iron grip on his hand as if she's afraid to lose him and Adam wonders just what the hell is going on but he keeps pace with her anyway.
'Run!', she repeats louder and Joe and Cherry follow her as well even if they understand just as little as Adam does. All he knows is that Gem is terrified out of her mind and that's enough for them to go along with whatever she has in mind. Adam has never seen her this scared and it's unnerving him.
A choking noise somewhere behind them makes her stop and turn around. Adam still right next to her does as well and for a moment he thinks he's in a bad horror movie or something. Gem's cousin is pressed up against the wall of the tunnel his feet dangling a good ten inches above the ground seizing and choking on nothing but thin air.
Next to him Gem curses, Joe and Cherry have stopped and turned as well, and then she flicks her right wrist. A stick appears in her hand - what is she going to do with that and where the hell did it come from? - and there is a dark and utterly determined expression on her face.
'Expecto Patronum.', she intones her voice strong and steady and heavy with that powerful feeling from before. Adam has no idea what the words mean but he sees the silver creature burst forth from her stick. It looks like a bull and it charges at whatever is holding her cousin up in the air. The boy drops like a puppet with its strings cut the moment the silver bull passes in front of him and then the animal turns around and comes back charging in their direction.
Gem doesn't seem all that bothered by the quickly approaching creature. Doesn't pay it any mind when she lets go of Adam's hand and runs to her cousin's side to check him over. Adam follows her almost automatically despite Joe's and Cherry's worried exclamations. And then the bull passes him. It brushs his arm with its flank and all there is is a sensation of warmth and hope and home where the raging beast touches him, passes through him.
Then he is by her side, kneeling down next to her and despite the disgust he feels for this boy and everything he has done to Gem Adam helps her drag him to his feet and over to Joe and Cherry who look pale and shaken by this entire situation. Adam can't fault them for that. He doesn't know what happened either, just that it was bad. An odd instinct tells him that whatever has happened just now could've easily gotten them all killed if it hadn't been for that silver bull that had come out of the stick Gem still had a death grip on.
'Joe, do you have some chocolate in that backpack?', Gem asks suddenly her jaw clenched and eyes hard and Joe quickly sets his backpack down and rummages through it. There are their usual drinks and sandwiches, a package of chewing gum, a bag of crackers and some candy but no chocolate.
'No, sorry.', Joe apologizes and Gem sighs.
'You should head back to camp now. I gotta bring him back to number 4.', she tells them quietly and Adam doesn't like that at all. Whatever has just happened it had been dangerous and he refuses to leave her immediately afterwards. Even if there wasn't a repeat of the situation just now if her uncle saw her coming back with his son looking like this - pale and sick - Adam doubts the man would let her explain. He'd probably be furious and just take it out on her and Adam refuses to let that happen.
'No.', he tells her keeping Dudley's arm slung over his shoulder. She'll have to accept his help wether she wants to or not.
'Please, Adam.', she pleads an almost desperate look flickering across her features.
'No. Whatever just happened. You did something with that stick to protect all of us. How are you going to do that again if there is a repeat when you have to drag him with you all the time?', he reasons and Gem sighs in defeat.
'Fine. But the moment we make it to Number 4 you will turn around and go back to camp. I'll meet you tomorrow if I can.', she almost orders and Adam doesn't like that option much either but he motions for Joe to help him with Gem's cousin anyway. He doesn't think she'd budge any more if he tried.
Cherry straps Joe's board to the backpack before he slings it over his shoulder and picks up Adam's and his own, Gem has her board tucked under her left arm, and then they start the slow track back to her house. Dudley in his near catatonic state is most unhelpful and basically has to be carried but they manage. By the time they make it to the house they are all drenched to the bone and shivering. It's not as cold as in that tunnel but it's still cool and being wet doesn't help matters at all.
