Hope you liked the first chapter! Here's the next.
~~~~~~
Forty-five minutes later the two girls flopped onto the bed, exhausted.
"Remind me," Tabitha said, "to never engage in a pillow fight with you again!"
"O.K., but I can't make any promises!" answered Laura, obviously satisfied at her friends defeat.
The girls heard the door close downstairs and a few hearty laughs.
Laura rolled her eyes.
"My brother and his idiot friend."
"How do you know both of them are idiots?"
Laura looked at Tabitha.
"Oh, I see, birds of a feather flock together.. of course."
"I'm bored."
"So am I."
"So, whaddya wanta do?"
"I don't know, what do you want to do?"
"Hmmmmm..."
"Er.."
Laura suddenly jumped up off the bed, causing Tabitha to fall right off.
The laughing of two deep male voices was heard beyond the door. Laura looked out the room. Nate's door was open, and so was Laura's, allowing the boys to see Tabitha's act of clumsiness. Tabitha blushed to the tip of her nose. Even though some would consider this an only occurring embarrassment radar device, Tabitha was an exception. She blushed quite frequently, even when not embarrassed. Some actually thought she was a tomato about to explode when she had tripped at dinner in front of the whole school.
Shaking the memory from her head, Tabitha diverted her eyes to a different part of the room. Laura got up and slammed the door.
"So, what do ya."
"Don't start that again!"
"O.K."
Minutes flew by. Suddenly a squirrel jumped onto Laura's flowerbox on her window. Laura stared at the squirrel. It seemed to stare right back. Laura started, but then narrowed her eyes back at the squirrel. A very interesting staring contest had just begun.
A few hours later the sun began to set.
"Wanna go get some ice cream?" asked Laura.
"Sure, but ummm. where?"
"Duh! We have Flu!"
Tabitha laughed. "Oh yeah! Well, I'm practically muggle-born! You must remember that."
The girls went downstairs to find Laura's mom doing the dishes.
"Can we go to Locksford Lane?"
"Sure, just be back in an hour!"
And the girls were off.
Tabitha popped into the public fireplace just outside the local café. Locksford Lane is a huge outdoors bizarre, with a charmed weather condition to not include rain, snow, sleet or hail. Tabitha looked up to see clouds begin to form over the invisible shield. She always loved thunderstorms, especially getting caught outside in them. Unfortunately this one would pass her by. Peering around Tabitha saw Locksford Lane was just as she had left it. Of the literally hundreds of stores each had a small outdoor table showing their newest product, complete with an anti-theft charm of course. The hard brick floor was quite unusual for it dated back to the 18th century when Wilda the Woebegone accidentally blew up her brick house, forming a street. Passer bys had then taken over the haphazard street due to such cheap construction costs. Enough about the history however, there was enough Locksford Lane for the present.
"Are you coming or what?" questioned an impatient Laura, staring back at her friend's dazed expression.
"Oh, yeah, duh!"
The pair made their way over to the tiny café.
A young girl probably in her early twenties was at the front desk.
"How may I help you?"
"Well, I'd like a blueberry freeze, and." Laura turned to Tabitha.
"I'd like a. well, which would you suggest, the strawberry shake, or the cappuccino?"
"Definitely the cappuccino!" said the employee.
"O.k. that works for me."
The two girls sat down and began to slurp down their drinks as they watched the storm rage overhead. It was quite an abnormal thing to see, rain falling in sheets that formed a perfect half sphere. Locksford Lane was nearly deserted; giving it an eerie feeling, making it's few visitors very uneasy. The only visitors remaining was a group of young teens hovering near a hip clothing shop, an elderly witch making her weekly rounds, and a young couple with a newborn. Tabitha eyed the group of teen girls, one of which seemed very impatient to be going. The amazingly short girl tossed her hair, which was surprisingly indecisive, both brown and blonde.
"Honestly, come ON! We have to go! Remember what my mom said-"
A girl with dark brown hair finally tore her eyes away from the display of the latest Wich® robes.
"Perny, just a minute more?"
The girl, apparently named Perny, sighed, rolled her eyes, and began to tap her foot.
"1.2.3.4.5."
"What?"
"6.I'm.7.count..8.ing.9."
The girls scurried back to the shop and began to sort through the clothes at high speed in random order.
Tabitha turned back to her drink and played with her straw. Laura was already done and was staring up at the storm above uneasily.
"I think we should go back soon."
Thunder crashed and the lightning soon followed.
"I agree, let's go!"
The girls hastily threw their cups away and ran inside to find a fireplace.
The pair found themselves in Laura's living room before they knew it.
Tabitha looked out the window to see a storm approaching.
"It's so weird having flu, I mean, the storm was almost over at Locksford Lane, and its just beginning here."
"Ah, I suppose you'll get used to it Tab." reassured Laura. "But, I still wonder what is going to happen at school this year."
"You might get a decent boyfriend for once," came a voice that wafted from the kitchen.
Nate emerged from the kitchen with Evan in tow.
"Hey, I'll have you know that Nick is a very good boyfriend and he's even a year older than me!"
"Yeah, yeah, sure," he replied in a tone that suggested anything but.
Laura pouted and turned her back.
"Really though, what's happening at Midwest this year?" asked Evan quite politely.
"Well, seeing as I'm a Leader, I got a letter-" began Tabitha, only to be interrupted.
"That's classified information!" interjected Laura, sticking her nose up in the air, giving Tabitha a silencing glare.
"Fine, have it your way!" countered Nate, striding out of the room. He returned a few seconds later, having realized that he had left without his buddy, and gave Evan a look. Evan shrugged, giving a reluctant smile to Tabitha and Laura, and followed his friend up the stairs.
"Boys" huffed Laura as she shook her head.
Tabitha didn't see what was so wrong with them at the moment, but forgot it, not wanting to start a fight.
"So, when's Sami coming over?"
"Well, in-" Laura checked her watch, "10 hours."
"Why's she coming over so early? I don't know if you'll be awake then, but even if she did come by noon we'd still be taking a chance," remarked Tabitha, giving Laura a smirk.
"Her mom has to work, and I don't sleep in [I]that[/I] late."
"I read a whole book waiting for you to get up once," answered Tabitha.
"Well, you read fast, and ummm, well, you read fast," faltered Laura.
"Yeah, right." replied Tabitha skeptically.
"Well, anyways, that still means that we have to get to bed early."
"Especially you; if that's possible, seeing as you're such a night owl."
"It's not my fault!" complained Laura.
"Hey, isn't it funny though," said Tabitha, changing the subject, "how muggles feel the need to add night before owl, as if owls weren't nocturnal. Sometimes I can't believe my elementary muggle friends don't see the little magic at my house."
"Yeah, at least that means that we're keeping well hidden."
"That's true."
The girls looked at the clock and saw that it was already past 10, so they got their pajamas on and crawled into their respective sleeping arrangements. Tabitha was soon listening to the soft breathing of her friend for nearly the first time. Other than early in the morning, Tabitha was always asleep before anyone else. She turned away from the intense neon green alarm clock and bent her legs into a comfortable position. Her fingers played with the knotted string of her sleeping bag before resting her hands beneath her cheek. The subtle light between the crack in the door became hypnotizing, and Tabitha came into a state of half oblivion, half awareness. The raging storm dullened, and the tapping of the delicate rain soon lulled Tabitha to sleep.
A swirling of light and color engulfed Tabitha as she listened to different voices.
".a tournament."
"Foreign schools? What."
"Houses?"
"Bouillabaisse is."
".are you alone?"
"What's this?"
"Don't."
The voices grew louder and became frantic.
"Back? Again?"
"No, you're wrong!"
Tabitha began to twist and turn in her sleeping bag as the voices began to scare her, anxiety growing in the pit of her stomach for no reason. Her hands began to sweat, as she tossed her head back and forth, twisting her hair into vicious knots.
"Why would I of all people."
"Unexplained deaths?"
"This can't be happening."
".to America?"
Until suddenly thousands of screams exploded in Tabitha's head, threatening to break her skull. Only one horrified voice stood out, and Tabitha recognized it as her own.
"The Dark Mark." she heard herself say feebly in the dream, before everything stopped.
Silence, no voices, no screams, and Tabitha's muscles loosened, her fists unclenching. The nightmare, so called, was over. Her damp forehead aired dry and Tabitha grew warm again, opposed to the shivering uncontrollable earlier. Soon, Tabitha was snoring peacefully again, not to remember her dream the next morning. The night's sleep would only be remembered upon Tabitha as having a sense of anxiety and foreboding.
Thump. Bang. Creak.
Tabitha blearily opened her eyes, only to find an array of colors. Her hands stumbled across the floor to find her glasses. Putting them on she found her other friend, Sami, with her bags and suitcase.
"Hey Tabitha! How has your summer been?"
"Grea-" her reply was interrupted by a quick yawn. "-t. Yours?"
"Fine enough, I guess. So, should we wake up Laura?"
The two girls traded glances. Smiles slowly appeared on both their faces.
"Owwwwwww!"
"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!" chanted Sami in an overly cheerful voice.
"Get up Laura!"
"No." Laura then pulled the covers back over her head, in a weak attempt to fend off Sami and Tabitha.
Fifteen minutes later Laura was finally fully awake, if one could call it that. The sun was just popping over the clouds and the girls were surprised at how early it still was.
"So guys, what do you think we should do today?" said Sami.
"We could consider what's gonna happen at Midwest Magic." supplied Laura, giving the suggestion an air of mystery.
"What do you mean? It's just gonna be another year. Our sixth year, not our first, not our last, and not even the first year we have a dance. Nothing to look forward to really," commented Sami, adding a yawn to show how boring the year would be. Or perhaps it was from the early hour.
"Well, Tabitha got a letter! And it's all about, oh, just get it out!" commanded Laura.
"Yes, sir!" replied Tabitha, and then gave a salute.
Tabitha went to her suitcase and withdrew the letter in question. Smoothing it out she laid it on the messy desktop to read.
Dear Ms. Jackson,
We are pleased to inform you that as one of our brightest and most competent Leaders we are choosing you to participate in this years event. Under certain circumstances I regret to inform you that I cannot tell you what this exciting event is, yet I am sure our student body will be eager for it to start once they know what it is. Please owl me back if you feel that you could participate,
Sincerely,
[Larger]Principal Danton
P.S. Details will be sent if you accept
"Wow! So, you accepted, right?" questioned Sami.
"Yep." Tabitha replied, nodding as she did so.
"But she hasn't gotten her other letter with the details yet." said Laura with a sigh.
~~~~~~
Hope I get some R/R please!
~~~~~~
Forty-five minutes later the two girls flopped onto the bed, exhausted.
"Remind me," Tabitha said, "to never engage in a pillow fight with you again!"
"O.K., but I can't make any promises!" answered Laura, obviously satisfied at her friends defeat.
The girls heard the door close downstairs and a few hearty laughs.
Laura rolled her eyes.
"My brother and his idiot friend."
"How do you know both of them are idiots?"
Laura looked at Tabitha.
"Oh, I see, birds of a feather flock together.. of course."
"I'm bored."
"So am I."
"So, whaddya wanta do?"
"I don't know, what do you want to do?"
"Hmmmmm..."
"Er.."
Laura suddenly jumped up off the bed, causing Tabitha to fall right off.
The laughing of two deep male voices was heard beyond the door. Laura looked out the room. Nate's door was open, and so was Laura's, allowing the boys to see Tabitha's act of clumsiness. Tabitha blushed to the tip of her nose. Even though some would consider this an only occurring embarrassment radar device, Tabitha was an exception. She blushed quite frequently, even when not embarrassed. Some actually thought she was a tomato about to explode when she had tripped at dinner in front of the whole school.
Shaking the memory from her head, Tabitha diverted her eyes to a different part of the room. Laura got up and slammed the door.
"So, what do ya."
"Don't start that again!"
"O.K."
Minutes flew by. Suddenly a squirrel jumped onto Laura's flowerbox on her window. Laura stared at the squirrel. It seemed to stare right back. Laura started, but then narrowed her eyes back at the squirrel. A very interesting staring contest had just begun.
A few hours later the sun began to set.
"Wanna go get some ice cream?" asked Laura.
"Sure, but ummm. where?"
"Duh! We have Flu!"
Tabitha laughed. "Oh yeah! Well, I'm practically muggle-born! You must remember that."
The girls went downstairs to find Laura's mom doing the dishes.
"Can we go to Locksford Lane?"
"Sure, just be back in an hour!"
And the girls were off.
Tabitha popped into the public fireplace just outside the local café. Locksford Lane is a huge outdoors bizarre, with a charmed weather condition to not include rain, snow, sleet or hail. Tabitha looked up to see clouds begin to form over the invisible shield. She always loved thunderstorms, especially getting caught outside in them. Unfortunately this one would pass her by. Peering around Tabitha saw Locksford Lane was just as she had left it. Of the literally hundreds of stores each had a small outdoor table showing their newest product, complete with an anti-theft charm of course. The hard brick floor was quite unusual for it dated back to the 18th century when Wilda the Woebegone accidentally blew up her brick house, forming a street. Passer bys had then taken over the haphazard street due to such cheap construction costs. Enough about the history however, there was enough Locksford Lane for the present.
"Are you coming or what?" questioned an impatient Laura, staring back at her friend's dazed expression.
"Oh, yeah, duh!"
The pair made their way over to the tiny café.
A young girl probably in her early twenties was at the front desk.
"How may I help you?"
"Well, I'd like a blueberry freeze, and." Laura turned to Tabitha.
"I'd like a. well, which would you suggest, the strawberry shake, or the cappuccino?"
"Definitely the cappuccino!" said the employee.
"O.k. that works for me."
The two girls sat down and began to slurp down their drinks as they watched the storm rage overhead. It was quite an abnormal thing to see, rain falling in sheets that formed a perfect half sphere. Locksford Lane was nearly deserted; giving it an eerie feeling, making it's few visitors very uneasy. The only visitors remaining was a group of young teens hovering near a hip clothing shop, an elderly witch making her weekly rounds, and a young couple with a newborn. Tabitha eyed the group of teen girls, one of which seemed very impatient to be going. The amazingly short girl tossed her hair, which was surprisingly indecisive, both brown and blonde.
"Honestly, come ON! We have to go! Remember what my mom said-"
A girl with dark brown hair finally tore her eyes away from the display of the latest Wich® robes.
"Perny, just a minute more?"
The girl, apparently named Perny, sighed, rolled her eyes, and began to tap her foot.
"1.2.3.4.5."
"What?"
"6.I'm.7.count..8.ing.9."
The girls scurried back to the shop and began to sort through the clothes at high speed in random order.
Tabitha turned back to her drink and played with her straw. Laura was already done and was staring up at the storm above uneasily.
"I think we should go back soon."
Thunder crashed and the lightning soon followed.
"I agree, let's go!"
The girls hastily threw their cups away and ran inside to find a fireplace.
The pair found themselves in Laura's living room before they knew it.
Tabitha looked out the window to see a storm approaching.
"It's so weird having flu, I mean, the storm was almost over at Locksford Lane, and its just beginning here."
"Ah, I suppose you'll get used to it Tab." reassured Laura. "But, I still wonder what is going to happen at school this year."
"You might get a decent boyfriend for once," came a voice that wafted from the kitchen.
Nate emerged from the kitchen with Evan in tow.
"Hey, I'll have you know that Nick is a very good boyfriend and he's even a year older than me!"
"Yeah, yeah, sure," he replied in a tone that suggested anything but.
Laura pouted and turned her back.
"Really though, what's happening at Midwest this year?" asked Evan quite politely.
"Well, seeing as I'm a Leader, I got a letter-" began Tabitha, only to be interrupted.
"That's classified information!" interjected Laura, sticking her nose up in the air, giving Tabitha a silencing glare.
"Fine, have it your way!" countered Nate, striding out of the room. He returned a few seconds later, having realized that he had left without his buddy, and gave Evan a look. Evan shrugged, giving a reluctant smile to Tabitha and Laura, and followed his friend up the stairs.
"Boys" huffed Laura as she shook her head.
Tabitha didn't see what was so wrong with them at the moment, but forgot it, not wanting to start a fight.
"So, when's Sami coming over?"
"Well, in-" Laura checked her watch, "10 hours."
"Why's she coming over so early? I don't know if you'll be awake then, but even if she did come by noon we'd still be taking a chance," remarked Tabitha, giving Laura a smirk.
"Her mom has to work, and I don't sleep in [I]that[/I] late."
"I read a whole book waiting for you to get up once," answered Tabitha.
"Well, you read fast, and ummm, well, you read fast," faltered Laura.
"Yeah, right." replied Tabitha skeptically.
"Well, anyways, that still means that we have to get to bed early."
"Especially you; if that's possible, seeing as you're such a night owl."
"It's not my fault!" complained Laura.
"Hey, isn't it funny though," said Tabitha, changing the subject, "how muggles feel the need to add night before owl, as if owls weren't nocturnal. Sometimes I can't believe my elementary muggle friends don't see the little magic at my house."
"Yeah, at least that means that we're keeping well hidden."
"That's true."
The girls looked at the clock and saw that it was already past 10, so they got their pajamas on and crawled into their respective sleeping arrangements. Tabitha was soon listening to the soft breathing of her friend for nearly the first time. Other than early in the morning, Tabitha was always asleep before anyone else. She turned away from the intense neon green alarm clock and bent her legs into a comfortable position. Her fingers played with the knotted string of her sleeping bag before resting her hands beneath her cheek. The subtle light between the crack in the door became hypnotizing, and Tabitha came into a state of half oblivion, half awareness. The raging storm dullened, and the tapping of the delicate rain soon lulled Tabitha to sleep.
A swirling of light and color engulfed Tabitha as she listened to different voices.
".a tournament."
"Foreign schools? What."
"Houses?"
"Bouillabaisse is."
".are you alone?"
"What's this?"
"Don't."
The voices grew louder and became frantic.
"Back? Again?"
"No, you're wrong!"
Tabitha began to twist and turn in her sleeping bag as the voices began to scare her, anxiety growing in the pit of her stomach for no reason. Her hands began to sweat, as she tossed her head back and forth, twisting her hair into vicious knots.
"Why would I of all people."
"Unexplained deaths?"
"This can't be happening."
".to America?"
Until suddenly thousands of screams exploded in Tabitha's head, threatening to break her skull. Only one horrified voice stood out, and Tabitha recognized it as her own.
"The Dark Mark." she heard herself say feebly in the dream, before everything stopped.
Silence, no voices, no screams, and Tabitha's muscles loosened, her fists unclenching. The nightmare, so called, was over. Her damp forehead aired dry and Tabitha grew warm again, opposed to the shivering uncontrollable earlier. Soon, Tabitha was snoring peacefully again, not to remember her dream the next morning. The night's sleep would only be remembered upon Tabitha as having a sense of anxiety and foreboding.
Thump. Bang. Creak.
Tabitha blearily opened her eyes, only to find an array of colors. Her hands stumbled across the floor to find her glasses. Putting them on she found her other friend, Sami, with her bags and suitcase.
"Hey Tabitha! How has your summer been?"
"Grea-" her reply was interrupted by a quick yawn. "-t. Yours?"
"Fine enough, I guess. So, should we wake up Laura?"
The two girls traded glances. Smiles slowly appeared on both their faces.
"Owwwwwww!"
"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!" chanted Sami in an overly cheerful voice.
"Get up Laura!"
"No." Laura then pulled the covers back over her head, in a weak attempt to fend off Sami and Tabitha.
Fifteen minutes later Laura was finally fully awake, if one could call it that. The sun was just popping over the clouds and the girls were surprised at how early it still was.
"So guys, what do you think we should do today?" said Sami.
"We could consider what's gonna happen at Midwest Magic." supplied Laura, giving the suggestion an air of mystery.
"What do you mean? It's just gonna be another year. Our sixth year, not our first, not our last, and not even the first year we have a dance. Nothing to look forward to really," commented Sami, adding a yawn to show how boring the year would be. Or perhaps it was from the early hour.
"Well, Tabitha got a letter! And it's all about, oh, just get it out!" commanded Laura.
"Yes, sir!" replied Tabitha, and then gave a salute.
Tabitha went to her suitcase and withdrew the letter in question. Smoothing it out she laid it on the messy desktop to read.
Dear Ms. Jackson,
We are pleased to inform you that as one of our brightest and most competent Leaders we are choosing you to participate in this years event. Under certain circumstances I regret to inform you that I cannot tell you what this exciting event is, yet I am sure our student body will be eager for it to start once they know what it is. Please owl me back if you feel that you could participate,
Sincerely,
[Larger]Principal Danton
P.S. Details will be sent if you accept
"Wow! So, you accepted, right?" questioned Sami.
"Yep." Tabitha replied, nodding as she did so.
"But she hasn't gotten her other letter with the details yet." said Laura with a sigh.
~~~~~~
Hope I get some R/R please!