Chapter 1
Fear…the slam of a door…A pulsing, throbbing filling her head, clouding her mind… hoarse screams… "Eaven!"… crimson stains on white…spinning, falling— a waltz with death…
The images flashed through her mind, frightening and intense. Eaven moaned, her brow creased in pain as she tossed back and forth. Tears leaked from under her lashes, silently streaming down her cheeks. A sharp cry wrenched its way out of her trembling mouth as she flung her arms out and crashed to the ground.
Suddenly silent, she curled up where she was lying on the compartment floor, drawing her knees protectively to her chest. Tears streamed freely down her face as she huddled on the dirty carpet. Eaven heard the compartment door slide open, heard them whisper in an accent foreign to her ears, not understanding their words through the haze of her grief. She remained curled on the ground when the rustle of robes announced the strangers' presences. Resolutely, she ignored the strange, musky scent wafting through the compartment and tantalizing her senses. The slight pressure on her shoulder turned into vigorous shaking as she began to hyperventilate. She wondered dizzily where all the light had gone. It was so cold and dark. So dark…She had always been afraid of the dark—and this time there was no light, only the all-consuming blackness. She wondered idly in the last moments of consciousness if there ever had been light, or had it always been so dark? No light…
Her heart pounded wildly. Racing through the darkness, she could hear a door slam…Beat…Beat…one, two, three, spin… fireworks in the house; Sean would be in trouble… arcs of beautiful, terrible light…
And then there was only the black- her friend, the darkness. Her brow scrunched in concentration; that wasn't right, she had always hated the dark… But now it was her friend. Why was it so dark? Was it night? Why wasn't the bathroom light on? Something wasn't right—something had changed. And then she felt it.
Eaven gasped and reeled as the weight of memory crashed down on her. The flood of images, hurt, fear swept her away, drowning her – then she heard the voice. Light flooded the blackness. Tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, Eaven lurched toward the soft rays. Reach! Catch the rainbow and find the happy ending. Her hand grasped the beam, and there was peace.
Centuries passed, or only a few seconds. Time held no meaning in the black. With excruciating slowness her hearing returned. "Found … she couldn't brea…floor… unconscious…" The words were distorted, but to her starving ears they sang like the muggle angels.
"Thank you, Ms. Evans. Your help was invaluable." His voice sounded like warm cinnamon. She wondered what he looked like – strong and brown, like whole cinnamon or soft and powdery the way cinnamon was when ground. Footsteps echoed through the room that smelled like her Mom's favorite dishsoap. A door closed softly. Eaven flinched and for a brief second remembered another door closing.
"Ms. Farraday," the cinnamon voice spoke softly, "Ms. Farraday—" Cinnamon spoke with increasing concern. "Can you hear me?"
Her mouth twitched. Vocal chords throbbed from disuse. A thin, creaky moan emitted from a mouth as dry as a desert. Carefully whetting her lips, she tried again. "Yes." Her voice sounded as broken and scratched as an old crone—nothing at all like Cinnamon's warmth.
A relieved sigh, and then he continued, "My name is Headmaster Dumbledore. Do you remember anything about Hogwarts?" his voice was surprisingly kind, but his name contrasted sharply with his voice… Her thoughts began drifting again until she brought herself back to the present with uncharacteristic sharpness.
"Yes." Scratchy, ugly, creaky voice—Eaven despised it. "Its—a school." She began to cough, painful hacks that tore her throat. An arm wrapped around her shoulders and helped her sit up, then cool, fresh water spilled down her burning throat. She thanked Cinnamon—no, Dumbledore, and finished her thought. "A school I need to go to… but that's—all I know." She supplied hesitantly.
Eaven could hear the faint smile in Cinn-Dumbledore's voice—"Well, I had better tell you some more, then…"
Right, so its a little short, but if I merged the next chapter with this one, it would be too long... So, tell me your thoughts, constructive critisism, etc... : )
