Chapter 3

I could stand here for hours

Just to ask God the question,

"Is everyone here make-believe?"

You Be The Anchor That Keeps My Feet On The Ground, I'll Be The Wings That Keep Your Heart In The Clouds - Mayday Parade

My mind was racing as those last two words raced through my head. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing seemed to come out. And instead, to my surprise, a small hysterical laugh came out of my mouth.

"What? Are you serious?"

He looked at me impassively.

"I am. In more ways than one."

The smile disappeared as I realised he wasn't joking. My head was now beginning to hurt.

"But- Surely not..."

Now he looked irritated.

"I just told you my name. What's so hard to believe?"

"N-nothing. Nothing at all. I'm just a bit tired. Sorry. Anyway, I'll just go now. Bye."

He gave me a nod.

As I turned, walking back up to my house, naturally, I was wrecking my brain for a rational explanation.

He didn't look like he was lying although that doesn't necessarily mean anything. But what reason would he have to lie to me? I was no one. And surely, someone else would've noticed that a bloke with the name of a fictional character has been roaming around? Surely, I can't be the only one...

But no amount of tossing and turning gave me any answers and I finally came down to two conclusions. A: He's lying, for whatever reason (or) B: Losing my parents has addled my brain and I've gone mental.

I woke up next morning with puffy eyes, having only gotten little more than three hours of sleep. I went about my day as usual, determined to put the whole issue out of my mind and focus on more pressing matters.

That evening, as we were on the way to the diner, Delilah asked me the question I'd been dreading.

"Reyna, we've only been friends for a few months but I think I can tell when someone's not okay. You ran out of work crying for god's sake! I know you've been keeping something from me. So please, Rey, tell me. What's wrong with you?"

I looked down at my lap. I could hear the concern in her voice. I wanted to tell her, I really did. But I wasn't sure if I was ready to talk about it. Not to mention the fact that I didn't want the pity. Suddenly, she stopped the car and turned to me, taking one of my hands in both of hers.

"Reyna, I don't know what you think of me. Maybe you don't trust me enough to open up to me. But you're one of my closest friends and I can't help but worry about you. And I don't know how to prove myself to you Reyna, but I'm always here if you need me," she said looking at me earnestly. I had a sudden flashback to yesterday when I'd talked to a complete stranger about my parents. Surely I could do this too? I took a deep breath and told her everything.

There was a moment of stunned silence.

"When?"

"A few months ago. And...yesterday was my Mum's birthday. That's why I've been so miserable lately. And that's the reason I ran out that day."

Delilah threw her arms around me.

"Oh Rey! I'm sorry!"

"Its okay. I've been...coping," I told her as I pulled away.

"And you haven't told this to anyone?"

I might as well tell her.

"Um, I kind of spoke to some bloke I met at a park about it yesterday."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, so you'd talk to a stranger but not me?"

"No, Del, its not like that! I was talking to my Gran and he happened to overhear it. Besides, I was on the verge of breaking down..." I trailed off.

"Its okay, Reyna. I didn't mean to say that. I was just being petty, I'm sorry. But...are you feeling better now?"

I thought of both the conversations I'd had on this subject so far.

"Yeah, Del. I'm better."

"I'm glad. Both that you're alright and that you decided to tell me."

I nodded and she started the car again. It did make me feel better, having a her know. Delilah and I didn't need so many words to fill up our silences. Not that we didn't talk much; we did. But we also understood each other during those handfuls of times where we needed to be left to our thoughts. I realised then that she truly was one of the best friends I'd ever had.

"So," she started, "Who was he? The, uh, stranger you happened to talk to?" Delilah asked with a grin.

I rolled my eyes. How typical of her to latch on to that one thing.

"Uh, Del, I don't know if you've noticed but stranger usually refers to someone you don't know."

"No need to be snappy with me young lady! I was merely asking. So what possessed you to pour your heart out to him?"

"I didn't 'pour my heart out'. I just told him a few things. Because he happened to overhear me talking about it! "

"Even then, how come he was there in the first place?"

"I was sitting in his usual spot and he was alright with me staying so long as I didn't bother him," I shot back.

"Why would he be okay with it when he barely knows you?"

Uh-oh...

"He may or may not have seen me run out on Saturday," I said scratching the back of my neck. "He's kind of a regular at the diner..."

"So you DO know him!"

"I don't! I've never even spoken to him except to ask for his order up till yesterday!"

She contemplated this for a minute.

"Was he handsome?"

Well...

"You've probably seen him around. You should know."

"Ah, ah!" she wagged a finger in my face. "No avoiding the question! I'm asking YOU."

"I suppose," I grumbled.

"That's all I wanted to know," Delilah said with a smirk.

"Whatever you're thinking isn't true, Del. I spoke to him. He heared me out. Nothing more."

"Ofcourse, darling. But everything happens for a reason, doesn't it?"

Her words kept on running through my mind for the rest of the day. And luckily or unluckily, I never saw 'Sirius' for the rest of the week.

The next week however, he was there.

"Is that him?" Delilah whispered, startling me from where I was hiding behind the counter, watching him. Embarassed at being caught, I merely grunted as affirmation.

"Rey, I'm so proud of you!" she said, slapping my back.

"Shut up, Delilah! I don't even know the bloke!"

"We'll just have to remedy that now, won't we?"

"No. We really don't," I deadpanned.

Just then, he started looking around.

"Is he looking for you?"

"He's probably looking for someone to take his order, Del," I said exasperatedly.

"We'll see about that," she replied, walking towards the table.

"Welcome to Helena's! What would you like to order?" Delilah asked brightly.

He scanned the room once more before saying,

"Actually, is uh, Reyna around?"

I looked up so fast that my head hit the top of the counter.

"Shit!"

Both of them looked towards the direction of the sound.

I got up, holding a rag in my hand.

"Just wiping the floor," I said gesturing to the rag. Delilah was barely holding back laughter and His lips were twitching, as though trying to hide a smile. Finally, he spoke.

"Right. Reyna, may I have a word?"

"Sure," I replied, dropping the rag and walking towards the table.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

He reached into the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out...my diary!

"You left it at the park the other day. Don't worry, I didn't read it or anything!" he added hurriedly as I took the diary from him.

"Oh, thank you! I thought I'd lost it somewhere!"

"That's okay, It was no big deal."

"No, really, thank you. Its very important to me. I don't know how I could've ever lost it! I am such an idiot!"

"Its just a diary. You could always get a new one."

"My mum gave it to me," I stated.

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence.

"So...order?"

"The usual."

I nodded and left.

When I came back, he looked thoughtful.

"Here you go," I said, placing the food in front of him. "Enjoy your meal."

"Wait!"

I turned around, an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"I, uh, need to talk to you."

I sat down on the opposite chair, puzzled.

"Go on."

He took a deep breath.

"Okay, so this is going to sound weird. But... something's not right. I don't know what exactly it is. Odd stuff's been happening and...I need answers."

"Okay, but why are you telling me this?"

"I don't know," he said running a hand through his hair frustratedly. "But I have a feeling you might be able to help. Look, I know it sounds weird but...just...will you hear me out?"

I bit my lip, thinking it over. He wasn't the only one who wanted answers. After all, hadn't I thought there was something odd about him since the very first day he walked through these doors? I still didn't understand why it had to be me. But he did help me in a way and I ought to repay the debt. Right?

"Okay. I will."

He gave a grateful nod.

"Thanks."

"But," I interupted. "Can we talk tomorrow? I don't have the time now..."

"Okay. Thats fine with me."

I got up from the table.

"I better go. I'm supposed to be working after all."

"Yeah. I'll, uh, see you tomorrow. Same place as last time?"

I nodded and walked back to the counter wondering how much more stranger these encounters were going to get.

"So what did he want?" Delilah asked that night as we were cleaning up.

I shrugged.

"Nothing. He found my, diary. I left it at the park and he came to return it."

"And...?" she pressed.

I shifted uncomfortably.

"And he said he wanted to talk to me about something. I'm not sure what."

"I bet I know what it is about..."

"No, you don't!" I snapped. "Besides, he seemed kind of upset about whatever was bothering him."

"Oh. Well, what do you reckon its about?"

"I don't know."

We worked in silence for awhile.

I knew that Delilah, wonderful as she was, had this ridiculous idea that I should start dating again. She had been pestering me about it for awhile now and the revelation of my parents' death hadn't changed anything. There was nothing wrong with the idea itself really; just the circumstances I was in. I had just barely gotten over my loss and I wasn't ready for any relationships. But Delilah wasn't one to give up easily and it seemed that the situation with 'Sirius' had given her new ammunition.

Which was stupid since we barely knew each other for one. It was just a set of unusual circumstances that led to our strange acquaintance. As good-looking as he was, I truly didn't feel anything beyond curiosity when it came to him. And I was pretty sure he wasn't exactly impressed by my mediocre-at-best appearance either.

When we were done for the day, I accompanied Delilah to the spot where she had parked her car. I lived about fifteen minutes away from the diner while she lived closer to the college campus.

"See ya tomorrow, Dels," I said, hugging her.

"You too hon. By the way, did you get His name yet?"

I smiled wryly at her.

"Yeah. But you wouldn't believe me if I told you. See ya!"

I turned and walked up the path, leaving a confused Delilah behind.

Definitely not.

AN: Hey! So there's Chapter 3. This chapter is focused more on Reyna's life outside of meeting Sirius. She's still young and I expect that she would have a best friend and there would be teasing and other normal stuff in her life too. Besides, things are going to become far from normal soon and I wanted there to be a chapter where things are still easy and uncomplicated. Tell me if you liked Delilah and if you'd like her to make an appearance now and then. Please Review! Or PM or anything.

Thanks to GreekPrincess143, xxRyuu-himexx, SamuraiNinjaDragon, gess789 and eveningstars for their follows/favourites! And thanks a bunch to Faded Stripe, Nimrodel626 and texaskid for your reviews!

Faded Stripe: For us its quite the opposite. I once got my marks pinnalised for spelling 'realisation' with a 'z'... hehe. And ofcourse, thanks for your continued support!

Nimrodel626: He may or may not have meant auror training ;) Remember, he doesn't remember stuff clearly yet but maybe he had an inkling...And I've updated as soon as I can so hope the wait wasn't too long. Thanks for your support!

texaskid: Firstly, I want to thank you for reviewing. I really do appreciate getting constructive criticism and feedback. Secondly, the "eve" thing. Well, the very definition of "eve" is the evening or day immediately before an event. So in saying "eve of thirteenth" I meant the twelfth. And thirdly, I do agree with your point on sticking to one POV. I might do a spin off in Sirius' POV once this is over instead...oh well. Thank you for reading. I do hope you'd stick with my story!

And thanks to all my silent readers as well. I might be able to fit in the next update in 2 days but expect updates after that on weekends peeps! Thanks for reading this long AN!

On a side note, has anyone watched Noah? I thought Emma Watson was amazing!

~Bekah