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Post by Clover Asher on Jan 9, 2008 23:45:03 GMT -6
There was a very light breeze outside that lightly flew a bit of snow around, twirling through the air like a spinning hourglass. It had not snowed in quite some time but the thick blanket still remained on the ground. Clover paced down the halls early in the morning. She had not slept well and she was currently walking around to simply pass the time. She kept having nightmares of her parents and what had happened to them. They seemed to be on her mind much more frequently now.
She walked with her head down and she was walking around in her dark blue robe, trying to keep herself warm as she walked down the halls. She turned her head looking outside every few times she passed a window. Eventually, she sat on the very bottom steps of the Great Hall, hugging herself a bit.
With a tired yawn, she laid back a bit against the wall and shut her eyes, lightly humming a tune to herself. She tapped her foot a bit. She knew better and that she should go back to bed and try to sleep because she’d be very asleep when she awoke. Chris would surely be scolding her right now for seeing her like this. He’d probably say the usual; she’d get sick for not getting a good enough sleep. He was of course right and she knew it.
It seemed though that every time she went to bed lately horrible things appeared in her nightmare. She quickly shook her head as if to shake the thoughts out of her mind. She didn’t know why she kept getting such a terrible sleep. She went to bed early enough but still, she just wasn’t sleeping well. She sighed and wondered if these nightmares were trying to tell her something.
She wished she had someone she could really talk to about this right now. She couldn’t talk about these kinds of thoughts to Chris as he would probably get very upset that she was thinking so much of their parents. The only other person she could really speak to was Jude but since they were having a fall out she had no one to speak to. She really wished she had a lot more friends. She needed more. But most of the people her age either pitied her for being in the Hospital all the time.
That’s all people ever saw with her. A sick student. A very sick student. Then of course, there were the others who simply teased her, calling her a ‘half-breed’. It was sad that she tended to judge everyone her age into thinking that they were going to tease her. Perhaps if she spoke to more people and didn’t shy away every single time she saw another human being she’d have more friends to talk to about things like this.
That was another problem of her’s. She was so shy sometimes that even she ended up kicking herself. She looked around, shaking out of her thoughts and she really wished she had brought some sort of book with her to read and to pass the time. She needed still a new book as she finished all of those that Chris gave her. She smiled and laughed at this. Chris usually gave her a new book every two weeks that he’d buy from the bookstore in Hogsmeade but he stopped at the moment. She didn’t know why. It was very safe to say though that she was bored. She really needed more people to talk to.
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Post by mila2007 on Jan 10, 2008 0:21:45 GMT -6
Lucas restleslly walked the stairs of the vast school, hands fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt. He was more awake than he should have been, due to a fitful night that had given him quite a scare. Dreams about drugs and old behavior, scary stuff. Stuff that wasn't allowed here in the present. It just wasn't fair. Was it all coming back because he had started talking to Jessie about it? Probably. He just wanted them to go away and leave him with a blank piece of paper and his guitar. Speaking of his guitar, it hung snugly against his back secured by a strip of rough fabric. He stopped, looking out of a window. It was snowing and it accented the school perfectly. He blinked at the brightness of the snow as the reflection bounced back into his tired retnas. Seeing the peaceful scene, it was hard for Lucas not to smile as he continued down the stairs. Life was too short to think about scary dreams and demons. If you spent all your time worrying about bad things, you were surely going to miss the good things. "Quite philosophical, Lucas old boy," he said smugly to himself, hopping off the last two steps of a staircase. "Maybe in ya old age ya're learning some things." Lucas opened the doors to the Great Hall quietly, pausing to survey his surroundings. Sunlight filtered in through the stained glass window above the head doors and from the side windows. Snowflakes swirled outside in dizzying, jittery loops. He smiled remembering a song his mum used to say to him when he was little and it snowed in Scotland. Snowflakes outside whirling, Keep our minds awake. For though they keep on twirling, Water still they make. Thinking of the small poem made the familiar itching in his fingers start. He reached behind him to grab his guitar when a figure reached his eyes. A girl, sitting on the last few steps of the stairs to the main hall. He caught a brief glance of the side of her face. This was that girl... Clover, the girl who was sick most of the time. He'd heard a lot about her, especially since her little incident in the forest. Lucas felt bad for her and had been meaning to talk to her for some time. It must be lonely, he assumed. Being so sick with hardly anyone to talk to... Being the good samaritan that he was, Lucas decided to go and talk to her. He was actually very surprised she was up this early; he rarely saw anyone else up at this time. Early risers got the prizes, he supposed. Putting on a companionable face, he walked down the steps, and forgetting his guitar for a few moments, focused on her. Once he reached the step she was sitting on, he stopped to give a wistful sigh as he looked outside. The snowflakes were still dancing. Giving her a warm smile, he nodded his head at the windows. "Pretty, isn't it?"
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Post by Clover Asher on Jan 10, 2008 23:41:27 GMT -6
Clover’s gaze was focused upon the snow lightly falling outside. She really wanted to run outside right now and simply let the snowflakes fall onto her eyelashes or open her mouth to catch them on her tongue. She then heard someone’s voice snap her out of her current thoughts.
”Pretty, isn’t it?” They had asked quite kindly. Clover usually would either jump away or run away at the sound of someone else being beside her at this moment but as soon as looked up at the boy, she a warm smile on his face and something about him made her feel a little more safe.
“Y-Yes...” She said really quietly and shyly. She bit her lip a bit and moved, keeping herself closer to the railing of the steps. She kept watching the snow fall. She was a really nice person but she just sometimes was too shy. “I-It’s beautiful.” She said though. She kept her hands on the railing though in case something did happen.
She was kind of confused as to why he was walking out here this early in the morning. She was also awake this early so she didn’t say anything on the matter. She looked up at him for a moment. He looked familiar. She thought that he must have been in some of her classes.
She was trying paint a picture but nothing jumped to her mind just yet. She then looked back outside, it really was so pretty. She couldn’t help but stare at it. She loved snow but she at the moment was pretty excited for the summer time. She missed running outside or just hiking, climbing trees, swimming perhaps. Those things of course would be a lot more fun if she had more friends. She enjoyed doing things like that with her brother and Jude but she had a feelings things would be really different between her and Jude. She just didn’t treat him the same way anymore. She was still hurt by this.
He completely jeopardized not only their friendship but Clover’s health and her relationship with Chris. She had yelled at Chris out of being so upset that she made Chris upset and guilty. It was only because of her having an emotional breakdown that things were good with Chris now. She looked up at Lucas again and noticed the guitar on his back. She always wanted to learn guitar.
That was just something she always wanted to do. She knew a little bit of piano. The piano at her uncle’s house was beautiful and she always played it when he left. Chris told her she was talented and this made her smile. Perhaps she had a talent for musical? She loved the sound of guitars and pianos. If she knew Lucas well and if she weren’t so shy, she’d ask to play the guitar but she wasn’t like that. Thus she was kicking herself.
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Post by mila2007 on Jan 11, 2008 19:38:31 GMT -6
Lucas could tell he had startled Clover in his sudden appearance. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes wide. She even moved away from him towards the rail, biting her lip. “Y-Yes...I-It’s beautiful.” Lucas sat down on the step she was on, a little ways away from her. He didn't want to freak her out by sitting so close. Everyone had their do's and don't's.
Lucas nodded his head to show he was listening to her before crossing his legs on the lower step of the stairs. Taking the guitar off his back, he set it down besides him. He laid back, letting his elbows rest on the higher step before sighing contentedly, head raised and looking up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes for a moment.
As mentioned before, he had heard bits and pieces about Clover but not enough to waltz up to her and start a solid conversation. The only person he was really close to in the entire school was Jessie, so it'd do him good to attempt to be social with others. Not that Jessie wasn't great. She confused him a lot. Like she would say one thing and mean another. Lucas shook his head. Time to think about that later. Turning his eyes back on Clover, he noticed her peeking at his guitar. With great care, he removed it from its case and set it on his lap. The wood was rich and a deep mahogany red color. He stroked it fondly, running his fingers over the strings. It was an all too familiar object. It just felt right in his hands.
He glanced at Clover out of the corner of his eye before turning to face her. "Lucas, by the way," he introduced himself, offering a hand to shake hers. Noting how she gripped the railing in her hands, he turned his smile into a large grin. "And don't worry," he said reassuringly. "Ah may look pretty scary first thing in the morning, but Ah'm quite harmless."
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Post by Clover Asher on Jan 12, 2008 17:58:58 GMT -6
Clover felt him sit down on the steps beside her and she relaxed a little more. Sure, he was closer to her but if he was going to do something to harm her he would have already done so. She was still just a little bit suspicious though. It was just in her nature at the moment to keep a watch herself.
She could honestly say that she really didn’t know who he was. Sure, she saw him walking around and in classes but she couldn’t remember really what his name was. This made her feel bad and she didn’t want to offend him or anything. She looked over at him and she stretched her arms out a bit, biting her lip a bit.
She quickly looked away when she saw that he noticed her looking at his guitar. When he began taking it out she couldn’t help but look at again. It was such a beautiful, rich colour and she was tempted to touch it. She stopped though thinking of what she would do if she was in his position.
She probably would never let anyone touch it just because she’d love it too much and she’d be so protective over it. ”Lucas, by the way,” He said, extending his arm out to her. She shyly took it and shook it lightly, “I’m Clover.” She said softly, looking over at him. He looked like those type of people that were really cheerful all the time.
"And don't worry," he said reassuringly. "Ah may look pretty scary first thing in the morning, but Ah'm quite harmless." She laughed at this and smiled, a lot more relaxed now. She didn’t understand why he was saying that he looked pretty scary, for waking up so early in the morning, he looked pretty awesome.
Clover smiled, “Don’t worry.” She laughed lightly, “I’m not a hundred percent on looks right now.” She said, pointing at her hair that was a little bit frizzy and messed up, falling in front of her eyes a lot.
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Post by mila2007 on Jan 12, 2008 18:35:57 GMT -6
“I’m Clover.”
"A pleasure, Ms. Clover." Lucas nodded his head at her, noticing how she was lightening up. That was good. Tense people were sooo hard to talk to.
Clover laughed, smiling lightly making Lucas chuckle as well. He found that most people had contagious laughs. Heck, not just some people, laughter in general was contagious and sometimes rare to pick up on. “Don’t worry. I’m not a hundred percent on looks right now.”
"Bah," he said, dismissively waving a hand and grinning. "Personal appearances are for old people who are too caught up in adult stuff." He sat up straight, proudly pointing a thumb at his chest. "Ah'm going to be a kid forever. Just try to see 'em stop me." He put on a tough scowl, crossing his arms defiantly. "Just thinkin' about it... wearing ties to business meetings and polished black shoes... and a briefcase!" He shuddered, shaking his head.
Lucas chuckled after his act, grinning back at Clover. "Oh, right!" He said suddenly, holding a finger up. Now that Clover was relaxed enough to smile and laugh, he reached beside him and took the guitar by the neck. "Saw ya eyeing this," he said, winking at her as he set the instrument in his lap. "Do ya play?"
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Post by Clover Asher on Jan 12, 2008 18:52:53 GMT -6
"A pleasure, Ms. Clover." Lucas nodded his head at her. She looked at him confused, "Ms. Clover? I'm not fifty." She joked, laughing again.
"Ah'm going to be a kid forever. Just try to see 'em stop me." She laughed, "Who is them?" She said. She always enjoyed having a good laugh in the morning, it made the day much better as you had a rejuvinated feeling every morning.
He put on a tough scowl, crossing his arms defiantly. "Just thinkin' about it... wearing ties to business meetings and polished black shoes... and a briefcase!" He shuddered, shaking his head. "You know, you don't have to be a business person when you grow up. I'm hoping to be a musician hopefully or a writer. I can't deal with proper clothing, business and all that jazz."
"Oh, right! Saw ya eyeing this," he said, winking at her as he set the instrument in his lap. "Do ya play?" Clover shook her head, looking down at the guitar for a moment. I play piano whenever I can." She said, not going to get into how she's not allowed to play piano a lot. She didn't know him well enough to go into a conversation about that.
"Why do you ask?" She asked him, looking outside for a moment. She moved her elbows onto her knees and had her fist against her lips abit, finding a comfortable position to sit in. She really loved to play music but wished that there was some way she could play more. She was terrified to imagine what her uncle would do if he caught her playing on his piano.
She really did not want to imagine that all. She read a lot though about guitars. How they work, different types, styles, the way they were built and why they are shaped the way they are. She was still entranced though by the colour of this guitar, it looked rose pettles that were beginning to shrivel up. This was a strange contrast to the cheerful boy sitting beside her and she began to wonder whether something was hiding under the surface of him.
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Post by mila2007 on Jan 12, 2008 22:36:18 GMT -6
"Ms. Clover? I'm not fifty. Who is them?"
Lucas laughed as she did, giving her a small salute. "Right then, just Clover eh?" He chuckled a last time. "And them is just anybody who's gonna tell me so." He shrugged, still smiling.
"You know, you don't have to be a business person when you grow up. I'm hoping to be a musician hopefully or a writer. I can't deal with proper clothing, business and all that jazz."
Lucas perked when she mentioned being a musician or a writer. "A muscian now? Then ya must play an instrument, hm?"
"I play piano whenever I can. Why do you ask?"
Ah, the piano. Lucas smiled, content with her answer. The piano was a beautiful instrument. So fluid and different... It was like a guitar, seeing as there were notes and pitches and all sorts of unbelievable things to do with one. He had an appreciation for the piano because his mother played it. Plus, she had always played classical music when Lucas and his siblings were young children.
He caught Clover's almost uneasy glance outside. He glanced down at the beloved guitar. "Ah ask because I don't really know another... well, good musician in the school." He chuckled. "That's nice ya play the piano though. It's a beautiful instrument."
Lucas frowned. Something seemed to be gnawing at his new friend... She looked uneasy. He sat up some, looking at her with concern. "Ya alright there? Ya look a little... upset."
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Post by Clover Asher on Jan 12, 2008 22:51:45 GMT -6
Her mind was still drifting elsewhere and she snapped out when he began speaking to her and she jumped, laughing to herself of how much she was zoning out today. "Ah ask because I don't really know another... well, good musician in the school. That's nice ya play the piano though. It's a beautiful instrument." She smiled in appreciation to this.
She was glad to be speaking to someone who appreciated the instrument as much as she did. She loved the sound of it and just how it could present her moods so easily. The sound can be happy, peaceful, angry, rough, shy, quiet; she loved it so much.
She loved the feeling of the smooth keys against her finger. She never played reading music sheets, she simply played from the soul. It was as though she could see which keys to press to make a beautiful song.
She felt him sit up a bit and she looked over at him quickly. "Ya alright there? Ya look a little... upset." Clover realized now she was frowing a bit. "Oh I'm sorry. I guess I'm not really that good...I never get the chance to play a lot." She said softly to him and looked down. She then moved her hands told herself almost in a hug. She was quiet now and she remembered all the times she played and how she was terrified that he would come and hurt her perhaps. What if he did catch her and Chris wasn't there?
She realized she was staring off again and quickly shook herself out, "I'm sorry." she said apoligizing to him. "Maybe I should go...I'm probably just bringing you down." She said.
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Post by mila2007 on Jan 15, 2008 18:46:12 GMT -6
Clover's face seemed to be so full of passion for a moment. Lucas could only wonder what she was thinking about. He frowned as her features grew worred. "Oh I'm sorry. I guess I'm not really that good...I never get the chance to play a lot."
Lucas blinked slowly. That sounded like torture. He couldn't imagine if someone told him he couldn't touch his guitar... He set the instrument in his lap as if he was afraid to lose it.
"I'm sorry. Maybe I should go...I'm probably just bringing you down."
"No, no," Lucas said quickly putting a hand gently on her shoulder. "Ya're perfectly fine. Ah want to get to know ya better. Ah mean, it's a rare thing believe it or not. Ya see these kids everyday and yet ya don't know half of them." He chuckled, scratching his short hair.
Lucas resumed his position, leaning back on the stairs and smiling tenderly at her. "So, ya play the piano eh? Any favorite artists or songs that ya'd like to share?"
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Post by Clover Asher on Jan 15, 2008 19:24:38 GMT -6
Clover kept staring down blankly as she kept thinking of all the scornful memories she had. Her favourite being her getting carried away with a song she was playing and almost got caught. She had hid away just in time to not get caught.
"Ya're perfectly fine. Ah want to get to know ya better. Ah mean, it's a rare thing believe it or not. Ya see these kids everyday and yet ya don't know half of them." Clover nodded in agreement. This really did make a lot of sense. She could think of so many people she recognized their face but didn’t know any of their names.
She began to think of all the people that she saw down the halls several times. She didn’t know really who they were and she was certain that they wouldn’t know who she was either. She felt his hand on her shoulder but she didn’t back away, feeling a lot more comfortable with him.
"So, ya play the piano eh? Any favorite artists or songs that ya'd like to share?" “My uncle doesn’t really let us listen to music. But I learned a song called Somewhere Only We Know by Keane. I love that song...” She smiled. “It makes me feel so many emotions all at once.” She smiled, blushing a little bit when she looked down.
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Post by mila2007 on Feb 5, 2008 20:33:48 GMT -6
Lucas waited patiently for her to speak, tilting his head back. He was still a bit tired. He usually wasn't a morning person but the prospect of making a new friend kept him awake and alert. Clover seemed like a nice young lady. A bit shy from what he gathered so far, but everyone was the first time you had a conversation. “My uncle doesn’t really let us listen to music. But I learned a song called Somewhere Only We Know by Keane. I love that song...It makes me feel so many emotions all at once.”
He brightened, hearing her describe how she felt about the song. When you felt something so deep and profound in a song or a rhythm or... well, anything, it was the most amazing feeling in the world. Nodding, he spoke. "Wow, Ah've never heard someone else speak about their emotions like that about a song." He looked out the window absently where the snow was still twirling outside, squinting his eyes as he thought about his next words. "When ya feel.... something so deep in a song that ya can't explain it... that's when ya know how much you truly appreciate music." He paused, biting his thumb as he continued. "When Ah hear something that's so... so right, Ah get this feeling ya know?" He looked at her. "Like... a swelling or an expansion. And sometimes Ah'm just so moved Ah laugh, or cry... But then later Ah totally forget why Ah did."
Lucas sighed as if he had just made a giant confession. "Is that how ya feel about ya music, Clover?"
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Post by Clover Asher on Feb 5, 2008 21:32:26 GMT -6
Clover smiled and she slightly moved her fingers to the step, tracing small stars with her fingers onto the cold stone steps. "Wow, Ah've never heard someone else speak about their emotions like that about a song."
She watched him as he spoke, with a smile, she looked outside as well, the sun rising slowly. "When ya feel.... something so deep in a song that ya can't explain it... that's when ya know how much you truly appreciate music. When Ah hear something that's so... so right, Ah get this feeling ya know? Like... a swelling or an expansion. And sometimes Ah'm just so moved Ah laugh, or cry... But then later Ah totally forget why Ah did."
She nodded in great agreement to what he said and she breathed in, just the thought of the art swirled into the air around her and she could have sworn that she heard music for a moment, breaching through the air.
She snapped out of her thoughts when he directly spoke to her. "Is that how ya feel about ya music, Clover?" She smiled and nodded. "When I think of music, all I say is colours and pictures." She said. She was a lot more comfortable with him which was strange considering it usually took her a long time to relax around strangers.
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Post by mila2007 on Feb 12, 2008 19:41:15 GMT -6
Clover seemed far gone for a moment. Lucas smiled genuinely. Who was he to begrudge someone their own world? She came back to him, smiling and nodding as she spoke. "When I think of music, all I say is colours and pictures." She seemed sure of what she was talking about, making Lucas really believe she loved music.
He nodded at her words, understanding what she was talking about. When he heard a new piece of music for the first time and something particular was going on as he heard it, he'd always think about that happening when he heard that song. "Ah know what ya mean," he offered after a moment, strumming softly on his guitar. "When Ah hear a song that's really moving or has just the right ending... Ah dunno, it just makes me feel strange. Fluttery, moved... all of it." He nodded as he finished. Music was such an important thing.
After a moment of companiable silence, Lucas looked back at Clover with an impish smile on his face. "Ah saw ya eyeing the guitar," he said softly, holding it out to her. "Go on. Strum a few chords if ya want."
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Post by Clover Asher on Feb 13, 2008 21:58:29 GMT -6
Clover smiled, laughing a bit again at herself for having to zone out again. “Sorry.” She laughed and brushed a hair out behind her ear slowly. She listened to him intently while he spoke. "Ah know what ya mean. When Ah hear a song that's really moving or has just the right ending... Ah dunno, it just makes me feel strange. Fluttery, moved... all of it."
She nodded in agreement with this. She loved finding someone else who spoke as strongly about music as she did. Sure, Jude and Chris liked to listen to music and even loved it. But there is a difference between loving music and breathing it. Clover breathed it all the time.
She was suddenly taken aback by what he suggested next. "Ah saw ya eyeing the guitar," he said softly, holding it out to her. "Go on. Strum a few chords if ya want." She jumped back a bit, biting her lip. She really wanted to but that shyness was creeping back to her.
She kind of moved back on the stairs, biting her lip still. “I-I...” She stuttered nervously. She had no idea how to play a chord on a guitar, how to hold it- in fact, she never touched a guitar in her life. “I don’t really know how to.” She said, still shyly creeping away.
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