The rumour of us (Kaden & Eleanie)

Subject: The rumour of us (Kaden & Eleanie) Sun Jul 14, 2013 1:15 pm

He didn't mind the whispers, not usually. He could sit among them for hours, oblivious to their curious eyes and pointing fingers, and his name slipping from one mouth to the other. He would not notice them, or pretended he did not, until finally they lost interest and found themselves in some other discussion, forgetting his face as if he were a painting or a sculpture they'd passed on their way.

And yet there were occasions, rare perhaps, but such when Matthew's mind offered no wonders and his ears were painfully open to each word that passed through the room. He would be suddenly aware of all the petty thoughts they associated with him, lines of weird and freakish and creepy even, spoken more often than, and yet handsome or given a compliment of sorts; and when they all came in a rush of sounds, he didn't know what to do with them.

He sat very still, cheeks pale, appearing sickly if anything. He had meant to study, but the energy in the room was too unsettling. He would have gone outside though again it was raining and it wouldn't have been too much of a problem if something, something hadn't kept him stuck in position. And Matthew didn't, he simply did not know what to do.

He felt exposed and helpless, and all he could do was sit there, waiting for the nightmare to end. He was very aware of his self, the intensity of his senses, the skin that stretched too thinly across muscle and bone. One particular group seemed most fixated on him. A mix of Ravenclaws and some of his fellow Slytherins. And Matthew wondered. Why? Why had he come up here, where they could look at him like starving lions?

Why people even paid any attention to him, he never understood. Why couldn't they just go around their own business and let him be? So what if he spoke to Gryffindors? So what if he creeped around corners and collected pebbles? What did it matter if he liked boys or girls or not one or the other? Why did people wonder? It all made very little sense in Matthew's head.

And then there were those who didn't ask the questions. They dared answer them, which was worse in a way. Matthew could scarcely believe what he was hearing and he gripped his quill so hard that his slender fingers had turned a chalky white colour. Not even bothering to whisper and to much amusement of her friends, one of the Ravenclaws was announcing that he, Matthew McGee, was a complete nutter; lost his mind when he saw his parents slaughtered by a Short-Snout on their trip to Sweden last summer. Another joined in claiming that he was coping by dating a Hufflepuff boy who liked to wear his hair in sky blue braids.

It was a bit much. Matt began to rise out of his seat, uncertain whether he was doing so to leave or to curse them all to oblivion.

Subject: Re: The rumour of us (Kaden & Eleanie) Sun Jul 14, 2013 7:43 pm

(I am basing the scene right after Relaxing in the Common Room if that is alright with you?)

Eleanie blew in like a hurricane. Her anger seemed to grow in fury as she descended the stairs from the Gryffindor Tower. Why she came into the study room to vent her fury, even Eleanie had no idea, but she found herself there among the looming bookcases closely knitted together like a mini maze. The bookcases lead to, as Eleanie went deeper in, to great bay window and clutter of tables filled with students of every house. It sickened her how each house could get along so well, and she could not even get along with her brother.

As they turn to look at the newcomer, she in turn glared back at them. Her anger illuminated on her face like a lightning bolts streaking across the night sky. They promptly turn around back to whatever they were doing previously, making themselves look busy to avoid any altercations Eleanie might bring upon them. If she was in the right mindset she would have gladly given them trouble, but at the moment her anger was diverted to someone else.

She did not stay long in between two bookcases, watching the feral students glancing up every once in a while as they gave Eleanie dirty looks. The study room had several exits to them, and she spotted the one she wanted. To the left of the study hall, near the back of the room, stood an exit left ajar that lead a straight path to the Ground Floor. It wasn’t the exit she wanted, as she slithered her way through tables, not even apologizing when she kicked someone’s backpack, but standing next to the exit was an L shape bookcase encompassing a single table. That was her destination. Instead of just slipping through the foot wide gap between the end of the bookcase and where the wall meet, she turn to see who was watching her.

No one was…Now.

So Eleanie shut the door with a slam, as if leaving and quickly squeeze through the tight opening to the enclave. Now she was alone, but not really alone as she could still here the chorus of muttering and gossip on the other side of the bookcases.

Kaden followed in pursuit of his little sister. He could not fathom what has gotten into her of late, and he wanted answers. He followed the instructions of several scared first and second years, who got in between Eleanie and Eleanie’s destination. The trail lead to the Fifth floor Study Hall. Kaden did not hear screams, which was a good sign as he proceeded into the study room, passed the bookcases and into the lounge area. There was no sign of Eleanie. Maybe the students were mistaken?

Eleanie was quite adapted for slipping through the crack, and well verse in slipping away into the shadows. It was a gift that Kaden could have never mastered. Even the layout of the school, Eleanie was more adept than Kaden was. No wonder she easily slipped through his grasp.

Subject: Re: The rumour of us (Kaden & Eleanie) Mon Jul 15, 2013 5:47 pm

Matthew stayed in position, eyes falling to the entrance as a hurricane blew in and changed the entire atmosphere inside the chamber. He no longer had curses in mind, nor thought to leave. His attention was drawn to this forceful wind and it pushed past him on its course. It would have made Matt fall over, only the bench was behind him so he simply sat down again, feeling a little overwhelmed. 

He saw her slip between the bookcases, his bright eyes focused on the area where she had disappeared. But someone obviously thought it would be fun to use Matthew for target practice and, as he jumped to gather the notes that had suddenly blown up in his face, Matt lost sight of the wind. If she changed her position, he wouldn’t know.

He grimaced, piling up parchment and stuffing it into his backpack. Problem was that he wanted to hurt them. Wanted to shut them up and wipe those stupid smirks off their faces. If he hadn’t enough control not to do it, Matthew worried he really would cause some irreparable damage.

Subject: Re: The rumour of us (Kaden & Eleanie) Mon Jul 15, 2013 9:18 pm

A collogue of faces turn to Kaden’s general direction seeing how another newcomer interrupted their private lessons from their peers, or general study time to catch up on a bit of homework. Kaden apologize by giving them one of his apologetic smiles. He did not mean to interrupt them in such a fashion, but where his sister was concern it could not be helped. Instead of interrupting them further, he stood at the edge of the study area observing the many faces the coalescence in this one space.

Sometimes even though he fit naturally, like a glove to a hand, into large social gatherings such as this, he felt like an outside intruding onto others with his problems. One thing he made certain though, as his eyes moved from table to table though, is he never encroach on someone longer than necessary because it was his problem and not theirs. Finally, he saw a familiar face that would not judge him too harshly for bothering him at a time like this.

Eleanie sat perched up on the window ceil. Her face was pressed up against the cool glass as she watched raindrops trails that formed down the window pain. A fog blew in every time she exhaled causing her to lose sight of one of the rain drops she was following. She was still fuming mad at Kaden, breaking his promise like that, but watching the storm passed overhead as if she her was willing it to do its worse was comforting her.

Kaden slid through the openings of tables, chairs, backpacks and desk to get to McGee and where he was sitting. But as Kaden got closer, his smile slipped off his face and was replace with worried. McGee did not seem himself. The calm and collected McGee that sat among the chorus of owls, was replace by agitation surrounded by the tarnish whisperings of Hogwarts’ students. “McGee, what’s the matter?” he asked picking up a stray piece of parchment off the floor that fell when McGee was shoving his things back in his bag.

The attention Eleanie was given to the fresh fall rain was diverted by Kaden’s voice just beyond the bookshelves that enclosed around her. She lean forward to hear more, bracing herself with one arm at the corner of the window ceil. What she got instead, but expected all the same, was vicious whispers about her. Those whispers turn into rumors. Those rumors turn into common knowledge. That common knowledge turns into the truth, whither it is or not. Eleanie knew from firsthand experience, and the backlashed it brought tenfold.

Subject: Re: The rumour of us (Kaden & Eleanie) Thu Aug 08, 2013 12:26 pm

Matthew heard the question, recognized not the voice but the name with which he was addressed. No one really called him by his last name except the professors, and they usually bothered to slap the title of Mr before it. He lifted his eyes to Kaden shortly, shook his head and lifted up his rucksack to zip it closed. “Nothing. Everything’s brilliant.”

He knew he had to be making it worse, just by showing he was unnerved by them. And Kaden, he probably wasn’t helping by appearing right there and then. A laugh came from the group from before, and it took all Matt’s willpower not to turn his gaze towards them. 

“Thanks for that,” Matthew indicated the piece of parchment in Kaden’s hand and extended his own, so as to receive it. He ended up grabbing it more forcefully than he intended, and the parchment crumpled as he stuffed it inside his robes’ pocket.

Subject: Re: The rumour of us (Kaden & Eleanie) Fri Aug 09, 2013 5:27 pm

The sharp edges of McGee’s words, and the dark tones in his voice pierced Kaden’s friendly demeanor, like knives poking at infested wound. His smile, still present, did not have that friendly gleam to it that he started with seeing his friend, but one of sympathy and of support. He watched as McGee forcefully shoved his parchment back into his bag. Was once a perfect written essay, letter or story, or whatever McGee worked on so carefully now was in ruins. It was a crumpled mess inside his inside pocket. It was only then did he realize what was going on in the Study Hall. Another pierced laughter coming from two tables down. A girl mocking McGee’s obvious distress by mimicking his face but giving it more of an ape look to drive home the point.

“I’ll be right back,” he said nodding to McGee. He slid pass McGee towards the Group of troublemakers. They all followed him as he approach. With an heir of a gentlemanly status, Kaden lean in and whispered something to the group. It wasn’t loud enough for even Eleanie to hear seeing as how she was just beyond the bookcase watching the proceedings in the comfort of the windowsill. “I'm sorry” was all Eleanie heard as she watched Kaden retreat from the table of vipers and back to the boy named McGee.