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Post by Holly MacFarlane on Apr 25, 2006 19:25:40 GMT 10
BANG!!
There was a loud explosion. Smoke. Rubble. Dust. Pebbles flying everywhere.
As the smoke cleared, the rubble dissapeared and the dust settled back into the stone work. Crouched down, hugging her knees was a young, fairly attractive woman of 23. Not that any one could tell she was attractive from the way she was positioned. Her normally white hair was grey with soot, and had she lifted her head, there would have been a black smear down her right cheek. Her pants were torn at the knees and the black jacket she wore was hanging off one shoulder.
After a couple of minutes, she finally lifted her head, gazing around the courtyard. The place seemed familiar, but she knew logically that she had never been here before. Holly brought a hand up to tuck her hair behind her ears and realised with a start that someone had cut it all off. Her hair was... Why... She hadn't had hair that short in at least a decade. She looked suddenly at her hands and realised many of the scars she'd aquired were missing, and her hands looked like they had in her early 20s.
What was going on? Holly stood up and unsteadily brushed the dust off her jeans. She looked around for a familiar, or at least friendly face to help her out, but the place was deserted. As she turned towards the great doors, she realised with a shock that no, she hadn't been here before, but she knew exactly where she was. Who on earth had brought her to Koalingo?
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Post by Alex Zander on Apr 25, 2006 19:40:13 GMT 10
“Wow, don’t you look a sight,” a young man with pale blue eyes and spiked blonde hair grinned down at the crouching figure. He stood in a stance that might have made him look a little cocky, a little full of himself perhaps, but time had been kind to him and at his age he was at the peak of physical condition, it also didn’t hurt that he was fairly tall, but not overly.
Alex Zander reached down to offer a hand to the grubby looking woman, not hesitating to notice that she was, save a patch of soot here and a spot of blood there, somewhat attractive. He grinned as he offered her his hand wondering what on earth she had done to cause such a loud sound and end up so covered in mess, further more did he wonder why she had not included him.
“You know I know this place isn’t exactly as strict on rules since the students became adults, but I don’t imagine they would appreciate such a racket,” he was teasing her, he didn’t know who she was just yet, and it might not be the nicest thing to start on her, but he was sure she would see he meant it all out of fun and that he was the last person in the manor to be taken seriously.
He glanced at her a moment longer thinking of the faces he had come to associate with the manor in the week since he had been here and then the look in this woman’s eyes, it became instantly obvious, “You’ve just arrived, have you?”
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Post by Holly MacFarlane on Apr 25, 2006 19:47:03 GMT 10
Holly took the young man's hand and shook it with uncertainty. She was still quite dazed, and she blinked a couple of times before nodding.
She opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind, and then said quietly "Yeah, I've just arrived." Goodness knows from where she spoke under her breath.
"This is Koalingo, isn't it?" She hadn't realised she was still holding the strangers hand until now, and her cheeks turned slightly pink and she dropped it.
"I think... I'm... I'm Holly," she ran a hand through her grubby hair, but managed not to cringe at the length this time.
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Post by Alex Zander on Apr 25, 2006 19:54:39 GMT 10
“You think? Now where have I heard that before?” Alex stood back crossing his arms and bringing a finger to his chin in mock thought as he pretended to take time to remember something, “Oh yes, me after a Saturday night with the muggles, though I guess there’s really no point spending a Saturday night out with muggles if you can still remember your name by the end of it, hey?”
“Yeah she doesn’t do to bad the old girl, does she,” Alex turned to convey his sights upon the ancient school of Magic. He knew a lot had changed since he had been here, though he also knew that for his own sanity he had to cling onto everything that reminded him who he was, and that meant he needed to maintain his laid back attitude to everything. That and a couple of his friends were here also, so it was not all that difficult to adapt to.
“Well I guess they’ll want you to go see one of them, but I think, for a moment, perhaps you’d like to sit down?” he walked backwards a way towards the Ameraid fountain, hoping no Ameraids would come flying out of it, as he imagined the shock might just knock this shaken looking woman off her feet.
“Come here, sit down” he sat on the stone walls of the pond patting the space next to him smiling all the while, trying to keep her as comfortable as he could, he knew she might appreciate this, and she was pretty good looking, she might repay him for his friendship one day. This suited him just fine.
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Post by Holly MacFarlane on Apr 25, 2006 20:04:57 GMT 10
"Thanks," Holly said quietly as she followed the young man to sit at the fountain. She couldn't help but smile as she patted the space next to him, and she sat down.
"It's funny... I know I've never been here before, but it all seems so familiar, like a peculiar dream," she sighed and resisted the temptation to lean on the man's shoulder. It was a strange habit of hers, invading persaonal space. But still, he seemed very relaxed and almost familiar, but also eager to help her out.
Leaning back a bit, she looked to the Manor and bit her lip. She looked to Alex and asked quietly, "Have we ever met before? Have you ever seen me? Do you know who I am?" There was a pleading quality about her eyes and she felt desperately lost.
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Post by Alex Zander on Apr 25, 2006 20:19:39 GMT 10
“I… well… no, I regret I do not know who you are,” he told her with a bit of a grimace which turned into a smile almost as soon as he could imagine it, the smile did not betray his concern however and he continued to watch her curiously, “Do you remember nothing?” He asked her his eyes narrowing just a little as he wondered if he should summon on of the founders here rather then sending her to one, he did not however, one thing at a time, he thought.
“That just means the two of us did not know one another when we were Twenty-Three,” he said the last two words with a curious look on his face, he had been told by Lord Emerindyl that everyone that was coming to Koalingo as a student would be the age irregardless of their age at the present time. Alex had since decided this must be because they were all dead in this reality. A thought that occurred to him when he saw his friend Godric who had died when he was seventeen.
“So… do you remember where you were just before now? I remember everything before coming here, I remember being here as a student, I remember my friends, I remember my enemies,” he looked off towards the castle wondering where Lucius was exactly, not having seen him for a little while.
“I remember my family, I remember… I was at work just before I came here actually, I’m on the Australian Quidditch team, believe it or not,” he screwed up his nose a little bit in modesty, the thought never even crossed his mind that she might not know what Quidditch was.
“I’ve only been out of school for five years,” he looked off around Koalingo, “Did you come to school here? I mean, you’re obviously a witch and you sound Aussie, so it would only make sense I guess, unless you went to Talsquash, but then why would you be here now?”
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Post by Holly MacFarlane on Apr 25, 2006 20:37:43 GMT 10
“But I’m thirty-three...” She protested confidently, but her voice soon faltered as she looked at her hands. Twenty-three? That certainly made sense body wise, why the last time she’d had short hair she was twenty-three, and she’d certainly not had such nice skin for ten years. She rubbed her dirty face with a frown, still quite unaware of the oddness of her appearance, for she had not been anywhere near a mirror.
“Honestly, I don’t even remember my surname, let alone where I was this morning. I remember it felt like I was being ripped apart, then an explosion, and suddenly I was there,” she pointed back to the courtyard where there was now no evidence of her arrival.
“I know I’ve never been here, or at least... I haven’t been here before I’m twenty-three. That doesn’t even make sense.” She thought she’d been almost grasping the logic, but it slid from her again. “It feels like someone called me here, summoned me or something. It’s so bizarre though, because I can’t see any reasoning behind it.” Forgetting herself, she leant on Alex, but suddenly realised she didn’t even know his name.
“Who are you?” she blinked as she sat up and looked at him, “I never even asked...”
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Post by Alex Zander on Apr 25, 2006 20:58:43 GMT 10
“Lying about your age to make yourself older… and you don’t know my name, you really aren’t like any woman I’ve ever met,” he grinned hoping this would make her feel a little more comfortable about him, the moment she nestled against him made his heart leap, this was odd, usually when things like that happened with women, he expected it and welcomed it, but there was something odd about this, though quite comforting.
“My name is Alex, Miss Holly, and might I say it is a tremendous thing that you and I were able to meet under these circumstances, I do hope that in my life I did manage to meet you,” he smiled keeping off the topic of just how she got here, he did not think it was for him to answer any questions about where she had come from, he would leave that for Lord Emerindyl, or perhaps Lady Saphricorn.
“Well considering the only thing you remember of your past is being ripped apart I can only hope you find your future slightly more comforting, welcome to Koalingo Manor, at the very least,” he smiled again hoping she would nestl against him once more, though there was a nagging at the back of his mind that said he should be getting her to a founder.
For the moment however he was comfortable having her all to himself, and was not ready to let her go, just yet. “I should imagine you have been here before, everyone I know that is here has either schooled here or taught here, except Godrics… Grandson, I cannot even begin to tell you how weird it is to say those two words,” he suddenly thought of something.
“Perhaps there is a familiar face amongst them?” he looked at her hopefully, “Godric Emerindyl? Elouise Snape?” and then he added as an afterthought, “Lucius Sinister?”
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Post by Holly MacFarlane on Apr 25, 2006 21:11:00 GMT 10
Holly had been frowning, pondering whether to lean against Alex again or not. It was certainly comforting, and just as she’d been about to do so, the name Lucius Sinister was uttered. Holly gave a sudden compulsive shudder and turned to stare at Alex. Her nostrils were flared slightly, and her eyes were wide with what almost looked like horror.
“Oh you’re not serious, are you?” How did she know this Lucius? How did she know his name? And why did she feel repulsed by the very mention of him? She knew she had not met him that day, but he had certainly left an impression on her, and whether it was at 23 or 33, she wasn’t sure.
“I don’t know where that came from, Alex” she used his name for the first time, “But I recognise the name, and I recognise the feelings I had when you mentioned it. There’s no mistaking boiling blood for anything else.” She realised that her fists were clenched tight and she unfolded her hands to look at the little cuts her nails had left on her palms.
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Post by Alex Zander on Apr 25, 2006 21:32:47 GMT 10
“Yeah… Lucius has that affect on a lot of people; you certainly cant like the guy, well at least I don’t know anyone who does? Besides his wife, is he married where you are from?” Alex asked, getting a little ahead of himself, he knew Lucius and Kalika Gardan had tied the knot almost immediately after their graduation though he also knew many people assumed it was more out of a need to join their family riches rather then actually liking one another, and so his statement remained.
“Well, it’s a good thing you remember something, I guess” he smiled at her though he didn’t know how it would work in her favour considering Lucius was actually here in the Manor as well, at least maybe Lucius would be able to provide them with some information on who this attractive woman was, and the fact that she did not like Lucius definitely meant she would like Alex, he was almost completely opposite to Lucius.
“Well… I guess this means there is hope for you after all, now lets talk about something else, you remember Lucius and hating him, right? You’re not thinking maybe Alex Zander and feeling like you want to…. I don’t know, jump out of your skin with delight, perhaps?” he smirked
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Post by Holly MacFarlane on Apr 25, 2006 21:44:08 GMT 10
Holly shook her head softly, a slight frown on her face as she spoke. “It’s strange, because I have no idea who Lucius Sinister is, what he looks like, what he does for a living... Only that we sorely detest each other, and I just know that he is bad news.”
She stopped frowning and smiled now, as the man spoke again. “Well I don’t know Alex, the more I talk to you, the more inclined I am to... jump out of my skin?” She leaned against him once more, unsure why she was comfortable around him. He felt almost familiar now, almost as though they’d met before, but the feeling certainly wasn’t as strong as the one she’d had about Lucius, or the one she would soon have about Lady Saphricorn.
“So what about you? Tell me more about your story.” She was curious to know about Alex, she felt like this was the first real human contact she’d had in years, and her memories were still hiding in the background.
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Post by Alex Zander on Apr 25, 2006 21:56:49 GMT 10
“Well there is so much to say about me, I don’t know if we really have enough time to hear it all, but I’ll try my hardest,” he smiled again, “Lets see… did I mention I was on the Australian Quidditch team for the International League? I’m a chaser, the best in the team in fact,” he leaned back careful not to fall in the fountain as he did.
“Before that I was a student here, Emerindyl House of course, couldn’t imagine being in any other, save maybe Saphricorn, they’re always pretty cool, one of my friends was in Saphricorn, but most of them, my closest friends were in Emerindyl, most of them are here now in fact, Godric, Elouise, Dillema isn’t here though, but I don’t imagine he would be.” He realised he was rambling and fell silent for a moment with a smile on his face.
“I finished school, graduated bottom of my house, didn’t need any of it though, I can flip a good charm when need be, but I spend most of my time on a broomstick so I don’t really have any need for a lot of magic, after Godric died, Elouise and I fell out of touch, Dillema moved to America, I didn’t have many magical friends until I joined the league, the fella’s and I cause a bit of strife here and there, but to be honest I spend most of my time with muggles when I am not practicing or playing a game,” he grimaced and shrugged.
“Muggles aren’t too bad, my parents are both magic but neither of them have touched their wands in years, too successful as muggle to need to use their wands, they say they like to work for things rather then have them materialise for them, a lot of magic folk don’t really appreciate my parents for saying so, but they don’t rely on magic like most of our kind do, cant fault them for that,” Alex stopped for a moment to wonder, he was talking about things he had never discussed with anyone of the magical world, and his muggle friends could never know he was a wizard, he had become instantly close to this woman.
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Post by Holly MacFarlane on Apr 25, 2006 22:08:12 GMT 10
“I can’t say I’ve ever had a problem with a Muggle before. I think it’s great that you appreciate both the Muggle side of the world, and what is obviously your heritage.” Holly raised an eyebrow, she had sounded so much like a teacher just then, and it puzzled her.
Her head rested on Alex’s shoulder and she sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time since she’d arrived. She was slowly beginning to feel more human, and she felt Alex had a lot to do with that.
“I can’t say I ever got into Quidditch though... I liked it, sure, but I don’t recall it ever being my thing. I guess it’s one of those things that you’re either good at, or you’re not. I always liked creatures and animals.” This statement confused her too. How did she know she liked animals? Simply, she just did. She knew facts about herself, about her personality, without knowing why, and thought it truly confused her, she knew she was being truthful, for how could she make up things about herself when she barely knew who she was.
“You’re very easy to talk to, has anyone ever told you that before?”
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Post by Alex Zander on Apr 25, 2006 22:27:36 GMT 10
**FADE OUT**
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