Brielle Anderson had always been a happy child, full of questions and a never-ending pit of things to say. But on the evening of August seventeenth, just days away from returning to Hogwarts, a terrific tragedy changed her life for good.
Being sent...
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s e c r e t n i n e
I woke to a pair of twinkling green eyes staring down at me. They blinked twice and then disappeared in a flash of white as I shouted and fell off my bed.
Lily was standing above me, dressed for the day, looking at me with sad but surprisingly causal eyes. "Well?" she said, a hint of impatience laced in her voice.
I stared up at her. "W-well what?"
She only sighed and said, "Look. I know you've been through a lot recently and probably don't want anyone to talk to you, but I'm your best friend and therefore am responsible for dragging your lazy butt to breakfast."
I didn't move, just sat there in a stunned daze.
"Brielle Anderson," she scolded. "Do not make me sit on you."
She reached down her hand.
My name jolted me back to reality, and I shakily accepted her help to pull me to my feet. Once standing, I quickly retracted my hand and ran it awkwardly through my hair. "Er, thanks Lil," I muttered, looking anywhere but her intense green eyes.
She stared at me for a second longer before turning on her heel and leaving the dorm room. After another second I followed, slowly covering my face with my hair and stuffing my shaking hands into my pockets.
When I entered the Great Hall, the few people scattered around the tables went silent. They all glanced at me out of the corner of their eyes, as if I wouldn't notice the sudden quiet if they didn't make eye contact.
I walked past where Lily and the others were sitting, ignoring the following gazes from the boys who sat next to them, and took a seat at the end of the red and gold table. After I had eaten two bites of a piece of buttered toast, I stood back up and left the hall.
I barely did anything that day, going from class to class without saying a word, sitting at the back out of sight, and leaving the common room as soon as people started filling it. It was different to be at this place where I was once always the center of attention, to be trying to hide myself away in the shadows instead of seeking out the light.
But it helped. It helped to not have to talk to others, to not have to laugh with them and be a kid again. It helped to not think that I was moving on in life without my parents.
I thought it helped, but something inside me kept whispering that it was only making it worse.
