The Rogue World Of Dostira

Alexander Harkness

Audrey found herself sitting on the cold grass against a weeping willow tree, hugging her knees tight against her chest, with the long downward branches of the tree hiding her from any onlookers. She had stopped crying almost fifteen minutes ago, and was now just sitting in silence and trying to ignore the look on Mr Harkness' face that flashed in her mind. She didn't understand why he showed such disdain towards her ever since the start of the year after her auctus appraisal, she thought perhaps he had seen something dark within her that made him upset or afraid. But whatever it was, Audrey huffed at the idea that Mr Harkness would let his personal feelings impact his teachings. She sat alone, occasionally wiping her cheeks from teardrops that would unexpectedly trickle down her face, until she saw a figure walking towards her.

"Hey, I've been looking for you everywhere" Zach said, he crouched down and made his way though the drooping branches to sit by her side.

Audrey sniffled and quickly wiped her face, "Hey, I'm sorry I just needed to get out of there".

Zach sat close to her and slowly placed an arm around her shoulder, he could almost feel the angst and woeful mix of emotions radiating off her cold body as he gently rubbed her back.

"I mean, did you see the way he looked at me?" Audrey muttered, her voice breaking as she spoke.

Zach furrowed his brows, "Oh George?" He asked.

Audrey shook her head, "No, Mr Harkness" she replied. Her eyes began to gloss over with tears as she swallowed hard to stop herself from becoming a blubbering mess.

"Oh yea, he looked angry and also well...disturbed. His hands were quite obviously shaking when he was trying to help George" Zach said in a surprised tone, he looked over to Audrey and saw a single tear stream down her cheek.

"I just...with everything that's going on I can't help but feel so alone" Audrey began, she was obviously sobbing now and her voice hurt as she croaked to speak, "Like I know I have you and Bella and Nora but I just, I feel like everyone else wants me gone".

Zach squeezed her slightly with his arm around her, his chest felt dull pangs as he watched her crying but trying to conceal it from him. He parted his lips about to speak, when his mind held him back. He thought carefully about what he should say, and whether or not it would help Audrey feel any better.

He took a deep breath and spoke softly, "You know I had another sister, her name was Iriselle" he began. Audrey's sobs had begun to quieten as she hid her face, looking to the ground, but she leaned her body closer to him listening.

"She was a solis prodigy, well my whole family is. Only a few months after my parents got taken away from us, she received a letter inviting her to Dostira. As soon as she arrived, everyone had already decided to dislike her because of who her parents were. No one even gave her a chance to prove the rumours wrong, to show that she was just a normal witty and good natured girl. She spent her time alone and practising her powers, until someone took notice of her; Mr Harkness." Zach's voice began to tremble as he spoke, he felt his body begin to heat up in an unexplainable temper as he continued.

"Mr Harkness was her only friend, she would write to me about how caring he was towards her and how he helped her strengthen her powers. Until one day, in her sixth year, he turned cold and bitter. She didn't know why, and so she was alone again. At the end of her seventh year she tried to approach him again, to finish the year with no bad blood but he was still hard hearted and so he turned her away. She went missing a few weeks after she graduated, I haven't seen her since I was eleven. Teresa, I mean Ms Tarvins, is the only family I have left because of him" Zach looked ahead, seeing a weak outline of parts of the castle through the weeping willows branches.