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POWER OF CONCEALMENT
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I'LL NEVER TELL HIM HOW MUCH I CRIED THAT DAY
-THE VARIED STUDENTS IN the main hall turned to face the girl, like dominos toppling over one another in a coordinated manner - intrigue laced in their expressions as they looked on at her; muttering, whispering, judging. Everyone seemed to of paused in that moment, desperate to take in the sight of Marella Bardot. Every move she made, every flinch that escaped her limbs was noticed by them. She felt meek -timorous really- before them, though she didn't let it show.
In reality, she looked invincible in the moment, her back straightened with precision ( as her mother had taught her many years prior ) and her expression unfaltering to ones eyes. Though Marella assumed the students were assessing each imperfection that grazed her skin, she was wrong, for they were taken back at her calmness - knowing if any of them had found themselves in her shoes, they'd already be on their way back home.
It was strange how ones own perspective could be so different to anothers, and the feelings they bundled up inside of them could be so discreet that no one would ever presume she was slipping into the darkness.
"How can she do that?" Sirius muttered to his friends as they sat amongst the red table, James on the left side of him ( following along with everyone's else's stares ) and Remus on the other ( too busy within his book to look up ).
"Doing what?" Peter said through a muffled voice, tearing into a buttered croissant as he diverted his eyes back and forth between the girl and a newspaper.
"Acting like she doesn't care, everyone has just stopped to stare at her, and she doesn't even mind." Sirius explained with confusement, his left eyebrow arching slightly. In true honesty, Marella did care, more than she would ever lead on, but she'd learnt at such an early age to never display this weakness - and now she was basically a master at disguising it.
James fumbled his hands through his hair, the weathering scent of strawberry shampoo engulfing his nose. "It's fucking creepy really." he then added after a moment, finally de-tangling his fingers from his locks. "Look at her eyes, they haven't moved once from her food, I swear she must be some sort of robot. Certainly not the girl we used to know."
