We are no seers

First Year
Waters Edge
October 14

Her look

Kait was having the time of her life in Durmstrang. Away from her mother, and she was actually enjoying herself. It took a while for her to adjust though- the change in climate and surroundings shocked her. Kait had thought everybody lived like her, or in a similar case, for the longest of times.

Hanging upside down from a tree, her waist length red hair touched the ground. Occasionally she fell off the tree to let the blood go back to her head and rest, then she would do it again.

Your head is going to fall off, Liath hissed, somewhere hidden in the grass. Kait gave the tan colored snake a laugh, and swung back and forth. I'm just having fun Liath. This is really fun you know. Liath just hissed something about silly humans and slithered to a rock to sunbath.

Frodo tried not to stumble as he walked across the water's edge, nearly five books in his small hands. The eleven year old knew he read a lot more than students his age probably did, but he could not help it as these books were the only things that offered him comfort from his loneliness.

Not that he wanted to be surrounded by people anyway, it was too overrated and they never liked him.

Finally finding a good enough spot to sit, he flopped on the ground, sighing as the books fell down. He gathered them together and opened one, placing it on his lap. The Hitrost adjusted his glasses and muttered under his breath as he tugged on his sleeve. Taking in a deep breath, he just stared ahead for a few minutes, barely noticing there was someone else around and indulged into his paper written words.

Even if that someone present was a redheaded girl.

There is a boy here, Gray Moon hissed. Kait glanced at her large snake, then looked around for the boy. Oh, it was that shy little guy. With his glasses and his many books, Kait thought he looked like a nerd. But with how he was, Kait figured him reading a lot it was due to loneliness. Poor boy. Liath glanced at her warily. Kait, don't mess with the boy. Just leave him alone. She rolled her eyes and got off of the tree.

She ignored Liath calling out to her as she walked over to the small boy. Really, he was taller than her (Kait was only 4"6) but at their age, everyone was small. With a Cheshire grin, she placed her hands in front of the book and peeked at the book title. Oh how boring.

She grabbed his glasses with her left hand and put them on. They were loose on her. "How do I look stranger?" The red head asked him, knowing that she looked weird with messed up hair and glasses.

Frodo was startled as he felt approaching footsteps and even more so when the person touched his book. Before he could say anything else, the person [who happened to be a girl], took off his glasses. His eyes widened and he blinked in surprise at the girl's question.

"You look fine," he mumbled with a quick look at the redhead and took his glasses back. He had a feeling he knew who it was just by the voice. But he didn't want to believe it. It was perhaps a coincidence.

Because crazy girls like Kaitlen Gem tended to stay away and leave him alone.

The Hitrost simply stared at his book once more, hoping it was clear enough for her that she was not interested in talking to him. She was probably here to make fun or insult him anyway, he figured.

"Fine?" Kait placed a fake, offended look on. "I prefer something else other than 'fine'." She shrugged, and gave the boy a huge grin. She would have said more but Kait was learning Russian still. She only knew Greek and Parseltongue fluently (Even English she had huge problems with) and she had to speak Russian very slowly.

She sat cross-legged in front of him, waiting for him to speak. Come on, move your mouth and make sounds come out of it. Can't be too hard, She silently urged him. She tapped her fingers against her knee and huffed. Almost as if sensing her need for her snakes, Gray Moon and Liath slithered to her and wrapped themselves around Kait.

"Μέρλιν, δεν μπορείς να μιλάς?" Kait murmured, feeling very grumpy. Deciding to annoy him, she poked his foot numerous times. "It is very rude to not talk to someone you know." Gray Moon hissed with laughter as Liath shook her head.

"How about 'pretty', then?" The Hitrost was quick to ask and blushed lightly as the words spilled out of his mouth. "Other than that, I do now know what other could be preferences," he admitted after a minute of silence. He didn't think whether she understood or not, he was not in the state of mind to be bothered by that.

With another sigh, he put down his book and glanced at her wearily. "And it is very rude to bother someone who is busy," he stated. He stared at the redhead's snakes for a second, as though wondering whether he was allowed to touch them, then thought better of it. They would perhaps poison him on her orders.

"Do you not have something else better to do?"

"I like pretty," Kait replied, laughing. "I don't like beautiful, I don't mind fine, but I like pretty." Still laughing, Kait messed with the hem of her shirt, getting a bit bored.

"Busy?" Kait echoed, shocked. "How is reading a book busy? It seems more like torture to me." Smiling, she placed her hands on his knees, and used them as leverage. Standing up on her knees, she leaned forward and looked pointedly at him. "Put away the book for now and socialize. Can't be that bad."

Gray Moon laughed again in her snake way, and slithered down right next to Frodo. She crawled onto his stomach and wrapped herself around his legs. "You know they won't bite," Kait wearily told him, shaking her head. "Sure their poisonous and a bit tempermental -especially the snake around your leg right now- but they won't bite."

"You don't like beautiful?" Frodo asked in surprise, his brown eyes widening and snapping to hers. A frown formed on his lips, as though this was the biggest shock ever. He ignored the sound of the redhead's laughter, afraid to say the wrong thing.

The Russian shook his head, an almost sheepish smile. "No, it is not torture. People are torture, but never books." He thought of his parents fighting and repeated, "People are torture. I prefer to be left alone and if you want to make fun, go ahead." He tried his best not to push her away, not being used to this sort of closure.

"Good to know," he muttered as his fingers moved forward of their own accord to stroke the animal around his leg. "What's her name?"

Kait's lips quirked, and leaned in. "Let me tell you a secret," Kait told him quietly, with a small smile. "Being pretty is average, doesn't attract a whole lot of attention. I prefer to attract my attention another way. Being beautiful, well...." Kait trailed off, still smiling. "That can wait till I am willing to attract attention that way." Boys was something that Kait was not willing to become close to. Every male she met, they were total dicks towards her. Either it was her mothers boyfriend or school mates, they never got on her good side.

Kait frowned at his comments, and brushed back her hair. 'People are torture' that is what she said before. Before she went to Durmstrang. Kait was starting to think that Frodo didn't have the perfect home life that so many other students did. Hesitating, flashes of memories of her mother yelling at her in anger and slapping her numerous times replayed in her mind. "What makes you think that?" The red head asked, a bit curious but wary at the same time. "That people are torture and I would not want to make fun of you."

"Gray Moon." Gray Moon nosed Frodo's leg. Liath slithered to Kait's neck and wrapped herself around the Hrabrost's neck. Smiling, she stroked the snakes head as she watched Gray Moon interact with Frodo. This boy is nice, Gray Moon hissed at Kait and Liath. Kait could see a bond already growing between the two.

Frodo frowned in confusion for a moment, simply looking into the redhead's eyes, as though they held all the answers. "You are pretty," he finally repeated with a decisive nod of his head, his lips turning upwards slowly. "I do not know many pretty girls who are nice, I hope you are not like them." He preferred to stay out of people's way and mind his own buisness. Why be bullied for no reason at all?

"It happens to me all the time," was all he said, his gaze lowered. He fiddled with the pages of his book, taking in a deep breath. "At home also, it is just fighting. And here at school, everything is a joke to everyone. I like jokes, I suppose but..." The Hitrost trailed off, his brown eyes almost looking dull and lacked of life. "I just do not like it."

His fingers continued to stroke the snake, and smiled lightly. "That is a nice name," he told softly and took the snake in his hands and wrapped it around his neck. "Were your snakes a gift to you?" He asked curiously.

"I like to think I'm nice. I do enjoy pranking, though I see no reason to bully anyone." Kait shrugged and brushed back her hair. "To not be bullied, there is three ways to do it. Be invisible, be a bully, or stand up for yourself and show that you are not going to take being bullied." Kait used the last advice all her life. Back in her Greek Village, everyone knew what her mother did. No one was willing to admit though that her mothers work brought some income to the poor village. People stopping by for some drugs usually stopped by for some food. But most of the people was wary around her, making sure that she didn't turn up like her mother. So if she did something wrong, people paid more attention.

Kait knew that if they didn't do that, Kait would already be on the road to be a drug addict.

Sighing, Kait bit her lip, and fought the desire to just spill to Frodo about every detail ofher home life. But that would mean breaking down her barriers. "I... I live in a difficult home too," She started, wanting to make Frodo not feel as left out. "And it is hard to be in Durmstrang sometimes. I am Greek, never spoke a word of Russian before I learned I was going to Durmstrang. I had to floo to a professors house everyday, to learn Russian. I can't speak Russian very good, so I have to speak very slowly." She shrugged, and hugged her knees to her chest. "I feel out of place, here in this dark place. I miss the sun, the beach. But I hide it, and I show everyone that I am a trouble maker. People like me because I'm a trouble maker. I make them laugh." Kait hated being an outcast. She was like that in her own home. Then Kait realized that she just spilled her guts to Frodo. A boy she hardly knew. Idiot.

"No," She told Frodo, stroking Liaths head. "I found them actually. I rescued both of them. I found Gray Moon when I was eight, and Liath when I was five."

"Pranks are fine, I suppose," Frodo told softly. "And some of them are really hilarious. I think people use the word 'prank' when they are actually hurting someone; such a pathetic excuse." He didn't know if that's how everyone thought, but it sure seemed like it. "You can obviously see that I stick with the first option," he said with a sheepish smile, cheeks turning red slightly. "It is more easier for me that way, less difficult. Even if means being in the shadows." And just like that, it was obvious to him that she stuck with the third option.

For that, he completely admired her.

He frowned once more, and he hesitantly held her hand. "I'm sorry you are not comfortable here, and I should perhaps feel happy I am not the only who is alone, but I don't feel happy," he smiled weakly. "And hey, it is okay to take your time to learn Russian; nothing wrong in that. You can't really expect to be secure with a language in a short span of time. And if people cannot understand that, then they are idiots." He stated with a shrug of his shoulders. "Making people laugh is good," the Hitrost grinned. "As long as you enjoy doing it, it does not matter what people say."

"I'm glad you did find them then," Frodo told quietly. "Are you a parselmouth?" He couldn't help but ask.